Chapter 0 - Once a Ranger

Tai Stapleton was a native resident of a city called Angel Grove. He'd never even been out of state in all his twenty-two years. He was born there, he grew up there, he went to college there and he was setting up his Bushido studio there.

On the surface he was a pretty ordinary fellow. His grandparents had been immigrants, on both sides. He had friends, one real best friend, family he adored and a girl he was planning on marrying when she finished college. He'd been a good student in high school, a diligent one in college and now his life was busy getting his studio off the ground.

Yes, on the surface, he was pretty ordinary.

On the surface.

Just below the surface was a complex man. His parents and unborn sister had died in a car crash when he'd been five and he was raised by his Grandfather, Akira Watanabe. His entire life had been dedicated to the way of the Samurai. From almost the time he would walk he had a sword, real or wooden, in his hands.

When he was eighteen, he became a Power Ranger.

Tai was not destined to just any color, or even any Ranger team. He was the Red Power Ranger of the new generation of the first Power Rangers of Earth. For two years he lead his comrades against the forces of Rita Repulsa's son and his bride, Widow. Tai was the leader. It had not been a role he looked for or even really wanted, but he put his heart and soul into it.

He learned several secrets of his family during that time. Grandpa Akira, he learned, had been a Sentai in Japan, his family were weapon smiths as well as Samurai. For years, unknown to the young Tai, Grandpa Akira made the weapons of generations of Power Rangers. He continued to do so to this day. Tai knew that the Watanabes would continue to do so until Power Rangers were no longer needed in the world.

Another revelation came later, Grandpa Akira had a twin brother. Kenji Watanabe had diverged from his family's traditions and became a ninja, studying with the original Wind Ninjas in Japan and branched out to dabble in several other techniques from different Academies. After the twin brothers and Tai's grandmother migrated to America, the couple settled in Angel Grove on a large stretch of land. Kenji Watanabe wandered, eventually establishing the new Wind Ninja Academy.

Tai soon learned about his cousins. The current Sensei of the Academy was Grandpa's nephew. He had two, but one was exiled and became a Space Ninja, though soon defeated by the Ninja Storm Power Rangers. Among them was Cameron Watanabe, the eldest cousin of Tai's generation. Tai also had another Watanabe cousin; Kane. Both became Samurai.

Tai kept in contact now, with both Cam and Kane, though he had more in common with Kane, being near the same age and both only half Japanese.

Tai always had the feeling there were still more revelations of his Grandpa's past but the present was always at the forefront of his mind too often for him to question the old man about things that happened more than forty years earlier.

After the defeat of Widow and her husband, Tai retired, as did most of his team. Except his best friend, Xavier Hart. Well, naturally, being Destiney-boy, Rex wasn't allowed to retire. Last Tai heard his friend was over in Ocean Bluff being a Bat Ranger. Much to his surprise, two of the more reluctant members of his own team had joined Rex.

Tai knew, as did every Ranger before and after him, once a Ranger, always a Ranger. The life never completely let go, even of those who were retired. Just look at Jason Lee Scott, the man who was first to wear the Red. He was now the Phantom Ranger. At least until it was time for Rex to take up the mantle.

The girl he wanted to marry, Lokelani Lyong, had been his Ranger partner, the female half of the Red Ranger team. She was warm, funny, a little shy and oh so beautiful.

Tai's life was exactly where he expected it to be right then. He was in Angel Grove, creating the Watanabe Bushido Studio just as he'd always wanted to do. He'd taken extra summer courses just get his degree sooner to be able to concentrate fully on the Studio. He was also about to propose to his girlfriend. Life was good.

He wondered, at times, when the other shoe would drop.

~*~

Tai stood in the middle of the pond on his Grandfather's land. There was a tall pole right in the center. Oh, how often he fell off when he was young. There was another nearby. His lips twitched. Oh, how often Rex fell off, too. He stood on the small surface stone still, his palms pressed together in front of him as he meditated.

Tai was a tall, lean young man. He was taller than most everyone he knew. He was well toned for all that. His face was a pleasant mixture of his Irish and Japanese forebears, though it did lean more toward Japanese. Few would know he was half if he didn't give his name. His hair was dark brown, nearly black. In his younger days, he wore it in spikes, but these days it was a little too long and a little shaggy. His eyes were very dark, so brown, nearly black, yet when the light hit them just right, one could almost swear there were red flecks.

His attention was caught by the dust trail of a vehicle coming down the drive to his house. The Bushido Studio was on his Grandpa's land, but closer toward the city, a good distance from the house. Not that it was even open yet. Construction was still going on. So, whoever was coming, it wasn't about that.

Lani was in Hawaii for the holidays, though she was supposed to be back for New Year's Eve, when he planned to propose. He had the ring and everything.

He didn't recognize the vehicle so he knew it wasn't any of his friends who still lived in Angel Grove. As the vehicle grew closer, he knew that he could be seen but didn't make an attempt to go forward. Uninvited guests were frowned upon. He glanced toward the smithy were Grandpa was working. The old man was nearing 70 but refused to quit. He had little doubt the old man had spotted the vehicle.

When the vehicle stopped, his saw a black garb figure exit the driver's side. He had a black veil hiding his face. Tai cocked a brow as he watched. The figure went to the back door of the passenger's side of the twon car and opened it. And older Japanese man stepped out. The black clad figure graciously bowed to him and hovered backward into the scenery.

The visitor glanced toward the smithy and then toward Tai. He bowed graciously. "Sataperutono Tai?" he asked, his Japanese pronouncing his last name oddly. Luckily Tai was used to Grandpa's pronunciations, even though he suspected the old fart could speak English as well as he could.

Tai gave a nod. He jumped from his pole to one a distance away that was slightly shorter. He used it to bounce off of to land on the shore. He was barefoot and his shirt was open. He'd meditated after practice and hadn't bothered to change, so he wasn't exactly dressed for company. "That's me," he responded in Japanese. "Who are you?" he asked.

The man introduced himself but before he could say more, Grandpa stormed from the smithy. "You!" he all but snarled. Tai blinked at the venom in Grandpa's voice. The old man was hurriedly throwing on one of his gaudy Hawaiian print shirts over his equally gaudy Bermuda shorts. "You stay away from Grandson," he commanded with all the authority he had.

Hikomi didn't back away from Grandpa Akira. Tai towered over Grandpa by a head. This man and Grandpa were of a similar age and height. "Watanabe Akira," he greeted coolly with a respectful bow. Even Tai could see the sarcasm of the bow. These two did not like each other a bit.

What the hell was going on?

"Go! There is nothing for you here. Go!" Grandpa commanded, not even acknowledging the bow.

Hikomi's face clouded. "Lord-sama is here! Lord of Shiba Clan is here!" he declared.

"Bah! There is no Lord here. There is only my Grandson. Kotoha's grandson. No lord," he denied hotly.

Hikomi drew himself up to his full height. "He is Great-Grandson of Shiba Takeru, 16th Head of the Shiba Clan," he pronounced regally.

Tai had been watching the verbal sparring as if watching a ping-pong match. Until Hikomi's prouncement. "Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. What?" he said. He knew the name Shiba. It had been his Grandmother's maiden name. That was about all his knew about her life before America. He rubbed the bridge of his nose.

Grandpa harrumphed. He sent a cold glare at Hikomi. He stacked his arms behind his back. "Apologies, Grandson. This is...all my fault. This Hikomi...he was a retainer for your Great Uncle, your Grandmother's brother. Her father...Shiba Takeru, was your Great Grandfather," he explained. He was thoughtful a moment.

"I get the feeling there is more to it," Tai declared thoughtfully. Grandpa nodded.

Tai turned his attention to Hikomi. "Why are you here?" he asked the other man.

Hikomi took a stance similar to Grandpa's. "Takeru-sama had two children. Takeru named for his father and Kotoha. Kotoha ran off to America with Akira-san, and Takeru took up the mantle of 17th Lord of the Shiba Clan. He married but had only one daughter and she had only daughters. Before Lord-sama died, he said that Kotoha's grandson will be Lord-sama," he explained.

Tai blinked slowly. He looked at Grandpa, who nodded. "So...what does that mean? I'm not moving to Japan or anything. My life is here," he said firmly to the other man.

Hikomi held up his hands in a placating movement, surpressing a smile. Yes, yes. This Tono, he will do. He will do. "No. No. No. Come, Lord-sama. Let us have tea and I will explain everything you need to know of the duty of the Shiba Clan," he said.

Tai glanced at Grandpa. When the old man nodded, Tai lead Hikomi inside.

~*~

Tai changed while Grandpa prepared tea. As they sat in the tea room, Tai sipped at his tea while he waited for Hikomi to begin.

"For so long no one remembers when, the Shiba Clan has been the force protecting the human world from Gedoushu and they're leader, Doukoku. They are from another dimension, the world in the cracks. The Sanzu River, Hikomi explained to him.

Tai listened and noticed his Grandfather was unsurprised by this news. He nodded. "I'm aware of other worlds connected to ours," he told Hikomi-san. He realized the man had no idea he had been a Power Ranger. "How does the Shiba Clan do this?" he asked.

Hikomi-san made a hand gesture. Black clad figures appeared out of the shadows, surprising Tai. Where the hell had they come from? There'd been only one with Hikomi-san when he arrived. He watched as they laid out five black cases. Each had a symbol emblazened upon them. Geometric shapes fitting together to form a flame. The figures opened the cases. Inside each were a large calligraphy brush, a disk, and a clunky devices of various shapes with various characters on them.

Tai eyed them. "What are these? And who are they?" he asked and gestured to the black clad figures.

"These are the stagehands of Shiba Clan. They cannot fight so they do what they can to help us and protect the innocent," Hikomi-san explained. He gestured to the now open cases. "Calligraphy Pens, Origami, Hidden Discs. These are the tools of the Lord Shiba and his retainers. They are the tools to protect the world against Gedoushuu. The Shiba clan used the power of Characters," he stated a bit dramatically.

Tai reached out and took the red pen. He looked at his Grandpa sharply. "These are Morphers," he stated. "Or rather, could be," he added musingly.

Grandpa inclined his head. "The Lord Shiba and his retainers are Sentai," he agreed simply.

Hikomi-san nodded. "Yes. This is how Shiba Clan protects the world," he agreed.

Tai sipped his tea and was thoughtful a moment. "Tell me about the Gedoushu. Why don't I have to move to Japan?" he asked, this time purposely in English.

Hikomi-san didn't bother to pretend not to understand. "Just as the Shiba Clan is tied to Gedoushu, so is Gedoushu are tied to the Shiba Clan. When the new Lord Shiba accepts his fate, Doukoku will know. Your Great-Grandfather Takeru gave his life to defend against the Sanzu River. Doukoku regained strength and the cracks weakened. Your Great Uncle Takeru tried to seal the cracks. He failed, his methods extreme. It left him weak. He lived into old age, but he was never strong again. Once Doukoku knows there is a new Lord Shiba, his anger will weaken the barrier between our worlds," he explained.

Tai considered this. "Sounds to me like staying out of business might be the best choice," he stated. He knew it wasn't that simple.

Hikomi-san shook his head. "No. The cracks would eventually burst free. Doukuko will be drawn to nearest Shiba. If there is no Lord Shiba, there is no protection. Shiba will die, Doukuko will be free and the world will be flooded by the Waters of the Sanzu River," he explained seriously. "There must be a Lord Shiba or the world will end," he added in quiet passion.

Tai listened but didn't respond. He was picking up the triangle shaped Origami with the Fire Character on it. He almost jumped when it changed shape, opeing up into something that resembled a lion. "It's a Zord. It's a miniature Zord," he declared to himself. He took up the pen again.

Once a Ranger, always a Ranger.

~*~

Tai was trailed behind by the Stagehands, carrying the cases, and Hikomi-san as he appraoched a tall glassy office building. The headquarters of the Nodroz Corp, the shady company behind the scenes of many Ranger dealings. He entered the lobby. A receptionist made a move to stop him but he showed her his pass. It was a high clearance pass. The person he was going to see worked on some of the most sensative projects.

He entered an elevator with the Stagehands crowding in around him and Hikomi-san.

Hikomi-san looked uncomfortable and disapproving. He didn't approve of Tai's plans. He really didn't approve of Tai's plan to find his own retainers. He explained that the current retainers were young and strong, fully capable. Tai shook his head. There were three people he wanted at his back. The other two, he would consider from among the old Lord's retainers if they wished to relocate to America.

When he arrived on the floor, a feminine voice requested he scan his clearance pass before the door opened. He knew where he was going, even without the tall blond woman waiting for him.

Wilhelmina Davis-Doyle was all of twenty-one. She wore a fashionable navy suit with a light colored blouse, over that a white lab coat. Honey blond hair was pulled into a haphazard bun behind her head. Blue eyes watched then through silver rimmed glasses.

Tai grinned. "Tell Nath that he should do your hair after he dresses you," he declared as a greeting.

Billie snorted. "He did but it was too tight," she responded snarkily. "What's with the entourage?" she asked him and lead him into her lab.

Tai had briefly filled her in before but he didn't realize the Stagehands would be involved. "This is Hikomi-san and these are weirdos in black who do my bidding apparently," he answered with a shrug.

Billie shrugged. "Where are the goodies?" she asked, eyeing the cases.

Tai grinned again. He took a case from the Stagehand holding it and sat down on an empty counter. "I think you're going to like this," he declared and opened it up, showing her the Blue contents.

Billie peered in. She picked up the pen. "This you want me to incorporate into an actual Morpher?" she asked. At his nod she replaced it. She picked up the Water Origami. It popped open into a dragon. Billie laughed. "This is awesome. Wait 'til I tell Danny. He'll be so jealous," she said with a grin.

Tai snorted. "I'll leave Hikomi-san here with you. And the Stagehands. I have a few other matters to see to. Gotta see if Batman's done in Gotham," he added and began to leave.

Billie, already ensconced in her fascination with the Calligraphy Pens and Origami only grunted in response.

Tai chuckled as he left.

~*~

Tai was awakened on New Year's Eve morning by a pounding on the front door of his house. He grunted and got up. He grabbed a muscle shirt and threw it on. Just as he was approaching the door, a Stagehand appeared and opened it. Tai grunted, wondering why one didn't do that earlier. He was a bit taken aback by that thought. It was surprising how quickly one got used to them.

At the door was a young man, a little more than a couple years younger than Tai himself. His hair had been bleached so the usual dark color was now reddish. It was not quite as long or as shaggy as Tai's but it was close. Like Tai, there wasn't much evidence of mixed race at first glance. He was also shorter and stockier, built more like Grandpa than Tai.

"Kane!" He said and grinned. "Come in, come in," he invited.

His cousin slouched in. He had a duffel bag thrown over his shoulder and looked a bit worse for the wear. He grinned in return to Tai. "You called?" he asked sardonically. He eyed the Stagehands bustling about with a questioning expression.

Tai nodded. "Lani's plane is getting in this afternoon. If you can contain your curiosity, I'd rather only go over it once," he said.

Kane rubbed his chin as he considered that. He shrugged. "Whatever. As long as you feed me. I'm famished. And tired. I need to crash somewhere before I fall over," he declared.

Tai nodded. "We can do food and sleep," he agreed and lead Kane to a room within the house. The house was large. Almost a mansion. It was like himself, a mixed of Eastern and Western designs. Some rooms would be right at home in Japan, and some looked they belonged in any suburban cookie cutter home.

Tai loved the house. When Tai had turned twenty-one, Grandpa put everything in his name, so legally it all belonged to him. He showed Kane to a guest wing in a different wing of the house from the one he and Grandpa used.

Kane walked in and dumped the bag on a chair by his bed. "Don't let those black-veiled freaks mess with my bike," he told Tai as he removed his shoes and flopped down, facefirst onto the mattress. "And wake me when you're ready to talk, but have food," he warned.

Tai chuckled and left the room, closing the door. Kane hadn't changed much. Of coarse when they met, he was under the influence of Widow and her husband and was trying to kill Tai, but Tai didn't hold that against him. While under the influence of the Sword of Darkness, Tai did his utmost best to kill Rex.

Just another thing that happens when one is a Power Ranger.

Tai went down to breakfast and found Grandpa already eating. Tai joined him and explained that Kane was there. There was silence for a time until finally Tai spoke. "Are you ready to explain everything?" he asked.

Akira let out a long breath. "Watanabe Clan, as you know, was long based in Kyoko. When I was still a young man, I worked the forge and made swords. When Kenji finished his training, he returned to us and helped out. We were about to start University the following fall. We have land there. Half of it will be yours when I die. The other half will be divided between Cam and Kane," he paused to gather his thoughts.

"There was trouble. While we were goofing around, sparring, showing off for a group of tourists, girls from Tokyo, by an ancient stream near our home, a young man came through the waterfalls. He had been badly beaten, thrown through. The girls screamed when a monster came through the falls as well. They all ran away but one. She stayed.

"Kenji and I went to help the young man. Behind the monster came a young woman who attacked the monster. The young man bade us help her. We did so, and much to our surprise, so did the tourist girl. There was very little the four of us could do against such a beast, but the young man had finally regained himself enough to transform into a Sentai. But even a lone Sentai was not enough.

"He gave the four of us Morphers. Together we defeated the monster. In the end, the young man needed medical attention. His companion, his sister, explained everything while a doctor saw to his wounds. They were the grandchildren of a Gatekeeper. In their world a Guardian of the Weakening Between Worlds. There has once been five, but the Gatekeeper had been reduced to himself alone, until he gained guardianship of his grandchildren and began to teach them.

"Neither took their duty heavily, it had been thousands of years since any had tried to breach the Weakness. Their enemies took the oppertunity to attack. An old man and children were no threat. It was up to the grandchildren and now us to seal the breach and keep the enemy were they belonged.

"As you were told, I was Red. Youre uncle, he was Black. Tsusaba, the young man, was Blue. Natsumi was Yellow. And your Grandmother was Pink. We were later joined by a fifth, a man from the other world, his name was Ryuuouske and he was Green. Last I heard, he married Natsumi.

"In the end we were successful. We managed to seal the breach. It meant saying good-bye forever to our comrades, but what must be, must be. That, however, was not the end of my story. I learned of Kotoha's family long before then. She had wanted to help her father in the fight against the Gedoushu. They would not allow that and when he and her brother found out what she was doing in Kyoko, they tried to make her return to Tokyo. She refused. She somehow managed to get them to allow her to stay.

"At the time, this inordinately pleased me, though I barely knew her. She and the siblings stayed with my family. As we got to know each other, we fell in love. As you know, it sometimes happens between comrades, eh?"  he said with a slight grin at his grandson

Tai smiled sheepishly. "Yes. It does. So, Old Man Shiba didn't like that?" he asked.

Grandpa shook his head. "No. When we announced our plans to marry, Lord Shiba was angry. He had other plans for Kotoha. We worried about this for a long while, but It was Kenji who suggested we run away to America. Perhaps it was cowardly but Kotoha was already pregnant with your mother. We had little choice. When Lord Shiba learned of our plans, he threatened to disown her if she went through with it. And so for over forty years, we've heard nothing from the Shiba Clan."

Tai nodded. Apparantly the 17th Lord Shiba was keeping tabs on his sister and her family, even from a world away. He suddenly grinned. "I had no idea you were a dog, Grandpa. Rex would be pleased," he stated as he got to his feet. He had to change and check on the Studio site.

Grandpa's only repsonse to that was a chagrined grunt.

Tai left the kitchen chuckling.

~*~

The studio was nearly finished. Feeling in good spirits, Tai spent the rest of the day organizing his ad campaign. He already knew he'd get referals from the Angel Grove Scott Dojo, and the Angel Grove Youth Center. And maybe even Think Pink! Dance and Gymnastics.

When it was nearing time to go to the airport and pick-up Lani, Tai woke Kane, wanting him alert when he filled them in on everything. His cousin grumbled but wandered off to the kitchen for some food.

He drove his rather flashy red car to the airport in the city. He knew it was too flashy, but he loved it anyway. He'd had it forever. It'd been a peice of junk when he bought it at sixteen. He and Rex had fixed it up, even though his friend had his own car, it'd been something to do together when other interests had begun getting in the way. Tai competed in karate and kendo tournaments but Rex competed in gymnastics, played basketball and football and joined a band. Up until their senior year, they got to hang out together rarely and the car had been a big part of it.

Lani's flight was on time. He waited anxiously for her. He was the only person there. Since her parents had retired to Hawaii, it was they she was visiting. He spotted her as soon as she came through the gate. It had been only a week since they'd last seen each other, but the sight of her took his breath away and he almost slipped into his old habit of being embarrassingly tongue tied around her.

She was slight but shapely with a fall of dark hair hanging to her waist. Her skin was creamy olive, and her eyes were the warmest brown he'd ever seen. In preparation for the brisker winter of Angel Grove compared to Hawaii, she wore jeans, a light sweater in a coral color and a light jacket.

When she spotted him her face lit up. "Tai!" she called and quickly made her way around people toward him. Tai was already on his way to her. They met in the middle. She swug her arms around him as he leaned down toward her. Their lips met in a kiss. Aware that they were in a crowded airport it was more reserved than either of them really wanted.

They held each other for a moment before breaking away and sharing smiles. Lani sobered for a moment. "So, are you going to tell me what's wrong?" she asked quietly. They talked every day and he had mentioned some of what was going on, but it was all better done in person.

"Come on. I'll explain everything when we get to my place," he assured her. She gave a nod. He smiled and helped her get her luggage. He loaded it all in his car and helped her in. Then he drove toward home.

~*~

Tai and Lani arrived to chaos. The Stagehands seem to have multiplied ten-fold. In his foyer there were the cases containing the Pens and Origami piled neatly. He heard voices coming from the living room. Holding Lani's hand they went to investigate.

Billie, Hikomi-san, Kane, Grandpa and two strangers were there. Grandpa and Hikomi-san were arguing in Japanese about something with the two strangers. Billie seemed more annoyed than usual as she sucked on a large cup of coffee. Kane was off to the side looking on, confused but with a slight smirk.

Billie spotted Tai first. "Ah! There you are," she declared and made her way over to him. She nodded to Lani. "Welcome back," she said.

"Thank you," Lani said with a smile and glanced at Tai questioningly. What on earth could Billie have to do with anything?

Tai nodded. "What's going on over there?" he asked, nodding toward the group of Grandpa, Hikomi-san and the two younger Japanese people.

Billie gave a shrug. "Beats me, they're all talking too fast for me to follow," she answered. Billie's area of expertise was computers. She probably could learn any language she wanted if she put her mind to it, but she knew only a dabbling of Japanese.

Tai nodded. "Have the Stagehands bring in the cases. I know you're just dying to show off what you've been up to," he said as he squeezed Lani's hand breifly and made his way over to the group. He cleared his throat.

The two younger people, a man and a woman, swung around. "Tono-sama!" they exclaimed and bowed respectfully. Hikomi-san followed suit.

Tai rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Stop bowing. You aren't in Japan," he muttered. He looked at Hikomi-san and the two again. "Who are you?" he asked.

It was the man who answered, in rather good English. "Tono-sama. I am Singuji Daiki, your loyal retainer. I have come all the way to serve and protect my Lord Shiba," he said quickly and bowed again. Tai eyed him briefly. He was on the taller side and wore rimless glasses, his hair was black, straight and in serious need of a trim.

The girl was slight and slim, fine boned and pretty. Her dark hair was long and was twisted in a braid. Her English wasn't much to be desired. She could understand some of it hearing it, but speaking it was difficult. "Tono-sama. I am Sakakibara Kiari," she introduced herself hesitantly.

Tai nodded.

"Ok, Tai...why are these people calling these people calling you Lord?" Kane finally asked. This whole deal was getting stranger and stranger.

Tai cleared his throat. "That's what I wanted to talk to you and Lani about," he stated. He quickly and concisely explained everything to them. He waited for their reactions.

Lani smiled slightly. "So...what this means is...Power Rangers?" she asked.

Kane perked up slightly. "For real?" he asked.

The two retainers looked at him in confusion.

Tai glanced at Billie, who was waiting with the Stagehands. She sent one to Tai and the others opened their cases and displayed the contents. The one Stagehand bowed low and held the open case up to Tai.

Tai removed the Origami and the strange device that looked like a cellphone with a large calligraphy brush built into it.

"These are your Morphers," Billie said taking out the Blue one. She opened it up. "It's fully functioning communicator and teleporter as well. In order to Morph, you say the code words, given to me by Hikomi-san. 'Samurai Sword Clash,'" she explained. "You draw your Character and hit the red button," she indicated to the correct button.

Tai nodded. He looked at Lani and Kane. "Can I count on you?" he asked them.

Lani nodded firmly. "Always." she asured him.

Kane grinned. "You know what they say. Once a Ranger..." he agreed with a nod.

Tai eyed the Japanese pair sharply. "What about you two?" he demanded.

Daiki bowed again. "My life is in your hands, Tono-sama," he stated with a deep conviction. The Lord was the Lord.

Kiari bowed as well. "My life is in your hands, Tono-sama," she repeated with just as much conviction.

Tai nodded. He shooed the Stagehand out of his way. "Then here we go. I accept the title and responsibilities of Lord of the Shiba Clan," he announced. He opened his Morpher, "Samurai Sword Clash!" In the air he drew the character of fire and hit the red button on the Morpher. The character flipped around and enveloped him. A powersuit appeared moments before his helmet. A sword appeared at his hip. It was not the sword he'd had as a Ranger before, yet somehow he knew it was so much more.

"Authorized by Providence, I am Samurai Red, Tai Stapleton, Lord Shiba!" he declared, owning the role and his fate.

~* End Act 0 *~           

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