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Chapter Text

As soon as the door to Bistrot Jurer shut behind him, Kairi Yano leaned against the doorframe and sighed, allowing his confident phantom thief persona to fade away into the evening breeze.

"No matter what excuse you make, you were on the wrong path the moment you chose to be phantom thieves!"

Damn that stupid policeman.

Kairi marched into the night, trying to forget Patren Ichigou's words. First of all, the Lupinrangers never chose to be phantom thieves. It was either take up the mask or live the rest of their years wallowing in regret, the light snuffed from their lives forever.

That could hardly be considered a choice.

He remembered his brother Shouri, shattering into a million shards, ice crystals and red petals floating past him as he reached for the empty space where his brother once was -

Kairi broke into a sprint. It wasn't like he could outrun his own memories, but he could try.

"You were on the wrong path the moment you chose to be phantom thieves!"

He clenched his teeth and ran faster, leaping onto benches and short walls, the wind flowing through his hair.

He wasn't wrong, how could he be wrong, he was just trying to save his brother, what was wrong about that -

But of course, he'd been wrong all his life, hadn't he? Nothing he did ever worked out.

Kairi reached into his pocket and pulled out a small grappling hook. Out of the three Lupinrangers, he was the one who had taken to the grappling hook the fastest. When they started out, Touma had a tendency to overthink and calculate over and over again before firing, and Umika had been so scared that she had kept her eyes shut. Kogure had called him a natural.

It was the first time in his life that he felt like he'd done something right.

On instinct, he raised his arm and fired the grappling hook, ascending to the roof of a nearby building. He ran to the edge of the roof and fired again, vaulted from railings and swung around corners, flying between buildings as his heartbeat pounded through his body. In moments, he had forgotten about everything else - only he and the city skyline existed, underneath the full moon.

If he had to be honest, he didn't mind being a phantom thief much anymore.

"You were on the wrong path the moment you chose to be phantom thieves!"

Kairi tripped and rolled head over heels across the roof of an office building, earning some new scrapes and scars. Groaning, he sat up slowly and checked for injuries - he could still move his fingers, wrists, shoulders - ouch, okay, he could move his right shoulder - only a little soreness in his core, and his pants and boots were just a little scuffed.

Damn that stupid policeman.

Sighing, he laid down and started counting the stars.

(one, two, three)

It was a variant on a trick Shouri had taught him. The original idea was counting sheep, but at the age of twelve, Kairi had thought sheep were childish. He started counting everything but sheep - the loose threads on his blanket, the cars that drove past, the motes of dust that floated in his bedroom -

(forty-four, forty-five, forty-six)

At fifteen, he was so tired from schoolwork and sports and whatever else that Shouri was encouraging him to do that he was out cold five minutes after dinner.

Kairi missed being able to fall asleep, just like that.

(one hundred thirty, one hundred thirty-one, one hundred thirty-two)

The day that Shouri died, the restless nights began.

The familiar ache in his heart pulsed, and he clutched his chest in a futile attempt to make it stop.

Counting stopped working, and so did sleep aids and meditation and everything else he tried.

(two hundred three, two hundred four, two hundred five)

Kairi got back to his feet, dusting himself off. It wasn't like counting the stars would have actually worked - if it did, he would be back in his bedroom in Jurer - but it was something that Shouri gave him.

One of the few things that wasn't tainted by his repeated failures.

He shook his head, as if that could clear away his negative thoughts, and looked out over the city, planning his return path to Jurer.

Or.

He turned to look over the water, where the slowly shifting lights on the Moonlight Bridge and the Sapphire Flower ferris wheel illuminated the night. Ascending either of them with only a grappling hook and without being seen would be an insane challenge. If anything went wrong - if he mistimed a jump, if he midjudged the maximum length of his grappling hook or any of his approach angles - he would be permanently injured or killed.

He grinned and fired his grappling hook, fully intending on scaling both structures before returning to Jurer.

Keiichiro Asaka looked right, left, and right again before crossing the street. Everything looked and sounded normal, but one could never be too complacent.

Instead of taking the two minute direct route to the police dormitories, Keiichiro instead took a left, marching through a park that eventually connected to the wharf. All quiet, nothing out of the ordinary … yet.

He paused at the edge of the wharf, gazing at the moonlight reflecting off of the ocean waves.

"We're phantom thieves because we have no other choice! I don't care about what you think!"

Keiichiro balled his hand into a fist. He stood by what he told LupinRed - you always had a choice, and even if it was for noble reasons, the wrong choice was still the wrong choice.

Still, it gave him something to ponder. What sort of thing would have to happen to him for him to consider thievery his only option?

Someone next to him cleared her throat. "Keiichiro."

He turned and nodded in greeting. "Tsukasa. What brings you here?"

She shrugged and returned to staring at the sea. "Same as you, I guess."

It was an old habit that they had developed while in the police academy. After their work had finished for the day, no matter how tired they were, they would always walk a short patrol around the area. Even if there wasn't any trouble to be found, it would give them opportunities to check on the people they were protecting.

Tsukasa shifted her weight. "Are you alright?"

Keiichiro took a deep breath and tried not to think about losing to that cocky bastard LupinRed.

… it did not work, and repeated deep breaths did not calm him down.

He felt a gentle hand pat his shoulder. "We'll get them next time."

Keiichiro nodded. "We have to. Thieves like them have no place in our city."

"We're phantom thieves because we have no other choice!"

Keiichiro frowned. It was true that he didn't have much of an imagination, but Tsukasa - she might have something to say. He turned to her and asked, "Hey, can I pick your brain for a minute?"

She tilted her head slightly, a curious look on her face. "Anytime. What is it?"

"What would have to happen for you to think that becoming a thief was your only option?"

She furrowed her brow, looking more confused than before. "Interesting question. What brought that on?"

He sighed. "LupinRed said something during our fight - that they didn't have a choice in becoming phantom thieves. I personally can't think of anything that would force me into thievery -"

Tsukasa chuckled. "Because you're not that type of person."

"- so I thought maybe you'd have an answer to that."

She pursed her lips and paced around for a few steps, lost in thought. After a few moments of silence, she answered, "For me, no, I can't think of anything."

Keiichiro scoffed. "Maybe the thieves are just lying to themselves, then - justifying their own crimes to themselves so they can sleep at night -"

"But you know, that reminds me," she interrupted. "Do you remember what you said to me when we got accepted into the tactical unit?"

He folded his arms as he tried to recall the conversation in question. "Was it something like …? Ah, something about using the power entrusted to us responsibly?"

She nodded. "Yes. We were trusted with this power to protect the people. If the Lupinrangers really didn't have a choice … if they're being forced into this, or if something's got them so desperate that they truly believe that being a phantom thief is their only option … shouldn't we try to protect them, too?"

Keiichiro blinked and took a step back. That was certainly a new take on the situation.

She scratched the back of her head nervously. "Uh, sorry, that was -"

He shook his head and placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, don't be sorry. You know how I usually think. You've given me a new perspective that I wouldn't normally have gotten. Thank you."

"No problem." She resumed her informal patrol and waved back. "I need to go - see you tomorrow."

Keiichiro turned to the ocean one more time. If he tried to save one of the phantom thieves, would they really accept it?

Sighing, he continued on his own patrol, hypotheticals swirling around his head.

Kairi snarled as he just narrowly dodged an attack. Fighting off Ganglars was hard enough - did the police really need to make every fight worse?

He tried to look for an opening to unlock Bumdolt's safe, but the sustained fire from the Patrangers made getting in close difficult.

If only they hadn't gotten those VS Changers.

If only they'd stop interfering in the name of their hollow justice.

If only they were gone.

What would a phantom thief do? What would a phantom thief, who has nothing to lose and everything to gain, who would tear down the sky and everything in between to save his brother, who wanted to win at any cost - what would a phantom thief like that do?

He looked at Ichigou.

He didn't need to die - that would be too much. But "severely injured" would work. If this stupid officer was in the hospital, he couldn't fuck up their missions. And who knows, maybe getting injured on the field would make him reconsider his career.

Touma was behind Bumdolt, supported by Umika. If he was able to give them an opening …

For Shouri.

Bumdolt charged up an attack, now was the time -

For Shouri.

He grabbed Ichigou's wrist and pulled him back, trying to drag him into the path of the blast -

The pink energy blades were close, too close -

It was too late - he couldn't get out of the way. Kairi squeezed his eyes shut as a concussive blast pushed him backwards, but there was no sharp pain - in fact, he hadn't sustained enough damage to lose his transformation at all. Why?

He opened his eyes and gasped quietly.

Oh.

That was why.

Ichigou had wrapped him in his arms and pivoted so that he took the full force of the attack. Groaning softly, he loosened his grip and tilted his head up to look at Kairi; if they didn't have helmets on, they would be close enough for Kairi to feel Keiichiro's breath on his cheeks.

His heart skipped a beat.

Kairi stared, at a loss for words. For a brief moment, it felt like Keiichiro was staring at him, too.

Something behind him caught Ichigou's attention, and the moment ended. He scrambled towards some rubble in the distance and called for his teammates. Did they get caught in the blast? Should he help? Kairi took a few tentative steps in their direction before recalling what their goal was - he turned towards the Ganglar, who was restrained with Umika's grappling hook. Touma waved the Collection Piece in the air, as if beckoning him.

Kairi knew that they should escape while the Patrangers were distracted, but he looked back at them anyway. There was Ichigou, digging frantically through the rubble, and Nigou and Sangou looking relatively unscathed, holding back a woman and her child.

The child was crying, trying to squeeze past Nigou, but he was holding her as tightly as he could without hurting her. Ichigou rose to his feet, cradling what looked like a wet puffball in his arms. Gently, he handed the wriggling puffball - a small dog - to the woman, who bowed and urged her child to evacuate with her.

"Red! Let's go!" Touma called from behind him.

Kairi remained rooted for a second more.

Without putting much thought into it, Kairi called out, "Oi! Mr. Hot-Blooded Policeman!"

Ichigou turned towards him, and Kairi tossed him the Biker Trigger Machine. As he caught it, Kairi added, "I'll be back for that, so keep it warm for me! Adieu~"

Kairi fired his grappling hook at the nearest building, taking a different, longer route back to Jurer so he could come up with some excuses for what he just did, in case Touma was upset with him.



Touma was very upset with him.

As soon as he set foot in Jurer, Touma nearly shoved him outside again. "What is wrong with you?!" he hissed.

Instinctively, Kairi spat back, "A lot of things. Which one do you wanna hear about first?"

Touma cocked his fist back, and Umika grabbed his elbow, begging, "Touma, please, don't do this -"

Touma rounded on her and she shrank back. "And why shouldn't I?! We need the whole Collection for our mission, and this bleeding-heart just gave one of the pieces to the police!"

Kairi stepped in between them, glaring daggers at Touma. "At least we know where this one is! We're gonna have to do a raid on the police station to get their Collection pieces, anyway - we will get it back, eventually."

Touma considered his words, simmering down a little bit. But just a little bit.

He stepped forward and looked Kairi straight in the eye. "Why?"

Kairi's lips thinned. Of course he was prepared for this question; he rehearsed the answer over and over again on his way here.

"You saw what that Hot-Blooded Policeman did. I don't want to owe him anything, so I made us even before he asked for a favor."

Touma spent a few more seconds looking like he still wanted to punch him, but eventually, he scoffed and stepped away. Before going to his room, he growled, "You better be ready to face the consequences of your actions."

As soon as his footsteps on the stairwell faded and his door slammed shut, Kairi breathed a sigh of relief and Umika's knees buckled, sending her to the floor.

"Geez, Touma's scary sometimes …" she whimpered.

Kairi scratched the back of his head and paced around. "It can't be helped. I did set him one step back from saving his fiancée."

Umika simply nodded as she rose from the floor and settled into a chair, remaining silent.

A suffocating silence blanketed the bistro. Because the thieves could die at any point during their mission, they had set a few ground rules at the very beginning. First, if one dies, the others carry on without them. Second, they would hold each other at a distance to minimize the pain of losing one of them. They were brought together for the mission and nothing else.

It all sounded good at the time, but as the days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, Kairi was starting to rethink this idea. But not because he was lonely, no. Not because he wanted a friend - finding friends was not a requirement to save Shouri. But …

He glanced back at Umika, who seemed to be on the verge of tears. She opened and closed her mouth several times, as if she wanted to speak, but couldn't because of their established rules. Eventually, she got to her feet and padded across the floor, looking like a kicked puppy. As she left the bistro, she whispered, "I'm going to get dinner. See you later."

Kairi kicked at the floor. Touma had meant it as an insult earlier, but he wasn't wrong when he called him a "bleeding-heart." That seemed to be the one facet of being a phantom thief that he couldn't quite get a handle on. Phantom thieves were supposed to be ruthless and prioritize their own safety and goals above others. A good phantom thief would go in, take the treasure, and never look back.

For no particular reason, he recalled the moment that Ichigou shielded him from the attack.

Without putting much thought into it, Kairi sprinted out the door and waved his arm. "Hey, Umika!"

Fortunately, she hadn't gotten far; she turned around and recoiled, as if he was about to ask her something unpleasant.

He put on what he hoped looked like a comforting smile. "Hey, it's nothing about the mission. Do you mind if I join you?"

Umika's face brightened momentarily, but it faded away just as quickly as it appeared. "But … our rules …"

Kairi scoffed and waved his hand dismissively. "Rules, schmules. We'll do better on the mission if we're not all moping around, right?" After a second, he sheepishly added, "Also, there's no way Touma is cooking me dinner after that."

Umika chuckled, the smile returning to her face. "If he didn't kill you for what you did earlier, he'll definitely kill you for touching anything in the kitchen."

"Yeah, I like being alive." With a flourish, he motioned towards the restaurant district. "Any requests?"

She giggled and bounced to his side, like the high schooler that she should have been. "That new French resturant just opened -"

Kairi couldn't help but laugh. "What, our competition?" He took a moment to think about the restaurant in question. "Wait, that place just sells sweet crepes and coffee, doesn't it?"

Umika nodded proudly.

Sighing, Kairi pinched her nose as they made their way down the street. "You can't just have sweets for dinner, you know …"

Keiichiro had to hand it to Tsukasa - her insights were invaluable to the team. He wasn't sure what he would have done in that fight if she hadn't stopped to talk to him last night. Maybe he would have done something different if he was still furious at the Lupinrangers or if he still thought they were dastardly demons beyond redemption, but when Bumdolt unleashed his attack and LupinRed reached out to him?

The answer was simple. He had to protect him. Maybe one day, he would regret saving him, but if he let him die, he'd definitely regret that for the rest of his life.

And this time, it paid off. He studied Biker, rotating it in his hand. If it wasn't for this Trigger Machine, the fight would have dragged on longer (much longer, as the Lupinrangers fled once they had gotten their precious Collection piece), endangering more citizens.

For no particular reason, he recalled the moment that he saved LupinRed.

After the blast, when Keiichiro glanced up to check on him, the seconds stretched into a small eternity. What was he feeling and thinking behind that mask of his? Was he relieved, or was he angry with him? Would he be more accepting of his help in the future, or did he just wound his pride? They had been so close that he could feel Red's heartbeat -

Had he imagined it getting faster as he held him?

Sighing, Keiichiro rose to his feet and gazed outside the office window at the peaceful, slumbering city.

LupinRed … just who was he?

Chapter Text

Kairi knew that one day, he would regret giving Biker to the Patrangers.

He didn't think that day would come so soon.

The tension in the air was palpable as soon as Kairi walked into Jurer. Umika was curled up at a corner table, her empty eyes staring at some distant thing no one else could see. Touma was - hang on, where was he -

A fist collided with his temple, knocking him flat on the floor. Somewhere in the distance, he heard Umika cry out. Kairi tried to stand up and check on her, but a pair of hands seized his shirt collar and hauled him upwards.

If looks could kill, Touma would have killed him several times over.

"What did I tell you?!" he roared. "Our dream is gone and it's all your fault!"

Kairi struggled in vain against Touma's iron grip. "Do you want to elaborate or just punch me some more?"

After briefly considering his words, Touma punched him in the stomach and let him crash to the floor.

"Touma!" Umika stepped between them, visibly shaking.

Fortunately, Touma wasn't that far gone - instead of trying to hit Umika, he growled, "Get out of the way."

She tried to straighten her spine and stand taller, but with the height difference between her and Touma, it made no difference. "Beating him up won't help!"

Touma's eye twitched. "… it would make me feel better."

Kairi coughed as he struggled to sit up. "Hey. Still here. Still have no clue what's going on."

Touma shot him a nasty look. "Today's Ganglar still had his Collection piece when he got blown up by the cops, using the Trigger Machine you gave them."

The world slowed down around Kairi as he felt his heart drop out of his chest. Kogure had reiterated time and again that they would need the whole Collection to grant their wish. If one of the pieces was destroyed …

"I'm done," Touma spat as he marched towards the door. "Don't contact me again."

Umika took a few steps towards the door, but hesitated and looked back at Kairi. "What are we gonna do?"

Kairi got to his feet, his brain still stuck in a fog. "Dunno. Gotta think about it. You think, too."

With that, he left Jurer.

With the Patrangers' victory today, Keiichiro should have felt a little more triumphant. Another Ganglar gone, people were saved, and they had been very close to apprehending two of the Lupinrangers. They should be patting themselves on the back.

Instead, he was sitting on a park bench, sipping a can of coffee at ten at night, trying to figure out what went wrong.

After they defeated Bletz, LupinBlue and LupinYellow collapsed like broken marionettes. Tsukasa approached to make the arrest, but hesitated when the Lupinrangers didn't try to run away or defend themselves - unsettingly, they didn't seem to react to anything at all. Maybe it was Tsukasa's words getting to him again, but even though they were thieves and vigilantes, the only thing Keiichiro wanted to do was extend his hand and try to help. Sakuya had made some thinly-veiled excuse to draw them away from the scene and allow Blue and Yellow time to escape.

When they had gotten back to the office, he asked Jim for all the information the GSPO had on the Lupin Collection, but apparently, Commander Hilltop really had told them everything that they knew about the Collection - there were many pieces of the Collection, and they were dangerous in the wrong hands.

The Ganglars were definitely the wrong hands, but what about the Lupinrangers?

Frustrated, Keiichiro crushed the can in his hand. There were just too many unknowns, and it wasn't like he could just ask the Lupinrangers why they were hunting down Collection pieces.

He wasn't getting anywhere like this. He needed a strategy.

Against his better judgement, he retraced his steps to the nearest vending machine, bought one more can, and mentally prepared himself for a long night of wandering and brainstorming.



As he ambled down a not-so-busy street, Keiichiro paused. At this time of night, everyone he ran into was on the move, simply trying to get home. But on the bridge up ahead, there was someone standing motionless - someone with ill intentions? Or, judging from the location, a jumper?

Either way, not stepping in was not an option.

As he approached, he was surprised to see it was Kairi - he almost didn't recognize him without his warm and playful attitude. The gaunt face, the empty eyes - it was just so un-Kairi that it felt wrong. He had to do something, anything to get that smile back on his face - come on, if he was ever feeling this down, what would Tsukasa and Sakuya do for him?

He marched forward and held out the unopened can of coffee, calling out, "Kairi-kun? Do you, uh … do you want this?"

Kairi glanced up and, for a brief moment, Keiichiro could see murderous intent painted across his face. Then he blinked, and the look was gone, replaced by the empty stare of someone who was in pain.

"Okay, so you don't want this," Keiichiro said sheepishly as he put the can away. "Do you maybe want to talk about it?"

His face unchanged, he growled, "Not with you."

Keiichiro sighed. "It's my job to help people, not just protect them. Is there anything I can do?"

"No. Stop asking." With that, he turned and walked away.

Unfortunately for Kairi, Keiichiro was never one to back down. "Please, Kairi-kun. You don't need to tell me anything you don't want to, but can you promise me you'll go home soon?"

Kairi started walking faster, and Keiichiro matched his pace.

"I'm serious! We've been getting reports of suspicious people around, and I don't want you running into them. Just this morning, I ran into someone wearing - oh geez, what were those? A sombrero and a poncho, and he was just eating ice from a bag? What's up with that?"

Kairi stopped so abruptly that Keiichiro collided with him. He whipped around, a flash of rage rippling across his face. But like earlier, it disappeared so quickly that Keiichiro could believe that it was a trick of the light.

"Where?"

Keiichiro blinked. "'Where,' what?"

"That ice bastard, where did you see him?"

"Ice bastard?" Keiichiro repeated, the gears spinning overtime in his head. Did Kairi know that weirdo? Did that weirdo do something to Kairi? What the hell was going on?

In a low, threatening voice, Kairi demanded, "Tell me. Now."

Every single alarm bell was going off in Keiichiro's head, but unfortunately, he had no idea what to do in this sort of situation. The only thing he knew for sure was that, whatever the hell this was, he wasn't going to let Kairi deal with it alone.

He adjusted his stance and firmly said, "No. Not until you tell me what you'll do with that information."

The corner of Kairi's mouth twitched. Faster than he ever expected, he shoved him aside and took off.

Not one to be outdone, Keiichiro sprinted after him. Embarrassingly enough, it took several more seconds than he expected to catch up; he made a mental note to work on his cardio.

"Kairi-kun!" he called. "Please stop, I just want to -"

Instead of stopping, Kairi picked up enough speed to jump off two walls in quick succession, continuing to run into the nearby park.

For fuck's sake.

"Okay, fine!" Keiichiro yelled, hopefully loud enough for Kairi to hear. "I'll tell you - just get back here!"

After a few uncertain moments, Kairi reappeared, his face still eerily unreadable. "Where?"

Keiichiro closed his eyes and sighed. He was going to regret this, he just knew it. "Two blocks east of the GSPO office, at eight-thirty this morning. Whatever you do, just please -"

Kairi was gone before he could finish his thought.

Keiichiro pinched the bridge of his nose as he considered his options. Option one: he leaves Kairi be, goes to bed, and tries to locate either Kairi or the ice man in the morning.

Which was basically inaction. Unacceptable.

Option two: he downs the coffee in his pocket and rushes after Kairi. This was more in line with what he wanted to do, but he just did that and he didn't get anywhere.

Option three: he downs the coffee in his pocket and tries to locate the ice man before Kairi.

Keiichiro reached into his pocket and opened the can as he made his way back towards the GSPO office.

Umika had stayed up longer than she meant to trying to come up with any idea on how to regain or fix the lost Collection piece. She felt awful that this was the only thing she had come up with after all that time - maybe if Kairi or Touma were here with her -

No, she had to stop thinking like that.

As she approached the courtyard where Bletz was defeated, she was surprised to see Sakuya and Tsukasa combing the area. What were they doing here? Did they have some new intel?

She walked closer, trying to look like she was just a regular girl on a regular walk.

Tsukasa stood up and rotated her shoulders. "No sign of Blue or Yellow, but that was expected. Sakuya, anything?"

Umika slowed her pace.

Sakuya remained on all fours, searching the grass for … something? "Nothing resembling a Collection piece, either. It would really help if we knew what this piece looked like. Tsukasa-senpai, I thought this case was closed. Why are we out here again?"

Umika pursed her lips, reviewing this new information. Sakuya and Tsukasa - there must have been some important reason for why Keiichiro wasn't here - had returned to where Bletz died, and they were looking for the Collection piece that they ended up destroying. Why were they looking for the Collection piece, anyway? They never cared about them before -

Sakuya looked up and waved enthusiastically. "Good morning, Umika-chan!"

Oh, hell.

As casually as she could, Umika waved. "Hello, Sakuya-san! What are you -" She looked at Tsukasa and exaggerated her surprise. "Is this a crime scene? I'm so sorry -"

Sakuya shook his head. "No, not really, we were just -"

Tsukasa cleared her throat, and Sakuya stood at attention, pressing his lips together.

Darn. So close.

She thought of Shiho, and of Kairi and Touma.

She had to be stronger - make herself more useful - she wouldn't be able to face them like this.

After a moment of contemplation, she tilted her head. "I saw on the news - you guys fought a Ganglar here, right? Did those Lupinrangers show up, too?"

Sakuya glanced at Tsukasa, as if asking her permission to speak. She nodded, and he replied, "Yeah, that's right."

"Did something go wrong? I thought you guys defeated the Ganglar."

"Yes, but …" Sakuya's eyes widened. "Oh, no."

Tsukasa turned towards him. "Oh no?"

Sakuya stepped closer to her and lowered his voice, but Umika could stll hear him perfectly. "Tsukasa-senpai, the big Ganglars we fought yesterday - none of them were Bletz. Don't they normally get big after we blow them up?"

Tsukasa looked terrified, but also … hopeful at the same time? "Then he's not dead - we still have a chance -" She turned to Umika and quickly saluted. "I'm sorry, Umika-san, but we need to go. There might be a big Ganglar fight later - please find somewhere safe."

Sakuya and Tsukasa dashed off, leaving Umika to try to make sense of the situation. It was Tsukasa's idea to come out here, they were looking for bits of the Collection piece, they were glad that the Ganglar from yesterday wasn't dead -

Umika shook her head. She could figure this out later - what was most important was that Bletz was still alive and probably still had his Collection piece.

She sent a text to Kairi and Touma before trailing after the officers.

Tsukasa's heart pounded as they made their way to the wharf. Today … if all went well, today, she'd make up for the mistakes they had made.

Sakuya had been unusually quiet for the entire drive, but he finally broke his silence. "Tsukasa-senpai, are you sure about this?"

To tell the truth, no, she wasn't. But she had to do something.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"… Keiichiro-senpai's not gonna like this. And he's really not gonna like how you went around his back to do it."

She pressed her lips together and closed her eyes. "No. No, he won't. But he'll understand."

Sakuya furrowed his brow. "But doesn't he think that stealing is stealing and stealing is always wrong? Your plan would make you exactly like the Lupinrangers in his eyes."

"I don't care." Her hand curled into a fist, and she lowered her head. "I can't just do nothing. I need to try. We can't say we protect the people when we see someone suffering like they were and just … leave them alone."

"… and you'd disobey orders to do that?"

"… yes." At this, Tsukasa could see Sakuya gripping the steering wheel tighter. "I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable - I know I'm not being a model senpai right now." Her hands curled into fists. "I'll … resign after this, if you want me to. You deserve a better senpai than me -"

"No. Stay."

Tsukasa turned to him, taken aback.

He continued, "You - and Keiichiro-senpai, too - you're both devoted to saving people, no matter what. You don't care if you'll get in trouble, as long as you can help someone smile again. I think … I think I'd learn a lot more from senpai like you."

Several tears rolled down her cheek. "… thank you, Sakuya."



Tsukasa grunted as she held up her arms and shielded against a strong blow. Maybe if Keiichiro were here, they'd have an easier time approaching Bletz, but as they were right now, it was all she and Sakuya could do to not get hurt, let alone try to restrain him long enough to get to the safe.

As if answering her prayers, a grappling hook appeared, binding his arms. Now was her chance -

From somewhere behind her, Sakuya yelled, "Tsukasa, Blue's here - quick!"

Tsukasa fiddled with her VS Changer and the Trigger Machine - she really hoped this would work -

Blue, sounding incredibly hoarse, howled, "What the hell are you doing?!"

"It should be like this, right -" She placed her Trigger Machine on the safe, exactly like she'd seen the Lupinrangers do.

Instead of reading out the combination and unlocking the safe, the number pad briefly glowed green.

Tsukasa blinked. "… huh?"

As if answering her question, her Trigger Machine announced, "Combination reset. Please enter new combination."

"What?! I don't want to -"

Something hit her temple hard; Bletz was no longer bound.

She skidded across the concrete as Blue fired at her repeatedly. "You," he snarled, a staggering amount of venom in his voice. "What are you trying to pull?!"

She held up her arm in a feeble attempt to protect herself. "Nothing, I promise - we were only trying to -"

Blue knocked away her arm and pressed the muzzle of his VS Changer against her helmet. "Trying to take the Collection for yourselves? Trying to steal from thieves? And you still think you're better than us?!"

"No!" Sakuya screamed, straining from the effort of trying to keep Bletz from cloning himself. "We're trying to give you the Collection - ack!"

Blue glanced between them, as if trying to figure out if there was a catch.

Out of desperation, Tsukasa screamed, "There's no strings attached - no catch - no trap! Just work with us, please - you'll have the Collection piece, I swear!"

A flash of yellow shot across the sky, shooting at Bletz. "On it! Blue, come on!"

Even without Keiichiro or Red here, with the four of them actually working together, they grabbed the Collection piece and defeated Bletz in no time at all. Before she could stop herself, Tsukasa wondered if they couldn't just do this every time.

As soon as she grabbed the Collection piece, Yellow cradled it in her arms like a baby, muttering, "Safe, safe …"

Once again, Blue pointed his VS Changer at Tsukasa's head. "Talk. Now."

She turned her attention to the Collection piece. "You need those, don't you? Not just 'want them,' you're not doing this for fun - you need them for something."

Blue and Yellow shared a look, as if telepathically communicating. After a few minutes of deliberation, Yellow simply nodded.

"And it's for something good?" Tsukasa continued. "You're not gonna blow up the world or anything?"

Immediately, Yellow answered, "No, of course not! We need them for -"

"Yellow."

She yelped and bowed her head, speaking again in a softer voice. "Yes, we need them for something important. Something good."

Tsukasa nodded slowly. It was less information than she wanted, but it was enough.

She turned around and turned to her teammate. "Sakuya, we're going."

"Understood." He bowed to the Lupinrangers behind her. "Stay safe." He paused as he realized who he was talking to and what they were capable of. "I mean - I guess you guys can take care of yourselves, huh - sorry -"

Tsukasa cleared her throat. "Come on. That Ganglar's gonna grow big any time now - we need to be prepared."

"Yes, senpai!" Sakuya fell into step beside her as the familiar sound of grappling hooks dissolved into the air behind them.

After several hours, a quick nap, and an unhealthy amount of coffee, Keiichiro had finally found the ice man. There were just two small complications.

First - the ice man was a Ganglar in disguise.

Second - LupinRed was here, and apparently also had a grudge against this guy.

By the time he'd located them, their fight had already taken out one of the walls of the warehouse. He kept trying to find an opening to break into the fight, but this ice Ganglar's combat abilities were far greater than any other Ganglar he'd encountered. As agile as Red was, it was clear that he was on the back foot for the entire fight.

He wanted to help, he really did - but if he didn't join in the exact correct situation - if he messed up at all, he would die. Or worse, be responsible for Red's death.

The ice ganglar landed a direct hit - ice bloomed like a bomb - Red was nowhere to be seen - dammit, there was no more time -

Keiichiro transformed, leaping into the fray, but apparently, there was no need; as the ice shattered, Red was still standing there, protected by the Scissors shield.

… wasn't that one called Scissors and Blade, though?

The ice Ganglar turned to him. "Now, who the hell are you?"

Red whipped around and took a step back in surprise. "You - what are you doing here?! Back off!"

Ah, there was the blade bit - he watched the boomerang split in two - if he could calculate both trajectories quickly -

Keiichiro took careful aim and declared, "I am Patren Ichigou, and I will not allow you Ganglars to hurt anyone else!" He pulled the trigger and, as he expected, the Ganglar easily dodged his shots - and in the correct direction, too.

The Ganglar chuckled. "Nice try, but not good enough -" The two halves of the boomerang found their new mark, and if this were any other Ganglar, it would have been enough to defeat him.

Unfortunately, instead of killing him, the attack merely cut some of the yellow tendrils around his neck and knocked off his hat.

The Ganglar sighed heavily and twirled his guns lazily before aiming at them. "My name is Zamigo Delma. LupinRed, can you teach Patren Ichigou some manners for next time? I don't appreciate being interrupted." He fired at both of them.

Keiichiro fired at the projectiles, breaking the one aimed at Red, but the other one was still barreling towards him -

Before he realized what was happening, Red appeared in front of him, holding up the shield. The ice bloomed like before and then shattered, revealing that Zamigo had already escaped.

An uncomfortable silence hung over the both of them. Keiichiro mentally cycled through many things he could say to Red right now, but before he could land on one, Red turned around and spat, "I had it handled."

Keiichiro clenched his teeth. "Did you? Because it looked like you were dodging the entire time!"

Red threw his palm forward, hitting him in the chest. "My attack would have hit him without your help!"

"Yeah, one of them would have. You're welcome, by the way."

"Get off my case!"

Behind him, the familiar sound of a Ganglar's roar echoed. As he turned around to look, something large and heavy collided with the back of his head, knocking him flat.

"Stay down," Red snarled as he sprinted towards the giant Ganglar.

Tsukasa braced herself and bowed. "I'm sorry. I will accept any punishment you deem fit."

Keiichiro was unusually silent for an uncomfortable amount of time. He was silent for so long, in fact, that Tsukasa tilted her head up slightly to try to see his facial expression. He was still lost in thought, studying her intently.

Sakuya stepped forward next to her and also bowed. "I also accept responsibility for this. I could have stopped my senpai, but I didn't. She was just -"

"- trying to do the right thing," Keiichiro finished. "I understand."

Tsukasa squeezed her eyes shut and tried to mentally prepare for the worst.

"… next time, don't be so obvious when you allow the Lupinrangers to take the Collection pieces."

Both Tsukasa and Sakuya straightened their spines in surprise.

A little too loudly, Sakuya asked, "Wait, wait, Keiichiro-senpai, what are you saying?"

He sighed and glanced around the room, probably to look for any cameras. In a lowered voice, he clarified, "I'm not reporting this, and as long as it's never this obvious again, I never will. Regardless of how we feel, we still have orders to apprehend the Lupinrangers. If the GSPO sees that we're not doing a satisfactory job or worse, openly trying to help the Lupinrangers, they will replace us, and the next set of Patrangers won't hesitate to bring them in."

Immediately, Sakuya nodded and replied, "Understood."

Tsukasa sighed in relief. It wasn't ideal, but for now, it would do. "Understood."

Keiichiro yawned and rubbed his eyes. He was forever thankful to Commander Hilltop for approving this day off at the absolute last minute; his last forty-eight hours (of which, only eleven were spent sleeping) were some of the most tiring and intensive of his life, and that included his time in the GSPO academy.

What weighed on his mind the most was the … "agreement" that he and his teammates settled on last night, but he pushed it to the side for now. There would be time to mull over that as soon as he checked on one last thing.

The bell on the door jingled as he entered Jurer, and a familiar chipper voice greeted, "Welcome in!"

And there Kairi was, looking more like the ray of sunshine he'd come to know over the past month. Keiichiro couldn't help but smile.

Umika waved at him while Touma leaned over the counter. "Hm. Just you?" he asked.

Keiichiro nodded as he sat down. "Just me."

Kairi casually leaned against his table. "So what'll it be today, Mr. Policeman?"

"A coffee, please."

Kairi mimed writing on an invisible notepad. "'A … coffee.' Got it. Touma?"

From in the kitchen, he replied, "On it."

Kairi rested his chin on his knuckles and gave him a curious look. "So."

Keiichiro blinked. "… so …?"

"You're not normally here at opening. Or alone." Kairi moved in a slow semi-circle around the table (reminding Keiichiro of a cat hunting its prey) and stopped right next to him, his hip resting against his arm. He leaned forward and whispered, "Aww. Did you come here just to check on me?"

For some reason, Keiichiro couldn't stand to make eye contact with him. He turned away to look at something else - anything else - and lied, "Um. Uh. No. I was just in the area."

He chuckled and patted his shoulder. "You're a terrible liar, Mr. Policeman."

"Kairi!" Touma called.

"Got it!" A few seconds later, Kairi slid a cup of fresh coffee on a saucer in front of him. "Here you are, Kei-chan~"

"Thank you." The cup had just touched his lips when he registered what had happened. He glared at Kairi, who was grinning mischeviously. "I'm sorry, 'Kei-chan?!' That's way too casual -"

Just barely managing to hold in his laughter, Kairi replied, "You're a regular now, aren't you? Don't worry, I'm just as casual with all of my other regulars!"

Behind him, Umika shook her head.

"Oi!" Keiichiro rose to his feet. "At least use my actual name - what's wrong with 'Keiichiro-san?'"

Kairi pretended to think. "Hm … nah." He flashed a smile in his direction. "You're my Kei-chan forever!"

His heart skipped a beat.

Sighing, Keiichiro sat back down and sipped at his coffee, trying not to think about how beautiful Kairi's smile was (and failing miserably).

Chapter Text

The adrenaline rush of jumping slightly too early - his cape flapping wildly in the wind - skirting right past the edge of death -

Kairi was starting to love jumping out of his jet a little too much to be normal.

As he landed on the building, he rolled forward to slow himself down. Two more thumps behind him signaled the arrival of Touma and Umika. The team was here, but where was the Ganglar? Today's target was hard to miss - his Collection piece gave him super speed in addition to his innate ability to spawn bombs.

As if on cue, a giant dust cloud loomed in the distance, along with the sounds of far-away explosions.

"Welp. There he is," Kairi sighed.

Umika tilted her head. "Kogure-san's intel said that he has a super big ego, right?"

Touma scoffed. "We can work with that."

The pink Ganglar skidded to a stop in the town square below, happily tossing bombs into the air like confetti.

"Well, if it isn't Jenko Kopamino!" Kairi called out. "We finally caught up to you!"

Jenko spun around wildly, trying to locate the source of the cry. It took him an embarassingly long time to think to look up, but when he did, he stomped his foot and pointed at Kairi, saying, "Hey, you guys flew here, didn't you? That's cheating!"

Touma folded his arms. "Yes, we did. It was the only way we could catch up to someone of your …" Kairi could almost hear him gag. "… caliber."

Fortunately, Jenko didn't seem to notice. He jumped around like a giddy schoolchild. "Yep, that's me! The fastest thing in the East, the West, and … well, of all time!"

"Three-six-nine," a metallic voice rang out.

Jenko looked down and found Umika, smiling cutely with the Collection piece in her hand. "Gotcha~" she sang.

"HEY! No fair!" Jenko cried as he started making bombs again.

Touma groaned as he leapt off the building, trying to shoot the bombs in freefall. "They better get here soon!" he complained.

Kairi grinned as he placed Scissors and Blade into his VS Changer. "Or we can just beat 'em to the punch!" He pulled the trigger and dove off the building, a shield and boomerang appearing in his arms. Twisting in mid-air, he took careful aim and flung the boomerang, destroying the bombs that Touma couldn't shoot.

Both of them landed gracefully and sprinted towards Umika, who had pinned Jenko's arms to his body with her grappling hook.

The Ganglar wriggled around like a caught fish. "Hey, what's the big idea?! You can't do this to me!"

Kairi laughed as the boomerang returned to him. Twirling it around with a flourish, he said, "Oh, I think you'll find that we can."

"Freeze! Global Police!" a familiar voice commanded.

It was a shame that he had the helmet on; Kairi really wanted to show off the ear-to-ear smirk currently plastered on his face. He turned towards the Patrangers and, without looking, tossed the boomerang. A loud cry followed by an explosion told him he hit his mark.

"You're late," he taunted.

Ichigou was gripping his VS Changer so tightly, his hands were shaking from the strain. "Who do you think you are?!" he bellowed. "You're just some damn phantom thieves - you're not heroes!"

Kairi chuckled. "Well then, maybe you should get here before the battle ends, hm?"

Ichigou lowered his VS Changer and yelled in frustration. He marched forward, pointing at Kairi. "When I get my hands on you -"

With a flourish of his cape, Kairi dodged around him and padded around in a semicircle so that he was behind him. "You're gonna have to catch me first, Mr. Hot-Blooded Policeman."

Touma sighed heavily, his helmeted face in his hands. "I don't want to listen to any more of this. Can someone please find the Carrot?"

A black and orange miniature jet flew in from seemingly out of nowhere and poked Touma. "Hey, I have a name, you know!" Goody complained.

"Just pick a team. Please."

"Hm …" Goody flew circles around the rangers, studying them each in turn. "I think I'm gonna go with the Lupinrangers today!"

Roaring, Ichigou lunged and grabbed for Goody, who screamed and hid behind Kairi; with difficulty, Nigou and Sangou pulled their teammate back.

Kairi sarcastically saluted Ichigou as he loaded Goody into his VS Changer. "Maybe next time!" he taunted.

Ichigou attempted to lunge forward again, but Nigou and Sangou had a firm grip on him.

"Keiichiro-senpai, come on!" Nigou begged. "This guy was so fast, the evacuation orders didn't go out in time!"

As if on cue, a chorus of horrified screams surrounded them as Jenko grew to the size of a building.

"Hey," Sangou called, beckoning Umika over. "The wharf should be empty - take him there." Turning to her teammates, she ordered, "Evacuation and mitigation!"

Kairi glanced back as he pulled the trigger; any anger and frustration Ichigou felt beforehand seemed to have disappeared, replaced with over-enthusiasm for protecting and evacuating civilians.

Hm. Maybe next time, he would ask Goody to go with the Patrangers.

As the team entered the Lupinkaiser's cockpit, Kairi turned to locate Jenko, only to find that he had already moved several kilometers into the city, away from the wharf.

Touma growled. "Damn - wasn't he supposed to be slower after we took the Collection piece?"

Kairi shook his head. "No helping it - let's get him out of there!"

They commanded the Lupinkaiser to dash forward and tried to grapple the Ganglar. Jenko's strength was not to be underestimated - he grasped the Lupinkaiser and began to lift it off the ground, bellowing with exertion the entire time.

Kairi slammed his fist on his control console. "Are you kidding me?!"

Goody popped up out of the console, looking around wildly, screaming in fear. "This is bad, this is bad - maybe we can break apart and catch him off-guard with the Patkaiser -"

The image of Keiichiro's smug face flashed across Kairi's mind - he could already hear his insufferable gloating -

No way he was gonna let that happen.

Kairi reached forward and shoved Goody back into the console. "No! We can do this!" he insisted. "Yellow, use Cyclone! Thrusters at full blast - we need to get out of his grip and find some breathing room -"

Jenko squeezed the Lupinkaiser tighter, and sparks flew from all sides in the cockpit as the inside began to collapse.

Goody popped up again, screaming in distress. "Red, I'm sorry - we have to separate or you guys will get hurt -"

Outside, Jenko roared in pain as his grip loosened. What was going on out there - wait, hang on - Kairi stood and leaned forward to see something blasting at the Ganglar - was he blowing up his own bombs in an attempt to take them with him?

An impossibly large pink police baton extended in front of them, striking Jenko directly on the chin (or at least, what seemed like his chin). He howled and released the Lupinkaiser to try to shield himself from whatever was shooting him.

"Look, down there!" Umika pointed to the street, where scores of civilians were taking refuge behind Nigou and Sangou's Trigger Machines. The extending baton on Sangou's Machine retracted, preparing to launch again, while Nigou's Machine kept firing on Jenko.

Kairi gritted his teeth. He hated that the Patrangers still managed to bail them out, but maybe if they made this finisher as flashy as possible, it would still feel like a victory.

"Okay guys, slight change of plan - get Cyclone Knight out," Kairi ordered. "Get him to the wharf before we finish him!"

Beside him, Touma and Umika fired Scissors and Cyclone, replacing the arms on the Lupinkaiser. While Jenko was distracted, the Lupinkaiser rocketed forward, grabbing and dragging him towards the wharf. As they approached the water, the Lupinkaiser released its grip and kicked off of Jenko's chest to give itself room to maneuver.

The adrenaline of the fight surged through Kairi's veins as he stood triumphantly. "Here - let's go!"

"Good Striker: Shoot-Out Flash!" Goody called.

A cyclone enveloped the left arm as it lifted to fire the Scissors vehicle. In a flash, the Lupinkaiser fired and Scissors hit its mark, cutting through the Ganglar and destroying him in a burst of fire and wind.

Kairi posed dramatically. "Forevermore …"

In unison, they finished, "Adieu!"

He sat down and leaned back in his seat, sighing as the high of battle began to fade.

Kairi almost never wanted this new life of his to end. Almost.

Kairi was surprised at how well he had settled into his new civilian life. Every few days, he woke up to a grocery list taped to his door, got dressed, and ambled downstairs where Touma, the earliest riser of them all, was already cooking breakfast. After a quick bite, he went into town, picked up everything on the list, and made small talk with everyone in the restaurant district. (Touma always told him to go out, buy ingredients, and go straight home, but where was the fun in that?) Bistrot Jurer opened at eight-thirty (nine o'clock if Kairi was distracted by some juicy gossip in town), and until eight at night, the three of them worked (with Kairi taking extended breaks every so often). After closing, he and Umika cleaned up while Touma made dinner. The evenings were theirs to do with what they wished, and Kairi usually spent his wandering the city.

It was downright refreshing when he considered what his life was like before. Like he'd broken free of a cage he never knew about.

Of course, despite escaping his previous prison, he was still in a different, larger cage, but he tried not to think about that.

Yawning, Kairi stretched and checked his door for a grocery list. Finding none, he followed the smell of baking bread and sizzling ham downstairs, where Touma was a little more focused than usual.

"Morning," he greeted as he sat at the counter.

Touma simply nodded and handed him a plate with what looked like a ham and cheese sandwich, topped with a fried egg and parsley.

As he broke the yolk with a fork, Kairi asked, "This one's new. Special occasion today?"

Touma shook his head. "We'll be closed today, so I'm practicing some French dishes to add to the menu. That one is a croque madame."

Kairi nodded and took a bite; personally, it was a little on the heavy side, especially for breakfast, but he could see this being popular as part of a lunch set.

It took him three more bites to fully process Touma's words.

"Wait, we're closed today? Why?"

"Umika asked for the day off, so no work is getting done today."

"Uh, hello? I'm still here!"

"Like I said, no work is getting done today."

Kairi huffed and leaned back in his chair. "Okay, fine." After finishing his breakfast, he paced the empty dining room, muttering to himself, "What should I do with all this free time?"

From the kitchen, Touma flatly said, "Whatever it is, do it away from here."

Kairi pouted. Maybe it was the old rebellious teenager in him, but whenever someone told him not to do something, he suddenly had the urge to do it, no matter what it was.

Which was going to suck for Touma.

With a smirk, he folded his arms and said, "Actually, I think I'll stay here and watch you cook!"

Touma froze for a split second, and then carried on with his recipe. "Why."

Kairi shrugged as he took a seat at the counter. "I should probably learn how to cook, right? When the mission's over, you won't be around to make all of my meals, and Shouri will be upset if he finds out I've been eating convenience store food all day, every day."

Touma frowned as he mulled over his words while placing what looked like a chicken on a bed of vegetables in the oven. "When the mission's over, huh?"

"Yeah. I mean …" Kairi scratched the back of his head. "It's gotta end sometime, right? Either we get everyone back, or …"

The unspoken words hung between them like a pair of nooses at the gallows.

Touma's eyes swept the kitchen; after cooking the croque madame and whatever the chicken was, the surfaces were mostly clear, except for a carton of eggs and some portioned-out spices tucked away in a corner. His eyes fluttered closed as he said, "… very well."

Kairi blinked. "Wait, what?"

He took a step backward and motioned to the stovetop. "Get back here and show me how you'd cook an egg."

Kairi froze, as if a Ganglar was inches away from decapitating him. "You're, uh … you're not gonna teach me first?

His face unchanging, Touma explained, "I want to see what you know, and then we can build on it."

Grimacing, he threw on an apron and shuffled into the kitchen. "This is gonna suck …"

"We'll see."

After four broken eggs (only one of which managed to get into the pan), a mix-up with salt and sugar, and a ball of fire resulting from inexperience with a gas stovetop, Kairi plated a pile of ashes suspended in partially cooked egg.

Touma stared at the monstrosity, unblinking. "Amazing. You know nothing about cooking."

The sting of failure cut deeper than Kairi expected, but he managed to retain his composure. "I'm pretty sure I opened with that."

"And now we learn." Touma placed a hand (gentler than Kairi ever expected) on his shoulder as he guided him back to the stovetop. "Here, get another egg …"

With Touma's guidance, Kairi only wasted two more eggs before making something that looked decent. Touma carefully tasted a bit of it, and Kairi bounced on the balls of his feet, waiting with bated breath.

"… edible," Touma finally judged. "I wouldn't serve this to a customer, but if you think it tastes fine, you can cook yourself breakfast if I'm not around."

Kairi pumped his fist into the air. "Yes! Thanks, Touma!"

The barest hint of a smile appeared on Touma's face.

Two separate pings echoed simultaneously in the empty bistro. Kairi's eyes widened as he read Umika's message. Clapping Touma on the back, he dashed towards the exit. "Ganglar, come on!"

Kairi paused at the door when he realized that there wasn't a pair of footsteps behind him. He turned around and checked the kitchen, where Touma was staring at the oven like he was saying goodbye to his firstborn child.

He sighed. "Touma. Ganglar. Umika." He gestured towards the door. "Let's go?"

Touma clenched his teeth and followed him out the door.

The phantom thief thing to do - and the thing that Kairi or Touma would do, if they were in her place - would be to hang back and wait for Tsukasa to tire herself out fighting Naiyo, slip in, steal the Collection piece, and leave without a second thought.

Instead, Umika had found a disguise on a costume rack and was following the sounds of the scuffle, hoping that she wasn't too late. Ah, there - just up ahead - Naiyo was raising her arm, about to throw a scythe -

Umika took aim and fired; it wasn't enough to injure a Ganglar, of course, but she still dropped her weapon. She flew into the hallway with a well-aimed kick, bouncing the Ganglar off of the opposite wall.

"What just - hey, what the hell are you doing here, phantom thief?!" Sangou yelled from down the hallway.

Umika waved happily and chirped, "You're welcome, by the way!" She reached out with her Dial Fighter, aiming to get the Collection piece, and found out the hard way that Naiyo had recovered quicker than she anticipated.

"A Lupinranger, too?! Come on -" She swung with her scythe, and Umika just barely dodged out of the way. The blade grazed her mask so closely that she was surprised it hadn't fallen off entirely.

"Hit the deck!"

Umika obeyed, and a flurry of pink shots peppered Naiyo, forcing her to guard. Here - the perfect opening -

A soft grunt behind her caught her attention; against her better judgment, she turned around and saw a de-transformed Tsukasa, bleeding from some nasty gashes on her right arm and leg.

Oh, hell.

She fired back to make sure Naiyo remained distracted while she sprinted in the opposite direction, grabbing Tsukasa and basically dragging her into the nearest open room. After securing the doors with a pipe, she pinched the fabric of her stolen skirt - it wasn't one hundred percent cotton, but it would have to do. Carefully, she started tearing off strips of fabric.

Tsukasa hobbled towards her. "What are you doing -" Her injured leg gave out and she sank to her knee, hissing in pain.

Drat - she didn't have enough strips. Her eyes scanned the room - the current theme for the haunted house was a hospital, so there should be - bedsheets! She motioned for Tsukasa to sit as she crossed the room and started tearing off more fabric.

"Hey!" Tsukasa marched toward her, ignoring her nonverbal request. "Tell me what you're doing right now, or -"

Channeling her best Kairi impression, she interrupted, "Or you'll bleed on me?" At that, Tsukasa lost most of the tension in her shoulders. She continued, "Sit, please. I've almost got enough to wrap those wounds."

This time, she obeyed, sinking down into a nearby chair. Umika gathered up all the fabric and inspected the gashes - still bleeding, but the cuts themselves looked fairly shallow. A wrap would hold her over until she got to a real hospital.

As she began winding fabric around her leg, Tsukasa asked once more, "What are you doing? You could have taken the piece with the opening I gave you and left already."

Umika pursed her lips. "I could have, yeah. But you're hurt."

"… you'd really choose stopping to help your enemy over getting your Collection piece?"

Against her will, Umika remembered Shiho, encased in ice, her face frozen in concern. She was always shielding her, protecting her, getting hurt for her - like she didn't care about her own safety as long as no harm came to Umika.

She hated it.

"… I don't like the idea of people getting hurt because of me."

More gently than she expected, Tsukasa pressed, "So when you and your team leave the fight when you get the piece -"

Umika snorted. "You need to work on your observation skills. I stick around to make sure you guys take down the Ganglar. I had to step in once to help - remember the restaurant Ganglar?"

Tsukasa remained silent as she finished wrapping her leg, then her arm. As she tied the last knot, she sighed in relief. "There. Done. It'll still hurt, but it should stop the bleeding until you get to an actual doctor."

She studied Umika intently; of course, she couldn't actually make out any identifying features because of the mask's disguise filter, but the intensity unnerved her nevertheless.

Finally, Tsukasa murmured, "… you're very kind."

Umika smiled. "So are you."



When Kairi and Touma arrived at the amusement park, they found Ichigou and Nigou trying to break a mysterious barrier by … firing Biker at it, over and over again.

Touma folded his arms. "Stubborn, aren't they?"

Kairi rolled his eyes as he loaded Cyclone. "It can be cute sometimes, but we don't have all day."

As Ichigou fired Biker again, Kairi fired Cyclone to give the attack a little boost. The barrier shattered, and Ichigou and Nigou celebrated as if it was their persistence that finally won the day.

How adorable.

Grinning, Kairi sprinted forward and leaped, bouncing off of Ichigou's head (and even managing to do a flip on the way down). Saluting sarcastically, he called back, "Thanks for all the help!"

Ichigou roared and shook a fist at him. "Why you -"

Before Kairi could fire back another quip, something tugged at his arm so hard that he almost believed it popped out of its socket. He glanced up to see what it was and saw Touma, tearing along the park paths like a man possessed and dragging Kairi along. He tried to find his footing, but with how fast Touma was running, it was all he could do to just avoid rolling an ankle.

Finally, Touma skidded to a stop, with Kairi crashing into him.

Trying to mask how hard he was panting, Kairi called, "Blue - holy shit, Blue -"

Touma simply pointed down the alleyway, at a Ganglar fighting Umika and Sangou.

"Finish it, quick," Touma ordered.

Kairi frowned as he fired Scissors and Blade, gaining the shield and boomerang. "Was already going to …"

He expected Touma to do something smart - perhaps ascend one of the buildings and rappel down to grab Umika.

He did not expect him to dash down the alleyway, fire his grappling hook, and drag Umika out of the fight.

From this distance, Kairi couldn't hear a word of their conversation, but it looked like Umika was arguing with Touma about something. He ended up grabbing her and ascending one of the buildings with his grappling hook, but not before she fired her own grappling hook to rescue Sangou.

Well. Kairi had no clue what was going on, but at least now he had a clear shot. He took aim and threw the boomerang, slicing the Ganglar cleanly in half.

Touma descended next to him, with Umika and Sangou in tow. After making sure that both of them landed safely, Touma turned and motioned to his teammates. "We're going."

Kairi narrowed his eyes. "I'm sorry?"

"We have the Collection piece and Yellow is safe. The Patrangers can handle the giant Ganglar fight, can't you?"

"Huh?" Sangou said, sounding confused. "Well, yes, but -"

"Then we're done here," he interrupted. Once again, he motioned to his teammates.

Kairi folded his arms. Why on earth was Touma in such a hurry today? Was there something different about him this morning, some hint as to why he was acting like this -

He recalled that Touma had stared at the oven intently before leaving.

Kairi blinked. Was this man serious? Did he really leave the oven on while they were out?!

"Fair point, Blue." He clapped his teammates on the back. "Time to go!"

Umika stomped her foot. "But -"

"Hey." Sangou placed a gentle hand on Umika's back, calming her. "It's okay, Yellow. Just go. I'll be fine."

Umika hesitated for a moment and sighed. In a soft voice - much softer than Kairi expected, considering she was talking to the enemy - she said, "Be careful. Please."

As the Lupinrangers retreated, Kairi wondered what the hell happened between Umika and Sangou.



Fortunately, Jurer wasn't on fire when they got back. Kairi tried to check the kitchen first, but Touma dragged him back by the shirt collar as he marched to check on the oven himself. He sighed; apparently, the chicken was still good.

Kairi folded his arms. "Touma, why was this chicken so important?"

Touma waved his hand dismissively. "I need to babysit this for the rest of the cook time. Go get cleaned up and ready for lunch."

Kairi opened his mouth to complain, but Umika came downstairs and exclaimed, "Wow, that smells good! Hey hey, Touma, is that the roast chicken recipe I asked about?"

Without moving from the oven, he called back, "I'm trying to save it. Please wait."

Kairi padded over to Umika and whispered, "What do you mean, 'the recipe you asked about?'"

"Oh, uh …" Umika wrung her hands. "I thought it would be nice to offer some seasonal items. I was going through some of our display cookbooks, and this roast chicken looked really good. I asked him to make it so we could taste test it."

"Ah …" Kairi studied Touma, who had just taken the chicken out of the oven and was intently brushing some liquid on top of it.

"… he's secretly a softie, isn't he?" Umika mused.

Kairi playfully pinched her nose. "Aren't we all?"

Tsukasa leaned back in her chair as she looked over the report one more time. No spelling mistakes, formatted correctly, and everything was true to what had happened.

Well, mostly true.

At first, all of their reports had been true to real life, but they were reprimanded time and again by higher-ups - not based on performance or civilian lives saved, but by whether or not they encountered and tried to pursue the Lupinrangers. And even when they all agreed to start bending the truth concerning the Lupinrangers, the same higher-ups started criticizing them for not landing the final blow on the Ganglar of the week. Commander Hilltop, at least, understood that their primary directive was to save lives, not chase glory, and he tried his best to shield the Patrangers from this undue negativity, but the weariness still rippled across his face when he thought no one was looking.

Maybe today's report would finally get those high and mighty bigwigs off their case. There was only one Lupinranger who was "knocked unconscious and couldn't be found after the battle," and the Patkaiser had even finished off Naiyo in spectacular fashion.

She scooted back from her desk and spun to face Hilltop. "Commander, can you look over this report before I send it?"

"No problem!" He carefully set his bonsai trimming scissors down on his desk and strode across the room. As his eyes traveled down the screen, he nodded slowly. He patted Tsukasa's shoulder and said, "Good job. Send it over."

But something was off. He was frowning, as if something in the report bothered him, but he wanted to be nice to her.

Tsukasa cleared her throat. "Sir? Is this really … okay?"

He sighed heavily as he clasped his hands behind his back and marched back to his desk. Sakuya and Keiichiro, also taken aback by the commander's unusual melancholy, paused their work to turn to him.

Hilltop gazed out the window and sighed again, as if trying to summon the courage to say something unpleasant. "… as you all know, some of the commissioners and superintendents have been … unfairly criticizing our performance. I have been trying to get them to see reason for quite some time, and I will never stop trying to fight for you. However …" He bowed his head as he turned around. "… there have been rumors about Deputy Commissioner Yanagami going behind everyone's back to try to force some changes to the Tactical Unit."

Sakuya jumped to his feet. "What?! Commander, is he really trying to fire us all?!"

Hilltop raised his hands in a placating gesture. "It's only rumors so far, and it's just 'changes.' Whatever it is, I will do everything in my power to stop it."

Sakuya continued complaining, "But this is unfair, Commander! You shouldn't have to -"

Keiichiro cleared his throat, silencing Sakuya. He bowed to Hilltop, saying, "Thank you for being on our side, Commander. We won't let you down."

Sakuya crossed the room, hissing, "Keiichiro-senpai, why would you -"

As quick as lightning, Keiichiro grabbed his wrist and shushed him. He pointedly looked at a black box above their office door, and everyone else followed his gaze.

The box had been installed not long after the Patrangers had secretly agreed to allow the Lupinrangers to steal the Collection pieces. Jim had quietly analyzed it and found that, while it didn't have a camera, it did have a microphone.

Keiichiro stepped closer to Sakuya to whisper, "We can talk about it after work, at your place."

Sakuya sighed and turned to go back to his seat. On his way, he gave Tsukasa a questioning glance.

She nodded solemnly. "I'll bring the beers."



As Sakuya slammed down his third empty can of beer, Tsukasa massaged her temples. First of all, Sakuya was very lucky that he was already home and didn't have to wander the streets as drunk as he was. Second of all …

Keiichiro admonished him with a soft shove. "Sakuya, we only brought six cans. Slow down."

With a childish whine, Sakuya draped himself across the table. "This isn't right, senpai! How come they only care about newspaper headlines, huh?!"

Keiichiro and Tsukasa shared an uncertain look. Even though both of them had been in this line of work for longer than Sakuya, neither of them could come up with a satisfactory answer.

Keiichiro placed a hand on Sakuya's shoulder. "We just need to keep fighting and do our best."

Even though she was getting a little tipsy herself, Tsukasa still heard the empty platitude in his words.

"Do our best and then what?" Sakuya grumbled. "Unless we bring in the Lupinrangers tomorrow and we win every single fight until the Ganglars are gone, they won't be happy. We mess up once and we're gone. What the hell do we do then, senpai?"

Tsukasa thought back to earlier, to when Yellow chose to help her over grabbing the Collection piece and escaping. She thought of how Yellow tried to sneak her information about the Ganglar of the week and the power of their Collection piece whenever she could. She thought of how broken Yellow looked when she thought a Collection piece had been destroyed, and of how she promised her that they were gathering the pieces for something good and important.

She thought of kind, sweet Yellow being arrested by the next Sangou because she couldn't protect her.

Suddenly incensed, Tsukasa downed the rest of her beer and slammed the can on the table. "If, god forbid, we get fired, we'll keep protecting the people, in any way we can!"

Keiichiro rose his can towards her in a toast. "My thoughts exactly."

For the briefest moment, Sakuya managed a smile. "Like what, we form our own neighborhood watch?"

Keiichiro shrugged. "Neighborhood watch, volunteer patrols - anything that would help protect the people from the Ganglars. Even if I was no longer an officer, I would still do everything in my power to protect everyone."

Tsukasa nodded. "If I see someone who needs help, I help. That's always been a part of who I am."

Sakuya lifted his head and stared at them, his eyes sparkling with a mixture of awe and tears. "Forget 'best senpai' - you guys are, like, my heroes, man!"

Keiichiro smiled softly. He held his can out over the table, saying, "If, for some stupid, unfair reason, we all get fired, I swear to keep protecting the peace with you."

Tsukasa tapped his can with her own. "I swear."

Sakuya, who wildly misjudged the amount of force to use, slammed his can into theirs. "I swear!"

Chapter Text

The sounds of the peaceful wilderness above faded away into mechanical white noise as Keiichiro piloted Drill into the earth. On paper, this seemed like an easier mission: investigate the strange rumblings in a nearby mountain. Sure, chances were high that a Ganglar was at the heart of it all, but they didn't have to evacuate a mountain. Even if they had to pull out the Patkaiser, they didn't have to worry about collateral damage.

It should have been simple. It should have felt simple, but the weight of little Souta's field trip and the fate of his own teammates hung in the balance.

Not for the first time, Keiichiro thought about his future at the GSPO. When he started out, he was perfectly content to be on the front lines, directly helping and saving people with his own two hands. He had never felt the need to aim higher because he felt like the Tactical Unit was where he could do the most good, but ever since certain commissioners and superintendents started prioritizing glory over lives, he wondered if he could do more good as a commissioner or even just an administrator to ensure that this wouldn't happen again.

Keiichiro sighed and shook his head. There would be time for plans later; for right now, he had to make sure this mission went well, for Souta and for Sakuya and Tsukasa -

Thwick!

He yelled out in pain, falling over his console. Almost immediately, the edges of his vision blurred and his temperature rapidly rose, further fogging his brain. He tried to hoist himself up, but it felt like something was spreading through his veins, making it incredibly painful to even think about moving.

He hoisted himself up anyway, screaming to make it through the pain.

"Keiichiro?!" Tsukasa cried through his earpiece. "Keiichiro, you need to come back - it's a trap -"

With great difficulty (and some creative curses), he reached back and grasped a spike embedded in his back.

"I'm … I'm aware," he replied.

Keiichiro grunted and cursed as he slowly and painfully pulled each spike out of his back.

"Keiichiro-senpai, we got Ganglars up here!"

Through his fading vision, he adjusted Drill's controls so that it would proceed at maximum speed, even if he passed out. Which he might.

"Just. Just hold out a little longer, guys - I'll be there soon -"

Something on the console interface changed - some big green pop-up message. Green meant good things, right? Keiichiro tapped the green icon, and Drill re-combined with Crane.

"Up. Up. Just go back up, come on," he wheezed, mostly to remind himself what to do because thinking hurt.

The last thing that he remembered clearly was breaking through to the surface and seeing Sakuya and Tsukasa's seemingly lifeless bodies next to a large Ganglar.

With a roar, he mustered the last of his strength to pilot Crane and Drill. He had to protect them - had to keep this Ganglar away -

He kept pulling the trigger, only half aware of the sorts of attacks Crane and Drill were performing. He had to keep going -

keep going -

keep going -

keep

going

Umika paced and fretted in front of the flower shop while Kairi hung back, thinking that the whole hospital visit was a ridiculous idea.

"Hyacinths? No. Daisies? No. Lilies? No." Umika groaned in distress. She turned to Kairi and asked, "What kind of flowers should I bring?"

Kairi shrugged. "Why are you asking me?"

"I don't know!" She spun around again, studying the available bouquets in the window. "Okay, let's try again: if you had to get flowers for the Patrangers, what would you get them?"

Flatly, Kairi answered, "Red. Green. Pink."

Umika rolled her eyes, but five minutes later, they were headed to the hospital with a bouquet of red carnations, green chrysanthemums, and pink roses.

Kairi leaned over to Umika and whispered, "So what's our real plan once we get in there?"

Umika blinked. "Real plan?"

"Yeah? I mean, no way we're going to actually wish them a speedy recovery, right?"

She ignored him and kept walking.

"Umika." He walked slightly faster to catch up to her. "You can't - we can't - they're the enemy, you know? I know you've gotten chummy with Tsukasa-san, but -"

She shot him an accusatory glare. "And what about you? You flirt with Keiichiro-san every time he comes into Jurer -"

Kairi's jaw dropped. "I do not flirt with him -"

"- and you gave him Biker! Don't act like I'm the only one breaking the rules here!"

Kairi pouted for the rest of the walk to the hospital. He wasn't flirting with Keiichiro, he was just … being playful, was all. Acting friendly to maintain his cover as a humble waiter. And he'd already explained why he gave him Biker - the last thing a phantom thief needs is to owe a policeman a favor.

To their mutual surprise, they came across a still-injured Sakuya on the way into the hospital.

"Oh! Umika-chan, Kairi-kun!" Sakuya smiled like he'd been caught red-handed. "I, uh, wasn't expecting to see you here -"

Kairi folded his arms. "You still look pretty bad there, Sakuya-san."

Umika frowned as she looked him over. "Did they really discharge you like that?"

Sakuya's shameful look was all the answer that they needed.

"Well …" Kairi sidled up to him and dropped his voice. "We can look the other way if you get us in to see Kei-chan and Tsukasa-san. You know, assuming they haven't already tried to break out."

Sakuya nodded, his face unusually solemn.

Kairi soon found out why.

As they climbed the stairs and rounded the corner, there was Tsukasa, staring into a windowed room. Sakuya jogged ahead of them, softly calling, "Senpai. Has he …" He swallowed and also turned to look through the window. "… he hasn't improved, has he?"

"… no."

Curious, Kairi strode forward to see what all the fuss was about and stopped dead in his tracks when he realized what he was seeing.

Keiichiro.

Keiichiro, pale as a ghost, drenched in sweat, struggling to breathe, Keiichiro, maybe not the strongest man he knew but definitely the most stubborn, who would never back down from a fight, who would never ever lose this badly -

Keiichiro.

His Kei-chan.

"… what happened?" he asked no one in particular.

Tsukasa, carefully cradling the bouquet, padded next to him. "He was poisoned, but he kept going until he couldn't. If it weren't for him, Sakuya and I would be hurt a lot worse."

Umika whimpered. "But they're healing the poison now, right?"

Tsukasa shook her head. "This poison's unique to a Ganglar - there's no antidote. The only way we can cure him is to defeat Togeno."

Kairi's hand traveled upwards and rested on the glass. "I know he's stubborn, but … isn't this just a job? Is it really worth dying over?"

Sakuya stepped forward to stand behind Tsukasa. "Our job is to protect everyone so you can live with a smile, and no one takes that more seriously than Keiichiro-senpai."

Kairi's nose twitched. Against his will, he remembered the day that Keiichiro shielded him from that attack.

So. He'd do that for "everyone," huh?

Kairi shut his eyes, trying to shove down whatever the hell that feeling was. Of course he'd do it for everyone. There was never a more honest, earnest officer than Keiichiro Asaka.

The day he saved a thief? That was probably just another Tuesday to him.

A small hand squeezed his shoulder, pulling him out of his spiral. As he returned to reality, Umika whispered, "Kairi, we should go back to … work."

He blinked. "Umika, I don't know about you, but I feel like I need the rest of the day off -"

"No, Kairi. Work."

Ah. Their other job.

With one more "get well soon" and a final look at Keiichiro, Kairi left with Umika.

Fortunately for them, Touma had happened upon Togeno by sheer chance.

As they rushed past, already loading Dial Fighters, Touma tried to tell them, "Hey, he's got -"

Umika fired an attack from Cyclone, repelling a wave of spikes. "Poison spikes, we know!"

Touma blinked. "You - huh?"

Kairi dashed in front of her to knock away another wave of spikes with the Scissors shield. "Catch up, Blue - we gotta get this guy and go!"

"Wh - fine!" Touma followed them closely, taking potshots at Togeno between spike waves. "You're explaining later!"

Togeno, it seemed, was also very confused about the Lupinrangers' increased aggression. As he kept firing (never moving from his vantage point and also never aiming for Kairi's ankles), he cried, "What's with you guys? I haven't done anything to you! Yet!"

Touma fired twice at Togeno's head, momentarily distracting him. As he reached for the grappling hook in his belt, he called, "Yellow, with me!"

Umika took careful aim. "On it!"

Touma fired his grappling hook, latching onto Togeno's ankle. A fraction of a second later, Umika fired a Cyclone at his top half. As soon as the cyclone made contact, Touma yanked his grappling hook backwards, sending Togeno to the ground. Kairi dropped the shield and scrambled forward to grab the Collection piece, musing to himself that this might have been the easiest, fastest fight they've ever had.

And then, as soon as his fingers wrapped around the Collection piece, a poison spike skewered his hand.

Kairi cried out in pain, and Togeno took the opportunity to fire some spikes at point-blank range.

As he fell backwards, a barrage of shots rained down on Togeno - Touma and Umika? No, they were still behind him - the shots were coming from somewhere else -

Instead of cracking his head open on concrete, he fell into someone's arms.

Kei-chan?

"Red!" Umika wailed. "No way, no way, that's a lot of spikes -"

No, not Kei-chan.

What made him think that Keiichiro would be here to save him again?

A blob of blue entered his quickly fading vision. "Careful - it's gonna hurt worse if you try to pull them out -"

Kairi yanked out a spike, sending a scream-inducing wave of pain throughout his body.

"Red!"

Through gritted teeth, Kairi managed to say, "Never mind me … what's going on?"

"Nigou and Sangou are here, and they're -" Umika gasped. "Wait, Nigou and Sangou?! Oh, hell - they're still injured - we need to help them -"

"No, we don't," Touma objected. "We can leave them to - wait, is that why you two were rushing this fight?!"

A familiar howl of determination caught their attention.

Keiichiro.

From what Sakuya and Tsukasa told them, after being poisoned, Keiichiro held on long enough to take down a giant Ganglar in a Trigger Machine. And now here he was, several hours of poison later, returning to the fight through sheer force of will.

If that dumb policeman could do it, so could he.

First, target. If he just stood still and focused hard enough, he could make out colors and shapes - gray, he needed a gray, humanoid shape - there!

Now he just needed to stand and move. Which was much easier said than done. He struggled to sit up as every single cell in his body burned.

"Hey hey, Red!" Umika squeezed his shoulder, and he hissed in pain. "You shouldn't be moving -"

"No -" Kairi winced - even talking hurt. "Need to help them - Yellow - please -"

Umika sighed. "Okay. Yeah. Sorry Red, this might hurt like hell."

"It's fine - do it -"

She lifted him up by the left shoulder and dragged him forward; it was all Kairi could do to stifle his screams. Honestly, he was a little surprised that Umika could move him on her own.

Then he realized that Touma was carrying him by his right shoulder.

"Yellow, go around to the other side," Touma quietly ordered. "Red, keep your eyes on Togeno." He felt his grappling hook being pressed into his hand. "Fire on my count. Three, two, one."

The sound of several grappling hooks whipped through the air, followed by the wails of a confused Ganglar.

"Huh? What the hell are you phantom thieves doing?!" Keiichiro yelled.

"Just take the shot, you stupid policeman!" Kairi howled.

One shot from Patren Ugou later, Kairi felt the poison subside. Of course, he was still a little sore from the several spikes still in his body, but soon, those vanished as well.

"Red. Yellow. We're going."

After glancing at the Patrangers, Kairi and Umika obeyed.

For once, Kairi was awake before sunrise. He opened his window, breathing in the dawn air. With the clouds painted in soft watercolor and the morning mist settling over the streets, he felt like the world was a little more magical in the few minutes before sunrise. Was this what morning people felt like?

For no particular reason, Kairi decided today would be a good day for a walk.

As quickly and quietly as possible, he got dressed and rushed out the front door, just barely sneaking past Touma. At first, he wandered on autopilot, retracing his usual grocery route. His pace slowed as he entered a small park with a familiar bench, a familiar table, and a familiar trash can.

Why was he here? And more importantly, why did he feel disappointed that this place was empty?

Instead of trying to figure out what these strange thoughts were, Kairi decided that the best course of action was to walk away from them as fast as he could. As the sun emerged and steadily rose higher in the sky, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that he was searching for something.

Soon, he found himself on the street leading to the GSPO office.

Kairi clicked his tongue and tried not to think about whatever unconscious thought process brought him here, of all places.

He checked his phone. Eight-thirty. If he wasn't back soon, Umika would have his head.

He knew he should hurry back, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to walk faster than a leisurely stroll. As if he hadn't given up on finding … whatever it was that drew him out here.

"Hm? Kairi-kun?"

He stopped and closed his eyes.

Somehow, he wasn't surprised that the mysterious thing he was looking for was Keiichiro.

In moments, he was beside him, his trenchcoat trailing after him in the light breeze.

With a smile, Keiichiro greeted, "Good morning! I don't normally see you around this early - are you picking up ingredients?"

Kairi shrugged. "Woke up early and just felt like a walk, was all."

Keiichiro nodded. "I prefer nighttime walks myself, but sometimes, I stay out so late that the sun rises before I know it." He pivoted towards the city, unintentionally framing himself in a halo of sunlight and pastel clouds. When he glanced back at him and smiled, Kairi was speechless.

How could one person be so warm and bright?

And here he was, a stupid thief who wasn't good enough to be anything else - what gave him the right to be here with someone like this?

"Isn't it beautiful, Kairi-kun?"

For a moment, he forgot how to breathe. "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"I was actually heading to Jurer for a quick coffee. If you're heading back, do you mind if I walk with you?"

Before he could stop himself, Kairi returned his smile. "Not at all. Question is, are you gonna be good?"

Keiichiro frowned as they started walking. "Why would I not be?"

"Your commander came in the other day for some 'get well' sweets and mentioned that you guys were in the hospital."

Keiichiro's face darkened, and Kairi tried to verbally backspace. "But I mean, that was a few days ago, right? Clearly, the 'get well' sweets worked."

"Yes, I suppose they did." Keiichiro's hand traveled to his trenchcoat pocket, as if he were about to check his phone, but his hand fell back to his side. "Thank you, by the way."

Kairi scratched the back of his head, recalling his misadventures with eggs. "Touma's the one in the kitchen, not me. All I did was ring them up."

"Even so. Eating sweets from Jurer always makes me think of you, somehow."

Kairi stumbled and briefly wondered how he had tripped on flat ground. Fortunately, Keiichiro didn't notice.

Trying to laugh it off, he joked, "Aww, is it because I'm sweet, too?"

Pink blossomed across his cheeks as he smiled shyly. "Well … yes. The macarons were very good, but they're no substitute for your company. I really missed you while I was in the hospital."

Kairi felt himself blush. This was not fair - how the hell did this stupid policeman manage to fluster him without trying?

He was not going to lose to him.

"Sorry - I really did mean to visit you, but work. If I'd known you'd be out today, I would've gotten flowers."

Keiichiro giggled softly, which definitely did not make him weak in the knees. "Thank you, Kairi-kun. You always manage to brighten my day somehow, and I want to return that favor. If you have a day off soon, do you mind if I take you out to lunch?"

… he lost.

An intense heat rose in Kairi's chest and face so quickly, he thought someone actually set him on fire.

From behind them, Sakuya called, "Hey, Keiichiro-senpai!"

Oh thank god, a distraction.

Kairi clapped Keiichiro's back, quickly saying, "I dunno, that's up to Touma and I don't wanna make him mad by being late, so bye!" He sprinted towards Jurer, attempting once more to outrun his feelings.

Umika returned to the counter, holding her serving tray to her chest. Dropping her voice to a whisper, she asked, "Guys, do the Patrangers seem a little … on edge today?"

Touma exhaled sharply, still focusing on rolling out pastry dough. "I keep telling you, you need to stop caring about them so much -"

As his teammates quietly argued, Kairi glanced at the Patrangers' table out of the corner of his eye. Umika had a point; normally, Sakuya would be smiling and they'd be able to hear either Keiichiro or Tsukasa scold him from across the room. Today? They were eerily quiet, with the occasional glance at their phones, and when they did speak, it was in hushed tones.

Whatever it was, it couldn't just be because they were all hospitalized a few days ago, right?

Kairi leaned over to the side, interrupting the argument by saying, "You're right. It's like they're scared. Or have a secret. Or they're scared about a secret."

Touma shrugged. "Maybe it has something to do with the other member of the Tactical Unit."

Kairi and Umika stared at him as if he'd grown another head.

Umika looked back at the Patrangers' table. "Touma, all three of them are here. Unless you're talking about their commander."

Touma set aside his rolling pin and folded his arms. "There's a fourth now, I suppose. He placed a special order of scones and croissants and picked them up just before opening."

Umika squinted at him. "And you're sure he was Tactical Unit?"

Touma frowned. "He had the same uniform. It said 'GSPO Tactical Unit' on the back, just like theirs."

Kairi scratched his head. "Well then, who the hell is he?"

With an uncomfortable feeling of dread, the three Patrangers entered the GSPO office. Tsukasa wanted to strategize a little bit longer, but they were dangerously close to being late, and Keiichiro felt like it would work out better for them to gather more information about their … situation.

The text from Commander Hilltop was still burned into his mind:

Team, I'm sorry. The Deputy Commissioner used your hospitalization to talk France HQ into sending another officer to join the Tactical Unit. If he turns out to be a spy, I will protect you to the best of my ability.

In no time at all, the three of them arrived at their office door.

Tsukasa sighed. "You guys ready?"

Sakuya stood a little taller. "… ready as I'll ever be."

Keiichiro nodded. "Let's go."

They entered the office and were immediately hit with the smell of freshly baked croissants and scones - Jurer's croissants and scones, to be precise. A young man sharing their uniform (Keiichiro noted that his accent color was gold) was seated at the center table, sipping tea from a Western-style china teacup. Said croissants and scones were artfully arranged on an ornate plate that matched the pattern on his teacup. He (deliberately?) waited a moment before acknowledging that the door had opened. Flashing them a dazzling smile, he set his teacup down, stood up, and bowed.

"Bonjour. My name is Noël Takao. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Chapter Text

Noël was under no delusions that his mission here would be easy, but he also didn't expect the Patrangers to shut him out. They were professionally polite to their new member, but their cordiality ended there.

He understood, of course. His usual work at the France headquarters kept him fairly isolated from the rest of the GSPO, but even he had heard of GSPO Japan's internal drama. Personally, he supported the Patrangers, but judging from their behavior, they were convinced that he was some sort of informant for their opposition.

Well, no matter. He didn't need to befriend the Tactical Unit to steal back their Collection pieces.

On his second week of organizing paperwork, fetching snacks, and preparing tea, he paced around the office, mentally taking inventory of the Collection pieces in Patranger custody.

The first ones to disappear from his workshop in France were the three VS Changers, the Ichigou, Nigou, and Sangou Trigger Machines, and Good Striker. He begrudgingly acknowledged that the Patrangers required their VS Changers and Trigger Machines to properly defend the public, so he would save those for last. As for Good Striker, the Patrangers didn't seem to have him in a cage anywhere on the premises, so he could only hope that he was wandering freely.

Next to disappear were Cyclone and Biker. Biker was here in the office, but Cyclone was nowhere to be found - were they so incompetent that they'd lost Cyclone?

He paused behind Keiichiro's desk, studying the Lupinranger poster. No - maybe they weren't incompetent. He did hear that Kogure had assembled quite the team.

Keiichiro cleared his throat.

Drat. He stared for too long. He smiled, trying to look innocent. "Oh, I'm sorry, Keiichiro-kun."

He followed his gaze to the poster. "I suppose you were briefed on the Lupinrangers before you arrived?"

"Non," he lied. "I was given a few Ganglar dossiers to look through, but nothing on the Lupinrangers."

Keiichiro narrowed his eyes, as if trying to detect a lie in Noël's words. Finding none, he sighed and returned to his report. "From the way some of the commissioners talk about them, you'd think they were public enemy number one."

Noël pursed his lips. "Are they working with the Ganglars?"

"No."

"Then what's our problem with them?"

Keiichiro stopped typing and swiveled around in his chair, looking first at Noël and then at something just over his right shoulder; Noël followed his line of sight to an out-of-place black box installed right over the office door. As if he was reading from a script, Keiichiro recited, "The Lupinrangers are vigilantes and thieves. They are a danger to public safety, and their capture takes priority."

Noël slowly marched towards the door, never taking his eyes off of the mysterious black box. From the outside, it looked innocuous enough, and if it contained a camera, surely someone would have stopped him before he decided to have a staring contest with it.

Talking more to the box than anyone else in the room, Noël asked, "So if we had to choose between apprehending the Lupinrangers and defeating the Ganglar of the day, which should we choose?"

The room fell silent, with every pair of eyes staring at him in fear, as if Deputy Commissioner Yanagami would burst through the door and personally take him into custody.

Finally, Tsukasa answered quietly, "The expectation is that we would divide and conquer."

Wordlessly, Noël crossed the room, typed a short message on his laptop, and held it up so that Tsukasa could read it.

That does not answer my question, Tsukasa-san. If we had to choose, which would it be?

Her eyes scrutinized him, searching for a trap. After sharing a glance with Sakuya and then Keiichiro, Tsukasa turned to type a reply on her own computer.

We defeat the Ganglar quickly. Saving lives will always be our top priority.

Noël nodded. "Merci, Tsukasa-san. You truly are the pinnacle that all GSPO officers should strive for."

She rolled her eyes and typed another message:

Laying it on a little thick there, huh?

He smiled as he replied:

Communicating like this is quite tiring. Is there anywhere we can speak more freely?

Tsukasa checked her watch as she scooted away from her desk. "It's about lunchtime. The usual?"

Both Sakuya and Keiichiro stood up (a little too quickly) and agreed.

Noël blinked.

Mon dieu.

What were the odds that the Patrangers' favorite restaurant would be the bistro secretly run by the Lupinrangers?

Apparently, his little show of rebellion in the office had quickly endeared him to Sakuya; as soon as they left the GSPO building, he opened his motor mouth and still hadn't stopped.

"… and this is Bistrot Jurer, one of the best places in town!" Sakuya explained. "But I guess you already knew about it - you got us snacks from here your first day, right?"

"I was already a little homesick, so I checked the Internet for some good French restaurants in the area," Noël lied.

Sakuya scratched his head. "Oh yeah, you're French."

(At this, Keiichiro and Tsukasa turned around to give their kouhai a funny look.)

Oblivious, Sakuya pointed at the sign. "So does 'Jurer' actually mean something?"

Noël nodded. "It roughly translates to 'vow' or 'oath.'"

Keiichiro waved at them. "Come on, we only have an hour for lunch."

They entered the bistro and were greeted by a lively young woman.

"Welcome in - oh, it's you guys!" She motioned to the table closest to the door. "For three?"

"Four, actually," Keiichiro corrected.

She tilted her head. "Is Hilltop-san with you?"

Noël took this as a cue to move forward and bowed. "My name is Noël Takao, and I am the newest member of the Tactical Unit." He held out his hand. "And your name, mademoiselle?"

She blinked, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. "Um. I'm Umika Hayami. It's nice to meet you." She reached out to shake his hand, but instead, he gently took her hand and kissed her fingers.

"The pleasure is mine, Umika-chan."

(From somewhere behind him, he heard Tsukasa grumbling about him being "too French.")

They sat down while Umika took their drink orders. Or rather, she only took his drink order. As she headed to the counter overlooking the kitchen, she tapped on a table; the girl at said table looked up from her book and found Keiichiro, smiling.

Oh?

Noël pretended to study the menu while he watched the scene unfold.

She waved at their table. "Keiichiro-san?"

Upon hearing his name, he turned and smiled politely. "Ah, Mana-san, good morning. Did you end up listening to that record?"

"Yes! I'd never heard some of those songs before -" She reached down by her chair and held out a paper bag, presumably containing the record. "Do you recall where you got it?"

Keiichiro frowned as he took the record back. "I'm not sure - it was part of my parents' collection."

"Oh! And here, before I forget -" She picked up a beautiful vase of marigolds. "My part-time job had some extra bouquets again."

Keiichiro nodded, took the vase, and placed it down on their table without sparing it a second glance. "Thank you, Mana-san. They really brighten up the office."

Mana frowned and tilted her head. "The office?"

"Yes, the office," he answered, without a hint of shame. "It's a nice splash of color - it looks quite nice next to our commander's bonsai."

Oh.

Noël leaned back in his chair, his hand over his mouth in an attempt to hide his grimace. This poor girl. And judging from the looks on Sakuya and Tsukasa's faces, this was not the first time Keiichiro had obliviously rebuffed Mana.

Despite the setback, Mana sat up straighter in her chair and took a deep breath. "Um … Keiichiro-san …" She clasped her hands over her heart. "If you're free after work today, would you like to come over for dinner? I found a new record at the store the other day, and I'd like to listen to it with you."

Keiichiro took a moment to consider her invitation. "That sounds nice. What kind of record did you find?"

At this, an agitated-looking young man with blond hair stood from his seat at the counter and tossed his apron at Umika.

"Taking my break," he muttered brusquely.

Umika glared at him and hissed, "You just took one - get back here -"

"Don't care," he growled, slightly louder.

At the sound of this man's voice, Keiichiro changed. His face brightened, his smile became wider and more genuine, and there was a fondness in his eyes that, until that exact moment, had been completely absent.

"Oh, Kairi-kun, good morn-" His face fell as he realized that Kairi looked as sour as a wet cat. "Wait -"

Kairi disappeared outside, slamming the door behind him. Keiichiro looked crestfallen - and behind him, so did Mana.

Oh. Oh la la.

Noël hid his face in his hand. He couldn't deny that there were more sparks in Keiichiro and Kairi's three second interaction than in Keiichiro and Mana's entire conversation, but for her to also realize it, right after she tried to invite him over?

He'd heard of secondhand embarrassment before, but never secondhand heartbreak.

Keiichiro started to rise from his seat, but (thankfully) reconsidered his decision and turned back to Mana. "Mana-san -"

She shook her head. "You should go after your friend. Don't worry about me - there will be other nights and other dinners."

Oh, chérie.

"Thank you, Mana-san." He stood and bowed to her before also rushing out the door.

As soon as he left, Mana crumpled into herself. Umika and Tsukasa were immediately by her side, trying to comfort her. Noël also approached, kneeling down and gently taking one of her hands.

"I know this may mean nothing coming from a stranger, but you have my deepest condolences, mon chérie."

Through her falling tears, she managed to smile briefly. "Thank you, stranger. But it's okay, really. You saw how he lit up when he saw Kairi-kun."

Umika huffed. "I'm going to kill him."

Tsukasa blinked. "Keiichiro or Kairi-kun?"

"Both?! I dunno -" She hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Mana-chan."

Sakuya also rose from his seat and patted Mana's back. "Give me one second - I'll make him come back and apologize to you."

"Huh? You don't have to -"

But Sakuya was already gone.

Noël sighed. He reached into his wallet, fished out a stack of bills, and handed them to Umika. "For our meals - keep the rest as an apology for Keiichiro-san being … Keiichiro-san."

"Do you want us to walk you home?" Tsukasa offered. "It's the least we can do."

Mana nodded, wiping away her tears.

Noël knew that he should just leave and try to find his other teammates, but something was rooting him here, right outside the gate to Mana's house. Tsukasa, it seemed, also had the same dilemma.

She stared at the bed of marigolds in the front yard and mused to herself, "So she's leaving for Austria tonight, huh?"

Noël folded his arms. "We can't make him confess, but perhaps we can make him apologize?"

Tsukasa mulled over his words and shook her head. "If it were me, an apology would make it worse. What's he gonna say? 'I'm sorry I don't return your feelings?' 'I'm sorry I was too awkward to let you down gently?' 'I'm sorry it's very obvious that there's someone else?'"

He sighed as he recalled the scene from earlier. "That someone else - it's the waiter, right?"

She nodded. "Kairi-kun. Anyone with eyes can see how much they like each other. Mana-san saw it too, but … the heart wants what the heart wants, I suppose. She kept saying she was just fine being friends with him, but …"

"… I understand. Love is quite the fickle creature, isn't it?"

Tsukasa nervously shifted her weight as if the statement hit too close to home. "You got that right."

Their earpieces buzzed to life as Keiichiro called, "Tsukasa! Noël-san! Ganglar at Seaside Park - requesting backup!"

Without another word, they dashed into the city.

Noël nearly had a heart attack when he and Tsukasa arrived on the scene. Civilian bodies were strewn every which way; it took a moment for them to realize that they weren't dead, only sleeping. Up ahead, Keiichiro was attacking much more aggressively than Noël thought possible, with Sakuya taking potshots whenever Keiichiro wasn't attempting to grapple the Ganglar.

"Mon dieu. Does he normally fight like that?"

Tsukasa shook her head and pointed to something behind the Ganglar. "No, but I can guess why. Look."

Noël stood on tiptoe to try to get a clearer view - and there was Kairi, sprawled on the ground in a deep sleep.

Tsukasa loaded her Trigger Machine. "Did HQ end up giving you a VS Changer when you were reassigned?"

Noël brought out his X Changer with a flourish. "Don't need one. I have my own."

Both of them transformed and rushed forward, providing support fire.

The Ganglar tried to shield himself from the new attacks. "There are four of you now?! I've had enough of this -" A strange tendril emerged from the space between his pauldron and chest armor, whipping around and knocking down Keiichiro, Sakuya, and Tsukasa - Noël just barely managed to dodge it in time.

While the rest of his team was down, the Ganglar slammed the end of his staff on the ground, producing strange purple projectiles. Three of them shot through the rest of the Patrangers, sending them into slumber. The fourth shot -

He rolled to the side, and the projectile harmlessly hit a bench.

"Huh. You're a slippery one."

"Merci." Noël bowed as his brain went into overdrive. The sleep spell seemed to be his own innate power, dependent on his staff? Could he break it? No - that may trap everyone forever. And the shoulder tendril - that seemed like a Collection piece. Perhaps Long, long, et long?

He glanced back down at the Patrangers. Sound asleep.

No one else was going to witness this.

The Ganglar pointed his staff at Noël. "You were a little fun, but this ends now."

Noël rotated his X Changer so that X Train Silver was facing outwards. "Yes, it certainly will."

Something was wrong with this world - so wrong, in fact, that Kairi felt physically ill.

Everyone around him was completely blissed out on something or other - one guy was eating bowls of ramen like no tomorrow, another was surrounded by several happy puppies, Tsukasa was cuddling with ten stuffed animals -

Kairi paused, unsure of whether to commit this to memory or attempt to forget it.

As he wandered around, he passed Sakuya, who was now wearing a uniform of a much higher rank than his current one, and two young cadets, both calling him "senpai."

Folding his arms, Kairi tried to think. If the Ganglar sent them all to sleep, it would make sense that these were dreams, right?

Dreams.

He felt his heart drop out of his chest as someone very familiar called out his name.

No. No. He couldn't face him like this. Not yet.

He picked a direction and sprinted, trying to put as much space between himself and his past.

Every single muscle in his legs was sore, his lungs burned, sweat dripped down his body in rivulets, and still, he kept running.

Looking back on it, if he hadn't crashed into Keiichiro, they would have stayed in the dream, and he would still be running.

"Hey, what in the - Kairi-kun?!" A pair of hands reached out to him, and Kairi instinctively grabbed them. Keiichiro hoisted him up with one fluid motion and even took the time to dust him off.

Kairi blinked once, and then twice. Logically, he knew that Keiichiro was a police officer, so logically, he wouldn't look out of place in a police officer's uniform.

Except he did. Keiichiro was supposed to be in the Tactical Unit - he'd mentioned several times before that the Tactical Unit was where he thought he could do the most good. Was his dream really to be demoted?

Keiichiro frowned and tilted his head. "Why were you running like that? Do you need me to help you?"

"No," Kairi instinctively answered. "Wait - I mean -" He checked behind him, just to be sure that Shouri wasn't there.

"Kairi-kun?"

He turned back around and almost had a heart attack when he realized that Keiichiro had stepped closer. He stumbled backwards, trying to compose himself. "What's with that getup, anyway? You're supposed to be Tactical Unit - you can't fight Ganglars in that, can you?"

"Ganglars? Tactical Unit?" Keiichiro folded his arms. "I'm not sure what you're talking about. This world's been peaceful for as long as I can remember - the scariest thing I have to deal with is climbing trees to save runaway cats. There's nothing so scary that we need a Tactical Unit. Everyone's safe. You're safe. You have nothing to worry about while I'm here with you." Gently, he clasped his hands; to Kairi, it felt like he was holding his heart, warming it gently. For a few glorious seconds, he believed his words. He wanted so much to believe that he could be safe and at Keiichiro's side.

And then reality came crashing down around him like a sudden thunderstorm.

This was a dreamworld. In reality, he didn't get nice things like this. He didn't deserve nice things like this.

He stepped away, withdrawing his hands. "This world's peaceful, yeah, but it's not ours."

Keiichiro blinked. "Not ours?"

Sighing, Kairi turned away. "Not at all. Our world is messy and painful, and living there hurts, but there's something I need to do back there. Something only I can do. Don't you feel the same, Kei-chan?"

Keiichiro folded his arms. "Something only I can do …" he mused to himself.

Bitterly, he reminded him, "You're always saying stuff like you want to protect everyone's smiles, right?"

"… you're right. There's a Ganglar out there. I can't stop until everyone can live safely with a smile."

Kairi heard the cocking of a gun - not a VS Changer, a real gun - from behind him, and ducked, covering his ears. He glanced back to see Keiichiro aiming at the sky.

"I won't stop until everyone can live safely with a smile."

Noël backflipped out of the way of one, two, three more sleep projectiles. This was no use - he had to figure out a way to wake everyone up -

As if on cue, one by one, victims began to wake up, including Keiichiro, Sakuya, and Tsukasa, who all transformed after a few moments of grogginess.

Finally. Now they didn't have to hold back.

Sakuya loaded Biker and prepared to fire, but for some reason, Tsukasa forced him to lower his VS Changer.

"Wait - the Collection piece - is it out?" she called.

Noël narrowed his eyes. They shouldn't care about the Collection, nor should they know anything about it. He should know - he was the one periodically wiping the GSPO database of anything the GSPO didn't need to know about the Lupin Collection.

Why did the Patrangers care? And who told them how important the Collection was?

No matter - those were questions to be answered another day.

Trying to feign innocence, he dashed in to join them and explained, "While you guys were sleeping, some silver phantom thief stole the piece!"

The Ganglar pointed at him. "Hey, what do you mean, 'some silver -'"

As quickly as he could, Noël fired several shots at his head to shut him up.

Kairi, who had regained consciousness, hid behind them as the Ganglar wailed in pain. "There's a silver phantom thief now?" he asked.

"Kairi-kun!" Keiichiro dashed over and tried to hug him, but at the last second remembered that he was on an active battlefield and patted his shoulder instead. "You're okay, right?"

Kairi flashed a small smile that, to Noël's surprise, was genuine. "I'm fine - it was just a little nap."

"Thank goodness," Keiichiro sighed. He turned to Noël and ordered, "We'll take care of the Ganglar from here. You make sure the area is clear of civilians. And …" He turned to Kairi, trailing off.

Noël grasped Kairi's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll make sure this one gets home."

Kairi seemed miffed at the implication that he needed protection, but for now, he remained quiet and cooperative. They retreated back to the city while the Patrangers landed the finishing blow.

Kairi was halfway up the stairs when he decided to turn around and ask, "Hey, Touma? We didn't suddenly get a fourth employee, right?"

The sound of washing dishes stopped for a second and then resumed. "No? Why do you ask?"

"… no reason."

Kairi continued up the stairs, pondering the new revelation from this afternoon. A new silver phantom thief … were they friend or foe? Could they possibly work together or would he have to manipulate them into making the correct moves?

He had shut the door to his room and partially taken off his shirt before he realized that said silver phantom thief was hanging outside his window, framed by the full moon.

Hastily, he pulled his shirt down and undid the window latch, allowing the new and possibly hostile phantom thief to enter his room.

… he was just full of great ideas today, wasn't he?

Instead of attacking him, the silver phantom thief simply held out a small object - was it the Collection piece from earlier today?

"Good evening. I'm LupinSilver," he greeted. "I believe this is yours."

Cautiously, he took the Collection piece and tossed it on his bed behind him. "… is this your way of trying to prove yourself before asking to join us or something?"

"I have no interest in joining you right now," Silver replied dismissively. "Or ever, really."

Kairi folded his arms and braced himself, acutely aware of the fact that Silver wanted to, he could seriously maim or kill him before he got the chance to transform. "So … what is this, then? What are you doing here?"

Silver clasped his hands behind his back and gazed at the moonlight through the open window. "I was also hired by the Lupin family to hunt down Collection pieces. Your team is good, but they're not good enough. There have been close calls and …" He turned his head towards him, and Kairi could sense the nasty look behind his helmet. "… at least one instance of your team outright giving a Collection piece to the police."

Kairi clenched his teeth. "Can people please stop giving me shit for that?! It's worked out so far, and I fully intend on stealing it back!"

Silver turned towards him, still speaking in a calm and even manner. "Yano-san, let me be perfectly clear. I am a last resort. I only care about gathering Collection pieces, and I will only assist you if it looks like you will fail. If I see a Patranger about to destroy a Collection piece, I will eliminate them. If I see you giving another Collection piece to your little boyfriend, I will eliminate you."

Kairi had to try very hard to fight the urge to punch this man. "Fine. Let's hope this is the last time I have to see your stupid face."

"Likewise." With that, he leapt off the balcony and into the night.

As soon as he thought the coast was clear, Kairi punched the wall. First the Ganglars, then the cops, and now this silver prick?! He probably would have accepted the help if he weren't so goddamn arrogant about it; if he ever saw Silver on the battlefield, chances were high that he would start shooting at him instead of the Ganglar.

And what the hell was that comment about his "little boyfriend?"

(He tried very hard not to think about the feeling of Keiichiro's hands on his own. And failed.)

No. He couldn't think about things like that anymore. He didn't deserve things like that anymore.

He had to lock back in. Everything that he did from here on had to be for the mission. For Shouri. No one else.

(He thought of Keiichiro's smile.)

No one else.

Noël paced up and down the wharf, trying to calm his frayed nerves. Good Striker trailed behind him, asking, "Don't you think that was a little too mean?"

Noël closed his eyes and sighed. "Maybe it was, but as long as it prevents more Collection pieces from falling into GSPO hands, I'll stand by it."

"What's so wrong with that?"

Noël's lips thinned. "GSPO HQ transferred Collection pieces to the Japan branch behind my back. They took you - stuffed you in a briefcase in the dead of night. When I got here, I was afraid that I'd see you in a cage."

Good Striker quivered a little bit. "Guess I'm lucky that the Lupinrangers and Patrangers aren't cruel people."

Noël continued, "I still support the GSPO's ideals, but some of the top brass has been … less than trustworthy these days. Every Collection piece I had back at HQ is now in the vault, and our top priority is ensuring that the Patrangers do not keep or destroy any Collection pieces."

Good Striker wiggled as if he were happy. "Well, that's not a problem. The Patrangers have been making sure that the Lupinrangers always get away with the Collection piece."

"… excusez-moi?"

"Oh. Uh." Good Striker backed up a little. "I think that was supposed to be a secret …"

Noël frowned as the gears in his head started turning. If he didn't know any better, he would say that the Tactical Unit was concealing a few more secrets.

This was going to be an interesting mission.

Chapter Text

Keiichiro rubbed his eyes and yawned before taking another sip of coffee. Of course, the instant coffee powder in Sakuya's pantry was no match for Jurer's coffee, but he would have to make do this morning. Sakuya had finally gotten a whiteboard, so they could begin their information gathering in earnest.

After drinking some of her own coffee, Tsukasa started writing on the whiteboard like she was a teacher outlining her lesson plan for the day. "Okay … so we have a few questions of interest that need to be answered …"

She stepped back from the whiteboard, revealing four columns titled "Lupin Motives," "Lupin Identities," "Lupin Collection," and "Noël."

"Okay, so what do we know about these?" she asked.

"Under 'Lupin Motives,' they felt like they didn't have a choice in becoming thieves," Keiichiro replied. "Under 'Noël' … I don't know, I think we can start trusting him with certain things. It doesn't seem like he agrees with how Deputy Commissioner Yanagami wants to run this branch."

Tsukasa pursed her lips. "Yes, but any plant would want you to believe that about them. He needs to earn more of our trust."

Sakuya pointed to the third column. "For 'Lupin Collection,' Yellow said that something important and good would happen if the entire Collection was gathered. I guess write that down in 'Lupin Motives,' too."

Tsukasa fiddled with the dry-erase marker in her hand, looking uncharacteristically nervous. "Does … does anyone have anything for the second column? Anything at all?"

Both Keiichiro and Sakuya shook their heads, and Tsukasa began writing down their inputs. For some reason, she was positioning herself so that she was blocking whatever she'd written in the second column.

When she stepped back, Keiichiro realized why.

In addition to his and Sakuya's inputs, she had written three names in the "Lupin Identities" column.

Kairi Yano. Touma Yoimachi. Umika Hayami.

Something deep in Keiichiro's stomach recoiled at the sight of Kairi's name in that column. He tried not to sound too hostile when he asked, "Would you like to explain why those names are on there?"

Perhaps it was Keiichiro's imagination, but he thought he saw some color fade from her face. She took a deep breath before clarifying, "When the Lupinrangers are untransformed, they share some distinct body language with the Jurer staff. The most obvious one is Red pinching Yellow's nose, like he's teasing a younger sister. Kairi-kun does the same to Umika-chan. Blue keeps them on task and is protective of them, like how Touma-kun treats Kairi-kun and Umika-chan."

Sakuya sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, other people can do that, too - it doesn't have to be them -"

"I'm not done." Tsukasa squeezed the marker so tightly that Keiichiro was concerned that she would break it. "When I was trapped in the amusement park, the first thing that Naiyo did was set up a barrier so that no one could enter or leave. It seems awfully convenient that Yellow would also have been in the same amusement park and near the same attraction that I was in, but if Yellow is Umika-chan, it makes sense."

She took a moment to reach into her briefcase and pulled out three files, each labeled with a Jurer employee's name. "A few days after the amusement park, I looked into each of them. Despite living very different lives before then, they all started working at a brand-new restaurant in February of last year."

Keiichiro frowned. "… so?"

"Keiichiro, when did the Lupinrangers first become active?"

"Hm. I remember it being colder than usual on the day I got that first report, so …" He arrived at the answer and almost didn't want to say it aloud. "… February of last year."

An uncomfortable silence settled over the room. Keiichiro remained fixated on Kairi's name, like it demanded his full attention. The longer he stared, the more his stomach twisted itself in knots.

… why was the thought of Kairi being LupinRed making him physically ill?

Sakuya drummed on the sides of his coffee cup. "So … should we just … stop eating there? Arrest them next time we come in for lunch? What the hell are we supposed to do with this information?"

Tsukasa frowned and lowered her head. "Right now? Nothing. We don't have any hard evidence and it could still be just a big coincidence."

Sakuya studied her. "Do you really think that, senpai?"

Before he could stop himself, Keiichiro added, "Stranger things have happened. They could be the Lupinrangers, or this could be a series of massive coincidences."

Sakuya took a sip of coffee, and more silence followed. Keiichiro's eyes fell on Kairi's name again, and he had a sudden urge to stand up and erase it.

"… Keiichiro-senpai? Do you remember all of those observation skills you told me were useful for detective work?"

He furrowed his brow in confusion, but he welcomed the change in topic. "Yes. You've been practicing?"

Sakuya nodded. "Whenever I can. And do you remember telling me that a hunch or a gut feeling should be shared with the team, no matter how silly it sounds?"

Keiichiro was no longer sure where this conversation was going. "Yes?"

Sakuya cast his eyes down at the table. "I like the Jurer employees. They're fun to be around, and they're great friends. If they're the Lupinrangers, well -" He paused for some unknown reason. "- if they are, we already swore to protect them. It wouldn't make a lick of difference to me. But you two - you've been acting off ever since those names were written down. And just now, both of you flinched when I said, 'if they're the Lupinrangers.'"

Tsukasa and Keiichiro shared a guilty look.

Sakuya continued, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I guess, but why does it seem like you two aren't taking this well?"

Tsukasa fiddled with the marker once more. "… I don't know."

Keiichiro drained the rest of his coffee, scalding his throat. "If I figure it out, you'll be the first to know."

Every morning in the GSPO Tactical Unit office started with some Jurer pastries and a pot of tea, courtesy of Noël. They had originally assigned him these menial tasks due to a lack of trust, but Noël had taken it in stride. Now, he took snack time and tea time as seriously as Commander Hilltop.

Tsukasa had also made a mental note to ask Noël how much he was paying Touma to make fresh pastries for them; the cream puffs and madeleines from yesterday were definitely not on the regular Jurer menu.

When they walked in this morning, they could smell the croissants from the hallway. Sakuya giggled like a schoolchild and rushed ahead, intent on grabbing the first one. Instead, he stood in the doorway, causing his teammates to collide with him.

Tsukasa chuckled. "What, is the spread that impressive today?" She gently pushed Sakuya further in and saw what had given him pause.

The croissants were still in a box, waiting on the closest edge of the center table. The rest of the table was covered in some tools she recognized, other tools that were a mystery, Noël's X Changer connected to a small tablet, and Noël himself, sitting in the center of it all, working on what looked like a Dial Fighter while referencing three virtual screens in front of him.

Tsukasa blinked. "Uh. Good morning, Noël?"

"Bonjour," he replied, never taking his eyes off his work. "Today's breakfast is in that box, and I will be making the tea shortly."

Wordlessly, Sakuya opened the box and passed croissants to both Keiichiro and Tsukasa before biting into one himself. The three of them stood there quietly, watching Noël work.

Finally, Tsukasa finished her croissant and broke the silence. "Did you ever tell us what you were doing in France before getting transferred? Actually, did we even ask?"

The ends of Noël's lips quirked up in an attempt to smile. "You did not ask, chérie. I was a field agent for my first two years, but ever since then, I have been the GSPO's expert on the Lupin Collection."

Her first thought was that this was convenient. They'd written off the GSPO database as a dead end months ago and were relegated to checking out obscure old books from the local library. Maybe if they brought Noël into the fold, they could actually make progress on their secret investigation.

Her second thought was that this was entirely too convenient.

"So what are you doing now?" Sakuya asked. "Are you, like, making a new Collection piece?"

Noël shook his head. "Non, I do not have the skill or power to do so. What I am doing is modifying a piece so it can be used with a VS Changer." He finally rose from his seat and presented Keiichiro with a VS vehicle that looked like a blue and white blimp. "This is the Magic Dial Fighter. The activation code is zero-two-nine. Please treat this one well."

As requested, Keiichiro took Magic with both hands and held it like it was a fragile antique.

Tsukasa pulled her Trigger Machine out of her pocket and pointed to its trigger. "So, these -"

"- did not have the trigger originally, no."

She looked back and forth between her Trigger Machine and Noël before whispering, "Do you mind if we …" She pointedly looked at the recording device. "… if we go on a patrol later?"

Keiichiro stepped forward. "I can come along if -"

Tsukasa shook her head. "It's okay. I think I can handle it on my own." She also took out her phone and typed a message:

I know social situations aren't your strong suit. I'll get some answers out of him, I promise.

Noël also stepped forward. "She will be safe with me, I swear it."

Keiichiro and Sakuya both gave Noël one last death glare before sitting at their computers.

Noël seemed unfazed by the implied threat, only muttering, "Oh la la …" After retrieving his X Changer, he bowed slightly and motioned to the office door. "After you, chérie."

Tsukasa hummed, lost in thought as the ocean breeze ruffled her hair. After eating a scoop of whipped cream and strawberries from her crepe, she mused, "I know we used patrolling as an excuse, but I thought we'd … I don't know, actually patrol?"

Noël, who had already eaten half of his chocolate and berry crepe, leaned back on the bench and explained, "With the conversation we're about to have, I thought it would be best to sit and not be distracted."

"… and you wanted to have some Japanese crepes."

He smiled sheepishly. "The handheld version is new for me. I've only ever eaten them with a fork and knife."

"Hm." She watched the rolling waves as she took another bite. "So how would you like to do this?"

"Ah, right down to business." Noël stretched his legs. "How about three questions each? We're both free to lie or refuse to answer, but the point of this exercise is to build trust, is it not?"

Tsukasa mulled over his words and weighed her options. There was still a chance that Noël was a spy for the Deputy Commissioner, but the compassion and little rebellions against the GSPO's authority he had displayed over the past few days made that theory more and more unlikely. If he was no longer a threat - if he really was the Lupin Collection expert he claimed to be, then the Patrangers needed him on their side. With Noël, they would be one step closer to saving Yellow -

Uh. Closer to saving all the Lupinrangers … not just Yellow.

"… agreed," she replied. "You can go first."

"Hm." He took a few more bites of his crepe, no doubt choosing his words carefully. "Why would the Patrangers care about securing the Collection pieces when that isn't part of your job description?"

A vision of Yellow crumpling to the ground in the wake of a Ganglar's (supposed) death flashed across her mind.

Maybe she could trust him with some things, but others, well - she would keep Yellow and the Lupinrangers close to her heart until Noël deserved to know.

"Really, the only thing we know about the Collection pieces is that they're dangerous in the wrong hands, and the Ganglars definitely seem like the wrong hands."

Noël hummed thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. "Okay, good answer. Your turn."

Tsukasa crossed her ankles and leaned back, staring into the sky. The biggest questions weighing on her mind seemed too heavy - if she opened with either one of them, Noël may refuse to answer or lie, and she would come back to her team empty-handed. Come on, come on, she needed a small innocuous question that would still reveal something about Noël …

"You said that you were an expert on the Collection and could modify pieces so they can be used with our VS Changers. Were you the one that modified Good Striker - did you give him his dial, trigger, and his personality?"

With a wistful smile and a faraway look, Noël answered, "Non. That was Arsène Lupin's handiwork. Good Striker was the first to be modified. When Arsène entrusted him with protecting the other Collection pieces, he started developing sentience and grew into the petit chéri you know today."

Tsukasa was struck by the way Noël talked about Goody - like he was an old, dear friend. Suddenly, she felt a little bad for every time they had grabbed and used him without asking.

"I suppose that leads nicely into my next question." He turned to her with an uncharacteristically serious look on his face. "I will not forgive people who would use Good Striker as a tool, with no regard to his thoughts and opinions. If Good Striker ever has a 'bad feeling' - if you, say, intend on destroying a Collection piece - would you still try to force him into complying?"

Immediately, she cried, "Of course not! What kind of monsters do you take us for?!" After a second of thought, she clarified, "That was not my second question."

Noël chuckled. "I'm not that mean. So what is your second question?"

To tell the truth, Tsukasa was feeling a little more at ease around Noël. There was still a chance that she wouldn't get a clear answer for her next question, but she was confident that he wouldn't outright lie to her.

"What would happen if all of the Lupin Collection was gathered together?"

Noël sighed and finished off his crepe. "To tell the truth, no one actually knows for certain. There are rumors that a wish will be granted, but those are simply rumors."

Tsukasa cast her eyes down. So, that "something good and important" … whatever Yellow - er, the Lupinrangers - whatever they wanted, they couldn't get it by any other means. Whatever their impossible wish was, they needed all of the Lupin Collection to make it a reality.

With a somber look on his face, Noël scooted closer to her and whispered in her ear, "You aren't collecting the pieces for the GSPO or even yourselves - you're helping the Lupinrangers collect them, aren't you?"

Tsukasa closed her eyes. She made a mental note to never underestimate Noël's cleverness again.

"… yes." In a low, threatening voice, she continued, "They, like the citizens, are under our protection, and we will protect them to our last breath. Knowing that, will you still try to harm or arrest them?"

Noël gave her a smile - a genuine one. "I wouldn't dream of it, chérie."

By the time their conversation had ended and their crepes were finished, Tsukasa had received several texts from Keiichiro and Sakuya about having lunch at Jurer. As she and Noël approached the bistro, they were surprised to see them outside the door, staring at something.

"Hey!" she greeted, waving her hand. "Why aren't you guys inside?"

Upon hearing her voice, Keiichiro and Sakuya stepped aside, revealing a piece of paper on the door. Sakuya pointed to it, saying, "Because of this."

She stepped closer to read the notice:

Bistrot Jurer is closed today, July 4th. Chef Yoimachi is doing a guest lecture at Tokiori Culinary School. We will reopen on July 5th. We apologize for the inconvenience.

She sighed. "It can't be helped. I suppose we'll have to explore the rest of the restaurant district."

Sakuya nodded and began marching down the street, but Keiichiro remained in place, intently studying the sign.

"Tokiori Culinary School …" he muttered. "Where have I heard that before?"

Noël tilted his head. "Isn't that the school from last week's report? The school where teachers keep disappearing?"

They all took one last look at the sign and sprinted in the direction of the school.

Chapter Text

Umika leaned back against the wall and sighed, her hands still trembling. For this plan to work, she needed to look like a culinary school student, with the skills to match. Hopefully, she didn't just make a fool of herself in there.

As if on cue, Touma rounded the corner. "Ah, there you are. Break's over in ten more minutes - are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah, it's just -" She peeked around the corner into the classroom, where about twelve pots of stew were simmering. "Cooking is so stressful when I have to look good doing it. Why couldn't Kairi do this?"

Touma frowned and stared into the distance. "Last time he tried to fry an egg, he almost burned down Jurer."

Umika giggled. "Come on, he can't be that bad."

Touma remained silent, turning towards her with a stark look.

The smile fell off of her face. "Oh my god, you're serious."

Both of their earpieces buzzed, "I'm right here, you know."

Touma sighed and shook his head, but Umika could see the shadow of a smile. He patted her head and said, "I'll see you in there soon."

She took a deep breath and gazed out the window. Maybe becoming a phantom thief hadn't been such a terrible thing. She was less timid now, more athletic, more clever - and she could even cook now! Maybe she was no longer a little bird that needed protecting.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sensed movement on top of a neighboring building. She dismissed it as Kairi pacing around and being bored, but then she realized that Kairi was within her line of sight (pacing around and being bored).

Umika pressed closer to the window and saw dark blue uniforms with splashes of red, green, and gold.

She pressed the button on her earpiece and frantically hissed, "Why are the Patrangers here?!"

In the distance, a blur of red dashed to the edge of a building. "Are you serious?!" Kairi complained. "Where?!"

"Uh, they're …" Umika took a bit to figure out directions. "I think at 2 o'clock from where you are?"

"Damn … wait, where's the pink one?"

From behind her, someone called, "Umika-chan?"

She spun around and involuntarily squeaked. "Tsukasa-san! Uh … what are you doing here?"

"Uh …" She looked uncharacteristically flustered. "I'm, uh … I signed up for a cooking class?" (Even Umika could see through this lie - the Tactical Unit uniform meant that she was on duty.)

"Do you know where Touma-kun's class is?" she asked.

Oh, this was bad. How in hell did the Patrangers find out about this Ganglar - wait no, teachers from this school had been disappearing for a while, that had to be on a police report somewhere.

Oh, this was bad. Their entire plan hinged on Touma actually getting kidnapped by the Ganglar so she and Kairi could tail them to their hideout. If the Patrangers interfered with any part of the plan, they'd either lose the Ganglar or Touma would be in a lot more danger.

Umika stepped sideways to try to block Tsukasa's path. "That's what I'm trying to figure out, hehe. I don't think he's on this floor?"

Tsukasa frowned and folded her arms. "He was nowhere on any of the lower floors, either. There are only a few more floors above, right?"

Ah, this was her chance. She grabbed Tsukasa's hand and started guiding her to the stairs, hoping that she wouldn't turn her head and see Touma in the classroom. "Well, if there's only a few more floors to check, then we can search the floors together!"

"Um … alright." For some reason, Tsukasa's cheeks grew pinker.

As soon as they cleared the stairs, Umika kept a firm grip on Tsukasa's hand and slowed her pace, saying that they needed to be thorough. Unfortunately, this floor seemed to be exclusively offices - not a cooking classroom in sight.

"Hm … now, uh, where were those stairs again?" Umika thought out loud, trying to keep the anxiety out of her voice. How much longer did she have to distract Tsukasa - wasn't Kairi supposed to give her a signal? Actually, depending on what this Ganglar did, the sounds of screaming people and possibly shattering windows should be signal enough -

"Umika-chan?"

"Hm?" She blinked and focused on Tsukasa, who looked slightly more distressed.

Tsukasa sighed and lowered her eyes, as if she was searching for something to say - or piecing together the correct words. Finally, she said, "Do you trust me to keep you safe?"

Umika tilted her head. Well, that was a silly question. "Of course, isn't that your whole job?"

Screams echoed from the stairwell, interrupting their conversation. Umika rushed to a window, where she could see a blur flying out from the floor below them. Tsukasa cursed and started running towards the elevators, dragging Umika with her.

As they descended to the ground floor, Tsukasa reiterated, "Umika-chan … I don't like seeing you get hurt, so … no matter what happens, I'll keep you safe."

Umika blinked several times; there was clearly some hidden meaning to her words, but for the life of her, she just didn't get it. "Um … okay. Thank you, Tsukasa-san."

The elevator doors opened, and Tsukasa gave her a gentle kiss on her forehead before dashing outside.

Kairi growled as he kicked the ground in frustration; he hated waiting.

He was ready to go as soon as he saw the Ganglar with Touma's unconscious body, but so were the Patrangers - they gave chase as soon as they saw them. It would have been suspicious if a Lupinranger showed up immediately, so he had no other choice but to wait for Umika and tail them without getting caught.

Speaking of which, where was she?! If she didn't get here soon, they'd lose the trail -

A grappling hook shot up and caught the edge of the building, followed closely by Umika and Goody.

"Yellow!" he called. "And Goody? Aren't you a little early?"

"Uh …" Goody twitched nervously. "I saw that Ganglar with Blue! I can sniff out Ganglars - I can help you track them!"

"Aww!" Umika patted his head. "Thank you, Goody!"

Kairi sensed some sort of lie in Goody's words, but for the life of him, he couldn't figure out exactly what it was.

Oh well. At least they had a way to follow the Ganglar without risking running into the Patrangers.

Kairi motioned in an eastward direction. "Lead the way then, Carrot!"

As he took off, Goody grumbled, "Still not my name …"

The Patrangers had almost formulated the perfect plan. Today's Ganglar hideout turned out to be a boat, so it was easy to identify and cover entry and exit points. Noël promised that he could quickly and quietly get to the quarters on the stern, where they saw the Ganglar dump Touma's unconscious body. Keiichiro would lead the charge with Sakuya providing support fire, Noël would rejoin the group, and, depending on whether or not Touma had regained consciousness, either Noël or Tsukasa would carry or escort him away from the fight.

The only flaw in the plan? They assumed that there was only one Ganglar.

Several blasts and one sunken boat later, the Patrangers were forced on the defensive to protect a fleeing Touma while Ushibaroque, Giwi, and Raimon barraged them with relentless attacks.

As she was sent flying by one of Raimon's slashes, Tsukasa bitterly thought that having that shield Dial Fighter would be great right now.

A blur of yellow and black dashed past her, granting her wish; an attack squarely hit the shield, pushing Yellow back.

"Sangou! Are you okay?!" She called back.

Tsukasa grinned and scrambled up to fire some shots behind the shield's cover. "Better now that you're here."

Soon, Blue and Red joined the fray, finally pushing the Ganglars back. Ushibaroque apparently sensed the battle's turning tide; he held his arm out and called, "Retreat! I'll hold them off here!"

Giwi and Raimon obeyed and disappeared, making an impossible battle suddenly manageable. Tsukasa had never been so relieved to see the Lupinrangers.

Keiichiro, of course, did not share her sentiment.

From across the battlefield, she heard him howl, "We had it handled!"

"Did you? Because it looked like you were losing!"

Keiichiro turned his back to the hostile Ganglar to scream, "We were fine on our own, you stupid phantom -"

Ushibaroque barreled into Keiichiro and Red, knocking them both away and forcing them out of their transformations.

Frustrated, Tsukasa yelled, "Keiichiro, focus!"

Sakuya and Blue darted forward, each grabbing one of Ushibaroque's arms. "Yellow, quick!" Blue commanded.

The shield disappeared from Yellow's arm as she sprinted to unlock the safe. She dropped into a slide for the last few feet, managing to steal the Collection piece. As she scrambled to her feet to get out of range, Ushibaroque kneeled, ready to charge - Sakuya and Blue tried their hardest to stay on their feet and keep him restrained, but he surged forward, and Sakuya and Blue's feet left the ground -

Yellow -

Tsukasa rushed towards them, shouldered Yellow out of the way, and braced herself for impact -

Her transformation melted away as she soared through the air and crashed into a stack of pallets.

"TSUKASA!"

Every single bone in her body hurt, but not as much as hearing the anguish in Yellow's cry.

In unison, Keiichiro and Red called, "OUT OF THE WAY!"

Sakuya and Blue cleared the area just in time; a Cyclone-empowered Biker Repulsion Shot tore through Ushibaroque, killing him.

In no time, Yellow was at her side, checking her body for injuries. "Tsukasa … you're hurt …"

With great difficulty, Tsukasa forced herself up into a sitting position. "As long as you're okay … I'm glad …"

Unexpectedly, Yellow slapped her across the face.

"Yellow!" Blue cried.

She ignored her teammate, screaming, "What made you think I wanted you to do that?!"

"Holy shit, Yellow -" Red, transformed once more, grabbed Yellow's cape and tugged her backwards.

Keiichiro marched towards her, shouting, "Tsukasa just saved your goddamn life and this is how you thank her?!"

Red moved to step in between Keiichiro and Yellow, but she shouldered past him and somehow managed to match Keiichiro's roar.

"I DON'T WANT ANYONE ELSE DYING FOR ME!"

Her reply stunned the rest of the rangers into silence. Tsukasa could only stare at her as a distant memory replayed in her head.

"… I don't like the idea of people getting hurt because of me."

She tried to protect Yellow, but instead, she hurt her - probably far worse than she could imagine.

Finally, Noël broke the silence. "We need to take Tsukasa-san to the hospital. Good Striker, can you please go with the Lupinrangers?"

"No problem!" Goody, appearing out of nowhere as usual, flew over to the Lupinrangers. Blue stepped closer, studying him closely.

"Did you just … listen to someone?" he asked.

Somehow, Goody looked offended. "Maybe if you guys started asking nicely, I'd listen more!"

Noël knelt down next to Tsukasa. "Chérie, can you stand?"

She wiggled her legs and didn't cry out in pain. "I think so. Maybe with a little help?"

Noël took her hand as she draped an arm around his shoulders. They rose and retreated with the rest of the Patrangers.

Keiichiro, who would normally be cursing and hissing under his breath about the Lupinrangers interfering, was oddly quiet and pensive. Unfortunately, Tsukasa felt like she knew why.

"Keiichiro?" she called.

"... um ... uh ... I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

He remained silent.

Fortunately, her injuries weren't too severe; Tsukasa was discharged from the hospital that evening. On the short walk home, she mulled over the events of today. She was going to have to apologize, to try to explain herself and work something out - assuming that Yellow didn't start shooting her on sight.

As she was mentally planning her strategy, she entered her apartment to see the lights on, the window open, the curtains billowing in the breeze, and Yellow, in full phantom thief attire, sitting at her dinner table.

Without looking up at her, Yellow asked, "… you all patched up?"

Tsukasa nodded. "I should be fine in a few days."

"That's good." After a pause, she finally turned to look at her.

Very early on, the Patrangers figured out that there was a certain something else to the masks that the Lupinrangers wore; looking at them for too long felt uncomfortable, like an itch you could never reach and never scratch. And when they finally did look away, it was like any important identifying features were wiped from their minds; even now, Tsukasa couldn't say what their heights or even hair colors were. All they could remember was what their outfits looked like.

Tonight, Tsukasa could only manage looking at Yellow for a few seconds, but somehow, when she turned away, she could still recall the sorrow in her eyes.

"I'm sorry I did that to you," Yellow said, turning back and lowering her gaze. "You probably figured it out already, but a dear friend of mine died to save me. I miss her every day, and honestly, the pain's never gotten better. I wish with my whole heart that I could bring her back, but …" Tears fell from her mask onto the table.

"I know your job is to protect people, and that you're willing to risk your life for it," she continued. "I also know that I'm just a phantom thief and I have no right to ask this of you, but next time you think almost dying is your best option, don't. If I have to choose between getting injured and watching you die, I'll take the injury every time."

Tsukasa could only cast her eyes down and nod. She didn't yet have the proper words to respond to that, and she doubted that she ever would.

She looked up, expecting Yellow to either be gone without a trace or still at the table.

Instead, she was right in front of her.

"I don't know how or when it happened, but you've become important to me. Please don't leave me behind." Yellow stepped forward and gently kissed her cheek.

Tsukasa stood there, rooted to the spot, as Yellow crossed the room and leapt out of the window.

Chapter Text

Ever since Shouri died, Kairi averaged about three to five hours of sleep per night (assuming he could get to sleep at all). If he was lucky, his sleep was dreamless. More often than not, he was plagued by nightmares and woke up more tired than the day before.

Last night was nightmares.

Once more, he was in the city watching helplessly as the giant Raimon tore through the X Emperor Gunner and then the Patkaiser. He tried to rush to their aid, but something snagged at his ankles, sending him to the ground. When he turned to see what tripped him, he saw leaves and vines snaking rapidly up his body, paralyzing him. He tried to reach out, to scream, to do anything, but the leaves wrapped around his arms, his eyes, his mouth until his whole sense of self faded into darkness.

He woke up drenched in sweat and tangled in his sheets.

After freeing himself, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and leaned forward, pressing his face into his palms.

There had to be a way to deal with Raimon, right? There had to be a way to deal with a Ganglar that was double the size of any of their mechs, right? There had to be a way to not get shredded like tissue paper, right?

Maybe there was some Collection piece out there that could help them.

Taking a deep breath, he rose to his feet and stretched his arms. No use in getting scared - they had to keep moving forward. For Shouri.

As his eyes traveled to the photo on his desk, something glimmered in his peripheral vision. He looked towards the window and found a calling card, identical in design to theirs except for the color.

A shimmering silver.

Grumbling, he opened the window and removed the card.

Gold safes require 2 Dial Fighters.

Hm. Kairi wondered how he figured that one out.

The door to Sakuya's apartment creaked open, and Keiichiro called out, "Hey Tsukasa, it's not like you to be late."

"Apologies, mes amis. She's late because of me."

Both Keiichiro and Sakuya whipped around to see Tsukasa, who had one bandage on her cheek and a wrist brace, and Noël, who looked like a mummy in comparison. Both of his wrists and palms were still wrapped tightly, and his left arm was even in a sling. And was he walking with a limp?

What on earth happened to him after Raimon's attack?

"Noël, you look pretty bad still," Keiichiro commented.

"Yeah, did they really discharge you like that?" Sakuya asked.

Tsukasa pulled a small container of pills from her bag. "He was discharged with these. I suppose with Raimon's attack, the hospitals need more open beds to deal with all of the injured."

Keiichiro sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Yesterday, they had failed in every single way. Raimon? Still at large. The civilians? Dead, injured, some still crying for help. The top brass? Guilting them and making everything feel worse.

They had to defeat Raimon soon. But how?

Noël limped to the dinner table and set down a convenience store bag full of bread rolls. "I'm sorry that breakfast isn't from Jurer, but there was little time between Tsukasa picking me up and this little secret meeting."

Sakuya reached out and grabbed a melon bread. "You didn't have to do this, you know."

Tsukasa uncovered the whiteboard and motioned for Noël to sit down. "He insisted. Fortunately, there was a convenience store on the way."

Noël very slowly lowered himself into a chair and began looking over their notes. "Oh la la, you had a column for moi? I'm flattered."

Tsukasa smiled sheepishly as she erased the fourth column. "I suppose we don't need that anymore."

"And you've got a good start on the others," Noël praised. "From what you already knew, you probably could have figured out that gathering the Lupin Collection would grant a wish without me telling you."

Sakuya leaned forward. "Wait, it'll really do that?! I guess that would explain why the GSPO wanted more of them in custody - so no one makes an evil wish."

Keiichiro rubbed his chin. Sure, a wish would be nice, but was that really enough to make the Lupinrangers turn to phantom thievery? What kind of thing could they want that could only be wished for?

"I DON'T WANT ANYONE ELSE DYING FOR ME!"

Yellow's words echoed through his head like a clap of thunder.

"Noël? When you say 'wish' … could you wish for anything? Like, say, if you wanted to bring someone back from the dead?"

Noël flinched, as if he was caught off guard, but he regained his composure so quickly that Keiichiro doubted the others noticed. "Why, oui. You could wish to bring someone back to life."

Tsukasa dropped the dry erase marker. "That's it …" She lifted her hand to rest against her cheek - was it where Yellow slapped her the other day? "They're trying to bring people back."

Keiichiro blinked. "What makes you so sure?"

For some reason, pink bloomed across Tsukasa's face. "I, um … Yellow found me later that day and apologized. She said a good friend died to save her and that her dearest wish was to bring her back …" She motioned to the whiteboard. "According to everything else we know, it makes sense."

Keiichiro found himself staring at Kairi's name. If this was true … if Kairi really was LupinRed …

He recalled the battle with Giwi the other day. LupinRed, despite knowing the risks of using that cursed lucky charm, still used it. Without hesitation. He was fully prepared to die, just for the chance to revive someone close to him.

More to himself than anyone else, he muttered, "If that's what they've wanted all along, they really didn't have a choice."

"So what do we do now?" Sakuya thought out loud. "We know why they're doing it, but can we really do anything to help? Besides letting them get pieces and making sure that they live to make their wish?"

"Making sure they live …" Tsukasa repeated. She padded over to one of the windows, where damage from the previous day's battle was still visible (and in some places, still smoking). "We can think about that later. Right now, if we don't do something about Raimon, more people will die, and that might include the Lupinrangers."

"Right …" Keiichiro leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "The Patkaiser and the X Emperor didn't even scratch him, and he knocked both of them away like they were nothing. And in the fight a few days ago, when he was with Ushibaroque and Giwi, he was easily the most difficult opponent."

Noël rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "He's alone now, though … if it's in the name of saving lives and stopping Raimon's rampage … I'm sure we could justify a truce with the Lupinrangers in our report."

Sakuya perked up. "A truce would be great … but we don't have a way of contacting any of the Lupinrangers. How are we supposed to let them know?"

Kairi, Touma, and Umika watched from a safe distance as the Patrangers battled Raimon. At least Silver was dependable when it came to intel. He glanced back down at the silver card in his hand:

Seaside Park, 13:00.

Touma looked down at Scissors and his Blue Dial Fighter. "So we need two on the safe this time, right?"

Kairi nodded. "We've got five. As long as we don't drop four of them, we're good."

"Well, come on then," Umika said as she transformed. "They're gonna keep fighting until the Collection piece is out. We need to go."

Blue sighed. "Yellow, I told you -"

"I know you told me. I don't care. I'm not gonna let them die for us."

Kairi scoffed. "Their whole thing is 'protecting everyone's smiles' or whatever. You really think they're fighting for a bunch of thieves like us?"

Yellow clutched her VS Changer tightly. "'Everyone' includes us, dummy. They'll always have our backs - the least we can do is watch theirs."

Kairi turned back to the battle; the Patrangers looked battered and bruised while Raimon didn't have a scratch on him. One more claw attack sent Keiichiro to the ground; his body skittered across the concrete as his transformation faded. Ignoring the other attacks from his rear, Raimon approached and raised his arm for another attack -

In an instant, Kairi transformed and fired a Cyclone at Raimon.

Touma and Umika surged forward, guns blazing, while Kairi hung back, kneeling next to Keiichiro. In a sing-song voice, he said, "Good afternoon, you stupid policeman."

He clearly didn't believe so, but out of habit, Keiichiro answered, "We had it handled."

He extended his arm and asked, "Did you?"

Keiichiro grunted as he grabbed Kairi's arm, using it as leverage to slowly and stiffly sit back up. "Just shut up and let's go, you stupid phantom thief."

Supported by the Lupinrangers, the combined teams turned the tide, quickly immobilizing Raimon's arms with grappling hooks. As Touma, Umika, Nigou, and Sangou held his arms in place, Kairi dashed forward with his Red Dial Fighter and Cyclone in hand. However, as soon as he got into melee range, Raimon decided to sprout two new arms from his back.

Well now, this was getting ridiculous.

One of Raimon's new arms swiped at Kairi's left hand; he managed to dodge enough so that he didn't lose his arm, but he still lost his grip on Cyclone.

He didn't have time to turn around and grab Cyclone, not with two new arms trying to claw at him. Touma and Umika had their hands full - there was no way they could toss a Dial Fighter without releasing Raimon. What to do, what to do -

Shots peppered the new arms; Raimon was somehow healing through the damage, but the recoil from the shots still knocked the arms back, giving him some breathing room. Keiichiro skidded to a stop next to him, holding a blue and white Dial Fighter - wait, where the hell did he get that?!

"You need two for gold safes?" he asked.

"Uh. Yeah."

He shoved the new Dial Fighter into his hands. "Don't drop this one." He rose to his feet and took aim. "Noël, aim for the new arms!"

"Oui!"

With the added cover fire, Kairi leapt forward and stole the collection piece. He heard Keiichiro call, "CLEAR OUT, NOW!" and scrambled backwards, where he could see him about to fire Cyclone.

As soon as all the rangers were safely behind him, he fired, sending Raimon flying a short distance away. Nigou and Sangou both sighed and relaxed their upper bodies; Umika, of course, immediately went to check on Sangou. Patren X stepped forward and Kairi realized why he had been supporting from a distance: his left arm was in a sling, and he walked with a slight limp.

"Job well done, mes amis," he said, patting Keiichiro's shoulder, then Kairi's.

From somewhere behind him, Touma grumbled, "We're not your friends."

Something nudged Kairi's arm; he turned his head to see Keiichiro holding out Cyclone to him while pointedly looking away.

Chuckling, he took Cyclone and pressed the blue and white Dial Fighter into Keiichiro's hand. Without putting much thought into it, he mumbled, "Arigachu, I guess."

Their celebration was cut short by Raimon roaring and rapidly growing in size.

Kairi clicked his tongue in exasperation. "Just once, can they not get bigger?"

Keiichiro growled. "You have a plan, phantom thief?"

Kairi turned to look at him, incredulous. "What do you mean, 'do I have a plan?' Do you not?!"

He angrily pointed at Raimon. "Last time, he tore through X Emperor and Patkaiser like wet tissue! What, were you going to bring in Lupinkaiser?"

He shoved Keiichiro back. "Hey, ours is way more mobile -"

"- and way more fragile! You get hit once, all of you are dead! I thought you'd have some secret Collection piece that would help -"

Goody wiggled happily next to them. "Speak of the devil and here I am!"

Kairi's eye twitched; they were running out of time - if they didn't come up with a plan soon, they might as well wait here to get stomped on. "And do you have any brilliant ideas, Carrot?"

"I'll just combine everyone!"

Umika tilted her head. "Is that something you can do?"

"We're about to find out!" Goody flew into Kairi's hand and he loaded him into his VS Changer.

Then he processed what Goody had said.

"I'm sorry, what the hell do you mean, 'we'll find out?!' If you kill us all -"

"GET ON WITH IT, YOU STUPID PHANTOM THIEF!" Keiichiro shoved his shoulder, forcing Kairi to look up and realize that the twenty-story tall Raimon was headed right for them.

Kairi screamed in frustration. As he lauched Goody, he called, "Now or never!"

By some miracle, the Good Cool Kaiser VSX defeated Raimon for good, and he and LupinRed managed to not kill each other in their shared cockpit. All in all, a pretty good ending for a last-minute, half-baked plan. There was something small that bothered him during the battle, something that itched in the back of Keiichiro's mind, but he couldn't quite place it.

Oh well. He could do some detective work later. A victory like theirs deserved a little treat.

Despite their injuries, the Patrangers still headed to Jurer, where Umika greeted them warmly. She even pointed out that Touma had officially added cream puffs to the menu, and Noël immediately ordered some for the table.

His usual coffee order was slipped in front of him, and he felt Kairi's warmth as he pressed against his side.

"I saw your fight earlier. Victory dessert?"

Keiichiro nodded. "A well-earned treat for the team."

Kairi beamed so bright he looked like the sun. "Aww. Well, thank you for picking us for all your victory dessert needs."

"With those cream puffs on the menu now, I'm afraid we're not going anywhere else for desserts."

He pouted. "So you're here for the cream puffs, not me?"

He felt himself blush. "What - of course I'm here for you, Kairi-kun. No cream puff could ever be as sweet as you are."

Kairi lowered his head, trying to hide his own blush behind the serving tray. "… flattery won't get you a discount, Kei-chan."

Noël rubbed his temple and muttered under his breath, "Oh la la, vous pouvez vous embrasser, s'il vous plaît?"

Keiichiro turned to him. "What was that?"

"Nothing, nothing. Don't worry about it."

His gut told him that what Noël said was definitely something, but he would worry about translating that later. Sighing, he lifted the coffee cup to his lips.

A few customers waved to Kairi as they exited the bistro. He called, "We'll see you next time! Arigachu!"

Keiichiro froze mid-sip.

Chapter Text

Last week, Keiichiro's biggest problem was trying to ignore circumstantial evidence that Kairi Yano was LupinRed.

At the beginning of this week, his biggest problem had changed to reworking his schedule to accomodate a last-minute visit from the private detective Herlock Sholmes.

Today, well … he had just been kidnapped and dragged to the Ganglar homeworld with LupinRed and two of the most powerful Ganglars were waiting for them.

Oh, what he wouldn't give for a single day of peace.

Between dodging shots, Keiichiro yelled, "Any brilliant ideas, phantom thief?"

Despite the clear and present danger, Red's voice still had a lilt of playfulness. "Oh I dunno, maybe get out of these goddamn vines?!"

Keiichiro clenched his teeth. These vines were surprisingly tight and durable; even if someone else were trying to cut them with a knife, it would still take a while. Given the situation, he only had one viable idea.

He hoped that the defense boost from the transformation was enough to protect him.

Keiichiro stepped in front of Red, intercepting a hail of shots. He heard Red screaming something behind him, but he could deal with that later - through the blinding pain, he had to identify exactly when the vines broke and escape - just a few more seconds -

The vines fell off his body, and he promptly turned around, grabbed Red, and started running. In the very next second, the transformation faded and all his pain and fatigue caught up to him at once.

As he struggled to keep running forward, Red repositioned himself so that he was shielding the now-vulnerable Keiichiro. "Did you hear me, you stupid policeman?! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking that one of us needed to get free -"

"- and die in the process?! You idiot, you can't protect everyone if you're dead!"

"Oh, that's rich, coming from you -"

They both stopped in their tracks as they saw the cliffside ahead of them. Behind them, Gauche, Destra, and Wilson approached, ready to fire at point blank range.

Under his breath, Red hissed, "Ah, fuck." He leaned forward and hastily whispered, "When they start firing, grab onto me and don't let go."

Keiichiro eyed the vines still binding Red. "Oh hell no, don't you dare -"

The Ganglars opened fire and Red surged forward, almost immediately losing his transformation and knocking the wind out of Keiichiro. Instinctively, he hooked one of his arms under Red's arm and wrapped the other around Red's opposite shoulder.

Wind rushed through his hair as his stomach turned at the feeling of weightlessness. Somehow, he wasn't surprised that Red's plan involved jumping off a cliff.

He heard the familiar thwip of a grappling hook as they slowed to a stop, with Red's arm snaked tightly around his waist.

Time slowed down as they waited for the Ganglars' voices to fade. Keiichiro shut his eyes, trying to breathe evenly to slow down his heartbeat. The adrenaline was fine a few minutes ago, but going forward, he needed to be calm and rational.

He opened his eyes to see Red's face, close enough to his that their noses could touch, and his heartbeat skyrocketed.

As if he could sense the effect he had on Keiichiro, Red looked away, concentrating on pulling them up slowly.

While Keiichiro stoked their small campfire, Red took a seat next to him, pressing up against his side in a somehow familiar way.

Kairi smiled one of his beautiful smiles as he pressed against Keiichiro's side. "What'll it be today, Kei-chan?"

Keiichiro tried his best to ignore the memory.

Red took a deep breath. "So now that we're not in active danger, care to explain why your first solution to the vines was to get shot?"

Keiichiro rolled his eyes. "This coming from the man who just jumped off a cliff?"

"Stop deflecting and answer the damn question."

He paused to take a good look at Red; normally, he couldn't discern much of his facial features or expressions because of whatever their masks did, but right now, he was struck by how dead serious he looked.

Almost shamefully, he turned back to the fire and muttered, "Neither of us had easy access to a blade, and I noticed that the Patren transformation comes with a significant defense boost. I thought the vines would break before the transformation."

Red shook his head. "You and the pink one … what's with the casual disregard for your own lives?"

Keiichiro snorted. "Excuse me? Do you remember the fight where you used that cursed pendant and turned into a tree?"

Red's nose twitched. "That's … that was different."

"I didn't know you had a brother," Keiichiro commented. "Do you ever go back home to visit him?"

Kairi's nose twitched. "I, uh …" He waved the question away dismissively. "Enough about me - what about you?"

Keiichiro tried his best to ignore the memory.

More aggressively than he meant to, he asked, "Different how?"

"It's just …" Red folded his arms and turned away, like a pouting child. "It's just different, okay?"

He turned towards him. "You know I'm going to keep asking, right?"

After a few seconds of contemplation, Red hesitantly answered, "… your entire thing is protecting everyone, isn't it? If you die, you should die saving the city - you should be a hero. I'm just a selfish thief who only cares about my own mission. No one will care - no one should care - if I die."

Keiichiro's first instinct was to tell him that he would care very much if he died. Instead, he asked, "Are you saying that Blue and Yellow won't miss you?"

Red rose to his feet, shoved his hands in his pockets, and kicked at the ground. "We have a mission, and we're all willing to die to complete it. If I die in a Ganglar fight, they'll understand and continue on."

Finally, Keiichiro caught up to him. "Kairi- kun, what's wrong?"

Dismissively, he spat, "Nothing's wrong."

He stepped forward. "Something's clearly wrong. Does this have to do with Mana-san?"

Kairi shoved his hands in his pockets and kicked at the ground. "You know she has a crush on you, right? That she was trying to ask you out on a date just now?"

Keiichiro sighed. "… I know. I just … I don't know how to tell her that I'm not interested."

Kairi turned back to him and he swore his face softened. "… huh?"

Keiichiro tried his best to ignore the memory.

He sighed. "Fine. I'll treat my life a little better if you don't throw away yours."

The corners of Red's mouth twitched upwards into a sad smile. "I can't make that promise."

He stood up and folded his arms. "Then I have no choice but to keep trying to save you."

Red lowered his eyes and turned away. In a low voice that Keiichiro almost thought was the wind, he sighed, "… don't waste your time."

A bush rustled near them, and they both aimed their VS Changers. Instead of a Ganglar, a small red and gold flying jet (looking a lot like Good Striker) emerged and wiggled as if it was holding its hands up.

"You two are the saddest humans I've ever seen, but you're humans, right?"

Keiichiro nodded. "Yeah, we're human."

Red narrowed his eyes. "Hang on, what was that first part?"

The red jet ignored him and floated around Keiichiro. "Finally! You have no idea how long I've been trapped here!"

Keiichiro folded his arms and studied the red jet. "You look like someone we know. Does the name 'Good Striker' ring a bell?"

The red jet wiggled happily. "Oh, he's my friend! I'm Jackpot Striker, nice to meet 'cha!"

Red tilted his head. "Alright, Jack. Are you a part of the Lupin Collection, too?"

Jack nodded. "Yep, Good and I do mostly the same thing."

"What do you mean, 'mostly?'" Red pursed his lips and shook his head. "Actually, you know what, don't answer that. Do you know how to get out of here and back into the human world?"

"Yeah, you have to get a Ganglar to open a portal for you!"

Keiichiro and Red shared a look of exhausted despair. Sure, they would have use of their arms and weapons this time, but what were they gonna do, hold a Ganglar at gunpoint and scream at them until they open a portal? Keiichiro would rather stay stranded here than do that to a Ganglar - or anyone, really.

Jack flew around and poked at Red. "Hm, do you have some Dial Fighters? If you put me in a Ganglar's safe, I can take control of their body and open the portal for us."

Red blinked. "I'm sorry, you can what?"

Keiichiro rubbed his chin. "No wonder they wanted to keep you trapped here."

Jack began flying figure-eights around them. "C'mon, you gotta get me outta here! If you do, I'll, uh … I'll owe you a favor?"

Keiichiro shook his head. "You don't need to -"

Red shouldered him out of the way and held out his hand. "Deal!"

Jack tapped his hand and twirled around in the air. "Great! Lemme show you guys to the mansion."

As they followed Jack's meandering path through the woods, Keiichiro whispered, "Was that really necessary?"

Red shrugged. "You never know when a favor will come in handy."

For the second time that day, Keiichiro and Red found themselves pinned down by a barrage of shots from Gauche and Destra.

They were just so damn close to leaving. It should just be business as usual, with the added step of throwing Jack into the safe afterwards. But right now, it was just him, Red, and Jack - no Sakuya or Tsukasa to draw their fire elsewhere, and no Blue or Yellow to back up Red if he couldn't reach the safe.

Keiichiro shook his head. No, he couldn't think like that - an extreme disadvantage like this would mean nothing to Red. He'd probably even see it as a fun challenge.

What were their strengths? How could they use them?

What was Red going to do?

He turned to steal a glance at him, and something sparked between them as they made eye contact.

There was no more time to waste. They had their roles to play.

In unison, they transformed and loaded up a VS Vehicle: Keiichiro with Magic and Red with Scissors. Red emerged first, throwing the boomerang to distract Destra while taking shelter behind the shield. While he drew their attention, Keiichiro darted out from behind his column and started firing arrows at Gauche. As expected, she turned around and started targeting him. Now, he just had to keep her attention for just a while longer -

"Hmph. I know what you're doing." She whipped around and aimed a shot at Red's head. "Nice try, boys."

Keiichiro smirked. As expected.

Red suddenly dropped to the ground and slid the Red Dial Fighter across the floor. The Magic bow blinked out of existence, replaced by its Dial Fighter version. Keiichiro unlocked the safe on Gauche's back, pulled out the Collection piece, and called, "Jack, now!"

On cue, he flew into the safe and Keiichiro slammed it shut.

As Jack's power started overtaking Gauche, Keiichiro dashed around to check on Red. Fortunately, he was also unharmed, save for a black streak across his red visor where Gauche's last shot grazed him.

Keiichiro shrugged. "Not bad. We got out mostly unscathed."

From inside the safe, Jack called, "Time to go, Double Red!"

Before leaving, Red looked up at Destra and saluted him sarcastically. "Adieu~"

Keiichiro Asaka was becoming a problem, and not in the way that Kairi initially thought he would be.

He kept telling himself that he was only being friendly (and definitely not flirty) to maintain his cover as an innocent waiter. He kept telling himself that trying to make each other blush was just a game that they played (one that Keiichiro kept winning despite being completely unaware of it). He kept telling himself that Keiichiro didn't mean half of the things he said because no one on Earth could possibly be that open and honest with themselves and actually say what they mean all the time. He kept telling himself that to beat your enemy, you had to know your enemy and that's why he thought about Keiichiro all day.

He kept telling himself that Keiichiro's concern for Red was some sort of lie or ploy because why would that hot-blooded policeman give a shit about the well-being of his enemy?

Normally, he would go jumping across the city skyline to clear his head, but the fatigue from everything that happened today finally caught up to him; instead, he was blindly roaming the streets, trying to keep his mind empty and, more importantly, free of Keiichiro Asaka.

Unfortunately, he had managed to wander back to the park where they first met. And even more unfortunately, Keiichiro was there, sitting on his usual bench, staring at the unopened can of coffee in his hands like he was trying to interrogate it.

Whatever that stupid policeman was doing out here was none of his concern. He needed to pretend he didn't see him and walk away.

Kairi marched over and sat down next to him, singing, "Hi, Kei-chan~"

… what the fuck was wrong with him?

"Hm?" Keiichiro lifted his head and, to Kairi's surprise, gave him a genuine smile. "Oh, hello Kairi-kun. Um … do you …" He offered him the can of coffee, but Kairi shook his head.

"It looks like you need it more."

Sighing, he opened the can, took a few gulps, and leaned back on the bench. "Do I look that bad?"

"You look exhausted. Was it a hard fight earlier?"

"… not particularly."

"Then what is it?"

Keiichiro took longer to answer his second question, managing to finish off the can before saying, "… would it sound weird to you if I said I wanted to help one of the phantom thieves?"

Kairi blinked. This had to be some sort of trap or trick - was he onto him? He had to throw him off the trail -

"One of the phantom thieves?" he repeated. "The ones you're always chasing, fighting, screaming about, and trying to arrest? Those phantom thieves?"

He groaned, burying his face in his hand. "Yeah, I thought so. Just … forget about it, then."

This was his chance to exit the conversation and leave. He did not need to involve himself any more with this stupid policeman. Keiichiro was, by all accounts, a simple guy - he'd be over whatever he was thinking about by tomorrow morning and they could go back to light conversation and trying to flirt with - er, fluster each other.

Kairi scooted close to him and squeezed his upper arm. "Well, now I'm curious. What did the mean, awful phantom thief do to get you to feel sorry for them?"

… what the fuck was wrong with him?

More forcefully than Kairi expected, he said, "He's not mean or awful, he's just …" He gripped the can a little tighter, denting it slightly. "… I don't think he values his own life very much. Whatever the phantom thieves are doing, it's important enough that he'd die for it, and …" He turned to him, meeting his eyes. "… I'm afraid that he will."

Some uncomfortable emotion swirled in Kairi's chest. "… so? He's your enemy, isn't he?"

"That doesn't mean I want him to die! Whatever he's trying to do, I want him to live to see it. I … I want to help him."

Whatever that feeling was intensified. "… even if that means disobeying orders?"

His voice faded away into a whisper. "… no order from anyone could make me hurt him."

The feeling bubbled up and overflowed, allowing Kairi to finally identify it.

… jealousy?! Was he seriously jealous of himself?!

It would be one thing if Keiichiro knew he was LupinRed, but the soft way he was talking about Red - the kindness he wanted to extend to Red - his willingness to try to save Red - it all made his blood boil.

Why would he care about his enemy like that? Why didn't he care about him like that?!

He wasn't going to lose Keiichiro to anyone, not even himself -

In the most sarcastically saccharine voice he'd ever heard come out of his mouth, Kairi asked, "Kei-chan, why does it sound like this phantom thief has stolen your heart?"

Even in the dim light of the streetlamps, he could see Keiichiro's entire face turn bright scarlet. "What - I - what?! Kairi-kun, I -"

Still possessed by this strange jealousy, he continued, "So if you had to choose between me and that phantom thief -"

"You."

It felt like he ran straight into a brick wall. "Wh - huh?"

"You."

He blinked rapidly as his brain struggled to catch up. "But - I - I didn't even finish the question -"

"I don't care. No matter what …" Keiichiro reached up and cupped his cheek; without realizing it, Kairi leaned into his touch. "… I'm always going to choose you."

Theoretically, this answer should have made him feel better. Whatever Keiichiro felt for Red was outweighed by his feelings for Kairi.

So why did he feel worse?

"… I … uh … I gotta go …" He stood up and shuffled away, nearly tripping on his own feet.

And of course, Keiichiro caught him as he stumbled. As he did in the Ganglar's dreamworld, he supported him as he planted his feet back on the ground and dusted him off. In his eyes, Kairi saw no lies, no tricks - just pure sincerity and a fondness that warmed his dead, empty heart.

His hands still on his shoulders, he said, "… Kairi-kun. I upset you, and I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

Yes - he could leave him alone. He could stop caring. He could stop looking at him lovingly with those stupid beautiful brown eyes. He could tell him that he never meant any of what he said and they could go back to their familiar dance as cute customer and favorite waiter.

"You can buy me dinner."

… what the FUCK was wrong with him?!

Keiichiro smiled, clearly relieved. "Not a problem. Where do you wanna go?"

As he fell in step beside him, Kairi slipped on the sweet waiter mask. After all, there was nothing wrong with a cute customer taking his favorite waiter to dinner, right?

And if they weren't phantom thief and police officer right now - if they were just customer and waiter - there wouldn't be any harm in holding hands, right?

He slipped his hand into Keiichiro's, lacing their fingers together, and watched in amusement as he blushed and shyly looked away.

At least he finally had a win in this stupid game that only he was playing.

Noël reclined on the sofa as he watched Good Striker and Jackpot Striker play in the air above him. When he heard that Keiichiro and Kairi had been taken to Back World, he feared the worst, but not only did they come back in one piece, they also brought back Jackpot Striker and Guéris le monde.

They could object all they wanted, but the two red rangers made an excellent pair.

Kogure entered the living room with their evening tea, and both Strikers retreated to a corner.

Noël frowned and sat back up. "Mes petits chéris, what's wrong?"

Jackpot Striker hid behind Good Striker. "I have to go back in the vault now, don't I? The Ganglars are too scared of what I can do - they're never gonna stop coming after me."

"Oh, mon petit chéri." Noël stood up and held his arms out. Like a small animal, Jackpot Striker settled into his arms as he hugged him to his chest. "I won't let them take you again, and I promise you won't have to stay in the vault."

Kogure set down the tea and sighed. "Noël-sama, I know you mean well, but the vault would be the safest place for Jackpot Striker. We cannot guarantee his safety otherwise."

Absentmindedly, Noël patted Jackpot Striker's head and thought out loud, "What if he were to stay here with us?"

"Then this house would become a target, and you would be in danger."

Noël turned around and glared at him. "Kogure-san, right now, I'm a Patranger. My life is in danger every day. I can protect Jackpot - I can protect us all, I promise!"

Kogure exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You are powerful and skilled, yes, but you are still just one person."

Noël released Jackpot Striker and approached Kogure looking as sad and lonely as he could (which did not take a lot of effort). "Kogure-san … please."

Kogure bowed his head, closed his eyes, and turned around. "I could never say no to you, but you already knew that. I only ask that you prepare an escape route for Good Striker and Jackpot, just in case."

The two Strikers cheered and circled Noël happily. As he watched them fly about, he was reminded once again of Keiichiro and Kairi. On the battlefield, there were only a handful of situations where the Deputy Commissioner would accept a truce and cooperation with the Lupinrangers - he would have to wait for the next Raimon to see them in action again.

Off the battlefield, though, their feelings were crystal clear to everyone except for them. Perhaps all they needed was a push in the right direction.

Noël chuckled to himself. "Oh la la … it's been far too long since I've played matchmaker."

Chapter Text

As Sakuya, Tsukasa, and Noël chatted about something or other, Keiichiro took a sip of his still-scalding coffee and continued to stare at Kairi's name on their whiteboard. Unfortunately for him, his detective's intuition was refined enough that he could no longer write off Kairi's and Red's shared quirks as mere coincidence.

The way that Kairi sometimes circled the table like a cat stalking its prey? In their first few fights, Red was fond of taunting him while moving the same way.

The way that Kairi had run from him that night, performing some truly impressive parkour jumps? That was just how Red got around the battlefield.

The way that Kairi made his heart beat faster just by being close to him?

Keiichiro closed his eyes, trying to forget Red's body pressed against his, Red's arm around his waist, the second heartbeat he felt alongside his own -

"Uh. Keiichiro-senpai? Did you hear any of that?"

His eyes snapped open and he took another sip, as if the burn from the coffee could reset his fraying mind. "I'm sorry, Sakuya. I didn't hear anything - what's going on?"

"Noël-san's welcome party? On the rooftop of my building later tonight?"

"Oh." Keiichiro paused. "What about it?"

Tsukasa sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Noël simply tilted his head and gave him a smile that was comforting and unnerving at the same time.

"Chéri, is something bothering you?" he asked innocently.

Keiichiro blinked. "Um. Uh. No?"

Noël clicked his tongue and rose to his feet, marching towards the whiteboard. He took the eraser and, with one motion, partially erased the names in the Lupin Identities column. The names were still visible if Keiichiro squinted, but Kairi's name no longer drew his eye.

"Is that better?" Noël asked.

Keiichiro bashfully scratched the back of his head. "A little bit. How did you know?"

Flatly, Tsukasa replied, "You've been staring at it this entire time."

He felt heat rise and spread across his cheeks. "Oh."

Noël headed towards him and patted his shoulder. "Oh la la … To catch you up, our friends from Jurer will be bringing the food and the portable grills. We need to pick up some folding tables, plates, silverware - all the things we need for a picnic. Oh, and I need to pick up everyone's presents, still -"

Sakuya tilted his head. "Wait, you got us all presents? But this is your welcome party, we should be giving you presents -"

Noël adamantly shook his head. "Non, non, non, I insist! I only ask that you wear them tonight."

Tsukasa furrowed her brow. "Wear them?"

Jim's voice came in through all of their earpieces. "Ganglar alert! It's - oh no, it's Gauche!"

The four of them jumped out of their seats while Keiichiro answered, "We're on it!"

For what seemed like the millionth time since leaving the grocery store, Kairi sighed dramatically.

Touma exhaled sharply. "What?"

Pouting, Kairi asked, "Do you really think we'll go through all of this food?"

Without missing a beat, Umika pointed out, "You're just mad you have to actually carry a bag today."

"And what if I am?"

Several people ran past them, some of them screaming. Up ahead, they could hear the familiar sounds of VS Changer shots.

Umika groaned. "As if we didn't have enough to do today …"

As quickly as he could, Kairi shoved his grocery bag into Touma's arms and ran ahead. "Let's make it quick, then."

"Oi!" Touma pursued him, followed closely by Umika.

The three of them ducked behind a decorative statue as they approached the battlefield. Kairi squinted as he took note of the enemies: Podaman, Podaman, Podaman with a safe for a head, Gauche -

Wait, Gauche?!

Effortlessly, she smacked Tsukasa and Noël out of her way and snarled, "Where's the red one?"

Of course, Keiichiro rushed forward, already aiming for her head -

In one fluid motion, she grasped his wrist and dragged him in a semicircle. "Here you go, little one."

The Podaman with a safe for a head tapped Keiichiro's head with an unusually large hand, releasing a flurry of - wait, what were those?

A few of the things drifted past them, and Kairi reached out to grab one. Umika peeked around his shoulder. "What is that - a photo?"

Kairi blinked. It certainly was a photo - of him, in Bistrot Jurer, trying and failing to hide his laughter. It looked like it was taken by someone sitting at a table, with a single cup of coffee in front of them -

He had no idea how or why, but he was absolutely sure that this was the moment he had called Keiichiro "Kei-chan" for the first time.

Touma stepped to the side to get a better look at the battlefield. "Damn, the Ganglars retreated. But why?"

Instinctively, Kairi sprinted forward, keeping a firm grip on the photo. He was aware of Umika yelling something behind him, but that was less important right now.

Keiichiro seemed dizzy, with Sakuya trying to prop him up. "Senpai, hey! Senpai, are you okay?"

Within seconds, Tsukasa and Noël were also at his side. Kairi reached the group not long after.

Tsukasa gasped. "Kairi-kun, did you get hurt?"

Kairi waved his hand dismissively. "I'm not important here - hey, Kei-chan?"

"Huh? Who's Kei-chan?" Keiichiro looked at him, blinking blankly. "Are … are you talking to me?"

Dread crept into the back of Kairi's mind. "If this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny."

Keiichiro frowned and turned to Tsukasa. "Tsukasa, what's going on? Who are -" He glanced around at them and lowered his voice. "I don't know any of these people, but some of them are talking like they know me."

Noël bent down to pick up a handful of photos and shuffled through them. "Mon dieu. These are Keiichiro-kun's memories - the Collection piece in that safe must be La mémoire."

Sakuya, suddenly looking distraught, wailed, "Wait, so we gotta take that piece back for Keiichiro-senpai's memories to return?"

"Hm …" Noël drummed his fingers on the photos. "Keiichiro-kun, what's the last thing you remember?"

Keiichiro folded his arms and pursed his lips. "Hm. I think … the day before I graduated from the academy? There was some kind of party … I went with Tsukasa and Satoru, but after that … nothing."

Something unpleasant roiled in the pit of Kairi's stomach. Logically, he knew that, as Sakuya said, this problem could swiftly be solved by taking back the Collection piece. But …

Before he could stop himself, he reached out and tilted Keiichiro's chin up so they were making eye contact. No spark, no smile, no recognition, just a blank stare.

no Kei-chan come on look at me the way you always do please

This hurt. He didn't even know he could be wounded this way, but here he was, metaphorically bleeding out into the street.

please tell me you haven't forgotten me tell me you haven't forgotten what we've been through tell me you still remember my name

Unexpectedly, Keiichiro reached up and used his thumb to wipe away one of Kairi's tears.

When had he started crying?

"I'm sorry," Keiichiro whispered in a strained voice. "I'm trying to remember you, but …"

Before he could embarrass himself further, Kairi shoved the photo he picked up into Keiichiro's hand, picked a direction, and ran.

After gathering as many photos as they could and regrouping back at the office, Sakuya and Tsukasa got to work sorting out the memories. Noël stood to the side, trying to formulate a plan.

Under normal circumstances, La mémoire would remove all of a person's memories, but Keiichiro could still remember events from four years ago and earlier. If La mémoire's full power hadn't been used, then maybe …

Out loud, Noël mused, "We may be able to return his memories without having to take the Collection piece."

Sakuya looked up. "How?"

"If there's a photo he reacts strongly to, perhaps we can use it to jog the rest of his memory." Noël glanced over at the center table. "How goes the sorting - oh, putain de merde."

Of the memories they had picked up, roughly a quarter of them were of Kairi and a quarter of them were of LupinRed.

Tsukasa folded her arms. "Looks like we need to go find Kairi-kun."

Sakuya rubbed his chin, still studying the photos. "When he ran off, it wasn't towards Jurer … I mean, we can still check there and ask Touma-kun and Umika-chan where they think he might have run off to, but based on what we know about him … if he was really, really upset that Keiichiro-senpai forgot him, then maybe …" He started searching through the memories of Kairi.

Tsukasa gasped and leaned over the table. "Wait, you're saying that he might have gone to someplace in one of these memories?"

Sakuya nodded. "Problem is, it's gotta be a place that's important to them both, but I have no idea - wait, Keiichiro-senpai, can you come over here and - hey, Senpai?"

The three of them looked up to see Keiichiro exactly where they'd left him, in one of the armchairs where he had apparently been staring at the photo Kairi gave him the entire time. Cautiously, Noël padded over, took a seat in the armchair next to him, and gently tapped his shoulder. "Keiichiro-kun?"

Without looking away from the photo, he asked, "… his name is Kairi?"

"Oui. Do you remember something?"

"No, not exactly. But …" He brought the photo closer to him and, with his other hand, gently caressed it. "This one's important, I just know it." He turned to Noël. "Can you take me to him? I need to talk to him again."

"Of course. But first, we need your help." He stood up and motioned for Keiichiro to follow. "Of the other pictures on the table, can you pick one any other ones that make you feel anything at all?"

Keiichiro got to his feet and shuffled to the table. After several minutes of deliberation, he picked out photos of Kairi smiling back at him in Seaside Park at night, an untransformed LupinRed next to a campfire, and Kairi on the street leading to Jurer at dawn.

"Oh la la …" Noël rested his hands on his hips. "Well, we can't do much about LupinRed, but I can take you to Jurer. Sakuya-kun, Tsukasa-san, can you check Seaside Park?"

They both nodded and replied in unison, "Understood."

The Patrangers left the office, with Keiichiro still clutching Kairi's photo.

Noël cursed as he transformed; of course the Ganglars were still around, and of course they would run into them with no Lupinrangers in sight. And here he was with a guest, so he couldn't simply take the Collection piece as LupinSilver.

At least it was just the Podamen and their safe-headed leader; Gauche was nowhere to be seen.

He took aim at the nearest Podaman and ordered, "Keiichiro-kun, stay behind me."

Keiichiro frowned. "I can fight, too, can't I?" He tapped the VS Changer strapped to his leg. "That's why I have this?"

"If you suddenly recall how to use it, I won't stop you, but -"

Keiichiro stepped forward, aiming his VS Changer. "Just tell me how. These things are going to hurt other people, aren't they? And the Safe Head - I'm not gonna let him take anyone else's memories."

Noël sighed, smiling. "Very well. You should also have the Ichigou Trigger Machine - load that and you should be able to transform."

Keiichiro blinked. "The what? Transform?"

The Podamen chose that moment to charge forward; Noël shot as many as he could, but one was still barreling toward Keiichiro, who still hadn't loaded the Trigger Machine.

"Kei-chan!"

Out of nowhere, Kairi tackled the attacking Podaman. The two of them tumbled head over feet like a pair of ragdolls down a short flight of stairs. The Podaman stood first and approached Kairi, who was still sprawled on the ground with no indication of consciousness. Noël quickly changed targets, but it was unnecessary.

"KAIRI!"

As his memories flooded back to him in a spectacular green light, Keiichiro leapt down the stairs, shoving the Podaman away to give him enough room to shoot it repeatedly.

Blue and Yellow leapt down from above, and Noël sighed in relief. "Bonjour, Blue-san and Yellow-san. Do you mind if we get this over with quickly?"

Yellow twirled her VS Changer. "That was the plan!"

Transforming, the three of them cut through the remaining Podamen like hot knives through butter. Within twenty seconds, La mémoire was out of the safe, and the Lupinrangers made a hasty retreat, with Yellow managing to call back, "Merci and adieu~" before leaving.

Noël pulled out his X Rod Sword to finish the Safe Head, but from behind him, Keiichiro commanded, "Don't. He's mine."

He turned around to see Keiichiro charging a Biker Repulsion Shot and dashed out of the way. As soon as he was clear of the area, Keiichiro fired and the Safe Head was reduced to ashes.

While dusting himself off, Noël jogged back to the others. "Good to see your memories have returned, Keiichiro-kun. And Kairi-kun -" He knelt down and held out his hand. Groaning softly, Kairi grabbed it and Noël helped him up; upon closer inspection, he only had minor scrapes where the concrete tore into his skin. "Oh thank goodness, you haven't been hurt too much -"

Keiichiro shouldered Noël out of the way, nearly sending him to the ground. In a much softer voice than Noël thought was ever possible for him, he breathed, "Kairi … you're hurt …"

Kairi's nose twitched. Putting on a clearly fake smile, he commented, "Where's that honorific, huh? It's not like you to be rude."

Keiichiro slipped his arms under Kairi's and hugged him tightly, burying his face in his shoulder.

Oh. Oh la la.

Noël cleared his throat. "I'll, um. Give you two a moment. Send him back to the office when you're done, will you?" With that, he dashed off.

Kairi tried desperately to think of something to say, but thinking was difficult when Keiichiro was squeezing him this tightly, with apparently zero intent to let go anytime soon.

Feeling Keiichiro's breath on his neck certainly didn't help. Maybe if his heartbeat slowed down for one goddamn second, maybe he'd be able to think -

Wait.

Cautiously, he placed a hand on Keiichiro's back and pulled him closer, pressing their chests together; in response, Keiichiro tightened his grip and whimpered.

That wasn't his heartbeat racing out of control. It was Keiichiro's.

In a small voice, he asked, "… Kei-chan, what's wrong?"

No response, but Kairi could feel a slight dampness on his shoulder; he tried to turn and see what was going on, but Keiichiro's face was firmly buried in the fabric on his shirt.

"… Kei-chan, can you please answer my question?"

His breath hitched, and Kairi understood why he hadn't responded; he was trying to hide the fact that he was crying.

Sighing, Kairi lifted his other arm to properly hug him and pressed his cheek to Keiichiro's head.

He didn't need this. This didn't feel nice or warm. It wasn't comforting at all to hold Keiichiro this close to him. He didn't want this. He didn't want this.

Kairi hugged him tighter and closed his eyes, burying his face in Keiichiro's hair.

we fit together so perfectly I want to be here with him forever

He wasn't sure how much longer he could lie to himself.

Finally, Keiichiro, through his tears, managed to say, "When I saw you in danger … when I saw you get hurt, I just … I can't remember the last time I was this scared."

Kairi's heart skipped a beat. "But - you fight Ganglars every week. Some of them have to be terrifying, right?"

Keiichiro let go and took a step back, and Kairi had to resist the urge to pull him back in. After wiping away the last of his tears, he answered, "Some of them, sure. But the thought of losing you scares me more than any Ganglar ever could."

Kairi's heart stopped. He tried to respond, but it was like he'd forgotten every word in every language. How was he even supposed to react to that? Who just says stuff like this? Why did this stupid policeman have to be so damn honest?

How the hell was he supposed to tell Keiichiro that Kairi Yano wasn't someone worth caring about?

He'd taken too long to answer; Keiichiro cleared his throat as pink spread across his cheeks. "Ah … sorry about that."

no don't be sorry this is everything to me

"You can forget that I said it, if you want."

I will never forget this this is everything to me you are everything to me

"Will you be going to Noël's party?"

"… still deciding. I'll see how I feel later."

Keiichiro sighed, sounding disappointed. "I understand. Would you like me to walk you home?"

yes please I want to stay with you

"No, I'll be fine."

Keiichiro nodded. "Okay. Please be safe."

"Sure." Kairi raced off, hoping against hope that he could actually outrun these unwanted feelings.

Chapter Text

Ignoring the "closed" sign, Tsukasa knocked on the door, careful not to let any of the bags in her hand fall.

A few seconds later, an upset Umika poked her head into the door window, presumably to point out the "closed" sign, but her face brightened upon seeing Tsukasa. Opening the door, she greeted, "Hey, Tsukasa! Checking on the food?"

Tsukasa stepped in as she shook her head. "It's Touma-kun, anything he makes will be delicious."

From the kitchen, Touma called, "Flattery won't get you a discount."

Tsukasa chuckled and set a large paper bag labeled with a "J" on one of the tables. "No, I'm actually here to drop off these. Noël had these made for us and wants us to wear them tonight."

Umika tilted her head. "Wear them?" She emptied the bag and set out three rectangular boxes - one with a red bow, one with a blue bow, and one with a yellow bow.

Briefly, Tsukasa wondered if Touma and Umika would notice the color assignments and assume that they were on to them.

Umika immediately opened the box with the yellow bow and exclaimed, "Oh wow, this is so pretty!"

Tsukasa walked around the table and saw a pale yellow yukata with small star-shaped purple flowers and a pink obi adorned with an embroidered white flower with rounded petals, all wrapped in yellow tissue paper.

Umika ran her hands over the fabric. "It feels nice, too." Her hands reached the embroidered flower on the obi and she gently caressed it. "You said Noël-san had these specially made?"

Tsukasa nodded. "Yes. When I picked them up, the owner mentioned that he put in the order weeks ago and was pretty specific with the designs."

"Hm. I see." Carefully, she re-packed the box and closed it.

Tsukasa frowned. "Is something wrong?"

Umika squeaked as a blush blossomed across her face. "No no no, they're fine, they're beautiful, I just …" She dropped her voice so Touma couldn't hear. "I'll tell you later?"

She had to consciously stop her detective brain from figuring out this puzzle before Umika explained it. Instead, she smiled and said, "Okay. I'll see you all tonight!"

She paused and glanced around the room; only Touma and Umika were present. "Is Kairi-kun around?"

Touma and Umika shared a look, and Touma responded, "Playing hooky again, I think? It's nothing you need to worry about."

As if on cue, Kairi barged into the bistro, looking exhausted. "'m home," he mumbled.

"Welcome home!" Umika replied in her usual chipper voice. "You look like death. Do you need to shower before the party?"

Kairi shuffled past them, not even acknowledging Tsukasa's presence. "I'm not going."

Distraught, Umika moved to block his path. "What, why?"

Kairi raised his arm as if he was going to shove her out of the way, but hesitated. "It's none of your business."

Tsukasa recalled the text that Noël had sent to her and Sakuya and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Did Keiichiro say something stupid?"

He jumped back, startled, as he finally realized that she was there, too. "How did you know?"

Tsukasa folded her arms. "Noël let us know that the Safe Head Podaman was defeated and that you were with Keiichiro. Unless you ran into someone else on the way home, I assume it was something he said that made you upset."

Kairi turned away from her, shoved his hands into his pockets, and kicked at the ground. "… so what if it was?"

Umika pouted. "But he always seems so polite. What the hell did he even say?"

She sighed and shook her head. "He is always polite and honest, but because of that honesty, he sometimes says things that have no business being said. There's never any malicious intent behind it, and I'm sure if you tell him that it bothered you, he'll apologize."

Kairi cast his eyes down and remained silent; she could only hope that he was considering her words.

Touma finally looked up from where he was organizing ingredients. "Does he do this sort of thing often?"

"Not too much anymore, but sometimes it still happens." Tsukasa patted Kairi's shoulder. "I can give him a talking-to, if you want."

Kairi pushed his way past Umika and headed up the stairs. "Do whatever, I don't care."

Tsukasa pursed her lips and leaned over to study the stairwell. "… I know it's not really my business, but -"

"Then don't," Touma interrupted.

Umika pouted. "Touma!"

He shot her a bitter look. "If she knows it's not her business, then she shouldn't ask." He turned to glare at Tsukasa. "Sometimes, Kairi gets moody. He'll be fine in a few days. Leave him alone until then."

Tsukasa hung her head, withdrawing into herself. "I understand, and I'm sorry for prying." She glanced at Umika and tried to smile. "I'll see you later?"

Umika returned her smile. "Of course."

So, Noël was "pretty specific" with their yukata designs, huh?

Unfortunately for him, Umika had been studying fashion design before she dropped out and Shiho taught her a lot about the symbolic meanings of flowers. Before leaving Jurer, she double checked with an internet search and confirmed that the flower on her obi was indeed a gardenia.

It could just mean purity, grace, and innocence, but it could also mean hidden emotions and a secret love.

When she arrived on the rooftop and saw that Tsukasa had the same white embroidered flower on her obi, Umika was certain that she would hurt Noël before the night was over, right after demanding some answers.

Noël also happened to be the first one to greet her and Touma. He attempted to hug Touma, but he wriggled out of it, insisting that he go set up the grill and food first (but Umika could still see the shadow of a smile on his face).

Umika decided to return his hug, if only to whisper in his ear, "We are talking about these yukata designs later."

Noël smiled innocently. "I'm not sure what you mean, chérie. I simply thought you'd look very good in this one."

Umika sighed. "I mean, I do, and thank you for that, but -" She was about to motion to the flower on her obi, but at that moment, Tsukasa came by and waved at her.

"Umika-chan! Glad to see you and Touma-kun!" Her smile faltered a little when she glanced back at the rooftop door and found no one else trailing after them.

Umika shrugged and shook her head. "He said he might come by later, but no promises."

Tsukasa narrowed her eyes and shot a glare at Keiichiro, who was standing by the railing, gazing off into the city. "Okay, now I have to know what he said to him."

Noël leaned forward, looking concerned. "Excusez-moi? What happened between Kairi-kun and Keiichiro-kun?"

Umika tried to explain, "It's nothing, don't worry about it."

At the exact same time, Tsukasa huffed, "Keiichiro said something stupid that upset Kairi-kun."

Noël placed a hand on his heart, looking dead serious. "Oh la la …" Without another word, he headed towards the rooftop door.

Umika tried to chase after him, calling "Wait, wait -"

He disappeared, the door shutting behind him.

"Oh, hell. Kairi's not gonna be happy to see him."

Tsukasa sighed. "I'm going to ask Keiichiro what happened. Maybe if it wasn't too bad, we can call Noël and get him to stop."

Without thinking, Umika clutched the crook of Tsukasa's arm. "I'll go, too - I haven't seen Kairi that gloomy in a long time."

They crossed the rooftop, and Tsukasa leaned on the railing, clearing her throat to get Keiichiro's attention.

"Hm? Oh, hey Tsukasa -" He froze when he saw Tsukasa's stern expression coupled with Umika's presence. "… am I in trouble?"

"Depends." Tsukasa folded her arms. "What did you say to Kairi-kun earlier?"

Keiichiro cast his eyes down, his face turning as red as the flowers on his yukata.

Oh, this was going to be bad.

Tsukasa began tapping her foot, looking much like an overbearing older sister. "Well?"

Keiichiro clutched at his yukata. "… I, um … I may have hugged him and, uh … and told him that the thought of losing him scared me more than anything else …"

Umika clamped her hand over her mouth to try to stifle her squeal. Meanwhile, Tsukasa buried her face in her hands and groaned, "Oh my god, Keiichiro …"

He looked at Umika with the saddest eyes she'd ever seen and asked, "Was he upset?"

She opened her mouth to answer and then paused, reflecting on the past few hours. When he came back, he just seemed tired, not mad, and only got defensive when she and Tsukasa started questioning him. He hid in his room until she went to check on him right before they left; he said he'd think about going to the party in a way that indicated that he definitely wasn't going to go, but he still didn't seem angry - in fact, he looked and sounded more despondent than anything.

Why would he be so sad that Keiichiro told him that he cared about him?

Umika's lips thinned. "He wasn't upset, but …"

Keiichiro groaned and draped himself over the railing. "Tsukasa, how bad did I mess up this time?"

Tsukasa closed her eyes and massaged her right temple. "Well, you didn't accidentally shoot him down, like you normally do with other people -"

Umika grimaced. So Mana hadn't been the only one.

"- but I think you came on way too strong. If you don't talk to him in the next few days and clear this up, I will make you talk to him. Is that clear?"

Keiichiro sighed, straightening his spine. "Yes, ma'am."

Touma chose that moment to sidle up next to them and offered Keiichiro a chicken and vegetable skewer. "You look sad."

Wordlessly, Keiichiro took the skewer and tore off the first piece of chicken. To Umika's surprise, he seemed to perk up a little. "Delicious … is there more?"

Touma motioned to the table, where Sakuya was babysitting several skewers on the grill. With an unusually gentle smile, he said, "It's a celebration, not a funeral - we should be having fun." He paused, scanning the rooftop. "Speaking of, where's the guest of honor?"

Before Tsukasa could say anything, Umika waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it."

"Then I won't." He patted Keiichiro's back. "Now come on, I can't entertain Sakuya-san on my own forever."

With a chuckle, he followed Touma back to the grill, where Sakuya loudly greeted him.

Tsukasa smiled as she watched the three of them converse. "It's nice to see them getting along. I never thought I'd see Touma-kun smile."

Umika giggled. "Yeah, he's secretly a softie." She paused. "But don't tell him I told you that."

Tsukasa laughed, and Umika thought to herself that she had never heard anything more beautiful.

Still smiling, Tsukasa pressed closer to her. "So, you were saying something about these yukatas earlier?"

It was Umika's turn to blush; she had already lied enough to Tsukasa and didn't want to add more on top of it, but at the same time, she did not need to know what the gardenia meant right now. Maybe she could say something truthful about the quality construction -

Tsukasa glanced down at their yukatas. "Oh, is it these flowers? Do they mean something?"

Oh, hell.

Nervously, Umika wrung her hands together. "Um, yeah! It seems like Noël-san knows us really well, ehehe."

"Ah …" Tsukasa whirled around, studying her yukata. "What do our flowers mean?"

"Hm. Yours look like plum blossoms - oh, I love those! And most of the meanings fit you well: loyalty and elegance, and sometimes hope."

Tsukasa nodded, blushing slightly. "And yours?"

She tilted her head and spread out some of the fabric, trying to identify the purple flowers. "Mine are … violets, I'm pretty sure. Honesty and love."

Umika paused.

… honesty and love?

Was the design of this entire yukata seriously his way of pushing her to confess her feelings to Tsukasa?

She glanced up momentarily and confirmed that Keiichiro's yukata was decorated with amaryllises and red camellias. "Shy" and "in love."

… Kairi's yukata most likely had the same flowers.

If Noël was somehow still alive after dealing with Kairi, she was going to have a very long, very angry conversation with him about minding his own damn business.

"Hm …" Tsukasa studied her with a gaze so piercing, Umika almost believed that she was capable of seeing past all her lies. "Violets fit you well. And this one?" She pointed to the gardenia.

She felt the heat bloom across her face. Briefly, she imagined every violet on her yukata multiplying and encasing her in a cocoon if she tried to tell one more little lie.

"I, uh, I need to double check when I get home. I'll tell you later tonight?"

Tsukasa beamed and nodded.

Oh thank goodness, she didn't suspect a thing.

The evening festivities continued, with Umika carefully formulating a plan between eating chicken skewers and laughing at Sakuya's jokes.

Just to make himself feel better, Kairi pretended that if he glared hard enough, he could burn a hole through this pushy, persistent French prick.

As they entered the stairwell for rooftop access, Noël turned back to him and grinned. "Mon chéri, I'm so glad you changed your mind and decided to come after all."

Kairi's eye twitched. "Only because you wouldn't shut up or leave until I did. And, I mean, this yukata is nice and all, but why put in the effort and money to get us all custom ones?"

The summer evening zephyrs greeted them as they arrived on the rooftop. Their friends were scattered and making small talk while the alluring scent of grilled meat wafted through the air. Everyone looked stunning in their yukatas, but (of course) Kairi's eyes were drawn to Keiichiro first.

His first thought was that Keiichiro looked absolutely stunning.

His second thought was that the flowers and pattern on his yukata seemed familiar somehow.

Kairi glanced down and realized that his own yukata had the same red flowers. The only difference was that his yukata was black with a white obi, and Keiichiro's was white with a black obi.

Kairi exhaled sharply. "Why the fuck do our yukatas match?"

Noël smiled innocently. "Oh, do they? Dear me, I wonder how that happened."

His third thought was that he was going to throw Noël off of this damn rooftop.

Keiichiro met his gaze and beamed brighter than the sun, illuminating the night. Kairi's heart skipped several beats as he realized that Keiichiro was approaching.

Still grinning smugly, Noël leaned over to Kairi and whispered, "If you don't mind, would you kindly kiss and make up?"

Kairi seized his yukata and yanked him closer, hissing, "You have five seconds to get as far away from me as possible."

Noël obeyed and started trotting away, but not before stopping Keiichiro to whisper something in his ear. Whatever it was, it made him blush.

Sighing, Kairi closed the distance between them and tried to smile. "Hey, Kei-chan."

"Hey," he greeted, sounding breathless. "You look …" He paused as his eyes traveled up and down Kairi's body. "… wow."

… he had to admit, knowing he had that effect on Keiichiro felt fantastic.

Kairi tried to ignore the rising heat in his face as he replied, "You're not half-bad yourself."

Keiichiro bashfully rubbed the back of his neck. "Thanks, Kairi." The smile disappeared from his face as he straightened his posture. "I mean, Kairi-kun. I'm sorry -"

"Don't be sorry. I, uh …" Suddenly feeling embarassed, he turned away. "… I like it."

"Oh, um … okay." He shifted his weight nervously. "As long as you're okay with it … Kairi."

He closed his eyes and wondered how the hell his name could sound so good coming out of Keiichiro's mouth.

"… it makes you really happy, doesn't it?"

Kairi's eyes snapped open. "Huh?"

"When I called you 'Kairi' just now, you …" The corners of his mouth quirked upward as he sincerely said, "You had the most beautiful smile."

Kairi was forced to fully turn around in an attempt to hide his scarlet cheeks and involuntary smile. "You gotta stop saying stuff like that."

"But what if it's true?"

Kairi swore that Keiichiro's earnest sincerity was going to be the death of him.

Red sparks popped in the night sky, startling them both.

As if everyone somehow still needed a reminder, Sakuya called, "Guys, the fireworks are starting!"

They all ambled towards the railing, watching the fireworks bloom in the dark. Exhaling, he finally allowed himself to relax and let his mind wander. Sure, the mission was the most important thing, but there was nothing wrong with taking the occasional break.

And then his mind wandered to Keiichiro, and he had to firmly remind himself that the mission should be the most important thing.

He couldn't lie to himself anymore; whatever these feelings were existed, and they weren't going away anytime soon. The next best thing he could do was shove them away as they appeared. He could not allow whatever this was to go further than hand-holding and dinners. In fact, he should probably stop doing all that, too - he couldn't lie to himself about Keiichiro's honesty anymore, either. The stupid policeman really did mean everything he said and did, and everything he said and did all pointed to -

Kairi glanced to the side and was met with Keiichiro gazing at him instead of the fireworks. His face flushed as he was caught, and he offered him a shy smile.

The affection in his eyes was real. Keiichiro was falling in love with him.

But was he really falling for him? The waiter persona was only one part of him. As soon as that mask cracked or slipped off, he'd see the real him, and he'd run. The real him was awful, selfish, and good for absolutely goddamn nothing. The best thing he could do with his life was bring Shouri back. He knew he couldn't have nice things like Kei-chan, and he didn't really deserve nice things anyway.

But maybe he could keep the mask on and pretend for a little while longer.

He held out his hand in the space between them. With a blush that matched the red of the fireworks, Keiichiro took his hand and pressed against his side.

let me stay with you

Kairi squeezed his hand, and Keiichiro responded by resting his cheek on his shoulder, sighing with the happiest smile on his face.

please let me stay with you

Yawning, Tsukasa made her way back to her apartment. It was a shame that Umika ended up leaving early, but the others were still good company.

She opened her apartment door to a familiar sight. Window? Open. Light? On. Yellow? Patiently waiting for her.

As she closed the door behind her, Tsukasa cautiously pointed out, "You really shouldn't be here."

Yellow shrugged. "If you didn't want me here, you'd put a lock on your window."

In truth, the window had remained unlocked since the night Yellow first showed up, but she didn't need to know that.

Yellow stood up and padded closer to her. In a quiet voice, she asked, "You know it's me, don't you?"

Tsukasa swallowed. "I don't know what you're talking about," she lied.

"No matter what happens, you'll keep me safe. Isn't that what you said?"

She bit her lip.

Yellow stepped forward and pointed to the white flower on her obi. "It's a gardenia. On its own, it could mean grace and innocence, but since we both had one, I think our gardenias were meant to represent secret feelings."

In one fluid motion, Yellow took off her mask, and Umika looked up at her.

Tsukasa blinked, at a loss for words. She could only tuck a stray strand of hair behind Umika's ear, her mouth hanging open.

"And while I'm at it, I wanted to confess something else, too."

Something else? Tsukasa mentally braced herself for whatever she was going to say.

"I like you. Like, really, really like you."

"Huh?" Now that the mask was gone, she could see the pink spread across Umika's cheeks.

"You don't need to return my feelings, or respond to them, or anything really. Being close to you is enough for me." Even though she was smiling, her voice carried a hint of sadness, as if this wasn't the first time she had made such a confession.

"Umika …" She reached out and pulled her into a hug. After a moment's hesitation, she felt Umika's arms wrap around her waist.

Tsukasa was reminded of their ill-fated trip to the amusement park. As the older friend and as a police officer, she had tried to support Umika through the haunted house, but after a particularly bad jump scare, she was the one that needed comforting. She vividly remembered Umika holding her and reassuring her with a soft voice and a gentle smile.

Tsukasa couldn't recall the last time she had felt as safe as she did in her arms.

Timidly, she turned her head and kissed Umika's temple; she squeezed her tighter in response.

In a small voice, she asked, "… does that mean that I can kiss you?"

Tsukasa couldn't help but chuckle. "If you'd like."

"Mm." She pulled back slightly and graced her lips with a small, gentle kiss. "I would like it very much."

Chapter Text

The calling card flew across Kairi's path unexpectedly, nearly slicing the grocery bag in two, and embedded itself in a brick wall to his left. After double checking that, yes, all the ingredients were safe and Touma wouldn't kill him, Kairi gingerly plucked out the silver calling card.

VS vehicle in Kusakawa, tomorrow. Take the 0830 train. Follow the red officer.

He grinned. A new VS vehicle and a trip to a hot spring town with Keiichiro? He'd take that over a day of work any time.

After taking the time to stretch his body, Keiichiro took a deep breath of the crisp mountain air. Sure, he was here for work, but after he'd accomplished his task, he might as well stay at one of the ryokans in the area. Between the constant Ganglar threat, increasing pressure from the Deputy Commissioner, and all of his mixed-up feelings about Kairi and LupinRed, he needed a break.

"Hm? Hey, Kei-chan!"

Ah, shit.

A pair of arms wrapped around his middle as a familiar warmth pressed against his back. Kairi rested his chin on his right shoulder and softly giggled.

As his heart started fluttering, Keiichiro wearily thought that this was not fair.

He turned to him and just couldn't help himself; he returned his smile and greeted, "Hi, Kairi."

Perhaps he imagined it, but Keiichiro swore he saw some pink spread across Kairi's face when he said his name.

Kairi released him and wandered to his side. "You on vacation, too?"

Keiichiro swallowed. Kairi always seemed to know when he was lying (although that wasn't saying much - he was a terrible liar). He was going to have to play this carefully.

"Work-mandated vacation, actually. Tsukasa was upset with me for working too much overtime."

(Not technically lies - he was here because Commander Hilltop asked him to, and last week, Tsukasa did chew him out for trying to lose himself in his work.)

Kairi grinned. "Does that mean I get you all to myself today?"

Keiichiro pursed his lips, carefully choosing his words. "I do need to pick up something for a friend, but before and after that, I'm yours for as long as you want."

He ducked his head in a failed attempt to hide his stunning smile. "You gotta stop saying stuff like that …"

Keiichiro motioned to the town in front of them. "Shall we start with lunch?"

"As long as you're paying - arigachu!"

As they marched down the stairs into town, Kairi slipped his hand into his. No matter how many times they had held hands, he always marvelled at the fact that their hands fit together perfectly.

Keiichiro sighed as he stood back up; the hair tie wasn't here, either. He turned to Kairi, who had come back from speaking with a shopkeeper. "Any luck?" he asked.

Kairi shook his head. "No one's turned in a lost hair tie."

Keiichiro frowned and folded his arms. "… I'm sorry to drag you into this."

Kairi's nose twitched. "If I didn't wanna do this, I would've said no when you asked."

Keiichiro continued to check the surrounding area while keeping an eye on Kairi. Sure, he said he was fine, but he'd been oddly sullen ever since they found that lost little girl. He could ask about it, but he'd been around Kairi long enough to learn that there were certain subjects that he refused to entertain, and he wasn't sure if this was one of them.

After another half-hour of searching, they finally found the hair tie at one of the dessert shops in town. The little girl was, of course, overjoyed, and it seemed like Kairi was happy about it, too.

At least, that's what Keiichiro told himself as he tried to ignore the fact that the smile didn't quite reach Kairi's eyes.

They kept meandering through the town, but Kairi still had a surly look on his face whenever he thought Keiichiro wasn't watching. He couldn't just ignore him when he was clearly in distress, but he was also not known for his gentle, comforting words.

… he wished Tsukasa was here to coach him through this.

The sounds of their footsteps changed as they travelled over one of the many bridges in the town. Keiichiro paused at the railing, watching the river flow beneath them. Maybe his brain was too tangled in knots because of everything that's been going on. Maybe if he could clear his mind, just for a few seconds, he'd be able to figure out what to say to Kairi.

As if he'd heard his thoughts, Kairi pressed against his side and wrapped an arm around his waist. "What's wrong?"

"Um. Uh. Nothing."

Kairi squeezed him tighter. "Liar."

Keiichiro sighed. "I'm worried because I think something's bothering you."

Kairi's nose twitched. "Nothing's bothering me."

He turned towards him. "Kairi."

He pouted and turned away. "That whole thing with the kid just … reminded me of something that happened way back when. I was supposed to go to the amusement park with my brother, but on our way, he found a lost little girl. He helped her, of course - that's the kind of guy my brother was - and I should've helped too, but I was just upset the entire time." Kairi let him go as he propped himself up on the railing, his eyes losing their luster as he stared blankly at the landscape. "I know I shouldn't blame her - no way she got lost on purpose - but I was supposed to have my brother the entire day, and I didn't."

Kairi leaned over the railing ever so slightly and studied the ravine below; instinctively, Keiichiro softly but firmly grasped Kairi's upper arm.

He chuckled bitterly. "I'm way too selfish. Unlike my brother, I'm a horrible person."

"We're phantom thieves because we have no other choice! I don't care about what you think!"

"Why, oui. You could wish to bring someone back to life."

No, Kairi. A horrible person wouldn't sacrifice everything to bring a loved one back to life.

Keiichiro closed his eyes; he couldn't say what he really wanted to say because that would involve telling Kairi that he had figured out both his secret identity (although there could still be a slim chance that he wasn't LupinRed) and the reason that they were gathering the Lupin Collection.

Instead, he said, "I don't think you're a horrible person. Fine, you might be selfish sometimes, but that's not all there is to you, is it? I think - well, I see - that you're a better person than you think you are."

Kairi's nose twitched and he nodded, but it was clear that he didn't believe him.

Keiichiro continued, "Did your brother ever make it up to you?"

Kairi frowned. "No. Why would he?"

"Because it's the fair thing to do? I mean, if I had plans with my brother and they didn't pan out, I'd try going again and again until I gave my brother the fun day that I promised him."

Kairi stared at him, bewildered, as if he had never considered the idea.

Keiichiro's pocket vibrated, and he checked the loaner phone. Dammit. The pickup time was fast approaching, but he didn't want to leave Kairi again.

Sighing heavily, he squeezed his shoulder. "I need to go pick up that thing for my friend, but I promise, I'll be right back. I said I'd be yours for the day and I meant it. Wait for me by the train station, please?"

Kairi's cheeks turned pink again and he nodded.

Keiichiro rushed to the outskirts of town, hoping that this would be a quick exchange and, if necessary, a quick fight.

A single bead of sweat dripped down Keiichiro's temple as he rotated his shoulder. He was losing his edge - back in his academy days, he could take out a group of five in unarmed combat in less than twenty seconds. This took him thirty. As he lifted Splash out of its case, he made a mental note to take up Sakuya's offer of going to kickboxing classes.

A red blur crossed his vision, and Splash was no longer in his hand. To his right, Red perched on a storage crate, rotating the new VS vehicle in his hand.

Keiichiro closed his eyes. It had taken him three hours, including switching train lines, to get to Kusakawa. As far as the GSPO knew, the Lupinrangers stuck mostly to Shinagawa, with some mech fights crossing over into Minato. Unless someone within the GSPO was leaking information to the Lupinrangers, there was absolutely no other logical reason that he would be here.

He was almost certain now. If he approached LupinRed and managed to take off his mask, Kairi Yano would be staring back at him.

Red - no, Kairi, that's Kairi - lazily tossed Splash between his hands. "Little slow today, aren't you?"

Keiichiro turned to check on the art thieves; they were still tied up and awaiting the local law enforcement. Splash was in the Lupinrangers' possession, which was where it would end up eventually. Technically, he had accomplished everything on the checklist. Commander Hilltop would be disappointed, and the Deputy Commissioner would use this failure as an excuse to be harder on the Tactical Unit, but neither of those would be enough motivation for him to hurt Kairi.

Kairi slid off the crate and meandered towards him. "What's wrong with you today? Don't tell me Mr. Hot-Blooded Policeman has calmed down."

Keiichiro shook his head and sighed. "I don't have time for this. You can give it back to me or just leave with it - I don't care."

Kairi grimaced. "Okay, now I know something's wrong with you."

Keiichiro swallowed. There had to be some way to talk him out of this, some way that he could avoid hurting him … Taking a chance, he said, "I'm here with someone important to me, and I promised him that we would spend the rest of the day together. Every minute I waste with you is a minute I don't get with him, so make your choice. Quickly."

Kairi's nose twitched, and he gripped Splash so tightly that his arm quivered under the strain. In a crueller voice than Keiichiro anticipated, he snarled, "That punk-ass bitch you were with earlier? He's fucking awful. Don't tell me you actually like the guy."

Keiichiro loaded his Trigger Machine. "Shut up."

With a look of utter hatred that managed to bleed through the disguise filter, Red continued, "He's an absolute mistake of a human being. He's going to fuck you and forget you, and if for some godforsaken reason you try to stick around, you'll see he's worth nothing -"

"SHUT UP!"

Keiichiro transformed and rushed forward. Red tried to pull the trigger for his transformation, but Keiichiro intercepted him just one heartbeat earlier, driving his fist into his stomach and sending him flying. Blood arced above them, but Keiichiro didn't notice nor care. Was he farther than melee range? Shoot. Was there an obstacle in the way? Shatter it, by any means necessary. Was he within melee range? Make Red regret bad-mouthing Kairi.

In less than thirty seconds, Keiichiro had him trapped against a shipping container, his left hand pinning one of Red's wrists to the container and his right pressing the muzzle of his VS Changer to Red's heart. If he wasn't so incensed, he would probably make a comment about how it was a miracle that the hat and mask managed to stay on, but instead, he growled, "You take all of that back."

Red's nose twitched, and he could feel his pulse accelerating. "… but what if it's true?"

Keiichiro put more pressure on his wrist, forcing a whimper of pain out of Red's throat. "I don't care. You take that all back right now."

In a softer, almost dispirited voice, he insisted, "It's the truth. You can do better than him. You deserve someone better than him."

"I told you, I don't fucking care. So what if it's true? So what if he hurts me? Nothing you say will ever change how I feel about Kairi. I want him by my side, and I won't tolerate anyone insulting him behind his back."

"… you stupid policeman." Tears dripped down from underneath his mask; Keiichiro assumed that it was because of the pain in his wrist and he let go.

"Senpai! Are you there?!"

He took a step back and replied, "Sakuya, I'm here. What is it?"

"A Ganglar set the Morihara district on fire. Like, the entire district. That VS vehicle you were supposed to pick up can put out the flames - get it here as soon as you can!"

"Understood."

It was then that Keiichiro remembered that getting here had taken him three hours. His Trigger Machine could get him back faster, but he would have to clear the roads first, which was precious time wasted. If only there was a way to get from here to Morihara in a straight line, faster than the Trigger Machine -

His eyes fell on the Red Dial Fighter, still loaded in Red's VS Changer.

He took a deep breath and straightened his posture. "Red, there's a huge fire in the Morihara district, and the VS vehicle that you took is the only way to put it all out. Your jet is much faster than my patrol car - please, fly back and save all those people."

Red's nose twitched. "I'm a good-for-nothing thief, remember? I'll just fly off and let the city burn."

"You won't. I know you won't. Now, please - go, you stupid phantom thief."

Silently, Red turned around, transformed, and prepared to fire his jet. Right before he pulled the trigger, he hesitated and called behind him, "Why don't you go home, you stupid policeman? Your sweet little Kairi has probably already skipped town."

Keiichiro shook his head. "No. I promised him that I'd be his for the rest of the day. I'm keeping that promise, no matter what."

"… suit yourself." He fired and, within seconds, disappeared over the horizon in his jet.

Now that he had calmed down, the full weight of what had occurred over the last several minutes hit Keiichiro like a freight train.

He lost his temper.

He hurt Kairi.

He hurt Kairi.

There was no way in hell that he was coming back after the Ganglar fight.

In a daze, he wandered back into town, made a room reservation at a ryokan (optimistically stating that there would be two people in the room), and sunk down into a bench near the train station.

Approximately two hours and a can of coffee later, Keiichiro sighed heavily and stood up. If he wanted to be on time for dinner, he would have to head back now; he couldn't wait for Kairi any longer -

"Kei-chan! Sorry I'm late!"

Kairi greeted him the same way he did earlier: with a hug from behind and a laugh.

Keiichiro nearly cried. "Kairi! Took you long enough."

Automatically, he slipped his hand into Kairi's and tried to ignore the new wrist brace on Kairi's right hand.

Keiichiro liked to think that he was a realistic man. He didn't expect a simple soak in a hot spring to completely erase all of his stress and solve all of his problems, but he expected it to do something. Right now, it just felt like his physical state finally matched his mental state: slowly but surely burning, unable to move, simply waiting for everything to boil over because what the hell could he do about any of this?

Someone nudged his shoulder. "You don't look very relaxed, Kei-chan."

He sighed and opened his eyes; since they had entered the onsen, the sun had fully set, leaving behind the moon and stars hanging before a tapestry of deep blue. A few fireflies danced against the backdrop of the beautiful mountainside. He should be as relaxed as possible, and yet …

He leaned back, staring up at the sky. "Sorry. I have a lot on my mind still."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

Keiichiro studied the stars, unable to form an answer.

"… is it work stuff that I'm not supposed to know about?"

He sighed heavily. "… yes."

"… will you tell me anyway?"

Keiichiro couldn't help but chuckle. Kairi squeezed his arm as he said, "There's that smile I like so much."

An extra layer of heat spread across Keiichiro's face. He really shouldn't be venting about the current state of the GSPO to a civilian, much less a civilian that was probably definitely one of the phantom thieves, but …

He folded his arms. "I became a police officer to help and protect everyone, and that's always been my top priority. But lately, the deputy commissioner's been pressuring us to get more Ganglar kills and more Collection pieces, with zero regard for the well-being of the citizens. He's already meddled once - that's how Noël was added to the team. If he tries to meddle again, I … I'm not sure what he'll do, but it won't be good for us."

Kairi tilted his head, studying him intently. "If you really just want to help and protect everyone … you don't have to be a police officer to do that, do you?"

Keiichiro blinked. The thought had never occurred to him. "I, uh … I don't know. This is the only job I've wanted, ever since I was a little kid."

"Oh. It's a childhood dream of yours. Uh. Sorry - I didn't know."

"It's fine. I never told you."

He sighed. "It's just - there's gotta be something else. Some job where you can still help everyone, but you won't be ordered around by glory hounds."

"… if I find something, I'll let you know."

The wind picked up, sending a few leaves into his hair. Kairi chuckled at the sight. "Here, let me get that -" He reached up to pick out the leaves, exposing his slightly swollen right wrist long enough for Keiichiro to see the dark red bruise in its entirety.

He tried to stay quiet and composed, but a strained cry still escaped his lips.

"Huh? Oh -" Kairi (probably instinctively) tried to hide his wrist behind his back, but the sudden movement made him whimper in pain.

"Kairi …" He heard his own voice break, and he hated it. "Can I see your wrist, please?"

He blinked. "Why?" he asked, as if there wasn't something obviously visibly wrong with his wrist.

"Kairi."

Sighing, he slowly lifted his hand and wrist out of the water and pointedly looked away. As Keiichiro gently cradled his hand, he felt more and more nauseous.

He had done this. He had lost his temper and done this to Kairi.

"… I'm so sorry …"

Kairi furrowed his brow. "Why are you sorry? You didn't do this to me."

He froze. Shit. Shit shit shit. He was supposed to have no idea how this injury happened. In fact, considering how protective he'd been of Kairi lately, he was probably supposed to have asked about it before now. Kairi could not find out that he knew right now - he racked his brain, searching for something, anything, to say that could dig him out of this hole -

"I … this happened after I left you, didn't it? I should've been there with you."

Okay - that was all vague truths, and if his voice wavered because of his inability to lie, he could say that he was distraught at the sight of the bruise.

Kairi shook his head, his eyes darting around wildly. "It's not your fault, it's …" He trailed off, looking more and more agitated.

Was he trying to come up with a story? Should he try to help him weave this lie? Think, think, what could have realistically happened in the span of two hours to injure Kairi's wrist that badly? Should he invent a Ganglar? Should he pretend it was a freak accident? Should he -

No! While he was here trying to come up with a cover story for Kairi, his wrist wasn't getting any better - he didn't have time for these weird mind games -

"You know what, it doesn't matter how you got hurt. Let's go back to the room and wrap your wrist again."

He expected Kairi to object, to try to explain himself, to say something - but instead, he said nothing and simply held his hand as they left the onsen and got dressed.

(Keiichiro made every effort to look away from him in the dressing room so he didn't have to react to any other bruises he had left in his rage.)

Kairi remained silent as they walked back to the room and Keiichiro wrapped his wrist with a roll of emergency medical tape. After Keiichiro put the wrist brace back on, Kairi's arm remained cradled in his hands as the uneasy quiet in the room enveloped them.

Awkwardly, he cleared his throat. "Kairi? Are you okay?"

He finally looked at him with uncharacteristically sad eyes; it struck Keiichiro that this was the first time he'd seen Kairi so … small. So vulnerable.

"… aren't you gonna ask how I got hurt?"

He frowned. "No. You're safe now - that's the most important thing."

"But -"

Before he could stop himself, he pulled Kairi into a gentle hug.

I'm so sorry

"You got hurt because of me, and I'm so sorry. "

"Kei-chan …"

forgive me please

"I promise I won't let you get hurt again."

I promise I will never lay a hand on you like that ever again

He felt a pair of arms wrap wround him as Kairi snuggled closer.

Kairi pressed his palms into his eyes. Today was a very strong contender for the second-worst day of his life.

Sure, it started out fine, but then there was that lost little kid, which led to him actually opening up to Keiichiro and talking about his past, and maybe if he wasn't emotionally raw from all of that, he would've been able to let Keiichiro's words go instead of losing his temper.

"Every minute I waste with you is a minute I don't get with him."

He rolled over in his futon, trying not to scream out loud. Of course the straight-laced policeman would prefer mild-mannered, sweet Kairi over cocky, devil-may-care LupinRed, and of course he had no way of knowing that they were the same person, so of course, he would get angry and tear Red apart for insulting Kairi.

Why the fuck was he so jealous of himself? Why did it hurt so fucking much when Keiichiro chose Kairi over Red? Why did he hate it when Keiichiro treated Kairi with such loving, gentle care after he very nearly broke Red's wrist? Why - why -

Red's part of me too why can't he love all of me

The Ganglar fight was nothing; what was more stressful and painful was trying to decide whether or not to come back. He could have very easily just headed back to Jurer with Touma and Umika. He could prove to Keiichiro that he wasn't worth his time and that he'd always end up hurting him. Maybe then he'd stop looking at him like he was his entire world.

"I promised him that I'd be his for the rest of the day. I'm keeping that promise, no matter what."

Maybe if he was still waiting …

please for one night let me pretend that you can love all of me

Before he knew it, he was flying back, patching up the worst of his injuries and trying to figure out how he could sneak back into Kusakawa while concealing his jet.

And then. And then. Keiichiro casually told him that they would be sharing a room tonight and not to worry because the room was very large and if he started snoring, Kairi could simply move his futon elsewhere.

Which was how he ended up here, trying not to cry or scream because a few inches away, Keiichiro was sleeping soundly in another futon.

This was terrible, both for the mission and for Kairi's fragile, shriveled heart. He knew he was being too selfish and too greedy, and he knew that this would most likely be his undoing.

But still.

Somehow, without him realizing, he had fallen too fast, too hard, too far -

No.

He buried his face in his pillow. As long as he never gave these feelings a name, they weren't real. If they weren't real, they couldn't hurt him.

"Mm …" Keiichiro shifted in his futon, rolling over so that his hand lay in the space between them. His fingers twitched as he started whimpering, as if he was having a nightmare.

"Nnh … Kairi … don't leave …"

Immediately, Kairi reached out and placed his hand in Keiichiro's, calming him. In his sleep, he squeezed his hand and smiled.

"Mm …"

I won't leave you I'm never going to leave you let me stay with you please Kei-chan I

For a very brief moment, the feeling that he refused to name flooded him, and a few tears fell from his eyes.

"I'm here. I … I'm yours," Kairi softly sobbed. "So please … please let me stay with you for a little longer."

Resigning himself to yet another night of no sleep, he moved slightly closer to avoid straining his arm and watched Keiichiro slumbering peacefully, trying not to think about how much he wanted to join him in his futon.

Keiichiro woke up to the sounds of birdsong and dawn light casting long shadows on the wall. His first instinct was to look over at Kairi, who had rolled over so that his back was to him, sleeping soundly. Smiling, he moved to sit up -

And that's when he realized that Splash was in his hand.

He jumped out of his futon and performed a quick sweep of the room: all of their belongings were still present and accounted for, nothing else in the room had moved an inch since last evening, and there were no signs of forced entry on the door or any of the windows. How did Red get this back to him?

His eyes fell on Kairi's sleeping form.

Right. Of course.

Silently, he tucked Splash away in his bag and knelt down near Kairi. Even though he was sound asleep, he still looked incredibly tired. What was going on in his mind? Did he really believe all those awful things he said about himself yesterday? What would it take to get Kairi to see how much he cared about him?

He groaned and shifted in his sleep, and his injured right wrist slipped out from underneath the blanket. And now that he was in the light, he could see that his closed eyes were a little puffy and faint streaks ran down his face - did he cry last night? The sight of it all drove a dagger into Keiichiro's heart.

Gently, he moved a few curls away from his forehead. "Kairi …"

"Mm?" He stirred, trying to blink the sleep from his eyes. "Kei-chan?"

He tried to muster up a smile as he cupped Kairi's face. "Good morning. Are you feeling better?"

"Mm …" He rested his right hand over Keiichiro's and pressed it to his cheek. "Hey … can I ask you something a little weird?"

"Sure."

He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it immediately, his cheeks turning pink. As he looked away, his nose twitched.

"… the way you held me last night … can you do it again? Just for a little bit?"

Keiichiro was certain that this wasn't the question he originally wanted to ask, but right now, pressing the issue would get him shut down. "Yeah, of course."

He grabbed the pillow from his futon and slipped under Kairi's blanket, laying down on his side and pulling him close. Softly, he added, "Any time you want me to hold you, I will. Happily."

Kairi nuzzled his head into his chest; was he … trying to listen to his heartbeat?

"… arigachu, Kei-chan."

A few days after the Kusakawa trip, Kairi woke up to another silver calling card stuck to his window. His eyes narrowed as he realized that this wasn't more intel.

What did I say about giving pieces to your boyfriend? I'm taking one of yours to make up for it. Next time, I'm coming after you.

He rushed downstairs and into their hidden room where they kept all of their phantom thief gear and checked the storage box for their extra VS vehicles.

Scissors was the only one in the box, with no sign of Cyclone anywhere.

Chapter Text

After ensuring that the sign outside Jurer was flipped to "closed," Kairi returned to the table where they had laid out all four of the silver calling cards. He grumbled, "I don't suppose anyone else has come up with any ideas?"

Touma and Umika both shook their heads. Touma started putting away the fingerprint dusting kit. "No prints, of course," he answered. "And all the characters have been snipped out of newspapers, so no writing sample."

Umika frowned. "Can you describe him again?"

Kairi rubbed his temples. "Silver. His suit looks mostly like ours, but he's got some chest armor instead of a cape. I've never seen him untransformed."

Touma exhaled sharply. "And the Patrangers haven't mentioned him since that incident with the sleep Ganglar, which means he probably hasn't been sighted since."

Umika groaned and draped herself over another table. "How the hell are we supposed to track a ghost?"

Kairi shrugged. "Hidden cameras around the bistro? I mean, I found most of these cards stuck to my window. Unless he's throwing them from three buildings over, he's gotta come by sometime, right?"

Touma rose to his feet and started typing away on his phone, most likely looking up security cameras. "That's the only thing we can do now …"

Someone tapped at the door, clearly ignoring the "closed" sign, and Umika pouted. "Come on, can't people read?" She marched over and pulled back the curtain, but she froze upon seeing who it was.

Kairi looked over, his body tensing. "Who is it?"

"It's … Jack." She opened the door and the red Striker flew in, somehow looking distressed.

"Guys, guys! Oh, thank goodness I found you - Good never told me exactly how to get here -"

Kairi held his palm out, and Jack settled on it like a trained pet. "What's going on? We heard Noël say he had to hide you because the Ganglars were gonna come after you."

Jack quivered in his hand. "They found me - Gauche ransacked Noël's house - take me to Noël, please - I gotta tell him that it's not safe!"

Umika squealed, "Gauche?! No way, no way - do you think she followed you?"

Jack froze. "Uh …"

With a frustrated growl, Touma tied his mask on and transformed. "No time for the full outfit - get your masks on and get out. If Jack's been followed, we can't let them find us here."

The two of them followed suit, and they all fled from the scene, travelling by rooftop. As soon as they were far enough away, Kairi paused. "You guys think Noël's in the office or out patrolling?"

"Hm." Touma folded his arms and shifted his weight. "We do still need to case the GSPO building for later. We could practice today -"

A chorus of terrified screams echoed from a few kilometers away, but were soon drowned out by the roars of a Ganglar becoming larger. In response, Patkaiser and X Emperor formed, taking up defensive stances.

Flatly, Touma said, "Never mind, I think I found him."

"Hang on …" Kairi studied the new Ganglar, re-counting just to be sure. "Why does that thing have five safes?!"

"What?!" Umika cried out. "One, two three, four, five - oh hell. The Patrangers have a Dial Fighter, right? Do you think they got all the pieces out in time?"

Touma stepped forward. "We won't get an answer just standing here and talking about it. Daikon, do you mind?"

Jack flew up to his helmet and poked him. "Hey, you're the one who keeps calling Good 'Carrot,' aren't you?"

The Five-Safe Ganglar unleashed a claw attack, pushing both Patkaiser and X Emperor back.

Kairi screamed in frustration and grabbed Jack, loading him. "You two can argue later - we gotta go!"

Kairi pulled the trigger and LupinRex sailed through the air, dropkicking the Ganglar and sending it to the ground.

From behind him, Touma called, "Oi! Careful!"

Kairi growled. "I know, I know - I just needed to make it stop for a bit!"

Umika stood up and waved at Jack. "Hey hey, is there a way you can let us talk to the others?"

Jack nodded and instantly, they heard Noël's voice screech over the comms.

"JACK! Putain de merde, why are you here?!"

"Gauche found me! She tore the house apart - we can't go back there, we gotta find somewhere else!"

"Gauche is here, too?!" Keiichiro roared. "Dammit - we have enough problems with this thing!"

Umika asked, "Hey, did you manage to get any of the pieces out?"

"No, we couldn't," Tsukasa answered. "Magic couldn't open one at all - it may be that we have to open all five at the same time."

Touma gripped his controls tighter. "And you were still going to engage?"

"To stop it, yeah! We weren't gonna kill it!" Sakuya corrected. "Noël-san was about to try to find you guys - we were gonna keep it in place so it didn't hurt too many people!"

Tsukasa gasped. "Hey, watch out -"

Her warning came a second too late; the Ganglar had risen back up and smacked LupinRex out of the air, sending it crashing to the ground. Patkaiser moved to shield it as they got up while X Emperor covered them with a hail of bullets. Unfortunately, the Ganglar put up a shield, deflecting all of the bullets.

As LupinRex struggled to get to its feet, Kairi complained, "It shields, too? Not fair."

Several of its safes started glowing in sequence, as if it wanted to annoy Kairi further. It kicked Patkaiser, sending it flying into LupinRex and X Emperor, and showered them with fireballs before charging some sort of sawblade attack at all three of them, forcing them all to break apart.

Kairi managed to maintain control of his jet and spun it around to keep firing on the Ganglar, but it had … disappeared? He knew the smartest thing to do was to pursue it and perhaps throw a tracker on it, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

He flew down and jumped out of his jet, checking on his teammates. Umika had also landed, while Touma was still airborne, most likely to watch the perimeter. Good - neither of them were injured, and the two Strikers had probably already escaped. He knew that they should follow suit, but …

It seemed that Umika was also down here for the same reason as him; she sprinted towards Tsukasa, who was currently draped over a slab of concrete.

Kairi also looked around, looking for any splash of red. A pile of rubble shifted near him, and Keiichiro emerged from behind it. Kairi started to move towards him, but froze; he was LupinRed right now, and Keiichiro hated LupinRed.

Unfortunately for him, Keiichiro rushed toward him as soon as he saw him; Kairi immediately raised his arms into a defensive stance and braced himself. For some reason, he slowed down, eventually coming to a stop a short distance away. In an unexpectedly tender voice, he breathed, "Red …"

Whatever this moment was, it was shattered by Sakuya's approach. He called, "Senpai, Red! Have either of you seen Noël-san?"

A cold female voice answered, "I have your missing boy right here."

All of the rangers on the ground turned towards Gauche, who had turned one of her hands into a blade, grasping a struggling Noël.

She continued, "Give me Jackpot Striker and I'll let this one live."

A pair of small voices cried out from behind them. "Noël!"

It was difficult to tell with the helmet on, but Noël seemed terrified - not by Gauche, but by Goody and Jack's presence. He yelled, "Don't do it - Goody, Jack, get out of here -"

Gauche cut him off by pressing the edge of her blade to his neck. "I'm patient, but not that patient. Make a decision."

Umika turned to him and whispered, "We're not actually gonna give Jack to her, are we? She's gonna hurt him for sure."

On his other side, Kairi heard Sakuya hiss, "No way she's gonna keep her word - we gotta find a way to get Noël-san out."

Kairi caught Keiichiro's eye, and they locked gazes for a moment. Without moving his head, Kairi also glanced back at the two Strikers, and somehow, he knew that Keiichiro had also done the same.

In unison, they ordered, "Follow my lead."

They both reached back and grabbed a Striker - Keiichiro took Jack, while Kairi took Goody - loaded them, and fired. Even Gauche was taken aback when two more Reds and two more Ichigous appeared on the field.

The three Reds spread out and simultaneously fired their grappling hooks; one aimed for Gauche's blade-arm while the other two grabbed Noël. The blade-arm was yanked back first, clearing the way for Noël to be pulled to safety. As soon as he was clear, Keiichiro and the two Ichigous, accompanied by Sakuya and Tsukasa, started firing on Gauche.

Kairi and the two Reds prepped their grappling hooks once more. Kairi called, "Yellow, her safe is on her back. Help us out?"

"Not a problem!"

They spread across the field and fired in sequence to turn Gauche around and incapacitate her. Kairi sprinted in, Scissors and his Red Dial Fighter at the ready -

Touma opened fire on something behind them. "Guys, the Lab Experiment is back!"

The Ganglar roared, and suddenly, all the clones disappeared, including the two Reds that were immobilizing her arms.

The world seemed to move in slow motion as Kairi watched Gauche lift her blade-arm - move, he had to move, but for some reason -

A red blur raced past him and tackled Gauche, forcing her to the ground. Keiichiro scrambled back to his feet and turned around, reaching out towards Kairi. "Red! Red, are you okay? Don't scare me like that -"

"Senpai!"

Keiichiro crashed into him, sending both of them tumbling down. At first, Kairi thought he did this on purpose, but he seemed just as surprised as he was. Kairi glanced up and his blood ran cold as he realized what had happened.

Gauche had recovered much faster than either of them anticipated. Sakuya, ever the model teammate and kouhai, had pushed Keiichiro out of the way and was skewered through the chest for his troubles. She withdrew the blade from his body and he instantly untransformed, falling to the ground in a heap.

With an anguished roar, Keiichiro (and Tsukasa?!) both rushed her, but she easily swatted them away with the flat of the blade. She marched towards the Lab Experiment, which was glowing green and convulsing, grabbed it by the nape of its neck, and opened a portal.

As she stepped through the portal, she called over her shoulder, "When we come back, the rest of you are dead."

Screaming matching guttural cries, Keiichiro and Tsukasa charged after her; it took Kairi, Umika, Noël, and the two Strikers to fully stop them.

Unfortunately, Keiichiro was the type to keep fighting; despite the forces acting against him, he continued to inch forward, howling, "Let me go! She's gonna pay -"

Kairi, whose arms were wrapped around Keiichiro's middle, tried to tug him back. "If revenge is what you want, you can kill her later, but right now, we gotta treat Nigou!"

Keiichiro froze. "Oh fuck, Sakuya -"

They all turned around to see Touma doing his best to treat Sakuya with the emergency bandages he always kept on hand. Thankfully, there wasn't a gaping wound on his chest - his suit likely absorbed most of the damage - but it probably still hurt like hell.

Keiichiro and Tsukasa sprinted to his side, and Touma handed off an extra roll of bandages. Noël was already on the phone, requesting a helicopter evacuation. The two Strikers approached him like frightened children; he whispered something to them and continued the phone call.

Goody flew over and poked Kairi. "Since we're homeless for the moment, Noël asked us to live with you."

Jack joined them, adding, "Come on, we gotta go. This place'll be swarming with GSPO soon."

With one last look at the unconscious Sakuya, they fled the scene.

As Noël climbed the stairs and turned the corner, he was surprised and quite concerned when he saw Keiichiro and Tsukasa exactly where he had left them three hours ago: sitting on a bench motionless, silent, and staring through the window at Sakuya's unconscious body. He padded over to them and peered into the window to check if anything had changed.

As most of them had assumed, the Patranger transformation absorbed most of the damage so the blade piercing Sakuya wasn't fatal, but when the hospital ran tests and scans, they found blunt force trauma to his chest with a few bruised ribs in approximately the same spot he was stabbed. He would definitely live, they had reassured them, but they had to keep him overnight so they could monitor his condition.

Noël glanced to the side at Keiichiro and Tsukasa; for lack of a better word, they looked like shit. They had walked away from today's fight with relatively light injuries, but the obvious stress in their bodies seemed to have aged them. And if they really hadn't moved at all since Sakuya was placed in this room, then they hadn't eaten since breakfast this morning.

He cleared his throat. "Keiichiro-kun, Tsukasa-san. Have you eaten at all?"

After a few seconds, Keiichiro shook his head in a way that reminded Noël of a rusty, unoiled machine attempting to move after centuries of inactivity.

"Have you had anything to drink?"

Tsukasa swallowed hard, as if she just noticed how dry her mouth was.

"Mon dieu."

He stepped out to make a quick phone call and upon his return, he kneeled in front of them and gently took their hands. "Mes amis, you need to eat dinner. Please, come with me."

Tsukasa shook her head, while Keiichiro mumbled, "No … 's my fault again …"

Of all things, this was the one that snapped Tsukasa out of her trance. She turned to him and asked, "Do you still blame yourself for -"

Keiichiro buried his face in his free hand. "I know we talked about this already, and normally, I don't. But on bad days …"

Noël squeezed their hands. "It sounds like there's more to this. I won't pry if you don't want to talk, but I will not allow you two to drown alone in whatever ocean this is. Will you humor me by at least looking at a plate of food?"

After some hesitation, both of them nodded.

One pair of footsteps behind him stopped as they turned onto a familiar street. Noël called back, "Is something wrong?"

"Jurer closes at eight," Keiichiro pointed out. "It's eight-thirty."

Noël turned to smile at him. "Not to worry, chéri. I've called ahead and asked for a favor."

Tsukasa frowned. "But … that's asking too much, don't you think?"

"Not at all. Besides, they accepted without question when they heard that you two needed some cheering up."

Keiichiro and Tsukasa both turned a light shade of pink.

Noël motioned for them to follow. "Come, come, allons-y. Let's not keep them waiting."

The smells of all their favorite foods wafted through the air before they even entered the bistro. Noël opened the door and Kairi and Umika were already there, welcoming them in with a smile.

And just as he thought, Kairi and Umika's presence alone had a significant impact on his teammates. As they all settled in at their table (Kairi having to pull up an extra chair), Noël could pretend that they were having a regular dinner - Umika was already making Tsukasa laugh, Kairi poked fun at Keiichiro, and even Touma joined them (and by "joined," he meant "was eating his own dinner at the table next to them and occasionally smiled").

An hour later, after they had all eaten their fill and moved on to coffee and desserts, Umika was the first one brave enough to ask, "We heard about the battle earlier. Is, um … is Sakuya-san going to be okay?"

Instantly, their faces fell; Tsukasa cradled her coffee cup while Keiichiro grabbed another éclair. As she drummed her fingers on her cup, Tsukasa murmured, "He'll be fine. He'll be released tomorrow. But …"

Keiichiro shook his head. "In his condition, he can't be on the front lines for a few weeks. If those Ganglars show up again, we'll be at a disadvantage."

Noël set down his teacup. "While we're on the subject of not being fit for the field …" He glanced at Tsukasa, who hung her head. "You don't need to tell me anything that you don't want to, but Tsukasa-san, I've never seen you that angry before. Do you perhaps have some history with Gauche - something that may compromise you during a mission?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kairi and Keiichiro freeze at the mention of being compromised during a battle.

Tsukasa exhaled slowly, and Umika placed her hand over hers. "Not with Gauche, no …" She looked up at Keiichiro, who nodded. "It has to do with Sakuya's predecessor … the original Nigou."

"The original?" Noël repeated. "That makes sense … if you three were supposed to be ordered by seniority, Sakuya should be Sangou."

"The first Nigou was Satoru Shinonome," Keiichiro explained. "Back then, when the Tactical Unit was first formed, we didn't have the VS Changers - just regular firearms, which are ineffective against Ganglars. It was … a rough time." He took a bite of the éclair in an attempt to calm himself. "It was all we could do to save civilians - we had no real way to stop the Ganglars. Sometimes, we had to rescue the same family we'd saved the week before. And sometimes … instead of saving them again, we had to recover their bodies."

Kairi pressed against Keiichiro's side and rested his head on his shoulder. Keiichiro responded by wrapping his arm around Kairi.

Tsukasa entwined her fingers with Umika's, as if she was searching for support. "We heard rumors of a Ganglar hiding in one of the old warehouses by the wharf. In retrospect, without the proper weapons to take him down, it was basically a suicide mission, but we couldn't just walk away. We all believed - and still do believe - that trying and doing something is better than doing nothing. The Ganglar collapsed the hallway we were in to make his getaway. Satoru pulled us both out of the way, but … he very nearly didn't make it. He lived, but his injuries were so severe that he could never be cleared for the field again. Not long after, Satoru was transferred to France HQ, and Sakuya was chosen as his replacement."

Noël rubbed his chin. "I see. So seeing Sakuya like that …" He trailed off, but everyone in the room understood.

Keiichiro buried his face in his hands. "It was my screw-up today … I'm normally more aware of my surroundings …"

Tsukasa tilted her head and studied him intently. "Not to dogpile, but I agree, you are normally more cautious than that. Was there something different about today?"

Noël thought back to their chaotic battle: right before Sakuya got stabbed, what was he doing - he was pushing Keiichiro out of the way, right. Keiichiro needed to be saved, why? Because after tackling Gauche to the ground, he had turned his back to her. And why did he do that?

He glanced up; from the look on Kairi's face, he had arrived at the realization, too. Keiichiro cast his eyes down and fiddled with the coffee cup as he muttered, "… I don't know … but it won't happen again."

A boiling kettle whistled from the kitchen. A few minutes later, Touma approached and set down a tray of six teacups. "This is a chamomile and peppermint tea blend. I figured it would help after … that. It's still hot, so be careful."

They slowly drank their tea in silence. Noël couldn't help but notice that Kairi had moved away from Keiichiro and kept his distance for the rest of the night.

Sakuya knew why Keiichiro and Tsukasa were being like this - how could he not? He knew that losing Satoru was tough on both of them (Keiichiro especially), and now that they were keenly aware of the fact that they could easily lose another Nigou and their kouhai, whatever latent feelings they thought were dead and buried only intensified. He knew it came from a place of love, and he could never hold it against them.

But still, they were being goddamn annoying about it.

Keiichiro peered around the corner of the building, looking for either the Lupinrangers or any sign of the Ganglars. Tsukasa fidgeted and kept stealing glances at him when she thought he wasn't looking.

"They're all here," Keiichiro announced. "Move out on my command."

Tsukasa loaded her Trigger Machine. "Sakuya, you remember the plan?"

He frowned and pouted like a child, but still said, "I hang back and cover Keiichiro-senpai and Noël-san as they go unlock the safes."

"And?" they both added, sounding much like a pair of overbearing parents.

"… and I do not join the front line, no matter the circumstances."

Tsukasa nodded to Keiichiro, and he gave the signal.

They all rushed forward, immediately identifying the Lab Experiment. Fortunately, Gauche was nowhere to be seen, which worked out for them, since Noël insisted on keeping Goody and Jack close. They peppered him with shots, dodging as needed and trying to find an opening. It did seem a little slower this time; Sakuya wasn't going to complain about that, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was slower because it had received some sort of power-up in exchange.

He was proven right when two of the safes simultaneously glowed green and the Lab Experiment unleashed a barrage of energy slashes and fireballs at the same time. Everyone managed to dodge in time, but one of the fireballs caught the edge of Yellow's cape, setting it on fire.

Tsukasa gasped and moved to run to Yellow, but Sakuya called, "Senpai, don't! You stay here with me!"

"But -"

Sakuya clenched his teeth. "We gotta stick to the plan, remember?!"

Reluctantly, she remained where she was, but Sakuya could see that she was constantly aiming for the Lab Experiment's head so that it couldn't spit more fireballs. (Yellow had put out the cape fire herself in a matter of seconds.)

Second by second, they were inching closer - they would have their opening soon -

The Lab Experiment slashed Red, and Keiichiro reacted by dashing in and punching it in the stomach. Sakuya fired several precise shots so that the Lab Experiment was unable to counterattack with Keiichiro so close.

This distraction was exactly what they needed; together, the Lupinrangers, Keiichiro, and Noël unlocked the safes and took back the Collection pieces. Without anyone giving out a single command, they united for the final strike.

The five broken safes crashed to the ground, and Sakuya breathed a sigh of relief. Noël, however, kept his X Changer ready and motioned for the Strikers to stick close to him. "Careful, mes amis. She's gonna show up any minute now."

True to his word, Gauche stepped out from behind a column, but she didn't have the blade-arm and didn't seem hostile. In fact, she seemed … kind of tired.

"Unfortunately, it performed about as well as expected," she sighed. "At least I got some good information out of it." She revived the Lab Experiment and retreated back to the Ganglar world.

Good information? Something about the way Gauche said that sent shivers up Sakuya's spine, but he could worry about that later, when there wasn't a giant monster about to destroy the city.

Goody flew over to Red and Keiichiro. "How about we end this quickly and stylishly?"

Red chuckled as he loaded Goody. "For once, we agree."

Good Cool Kaiser VSX finished off the Lab Experiment in record time. When they broke apart, Sakuya tried to suggest that they grab dinner, but both Keiichiro and Tsukasa were staring after the Lupinrangers' escaping vehicles.

Sakuya frowned and turned to Noël, who simply nodded. Under his breath, he said, "I see it, too. We should probably resolve this before it becomes a bigger issue."

Destra folded his arms. "I see your latest experiment didn't do quite as well as you hoped."

Gauche slammed her fist on her empty operating table. "The experiment did the best it could with what I gave it. The problem is, I wasn't counting on the brats to team up."

After a moment of contemplation, Destra nodded. "I thought they'd be at each other's throats a lot more. Wilson made that mistake, too - he was so sure that the two red ones would kill each other if we didn't, and look where that got us."

She wanted to slice Destra open for reminding her of that particular battle, but she relented; Destra was a powerful ally and he still had his uses.

She thought out loud, "We need to keep them from working together. I don't care how we do it, as long as they stop joining forces."

Chapter Text

Keiichiro took a seat on one of the couches and shared a nervous glance with Tsukasa. Sakuya asking for a team dinner was not unusual; in fact, he'd be more worried if Sakuya insisted on going straight home after a mission.

No, what worried him was that he had insisted on a karaoke room (because Noël still hadn't been, he claimed) and that Noël kept eyeing him and Tsukasa like they were children in trouble.

After they ordered food and drinks and Noël sang a few French songs (to keep up the appearance, he was sure), Sakuya took a deep breath and revealed why they had specifically come here.

"Keiichiro-senpai, Tsukasa-senpai. I think we need to talk."

Keiichiro sighed. It wasn't like he didn't see this coming. He rested his hand on Sakuya's shoulder. "Sakuya, I'm sorry. We're sorry." Tsukasa nodded in agreement. "We're just a little on edge because … well, you know. We'll get over it as soon as you're fully healed."

Sakuya smiled wanly. "Thanks, but that isn't what this is about."

At their confused looks, Noël clarified, "This is about you two, and also Umika-chan and Kairi-kun."

Keiichiro and Tsukasa shared another concerned look; hopefully, he hadn't just turned as red as Tsukasa, but with how hot his entire face and chest were, he didn't like his chances.

Noël folded his arms. "I apologize for opening with sarcasm, but thank you for confirming that the Jurer employees are indeed the Lupinrangers, based on your behavior on and off the battlefield. Especially yours, Keiichiro-kun."

They could only bow their heads in shame, and he had half a mind to pull up his trenchcoat like a hood to try to hide his face.

Sakuya waved his hand. "We're not trying to tell you to break up with them or anything, but sometimes, it seems like you're … overly concerned sometimes. They're just as capable and just as good at fighting as us - like, Tsukasa-senpai, I'm sorry, but Umika-chan can put out her own cape fires just fine."

Keiichiro furrowed his brow. "Yellow's cape caught on fire? When?"

Noël buried his face in his hands. "Oh la la …"

Tsukasa sighed. "I know. I know she can go toe-to-toe with the Ganglars - and us, too. If we got into a fight, she'd probably win. But sometimes, I can't help myself. We were so close to losing you - I -" Her breath caught in her throat. "… it got me scared. I can't bear the thought of losing her."

Keiichiro thought of Kairi - of losing Kairi - and his heart twisted just as badly as it had when that Podaman was about to hurt him.

"And Keiichiro-senpai?" Sakuya took a deep breath as his face contorted, like he was trying and failing to hold back some foreign emotion. He glared at him, gripping the microphone so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and Keiichiro realized why that emotion looked so foreign on Sakuya - he had never seen him angry before.

"I was stabbed," he finally managed to say through clenched teeth. "I was fucking stabbed right through the chest because you were more concerned with Kairi-kun than the, oh, I don't know, actual life-or-death battle we were in!"

He shut his eyes tightly. It hurt, but Sakuya was right. How in the world did he ever let his feelings for Kairi consume him like this? When had it even happened?

"Look, I'm sorry, senpai, but it needs to be said," Sakuya continued. "I survived this time, but what about next time? Me, Tsukasa-senpai, Noël-san - any of us could die the next time that you decide Kairi-kun is more important than the Ganglar trying to kill us!"

"Sakuya-kun …" Noël sighed.

"I know, I know." Something slammed against the table, and Keiichiro cautiously opened his eyes. Sakuya, still looking torn between anger and remorse, had his fist on the table, while Tsukasa and Noël sat frozen by the sidelines, seemingly too stunned or afraid to interject.

On the verge of tears, Keiichiro whimpered, "I'm sorry, Sakuya …"

Sakuya sighed and leaned back on the couch, running his hand through his hair. "I know you like him. I know he's important to you. But also …" His hand rested on his chest. "It really hurt, Senpai. It hurt the entire time."

He bowed his head in shame. He had to do something about this, he just didn't know what. Or rather, he knew exactly what had to be done - he would just rather die than have to do it.

Keiichiro rose to his feet, avoiding eye contact with everyone. "I'm gonna go - I have a lot to think about. I really am sorry, Sakuya." He had his hand on the doorknob when Tsukasa tugged at his trenchcoat.

He'd only seen this intense look from her once before, right after Satoru had departed for France. "I know you too well. You're not doing anything until we talk about it, okay?" She turned back to Sakuya and Noël. "Put the room and all the food on my card. We'll see you tomorrow."

Tsukasa really did know him well. Anyone else, including Sakuya, Commander Hilltop, and Satoru, would have tried taking him to a bar or lounge (or some other relatively quiet place with alcoholic drinks) to have a heart-to-heart conversation. Instead, she took him to a dessert shop and ordered two iced coffees and anything on the menu that contained red bean paste.

As they settled into a table in the corner, she immediately opened with, "I know what you're thinking of doing. Don't."

Keiichiro sighed and took a bite out of an anpan. "What else am I supposed to do? What else can I do? I -" His voice died in his throat. Maybe if he didn't voice the idea, it wouldn't have to come true.

Adamantly, she shook her head. "We can all see how happy he makes you. I've never seen you as happy as you are when you two are in the same room. We can figure something out - don't try to forget him, and don't try to walk away from him."

As expected, Keiichiro's heart lurched at the mention of possibly trying to leave Kairi in the past. "Tsukasa … I don't think I could do that, even if I tried. It - it feels like I'm in too deep - I don't even know how or why -"

She gently squeezed his wrist. "That's just you, and there's nothing wrong with that. As long as I've known you, your emotions have always just been so big - it's like you feel everything at 120%. Sure, it means you get riled up pretty easily, but it also makes you so much more passionate for the things that matter to you. It's what makes you you, and I wouldn't change it for anything."

He buried his face in his hand. Tsukasa could try to spin this as a good point all she wanted - it didn't change the fact that when his emotions took over, it never ended well. All those times she and Satoru had to rein him in when they were chasing criminals in Shibuya? Seeing Satoru get hurt? Kairi goading him in Kusakawa?

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Well, I would very much like to change that because it's damn inconvenient right now. How do you do it? How are you not worried out of your mind whenever Umika-chan joins the fight?"

Tsukasa paused to think about it, and Keiichiro took the opportunity to finish off his anpan and grab a second. She took a sip of her coffee and began, "She's not stupid - none of them are. She knew what she was getting into when she became a phantom thief, just like we knew what we were getting into when we joined the GSPO. And don't forget, they were the Lupinrangers for a year before we met them - they wouldn't all still be alive if they weren't good at what they do. She's got quick reflexes and a good head on her shoulders. I meant it when I said she could probably beat me in a fight. She's got my back and I've got hers."

Keiichiro nodded slowly as he sipped his coffee. "Like she's always been part of our team?"

"Exactly." She paused as she picked out a sticky rice cake for herself. "Before you got that fear into your head, weren't there fights where you worked really well together?"

He finished off the anpan as he thought about the battles with Ushibaroque and Raimon and that entire misadventure in the Ganglar homeworld. Vividly, he recalled that feeling of perfect synchronization as they narrowly escaped Destra and Gauche. Once upon a time, he had no problems with Kairi fighting - he trusted him to play his role, improvise if needed, and walk away from the battle, none the worse for wear.

And now he was damn near paralyzed with fear every time Kairi set foot on the battlefield.

When the hell did that change?

Tsukasa kept sipping her coffee; it took Keiichiro an embarrassingly long amount of time to realize that she was waiting on him to answer her. Clearing his throat, he clarified, "There were fights, yeah. There were a bunch. It's just … something changed. I'm trying to remember what or when …"

"Hm." She drummed her fingers on the table. "The day that you told him that you were scared of losing him - it was the day you lost your memories, wasn't it?"

Her words hit him like a bolt from the blue. How could he have forgotten? That day, he told Kairi the honest truth: in all of his years, including his training at the academy and the hellish first year of the Tactical Unit, nothing had terrified him more than the prospect of never seeing Kairi's smile or hearing his voice or feeling his warmth ever again.

Only one other thing came close.

"What happened that day?" she asked. "Noël never told me."

"He -" The words got caught in his throat, and he drank some coffee in an attempt to dislodge them. "… he tackled a Podaman to save me. Untransformed and unarmed. Just …" The music player in his pocket suddenly felt heavier. "Just like -"

"Stop," Tsukasa ordered, raising her voice slightly. "That was not your fault. Satoru loved you and just wanted to protect you - he didn't intend on almost dying for you. And it's not going to happen again - Kairi-kun has a VS Changer, and he's every bit as capable in combat as Satoru was - maybe even more."

Against his will, he remembered that horrific fight in the warehouse. He remembered bullrushing Zonic Lee when he struck Satoru, and Satoru screaming at him to wait, to stop. He remembered being pulled back as the hallway collapsed on itself, and he remembered seeing Satoru's almost lifeless body amongst the rubble after the dust settled. Only this time, it wasn't Satoru, it was Kairi, mask and hat askew, bleeding so much that he couldn't see where the blood stopped and his suit began, never to smile at him again -

"Tsukasa … it hurt seeing Satoru like that, but with Kairi, I …" He cast his eyes down and whimpered, "I'm so scared of losing him."

She pursed her lips. "Do you think you would still be feeling so scared if it were LupinRed that saved you instead?"

Keiichiro paused. "What are you getting at? They're the same person - we know they are."

"Sure, logically, you know they're the same. But I think …" Tsukasa groaned and scratched her head. "Maybe this doesn't make a lot of sense, but I think you still feel like they're separate people. If you found out that LupinRed was out there fighting a Ganglar right now on his own, how would you react?"

Keiichiro's entire body tensed. "I'd wonder why I hadn't gotten a call from Jim - I'd run out to find him -"

Tsukasa held up her hand. "You're seeing him as Kairi-kun. Think. Pretend that you don't know who LupinRed is."

He leaned back in his chair. If he was being honest, Kairi being LupinRed had haunted his thoughts so thoroughly for the past month or so that he struggled to recall what his thought process was like before. But if he really tried - if he thought back to their first few fights -

"I'm not sure I would have reacted much, if at all. Maybe I'd try to go out and arrest him to keep up the facade with the top brass, but under normal circumstances, he wouldn't need saving, would he?"

Tsukasa nodded. "Right now, you only see Kairi-kun - a civilian waiter, someone to be protected. LupinRed is part of him, too, and I think that, until you truly accept that in your heart of hearts, you're gonna be scared every time he goes up against a Ganglar - and he will keep doing that until the entire Collection is gathered."

Absentmindedly, he grabbed another anpan and took a bite. "How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

Tsukasa shrugged. "I don't know? I was sort of hoping you'd have a solution, but …"

He sighed and took a few more bites. At least they had identified the problem, even if he didn't quite understand it. But without fully understanding the problem, how could he think of an answer?

His gaze wandered to the half-eaten anpan in his hand and he paused. The combination of fluffy, soft bread and sweet red bean paste was what made an anpan an anpan; you couldn't have one without the other.

Out loud, he mused, "He's an anpan …"

Tsukasa blinked, and then blinked again. "… what?" She quickly shook her head. "You know what, never mind."

He held up the anpan and studied it intently. According to Tsukasa, he was only able to see either the bread or the red bean paste - Kairi or LupinRed - and he never truly considered them part of the same whole. Their personalities were just so different … or at least, it started out that way. He didn't know if he was starting to recognize Kairi's mannerisms more or if Kairi's masks were blending together, but he could now see Kairi in Red.

However, when he spent time with him as Kairi, he saw zero trace of Red; he was just so sweet and kind. But that mask, too, was slipping. That night after they got back from the Ganglar homeworld and in Kusakawa, there was a hint of something else beneath the waiter and the phantom thief personas.

"… he's just hiding so much of himself," he mused out loud. "Like we only see what he wants us to see."

"We do. But you - I think he's more comfortable around you. That slip up you told me about the other day? He might not have realized that he'd said 'arigachu' as Red because he was talking to you. He's probably told you things that he would never tell any of us, not in a million years."

"No, he hasn't." But as soon as the words escaped his lips, he knew he was wrong.

"The next time you're with him, look at him. Really look at him. I think he trusts you enough to start being his actual self around you, even if he's not aware of it."

Keiichiro sighed and nodded. "It's a start. Thank you, Tsukasa."

Two weeks later, when Sakuya was cleared to return to desk work, the Patrangers decided to have a celebratory lunch at Jurer. Normally, Keiichiro wouldn't think twice about it, but Sakuya taking time off to recover meant that the remaining Patrangers had to divide his shifts amongst themselves, and he was stuck with all the night shifts. He'd been too tired to stop by Jurer or even walk around to try to find Kairi at his usual spots. He hadn't even sent him a message (but then again, Kairi hadn't sent him one, either). Was he mad at him or perhaps took his absence personally? Or would he be there to greet him, smiling and talking like he'd never left?

They opened the door and Umika welcomed them, as usual. As they sat down, they could hear and smell the tell-tale signs that Touma had started making their drinks, as usual. Kairi, as was usual sometimes, was absent.

Umika hugged Tsukasa before moving on to say, "We missed you guys! And Sakuya-san's here, thank goodness! I guess you're feeling better?"

Sakuya nodded. "I've got another week before I'm cleared for the field, but I can help the others with desk work now!"

Noël chuckled. "Merci beaucoup, Sakuya-kun. I've saved the evidence inventory forms just for you."

Sakuya pouted. "You know I hate doing those, Noël-san …"

"Anyway," Tsukasa interjected. "Anything interesting happen while we were gone?"

Umika shrugged. "Not really? Summer's winding down, so we've been looking at fall seasonal items. Oh, and Touma had some … words for Noël-san about the croquembouche you ordered that one morning -"

"Never again," Touma complained.

Noël draped himself dramatically over the back of his chair. "But chéri, you did such a wonderful job -"

Touma groaned as he set out the drinks for Umika to serve. "Still not your chéri, but if you really want another one of those godforsaken things, give me one week's notice. And I'll charge you extra."

Noël pouted. "Oh la la …"

As Umika passed out the drinks, Tsukasa nudged Keiichiro under the table. He raised his hand slightly to catch Umika's attention and asked, "Do you know where Kairi is?"

Immediately, the smile fell off of her face and she clutched the serving tray to her chest.

Not good.

"Well …" She glanced nervously at the door. "Touma sent him out to pick up some extra groceries, but, uh …"

A hand grasped his shoulder, and Keiichiro damn near leapt out of his chair. Quietly, Touma urged him, "No matter what Kairi does or says, try not to be your usual overzealous self. He's been in a mood lately, and we think it has something to do with you. Please just keep your mouth shut and try not to make it worse."

As quickly and silently as he appeared, Touma moved back to the kitchen, acting like nothing was wrong. The door opened and in walked Kairi, carrying two large bags of groceries and looking like he hadn't slept in several days. Keiichiro opened his mouth to say hello, but at Touma's death glare, closed it, like he was asked to do.

Kairi dropped off the bags behind the counter, said a few words to Touma, and circled back around, clearly intending on heading back upstairs. Normally, Umika would try to stop him and needle him into working for a little bit, but she simply ducked out of his way.

Noël shared a quick glance with Tsukasa before calling out, "Bonjour, Kairi-kun!"

He turned around and blinked like a deer in the headlights; apparently, even though their table should have been the first thing he saw, it didn't even register to him that they were there.

"Oh. Noël-san. Hi." He shuffled over and offered a polite, fake smile. "I guess Sakuya-san's all recovered now, right?"

Sakuya nodded, seemingly also stunned by Kairi's subdued behavior.

"That's good."

The dead air hung over them for a moment too long.

Kairi's nose twitched. "Well. I need to go take care of some things. See you later, I guess." He headed in the opposite direction, towards the exit to Jurer.

He couldn't help himself; before anyone could stop him, Keiichiro blurted out, "It's good to see you."

Kairi finally made eye contact with him, and he was struck at how hollow he looked. No spark, no smile, just a blank stare.

"… you, too … Keiichiro-san."

Without another word, he opened the door and left.

The rest of the world slowed down and fell apart around Keiichiro as he stared at the closed door in front of him. It was such a little thing. It shouldn't have made a difference, what Kairi called him, but …

It hurt. It hurt so much.

Chapter Text

Kairi could no longer remember the last time he had a restful night. Either insomnia would keep him staring at the ceiling and restless enough to leap across the city rooftops or he would be so exhausted that he'd actually fall asleep, only to have nightmares about the Lupinrangers and Patrangers dying in horrific fashions because he screwed up in a fight. Keiichiro ended up dying most of the time, but Kairi was pretty sure he had watched the life fade from everyone's eyes at least once.

Last night, Keiichiro died again, quickly followed by Noël, Sakuya, and Tsukasa, all because he hesitated at the wrong moment.

He pried his eyes open and lay on his bed, unable to scream and unable to cry. The dawn light pouring in from outside shifted hues as the shadows on the wall changed. The world around him kept going while he wished that he would just drown and get it over with.

After what felt like hours of feeling sorry for himself, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed and sat up, pressing his palms into his eyes. Not for the first time, he wondered if it would be worth it to track down Silver and ask him to take care of Touma and Umika while he collected what pieces he could alone. Sure, it might mean that he wouldn't be there to greet Shouri when he came back, but if he was being honest, he hadn't expected to for quite some time.

He blinked once and then twice before his room came back into focus. Speaking of Silver, two of his calling cards were stuck to his window. One card had a set of coordinates, and the other warned:

Arsène's favorite Collection piece. Traps everywhere. Use caution.

If you actually manage to retrieve it, I'll consider giving Cyclone back.

Sighing, he snatched the calling cards and got dressed. To be completely honest, he wasn't up for a mission, but right now, he would do anything to distract himself from the thoughts in his own head.

Giant boulders, spike traps, and reanimated suits of armor, he could handle. As Kairi made it through the secret cave alone, he could almost pretend he was someone else - maybe some adventurer on a quest or some explorer in a ruin.

Then, in a blinding flash of light, he was hit with the final trap.

Instead of the cave, he was in a familiar high school gym, wearing a familiar uniform. In front of him, standing underneath the basketball hoop, was Shouri, smiling like he never blamed Kairi for his death.

"Kairi … I'm so glad you're okay." Shouri approached him, arms wide open for a hug -

Kairi held out an arm and shoved him away, grumbling, "I am not dealing with this right now …" He aimed his VS Changer and shot at everything - the ceiling, the walls, the window, even the hoop and basketball. All of his shots were absorbed harmlessly in a pulse of green light.

Rolling his eyes, he turned back to Shouri and saw that he had spread his arms wide once again. As if to make sure Kairi got the hint, he pointed at his own heart.

Those words, scattered around the cave like some sort of warning - brise te fers. Break your chains.

If Arsène weren't already dead, he would've tried to kill him for setting up this last test.

With his signature gentle yet condescending smile, Shouri said, "I just want you to be okay. Don't walk down this dark path for me."

In an instant, Kairi raised his VS Changer and aimed at Shouri's heart. "What if I want to?"

Shouri frowned. "I don't understand. You said you didn't have a choice."

He shrugged. "It started out feeling that way, yeah. But turns out, I like it and I'm good at it. I have never been this good at anything else in my goddamn life -"

"That's not true."

Those three little words, as usual, boiled Kairi's blood. He placed his finger on the trigger and screamed, "Stop lying to me! I might have been passable sometimes, but never as good as you!"

Shouri sighed. "You're serious about this, then? Becoming a phantom thief?"

Kairi took a deep breath and focused, thinking about what his life was like before and what his life was like now. Which would he choose? Trying and failing repeatedly to emerge from his brother's shadow? Or embracing the mask, living in the in-between, unsure and unsafe but free?

It didn't take long for him to come up with an answer.

"I have never been more serious about anything else. When I put on that mask, when I fly through the air, even when plans go wrong and I almost die - I have never felt more alive. I have never felt more myself. You're not taking this away from me."

He pulled the trigger, and Shouri and the basketball gym disappeared in another flash of light. The uniform, too, had faded away, leaving him in his phantom thief outfit. He won, didn't he? He passed Arsène's little test?

"So, what will you do when I find out?"

Kairi closed his eyes and hissed, "Arsène, you motherfucker."

When he opened his eyes, he was in Jurer, still wearing his phantom thief outfit, facing Keiichiro, who sat in his usual seat drinking his usual coffee. He tilted his head and stared at Kairi, waiting for a response.

Kairi's nose twitched. "You won't."

Keiichiro smiled one of his shy smiles and set his coffee down. "I'm not that stupid and you're not that clever. Try again."

He clenched his teeth. "I'll … die, I guess?"

Keiichiro frowned. "Kairi …"

Even if he was an illusion, the sound of Keiichiro saying his name was still as intoxicating as it was in real life. He tried not to get distracted as he explained, "It'd be really easy, you know. I'd just have to mess up in a battle, and you know I can do that. You can forget about me and the others will keep going and make our wish - I don't need to be alive for that."

"There's a problem. Not just with your explanation, but also your idea itself." He rose from his chair and softly caressed Kairi's cheek; he had to try very hard to remain standing and not simply melt into Keiichiro's touch.

"As long as I breathe, as long as I can do something about it - do you really think I'd let you die?"

Kairi tore himself away and raised his VS Changer. "Don't you fucking do that. You're supposed to protect everyone's smiles, be everyone's hero - you shouldn't waste your time on me."

He frowned. "Why is it so hard for you to believe that I want to save you, too?"

Kairi wanted to believe it. He wanted to believe that Keiichiro would choose him - that he would stop at nothing to save him - that he was capable of being saved -

But he didn't. He didn't believe any of that.

After waiting too long for an answer that would never come, Keiichiro sighed and folded his arms. "So, let's review. I will find out eventually, and you can't run away by dying. What will you do when I find out you're LupinRed? What will you do when I find out you've been lying to me the entire time we've known each other? What will you do when I have to come and arrest you?"

Despite his best efforts, a few tears rolled down his cheeks. Arsène had him locked down; he could no longer run away from all the thoughts and questions and feelings that had plagued him ever since Keiichiro saved him all those months ago.

"I … I don't know, okay?!" Kairi cried. "I don't want to think about it!"

Keiichiro pursed his lips and looked up at him with pleading eyes. "You can't be a phantom thief and have me, Kairi. You need to choose."

"No, I don't."

"You're being greedy."

"And?! I'm a thief - I'm supposed to be greedy!"

Keiichiro pinched the bridge of his nose. "You cannot have both. If you keep being a phantom thief while still trying to hold onto me, I will find out, and what we have right now will disappear in an instant. I will always look at Kairi fondly, but LupinRed …"

Even though the bruises were mostly healed, Kairi felt the fresh sting of the injuries he'd received the last time Keiichiro chose Kairi over LupinRed. Out of desperation, he suggested, "Or you could be fine with it?"

He gave him a joyless smile. "With very few exceptions, I have not lied to you as long as we've known each other. You, on the other hand, have never stopped lying to me. Maybe I'd forgive you, but are you really willing to take that chance?"

Kairi closed his eyes and, as much as he didn't want to, tried to imagine Keiichiro finding out his secret identity. He hated it, but Arsène's stupid illusion was right - there was no situation and no combination of words that could soften the blow of such a betrayal to Keiichiro. Against his will, he recalled how quickly and thoroughly he had been beaten in Kusakawa and wondered how much worse it would be if Keiichiro was even angrier and wasn't holding back.

He didn't like his chances.

Keiichiro stepped forward and lifted the VS Changer, pressing the muzzle to his heart. "If you want to keep being a phantom thief - if being a phantom thief means that much to you - you need to let me go."

Kairi's hands trembled, but Keiichiro kept a firm grip on the VS Changer. He knew what he had to do. He knew that if he ripped off the bandage now - if he just cut contact with him and never looked back - it would be the least painful path for the both of them.

But still.

"… I don't want to."

"I know."

He blinked away the blurriness in his eyes and looked at Keiichiro - really looked at him, memorizing every little detail - the exact shade of his deep brown eyes, his smile and frown lines, the little beauty mark under the corner of his mouth, his jawline, the way his bangs brushed against his eyebrows, every single curve and line - he committed it all to memory because he was never going to be this close to him again.

"Please don't make me do this. Please."

He reached up and wiped away one of his tears. "Even if it wasn't for our secret identities, you knew how it would end the moment you realized I was falling in love with you. Have any of your relationships ended any other way?"

Several faces flashed through Kairi's mind. He couldn't remember any of their names - just that they were initially together to have some fun and that he left the moment they tried to say "I love you."

I don't want to leave you I don't want to hurt you please

"I thought it might end differently this time."

"Why? What makes me so different from everyone else you've dated?"

"Because this time …" Kairi could hear his own heart breaking. "This time … Kei-chan, I love you, too."

The moment the words tumbled out of his mouth, the feelings became real. Now that the feelings were real, they could hurt him.

And they hurt. Oh god, they hurt. He wanted to tear open his chest and rip out his still-beating heart, just so it would stop hurting. There was so much he could never do, so much he could never say now that he was following this path - it was like a part of him blinked out of existence, never to return and leaving no trace except for the empty space that remained.

With one hand, he cradled Keiichiro's head and pulled him in for a kiss. He savored every sensation - the curve of his lips, the warmth of his body, his heartbeat pulsing through him, his hair inbetween Kairi's fingers, his hands grasping the fabric of Kairi's jacket, his breath on his cheeks, his little shudder when Kairi bit down softly on his bottom lip - if this was going to be his last chance to be this close to him, he had to make it count.

I love you Kei-chan I love you I'm sorry I'm so sorry please forgive me

With his other hand, he pulled the trigger.

Hesitantly, Kairi opened his eyes.

No Shouri.

No Keiichiro.

He was back in the cave, in front of a pedestal. The glass case that had previously protected the red gun had melted away, leaving it ripe for the taking.

Kairi blinked. For what he had to go through to get the damn thing, it looked so innocuous. He grabbed it, and in another flash of light (Kairi internally wailed at the thought of yet another trap), a silhouette of a man in a top hat and cape appeared.

"You have shown me your dedication to the path of the phantom thief. I entrust you with my beloved Collection piece."

Kairi's eye twitched.

As he took the Lupin Magnum and walked away, he snarled, "And I'll use it to become a better phantom thief than you ever were, you prick."

Touma Yoimachi was not stupid, naive, or stupidly naive. Of course he noticed that the Patrangers were allowing them to take the Collection pieces while making it look like they were at odds with the Lupinrangers. His first theory was that they were trying to lead them into a trap - and then he saw Keiichiro and Tsukasa fall in love with his teammates. His next thought was that his teammates could pretend to be interested in order to steal information and Collection pieces from the GSPO - and then he watched as Kairi and Umika slowly return their feelings. Now, it was all he could do to try to protect his family from the inevitable heartbreak waiting at the end of their mission.

… not for the first time, he wondered if he should be calling them out at all, considering that he had started to think of them as family and no longer a means to an end.

Fortunately, events were playing out well (for the most part). The Ganglars posed more of a threat to them than the Patrangers, and all four of them had demonstrated that they would go to great lengths to protect the thieves.

Which came in handy today, as neither of them could contact Kairi before engaging in another Ganglar fight.

As Umika fired off a few shots, she hissed, "You don't think he got hurt while playing hooky, do you?"

Touma shook his head as he dashed to and fro, dodging shots. "Scissors was gone this morning, too. Either he took it or we really need to hunt down that silver son of a bitch."

Umika stomped her foot in frustration as the Ganglar threw up yet another earthen barrier. "That stupid dum-dum … Why would he go on a mission alone?!"

The Ganglar fired a flurry of shots at them and Touma instinctively reached for Scissors - only to grasp empty air.

Sangou dashed in, quickly dispatching the projectiles with a swing of the Crane arm. Turning around, she asked, "Not to pry, but is Red going to show up?"

"Uh …" Umika stammered.

Touma remained silent, unwilling to answer.

Sangou exhaled sharply. "Great. Okay. Down two people - this is fine -"

"Two?" Touma glanced around the battlefield - the other red, green - "Where's X?"

"Sprained wrist. He's trying to get discharged, but the doctors are fussing over him -"

Next to them, the mountainside rumbled once, then twice. Touma spied the cracks forming in the rock face and dragged Umika and Sangou away just in time; a shower of rocks and debris burst forth like a fountain. The dust settled to reveal Kairi, already transformed and massaging his shoulder.

Wait, Kairi?!

He sprinted towards him - to do what, he wasn't sure. Hug him? Slap him? Forcibly drag him to the battle and never let go of his cape, like he was an unruly dog on a leash?

The Ganglar … squealed? He locked onto Kairi, exclaiming, "Ooh, there's the cutie I've been looking for!"

Everyone on the battlefield, including Touma, froze in their tracks. Quizzically, Kairi tilted his head and pointed at himself.

The Ganglar waved his hand dismissively. "Not you, you fool - in your hand!"

Kairi raised his arm, motioning to the unfamiliar red gun in his hand.

Wait - what was that? A new Collection piece - was that what he was doing this morning?

Why on earth hadn't he told them anything?

The Ganglar squealed once more and hopped in place excitedly. "Yes, yes! Oh, she is the most perfect cutie I've ever seen! You're good if I kill you and take her, right?"

Kairi scoffed and took aim. "After the fresh hell I just went through? Go fuck yourself."

He fired twice. A pillar of earth erupted from the ground as the Ganglar ducked behind it - and the two shots pierced through both pillar and Ganglar.

Touma glanced over at Kairi, horrified. That little thing packed some serious power - it could have easily killed him and they didn't have the piece yet -

Kairi had taken his finger off the trigger and was holding out the gun, as if he, too, was surprised at how strong it was.

From behind him, Umika yelled, "Blue - we gotta get the piece, now!"

"Right -" He took out his grappling hook and fired at the Ganglar; both of them flew towards each other, with Touma delivering a grappling-hook assisted dropkick to the chest. Yellow quickly grabbed the Collection piece and they rushed back to the sidelines, leaving the Ganglar wide open for whoever was performing the finisher.

Kairi had apparently gotten over his initial shock and awe and was laughing. To anyone else, it sounded like how he usually laughed as Kairi, but there was … an edge to it, a certain rawness that pained Touma to hear. It sounded like something had broken in Kairi, like some floodgate had been opened, and he was no longer holding back.

Touma had no desire to find out exactly what he had been holding back.

Still cackling like a madman, Kairi loaded the gun into his VS Changer and turned the dial. "Let's see what else you can do, cutie."

He charged a flashy, ominous-looking finisher as the gun cheerfully announced, "Stealing Super - Super - Super Strike!" The attack rocketed forward, setting the grass in its path on fire and cleanly carving a hole where the Ganglar's chest was moments ago.

A shiver ran down Touma's spine. The only other attack in their shared arsenal that even approached this level of destruction was Patren Ugou's One Shot Strike, and that one required three Patrangers and Goody.

And now Kairi could just do that whenever he wanted?

Just over the horizon, the air shimmered and distorted as Gauche stepped through a portal to revive the Ganglar.

Wordlessly, Kairi raised the red gun and fired two shots at her. She cried out, clutching one of her arms. With a frustrated roar, she revived the Ganglar anyway and retreated into another portal.

Goody flew out from behind a tree into the middle of the rangers. "Appearing out of nowhere, it's -"

Jack also zipped in and knocked against him. "Hey Good, look what LupinRed found!"

Goody whined and sulked for a bit. "Steal my thunder, why don't you -" As soon as he saw the red gun, though, he wiggled his wings. "The Lupin Magnum?! You must be really something, Red!"

Kairi wasn't paying attention; instead, he was fiddling with the dial on the Magnum. "Hm. What's this setting do?" He fired, and the Magnum flew out of his hand, growing larger and larger, transforming into … a mech?!

The kaiju-sized Ganglar shrieked and danced around like a schoolgirl. "She really is perfect, isn't she?!"

Kairi chuckled as he folded his arms and ordered, "Get his ass, chérie."

Her eyes briefly glowed bright blue before she charged forward, going for the Ganglar's legs. The Magnum mech was nowhere near as strong or bulky as the Patkaiser or even the Lupinkaiser, but her agility was simply unmatched; in between strikes and shots, she flew circles around the Ganglar, who was quickly losing steam.

Kairi marched forward with a swagger in his step, reaching out his arm. "Alright, alright, let's finish him off."

Her eyes glowed blue again and she obeyed his order, transforming back into a gun. Once more, Kairi charged up a Stealing Super Strike, and once more, the blast devastated all in its path before blowing a hole in the Ganglar.

An unsettling quiet fell over the group as everyone else looked at Kairi, who was twirling the Lupin Magnum and humming to himself. It was difficult to tell what everyone else was thinking past their helmets, but Touma was awed and afraid at the same time. Yes, the Magnum was a welcome addition to their arsenal, and she would certainly help even the odds against Zamigo, but was she worth … whatever had happened to Kairi in that cave?

Touma wasn't stupid; of course he noticed that Kairi became someone different when he put on the mask, but the differences were never this pronounced. Normally, he was more confident, more brash, and more reckless, but he could still trace the outline of Kairi's core personality in Red.

But now? It almost seemed like he was a caricature of what he thought Red was supposed to be, with zero trace of Kairi.

He cleared his throat. "We're done here. Red, Yellow, let's go."

Umika loaded her Yellow Dial Fighter, ready to fly back home, but Kairi abruptly stopped twirling the Magnum and scoffed, "I don't think I want to."

Touma blinked. He didn't like where this was going. He stepped forward, pleading, "Red, come on -"

He aimed the Magnum at Touma's head, startling everyone.

"Red, what the fuck is your problem -"

"Stop." He began taking slow steps backwards. "Don't follow me."

Touma really didn't like where this was going. "What happened in there?!"

Umika had also stepped forward, crying, "Red, please -"

He tossed out Scissors, which bounced and landed at Touma's feet. "Don't follow me," he repeated before flying away in his own Dial Fighter.

Even though he had zero chance of catching up, Ichigou still tried to race after the red jet, only stopping when the rest of the Patrangers physically forced him to stop.

Next to him, Umika knelt down and picked up Scissors. In a small, scared voice, she asked, "Blue … what are we gonna do?"

Touma remained silent, unable to answer.

Chapter Text

Some small part of Touma kept hoping against hope that Kairi would hop down the stairs in the morning and whine about work while eating his breakfast or show up with a sealed envelope from Kogure and bug them to close the bistro so they could get on with their real jobs. He kept hoping that he would slip through the door any minute with a bag of groceries or even a snack, looking none the worse for wear, and they could continue like they always had.

But alas. No one had seen hair nor hide of Kairi (or LupinRed) since that battle on the mountainside, and their only hint that he was still alive was a small package on Jurer's doorstep a few days ago. No note, no way to trace it back to any location, just a Collection piece wrapped in paper and twine.

He was quickly running out of ideas. Umika had suggested that they temporarily close Jurer while they search for Kairi, but Touma initially shut it down, on account of the four detectives who would surely realize that something was amiss and try to solve the mystery themselves. Unfortunately, two weeks had passed, and they were getting suspicious anyway.

Internally, he cursed as he saw the Patrangers enter for their usual lunch break. He automatically made their drink orders while Umika welcomed them with her usual cheer. As he placed their drinks on a serving tray, he studied their table; they offered Umika warm smiles, but as soon as she had her back turned, the joy melted from their faces as they scanned the bistro. Keiichiro shot Tsukasa a desperate look, and she shook her head. He hung his head as he withdrew into himself, and Noël patted his shoulder.

Umika returned with their drinks, and most of them snapped back to their usual easygoing demeanor. Keiichiro took a fraction of a second longer to re-mask himself, beaming with an uncomfortably fake smile.

Umika managed to keep her own mask on until she reached the doorway to the kitchen, where she was hidden from most of the clientele and could freely fall apart. In a pained voice, she whined, "Touma -"

"I know," he replied quietly, still continuing to cook.

"They haven't asked about him for the past few visits, which I think is worse."

"… I know."

She peered around the corner; from the longing look in her eyes, Touma knew who she was looking at. Hesitantly, she turned to him and asked, "Do you have any more ideas?"

He sighed as he plated another meal. "No."

She clutched the serving tray to her chest. "I can ask - I mean, get some information from the Patrangers, if that'll help."

"Hm. What information would they have that we don't?"

"Uh …" Umika groaned as she lightly smacked her forehead with the serving tray. "You're right … well, why can't we ask them for help? Tsukasa could -"

Touma narrowed his eyes. "You realize that it would only be Tsukasa-san, right? It's already too much of a risk that one of them knows - we can't be telling all of them who we are just because we're in a pinch."

Umika pouted and nodded along, but froze as her face flushed. "How - how did you know that Tsukasa knew?!"

Flatly, he replied, "I have eyes, Umika. I know you and Tsukasa-san have been seeing each other, and Sangou's behavior in battle has changed, especially when you're involved."

She hung her head, her face getting redder by the minute. "Oh …"

He glanced back up at the Patrangers' table; from this distance, he couldn't make out their conversation, but they seemed more focused than usual. Well, three of them looked focused - Keiichiro seemed to be in a permanent state of agitation, and the other three took turns trying to calm him down.

They had definitely figured out that something was up and were formulating their own strategies.

Quietly, he relented, "You can ask her if you really want to. It looks like they have their own ideas. Just be careful."

She nodded and walked around to the counter to serve meals. The lunch rush passed without incident and without the Patrangers asking about Kairi.

However, on their way out, Keiichiro lingered in the doorway, searching the bistro one last time before leaving. The misery and desperation in his eyes unexpectedly cut Touma to his core, and for the first time in quite a while, his hand traveled to his chest, where a simple ring on a necklace rested under his shirt.

He knew the feeling all too well. Why the hell was he letting someone else suffer through the same?

After hiking up what felt like a small mountain, Noël set down his bags and studied the building in front of him, wondering if this was somehow a punishment from Kogure. He had described it as "an old house on top of a hill," but from the outside, it resembled a forgotten factory, complete with broken window panes and ivy growing rampant along the walls.

Jack tilted in the air. "Wow. What a dump."

Goody knocked against him. "Be nice! I'm sure Kogure had his reasons for moving us to … whatever this is."

Kogure, appearing out of nowhere, clarified, "The inside is much nicer than the outside. The rooms are furnished and I managed to get the electricity and air conditioning working."

Noël pointed at the building's facade. "So all we have to do is fix the windows ourselves?"

Kogure sighed. "We may have to. With all the Ganglar fights, any company that works in building construction has waitlists several kilometers long."

Jack wiggled in the air. "Oh, I understand now. This place was cheap as hell, and if Gauche stops by again, we won't endanger any civilians, right?"

With the tiniest hint of shame, Kogure nodded.

Noël pursed his lips and picked up his bags again. "At least I can stop imposing on Sakuya-kun. Come, come - let's get settled."

Kogure was right: the inside looked slightly better than the outside. But only slightly. Noël's first instinct was correct - this building clearly started life as a factory or some sort of warehouse. They opened the front door into something resembling a living room, but because the actual dimensions of the room dwarfed the area rug and two couches, it looked … wrong, like it was put together by a being that only had second-hand knowledge of what a normal human abode looked like. The left wing contained the kitchen, and the right wing was a drawing room, complete with bookshelves and several large desks.

Kogure motioned to an iron spiral staircase. "The bedrooms are upstairs."

Noël chuckled. "And they are individual bedrooms, right? Not a bunch of bunk beds for workers?"

Kogure clicked his tongue as if to reprimand him for being cheeky, but he still couldn't conceal his half-smile. "Of course."

They both fell silent, watching Goody and Jack play tag in the air above them. Noël's heart ached; if he were only with the right people, this lonely building could maybe feel like a home. Kogure and the Strikers would be here, of course, and perhaps he could convince Touma to stay a few nights a week to make dinner? While he was staying with Sakuya, he was always talking about how he would love to move into a larger home and how he'd adopt a big dog once he did - this house definitely fit the bill, and Noël was sure that the Strikers would love having a playmate around. Tsukasa would probably turn down an offer to move in - she admitted on multiple occasions that she looked forward to retiring to her apartment in peace once she was done babysitting her three idiots during the work day - but there was no reason for her to turn down the occasional dinner with friends. And if Umika showed up, her attendance was guaranteed. As for Keiichiro and Kairi -

His jovial mood plummetted into a pit as he recalled LupinRed flying away in his jet.

None of them had seen Kairi in the last two weeks. Of course, theoretically, the Patrangers could do something if he was reported missing, but there was no way for them to keep other officers off the search, and whatever mood Kairi was in would surely worsen if he were found by a squad of unfamiliar policemen - especially if he was dressed as LupinRed at the time. Touma and Umika must have also figured this out, as they repeatedly insisted that Kairi was off on a grocery run or playing hooky whenever the Patrangers arrived at Jurer.

And Noël did mean "whenever" - Tsukasa and Sakuya both visited several times on their own outside of the lunch rush, and the two remaining Jurer employees insisted that they had "just missed him." Touma and Umika were getting more visibly distressed by the day, as was Keiichiro.

Something had to be done.

Half of an idea formed in Noël's mind, and he called, "Goody? Can you come down here, please?"

Goody flew down and circled him once, followed by Jack. "What is it?"

"I need you to go on a little mission for me, if that's okay." He turned to look at Jack. "Alone."

Jack flipped upside-down in the air, like a child about to throw a tantrum. "Aww …"

Goody tilted in the air. "Why's it gotta be me?"

"Because you can split LupinRed into three." At the mention of him, both of the Strikers stilled, as if they were listening intently. Noël continued, "He's more than capable when it comes to regular Ganglars, but if someone like Gauche comes across him? He'll need all the help he can get."

Goody nodded. "Should I try to talk him into coming back, too?"

Briefly, Noël imagined Goody begging Kairi to return home. In every scenario he could think of, it did not end well for Goody. "I'm not sure he would listen to you, but if you think you see a good opportunity, take it - otherwise, just stay with him and keep him safe."

Jack waggled his wings. "Are you gonna send Cyclone with Good, too? He did get the Magnum."

Noël tried to ignore both the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach and Kogure's accusatory glare burning a hole in his back. "… no need. I'll get it to Touma-kun and Umika-chan somehow. Goody, please go."

Goody wiggled in the air. "Aye-aye. See you later!" He zipped through one of the broken window panes and disappeared over the horizon.

Kogure cleared his throat and Noël winced. Hesitantly, he turned around. "Yes, Kogure-san?"

"Why did you take Cyclone from the Lupinrangers?"

Truthfully, there was no good reason. Kairi had most likely forgotten about Silver's threat, and even if he had remembered, he could show up as Silver and say something about how the Lupinrangers had proven themselves trustworthy. He actually regretted taking it immediately after leaving Jurer and the discovery of the Magnum's hiding place provided him the perfect reason to give it back. Honestly, he would have returned Cyclone even if they hadn't gotten the Magnum -

but he did get it why why him what was so special about him

"I, um …"

"I know you thought that all six of them would be your enemies when you arrived in Japan, but that's no longer the case, is it?"

"No, it's not, but …"

Kogure sighed and tugged at his glove. "You probably can't trust them with everything yet, but informing them of some things wouldn't hurt. Like your identity as LupinSilver or perhaps the nature of your true goal?"

As he adjusted his cape to hide his broken wrist, Arsène gently patted Noël's head. "Mon petit joyeux Noël, please dry your tears. This was not your fault."

Noël sniffled. "But Papa -"

"I have many enemies everywhere, and I should have told you that from the very beginning. When it comes to being a phantom thief, remember: do not trust others any more than necessary."

"But Papa always said -"

Grimly, almost bitterly, Kogure interrupted, "I know what your father always said. I made it very clear to him what I thought of his 'need-to-know' policy. Noël-sama … you don't have to be your father."

His last comment sent a pulse of irrational rage through his body, but Noël kept a straight face. "I'll try to keep that in mind, Kogure-san."

One of Touma's myriad concerns about Kairi going missing was that Kogure might refuse to give them missions until they found him. Instead, the mysterious butler showed up as usual with a wax-sealed envelope and Cyclone. Touma tried to ask about Silver, but by the time he turned around, Kogure was already gone. Umika complained that he could at least pretend to care that one of his hired phantom thieves was missing, and Touma actually agreed with her.

Fortunately, tracking today's target wasn't difficult. The sheer amount of civilians in the square gave him pause, but then he spotted Keiichiro and Sakuya among the crowd - from past experience, as long as someone was engaging with the Ganglar, any leftover Patrangers would prioritize evacuating people.

He pulled out one of their calling cards. "Ready?"

Silence.

Frowning, he turned to look at a fidgeting Umika.

"Yellow?"

She pursed her lips. "… do you think if we wait long enough, he'll show up?"

His gaze dropped to the ground. He wanted to reassure her, he really did, but she deserved better than some empty, sweet platitude.

Finally, he muttered, "… I don't know. But if he shows up, we'll go talk to him, okay?"

Umika nodded, but the frown remained on her face. "Okay. I'm ready now."

They tore away Pekka's disguise and began to fight; as he predicted, Keiichiro and Sakuya started waving citizens away from the battle. Briefly, he wondered where Tsukasa and Noël were, but that wasn't important right now. Even though it was just the two of them, they still stole back the Collection piece with relative ease. Yellow loaded Scissors and fired, gaining the shield and boomerang. She cocked her arm back, preparing a finishing blow -

Someone grabbed her elbow and pulled her back - wait, Sangou?!

"Not yet, please -" she hissed. "He hid a bomb in the city - I need him to tell me where it is -"

"A bomb?!" Umika repeated.

As Pekka struggled to get back on his feet, he taunted, "I'm never gonna tell you where it is - I'm not careless enough to ruin my entire plan!"

"Careless, huh?" Sangou thought out loud. "I have a plan - on my signal, you need to reflect an attack back at him -"

Explosive shots rained down on them, peppering the area with debris and craters. Yellow instinctively raised the shield while he and Sangou ducked behind her.

"What the hell is that?!" Touma cursed. Carefully, he peered around the shield and spotted a red figure standing atop a nearby vantage point, loading a red gun into his VS Changer.

"Fuck - Red's here with the Magnum and he's about to fire off the finisher -" He clapped Sangou's back. "Do what you need to do - we'll hold him off!"

"Here - the code is nine-six-three." The shield and boomerang disappeared as Umika handed Sangou Scissors.

Touma and Umika quickly grappled to Kairi's location, with Touma aiming a single shot near Kairi's hands to startle him and interrupt the charging finisher.

"Red! Thank goodness you're okay!" Umika ran towards him, arms outstretched -

And her concern was met with the Magnum pointed directly at her face.

"I had him," he coldly pointed out. "Why the hell did you stop me?"

Touma stepped sideways so that he was blocking Kairi's line of sight to Pekka. "We need information out of him. Just wait a few more seconds -"

Kairi's arm moved, now pointing the Magnum at Pekka through Touma's chest. "I can go down there and threaten him with this. It shouldn't take long."

Umika stomped her foot. "Red, this isn't like you at all! What the hell happened when you got the Magnum?!"

Kairi leaned to the side to watch the unfolding battle behind Touma. He growled, "The pink one has Scissors."

Umika gripped her VS Changer tighter. "She needed it for her plan - she'll give it back -"

In a cruel voice, he spat, "So when she gives her girlfriend a VS vehicle, that's fine, but when I do it -"

Touma seized Kairi's collar, taking care to tuck away the small tracker so that he wouldn't notice. "You're out of line. This is not the same situation and you know it."

Kairi aimed for Touma once again, this time with his finger on the trigger. "Just shut up and get out of my way."

He glanced behind him; Sangou was giving them a thumbs up. In a single motion, he grabbed Umika and rappeled down, where he also swept Sangou away before Kairi had any more brilliant ideas with the Magnum.

As Pekka disintegrated into dust with a Stealing Super Strike, Touma placed a small tablet displaying a map and a blinking red dot into Sangou's hand.

She studied it, asking, "What's this?"

"A tracker on Red," he explained quickly, moving his body so that hopefully Kairi couldn't see it. "We tried to talk him into coming back, but he lashed out - threatened us with the Magnum. The only one who might stand a chance at bringing him back is Keiichiro-san."

Umika flinched in a panic. "Blue -"

"We all know this is an emergency - Tsukasa-san, I know that you know, and we can deal with that later, but for right now, you know why it has to be Keiichiro-san, don't you?" He cupped his hands around hers, curling her fingers in to wrap around the tablet. "This is the only plan we have left. If this doesn't work … I don't know what we'll do."

Gravely, Sangou nodded.

Chapter Text

After stopping to check the GPS location on the tablet, Keiichiro parked Sakuya's motorcycle and continued up the mountain on foot. The sun was quickly setting, and the chances of him having to navigate back down the mountain in the darkness of night increased with every passing second.

But it would be worth it, wouldn't it? For Kairi?

Even though the mountainside now resembled an alien location due to the long and strange shadows from the setting sun, Keiichiro couldn't shake the feeling that this place was familiar somehow. He didn't normally travel this way - perhaps he was here for a Ganglar fight?

He answered his own question when he came across a crater, with a shallow trench branching off from it in an unnaturally straight line. A shiver traveled through his body as he recalled the Lupin Magnum's finisher, and his blood chilled when he realized that LupinRed would not hesitate to use it if he were in a bad mood.

But that's the entire reason Blue and Yellow - or, rather, Touma and Umika - sent him here, wasn't it? He'd threatened them with the Magnum earlier - his own teammates and the people he was ostensibly the closest to. The only other person that he was closer to - the only other person he might hesitate to shoot - was Keiichiro.

At least, that's what they all hoped.

He kept following the mountain trail, unable to completely shake off the feeling that he was marching to his own execution. Soon, he approached a cave opening perfectly shaped like a square; he double checked the tablet and confirmed that yes, Kairi was indeed several meters ahead. His hand automatically reached for his VS Changer, but he paused; the situation was already uncomfortably uncertain as Keiichiro - barging in as Ichigou would probably make everything worse. He forced his hand away from his weapon as he stepped into the cave.

"Red?" he called out.

His own voice answered him as it echoed back through the cave. Cautiously, he travelled further into the cave. "Red? I just want to talk."

The air rippled behind him and Keiichiro felt the muzzle of a gun - he couldn't tell whether it was a VS Changer or the Magnum - dig into the small of his back. "Then start talking," Kairi ordered in a low, gruff voice.

Keiichiro swallowed and closed his eyes, trying to slow down his heartbeat. All of the gently-worded pleas Tsukasa had coached him through had flown out of his mind, leaving a blank slate. He scrambled for the correct combination of words - what on earth could he say - how could he convince him -

The muzzle dug in deeper. "I'm waiting."

His eyes snapped open and he blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Come home. Please."

Kairi scoffed. "No."

"Blue and Yellow miss you enough that they asked me to help. So please. Come home for them?"

Kairi shot the ground near his feet (he noted that it was a regular VS Changer shot). "Bullshit. You're the enemy - why would they go to you?"

Keiichiro winced. Right - he had to play this like he still didn't know their secret identities. "I -" He choked on his words as he remembered that he was a terrible liar and that Kairi could always see through his lies.

The muzzle of the VS Changer was now pressed to the bottom of his chin as Kairi wrapped an arm around him, pulling him closer. "This better be a really good explanation, officer. Washing your blood out of my suit would suck."

The adrenaline from being in immediate life-threatening danger was mixing with - well, he could unpack why this turned him on later. Right now, he had to piece together a sentence that made sense. He sputtered, "I don't know - they insisted on it being me - it felt like they knew something that I didn't."

Kairi sighed onto the back of his neck, and Keiichiro had to concentrate very hard to stay on his feet. "Were you even trying with that half-assed lie?"

"Trust me, you'll know when I'm lying to you."

Kairi tilted his chin upwards using the VS Changer, and Keiichiro was almost too distracted by the feeling of Kairi's lips on his neck to catch what he said next. "Well, that's the problem, isn't it? I don't trust you, officer."

This was going south much faster than Keiichiro anticipated. He was running out of things to say - what else could he even do? Kairi and Tsukasa were the ones good with words - he couldn't charm his way out of a paper bag. He had no idea how to manipulate Kairi …

… but maybe he could manipulate LupinRed.

"… if you don't trust me, then talking it out isn't going to work, is it?"

"So you finally get it." He let him go and circled around him, finally entering Keiichiro's field of vision. His red coat, normally clean and crisp, was wrinkled and spattered with patches of dirt, and his usually white gloves were similarly sullied. Some movements were as fluid as he expected from an experienced phantom thief, yet other times he shifted stiffly, as if there were several compression wraps and injuries concealed under his clothes. He seemed so exhausted that not even the mask's disguise filter could hide all of it; Keiichiro blinked, just to make sure it wasn't a trick of the light.

He clearly wasn't at full strength. Keiichiro hated to take advantage of it, but maybe if he went easy on him, he could get away with this without actually hurting him.

Red stopped right in front of him and pointed his VS Changer at his head. "Nothing you say is going to make me come back. Now, leave before I get annoyed."

He straightened his spine. "No. I won't accept this."

Red's eyes narrowed. "You stupid policeman -"

"I challenge you to a duel," he interrupted. "If I win, you come back home to Blue and Yellow."

He kept his finger on the trigger for a moment longer than was comfortable, but eventually, he lowered his VS Changer with a twirl as a curious smirk spread across his face. "And what do I get if I win?"

Keiichiro pursed his lips and shrugged. "What do you want?"

Red ambled forward, humming, "What do I want?" He reached out and tilted Keiichiro's head up, slowly brushing his thumb across his bottom lip. Before he could stop himself, something between a gasp and a moan slipped out of his mouth.

Keiichiro had a feeling that he knew exactly what Red wanted, and honestly, he was perfectly willing to give it to him no matter who won.

Red flinched, as if he had suddenly realized what he was doing, and took a few steps back. "… I think I'll decide later, if that's alright." He loaded the Red Dial Fighter and gave him a playful smile - the same one he always gave him when he walked into Jurer. "Will you let me transform this time?"

Keiichiro couldn't help but chuckle as he loaded his Trigger Machine. "It's only fair."

Both of them transformed, and Red dashed in first. Initially, Keiichiro was completely on the defensive, blocking every single one of his punches and kicks and throwing out a few feints to keep up the appearance of fighting. But feints weren't enough, he had to hit him at least once - he cocked his arm back -

He remembered the red of Kairi's blood arcing above him in the warehouse.

He froze for too long. With a frustrated growl, Red swept his leg, tripping him and sending him falling backwards. As he struggled to catch his breath, Red straddled his waist and pointed his VS Changer at his head.

(… had this sort of thing always turned him on or was it just Kairi?)

"Can you fucking try, you stupid policeman?!"

Keiichiro swallowed. "I don't want to hurt you."

"Well, I want to hurt you." Dropping his weapon, he seized his wrists and pinned them above his head. "I haven't forgotten Kusakawa."

Not good not good not good - he wasn't leaving him a lot of choices, but he didn't want to hurt him again -

"I don't want to hurt you!" he repeated.

Red snarled and Keiichiro could almost hear his eyes rolling. "You stupid motherf-" He put more of his weight on his hands, which actually managed to hurt his wrists through the transformation. "You were the one that came up with the duel! Fight back! What, do you need my permission or something? Fine - hurt me!"

"I don't -"

Red struck his helmet, rattling his head (but from the sound of it, he hurt his hand, too). "If you say that one more time, I'm going to fucking scream. Where's that hot blood of yours?! Do I need to threaten to break your precious Kairi -"

In two seconds, Keiichiro rolled them over, reversing their positions. His hands shook as he tried to calm himself down - this was Kairi, this was Kairi, he had to keep his emotions in check because last time -

The memory of a dark red bruise flashed before his eyes.

With a ragged sigh, he released him and stood up, backing away. "… I can't do it. I'm not gonna hurt you."

"WHY?!" Red leapt up and drove his palm into his chest, forcing him against the wall. "You never had a problem with hurting me before! The bruises you left took for-fucking-ever to heal, and you almost shattered my wrist!"

He untransformed and was surprised to feel tears on his cheeks. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry -"

Red slapped him across the face; with Red still transformed, it fucking hurt. He was honestly surprised that his head was still on his neck.

He also dropped his transformation and seized Keiichiro's jacket collar, pinning him to the wall. "Why the fuck did you challenge me to a duel when you apparently can't bring yourself to hurt me?"

"… it was the only idea I had. Words weren't gonna work, so -"

"I don't care about the rest of your explanation," he curtly interrupted. "What changed between Kusakawa and now?"

"I promised y-" He bit his tongue just in time - Red could not know that he knew who he was - he had no idea how he'd react, but it probably wouldn't be good. Clearing his throat, he carefully continued, "I promised someone that you wouldn't get hurt again."

He gripped his collar tighter. "Who - why - you know what, I don't care. Is this you surrendering?"

Keiichiro cast his eyes down - great. Not only was Kairi not coming home, he went and made everything worse. There was no way planting a tracker would work twice; the next time they met would be on the battlefield, and Kairi was so mad at him that he'd probably shoot him with the Magnum at the earliest opportunity.

Red exhaled sharply. "Hey. You stupid policeman. Do you surrender?"

"… yes."

"Then I win. Which means …" He stepped into his personal space, leaning in close enough that their noses brushed together. "I get to see what those pretty lips of yours taste like."

Keiichiro swallowed. This wasn't quite how he thought his first kiss with Kairi was going to go, but with how complicated their lives were, he supposed it could've been worse. He closed his eyes and murmured, "… okay."

Red's breaths were still mingling with his, so he hadn't moved away, but he hadn't gone to kiss him, either. After what felt like hours, he cracked his eyes open and was surprised to see Red hesitating. The anger that was bleeding through his mask's disguise filter had faded, and whatever he was feeling instead was fully hidden.

Their eyes met, and Red let him go as he backed off. For some time, the cave was completely silent save for their breathing.

"… Red?" he cautiously called.

A single tear fell from beneath his mask; Keiichiro pretended he didn't see it. He sighed, "You really want to apologize for what you did in Kusakawa?"

"Yes."

"Then …" He slipped his gloves off and cupped his face gently. "Can you pretend I'm that waiter of yours?" Red's voice broke, and his heart broke with it. "I … I want you to kiss me like I'm Kairi."

Before Red could react, Keiichiro stepped forward and pressed their lips together.

… he tasted as sweet as he thought he would.

He felt Kairi gasp against him, but he didn't care; he wrapped his arms around him and gripped the fabric of his jacket as he pulled them closer together. His taste, his scent, his warmth - he was almost overwhelmed by it all.

Kairi. Kairi. Kairi.

He broke the kiss to catch his breath and heard … sniffling?

The single tear had turned into twin streams flowing down Kairi's cheeks. Automatically, he took off his own gloves and tried to wipe his face dry.

This small act of kindness was apparently too much; with a strangled whimper, Kairi pulled him back into the kiss. It felt a little more desperate this time and some of his taste had disappeared behind the saltiness of his tears, but Keiichiro still kept it gentle.

Soon, the second kiss also broke, but they remained close, their foreheads pressed together. Kairi's breath hitched as he tried to stop sobbing, and Keiichiro couldn't help it - he kissed him one more time.

Without thinking, he sighed, "Oh, Kairi …"

Kairi sniffed. "… he's lucky. He's so lucky."

"… Red?"

"Mm?"

"Are you okay?"

He pushed away from him with a strained cry. "… stop pretending like you care about me."

"I'm not pretending."

"Liar."

Keiichiro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "… I know I lost, but … what would it take for you to come home?"

He turned away from him, adjusting the angle of his top hat. "… if I figure something out, I'll let you know. Now, leave."

"But -"

"Leave."

"Red -"

"Goody!" On cue, the whirring of his little jets grew louder and louder until he hovered in the air before Red. "Make sure this stupid policeman gets home."

"Mm … okay." He flew over and poked Keiichiro. "It's time to go."

He turned to follow him out of the cave but paused. Something about the way Red talked - the way he didn't believe that he cared about him - the way that he asked him to pretend he was Kairi -

Maybe he should start dropping hints that he knew. That he cared about both the waiter and the phantom thief.

Over his shoulder, he called, "Red. I'm always going to choose you. Always."

He didn't hear any sort of reaction or reply, and he was too afraid of turning around.

Silently, he followed Goody out of the cave.

As soon as Keiichiro had waltzed into his temporary hideout, Kairi accepted that tonight was going to be another sleepless night, regardless of how well or poorly the encounter ended. When he forced Keiichiro to go home, he shook the dirt and debris from his jacket and vest and threw them into his tent. He waited ten minutes before leaving the cave, laying on the grass just outside the entrance to count the stars while he waited for Goody to come back.

(three hundred fifty seven, three hundred fifty eight, three hundred fifty nine)

Nothing had gone the way he thought it would. When he tried to intimidate Keiichiro into leaving? He stood his ground. When he resolved to fight his hardest to win against his rival? He gave up, saying that he didn't want to hurt him. When he decided to steal that kiss? He offered no resistance.

As he stood there with his eyes closed, waiting for him, Kairi finally stopped and took a good look at himself.

What the hell was he doing? What the hell had he become? Had Arsène's stupid fucking test shattered him this much?

He wanted to prove that stupid phantom thief wrong - he wanted to show his ghost that he could be a phantom thief and have Keiichiro - he was within reach, he had him now, all he had to do was lean forward -

But he felt sick. He wanted him, but not like this. Keiichiro's heart belonged to Kairi, not Red.

So he broke his own heart.

Kiss me like I'm Kairi. Kiss me like it's a lie.

He was gentle. He was so gentle. Even when he got greedy and stole a second kiss, he felt the warmth and affection that Keiichiro held for Kairi and Kairi alone.

He didn't deserve him. He would never deserve him.

(Four hundred twelve, four hundred thirteen, four hundred fourteen)

And what was that he said? "I promised someone that you wouldn't get hurt again?" Who did he make that promise to? Touma? Umika? Goody?

Who could've possibly convinced that hot-blooded policeman to protect the phantom thief he was trying to arrest?

And that last thing - "I'm always going to choose you." He couldn't tell if he was sincere or mocking him - maybe if he were speaking to Kairi, he could believe he was sincere, but to Red? There had to be some barb in there, some final insult …

But what if he did mean it?

His fingers brushed against his lips; it was faint and fading fast, but he could still taste Keiichiro.

He wished he had savored the moment more.

On the wind, he picked up a faint whirring sound that grew louder and louder until a small blue dot appeared in the distance. Goody initially flew past him before doubling back and poking him.

"Kairi? You're not dead, are you?"

"Nope, still breathing," he sighed. "Just counting the stars and waiting for you."

"Aww!" Happily, he performed a barrel roll. "What do you guys say - oh, I'm home!"

Kairi chuckled. "Welcome home, Carrot."

Goody flew and spun in a circle before landing on Kairi's stomach like a small cat. Absentmindedly, he scratched behind his ears - or at least, where he thought "behind the ears" was on a sentient Collection piece. Goody made a sound approximating a cat's purr all the same.

Kairi studied him a little closer. From the story he told, he only gained his sentience and personality after Arsène gave him a purpose (his own wording was "made a wish that I would protect the Collection," which piqued Kairi's interest). For all his talk about showing up Arsène and proving him wrong, he didn't actually know much about the guy besides the fact that he made bullshit traps.

"Hey, Goody? You knew Arsène when he was alive, yeah?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

"What was he like?"

"Hm. Noble, protective, and kind. He was a good man."

Kairi furrowed his brow. From that description, he sounded more like Keiichiro than a prick. "Somehow, I find that hard to believe after going through his stupid Magnum test."

"Oh, that. Well …" Goody shifted uncomfortably. "You know how powerful she is. It'd be real bad if she ended up in Ganglar hands, yeah? He set it up so that only someone wholly dedicated to being a phantom thief could get it. They had to have a noble goal that they'd give everything for, and I mean everything." He lowered the pitch of his voice in what Kairi assumed was an imitation of Arsène. "'Even if the rest of the world sees me as a devil, I'll keep fighting for what I think is right' - you know, that sort of thing. You could say that it was his way of choosing a successor."

So, in a roundabout way, Arsène really did intend for him to be a better phantom thief. Kairi decided to keep pretending that his new goal was his own idea instead of the wish of a dead man. "So what kind of phantom thief was he?"

"I told you already. Noble, protective, and kind."

Kairi blinked. "Uh. Aren't phantom thieves supposed to be ruthless and uncaring? It doesn't matter how much blood is spilled, as long as they get what they want?"

"I told you already, you couldn't have gotten the Magnum if you didn't have a noble goal, and Arsène was the same. Maybe he looked callous and cruel to his enemies, but everything he ever did as a phantom thief was to help his people."

"His people - who were his people?"

"Oh." He took to the air and flew back and forth, as if he was fretting about something. "Well … I guess I can tell you. Arsène wasn't … entirely human."

Kairi sat up, his jaw hanging open. "He wasn't what?"

"A long, long time ago, Arsène's ancestors were chased out of their world by a power-hungry tyrant. They fled to Earth, and since they already looked like humans, they blended right in. Arsène was part human, yeah, but he still had that otherworld blood in him. A lot of their descendants were falling on hard times, so he found as many of them as he could and took them all in, treating them like family. Someone along the line had the bright idea to start calling themselves the Lupin Estate, and it stuck. Everything he ever did was to keep them safe."

Kairi nodded along. Maybe Arsène was more like Keiichiro than he initially thought. Hell, maybe he was more like Arsène than he wanted to be. "So I guess he didn't have any chains? I feel like if you make a successor test, you gotta be able to pass it yourself."

"Hm." Goody studied the cave entrance, lost in thought. "I think maybe at the time, he would have passed it."

"At the time?" Kairi repeated as he tilted his head curiously. "Did he get married afterwards or something?"

"No … Not long after he locked away the Magnum, he adopted a little boy. He was everything to him. He taught him everything he knew, and he loved his son so much. So, so much that …" He whimpered and landed back into Kairi's lap, where he patted his head.

"You're okay, Goody."

He sniffed. "Thanks. Well … He knew the Ganglars were coming for the Collection. He could maybe defend against Gauche or Destra on their own, but all of the Ganglars were coming. He could have run away himself, or he could have tried to hide away more pieces, but he also knew that if the Ganglars thought anyone else had Collection pieces, they'd go after them, too. To protect the rest of the Lupin Estate, he always intended on facing the Ganglars alone. At the last minute, he sent me and Jack away to make sure his son was safe. That was the day he …"

"… oh."

So in the end, even Arsène had people he wanted to protect and a chain he refused to break.

Maybe he was going about this "become the best phantom thief" idea all wrong.

He laid back down. "Hey, do you, uh … need to sleep?"

"I, uh … huh." Goody wiggled his wings. "I never thought about it, but I guess I don't. I can keep watch while you sleep, if that's what you're asking."

Kairi shook his head. "It's one of those insomnia nights, I just feel it. I was gonna ask if you could keep telling me stories about Arsène."

"Gladly."

Chapter Text

For what seemed like the millionth time that morning, Tsukasa smoothed out the front of her dress. She didn't have to look that good - she was just spending the day with Umika at the amusement park. It wasn't like they were going to a fancy restaurant or anything.

But at the same time, this was their first real date. Their first time being a couple in public. Even though she should have dressed herself with a day at the amusement park in mind, she wanted to look good for her.

Ignoring the "closed" sign, she knocked on the door and was greeted with Umika's smiling face.

"Good morning, Umika!" she sang. "Ready to go?"

"In a bit - could you actually come in?" She opened the door wider, and Tsukasa obeyed.

As she took her usual seat, she asked, "What is it - can I do anything to help? Do you need me to do your hair again?"

From seemingly out of nowhere, Touma appeared next to the table with three drinks on a serving tray. "I need to talk to you, actually."

Tsukasa's blood ran cold - right, the last time they saw each other, Blue - or rather, Touma - said that they would have a talk later concerning what she knew. She glanced at Umika, who looked apologetic as she sat down and distributed the drinks.

She sighed, steeling herself for a rough, prolonged interrogation. "I suppose you want to know -"

Touma interrupted, "Has Keiichiro-san talked to Kairi yet?"

Mentally, she tripped over her own feet; somehow, she hadn't expected him to open with that. Perhaps she didn't need to guard herself so heavily. "I think he did, right after the battle. He mentioned having to borrow Sakuya's motorcycle to get to where the location pin was."

Umika groaned and draped herself over the table. "But Kairi hasn't come back yet - it's been a week!"

Tsukasa frowned. "Maybe that's why he wouldn't give me details when I asked. But you know him - he won't give up."

Touma folded his arms. "At least one of us getting somewhere. We can leave Kairi to him. Next question: besides Umika, what's stopping you from turning us in?"

She blinked. "Turning you in?"

Umika pouted. "You know. 'Cause we're still 'wanted criminals' or whatever?"

"Oh." If she was being honest with herself, the thought of arresting any of the Lupinrangers hadn't crossed her mind since she tried to get that one Collection piece for them. At the same time, she really shouldn't discuss internal GSPO matters with civilians or confirmed Lupinrangers.

… it probably would get Touma to trust her, though.

"Ever since the day you thought we blew up a Collection piece, we haven't had any intentions of capturing or arresting you. Noël feels the same way."

Umika tilted her head. "Wait, then why are you still pretending to fight us?"

Tsukasa clenched her teeth at the thought of Deputy Commissioner Yanagami. "It's the higher-ups - or at least, some of them, anyway. Noël and I looked it up, and the only real crime you guys could be tried for is vigilantism - which is still pretty serious, but the way the Deputy Commissioner talks, it's like you guys invent three new war crimes a day. All those stuffed shirts care about is looking good, not saving lives."

Touma narrowed his eyes. "So why not disobey? Or quit?"

Bitterly, she explained, "Because we're replaceable. They'll demote us to somewhere we can't do anything, or terminate us entirely. And we might not be able to help you against the new set of Patrangers."

His stern face softened. "Between a rock and a hard place, huh? We know what that's like."

Her phone started ringing, and she sighed. Hopefully, she could just ignore this call - oh hell, it was Keiichiro. She motioned for the others to be quiet and answered the phone. "Keiichiro, what is it -"

"We got a Ganglar alert! I know it's your day off - you don't have to fight - just wanted to warn you if you were in the area. Sending you a location pin."

As promised, as soon as he hung up, her phone pinged with another notification, and she set her phone down so that everyone could see the pin.

Umika's spine straightened as she - for lack of a better word - changed into someone else, someone more confident, and her usually hidden determination shone forth for anyone to see.

Yes, she knew that Umika was Yellow, but it didn't actually hit her until she saw the transformation in front of her.

"Touma, didn't we get a mission the other day?"

"Yeah …" He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out some photos. "Yadogar Gohome. His Collection piece is Atteindre pour toucher - he can make portals to attack from any direction." Touma glanced up at her, and she thought maybe she imagined some concern on his face. "If it is him, be careful."

Umika placed a hand on her shoulder. "You go first. We'll wait a few minutes so we don't look suspicious."

"Understood." She rose from the table and marched to the door. Yes, it was her job (and technically, Umika's job, too) to stand against the Ganglars and protect the citizens, and she would always be proud of her work. But at the same time, the two hours she spent this morning doing her hair and fretting over outfits felt wasted.

It felt selfish, but she just wanted to go on a date with her girlfriend. Hadn't she earned that little bit of peace?

As she reached out for the doorknob, she paused and turned back around. "Umika. I'm sorry about our date."

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe we try somewhere else next time? Amusement park dates seem a little cursed right now."

Tsukasa smiled. "I'll figure something out. Be safe."

Touma was eerily quiet.

Which wasn't exactly out of the ordinary; he was usually quiet. But today, his silence seemed to carry some weight.

As she strapped on her shoes and slipped on a pair of gloves, she cautiously asked, "Touma? You're okay, right?"

He paused in the middle of tying his cravat. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering if Tsukasa answered all your questions right. I didn't coach her on any of that, I promise - and the stuffed shirt thing was new to me, too."

"Her answers were fine. I think we can trust her a little more. It's just …" He sighed as he grabbed one of his blue domino masks and slowly ran his thumb over the decorative swirls. "When the mission's over … what do you want to do?"

"… uh …" Umika blinked. When they had first become phantom thieves, she remembered dreaming about Shiho, waking up in tears, and then trying to stifle them so that Kairi and Touma couldn't hear. It was always a variation on the same dream: she and Shiho would finish out school together, go to college, and keep living together - or at least, living near each other - until they grew old. They had tried dating, but there were … complications. Being friends worked a little better, so she was content to simply support her for the rest of their lives.

But now? She had Tsukasa and Touma and Kairi and everyone else who had somehow become family to her over the past year and a half. There was room for Shiho, yes, she made absolutely sure of that, but …

"… would it be silly if I said I wanted things to stay like they are, only with our people included?"

Touma lifted his head and gazed at Jurer as if it was his first time really seeing it. "You really want to stay here?"

Umika pursed her lips. "Maybe not here, but … with you and Kairi and everyone else? I like our fake job and our real job, and I like spending time with the Patrangers. I like everyone." She squeezed her mask tightly. "I know that goes against our rules, but …"

Touma smiled - an actual, honest-to-god genuine smile. "I think those rules are starting to sound a little silly, don't you think?"

Keiichiro had no idea how Tsukasa figured out the Ganglar's portal attacks so quickly, but he wasn't going to complain - so far, none of them had been on the receiving end of a pincer.

Blue and yellow shots rained down from above. He told himself to not get his hopes up, to not be disappointed -

He looked up anyway and saw Blue and Yellow, but no Red.

His heart sunk through his body, distracting him long enough for Yadogar to swipe at his arm. Sakuya shot at the pincer, which withdrew through a portal.

"Senpai …"

Keiichiro winced. Sakuya probably meant well, but there was an exasperated edge to his voice; he had to focus on the Ganglar in front of him.

Think. Think. With the resources he had and the enemy's abilities, how should he play this so that everyone comes back home alive?

Yadogar formed four portals and stuck his arm into one, aiming for Noël. His pincer clamped onto his left arm, but Noël fired on the pincer repeatedly, forcing him to withdraw his arm with a yelp. He stuck his other arm into another portal, and a new one opened up behind Tsukasa -

"Tsukasa, grab him!" he ordered. She followed through, eliciting another distressed noise from Yadogar. No matter how much he tugged, Tsukasa refused to let go.

Blue turned around and quickly assessed the situation. Nodding, he said, "I see. Yellow, go - I'll cover you."

Yellow and Blue sprinted towards the Ganglar, followed closely by Keiichiro and Noël. Yadogar's other arm darted out of a portal at Yellow - the pincer bounced harmlessly off of Blue's shield and Keiichiro grabbed it.

Noël also reached for the pincer, but Keiichiro shook his head. "You and Sakuya cover Blue and Yellow - just in case this one decides to sprout new arms, too!"

"Oui! Sakuya, with me!"

The four rangers closed in on Yadogar. Yellow snatched the Collection piece while Blue kicked him back. All the portals had disappeared - now was their chance -

The Ganglar yelled, "Time for you to go!" He fired a rainbow-colored beam that snaked around the battlefield, passing through everyone. For a heartbeat, nothing happened.

And then simultaneously, all of the rangers launched into the air.

Keiichiro tumbled head over feet, trying to figure out what that beam was and where he was going. The rest of his teammates and the Lupinrangers were flying further and further away, and he -

He landed a few meters from the battlefield and rolled to a stop at Red's feet.

Red looked up at the sky, hissing, "What the hell - what was that? Where'd everyone go?!"

Goody hovered over his shoulder and tilted. "I can't think of any Collection pieces that would make people fly like that."

"We took the piece already," Keiichiro explained. "Whatever that is, it's the Ganglar's innate ability."

Red knelt down and offered his hand; he grabbed it, hoisting himself up into a sitting position.

"Well, it didn't throw you that far, so it works for us, I guess." With a flourish, he stood up and shot Yadogar with the Magnum. At the last possible second, he ducked and locked on to the both of them.

Keiichiro rose to his feet and flatly asked, "So, do you have this one handled?"

"Oh, shut up."

The rainbow-colored beam headed for them, and they jumped out of the way. Unfortunately, the beam seemed to home in on them, sailing through Keiichiro first and then Red. After a moment, as if pulled by an invisible force, they collided with each other.

Keiichiro squeezed his eyes shut and braced himself for impact, but none came. Even stranger, he landed on something softer than the concrete he was expecting. Why?

He opened his eyes and his heartbeat accelerated.

Oh.

That was why.

When they crashed into each other, Red took him into his arms and positioned them so that he'd hit the ground first, taking the full force of the fall.

He coughed and rasped, struggling to catch his breath after the fall knocked the wind out of his lungs. "You … you alright there, you stupid policeman?"

Keiichiro sighed and rested his head on Red's chest. "You stupid phantom thief."

Yadogar screamed in frustration. "Why are you two immune?! No matter - gotta retreat -" He used the beam on himself, sending him to who knows where.

As he helped Keiichiro stand back up, Red groaned. "Goody, can you track him?"

"Uh …" He spun around, looking skyward. "It might take a bit, but I think I can - as long as you remember which direction he flew off in."

"Yeah -" Red let him go and started marching in a northeast direction.

"Wait -" Keiichiro scrambled forward and grasped the edge of Red's cape. "Can we talk?"

Red sighed and brushed his helmet like he was adjusting his top hat. "Can it wait?"

He pouted. "But you said -"

"I said that if I figured something out, I'd tell you," he interrupted. "I haven't. Besides, right now, we have jobs to do, you stupid policeman - or did you forget?"

Keiichiro closed his eyes. If Sakuya were here, he'd be getting an earful right about now. "You're right. We got the piece, but the Ganglar is still -" His eyes shot open. "Wait, you have the piece now - isn't that the important part to you? Why risk your lives trying to finish the job?"

His head tilted back and forth, as if he were carefully selecting his words. "I guess you goody-goody police are rubbing off on us? Anyway, once the Ganglar dies …" He shifted his weight and glanced back at him. "I'll find you and we can talk. Okay?"

"… okay."

"I'll see you later, then. Goody?"

"This way!" Goody started flying towards a building, and Red followed with his grappling hook.

Keiichiro stood motionless, watching his figure fade into the horizon.

Tsukasa's voice crackled over his earpiece. "Keiichiro, are you okay?!"

"Um. Uh. I'm fine."

"Keiichiro, you liar, what happened -"

"Physically. I'm fine physically. But … I ran into Kairi and …"

"… he's still not coming home, is he?"

"… no."

"We can strategize about that later, if you want. For now, we need to find a way to get around Yadogar's go-home beam."

He blinked. "His what?"

"That rainbow beam - it sent us all home. Didn't it do the same to you?"

Home, huh? He definitely wasn't at the dormitory despite being hit with the beam twice. It did take him somewhere, though; it just took him to …

… he didn't want to unpack that right this second, but at the same time, he couldn't say that he was surprised.

"… yeah, it did."

As Keiichiro finished off his third coffee and tenth patrol of the day, he pressed the button on his earpiece. "Jim -"

"Still no sign of the Ganglar or Red," Jim replied, sounding exasperated. "It's getting late, and for whatever reason, the Ganglars don't seem to attack at night - I guess they need their beauty sleep, too. You should follow their lead and get some rest."

He sighed. "Understood."

The fatigue from the day took over all at once, as if it was just waiting for him to clock out. He double-checked his watch: eight o'clock. It really was late, but one last patrol wouldn't kill him.

As he traveled down the riverside, he finally allowed himself to think about the go-home beam and how it had sent him to Kairi both times. He hated that he couldn't control his emotions, and he hated that it took a Ganglar's oddly specific ability to show him the true depth of his feelings for Kairi.

Home. What was the first thing he thought of when he heard that word? Not the dormitory. Not his childhood house or his parents. Home was a warm cup of coffee in a cozy bistro, Sakuya and Noël's laughter, Tsukasa's tired sighs, Umika's chipper "welcome in," Touma's cooking, and most importantly of all, Kairi's smile, Kairi's laugh, Kairi's warmth, Kairi's touch, Kairi, Kairi, Kairi.

He flashed a smile in his direction. "You're my Kei-chan forever!"

He knew that Kairi probably didn't mean it back then - he was just being silly or trying to tease him. But even so, from that moment on, Keiichiro's heart was no longer his own.

And worst of all? He hated how the go-home beam sent Kairi to him, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that, no matter how hard Kairi tried to hide it, the feeling was mutual.

He had to find Yadogar soon. The sooner he found him, the sooner he could take him out, and the sooner he could be with Kairi again.

He sighed. And there he went again, letting his emotions consume him. Taking a deep breath, he tried to clear his mind as he continued on his patrol.

"… hey hey, do you think we can track him using the GPS on his phone?"

Yellow? No … Umika?

"You don't think I tried that three weeks ago?"

And Touma.

Closer to the river, he spotted two tents at a camping spot, with Touma and Umika cooking dinner on a camp stove.

Ah, so that was their strategy for the go-home beam, too. Earlier, Sakuya had complained about their plan when Tsukasa and Noël dragged him to the department store.

Before he could think about it, Keiichiro approached their campsite and waved. "Touma-kun, Umika-chan. Are you doing well?"

They both flinched like he had caught them stealing from a cookie jar, and he realized too late that he was not supposed to know why they were camping. Clumsily, he added, "Fine night for camping. Um. Uh. You guys feel like a change of pace?"

Umika nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah! It's starting to cool down, which is great!"

He nodded like a robot. "Yes, it is, isn't it. Um. Uh. I, uh. I suppose I'll be on my way, then. Stay safe." He marched away, hoping against hope that he hadn't sounded too suspicious.

"Actually …" Someone seized his upper arm. Keiichiro swallowed and glanced to the side; there stood Touma, somehow looking more serious than usual. "Officer, I'd like to talk with you for a bit."

"Uh … Touma?" Umika said, sounding about as confused and scared as he was.

"Don't worry about it. In five minutes, take the skewers off of the stove. I should be back by then."

Touma half-led and half-dragged him to the nearest park bench. He sat down and motioned for him to take the seat next to him. Keiichiro obeyed, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"… you haven't asked about Kairi yet," he pointed out.

Keiichiro swallowed. "Um. Uh. Isn't he back at Jurer?"

"And you don't seem all that surprised to find us out here camping."

"Um. Uh. Like Umika-chan said, weather's been great lately."

"How was Kairi the last time you talked to him?"

"I think he's still working stuff out, but he said he'd talk to me after we defeat Yadogar -" His eyes widened as he realized his mistake too late. "I mean, um. Uh. I haven't seen him since - um - uh -"

Touma sighed and buried his face in his hands. "Just stop. I thought Kairi was exaggerating when he called you the worst liar he'd ever seen, but good lord, you are a disaster."

Groaning, he leaned back and massaged his temples. If it were Umika that figured it out, he could handle that, but Touma? All of a sudden, he feared for his life.

"… is that really what he said?"

He took a moment to gather up the bravery to steal a glance at Touma; instead of fuming, he looked haggard and concerned, like a father reporting his missing child to the police. Or maybe an older brother realizing that he was out of his depth concerning his missing sibling and asking for help.

"He promised me he would."

"Well, it's a start … thank you, Keiichiro-san." Touma sighed and ran his hand through his hair. With that simple motion, it seemed like all of his masks and barriers melted away at once, revealing the core of a man who had already lost one loved one and didn't want to lose another.

He frowned. Touma and Umika clearly cared about Kairi a great deal; why hadn't he responded to them?

"… if I may ask a question?"

"Ask."

"Why did it have to be me? Why couldn't you and Umika bring him home?"

"We tried, but …" He leaned forward and clasped his hands together. "We're teammates, but we're not friends. Until very recently, we had an unspoken rule that we would keep each other at arm's length. We know him well, but we're not close. You, on the other hand …" He turned his head towards him. "Do you have any idea how much you mean to Kairi?"

A shrill shriek pierced the air, followed by a Ganglar's laughter. Keiichiro leapt to his feet, already loading his Trigger Machine. Behind them, Umika was scrambling towards them with two VS Changers in her arms and a torn shirt sleeve, pursued by Yadogar.

Umika's eyes widened as she realized he was still here. "Wait - does he know? Touma -"

"Watch out!" Keiichiro surged forward and tugged her behind him as Yadogar slashed down, cutting through his jacket, shirt, and skin. He roared, partly in frustration but mostly in pain, as he transformed and kicked Yadogar back.

"No way, no way - Keiichiro-san!" Umika wailed.

Touma transformed behind him and aimed his VS Changer at the fallen Ganglar. "Yellow, get it together. We can end it here and now!"

"Wait, you two are Lupinrangers? Seriously?!" Yadogar lamented. "I was only out here to kill the red one -"

Touma fired a few shots, wounding one of the Ganglar's arms. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

"Not telling!" He launched the go-home beam, hitting everyone including himself.

Keiichiro and the Ganglar flew into the air, while Touma and Umika were simply dragged back to their tents.

(Good to know that the camping idea was a sound strategy.)

As he sailed through the air, he was relieved that he managed to transform beforehand; he had no idea how severe his new chest wound was, and it would have been a poor way to go if he bled out as he was flying over the city.

He crashed into the ground and immediately lost the transformation. He rolled over onto his back and regretted it immediately. The intense pain blossomed across his chest, mixed with the sickly feeling of his own warm blood trailing out of his wound. His head was feeling fuzzy, the edges of his vision blurred, his adrenaline-fueled heart was beating so fast, pushing more blood out - this was it for him, wasn't it? His location wasn't turned on, and Touma and Umika had no idea where the go-home beam sent him, he was going to suffer and lose consciousness and bleed out alone -

No. The go-home beam. It should have sent him to -

"Wh - holy shit, Kei-chan!"

In an instant, Kairi was at his side, draping his own jacket over his chest and applying pressure to stop the bleeding. He wished it was an exaggeration, but he really was breathing easier now that he was here.

Kairi, on the other hand, sounded like he was on the verge of tears. "What the fuck happened to you - Kei-chan -"

Slowly, he lifted his hand and rested it on Kairi's.

Warm. So warm.

"You're calling me that again … I'm so glad …"

Teardrops splashed across his face, and Keiichiro forced his eyes to focus. There was Kairi, smiling even though tears were streaking down his cheeks.

His breath hitched in his throat. "You're bleeding and all you care about is that I'm calling you 'Kei-chan' again?"

Speaking was too painful, so he simply nodded.

"You idiot …" He lifted his jacket, which was now stained red. "The bleeding's slowed down. Come on, Jurer's right there."

Chapter Text

As Kairi nearly tore off the front door, scrambled for the light switch, and tossed smaller items aside in his mad search for Jurer's first aid kit, it struck Keiichiro that he had never seen Kairi (or LupinRed) this frantic before. He knew he should be doing literally anything else - sitting down, trying to get out of his now-torn jacket and shirt, making sure the door was locked - but all he could do was stand there, staring at him and remembering Touma's last question.

"Do you have any idea how much you mean to Kairi?"

He finally hoisted out a large wooden box from the cabinet behind the register and hauled it to the nearest table. "Okay, this should be fully stocked, Touma always makes sure of that -" He turned to him, and Keiichiro could see the panic simmering behind his eyes. "Do you want to sit down and take off your shirt so I can check how bad it is?"

He blinked. "Oh. Yeah. I should do that …" Slowly, he lowered himself into the nearest chair and began to unzip his jacket, only for the zipper pull to fall off where Yadogar had sliced through.

Kairi knelt down in front of him, inspecting the damage. "Hm. Clean cut. Ganglar?"

"Yeah. Sharp pincers."

"Here, raise your arms …"

Keiichiro obeyed, and he lifted off his jacket and then his shirt. Yadogar's claw had sliced a thin red line diagonally across the bottom of his chest and most of his abdomen. Tiny rivulets of blood oozed from the cut if he moved too much, but it certainly didn't look as bad as it felt earlier.

He tried not to look at Kairi's formerly white jacket, now stained with blood, tucked away behind the register.

Kairi reached into the first aid kit and fished out a small spray bottle, a stack of gauze pads, and a roll of medical tape. Nervously, he drummed his fingers on the table as he studied the injury again, panic rising behind his eyes.

"It's shallow, so I don't think it needs stitches - fuck, should I wrap it or just tape on the gauze? Fuck it, I'll figure it out - hey, this is gonna sting."

"No helping it …" Bracing himself, Keiichiro shut his eyes tightly. "Mmkay. Ready."

Despite his best attempts to remain silent, a choked whimper still escaped Keiichiro's lips as Kairi used the disinfectant spray.

"It's over now. I'm putting gauze on the cut and then taping it down. If you feel like it needs to be wrapped after, tell me."

"Okay."

They settled into a tense silence as Kairi began treating his wound. Even though he already knew that Kairi was LupinRed and therefore, no stranger to patching up injuries post-battle, it still bothered him that he knew exactly how to treat such a large cut and that it seemed like he had done this a hundred times before.

Suddenly, it occurred to Keiichiro that the Lupinrangers had no choice but to learn how to treat larger injuries by themselves. The Patrangers had a GSPO ward at the nearest hospital, dedicated to treating officers injured in the field, but if Kairi, Touma, and Umika kept showing up at the hospital on a weekly basis, someone somewhere would investigate, and that would endanger their secret identities.

Without thinking, he murmured, "I'm glad to see you're okay."

Kairi paused and then continued working. "Why would I not be?"

He pursed his lips, trying to focus on choosing the correct words. He couldn't repeat his earlier mistakes with Touma, not now. "… I haven't seen you at Jurer in a while. And the last time I did, you …" The rest of the sentence died on his lips as he realized how trivial it was.

"The last time you did, I …?"

It was no use trying to lie; he would see through it right away. Sighing, he continued, "… you called me 'Keiichiro-san.'"

Kairi frowned. "And? You asked me to call you that, didn't you?"

"… I did, but … I'm your Kei-chan, aren't I?"

Pink spread across his face, but he kept working, never taking his eyes off of the wound.

A few more minutes of silence hung between them. Kairi stepped closer to tape down the gauze, and all of the light, delicate brushes of his fingers on Keiichiro's skin quickly became unbearably intoxicating. Every touch eroded away more and more of his self-control; he closed his eyes and bit the inside of his cheek in an attempt to distract himself.

It did not work.

"I'm almost done."

Good, great, fantastic. He accepted that there was nothing he could do about his pounding heartbeat, except hope that Kairi wouldn't notice. Instead, he focused on staying as still and silent as possible.

"… Kei-chan?"

He opened his eyes to see Kairi very close to him. Much too close.

"Kairi?"

If they stayed like this any longer, he would do something incredibly stupid.

Kairi seemed to have the same problem; while his breathing started out normally, his breaths became shallower and more desperate the longer he hovered close to him.

After what seemed like an eternity, Kairi finally broke the silence. In a small, broken voice, he pleaded, "Tell me this is a stupid idea. Please."

Keiichiro swallowed. More to himself than to Kairi, he whispered, "This is a stupid idea."

And of course, since his emotions and impulses always seemed to have the last say, Keiichiro leaned forward and kissed him.

This time, there was no surprise and no shyness - Kairi seized his shoulders and pulled him to his feet - they pressed against each other desperately, lips crashing, tongues mingling, fingers running through each other's hair -

Kairi whined as he pushed Keiichiro away from him and stumbled backwards into a table. "We can't - we can't - that can't happen again -"

He took a tentative step forward. "Kairi -"

"Don't." He gripped the edges of the table tightly. "Don't say my name like that."

"Like what? Like I normally do?"

He shook his head and moved farther away from him, turning his back to him. "I fixed you up. Now, go home. Please."

Home. Home was here, with Kairi. He straightened his spine and said, "No. Not until you tell me what's going on."

"I don't have to!" he spat like a petulant child. "Just leave - the door's right there!"

"Kairi."

He slammed his fist on the counter. "Dammit, I told you not to do that!"

"Kairi."

He howled, louder than he had ever heard him, and spun around, revealing tears falling down his face. "What will it take to get you to go away?!"

The sight almost made him want to cry, too. "If you think I'm going to leave you while you're like this, you're an idiot."

Kairi's bottom lip quavered. He took a deep breath and balled his hands into fists, as if he was bracing himself.

"… what would you do if I wasn't the person you thought I was?"

Keiichiro fell silent. Did he want to push him away so badly that he was really going to reveal his secret identity? Should he try to explain that he had figured it out a long time ago and still wanted to be here with him?

Unfortunately, he took his lack of response as a negative reaction and pressed on, "What would you do if I told you that I've been lying to you since the day we met?"

Without thinking, Keiichiro said, "I don't care! I want you with me!"

"You stupid policeman!" Kairi pulled out his VS Changer and pulled the trigger, transforming into LupinRed. He marched forward, screaming, "I'm the phantom thief you've been trying to catch this entire time! Everything I've ever told you was a lie! Why won't you go away?!"

"I'm not leaving you!"

He roared in frustration. "WHY AREN'T YOU MAD AT ME?!"

"BECAUSE YOU STOLE MY HEART, YOU STUPID PHANTOM THIEF!"

Kairi's transformation faded as his VS Changer clattered to the floor. "I - I didn't -"

"Yes, you did! Right here!" He pointed to a spot near his usual table. "You called me 'your Kei-chan' and I've been yours ever since!"

Kairi's nose twitched as he took a step back, staring at the spot on the floor as if there was a Ganglar about to attack. "I … I was being stupid. I didn't mean that."

"Yes, you did."

He sighed in exasperation. "Fine. You were being cute and I already liked you a little and I wanted you all to myself, alright?" (Keiichiro felt his face flush.) "But I'm not stupid - we can't be together. It's only a matter of time before something bad happens."

He was right and he hated it. There were so many things that could go wrong, so many ways he could lose Kairi, so many ways Kairi could get hurt -

Keiichiro pursed his lips. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I don't wanna hurt you either, so -"

"But, I …"

I love you.

He choked on the words as soon as he realized what he was about to say. "I … Kairi, I -"

"Stop, just stop." Kairi bowed his head and clamped his hands over his ears. "Don't finish that sentence, and don't say my name like that!"

"Like what?!"

"Like you love me! Like I'm your whole world and your everything because I can't be that for you - I'm just a stupid thief and you deserve better than me!"

Keiichiro was stunned into silence.

Kairi sniffed and wiped away some tears with his sleeve. "… I'm not just Kairi. I'm a phantom thief. I'm LupinRed, and you hate LupinRed."

"No, I don't."

"Liar."

"I'm not lying."

"Yes, you are." He lifted his shirt, revealing a faint outline of a mostly-healed bruise on his abdomen. "Like I told you, this took for-fucking-ever to heal."

Tears also started falling from his eyes. "I'm sorry. Kairi, I'm so sorry -"

"I don't care." He turned away. "You can stop pretending you care about the mean, awful phantom thief and go home."

"… I am home."

"You stupid policeman, what are you talking about?"

"The rainbow beam that the Ganglar hit us with earlier - it sends people home. Every time I've been hit with it, I've been sent to you. And you got sent to me. So … why? Why can't we try to make it work?"

"You mean, besides the whole 'wanted criminal and police officer' thing?" Kairi cast his eyes down. "Because you love Kairi, and only Kairi. You don't love Red. You could never love Red."

That was it. That was why both Kairi and Red lost their tempers at odd times - he thought that Keiichiro was incapable of loving both parts of him. He needed to tell him - he should've told him sooner -

"Yes, I do." Kairi opened his mouth to argue, but he continued, "I do because I figured it out a long time ago."

He blinked. "… you what?"

Again, he repeated, "'I'm always going to choose you.' Do you remember? You asked me to choose between Kairi and Red, but … they're both you. I will always choose you."

His eyes widened. "… you've known for that long?"

"I have. You being Red doesn't bother me at all. I want to be with you, so … can you please let me stay?"

More tears welled up in Kairi's eyes. "Kei-chan …"

Keiichiro crossed the room and hugged him while he fell apart in his arms.

"Kei-chan -"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Kei-chan …!"

Twenty minutes later, Kairi seemed to run out of tears. His breathing slowly evened out as he lifted his head from Keiichiro's shoulder. He rubbed his back in slow circles, which seemed to soothe him. Pressing their foreheads together, he asked again, "Will you let me stay with you?"

Instead of saying anything, Kairi tilted his head forward and kissed him.

It was just as breathtaking as the first time. Kairi's body pressed against his, Kairi's scent overwhelming him, Kairi's warm, soft lips, Kairi, Kairi -

He sighed as he reached up to weave his fingers in his soft curls. "Oh, Kairi."

He felt Kairi smile against his lips. "God, I've wanted this for so long."

He traced patterns on the nape of Kairi's neck as he pulled him in for a deeper kiss, and he could feel the thrum of his moaning against him. "I'm here now. I'm yours."

"Mm -"

Keiichiro's back hit something solid; he briefly broke the kiss to see that Kairi had backed him into a wall, but he took Keiichiro's head in his hands and forced him to turn back. In a low voice, he whined, "Come back here -"

Kairi softly bit Keiichiro's bottom lip and he absolutely melted, making a noise he did not think he was capable of making.

"Oh, you like that, huh?"

As if he were apologizing for being rough, Kairi kissed the section of his lips that he had bitten and ran his tongue over the area for good measure.

"Oh god, Kairi …"

"Mm?"

"… do that again. Please."

Kairi smirked and bit his lip again, a little harder this time, and Keiichiro moaned loud enough to wake up half the neighborhood.

"God, you're fun to play with -" He damn near slammed him against the wall as he kissed him again, his lips slightly parted. He meant to take this slowly and gently, but he couldn't help matching Kairi's energy - he pushed his tongue into his mouth, where their tongues met with equal enthusiasm.

Kairi pulled back to catch his breath as he purred, "So, what else turns you on?"

"Uh … I dunno?"

He giggled and Keiichiro's heart melted all over again. He adored his smile and his laugh - how had it taken this long for him to realize he loved him?

"How do you not know? Wait …" He leaned in to kiss him again as his hands travelled down to his hips. "… am I taking your virginity?"

He was losing control again - he'd probably say something stupid like -

"We can pretend you are?"

"Then I gotta be better than everyone else you've had." He gave him a quick kiss before grabbing his hand and leading him towards the stairs. Despite his best efforts, a desperate whine still escaped Keiichiro's throat.

"Someone's needy," Kairi giggled as he kept dragging him upwards.

He pouted and kept whining; he was perfectly fine with continuing this on the first floor (then again, if Touma ever found out, both of them were dead).

Kairi paused to open one of the doors, and he took his chance, pressing against him as their lips met again. He felt him laugh as they stumbled through the door - wait, where were they? Was this -

Swifter than he expected, Kairi pushed him down onto the bed. The force of falling jolted his injury, sending pain blossoming through his core, but he barely had time to register that before Kairi was on top of him - holy shit, Kairi was on top of him and he didn't have a shirt on -

"Oh wait, shit -" Kairi remained upright, straddling his hips and looking down at the bandages, where little spots of pink had started appearing. "Did I hurt you? I'm so sorry -"

… god, he looked so good above him like this.

The pain from his bleeding wound paled in comparison to his still-growing desire for Kairi. He reached out to tug at the waistband of his pants and, in a light, breathy voice he almost didn't recognize as his, he pleaded, "Forget about that. Get down here. Please."

The corners of his mouth quirked up into a smile as he purred, "Aww, Kei-chan, do you miss me that much?"

"Yes."

The smile turned into a smirk that Keiichiro had only ever seen on LupinRed. In one fluid movement, Kairi pulled his hands away from his waist and leaned forward, pinning both of his wrists to the bed. An embarrassing noise slipped through his lips - somewhere between a whine and a moan that was very obviously pleading for more.

"So you like being bitten and being pinned down … what else do you want me to do to you?"

He had no idea - Kairi's everything so thoroughly flooded his mind, it was difficult to think. He hadn't done anything like this in a while - he should probably ask Kairi to take it easy on him -

Instead, what came out of his mouth was, "Whatever you want to do to me?"

"Well, that's unhelpful," he complained as he leaned down and trailed soft kisses along his collarbone. "I want to do lots of things to you. What turns you on?"

When was the last time he even thought about this kind of thing? Satoru wasn't very adventurous, and after they broke up, Keiichiro was too occupied with work to entertain or even come up with any sexual fantasies.

… there was something that happened recently, though.

Heat rose in his face and chest; he had no idea if that was from arousal or embarrassment. "I, um …"

Kairi sighed and started dotting his neck with little kisses; maybe it was him losing his mind, but it almost felt like he was searching for something. His lips pressed against his pulse, and his gasp faded into a moan.

"Ah, there it is." As soon as his tongue made contact with that spot on his neck, he arched his back, moaning and whimpering.

"I'm gonna keep doing this until you tell me~"

God, it felt so good - pleasure was flooding his brain, rapidly washing away his self-control -

He squirmed under Kairi, crying out, "Red! LupinRed!"

Abruptly, Kairi stopped. "… huh?"

Before the embarrassment had a chance to take over again, he stammered, "Last week, in that cave - everything you did as Red turned me on. Fighting me, pinning me, pointing a gun at me - wait shit, can we pretend I didn't say that last one?"

"So you do like him, after all." He felt the low chuckle vibrating through Kairi's body as he whispered in his ear, using his LupinRed voice.

"That was too easy, officer. It's like you wanted me to tie you up and make you mine."

Any self-control he had left was officially gone.

He wasn't used to any kind of roleplay, let alone sexual roleplay, but he was basically playing himself, wasn't he? "You - you stupid phantom thief, what are you trying to pull?"

With a smirk that somehow made him harder than he already was, Kairi mused, "I'm going to see if I can convince you to not arrest me tonight."

He rolled his eyes. "Nothing you say is gonna convince -" The rest of his sentence devolved into gasps and moans as Kairi bit down and sucked on a spot just below his collarbone. It stung and would definitely leave some kind of mark, but somehow, the pain was translating into pleasure, like some wires had been crossed in his brain.

The part of him that would've worried about that was gone for the moment, replaced by the part of him that wanted Kairi to mark him over and over and over again.

"I'm not gonna use words, you stupid policeman. I'm going to drive you insane and then fuck you until all you can do is scream my name."

Chapter Text

Before he even opened his eyes, Keiichiro noticed that he felt much warmer than usual. Sure, it was October now and the nights were getting colder, but he wasn't so cold that he had to get a heavier blanket out.

As his eyes fluttered open and he tried to stretch, he noticed several things in succession.

One: this was not his bed and certainly not his room.

Two: Kairi was nestled next to him, clinging to him like a sleeping koala and using the uninjured part of his chest as a pillow.

Three: both of them were stripped down to their underwear.

Absentmindedly, he reached over to comb his fingers through Kairi's hair; in response to his touch, he hummed happily and snuggled into his chest. For some reason, the motion stung like he had suddenly overworked a sore muscle; he looked down to see that four: there was a string of new reddish-purple bruises just under his collarbone.

Then he remembered the entirety of last night's events, and a burning heat rose in his face and chest.

He and Kairi fucked. Holy shit. Holy shit -

He stirred, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. With a soft smile, he breathed, "G'morning, Kei-chan."

Suddenly, he forgot every word in every language he knew. "Uh. Hi."

"Mm?" He propped himself up on one elbow and studied him intently. As he reached out to cup the side of Keiichiro's face, he asked, "Hey … you're real, right? I'm not dreaming?"

Smiling, he placed his own hand over Kairi's and pressed his hand against his cheek. "Yes. I'm real."

He pouted. "Are you sure? You're not gonna suddenly disappear on me, right?"

He frowned as he tried to imagine Kairi's usual dreams and nightmares based on his questions. How many times had Kairi dreamed of him, and how many times had he lost him?

How could he thoroughly convince him that this wasn't a dream? That they were finally together?

Inspired by a burst of bravery, Keiichiro cupped his face with both of his hands and pulled him down for a kiss. Kairi was surprised at first, but soon leaned into him with a tenderness that warmed him from the bottom of his heart.

And then he bit Kairi's lower lip.

"Ow!" He recoiled, brushing his fingers against his lips. "That hurt."

Keiichiro smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, but at least now you know you're not dreaming?"

As soon as he confirmed that he wasn't bleeding, Kairi looked down at him with a mischevious glint in his eye. He had just enough time to realize that he was in trouble before Kairi lowered himself down and bit the skin just above his heart.

He gasped at the initial bite and then started moaning between ragged breaths as Kairi continued to nip and suck at his skin, giving him yet another love bite. Finally, Kairi stopped and kissed the new mark as he purred, "You're forgiven."

Keiichiro's hands trembled as he realized that he was losing control again - he had to stop being so easily consumed by his impulses and emotions.

But on the other hand, Kairi seemed to like it very much when he lost all self-control.

"Get back here," he whispered as he pulled Kairi in to continue their kiss from before.

"Mm … you gonna bite me again?"

"Only if you want me to."

"Oh, I do."

They lost themselves in each other for a while longer as Keiichiro desperately wished that he could spend every morning and every night with Kairi like this.

A sharp rapping at the door shocked them out of their shared euphoria.

"Kairi?" Touma called from behind the door. After a few seconds of silence, he knocked again, more insistent than before. "Kairi, I know you're in there, and so is Keiichiro-san."

He turned a bright scarlet as he lied, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You absolute idiot, you left his GSPO jacket downstairs."

Both of them winced; Kairi gave him an apologetic look.

Touma continued, "I sent Umika on a grocery run before she got the chance to see it. I strongly suggest that you get Keiichiro-san out of here before she comes back."

The echoes of his footsteps faded away, and Kairi sighed heavily. "Dammit …"

He hopped off the bed and started gathering up their discarded clothes from the floor. Keiichiro attempted to get up to lend him a hand, but a sharp pain shot through his abdomen; he tried to stay silent, but a tiny cry of pain still escaped him.

Kairi immediately dropped the clothes in a pile and rushed to his side. "Kei-chan?"

"I'm fine," he hissed as he clenched his teeth. "It just stings. I'm sure it'll be fine once I start moving."

His nose twitched as he turned away. "… okay. Here -" He laid out his pants and socks on the bed and crossed the room to his closet to find some clean clothes for himself.

Slowly, cautiously, Keiichiro sat up and inched his way to the edge of the bed. With a little difficulty, he managed to put his socks on, wriggle into his pants, and lace up his boots with only a few shocks of pain.

That wasn't too bad. He could probably walk into the office and act like this was just any other morning.

And then he looked down and realized just how many hickeys dotted his chest (and shoulders, apparently).

"… Kairi."

"What is it - oh. Those. Uh -"

Keiichiro turned to him, but any questions on his mind died in his throat as he finally realized that Kairi had just as many hickeys across his chest.

Scarlet bloomed across Kairi's face as he bashfully explained, "… we both like it rough."

He closed the distance between them and traced the line of bites with a shaking hand. "Kairi … did I …?"

"You didn't lose control. I asked you for every one of these." He kissed Keiichiro's forehead, which definitely did not make him swoon. "I don't know about you, but that was the best night of my life. Can't wait for next time." He paused. "… there will be a next time, right?"

If it were up to Keiichiro, "next time" would be "right now," but they had other matters to attend to. "Of course. But maybe after all of these bites heal."

"Oh right, here -" He held out one of his shirts. "I think we're about the same size and this should cover them up."

"Thank you," he murmured as he threw the shirt on.

… it smelled like Kairi.

Well, of course it smelled like Kairi, it was his shirt, but still, he couldn't help tugging the edge of the collar up to his nose and taking deep breaths, trying to take in as much of the smell as he could.

It took him much longer than it should have to realize that Kairi was watching him with a blush, a barely-concealed smile, and entirely too much affection shining in his beautiful brown eyes.

Keiichiro cleared his throat as he let the shirt fall back down. "Can you, uh. Can you pretend you didn't see that?"

With a smirk, he pulled him in for a quick kiss.

"I'm never gonna let you forget it."

Keiichiro wasn't sure what he expected when he followed Kairi downstairs, but Touma sitting patiently at a table with three plates of breakfast was not anywhere on the list.

"Sit," he ordered.

Kairi glanced back at Keiichiro before saying, "Weren't you the one saying we should get him out of here as soon as possible?"

"Sit," he repeated.

Wordlessly, they both obeyed. Keiichiro muttered a quick "itadakimasu" and took a look at his simple plate: rice, miso soup, tamagoyaki, and a wrapped anpan from a nearby bakery. As he started eating, he noted that the other meals were identical except for the sweet dish: Kairi had a pain au chocolat and Touma had some candied sweet potatoes.

He blinked. Touma did not strike him as someone who would enjoy something that sweet.

After a few minutes of tense peace, Touma broke the silence by asking, "Keiichiro-san, I assume you're patched up?"

He nodded. "I'll have to change the bandages later today, but I can stop by the GSPO ward on my way home."

"That's good. Umika was worried."

Kairi narrowed his eyes. "Wait, so that cut -"

Touma nodded. "Yes, the Ganglar ambushed us last night."

He frowned as he bit into a tamagoyaki. "Do the Ganglars know our secret identities, then?"

"No, he was actually after him." He pointed at Keiichiro with his chopsticks. "He said he was only there 'to kill the red one.'"

Kairi's body visibly tensed. In an attempt to reassure him, Keiichiro pointed out, "Don't they always end up wanting to kill us?"

Touma leaned back in his chair. "This is the first time one has directly targeted you."

"… second," Kairi corrected.

Touma frowned. "Second?"

Keiichiro hummed affirmatively. "Wilson. His plan was to separate us from everyone else and kill us in the Ganglar world."

Touma folded his arms and studied both of them. "… I think, going forward, if the Ganglars really are starting to target you two … you need to be much more careful."

Kairi nodded along as he ate his rice and froze mid-bite. "Wait - Touma -" He shot Keiichiro a nervous glance. "How do you know I told him about being phantom thieves last night?"

Touma sighed. "I didn't. Your boyfriend is a god-awful liar."

At the word "boyfriend," both Kairi and Keiichiro turned as red as their ranger suits and shared a shy, nervous look.

As if he didn't notice or care about how embarrassed they were, Touma continued, "Speaking of, is Keiichiro-san going to be, ah … sleeping over more often?"

He didn't know how it was possible, but Kairi turned redder (and judging from how his face burned like a sun, so did he).

Kairi hissed, "Touma, what the fuck - what happened to 'we don't get in each other's business?!'"

Touma's ears turned pink as he finally seemed to realize what he had done. "I'm not trying to. I have zero interest - negative interest, even - in your business, but if he's going to be here in the mornings, he's getting fed before he leaves." He turned to Keiichiro and lowered his voice. "The anpan was a guess. If you want me to get something else for you -"

"Anpan's fine," he replied quickly. "I like anko."

At that moment, the front door opened and Umika stumbled in, her arms full of grocery bags. "I'm back!" she called. "Touma, why were you in such a rush this morning -"

She made direct eye contact with Keiichiro, and her jaw slowly dropped to the floor. Touma cleared his throat, hoisted him up out of the chair, and handed him a paper bag containing his torn jacket and shirt. "Time for you to go …" he muttered apologetically as he started leading him to the exit.

Hastily, she set the bags down and marched towards Kairi, pointing at Keiichiro. "Why is he here?!"

Kairi turned around in a poor attempt to hide his crimson face. "None of your business!"

"And why is he wearing your shirt?!"

"None of your business!"

Over his shoulder, Touma shouted, "Umika, be nice!"

She pouted. "Why are you taking his side?!"

"Because we just got him back! Don't make him run away again!"

Kairi yelled in frustration. "Seriously, what the hell happened to 'we don't get in each other's business?!'"

Finally, Keiichiro stepped onto the patio while Touma closed the door behind them. Inside, he could still hear Kairi and Umika screaming at each other.

Touma glanced back at the door and sighed heavily. "Sorry about that. We'll have our shit together once Yadogar shows up again, I promise."

Keiichiro nodded. "I trust you."

His phone started ringing in his pocket; honestly, he was surprised that it hadn't died already. Without looking at the caller ID, he picked up. "Hello, this is Keiichiro Asa -"

Noël's excited shriek cut him off. "Oh la la! Are you and Kairi-kun really dating now?!"

The corner of Keiichiro's mouth twitched. "What - WHO TOLD YOU?!"

From inside Jurer, he heard Kairi bellow, "Wait, Umika, who are you texting - who the FUCK are you texting?! If you're texting that stupid French fuck, I'm stealing your puddings for the rest of forever!"

After dealing with Noël's squeals, Sakuya's unwanted advice, Noël's intrusive questions, and Tsukasa refusing to rescue him, Keiichiro had never been so happy to hear a Ganglar alert.

They arrived on the scene just in time to watch a Stealing Super Strike disintegrate Yadogar. Red turned on his heel and saluted them sarcastically.

"You're late, you stupid policeman," he sang.

Keiichiro groaned as he transformed. "You stupid phantom thief - you couldn't leave anything for us to do?!"

He shrugged. "Get here faster next time?"

"We got here as fast as we could!"

Red laughed, and Keiichiro's heart felt lighter. He loved his laugh, he would never stop loving his laugh - it took everything he had to not just throw himself into his arms.

Red brushed his helmet like he was adjusting the angle of his top hat. "Sounds like a skill issue?"

Noël giggled. "Oh la la~"

The corner of Keiichiro's mouth twitched. "Noël, I swear, if you 'oh la la' one more time -"

An ominous whistling melody echoed through the plaza, immediately putting all of the Lupinrangers on edge. The abrupt change rattled the rest of his team enough that they all transformed without question.

VS Changer at the ready, Tsukasa inched forward towards Yellow. "What the hell is going on?"

Yellow spun around, rapidly searching the area. "Trouble - big trouble. Worse than Gauche, worse than Destra -"

Someone wearing a blue poncho and a sombrero waltzed through the plaza, heading straight towards the damaged safe that was all that remained of Yadogar. He was familiar, so familiar - there was no way he could forget someone like this, even if he tried -

"Hey, wait -" Sakuya jogged forward, waving his hand. "Sir, please don't touch that!"

Wait, that was it - that's where he'd seen him before -

Keiichiro rushed forward and grabbed Sakuya's upper arm, dragging him back to the safety of the group. "That's the ice Ganglar I told you about - Zamigo!"

The Ganglar chuckled, and Keiichiro felt his insides freeze over. "Aww, you remember my name. That's sweet, Patren Ichigou."

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Red snarled. "Taking over for Gauche?"

Zamigo pouted as he picked up the safe. "Oh, LupinRed, so cold! Don't you miss me?"

Red fired the Magnum, knocking off his hat. "Sometimes I do, but my aim's getting better."

He scoffed as an unsettling grin spread across his face. "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you in on a little secret: Gauche isn't coming today. She needs lots of safes for a very special, very secret something." In a few fluid motions, he opened a portal and tossed the safe through. "And as payment for that little tidbit of information …" His form shimmered as his human disguise melted away, revealing the monstrous Ganglar underneath.

"You get to entertain me today."

Red immediately opened fire while Blue moved forward to shield him with Scissors. Seeing the shield, Zamigo opted to shoot at the undefended Patrangers. Keiichiro loaded Magic and aimed to shatter the shots before they made impact, but several shots from the Magnum cleared the air.

"Don't you dare," Red growled.

Lazily, Zamigo tossed his twin ice guns and generated a pair of new ones from the gold safes on his legs. "I'm just trying to get rid of Ichigou so we have more play time together. Isn't that what you want, too?"

"Don't touch him!" Red fired a series of shots, but Zamigo dodged all of them.

"You're slipping, darling," he taunted as he turned his attention to the Lupinrangers. "You need to control yourself."

"Shut up!" Red kept firing and intercepting Zamigo's shots in the air, covering the plaza in a field of blooming ice crystals. This was getting bad - visibility was down, and the Scissors shield was not large enough to cover all seven of them -

Keiichiro turned back and ordered, "Tsukasa, use Crane to try to get us some breathing room - I think it's also the closest thing we have to a shield -"

"Understood!" She loaded Crane, but it was too late - a crystal shattered in front of them, revealing Zamigo - he aimed right at Tsukasa - at this close of a distance, there was little they could do -

"Oh no, you don't!" A small red blur shot forward and slammed against Zamigo's hand, sending the intended killing shot careening harmlessly into the sky.

Zamigo's eyes narrowed. "You -"

From somewhere behind him, Noël called, "Jack, get back here -"

With his other gun, Zamigo shot Jack point-blank, instantly encasing him in a block of ice.

"JACK!"

Noël charged forward, and Sakuya and Tsukasa struggled to hold him back. Keiichiro moved in between his teammates and Zamigo, holding the Magic bow and arrow at the ready and realizing he had run out of options. Crane was with Tsukasa, Splash would not mix well with the ice, Ugou would just group them together on his position, Biker -

Wait.

A few more ice crystals burst into shards, and Red dashed into the fray, firing at Zamigo. This was just the distraction he needed -

He loaded Biker as he rolled to the side and fired at Zamigo, taking care to line up his shot so that Red and Jack weren't in his path. The Biker vehicle rocketed forward, bowling over Zamigo and giving them a precious few seconds of reprieve.

In seconds, Red was by his side, frantically whispering, "Did anyone get hit?"

"Jack."

"Shit."

They turned back to see little Jackpot, still in a block of ice, and Noël scrambling towards him. Sakuya, who was still trying to catch up, pointed at something and shouted. He followed his attention to a prone Zamigo, who was aiming at Noël.

"Shit - Noël!" Keiichiro started sprinting back. "Noël, you need to move!"

From behind him, Red ordered, "Blue, Scissors - wait - Kei-chan!"

Huh - what was going on?

Keiichiro looked back at Zamigo, who had switched his target to him -

"YOU HURT HIM, I'LL KILL YOU!"

Red slid in front of him with the Scissors shield and braced himself, but no shot came.

Instead, Zamigo was … laughing.

Red lowered the shield just enough that he could yell, "What's so fucking funny?!"

"Ahaha … hah …" Zamigo took a few seconds to compose himself. "No wonder Wilson's plan didn't work. He thought you'd kill each other if we didn't. But, as it turns out …" He switched back to his human disguise, sporting the most terrifying smile Keiichiro had ever seen.

"Dear, sweet Ichigou is your weakness, isn't he, LupinRed? I wonder how loud you'll scream when I kill him …"

He started cackling again as he escaped through a portal. At the same time, the rest of the ice in the plaza shattered - including the block containing Jack.

Noël's anguished cry broke his heart - and judging from their reactions, the hearts of the Lupinrangers as well.

He dashed back to his team; Sakuya and Tsukasa were already at Noël's side, trying to comfort him. Above them, Goody was frantically searching the area, calling for Jack.

"I can't find him - I can't sense him anymore - Noël, I'm sorry -" Goody wailed.

Noël untransformed and wiped away his tears before extending his arms towards Goody. Sobbing, he flew into his arms and Noël hugged him.

The rest of the rangers' transformations faded away as physical and emotional exhaustion set in. Keiichiro simply stood there, staring at the spot where Jack used to be. What could he do for Noël? What could he even say?

Umika stumbled forward and, as if she remembered at the last possible second that she was still in phantom thief attire, stopped a few paces away from Tsukasa.

"… Tsukasa?" she called.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," she responded in a wavering whisper. "But Jack …" She knelt down as her fingers brushed the ground, leaving trails where the thin layer of ice crystals melted. "Jack's a Collection piece, isn't he?"

Umika tilted her head. "Yes? Yes, he is?"

"So …" She looked up at her, a single tear falling down her cheek. "You still need him, don't you?"

The realization hit Umika and Keiichiro at the same time. All that the Lupinrangers had worked for … gone in an instant.

Umika sank to her knees. "No way, no way … Red, Blue …"

Kairi stepped forward and folded his arms. "Yellow, what we're doing isn't changing. We're just switching from Plan A to Plan B, is all."

She panicked and tried to shush him. "Red - they're still here -"

"Yeah, and?" He pointed at Keiichiro. "He knows -" He pointed at Tsukasa. "She knows -" He motioned to Sakuya and Noël. "Which means they definitely know."

Noël was too busy grieving to say or do anything cheeky; Sakuya attempted to look guilty.

Keiichiro cleared his throat. "So what was Plan A? And why are we falling back to Plan B?"

Kairi glared at the empty spot with such a ferocious intensity that it bled through his mask's disguise filter. "Plan A was to gather the Collection to make our wish: to … to …" He swallowed and squeezed his eyes shut, as if he were choking on the words.

"To bring our loved ones back," Touma finished. He shared a look with Kairi and Umika, who both nodded. "My fiancée, his brother, her best friend … they were all killed the same way Jack was."

Keiichiro swallowed. Yes, they had figured this out months before, but it was one thing to theorize while eating breakfast at Sakuya's place and another thing entirely to hear it from a man who sounded like he was on the verge of breaking.

"But the ice is his innate ability, not a Collection piece," Kairi continued. "Which means, if we kill the bastard, we might get everyone back."

More to himself than to anyone else, Noël muttered, "So going after him is Plan B." He stood taller as a fire burned behind his eyes. "I'm in. Whatever it takes."

Keiichiro glanced back at Sakuya and Tsukasa, who both had the same glint of determination in their eyes as they nodded. "So are we. You have our full support, no matter what."

Chapter Text

None of the Patrangers could focus on anything as mundane as reports and paperwork after they returned to the office. Three of them fell into their seats and stared blankly at their screens; Noël didn't even take his laptop out, opting to simply curl up on the couch. When Jim and Commander Hilltop's attempted comedy routine did nothing to lift their spirits, the commander officially ruled today as a rest day: anything due at the end of the day was pushed off to tomorrow, and although they couldn't leave early in case there was yet another Ganglar alert, they were allowed to stay in their lounge area, with the commander providing the best snacks and tea from their cabinet.

Even though there were two perfectly good armchairs, Keiichiro and his team decided to all pile onto the couch, with everyone attempting to hold onto Noël in some fashion. Keiichiro sat on his left side, Tsukasa pressed against his right side, and Sakuya, for some godforsaken reason, decided to climb over everyone and wedge himself behind Noël, lifting him and pulling him onto his lap so he could stretch his legs.

Tsukasa sighed. "Sakuya."

He pouted as he wrapped his arms around Noël's middle. "Not my fault you guys took the easy spots."

Noël chuckled, but his voice was raspy and hollow. "Merci … mes amis."

The four of them remained that way, occasionally eating a snack or sipping on a cup of tea, until the commander officially dismissed them for the day. In unison, the three of them all offered to walk Noël home, but he shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but I have some things to think about," he explained. "I'll see you all tomorrow."

He left first, followed by Sakuya. Tsukasa accompanied Keiichiro to the hospital, where he got his bandages switched out in a matter of minutes. They lingered in a nearby plaza, seated on a bench while watching civilians pass by.

After a few minutes of peaceful silence, Tsukasa murmured, "… what the hell did we agree to earlier?"

Keiichiro leaned back in their bench and sighed. The raw wound of watching Jackpot Striker shatter was still agonizingly fresh, as was the revelation that Kairi (and the other Lupinrangers) had lost a loved one the exact same way. To him, it was simple. There was only one path forward.

"… we agreed to help our friends," he answered. "We're helping them, and in the process, protecting others so that everyone can live with a smile."

She turned in the direction of the GSPO building. "And we'll keep doing that, even if it brings us into conflict with the Deputy Commissioner."

He pursed his lips. Was Tsukasa really getting cold feet about this? "We've been in conflict with him for months. It's nothing new."

"I know."

"And we all swore to keep protecting the people, no matter what happens to us."

"I know. But …" She opened her bag and laid a hand on her VS Changer. "Without these, we're liabilities. And stealing them on our way out is out of the question."

Keiichiro paled as he imagined trying to go up against Gauche or Zamigo with a regular firearm.

Frowning, she closed her bag and hung it on her shoulder. "I'm just saying, we can't go burning bridges yet. We need to stay as long as possible." She stood up and stretched her arms. "By the way, were you going to go see Kairi-kun later?"

Keiichiro had no earthly idea why she would even ask. "Of course, why?"

She smiled as she took out her phone and began typing out a text. "I was thinking of taking Umika out for dinner to cheer her up after … earlier. If you want me to, I can try to talk Touma-kun into leaving too, so you and Kairi-kun can, uh … have the place to yourselves?"

He groaned as he stood up. "Not you, too …"

Wait. When exactly did Tsukasa drop Umika's honorific? And she'd been skipping out on team dinners the past few times - she always claimed she was busy, but if she was with Umika -

"Wait - are you and Umika-chan dating?"

She blushed and walked away, heading towards Jurer. "Well …"

He pouted and marched to catch up to her. "So you can make fun of me, but I can't make fun of you?!"

"I have never showed up to work two hours late and wearing one of Umika's shirts."

His face burned with embarrassment. At least Sakuya hadn't told her that he found his love bites in the locker room - that, or Tsukasa was showing mercy in not bringing it up. Nothing he could say would win him this fight, so he settled for grumbling incoherently instead.

Ignoring the "closed" sign, Keiichiro knocked on the door. Through the door, he heard someone groan in frustration as they stomped to the door. As it opened, Touma's voice sailed out, "Do we need to write 'closed' in Japanese, too -" His entire demeanor softened as he realized it was him and Tsukasa.

He rubbed the back of his head bashfully as he pulled open the door wider. "One day, we'll learn that if someone's ignoring the 'closed' sign, it's probably one of you."

Umika poked her head out from behind Touma. "Tsukasa, you're here!" She squeezed past Touma to give her a hug, and Tsukasa patted her head.

"Have you decided where you want to go?" she asked.

"Hm …" Umika shrugged. "Surprise me?"

Tsukasa nodded. "Alright." She turned to Touma and asked, "What time should I have her -"

Flatly, he interrupted, "I'm not her father."

Tsukasa's cheeks turned pink. "Oh. Right. Sorry."

Touma pulled out his phone to check the time. "I'll be out and about until … midnight or so?" He rested his hand on Keiichiro's head. "Our two red idiots will be here alone, so -"

He pouted. "Hey!"

At the same time, Tsukasa grinned and replied, "Take our time, got it."

As the girls headed down the street, giggling and probably talking about him and Kairi, Touma leaned over and whispered, "Dinner's on the stove. Make sure Kairi eats something. You can reheat it if it gets cold, but do not touch anything else in my kitchen."

Keiichiro swallowed. "Understood."

With that, Touma patted his back and set off in the opposite direction.

After he closed the door and locked it behind him, Keiichiro called out, "Kairi?"

The empty chairs and tables in the bistro remained silent.

Frowning, he decided to show himself in and made his way to Kairi's room, where the door was shut. "Kairi? Are you there?"

His muffled voice barely traveled past the closed door. "… come in."

He entered the room, not knowing what to expect, and found Kairi sitting on his bed, his knees drawn up to his chest, with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He tried to muster a smile as he said, "Hi, Kei-chan."

"Hi. Uh -" He glanced at his briefcase and his trenchcoat. "Is it okay if I -"

Kairi shrugged. "Put them wherever."

Carefully, he slipped out of his shoes and crossed the room, setting his briefcase down on the desk and draping both his trenchcoat and blazer on the back of the chair. The desk was mostly undecorated, save for a single photograph in a frame. Keiichiro tilted his head as he studied the photo; he had definitely never met the older man, but something about him seemed so familiar. And the child, too - maybe his son or perhaps younger brother - he felt like he should know both of them -

"That's me. Me and … Aniki."

He blinked. Of course. How did he miss that? Out loud, he mused, "You have the same smile."

"Oh. Uh. Arigachu, I guess?"

He looked back at Kairi and recalled that the boy in the photograph had brown hair. "And you dye your hair? I mean, I kinda figured, but -"

Kairi pulled the blanket up over his head, hiding his blond hair. "Yeah. I do."

Keiichiro winced. If Tsukasa was here, she'd probably be biting his head off about how he can't possibly be this awkward, that he must have missed something important about the situation -

"My fiancée, his brother, her best friend … they were all killed the same way Jack was."

Keiichiro nearly slapped himself. Avoiding Kairi's eyes, he took a seat on the edge of the bed and sighed, "I'm sorry I'm so awkward. I shouldn't have been prying. It must hurt, especially after … earlier."

Kairi remained motionless. "… yeah. It does."

He frowned and fidgeted with the cuffs on his shirt. He should have known better - why the hell didn't he just ask Kairi if he wanted to see him before he left the office instead of just assuming? Just because he desperately wanted to see him didn't mean that Kairi felt the same way.

"… I should've asked if you even wanted company today. If you want, I can go -"

"No." Quicker than Keiichiro thought was possible, he reached out to grab his arm. "Stay. Please."

He finally turned back towards him; instead of a smiling ray of warmth or a playfully sarcastic phantom thief, next to him on the bed was a broken young man with tired, empty eyes hiding under a blanket and squeezing his forearm as if his life depended on it.

Against his will, tears began welling in his eyes.

"Okay, I will. Here -" Keiichiro moved backwards on the bed until his back rested against the wall, extended his legs, and patted his lap. Silently, Kairi wedged himself in between his legs and rested his back against his chest as he pulled the blanket over their legs; automatically, Keiichiro wrapped his arms around his middle.

"… arigachu," he mumbled.

Keiichiro knew full well that he was no good with words. Any attempt he had to try to talk it out would make everything worse. So instead, he tried to channel the words he couldn't bring himself to say into every one of his actions.

He pulled Kairi closer and held him tight.

I love you.

Gently, he placed a kiss on the crown of his head.

I love you.

He rested his cheek against the top of Kairi's head, filling his lungs with his scent over and over again.

I love you.

They remained that way for a while longer. By the time Kairi spoke again, the sun had long since set and the light from the streetlamps partially illuminated the room.

"… I dye my hair because of Aniki."

Keiichiro blinked. "Huh?"

Kairi slowly crumpled and twisted the edge of the blanket as he explained, "Aniki was good at everything he did without trying, so of course, everyone in our neighborhood knew him. As I grew up, pretty much every adult, including all the teachers at school, looked at me, realized who my brother was, and expected the same sort of effortless perfection from me … and got disappointed when they didn't get it. I tried going to a different high school, but it didn't matter - everyone there knew him, too. Soon, when I looked in the mirror, all I could see was some cheap copy of my perfect brother. I hated it, so I changed it." He smiled bitterly. "It upset him, too, so that was a bonus."

"… oh." His eyes found the picture frame again; he absolutely did not have the words or tact to properly comment on this or try to ease his pain, but he did recognize that it was a miracle that Kairi had opened up at all.

He kissed his temple. "I like the way your hair looks now. It looks good." After a heartbeat, he opened his mouth and nervously backtracked, "I mean - it sucks that you felt like you had to do that - well, you didn't have to, you wanted to - oh, but you don't have to stay blond just for me - you can change your hair again if you want - I'm not trying to -"

Kairi giggled, sounding more like himself. "You weren't kidding. You are so awkward."

Keiichiro groaned and turned away, hoping that the low light in the room could conceal his red face.

Kairi sighed as he twisted his body to snuggle into his chest. "… 'm still trying to figure out how you did that."

"Huh? Did what?"

He pursed his lips. "I've never told anyone that. And I've never told anyone about Aniki and the amusement park, either. It's like with you, I actually want to talk about myself instead of hiding everything away." He rubbed his eyes, trying to stop the tears before they started. "I can't imagine why. Who'd wanna stick around once they realize what a selfish brat I am?"

He leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Me, apparently."

Pouting, he flicked Keiichiro's nose. "Stupid policeman."

He couldn't help but smile. "Stupid phantom thief."

Kairi turned around fully and pulled him down for a soft kiss. He hugged him, pulling him in closer -

And felt his stomach growl against his own.

He smiled against Kairi's lips, unable to hold in his nervous laughter; fortunately, he did the same.

He pulled away and started climbing out of the bed. "Guess we gotta eat, huh?"

"Yeah. Touma-kun did tell me to make sure you ate something."

Kairi scoffed as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Worrywart. I think I liked it better when he wasn't fussing over us …"

Keiichiro couldn't help but chuckle. As he got to his feet, he pulled in Kairi for one more kiss before they headed downstairs.

As soon as Umika was out of Touma's sight, she dropped her cheery facade and clung to Tsukasa's arm. The sight of another dear friend taken by Zamigo shook her more than she wanted to admit. Tsukasa seemed to sense this and turned to kiss her temple.

"Don't worry, I know you," she reassured her. "I've got something in mind that'll cheer you up."

Umika pursed her lips in thought. There were quite a few things that could cheer her up - mostly cute things and dessert places. They already passed the heart of the restaurant district - were they heading to the train station?

"We do have to go to Odaiba, but it's worth it, I promise," Tsukasa explained. "There's a wonderful coffee shop, a nice little karaoke place, and if you want to just people-watch, there's a lovely fountain in the middle of it all."

Wait. That was -

Umika stopped dead in her tracks, accidentally yanking Tsukasa backwards.

"… that's the Aphrodite Mall, isn't it?"

Tsukasa blinked. "Yes, actually. Have you been?"

It was suddenly cold - way too cold -

Hugging herself, Umika breathed, "… that's … that's where I lost her …"

Tsukasa paled. "Oh. Oh. Uh. I'm sorry - I'm so sorry -"

She shook her head. "You didn't know. It's not your fault."

"I'm still sorry. Now, let's see …" She took out her phone and started frantically typing. "All your favorite dessert shops in the restaurant district are still open, but you need a proper dinner, not just sweets - unless you'd really like sweets, in which case -"

On top of the cold in her soul, something squirmed in the pit of Umika's stomach. She hated being fussed over. She hated having to be saved. She needed to be stronger than this.

"It's fine."

Tsukasa frowned. "Umika, we can go somewhere else, it's -"

"No. I want to go there. I …" She trailed off as she took a moment to summon her courage. "I … I need to, I think. I haven't been since that day, but …" Stepping forward, she took Tsukasa's hand once more. "I think with you, I'll be strong enough."

Tsukasa clearly still looked unsure, but she put her phone away and resumed their trek to the train station. "Okay. If you're sure."

"I'm sure."

And she was strong … until the train crossed the water on its way to Odaiba. Suddenly, it was Shiho by her side, covering her eyes as Umika opened up the manga anthology and searched for her name. It was Shiho that she clung to, crying happy tears because her talents had finally been recognized. It was Shiho's hand that she took as she skipped out of the train station, thinking that nothing could go wrong.

"Umika?"

She blinked. "Huh?"

"We're here."

Oh.

From the entrance to the mall, she retraced her steps in silence, with Tsukasa by her side. Shiho kept insisting that it was a misprint - that they had used the wrong character and it was a completely different person's entry, and Umika had to open the book and point to her name and the title of her manga to prove that it was real and it was happening. They paused right here - Shiho was still uneasy about Umika paying for their coffee and snacks, and she had to coax her into accepting; it was always Shiho protecting her, supporting her, and buying meals and gifts for her.

It wouldn't have bothered her so much if she hadn't known why Shiho insisted on doing all those things.

When Shiho finally accepted that she was paying for their food, Umika ambled forward, unaware of her surroundings -

"Watch out!" Shiho had cried out.

She fell to the ground here, and when she looked up … Shiho was frozen.

Umika squeezed Tsukasa's hand tightly, trying her hardest to not fall apart right then and there.

Tsukasa tried to hide it, but she still flinched at the sudden pain in her hand. "Umika?"

"Here. It was here." As she turned her head slowly, she surveyed the area: all was normal as normal could be. Families were shopping and friends were calling out to each other. Sale advertisements adorned the store windows and the A-frame board for the coffee shop highlighted their new autumn flavors.

As it was now, she would have never guessed that so many people died here. She would have never guessed that her life came crashing down here.

Before she realized what was happening, she sobbed, "I miss her so much. It's like she took a piece of my heart with her."

The silence between them hung in the air for a heartbeat too long. Oh, she definitely screwed up now - she'd done her best not to talk about Shiho around Tsukasa, because if she did, she wouldn't be able to conceal the love that she still felt for her, and then she'd have to explain that no, Tsukasa wasn't a replacement for her, Umika loved Tsukasa too, but she also loved Shiho and she would never just toss Tsukasa away, she loved them both so, so much -

"Can you tell me about her?"

Oh no.

She frantically wiped away her tears as she tried to think of a way out of this. "Um - you don't, uh - you don't have to be polite or anything - just give me a bit to calm down -"

She felt a sudden cold as Tsukasa let go of her hand - this was it, she messed up -

Tsukasa was in front of her now, gently dabbing her cheeks with a handkerchief. For some reason, she didn't look angry - in fact, the small smile on her face was genuine.

"I want to know," she explained. "She's important to you, so she's important to me. You've been fighting this entire time to bring her back - I'd like to know a little about her before she comes home. Do you …" For a moment, she faltered. "… do you think she'd like me?"

Without hesitation, Umika answered, "Yes. I think she'll love you, too."

Tsukasa looked … relieved?

Of course, she might be hiding her true feelings very well, but maybe, just maybe she'd accept how Umika felt about the both of them.

Tsukasa kissed her forehead. "That coffee shop I mentioned - it's here. I think they have sandwiches, so I guess that'll count as a 'proper dinner?' Does that sound good to you?"

Once again, she was repeating her memories of Shiho with Tsukasa. But she and Shiho never actually made it to the coffee shop.

Maybe next time they came here, Shiho would be with them, and she and Tsukasa would love each other as much as she loved them.

"Yes. Thank you, Tsukasa."

Kogure rubbed his temples. "Noël-sama, this is a bad idea."

"And for once, I agree with him, so it's a really bad idea!" Goody added.

He had to admit, some part of him also thought this was a bad idea, but the rest of him was so fucking furious that it overrode everything else.

"Zamigo's taken too much from me. He needs to die," he hissed through clenched teeth. "The sooner that bastard is dead, the sooner we get Jack back."

"You heard them earlier - everyone is on board with this plan now!" Goody pleaded. "Work with them - you have six other people you can depend on!"

"And right now, half of us are at the mercy of Deputy Commissioner Yanagami. Do you think he'd allow us to hunt down Zamigo together?"

"… yes?" Goody hoped.

"No," he flatly answered. "The moment he realizes we're all working together, he'll fire us or label us criminals for assisting the Lupinrangers or both. No … it's better if I do this alone."

Goody groaned and rolled in the air. "Didn't we just go through a whole thing where Kairi had to learn that going after Ganglars alone was a terrible plan?!"

An irrational rage seized him on hearing Kairi's name. He tried to brush it off as his emotions trying to find any sort of target for these awful feelings, but -

how did he get the Magnum he's just a child he'd only been a phantom thief for a year and a half I've been working at it my whole life I'm the one who was raised by Arsène HOW did HE get the Magnum?!

Noël took a slow, deep breath in an attempt to calm his rampaging thoughts.

Goody hovered at his side. "Does this mean you'll reconsider?"

The polite, innocuous police officer mask settled back into place as he marched towards the front door with his backpack. "I'm afraid not. Please don't try to stop me."

Chapter Text

Kairi poked his head out the front door and into the afternoon light, checking up and down the street for anyone looking out of place. When he was sure that the Patrangers weren't followed, he flipped the sign to "closed" and locked the door. Folding his arms, he turned back to them and began, "So, what's so worrying that we had to -"

He paused as he realized that, like the upstanding officers they were, they were helping with the closing cleanup: Keiichiro was helping Umika wipe down tables, Sakuya was mopping the floor, and Tsukasa was in the kitchen helping Touma wash the dishes.

Sighing, he settled into his usual chair at the counter and brought out his phone. "You know, you guys don't have to do this - it's our job."

"We want to," Keiichiro automatically replied. "More hands help the tasks go faster -" He paused as he realized that Kairi was scrolling on his phone. "Are you going to help?"

He shrugged. "Looks like you guys have it handled."

In a tired, sing-song voice, Umika commented, "I told you, he's just like this."

Keiichiro huffed and marched towards him, hoisting him up out of his chair while shoving a duster in his hand. "You can take care of the shelves - it'll be a quick job."

Kairi whined as he followed Keiichiro back to one of the tables, intent on avoiding as much work as possible. "Kei-chan …"

He ignored him as he continued cleaning. "Kairi."

He hugged him from behind, wrapping his arms tightly around his middle. "But Kei-chan …"

He groaned as he dragged Kairi to the decorative shelves in the back. "Kairi."

He tried to escape back to his counter seat, but Keiichiro simply lifted him up and stuck him in front of the shelves. One more time, he whined, "Kei-chaaan …"

From the kitchen, Touma grumbled, "How are you two always so insufferable?"

In a few more minutes, the bistro was cleaned up, and a few of the decorative shelves were even dusted. Kairi sighed as he leaned back in his counter chair. "So like I was saying earlier, what's got you so worried that you'd call a secret meeting with phantom thieves?"

"Noël took a leave of absence this morning," Keiichiro answered. "We figured it was because he was still mourning Jack, so we tried to call him, but we can't contact him at all."

"So … he's in mourning, isn't he?" Umika thought out loud. "Maybe he wanted to be alone for a bit."

"If it were that simple, we wouldn't be worried." Tsukasa folded her arms as she leaned against the back wall. "Sometimes, he shows up in the mornings with more severe injuries than he left the battle with, and I can't shake the feeling that sometimes, he knows more than he lets on. We have zero evidence, but I'm starting to think he does some solo reconnaissance at night. If he's off on his own now, trying to find Zamigo … we need to go back him up."

An odd mix of worry and guilt needled Kairi's heart. When he ran away and tried to hunt Ganglars alone, he only thought of protecting everyone else - if he was the only one risking his neck, everyone else could sit at home, safe. It didn't occur to him that the other rangers would care that he was gone and want him back - not until he found the tracker Touma had hidden in his suit collar.

"Not to mention, the deputy commissioner's treating this like he quit," Sakuya snarled. "There's already rumors going around that he's bugging France HQ to send a substitute to cover for him."

Keiichiro pinched the bridge of his nose. "We lucked out with Noël being sympathetic to us and to you. I don't think we'll get that lucky again."

Touma sighed. "What a pain."

Kairi stretched his legs. "So what do you want us to do, find Noël?"

The three Patrangers shared a glance before Keiichiro answered, "Yes, actually."

Kairi frowned. "Seriously? We're thieves, not a detective agency."

"You can move around a lot more freely than we can," Keiichiro pointed out with an edge of bitterness in his voice. "We have one Dial Fighter - we can take pieces from regular Ganglars and keep them safe until one of you picks them up."

"… assuming your new fourth member doesn't try to take them," Touma reminded them.

Tsukasa narrowed her eyes. "Do you really think we'd allow that to happen?"

Umika fidgeted with her apron. "But won't you get in trouble? What if the new person rats you out and you guys get fired?"

The Patrangers fell silent; Keiichiro and Tsukasa turned away while Sakuya picked at the buttons on his blazer sleeve. Something deep in Kairi's stomach roiled at the sight; one of the many, many reasons on the list of why actually dating Keiichiro would end badly was that one day, Keiichiro would have to choose between his job - his dream job, the only one he's ever wanted since he was a child - and Kairi.

He didn't want to force him to make that decision, and it certainly wasn't because he was afraid of the answer.

Softer than anyone expected, Touma pointed out, "You had to have known that was a possibility."

"We did." Keiichiro lifted his head and fixed them all with an intense stare; something burned behind his eyes, and instead of feeling intimidated or perhaps scared, Kairi felt … safe.

"We've been prepared for this since the day we swore to protect you," he continued. "But if we leave the Tactical Unit, we also lose access to our VS Changers and vehicles."

A knot in Kairi's chest loosened and unfurled, and he had to consciously stop himself from laughing. Was that what they were worried about?

Kairi smirked playfully. "Oh no. If only you knew some thieves who could take them -"

He glared at him. "Don't."

He frowned. "Why not -"

Keiichiro crossed the room and gripped his shoulders. "I mean it. Kairi, if it comes to that, please don't steal anything from the GSPO."

"Noël was looking into international laws further before he left," Tsukasa chimed in. "Right now, they're having trouble finding any crime to pin on you because the Ganglars are considered a hostile interdimensional invading force and don't have legal protections. If you steal from the GSPO, they will pull out all the stops to take you in because apparently, the Japan branch is being run by a petty little fucker."

Keiichiro gasped. "Tsukasa. Language."

Sakuya snorted. "I know he's our superior, but come on, Senpai - you think he's a petty fucker, too."

He sighed. "Yeah." He loosened his grip and moved his hands down Kairi's arms, gently clasping his hands. "Don't worry about us. Focus on Noël and Zamigo, okay?"

The last thing Kairi wanted to do was leave them at the mercy of this bitch-ass commissioner, but he also knew that no amount of arguing would change their minds - especially Keiichiro's. Sighing, he conceded, "… okay."

As soon as Keiichiro set foot in the office, he sensed that something was … wrong. His eyes swept the room, but he couldn't find a hair out of place: Tsukasa and Jim were typing out reports, Commander Hilltop was preparing a pot of tea, and Sakuya was probably still en route with a box of Jurer's pastries. In all honesty, it was probably nothing - the past few days had been hard on them all, and he probably needed a break.

But still.

He padded over to his teammate and whispered, "Tsukasa -"

Tsukasa seemed alarmed at the sight of him. Frantically, she hissed, "There's something you need to know - they've found a temporary replacement for Noël - it's - it's -"

The office door slid open, and a startlingly familiar voice announced, "Good morning. Satoru Shinonome, reporting for duty."

Oh, fuck.

Keiichiro sat down and opened up a computer program at random, trying as hard as he could not to turn around.

Cheerfully, the commander greeted, "Welcome back, Satoru-san! It's good to see you again!"

"I'm glad to be back, Commander. Oh, is this our new assistant?"

Jim chuckled bashfully. "I guess I'm new to you? I'm Jim Carter!"

"Good to meet you, Jim-san. Tsukasa-san, beautiful as always."

Beautiful? Tsukasa wasn't too fond of compliments on her physical appearance while at work, and Satoru knew that. They also hadn't used honorifics for each other since graduating from the academy.

The unease was evident in her voice as well. "Um … thank you, Satoru."

"And …" He leaned over the back of Keiichiro's chair, his arms sliding down his chest to hold him from behind, and kissed his cheek.

Satoru was also never one for public displays of affection, especially at work - had France really changed him this much?

"Good morning, Keiichiro-kun."

He swallowed. "Um. Hello, Satoru."

"Hm. This must be quite the vexing report."

"Huh?" It was then that Keiichiro realized that he had been staring intently at a blank word document.

"Um. Uh. It's … been one of those weeks," he weakly offered.

"Ah. Well then, good thing I'm here." Satoru ruffled his hair, sending ripples of anxiety through Keiichiro. "After work, do you want to come over and have some fun?" He kissed him again, and it was just as jarring and uncomfortable as the first time. "We have a lot of catching up to do, don't we?

Oh, fuck.

He shot Tsukasa a desperate look, but she looked as confused and nervous as he was. He did not want to have this conversation right now -

Sakuya stumbled into the room, carrying a box and a travel coffee container. "Hey guys, I have croissants and - oh, hello!"

"Hm?" Satoru turned around, finally shifting his attention away from him. "You must be my successor - Sakuya-san? I'm Satoru."

"Oh, hey! I've heard a lot of stories about you! Are you glad to be back?"

"I am, actually." He turned to Keiichiro and smiled. "It's gonna be nice picking up where we left off."

… Keiichiro felt like something was just slightly off about his smile, but he couldn't identify why.

"Huh? Senpai, aren't you dating -"

Oh, for fuck's sake -

He stood up abruptly, nearly screaming, "Good morning, Sakuya!"

Sakuya blinked. "Good … morning …?"

"Oh." Satoru leaned down and whispered, "Is there something you need to tell me, Keiichiro-kun?"

fuck fuck fuck fuck -

"Later? After work?"

"Hm." He seized his hand and started moving him towards the door, saying, "Keiichiro-kun says that he wants to take me on a tour to refresh my memory - we'll be back in a bit!"

Keiichiro shot his teammates a look, begging and pleading for them to come to his rescue, but it seemed they were too confused to notice.

The two of them stopped in the first empty hallway they came across. Satoru leaned forward and Keiichiro automatically stepped back, pressing himself up against the wall.

"Keiichiro-kun?" he simply asked, his voice and face completely unreadable.

His eyes dropped to the ground; it felt like if he had to look at Satoru for any portion of this conversation, he'd throw up. "I … I'm sorry, Satoru. I …"

"… you've found someone else."

He turned away. "… yes."

"… okay."

Huh?

He ruffled his hair again and returned to his cheerful self. "I'm just glad you're doing well. Shall we head back?"

Keiichiro's head snapped back up and studied Satoru closely; there was no hint of any sadness or anger or jealousy that he was trying to hide behind his smiling facade.

This should be good, right? Satoru was okay with him seeing someone else; there was no need to hide anything or walk on eggshells.

Still, something uncomfortable rumbled in the pit of his stomach.

When Keiichiro said goodbye to Satoru at the airport almost a year ago, he thought that was it. He apologized once more for being reckless, and Satoru tried to reassure him that his injury wasn't his fault. They danced around "I'm sorry it didn't work out" and "maybe I'll visit you and we can grab some coffee" and "you have my number if you still want to talk," knowing that every single syllable was an empty platitude. They kissed one last time, but it felt like a formality; any passion or spark had long since disappeared.

He hadn't had much contact with Satoru since then. He didn't want to, not when seeing him or hearing him or even thinking about him made him feel guilty.

The past week had been hell and a half with his ex-boyfriend in the office. Even though they were theoretically still on good terms, he felt like being around Satoru had gotten worse, and his newfound anxiety hadn't gone unnoticed by Tsukasa and Kairi. Tsukasa was also uncomfortable, but she attributed Satoru's behavior to cultural differences beween Japan and France. Kairi … well, he only told him that it was work that was stressing him out. If he had his way, Kairi and Satoru would never meet nor learn of each other's existences.

Unfortunately, the universe decided that he would not be getting his way; Satoru mentioned missing certain French dishes, and Sakuya happily suggested that they eat lunch at Jurer. All he could do was hope that Kairi was out skipping work.

As they entered Jurer, Umika called, "Welcome in - oh, hey guys! Take a seat, I'll be there in a bit!"

Keiichiro, Sakuya, and Tsukasa automatically sat in their chairs, but Satoru remained standing, studying the bistro.

"It's cozy and homey in here," he commented as he took the empty chair at the table. "No wonder you guys like this place."

Sakuya nodded enthusiastically. "And the food is really good - it'll be like you never left France!"

From behind him, Keiichiro heard a familiar giggle, and suddenly, he wanted to move to France himself.

Kairi approached with a smile, casually resting his hand on Keiichiro's shoulder. "Well, look who it is - my favorite officers!" He paused as his eyes traveled over to Satoru. "… and some guy in a suit."

Thankfully, he took the joke well. "I'm Satoru Shinonome. While Takao-san is on leave, I'll be joining the Tactical Unit in a support role - which is why I didn't get the matching uniform."

Recognition flickered across Kairi's face. "Oh, you're the guy!" He leaned down and whispered, "He is the guy, right? The original Nigou?"

Keiichiro was afraid that he might slip up and say something stupid, so he simply nodded.

"Alright then!" He straightened his spine and mimed taking out a notepad and pen. "What's your drink of choice, Satoru-san?"

"Coffee with four sugars."

Keiichiro furrowed his brow. No, that was wrong. Satoru took his coffee with cream only, and besides, he didn't enjoy sweet things.

"I'll get those right out," he sang as he strolled back to the counter.

Satoru tilted his head. "He knew your drink orders already?"

Tsukasa smiled. "We've been coming here for a while."

"Ah, I see." He propped himself up with his elbow as he ogled Kairi.

stop looking at him like that

"So." His eyes locked on to Keiichiro so suddenly and so intensely, he almost flinched backwards. "Would you say that you're … close to the staff here?"

The actual words he used were neutral and polite, but the way he asked set off every alarm bell in Keiichiro's mind. He kept saying that he wasn't mad that Keiichiro moved on, but if he found out who Kairi was -

"We're … friends. Yes."

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kairi turn his head towards him. Maybe he was imagining things, but … did he look hurt by what he said?

no Kairi I'm sorry but please please don't say anything

"Hm. I see." He looked at Kairi one last time before turning his attention to the menu. "… say, Keiichiro-kun?"

Still wrong. He hadn't corrected him in the past week, thinking that he might remember on his own, but he still hadn't dropped the honorific.

He lifted the menu to shield his face and made an affirmative sound.

"How old is that waiter?"

none of your fucking business

He growled, "Why?"

Without changing his cheerful tone, Satoru chirped, "You're twenty-four now, aren't you? Please tell me he's at least twenty."

In a harsher voice than she had ever used for Satoru, Tsukasa spat, "What does that have to do with anything?"

He leaned back in his chair with a disarming smile on his face. "Were you really so desperate for company that you started dating a child?"

How the fuck did he - oh shit, was it the way he answered the last two questions? Calm down, he needed to calm down, whatever this was, he needed to stop falling for it -

Keiichiro's hand curled into a fist. "If you have a problem with me seeing someone, talk to me like a normal person. You don't need to cause a scene -"

Kairi, of course, stopped by the table to pass out their drinks at that very moment. "What scene?"

Without changing his expression, Satoru answered, "There's no scene - I was just wondering if Keiichiro-kun was so lonely that he decided to date a high schooler."

The customer service smile melted away as Kairi stepped backwards and clutched the serving tray to his chest. "… I'm twenty."

His attention returned to the menu. "Oh, well that's alright then. I never would have guessed - you look so young." He pursed his lips as he shot Kairi a curious look. "… were you a virgin when you met him?"

Keiichiro was half a second away from flipping the table, but Kairi squeezed his upper arm, forcing him to pause and reconsider. In a voice that was more furious LupinRed than easygoing Kairi, he asserted, "Whatever this is, it's not funny. I don't care who you are - knock it off."

He shrugged. "I was just under the impression that he was into older men, was all." The corners of his mouth quirked up into an unsettling grin. "Were you tired of bottoming? Is that what this is? You picked out a younger, inexperienced little boy -"

Before he realized what was happening, Keiichiro jumped to his feet, knocking over his chair and nearly doing the same to the table. Sakuya and Tsukasa both called his name and Kairi squeezed his shoulder, calming him down enough so that he wouldn't do anything rash.

But then Satoru laughed like the scene was a punchline to an extended joke, and Keiichiro started seeing red again. Satoru's laugh was supposed to be light and airy, like a melody on the wind. Whoever this was, their laugh was grating, malicious, pricking into his skin and coursing through his veins like a burning poison -

"What's wrong with you?!" he hissed.

Satoru pouted. "What, I can't poke some fun at my old friend?"

Tsukasa slammed her hand on the table. "This isn't 'poking fun,' you're being an asshole!"

He rolled his eyes dismissively. "None of you can take a joke, can you?"

Kairi scoffed. "If you want us to laugh, find some better jokes."

He snorted. "The biggest joke is standing in front of me. You're a pretty little thing and nothing else. He just likes the way your ass looks in those pants. If you think he'll stick around for longer than a few months -"

For a brief moment, Kairi's waiter persona slipped, and he gripped the serving tray tighter as pain and fear flickered across his face.

he's dead he's fucking dead I don't care who he is he hurt Kairi he's dead

Keiichiro couldn't control himself anymore - he wanted to tear whoever this was limb from limb - before he realized it, he was halfway around the table, winding up a punch -

Touma, who had suddenly stopped him, snarled, "That's enough." He glared at Satoru. "You are no longer welcome here."

Keiichiro's arm dropped to his side. Wait - he didn't mean for this to happen - he didn't mean to lose his temper -

As if he could read his mind, Touma tilted his head towards him and clarified, "You three are still good. Just don't bring that one."

"Aww, harsh. Oh well," Satoru sighed, as if this was simply a slap on the wrist.

As the rest of the Tactical Unit stood up to leave, Keiichiro felt Kairi squeeze his upper arm again.

"Kei-chan, can you stay for a little bit? I need to talk to you."

Oh, he was in trouble now. Wincing, he sighed, "Yeah, of course - Kairi, I'm sorry -"

And because his day hadn't been bad enough, Satoru mocked, "Careful Kei-chan, he might break up with you now -"

At his maximum volume, Keiichiro roared, "DON'T CALL ME THAT!"

Simultaneously, Touma ordered, "LEAVE."

As soon as the door shut behind Satoru, everyone else in the restaurant (which, thankfully, only consisted of the Jurer staff and Keiichiro himself) sighed in relief.

Touma rubbed his temples as he shuffled back to the kitchen. "Holy fucking shit …"

Umika sank into one of the counter chairs. "No kidding."

Unsettlingly, Kairi remained silent, taking his hand and leading him through the first floor to the backyard. As soon as the door to the backyard closed, Keiichiro braced himself. There were so many other things that he should've done back there instead of losing his temper -

Kairi squeezed his hand as his face softened. "I'm gonna be blunt - that asshat sounds nothing like the Satoru from your stories."

"No, he's not." The tension re-entered his body at the thought of what had happened earlier, and he tried to force himself to relax. "The Satoru I knew would never say anything like that - it's like he's an entirely different person."

He folded his arms as he gathered his thoughts. "… so I'm guessing, even though he's your old friend, he's not gonna be on our side."

Keiichiro blinked. Right. He'd been so distracted by the fact that their new member was also his ex-boyfriend and then Satoru intentionally pushing him past his anger point that he'd nearly forgotten about their conversation last week.

"Maybe if this was the old Satoru, we'd be able to convince him, but something's wrong. I don't think I can trust whoever this is."

"I wouldn't trust him, either. I heard your conversation from the counter, you know."

He felt his face turn pink. "Oh."

"Well first, I …" He scratched the back of his head. "I didn't know we were keeping … us … a secret -"

"What - no! I didn't - I wasn't -" Ugh, first making him lose his temper, and now driving a wedge between him and Kairi? What else was Satoru gonna do to him?! "He was up to something -"

"Oh, clearly."

"- and I didn't want to -" He groaned as he ran a hand through his hair. "I just got this feeling that if he knew what you were to me, then …"

He nodded, but a glimmer of something behind his eyes told Keiichiro that he was still a little wounded over Satoru's words. "Yeah … but he found out anyway. It's like he wanted to find one of your weaknesses and see how far he could push you. If he's with that petty bitch commissioner or whoever, one of his plans might be to make you lose control and do something stupid to get yourself fired."

Keiichiro frowned as the nervous knot in his stomach tightened. More to himself than to anyone else, he muttered, "I hate this. I shouldn't have to play games to save lives."

He sighed. "Remind me again, what's wrong with just … going to protect people and save lives if you're not an officer?"

He'd been mulling over that question ever since Kairi asked him in Kusakawa and still hadn't come up with a satisfactory answer. In the absence of any real argument, he defaulted to, "Because … because this is how it's supposed to be, isn't it? We're entrusted with this power to protect the people and we use it to protect the people. If someone abuses it, they're not an officer for much longer."

Kairi rolled his eyes. "Yeah, because they get promoted to commissioner."

Growling, Keiichiro punched the pillar (a few cracks spiderwebbed out from his impact point; he'd have to apologize to Touma later). "… it's not right."

"I know." Gently, Kairi clasped his hand, being careful not to aggravate the small abrasions from his punch. "But there's a difference between 'should be' and 'is.' I mean, what if your position as an officer gets in the way of saving someone? What then?"

He closed his eyes. If someone had asked him that two years ago, he would have dismissed it - back then, he couldn't imagine a single situation in which the laws and regulations binding him as an officer would hinder any attempt to protect someone. Hell, even earlier this year, he couldn't fathom the notion of someone having noble reasons to become a thief and had to get Tsukasa's input.

And now here he was, desperately trying to find any sort of loophole or escape to help the very same thief, who he had also happened to fall in love with.

He opened his eyes and made eye contact with Kairi. Looking at him, thinking about him, it all suddenly became so simple. There was only one path forward.

"Then I'll quit. I'll do whatever it takes to save you."

Kairi's cheeks turned pink as his eyes widened. "Oh. Uh …" he breathed. "Kei-chan … I …" Tears pooled in his eyes, and it was then that Keiichiro had spotted his slip of the tongue.

"Oh! I meant whoever! I, uh …" He started wiping stray tears from Kairi's face. "I'm sorry - did I upset you somehow -"

"No -" He sniffed and took a step back, trying to dry his own face. "It's just - I'm just a stupid thief - you don't need to go so far to try to save me -"

Keiichiro closed the distance between them and pulled him into a tight hug; Kairi held onto him like he was the only thing anchoring him to this world and whimpered into his shoulder.

"Kairi … I'll always try to save you. Always. I …"

I love you.

The words died in his throat, terrified of making themselves known. But somehow, he believed that Kairi understood.

On the roof of Jurer, Noël sighed deeply. Goody had begged and pleaded with him to check on the Tactical Unit before setting out to find Zamigo, and of course, his "bad feeling" was correct. He thought Yanagami had made a reasonable decision for once, assigning Satoru to be his substitute, but this was all wrong. In the months after Satoru had transferred to France HQ, they had become fast friends and he was every bit as kind and gentle as Keiichiro and Tsukasa claimed he was.

What could have possibly happened to Satoru to warrant this drastic change in personality? Was he really that angry that Keiichiro was now dating someone else?

"… Goody, can I ask you something?"

He settled in his lap. "Anytime."

"What kind of feeling does this Satoru give you?"

He shuddered. "Awful. Horrendous. He's so rancid, he almost feels like a Ganglar."

Like a Ganglar, huh? That would certainly explain it, but that carried implications that Noël didn't want to think about.

"Merde. Is his plan to just throw the Tactical Unit off their game or is he actively trying to get them fired?"

"They're both equally likely. What do you wanna do now?"

He wanted to kill Zamigo and get Jack back, but that was asking too much. As much as it pained him to admit, he could not gather the rest of the Collection nor defeat the rest of the Ganglars alone - he had to receive help from the Patrangers and Lupinrangers.

… maybe if I'd gotten the Magnum I could do more but

He buried his face in his hands. Now wasn't the time to dwell on his shortcomings.

"… Noël, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he automatically lied.

He needed to assume that the rest of the Tactical Unit might leave the GSPO soon in one way or another; there was no way in hell that the GSPO would allow them to leave with their VS Changers or any of their Collection pieces, and none of them were underhanded enough to try to take them. Finding three other Collection pieces that he could modify into transformation vehicles wasn't a problem, but what was he going to do about the loss of three VS Changers? Try as he might, he still couldn't create new Collection pieces - that ability continued to remain out of reach.

Then again, he originally came to Japan to steal back the Collection pieces that were stolen from him. Maybe it was time to finally execute that plan.