Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Stacey didn't know why Kaito wanted to spend New Years with him. Stacey didn't really see anything special about the date, and he definitely didn't need to get involved in festivities.

But Kaito had invited him (Satoshi) to Colourful for New Year's Eve, and he decided to accept. It's not like Stacey (or Satoshi, for the record) had anything else to be doing.

So he accepted the invitation, and was able to eat a Colourful Sundae as both his last meal of 2021 and first meal of 2022.

"Why did you invite me?" Stacey asked as Kaito took him outside to watch fireworks.

"You are special to me." Kaito smiled as Stacey stared at him. "That's why."

Stacey thought that was ridiculous- how could Stacey be special to Kaito if they're enemies- but he accepted the answer.

Chapter Text

Stacey felt strange when Hakaiser showed up. The Tojitendo didn't get new generals often. Worlds didn't last very long since they were always defeated by the Zenkaigers.

Hakaiser ended up staying and being very friendly. Maybe too friendly, too human. Hakaiser said that he and Stacey could work together and be friends.

Stacey didn't want Hakaiser's help or companionship. He didn't know how to deal with having friends.

But he needed it, even if he didn't want to admit that.

Stacey wanted to grow closer to Hakaiser, and he did finally ask Hakaiser to be friends (and Hakaiser responded that they already were).

But Stacey wished he could tell Hakaiser one thing, that he never knew how to say:

"I feel amazing when I spend time with you."

Chapter Text

Terui Ryuu never got nervous. He was cool and collected at all times.

Unless he was around Akiko, for some reason.

He didn't mention it to her, at least not right away. She wasn't acting any different, so he wasn't sure what made his heart race when he was around her, especially when they were alone together.

"Ryuu-san?" she got his attention after Shotaro had left to deal with a dopant. "Aren't you going?"

"Huh? Uh, not yet. They can handle it without me," Terui said, wanting to spend time with Akiko.

"Are you feeling alright, Ryuu-san?" she asked, tilting her head. "You've been acting different lately..."

"I'm fine. Just. You give me goosebumps," he admitted. After a moment of silence, he turned to leave.

"You can stay," Akiko said, grabbing Terui's hand and making him stop in his tracks, making the tingly goosebumps feeling spread through his hand and arm. "Shotaro will call if he needs your help."

"Yeah."

They stood in the detective's office holding hands until the others got back.

Chapter Text

Sakura felt a lot better after she met Lovekov. Her inner demon was very sweet and spoke a language only Sakura fully understood.

Lovekov was also very soft, which Sakura could feel without being transformed.

At night, Sakura often had a lot on her mind, and she found she could talk to Lovekov about everything. Lovekov didn't always have advice, but she always listened and offered snuggles after Sakura finished ranting.

"Thanks. I feel safe sharing my secrets with you," Sakura mentioned as she finished a rant.

"Kofu?" Lovekov asked.

"Yes really," Sakura said. "You're such a good listener. And I know you won't tell anyone."

"Lovekov kofu!"

"Yes, you are very good. Here, give me a hug," Sakura said, putting her arms around Lovekov.
"You're the best, Lovekov."

Chapter Text

Daiji and Kagero were both unable to sleep right now. Kagero was a demon and didn't need much sleep, and Daiji was a human who was purposely not falling asleep because he didn't want Kagero to take control.

"I'm not going to- it's night, there's nothing to do either way," Kagero said. "And you need sleep."

"I don't...I'll be fine," Daiji said as he went to get a fifth cup of coffee.

"There is no way this much coffee is good for you, Daiji."

"Why do you care?" Daiji asked Kagero.

"Because...this is my body too."

"...oh."

Daiji paused, not moving to drink the coffee.

"Now, can we go back to our room and...maybe not sleep, but like, just chill? I'm not going to take control, I swear."

"Okay." Daiji poured the drink down the drain before going back to his room. "You're really not going to do anything...?"

"No. It's the middle of the night, nobody's awake anyway. Rest your eyes."

"Kagero..." Daiji closed his eyes. "Do you care about me?"

"Uh, well, I mean...you and I are the same, right? If something happens to you, it affects me..." Kagero explained. "Why? Do you care about me?"

"Hmm..." Daiji mumbled, trying to fall asleep. "You just do things to take care of us and not try to hurt my family?"

"Well...not right now..." Kagero said, hoping Daiji wasn't paying close attention to his response.

"...then yeah, sure. I accept you as you are."

"Really? I mean, uh, thanks! I don't deserve that..."

"You don't...but still, you're me, right? I accept me..."

"Oh. I accept me- you- too."

The two of them lay in comfortable silence until Daiji fell asleep.

Chapter Text

Alata worried about Hyde. He knew that Seaicks preferred being alone, but he was pretty sure they usually had partners like the other tribes did.

Hyde said he was fine on his own, but Alata was always friendly towards him, hoping Hyde would reach out if anything was wrong.

One night, Hyde knocked on Alata's door. Alata was a light sleeper and woke up quickly, answering the door in his pajamas.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure. What's up?"

"...nothing. I just...miss my partner."

So Hyde had a partner at some point. Alata didn't ask what happened to them. Now wasn't the time for that.

"I understand how you feel," Alata said.

"You do? But you have Eri..."

"Eri and I spend time apart sometimes. And I miss other people too. We can't contact anyone in Gosei World...I miss my parents a lot. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Just...can I sleep in your room tonight? Not like- you don't have to-"

"Sure!" Alata's face lit up in the dark room. "Here, this side is comfier," he pointed to the left side of the bed, allowing Hyde to lie down.

"Goodnight Alata," Hyde said.

"Sleep well!" Alata replied.

They both fell asleep shortly after.

Chapter Text

Eiji was always prepared to help people when he was traveling. He always took a long time to get places since he always stopped to help locals wherever he went.

This time he was in a rather quiet industrial area. There was a large building in the area with a symbol on it. Eiji assumed it was a landmark, but he couldn't recognize what it was.

A young man stumbled out of the building, falling to the ground. Eiji ran over to see if they were alright.

"Hey," he said as the young man tried to stand up. "Are you okay?"

"...I'm fine..." they replied before losing balance. Eiji caught them.

"Is your leg okay?" he asked.

The young man didn't respond right away, but eventually, they nodded.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

They stared at Eiji's question in shock before nodding.
"P-please."

"Okay. It'll be okay, sit down," Eiji said. They listened, rolling their pant leg up to reveal a large bruise. Eiji got a washcloth and wet it with cold water from a nearby tap before pressing it on the stranger's leg.

"Ow!"

"It'll be okay. It's swelling, but it'll feel better soon."
Looked like Eiji would have to stop his travels for a day or so.

Chapter Text

The ToQgers were shocked to find out that Akira hadn’t played most board and card games before. He barely even knew what video games were. He didn’t know why this was such a revelation, but once they found out, his teammates kept inviting him to play games with them.
Akira accepted every time unless he was tired. He didn’t have much of a reason to deny them. And the ToQgers, usually Hikari, often explained the rules before jumping into the game.

Akira found that his favourite card game was Go Fish, since he could easily remember where the cards were. He was also amused by Monopoly, not for the actual gameplay, but for the fact that it caused a lot of…discussions before they even started playing.

“You have to buy whatever you land on,” Hikari explained. “Or if you don’t want to buy it, you have to do an Auction where the other players bid on it and then someone else ends up buying it.”

“That’s not how I play it…” Mio said.

“What’s an auction?” Kagura asked.

“It’s when you get a bunch of people to say how much they’re willing to pay for something and the person who wants to pay the most wins,” Tokatti explained.

“So are we playing with auctions or not?” Akira asked, wanting to get to playing already.

“I’ve never heard of an auction in Monopoly before,” Right said. “Are you sure it’s really part of the rules?”

“Yes,” Hikari said.

“But none of us have ever played with them before. So let’s not use them.”

“But they’re part of the rules!”

Akira had been warned that Monopoly got intense and could ruin friendships, but he had expected that to happen when the game actually started.

“Sorry we didn’t end up actually playing,” Right apologized when the group ended up putting the game away and going to bed. “Hikari and his fancy auction rules…”

“It’s fine. I always have fun when I am with you,” Akira said. The argument had been somewhat amusing to watch, especially considering Akira hadn’t taken a side in this argument. “Go to bed. We can play Monopoly another day.”

“Yeah…I’m glad you had fun,” Right smiled.
Akira didn’t smile back, but he did nod as Right went to get ready for bed.

Chapter Text

Stacey came to Colourful often once the Tojitendo was defeated. He usually came by for meals and snacks, but he also came by to simply visit the Goshikidas (minus Kaito who was usually travelling).

It was nice to visit as a normal customer. The Goshikidas put all the things Stacey did behind them.

It still felt weird to Stacey, though. Especially when he was around Isao.

Stacey understood that Isao had no memory of being Hakaiser or anything to do with helping the Tojitendo. Isao and Hakaiser were different people and he did his best to treat them as such.

But he missed Hakaiser.

Every time he heard Hakaiser's voice- Isao's voice, of course- he thought about him.

One day, Isao called Stacey to see how he was doing. Stacey would've preferred to text, but he didn't want to seem rude by not answering, so he answered.

"Hey, Stacey! How's it going?"

"Hello," Stacey replied. He didn't want to address Isao by Hakaiser by accident, so he stopped himself from saying any name. "I'm doing well."

Isao continued to talk, and Stacey kept having to remind himself that despite the voice being the same, he was not speaking to Hakaiser.

"My wife was in Sushitopia for a while, so next time you come over I'll have to get Micchan to make some sushi for you. She's really good at making it. Or we could just go visit there. I'm glad the worlds are freed. Has it felt different in Kikaitopia without the Tojitendo?"

"Uh...yeah," Stacey answered honestly. "I miss y- I mean, I- uh...it's weird. Uh...there was someone in the Tojitendo who I miss...I think you know about him, but..."

"You can tell me about him if you want."

"Hakaiser-" Stacey stopped himself from saying anything else.

"Hakaiser?" Isao paused. "Kaito told me about that...oh. Are you okay, Stacey?"

"N- I mean yeah-" Stacey lied, taking a deep breath.

"Stacey," Hakaiser's voice came through the phone. "Please tell me how it is for you so I can understand."

Chapter Text

Julio wanted to hold Aguilera's hand.
He knew that he couldn't do that, since she was destined to marry Gifu.

But after they got to spend more time together outside of the Deadmans (which felt kind of weird at first) he felt like maybe he could. At least he could ask when he felt like he couldn't before, even though he had no idea what her reaction would be.

He brought it up when they had a moment alone together.

"Aguilera...can I hold your hand?"

She didn't reply right away, and he waited for his rejection.

He was surprised when he felt her hand in his.

He was glad the silent answer was yes.

Chapter Text

Magine was too shy to ask in front of people, but there weren’t often times where she could be alone with Flint. So she asked when the Goldtweaker family was leaving, as that would be an appropriate time to ask. And if Flint said no, she could just leave and wouldn’t have to awkwardly stick around.

“B-before you go, um, can I give you a hug?” Magine asked Flint, who blinked in surprise.

“Sure,” Flint embraced the kikainoid, who laughed and hugged her in return.

Magine felt sparks run through her as she hugged Flint, and she was still tingly as they separated.

She wished she could do that again.

Chapter Text

Daiji worked very hard. His goal was to be the best at something. He didn’t even care what, though he knew it was impossible to become the best at sports since his brother participated in them. Daiji wanted to do something Ikki couldn’t.

When he joined Fenix, it was something his brother definitely didn’t want to do, so he couldn’t be better than Daiji at it. Daiji still worked hard, aiming for the top of his class, and ended up being promoted fairly quickly.

It seemed Ikki noticed his determination, as he said something after the ceremony:

“Daiji, you inspire me.”

Daiji was proud to hear that.

Chapter Text

"I really appreciate it when you...let me talk about things like this..."

It was stressful, not being out to anyone and having to go through life as if everything was fine. As if Ichika wasn't constantly misgendered by her family and friends who didn't know better because Ichika was scared to correct them.

When Ichika came out to Hana, it had lifted some of that weight off her shoulders, knowing there was someone who knew about it. Hana was only one person, but Ichika could still talk to her about things that nobody else knew about.

"No problem! I'm glad you feel safe enough to talk about things like this with me, even when I don't know how to help."

Chapter Text

Tsubasa was so glad that he got to have a birthday party. It was a very weird party with hostages and the police waiting just outside, but it was still a birthday celebration for him.

The next time Tsubasa saw Taro, the delivery man who had started the party, he said:

"You are one of the most amazing gifts I have ever received."

Chapter Text

Yusuke wasn't sure he was going to make it to the school today. He wanted to go, but there was another unidentified lifeform, and of course, as Kuuga, Yusuke had to help.

But he had remembered that today was the day. That had to count for something, right?

If he could find Mr. Kanzaki's phone number later, maybe he would give him a call. And even if his teacher didn't answer, he could leave a message saying:

"I value everything you've taught me."

Chapter Text

Whenever Oto wanted to talk to Melt, she didn't usually have anything to talk about.

Until she realized Melt had never lived under the water.

Oto started spending her time with Melt telling him about the creatures and plants she saw. He didn't always know what she was talking about, but he listened to her.

One day, Oto wondered if this was annoying to Melt.

"Uh...do you like when I talk about this stuff? I like talking about it, but if you think it's annoying..."

"Oto, the insights you have shared mean the world to me," Melt answered.

Oto smiled.

Chapter Text

Sayo worked at the hospital. And though she liked her job, it was stressful despite her calm demeanour.

One evening, she went to CARAT to relax after a long day of work. Juuru was there, sitting on the couch and drawing. Seeing him draw so passionately always made Sayo happy.

After a while, Juuru flipped the page over and started another drawing.

When he finished the second drawing, he flipped his sketchbook around.

“Sayo, look!” Juuru said. Sayo looked at the drawing, a picture of KiramaPink and Helico.

“Juuru,” Sayo smiled. “Your thoughtfulness is a delight to receive.”

Chapter Text

Haruka watched as her boss flipped the menu over to reveal another item she didn't know about. Why did it just-so-happen that Donbura had a secret menu with exactly what people wanted on it? Why didn't they serve these things normally?

But the customer was happy, and that was what mattered.

"I will never forget how you keep changing the secret menu as people walk in. You do it a lot," Haruka said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kaito said, returning to his book.

Chapter Text

Juuru was excited to meet another Sentai. Especially when the new team had robots on it!

He didn’t want to admit he had a favourite, but his favourite was Gaon, a cat-like robot. And luckily, Gaon seemed to like Juuru too!

Gaon watch Juuru as the human started drawing a picture.

“I feel so relaxed and happy when you draw, little human.”

Chapter Text

After Barashitara was destroyed, Flint noticed Stacey’s face. It was a relief to know the enemy had been defeated, but Stacey wasn’t celebrating with the others. Flint pulled him aside to chat.

“Are you doing okay?”

“Yeah…” Stacey replied, but tears filled his eyes. “S-sorry, I don’t know why I’m crying.”

“You just…did something that’s a very big deal,” Flint said. “Do you want a hug?”

Stacey accepted the hug, and Flint put her arms around him.

A month later, Stacey texted Flint. He had all of the Goldtweaker’s contact info, he just liked her the most.

Flint sent a hug gif, and Stacey didn’t want to talk about it, so the conversation ended.

Chapter Text

Sonoi didn't believe in soulmates. The Noto didn't need soulmates, platonic or romantic, as they were content on their own.

But when he spent time with Taro, he felt a strong connection. He felt like they could just spend time together in silence and enjoy each other's company. By not even doing anything, just existing together.

"You're staring into space. What are you thinking about?" Taro asked, poking Sonoi to bring him down to earth.

"I just..." Sonoi paused to figure out how to word it. In that moment, it happened again. They were existing in the same space, and Sonoi felt comfortable. "I can feel it when your heart sings because it makes my heart sing too."

"Oh?" Taro was confused by his statement. "Like...when I'm happy, you're happy too?"

"I suppose that's a simpler way of saying it."

Chapter Text

It was hard for Stacey to feel calm. Most of his life, he had felt...nothing. Not stress, but not happiness. He had been numb to emotions.

And when he met Kaito...it was a lot. Kaito had a lot of energy.

But when he met Yatsude...

Yatsude was very nice.

Stacey felt calm around Yatsude. Even when Colourful was busy, he could sit in the store and eat an ice cream sundae, and Stacey would be content with his situation.

One day, after a moment of quiet after the store had been busy, Yacchan apoligized for not having time to talk with Stacey. He replied:

"It's fine. I could sit next to you and not say anything and be at peace."

"But I want to talk with you!" Yacchan replied. Stacey smiled after finishing his bite of ice cream.

For the brief silence, he felt at peace.

Chapter Text

Sonoi had been acting strange lately, helping the Donbrothers, and reviving Don Momotaro. Sononi decided to mention it.

"What have you...been thinking about after seeing Don Momotaro is still alive?"

"I feel...fortunate...knowing that now I can take him down in a fair fight."

Sononi didn't understand why it had to be fair, but she accepted the answer.

She wrote a note and taped it to the door of Sonoi's room.

The way you handled my question showed me that you are truly...connected with Don Momotaro.

Sonoi took the note off the door and refused to confirm her statement.

Chapter Text

Stacey was still getting used to seeing Kaito’s parents when he went to Colourful. Sometimes they were in the lab, but if he came over at or just after dinnertime, they were both there, along with Yatsude.

He still never knew how to refer to them. They allowed him to call them Isao and Mitsuko, but that felt weird. Especially Isao.

But Isao didn’t remember anything about his time as Hakaiser, so they were basically different people.

“You thinking about something in there?” Isao asked, bringing Stacey back to the present situation of eating ice cream.

“Yes. It’s nothing important,” he added before someone could ask what it was about.

“If you want to talk about it later, I’m here,” Isao said.

Stacey went back to eating his ice cream.

After he was finished, Stacey thought about Hakaiser again. Hakaiser had also been very nice to Stacey, even when Stacey denied his friendship.

“I…just want to say something. Uh…you…” Stacey cleared his throat. “I know you don’t remember being Hakaiser, but…your comments about…just, supporting me during that time…helped me enormously. And how you always considered us teammates. I really appreciate it.”

“Oh…” Isao didn’t know what to say. “I’m glad I could help.”

Stacey knew Isao had barely any idea what he was talking about. But he was glad that he had Isao.

He wished he still had Hakaiser.

Chapter Text

Isao and Mitsuko had no idea where they were. On the one hand, yay, discovering parallel worlds! On the other hand. What.

They gripped their hands together tightly, wanting to make sure they weren’t alone as they wandered though what seemed to be a palace.

Neither of them acted worried, but Isao whispered as they took a moment to rest behind some crates.

“I’m thankful to have you in my life.”

“I’m thankful for you too. Let’s stick together?”

They heard heavy footsteps behind them.

In the split second they had to make the decision, Isao nodded.

Hopefully they would stay together even after they were caught.

Chapter Text

As she spent so much time with him, Sakura enjoyed the Chief's company more. It wasn't like she liked him, exactly, but as she kept going on adventures with him, she couldn't imagine life without him.

"What are you thinking about?" Satoru asked one evening as Sakura silently read old records of adventures.

"Nothing. Just about how I could go anywhere with you," she casually admitted.

Satoru smiled.

"Where would you like to go next?"

Chapter Text

Sanae wasn't sure what caused Honoka and Nagisa to be friends, but she was glad they were.

Sanae noticed when Nagisa came by often and asked where Honoka was. She always informed Nagisa of her granddaughter's plans, and Nagisa would always rush to the destination Sanae told her. Sanae hoped they weren't in any danger.

If Nagisa stayed behind for a moment one of these days, Sanae would have to tell her:

"I believe your intentions for me are always good, even when I cannot understand what you do."

Chapter Text

DonKaito looked up from his book as a new customer walked into Donbura.

"Hello. Can I get you anything?"

"Uh, I'll just- wait, you don't have Colourful Sundaes here? Oh well..." ZenKaito sighed as DonKaito flipped a sign over, revealing they did have Colourful Sundaes.

"Oh! I'll have one, please!"

"Certainly," DonKaito changed the menu back before going to make the ice cream sundae. He came back shortly after with a sundae.

"Thanks! Why is this on like, the secret menu?" ZenKaito asked.

"Because...I like making them for myself more than making them to sell."

"Is that why you made one for me? Because I'm you?" ZenKaito asked. DonKaito scoffed.

"Well, I trust you. But I suppose it's because I'm you, too," DonKaito said as he went back to his book.

Chapter Text

"Let me tell you about the manga I read!" Sonoza said when Sonoi got back from the human world.

"I didn't know you were into manga. But you can tell me about it," Sonoi said.

"Okay so I got this manga from a human who gave it to me. It's about-"

Sonoza went into detail about the story, saying lines from the story with emotions and recapping the first volume before letting Sonoi comment.

"How was that?" Sonoza asked about all the emotions he had just expressed.

"Very good," Sonoi replied. "That manga must be teaching you a lot."

"It is! And I can go outside my comfort zone with you when I tell you about them. So it's..." Sonoza waved his hands from side to side for a moment. "...I don't know, but I want to experience that again."

"Interesting," Sonoi said. "Can you tell me about the second volume?"

Chapter Text

Stacey was nervous about a lot of things once the Tojitendo was disbanded. He had a lot of responsibilities to take on all at once, and though he had expected it to be a lot of work, he felt like he wasn't confident enough for a lot of things.

Whenever he hesitated to make a decision or give an answer quickly, he thought about Kaito, who was travelling through the multiverse, probably making worse decisions than Stacey could.

It was funny, though perhaps rude, so Stacey decided to tell him when Kaito texted Stacey to ask how things were going.

He left it at that, knowing Kaito would take it as a compliment.

Chapter Text

Honoka was glad she became friends with Nagisa. Nagisa seemed to be more aware of the Dark Zone and other dangers, and she always checked on Honoka upon realizing something was wrong.

"Honoka! There you are," Nagisa said as she arrived.

After averting the danger, Honoka decided to admit it while they were still together.

"Um...I just wanted to say," Honoka stopped Nagisa before she could leave. "The world is...less scary when I'm with you. So, do you want to hang out for a bit longer?"

"Oh. Sure! What would you like to do?" Nagisa asked.

Chapter Text

Gentaro had never been to Donut Shop Hungry before. But he was happy to go with Haruto, who went there regularly.

"What should I get? What do you usually get?" Gentaro asked.

Haruto waited for the waitress to give her suggestion, a really cool donut with blue-and-purple frosting and sprinkles shaped like stars, before saying he always gets a plain sugar donut.

"Cool. Uh, I'll have a space donut!" Gentaro said, ordering the special one. "I appreciate that your suggestions help me make difficult choices," he said as the waitress left.

"Are you talking to me or her?"

"Yes."

Chapter Text

It was nice in Lovekov's room. Kagero didn't go there too often, but he liked hanging out with her after a long day, surrounded by stuffed animals and blankets. And Daiji could keep doing whatever he needed without him.

After playing with old toys and reading books with Lovekov, Sakura got their attention.

"It's time for dinner. Kage-chan, go back to Daiji."

"Kov...Kagero Lovekov!"

"I know you like him, but he needs to go home."

"I'll be back later, Lovekov. I lose all concept of time when I am with you," Kagero said, giving her a hug before he left.

"Love love!"

Chapter Text

Now that Tokime had her own Stag Phone, she was going out by herself more often. She often left Shotaro's apartment in the middle of the night to have a walk, wandering around in the dark. Shotaro wasn't aware of this until one night where he was working on a dopant case by himself.

"What are you doing out here alone?"

"I could ask the same thing, Detective. I'm simply on a walk this lovely evening."

"You should tell me when you go out! You don't have a key to the apartment yet, and what if something happened to you in this dangerous city?"

"Oh, Shotaro. If something serious happened to me, you're the first person I would call," she said, pulling out her phone.

"Right...that's good to know," Shotaro said. "Uh. Can I join you on your walk?"

"Aren't you busy working on a case?"

"Well, company wouldn't hurt..."

Tokime and Shotaro ended up walking home together.

Chapter Text

Murasame didn't need much, but he did get hungry after going a long time without eating. And since he couldn't get a response from Mother, he was on his own.

He wandered into a cafe and looked at the menu. He wasn't sure what most of them were.

"Hello," the owner greeted him.

"Hello. Uh, what are..." Don Murasame pointed to the menu. "...there's many options and I don't know what they all are..."

"Which ones are you wondering about?"

Kaito went over the menu with Don Murasame and ended up getting him a coffee and many snacks.

"Thank you. Would you like some too?"

"No thank you," Kaito said as Don Murasame took his helmet off to eat. Don Murasame frowned at him. "You are so generous in spirit. But I don't need snacks from my own store."

"Okay..."

Chapter Text

Zox and Kaito were happy to run into each other on a trip to the same parallel world.

"It's been a while! How are you?" Kaito asked.

"I'm doing well," Zox answered. "Hey, I just remembered, I have a surprise for you."

"Cool! What is it?"

Zox kissed Kaito on the lips.

"...surprise me more often, because I like your surprises!" Kaito said once he could speak again.

Chapter Text

Sonoza didn't usually say much, especially to humans. They didn't seem to like him much, and Sonoi and Sononi weren't always around. So he ended up going to Donbura and talking to the owner there.

Maybe it was because the cafe was often empty or barely busy, but whenever Sonoza came in, the owner would put down his book to listen to him ramble.

"I love how you listen whenever I need to talk," Sonoza mentioned after going on about the characters in First Love Hero.

"No problem. Thank you for spending time with me."

Sonoza wasn't sure how to react to that.

Chapter Text

Shotaro didn’t like the silence that happened when nobody else was around.

Sometimes, he tried to think of odd things Philip would say. Things he could research, that Shotaro would be surprised he didn’t know about. Like oden. Did Philip ever eat oden? Shotaro hoped so, but he couldn’t think of any instances off the top of his head. He would be so excited to learn the history of the food either way, though…

He could still hear Philip’s voice, even though they were not in the same place.

Chapter Text

Dear Everyone
I found myself unable to do the research my partner told me to. Not because I'm busy researching something else, but because Mick walked in and meowed at me.
And it made me think of you, and thoughts of you wouldn't get out of my head.
It doesn't make sense to write a letter to people who aren't going to see it.
But if it helps me move on...
I want to write this:
I feel connected to you even when I cannot see you.
Even when you're gone.
Sincerely,
Philip

Chapter Text

Juuru wasn't super strong physically, but he had a strong imagination. He was able to draw things, and his kiramentality made them real.

Whenever he met other heroes, he hoped he would have an opportunity to show off this superpower, especially when he met the ToQgers and, upon seeing that they only had five rangers, drew a sixth. He drew an Orange Ranger that simply popped into his head, and the ToQgers were super excited.

After the battle was over, the Orange Ranger stayed around for a few minutes. He demorphed, something Juuru didn't expect. He hadn't created an image of what the person under the suit looked like. The ToQgers were happy, though.

"Yeah, it's me. Hey," the Orange Ranger greeted his team before turning his attention to Juuru.

"Huh? You're talking to me? Hi..." Juuru said.

"Thank you. I'm not sure how...but by using your sketchbook?"

"Er, it's not- I just had an image of you, as the Orange Ranger, in my head, and I drew it."

"Like Imagination?"

"Well, yeah. I have a strong imagination..."

"That's some powerful Imagination. Your wisdom has saved me, use your power wisely."

Juuru wasn't sure what the Orange Ranger meant by that.

"Uh...I will."

Chapter Text

Stacey always felt different around Kaito’s mom. It was a bit odd, since he had gone without his own mother for so long. And he already had Yatsude.

But most days, after Kaito’s parents finished working, they came home to Colourful. And whenever Stacey went there after a hard day of work, he always saw them.

He never knew how to act. He was polite, but he wasn’t close with them, especially not with Kaito’s mom. He didn’t even know her name! Kaito always called her Kaa-chan, but obviously Stacey couldn’t call her that.

But even if it was always awkward at first, Stacey always left with more energy than he arrived.

One night when Stacey arrived pretty late (though Yatsude had told him he could stop by anytime), the cafe was quiet. The lights were still on, and there was one person who seemed to be cleaning and putting things away.

“Oh, you’re a bit later than usual, but welcome! How was your day?” Kaito’s mom asked. She got a dessert bowl out.

“It’s…you don’t have to get me ice cream now,” Stacey said.

“I want to! You’ve been working hard in Kikaitopia, haven’t you? You deserve a treat when you come by…”

It was a bit weird to have just the two of them, but Stacey sat down to eat an ice cream sundae. When he got up to leave, he realized that he felt better for some reason.

Even though he still barely knew her, he felt refreshed and renewed around her.

Chapter Text

Fuwa liked Aruto's jokes. It wasn't something he would ever admit, but it was true.

One day after a boring meeting, Fuwa got an email from Aruto. They weren't working together on anything currently, but they kept in touch via email.

Fuwa looked for the pun before anything else. Aruto always included a stupid pun in his emails, unless it was work-related. (But even then, Aruto let something slip in a P.S.)

Aruto's email was about how he wanted to meet up with Fuwa to chat over coffee or a casual dinner, but it started with a pun that Fuwa would never admit he liked: I would like to ketchup with you some-thyme.

In Fuwa's reply to the email, and he added one line that he always deleted:

I enjoy your sense of humour

Fuwa meant to delete it, like he always did, but he hit Send before he could.

Chapter Text

Ankh thought that taking pictures was stupid. He didn't need a picture of himself and Eiji if they were always together. But Eiji insisted on giving one to him. It was a selfie of Ankh and Eiji, taken with a polaroid camera that immediately printed the photo.

Ankh ended up leaving the photo at Cous Coussier.

Years later, Ankh finally returned to Cous Coussier, and he went upstairs to the room he and Eiji had stayed in.

On one of the old couches Ankh liked to perch on, he saw a small picture: the polaroid of him and Eiji.

He let out a small smile.

Chapter Text

Jiro Torabolt was dormant for a long while, largely absent from his own life as Jiro Doragoku was liked more. When they became a hero, Jiro T was able to communicate more clearly with Jiro D and get responses from him.

One day when they weren't busy, Jiro thought about their life, which was mostly positive. Jiro T said something that got Jiro D's attention.

"I...appreciate that you think about my feelings before you do and say things. Reflecting on your...our...life, there's nothing I'm really against you doing."

"It's nothing," Jiro D said. "I'm sure I would say the same if it was me who went away and came back to see what you had been up to."

Jiro T didn't say anything, but part of him doubted that.

Chapter Text

Stacey was in a new world when he came across a cafe called Donbura. Intrigued by the name, he entered the cafe and saw a familiar face.

"Welcome. Come in, would you like a menu?" he was asked.

"Uh...do you have uh, Colourful Sundae-" Stacey asked, the name causing Kaito's eyes to shoot open.

"I'll be right back," Kaito said, leaving the room for a moment. Stacey sat at a table, hoping Kaito wasn't mad at him.

Kaito came back with a Colourful Sundae, and gave it to Stacey.

"Thank you!" Stacey smiled. "I was worried you wouldn't have it."

"For you, of course it's available."

"...why only me?"

"Your smile makes me smile," Kaito answered before excusing himself and going back to work.

Chapter Text

Now that Isao and Mitsuko were back to their normal lives (as normal as it could be, at least) they found themselves falling back into old habits. One of those habits was taking snacks from Colourful (and paying for it, of course).

After finishing a day of work, Isao went to Colourful and bought cotton candy.

"It's Friday. That means cotton candy after work," Isao said as he left money on the counter for his mother.

"Oh? Oh, it does," Yatsude nodded, remembering the old habit from when Isao and Mitsuko were dating. "The price of cotton candy has gone up, y'know."

"It did? Oh..." Isao had paid in exact change.

"It's okay, I'll pay for the rest," Mitsuko said. "What kind did you get- ooh, pink! My favourite! I love that you know me so well!"

Chapter Text

Tsubasa wondered about that random group of people he had kind of held hostage a few months ago. He was still in touch with Tsuyoshi, but besides that he had no idea where they had ended up. Had that teenage girl written a good manga about her experience? He remembered how she had forced everyone to stay after Tsubasa had said they could leave.

That girl was weird. Tsubasa wondered what was running through her head when she said that.

Chapter Text

There had been other Donbrothers before them, and there would likely be another group of Donbrothers someday.

But as these people stuck around for almost a year, Taro had a strong bond with them. Even InuBrother, whom he didn't know the identity of, was always there in battle.

After so long with this group, Taro hoped they would continue to be in his past, present, and future.

Chapter Text

Yamato liked spending time with Misao. He was glad to have made friends with Misao, who seemed to need it as he said he had never had friends before. Which was hard for Yamato to believe- there was probably someone out there who considered Misao their friend.

But if they didn't, Yamato considered Misao his friend. He was comfortable being himself around Misao, and hoped Misao felt the same way.

Chapter Text

When the Noto Trio were assigned to protect Earth, they didn't get to pick their teammates. The Council probably did it by number, grouping Sonoi, Sononi, and Sonoza together based on their names more than anything else.

But as they trained together, Sonoi realized that he enjoyed being with Sononi and Sonoza. He rarely saw other Notos, so maybe it skewed his perspective, but he got used to spending every day with them.

Even if they were no longer needed to protect Ideon someday, he knew they would stay together.

Chapter Text

Stacey was nervous about Christmas. He hadn't celebrated it growing up as it wasn't a thing in his world, and he didn't really have anyone to celebrate it with. Well, he did, but Yatsude still didn't know...

Stacey accepted the gift with Satoshi's name on it, glad that Yatsude had gotten him something.

"Thank you...though you really didn't have to get me anything, I'm not your family..." Stacey mumbled.

"Oh, that's fine! Christmas is for spreading joy to everyone, not just your family. And you've been good this year," Yatsude said, unaware of Stacey's actions.

"Well...I don't need anything, though. And I didn't get you anything-"

"You don't need to get me anything," Yatsude said. "I just like spending time with you! You are so loveable."

Stacey didn't know how to respond to that, but he let out a small smile.

Chapter Text

Lovekov liked celebrating Christmas, but didn't have much money to get gifts with. Which was fine, as Lovekov didn't need to give gifts to anyone, but she still wanted to give something to Sakura at least. And she couldn't really hide anything from her.

On Christmas Eve, Lovekov gave Sakura her gift just before bedtime.

"Sakura!"

"What is it?"

Lovekov approached Sakura and gave her a hug.

"Lovekov love Sakura kofu!"

"Aww, thanks Lovekov! I love you too!"

They both fell asleep smiling, excited about the next day.