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Mako nervously intertwined her fingers in front of her, willing herself to knock on the wooden gate of the residence. She huffed, dropping her head in frustration at herself. Why was this so difficult? It’s not like she was a stranger to this household and its inhabitants. She was once a resident here herself after all. Mako stepped forward with a renewed sense of strength, raising a fist to tap on the gate before a small voice quelled the others.
But that was 5 years ago. He’s probably already forgotten you.
She dropped her arm to her side, feeling her heart drop at the possibility that she meant nothing to him and moved on with his life. After all, she had done the same after the Shinkenger’s final battle. She left to reunite with her parents in Hawaii to rebuild the familial relationship that had been severed by the Gedoshu. Now it’s apparent to her that another tie had also been broken. Only this time, it wasn’t by the hands of their enemies. It was her own doing. She had chosen not to reach out in the years that she was gone, afraid she’d come running back if she heard the voice she missed so much. But she needed to be there for her parents, her disabled mother. So she shoved down that strong sense of longing. How could she face him after that? Maybe coming back was a mistake.
Mako bit her lip, hiking up her backpack to rest more comfortably on her shoulder and readied herself to leave. Before she could take a step though, she heard shuffling on the other side of the gate and suddenly, the barrier was no more. She was face to face with three Kuroko, each of whom had brooms and other cleaning supplies in hand. They froze at the sight of her, staring in disbelief and her reciprocating. Once their initial shock wore off, they immediately dropped everything and quickly ushered her into the residence despite her objections. Mako found herself stepping into the common room, both hands gripping the straps of her bag anxiously. Nostalgia washed over her when her sights set on the six zabutons, and a rush of memories with her teammates littered her mind.
“Mako?”
She must have been reminiscing for quite some time and was so occupied in her thoughts that she was unaware of the presence of another body joining her in the room. She felt her soul jump out of her and whipped around to face Hikoma. His eyes that were wide in shock quickly softened with joy and a bright smile donned his face.
“Jii,” Mako felt tears pricking the corners of her eyes at the sight of him, another wave of emotions washing over her and mirrored his smile. Hikoma didn’t need her to ask. He could see it in her eyes that she was yearning to inquire about one person.
“He’s out on the training grounds.”
Takeru dragged the towel across his neck and trudged towards the patio, plopping down with a sigh. He gazed out at the courtyard, which had been feeling a lot bigger ever since his comrades left. He lowered his eyes, feeling that dull weight on his heart and attempted to brush it off. He reached for the glass of water Hikoma had left for him and took in a mouthful.
“Takeru.”
He glanced over and nodded idly, acknowledging Mako who had just settled down next to him. It seemed like his body moved out of habit, while his brain had not yet caught up. When it finally did, Mako couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Takeru sputtering and nearly choking on the water. She gently patted his back until he recovered from the attack. Mako pulled back her hand to rest with the other on her lap, and silence settled between the two of them as they took in the sight of each other.
“Did you finally get over your shyness?” Mako finally teased, breaking out into another grin when Takeru chuckled.
“I said I would, didn’t I?”
With the ice broken, the two chatted and laughed about anything and everything as though the last 5 years without each other never happened. Hikoma, along with a few of the Kuroko, watched from afar with knowing grins, disguising their spying by doing arbitrary tasks. While Takeru and Mako were oblivious, it was as clear as day to everyone else. Their platonic friendship had blossomed into something more since their first encounter with one another. Neither were willing to risk the possibility of damaging what they had though. Especially when there were outside factors that could rock the foundation of their relationship. With the Shinkengers’ duty to protect the Earth from the Gedoushu, and Mako needing to move to the other side of the ocean after the war, there just didn’t seem to be time. But now…
“I’ve been training for our rematch.”
Mako raised an eyebrow and tilted her head questioningly at Takeru’s sudden declaration. He softly chuckled and pushed himself off of the porch to stand, his back towards her as he reached out for two wooden bokutos resting by him. He held each in one hand, reminded of a time that seemed so long ago.
“You know, it wasn’t fair of you to spar against me when I was dealing with the dilemma of having Genta join the team,” Takeru finally turned to face her and held out his arm to offer her the training weapon.
Mako rose with her eyes still trained on the leader and accepted it without hesitation. Her dominant hand closed around the handle as she had done so many times in the past, gracefully spinning the sword forward once to have it settle in her hand the way she was most comfortable and familiar with. She raised her other hand to steady the katana and positioned herself accordingly, ready to spar. Her lips curled into a small grin when she noticed Takeru had backed away from her, stiffening a bit in disbelief that her swordsmanship was still intact over the years.
“It would be an honor for me to succeed once more then, Shiba Takeru.”
Stillness settled between the two samurai, both quietly observing and waiting for the other to make the first move. What sounded like a whistle shattered the silence as Mako’s katana cut through the air, and the sound of a dull click echoed when it was met with Takeru’s katana. Their calculated dance continued and eventually, the two found themselves out of breath with their swords crossed, chests nearly touching as they pressed their weight against one another. Takeru’s eyes met her brown ones, breath hitching when he realized that she’d lowered her eyes to focus on his lips and was leaning in. His foot shifted in hesitation, and that was all Mako needed to gently push off of him, swinging her katana to aim for the side of his knee, which buckled. It was a familiar sight; Mako raising her weapon over her head ready to make the final strike and Takeru on one knee with his gaze focused on her. What shocked her though was the fact that Takeru caught the weapon between his two hands as it was coming down, yanking it and its wielder towards him.
Mako gasped, feeling herself falling forward. Takeru rose to his feet, meeting her halfway to wrap one arm around her waist and the other behind her head as they tumbled to the ground. She found herself horizontal to the sky, expecting to feel the dull pain of bruises that were yet to form. She blinked when Takeru came into her line of vision with his brows slightly furrowed with worry. One hand cushioning the back of her head, protecting it, and the other holding himself up to prevent himself from crushing her with his weight. Takeru thickly swallowed, heart rate skyrocketing and the feeling of nervousness overwhelming his body as Mako continued to stare at him with a look that he’s never seen before. He held his breath when she raised a hand to-
Mako flinched, pulling her hand back in surprise to feel for the raindrop that unexpectedly fell on her cheek. She tilted her head upwards to the sky in confusion before letting out a small squeak and curled towards Takeru when more came raining down on them. He quickly hoisted himself up, carefully held her by the shoulders to help her up to her feet, and with a gentle hand on the small of her back, softly nudged her to head towards the house first with him following close behind. Hikoma and the Kuroko ushered them inside, hurriedly offering them towels to dry off as much as possible to avoid the risk of them catching a cold.
“Both of you should wash up and change out of those clothes before you get sick,” Hikoma instructed the Kuroko to locate and deliver Mako’s belongings to her room along with any toiletries she may need. She felt chills run up and down her body and quickly rushed to her old room, peeling off the damp article of clothing and took a long-awaited, warm shower. Feeling refreshed and ready to engulf herself in her soft and dry clothes, Mako gingerly dug through her bag that the Kuroko had dropped off at her door.
“No… No, no, no!” Mako hissed to herself. She pulled her now damp hand out from the bag, threading the other through her hair frustratedly, Running through the events of the last hour or two in her mind, it dawned on her that she must have left her belongings outside on the patio when she went to meet Takeru. Her bag and consequently her clothes were soaked through with the rainwater. Idiot. She concluded that she was her own worst enemy.
“Is everything okay, Mako?”
Mako whipped her head up at the sound of his voice, feeling dizzy at the thought of the partition being the only barrier between Takeru and her vulnerable self. Panicking, she scrambled up to press her back against the panel to put some weight against it despite knowing fully well that Takeru would never disrespect her privacy like that. She tightened the towel that was wrapped around her. The towel could only do so much. Maybe she can just hide in her room until her clothes dry.
“I- I’m okay,” she managed to stammer loudly enough for him to hear.
“Mako, I’ve known you for years now. You only stutter when something is wrong.”
She mentally kicked herself for forgetting how observant he was and still is. Nervously biting her lip, Mako fiddled with her fingers trying to decide whether or not she should simply ask him for help. A bit too overwhelmed with her jumble of thoughts, she had forgotten to reply to Takeru who was getting increasingly worried at her silence on the other side. He took a step closer, listening intently for any kind of sound to indicate that Mako was still alive and not unconscious or anything. Outright concerned at this point, he nearly decided to just barge in there.
“Takeru…” Mako had slid open the partition enough to peek out at him shyly, “You wouldn’t happen to have some clothes to spare, would you?”
Takeru anxiously gripped the clothes he had picked out from his wardrobe, mind going haywire as he approached Mako’s quarters. Upon arriving, he turned to face away from her room and cleared his throat, voice cracking slightly when announcing his return. Again, Mako slid the partition door slightly, glancing out to see Takeru looking at anything that wasn’t in her direction, an arm extended offering her a small stack of clothes. She quietly thanked him as she reached forward to collect the garments, fingers brushing against his.
“I brought you a few top and bottom options. Wear whatever makes you the most comfortable,” Takeru let out an awkward cough afterwards. “Take your time and let me know if you need anything. I’ll be out in the common room.”
Mako watched as he shuffled away before settling back in her room to observe the clothes he picked out for her. She shivered, quickly deciding which clothes to don to combat the lowering temperatures as the sun began to set. Takeru’s scent wafted around her as she pulled on his white, long-sleeve shirt and black sweatpants, both of which were slightly oversized on her. A sense of comfort washed over her, wanting nothing more than to be with him right now. In the common room, she found Takeru reading and cradling some tea. Feeling her eyes on him, he lowered the book to meet her gaze, a subtle smile forming at the sight of her in his clothes.
She settled down next to him as he poured her tea, mirroring the smile he thought she didn’t see, “What?”
Takeru let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head to change the topic, “Are you tired? You should sleep if you are.”
“No, I’m okay,” Mako’s sights fell onto the book he was immersed in prior, “Good book? Will you read it to me?”
He raised an eyebrow, blinking in surprise, but amused nonetheless at her sudden request. He resumed where he had left off, now reading aloud in such a gentle voice that it nearly lulled Mako to sleep. That along with the warmth that was emanating off him, the softness of his clothes brushing against her skin, and just… him were all that her subconscious needed to let its guard down. Takeru stopped mid-read, a bit startled to feel Mako’s head suddenly rest on his shoulder and glanced over to see her eyes closed and breathing slowed. He adjusted his posture, hoping to position himself in a way that would make her most comfortable before continuing to read, now in silence to himself.
Some time passed, and nightfall was upon them. Hikoma and the Kuroko had all gone back to their quarters to rest for the night. Despite Hikoma’s insistence to help him assist Mako to her room, Takeru declined as he refused to disrupt her sleep. Though body was aching at this point, he toughed it out and continued his reading.
He scrunched his eyebrows at a specific line that he needed to read a few times over, murmuring to himself quietly, “‘ For some, home is only classified as a physical location and is usually where they grew up. For others, home is a feeling. ’”
He felt her stir next to him as he closed the book. Mako lifted her head from his shoulder to look up at him, barely able to open her eyes as she was still a bit groggy from the nap, "Did you say something?"
Mako watched as his eyes soften when they met hers, feeling herself fall in love with him all over again like she did when they were teammates. Takeru grinned, shaking his head 'no' at her question and lifted a hand to gently caress her flyaway hairs.
"Home is how I feel when I’m with you,” Mako whispered, looking away shyly when she felt his hand freeze before dropping it in his lap in surprise.
"You were awake?" Takeru felt his heart pound harder in his chest. “Is that what that feeling was... or is?
He reminisced of the times he was overwhelmed with an unfamiliar emotion whenever he was with the team, especially when he was with Mako. She nodded to answer his question, still avoiding his gaze as she gnawed her bottom lip anxiously. He dropped the book from his hand to cup her cheek, gently turning her to face him and leaned in to press a chaste kiss on her lips. Her eyes fluttered close and chased after his lips when he pulled back. When she opened her eyes to meet his, what he said next made her heart soar.
“I feel the most at home when I’m with you, too.”