Chapter 15 - Soul on Fire

After recent events lately, Lani Lyong wanted nothing more than to relax and enjoy a fine day of shopping with her girlfriends, Manny Diaz and Nathan Davis-Doyle. Unfortunately Manny was unavailable. Not that Nathan wasn't girl enough for shopping. He definitely was. They were hanging around a little boutique that has some of the cutest clothes coming out in preparation for summer.

Nathan was a tall, good looking man with neat black hair and bright blue eyes. In high school they had been band mates. Later they were team mates. He fit right at home in the boutique, looking through women's clothes with an ease and confident not possessed by most women.  As he looked through some long skirts for Billie (he bought her clothes because he couldn't trust her not to simply buy whatever fit and was cheapest) she eyed the band on his finger. She shook her head. "You know, I have to admit, Nath, sometimes I'm surprised you got married first," she said.

Nath glanced over at her and raised a brow. "Why is that?" he asked.

Lani shrugged. "Because for the longest time I thought you were gay," she admitted.

Instead of being offended, Nathan chuckled. "You and a lot of other people," he said dryly. "There just wasn't any other girl for me except Glitch and she was dense as a post when it came to these matters," he said.

Lani laughed softly and nodded. "You two suit so well. It's hard to imagine it any other way now," she admitted and investigated a cute blouse. "There was also the Pink Ranger thing," she added. "You were a better Pink Ranger than I could ever hope to be," she added with a sigh.

"That's because you aren't a Pink Ranger. You're a watered down Red," he informed her with a grin.

She was sure that wasn't meant as an insult and yet it jarred her slightly. She put on a smile and finished in this shop with him. He came out with more things than she did. She had brief thought that Billie was probably most well dressed scientist in the known galaxy.

After a quick lunch they parted ways with promises to do that again soon. Lani went to find her car where she parked it. She frowned when saw it. It was red. Maybe Nath was right, she was just a watered down Red. She'd have to work on that.

When she got in and started it up, she grimaced. She didn't have much time. Tai had called a meeting for the afternoon. She wasn't even a very good watered down Red today it seemed.

Great.

~*~

Sanzu River

shootari and Dayuu were arguing. "I was doing my part to help Doukoku. It is you who is keeping secrets from him. Why don't you tell him about the Seal?" she asked him with a hiss.

Taken aback by her knowledge, shootari scowled. "There is no need to upset him unnecessarily. Especially when you run off to do who knows what," he informed her.

"My goal was simple. Get rid of the Green Samurai," she said. "It cannot be helped that he seems to have the morality of a saint. Defying his father in the name of good. Makes me ill," she sneered.

On that shootari had to agree. "What of that dog Juzou?" he asked.

Dayuu waved a dismissive hand. "He can be easily taken care of if the time comes," she stated

They fell silent when Doukoku came out of his room. There was an eerie calmness about him. The air fairly crackled with power. Both shootari and Dayuu knew they had to free him before he destroyed the Sanzu River.

"I will send an Ayakashi to the human world to raise the waters," shootari said. He had one in mind. A plan as well. He would get the Red Ranger to reveal all he knew of the Seal one way or another.

~*~

Tai gathered the five other rangers into his study. Billie was on screen. She was watched Lani slip in last. "Enjoy your date with my husband?" she asked.

Lani laughed slightly. "Just for that, I won't tell you how many bags he ended up with," she said, making Billie grimace. "Sorry I'm late, Tai," she said and took a seat.

Tai smiled at her. "It's ok," he assured her. He hid a frown when she didn't come to stand by him as she usually would, instead chose to sit with the others. He cleared his throat. "There's something I've been meaning to discuss with you guys," he began and wished he had room to pace around a bit.

Kane crossed his legs at his ankles. "Well don't leave us hanging, O Tono-sama," he prompted.

Lani resisted her urge to reach over and smack Kane in Tai's place. She folded her hands in her lap. "Give him a minute," she said quietly.

Kane arched a brow but made out like he was zipping his lips.

Tai gave a tight smile. "Sorry, it's just that I'm getting worried. While researching this Seal, Hikomi-san found some information that has been forgotten for...centuries," he said.

"What kind of information?" Rena asked.

"About the Waters of the Sanzu River," he answered. He crossed his arms over his chest. "According to some of information we found, Doukoku isn't exactly the main problem. The River itself is. It....is an endless soul sucking, world eater." he explained.

Billie nodded. "The universe is made up many dimensions. Just north of us a bit, there is a slight tear between ours and another dimension in the forests of Briarwood. The opening is both benign and beneficial. The creatures from that dimension and ours coexist on an equal plane," she informed them.

"Ok...so...?" Kane prompted.

"The Gedoushu manage to use cracks in our dimension as structural weaknesses between the two places. From what I understand, the Waters are made up of the worst aspects of human nature. Pain, betrayal, hatred. As the Waters rise, it may be powerful enough to begin trickling out. Those who drink the Waters become Gedou. If the Waters become powerful enough, they can tear through the fabric between our dimensions and envelope us all. Swallowed by the Waters of the Sanzu River, nothing would remain of us but Gedoushu," Tai explained. Rena and Lani gasped.

"The Sanzu River is one of those places that defy order and logic. If it ever broke through, nothing would remain of our dimension," Billie added gravely.

Kane covered his face with his hand. "Damn," he said.

"Exactly. From the first Lord Shiba, we've been able to hold it back, but details from that period are few and far between and we just don't know enough yet," Tai concluded.

There was a thick silence in the room. Lani forced a smile. "I'm sure we can figure it out as team," she said optimistically. This earned her several odd looks. Being full on Pink was harder than she thought it'd be.

Tai gave another slight smile. "It's only a matter of time. If it comes to it, we'll get outside help," he said quietly. "That said, Daiki I'd like your help looking for sources outside of Japan for any mention of myths or legends in other ancient civilizations that sound remotely similar to the Sanzu River. Kane, when you have spare time, you and Kiari team up to see if any of the Scrolls at the Academy are helpful. I doubt it but it can't hurt," he said.

Kane nodded. "All right," he agreed, not wanting to be drowned by the River and turned into a Gedoushu.

"Hm," Kiari agreed and nodded her head firmly.

Lani knew that Tai teamed them up because Kii was better at reading Japanese and Kane was familiar with the Academy but she knew neither one was put out at the directive. She had to smile.

Rena raised her hand. "What about me?" she asked, not wanting to be left out of the group effort.

Tai shook his head. "There's not much else left to do. You can help wherever it's needed," he said.

Rena pouted a little but she reckoned he was right. "Yeah. Guess I wouldn't be too good at trying to decipher dead languages or read scrolls written by moldering old Japanese men," she added in an attempt to make herself feel better.

Lani smiled. "Me either," she assured the younger girl and earned a smile.

"Now, don't be sexist. Some could have been written by moldering old Japanese women," Kane pointed out.

"All right, now that I've ruined your day, you can all go enjoy the rest of it," Tai said with a smile.

Kane got to his feet with an exaggerated sigh. "Great job, Tono-sama," he muttered. He glanced at Kiari. "Might as well get started today. Up for it?" he asked.

Kiari nodded. "Yes," she agreed. "I also think it will help your Japanese," she added thoughtfully.

Kane gave a pitiful moan as he left the room. Kiari giggled as she followed him.

Daiki got to his feet. "I will begin my research as well," he said, seriously. He gave Tai a slight bow and left the room.

Rena didn't say anything as she dragged out with a disgruntled expression.

Tai looked at Billie. "Still working on that pet project of yours?" he asked.

Billie nodded. "Yup, but I'll keep an eye on the integrity between our dimension and the Sanzu River," she said and the screen went black.

Tai turned his attention to Lani. She gave him a smile. He narrowed his eyes and walked toward her. She tried not to squirm. "Yes?" she asked him.

"Are you feeling ok?" he asked her.

She laughed off his question. "Of course. I spent all morning shopping with Nathan," she said breezily. She hoped he bought it.

He hadn't but he decided not to push her, instead he bent forward and kissed her. This suited her just fine. She much preferred kissing him to answering his questions.

~*~

Daiki made an odd sight, sitting on the beach with a laptop and several large books. Being by the water helped him think when he needed it most. The crunch of sand beneath someone's feet alerted him that he was not alone. He lowered his eyelids and glanced in the direction the noise came from. Small bare feet were approaching him.

He exited the chat he was having with a professor from T University with an apology. "If you've come to hold a Sword at my throat again, I would advise turning around. I don't have time to play today," he said.

Saeko humped and sat beside him. Her boots mere missing and her pants were rolled up to her knees. "I came to see what you were doing," she said and peered over at the books. She picked one up and flipped through the pages and would occasionally turn them sideways or upside down. "What is it? It's Greek to me," she complained.

Daiki took the book from her, closing it with a muffled snap. "That's because it is Greek," he answered. "So you came down here because you were nosy?" he asked her, raising a brow at her.

She nodded. "Yes. What are you doing with books written in Greek?" she demanded.

"Reading them. And Latin and Armenian, and Arabic," he said and named off a few more languages some of the books were written in.

She frowned at him. "Can you really read all that?" she asked, disbelieving.

Daiki nodded. "I can," he answered. His Morpher beeped, an alert than an Ayakashi had entered their world. "Chikusho!" he muttered and began gathering up his books. Of all times for an Ayakashi.

While Saeko watched serenely, he frantically threw everything into a book bag. He sent her a scowl as he slung the bag over his shoulder. She merely smiled. "Our time is coming soon," she said to him as he left. She got to her feet leisurely and prepared to follow him.

~*~

Utakasane was an Ayakashi made of many mouths. He laughed eagerly as he terrorized the boardwalk near Angel Grove Beach. He approached an older man and all his mouths smiled. "Give me that soul, old man," he said and his left arm slung forward. It was an arm topped with a special mouth. It stopped just short of his face and opened, sucking out a glowing white orb. The old man collapsed.

Utakasane laughed again and skipped off. "Who's next? I have room for one more," he said coaxingly the people trying to get away from him and the wake of bodies behind him.

"Gedoushu!" Uta turned just in time to be hit several times by Samurai Blue's Water Arrow. He was knocked back as the Rangers, swords drawn approached him.

Uta got to his feet. "Rangers," he spat. Green and Gold attacked. "100 Body Parts Split!" he said and each and every mouth broke apart, avoiding their attack but coming back on them and biting at them. He didn't stop with them, zooming to swarm around the other four Rangers.

Sparks showered as the Rangers were driven back. "What the hell was that attack?" Green Samurai panted, gripping his chest briefly.

Red relaxed his grip on his Sword and waited for one of the brief instances the Ayakashi had to reform. He slid forward and slashed. Sparks flew, but Uta countered with a sword of his own. Red fell back. His mouths grinned. "This was too easy," he mocked and flung out his left arm-mouth.

"Tai!" Samurai Pink screamed. It was too late. Red lost his morph as a white ball of light was sucked into the mouth.

"You son of a dog!" Green shouted and ran forward to attack. He slashed, but Uta broke apart again and swarmed him before regrouping away from them.

Pink ran to the fallen body of Tai and pulled her to him. "Tai? Tai?" she whispered, urgently. He remained unresponsive, eyes open but unseeing. Tai did not to even be behind them.

"I'll let you Rangers in on a little secret. I took his soul. Humans who have had their soul taken will die in a day." he smirked when every Ranger tensed and turned toward him. "The only way to release them is to defeat me. However, I will be returning to the Sanzu River, and I will not return until they all are dead," he paused for dramatic effect. "And that includes your Lord Shiba," he added with a smirk.

Pink gripped Tai more tightly. "No," she whispered, tears pricking her eyes. "NOOO!" she screamed at him.

"You won't get away with this!" Samurai Blue vowed.

Uta's mouths smirked. "Later," he said.

"If you think you're just going to leave--" Green didn't finish his thought. He and Blue ran for him to attack. They managed to slash him before he broke apart to swarm them again, forcing them to the ground. He reformed midair with his sword held high.

His intent, Gold ran forward, using her sword to block his. Yellow ran up behind Gold and jumped, slashing with her Sword. Uta broke apart again and swarmed them before reforming away from them again. "Bye bye Rangers," he said and disappeared into a crack.

The Rangers watched, dumbstruck. Pink cradled Tai's body to her. "No," she whispered quietly.

Gold covered the visor of her helmet with her hand and closed her eyes.

Silence, deep and cloying fell as they absorbed this.

Blue looked at Pink. "What do we do now?" he asked.

She looked up in surprise. "What? Why are you asking me?" she asked.

Green cocked his head at her. "Because you're Tai's right hand lady," he pointed out. The others nodded to agree.

She swallowed and gripped him closer. "For now, we take Tai home."

~*~

There were some situations that called for Billie's personal presence. Tai getting his soul sucked out of his body was one of them. She didn't complain about the Rangers hovering around her in his room as she gave him a once over. "All this soul business is more Lammy's and Taran's thing, but physically his body is good condition. Same goes for all the other people that were taken to hospitals," she said, attempting to close his eyes. They sprang open again. "That's just creepy," she muttered.

She turned toward the Rangers, particularly Lani. "What are we going to do about this?" she asked and pursed her lips. Tai getting put out of commission was damn scary.

Lani didn't protest again. She knew why she was being looked at. She was a watered down Red after all. She may as well accept it. Besides, while she had every faith in her teammates, none of them had leadership experience, and well, she did.

She pursed her lips and shot a glance at Daiki. "I need to talk to your girl friend's 'uncle'," she said.

Daiki's cheeks turned slightly dusky, "She is not my girlfriend," he denied. He ignored Kane and Kiari snickering at him. "However, there is the chance that I may be able to mediate your talk," he acknowledged. He took a look at the body of his lord and clenched his teeth. "In fact I'll see to it immediately," he said and stalked out of the room.

Lani watched him go. She glanced at Rena. The younger girl shuffled her foot. "Guess you want me to tell Rex his boyfriend is bad shape, huh?" she asked with a little smile.

Lani smiled slightly in return. "He'll want to know," she agreed.

Rena nodded and shuffled out as well.

Kane looked seriously at Lani. "What about us, boss lady?" he asked.

She just gave them a smile. "You two and Billie just get out of here. I'll sit with him until I hear from Daiki," she said.

Kane nodded and Kiari gave her a small bow. They left the room.

Billie hesitated a moment. "Hey, just remember, Tai's been through worse than this and come up smelling like roses," she assured her.

Lani just gave her an absent nod. "I know, but that won't stop me from worrying," she said and stretched out the bed beside Tai's body.

Billie said. She pulled a computer pad from her lab coat pocket and teleported herself.

~*~

Daiki went to the pier where he caught Swordfish. Crossing his arms over his chest he waited. He didn't have to wait long. "You wanted to speak to me?" Saeko asked as she warily approached him.

Daiki shook his head. "We want to speak with your uncle," he stated without preamble.

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked out over the sea. "Meet us where the creature disappeared into the cracks," she said and walked off and faded away.

Daiki stared after her for a long moment before flipping his Morpher out in Phone-mode.

~*~

Sanzu River

Doukoku had gone back to sleep long before Uta returned. Dayuu watched him warily. "What have you done now, shootari?" she asked suspiciously, absently strumming her shamisen.

shootari stroke his tentacles. "Spit him out," he ordered the Ayakashi.

Uta coughed, gagged and retched, but finally spit one white orb from his main mouth. The orb glowed ethereally for a moment, shifted shape to a flaming bird briefly, almost formed a face, and seemed to resolve into flickering from bird to face. "It's the octopus man," Tai's voice emanated from the orb in a strange way.

Dayuu was so surprised she missed a chord on her shamisen. "What is this?" she demanded.

"The dying soul of Lord Shiba," shootari said. He returned his attention to the orb. "I have you right where I want you, Lord Shiba. What do you know of the Seal?" he demanded.

"You may as well let that ugly s.o.b. behind me eat me for all the good getting answers out of me will do you," came the disembodied answered from the Lord Shiba.

shootari stroked his tentacles. "You underestimate me. I will remedy that soon," shootari said and would have smiled if he could.

So would have Tai. "Bring it."

~*~

Lani waited on the boardwalk for Saeko and her guardian to appear. The other four Rangers fanned out and waited with her.

Juzou tsked slightly as he and Saeko arrived. "And I really thought he would be the one," he said, shaking his head.

Lani turned, drawing her Sword and pressing it against his collarbone. Saeko made a move toward her own sword, but Daiki slid in front of her. Juzou just shook his head at her and turned his attention to Lani. "You are not my opponent," he stated, unfazed and unafraid of the Sword.

"What do you know about the Sanzu River?" she demanded. "How do we get there?" she demanded.

Juzou laughed. He actually laughed at her. "Ah, little Samurai girl, you want to go to Sanzu River?" he looked at her sharply. "To go there you must to taste the Waters. To taste to the Waters is to fall from the path of the righteous. To fall from the path of righteous is to become," he transformed to his Gedou form, "something other than human," he added in a hiss.

Saeko gasped silently and closed her eyes. She opened them to find Daiki watching her. She hardened her expression and glared at him.

Kane stepped forward. "What do you mean?" he demanded. "You have to be evil?" he asked.

Juzou scoffed. "Humans can be evil and still be human," he said. "Tasting the Waters makes you a part of the Sanzu River. You can never escape it, no matter how hard you try," he returned to his human form and stared at Lani. "Is he worth that to you?" he asked.

Kane gritted his teeth. "I'll do it, if that's what it takes," he said stoutly.

"Kane," Kiari gasped.

"Don't even think about that," Lani said.

"Why not? Worse case I become an evil Space Ninja and you all send my @$$ back to space," Kane said. That made sense to him.

Rena narrowed her eyes at Juzou. "Why not send him? He's the one wanting the big Samurai duel with Tai," she pointed out.

Lani raised an eyebrow and considered that.

"Absolutely not. This is the final test. If he makes it out alive, our time will be soon," Juzou said stepped away from Lani's blade. "Saeko," he summoned.

Daiki didn't move out of her way. "Saeko," he repeated quietly.

She glared at him. "Our time will come as well," she said and stepped around him to join her uncle and leave with him.

Juzou paused and glanced back. "One more thing. All souls have a connection to their bodies. The souls are where their bodies cannot reach. Too long and the string is severed and both die," he added as he and faded. Saeko gave one last look back before she herself faded away.

Lani dropped her sword deflated. Kane stepped forward. "Don't even mention it again. I'll let Tai knock around with his Sword when he gets back," she said firmly.

Kiari smiled. "It was very brave of you to volunteer. But also very foolish," she informed him firmly.

Kane pouted a little a shuffled his feet. "It was an option," he muttered.

Lani smiled slightly. "No. No it wasn't," she said. She put her sword away. "A person's soul and their body are connected by a thread," she said to herself and began to pace slightly. "Rena...you have some control over light right? Do you think your Morpher can find the spectrum these strings would be on?" she asked. Lani wouldn't call herself the smartest girl around, but she was by no means stupid and she did pay attention in her classes.

Rena frowned and took out her Morpher. "If Billie designed this thing, I'm sure I can. I just need the right Characters," she said thoughtfully.

Lani looked at Kiari and raised a brow. Kiari didn't hesitate. "Rena-chan. Try this," she said and pulled out her Morpher in Pen-mode and drew several complex strokes in the air.

Rena bit her lip. She held up her Morpher and pressed a button. The floating yellow Characters where sucked into her Morpher and appeared on her screen. She pressed a red button. There was a bright flare of blinding light. It flickered and strobe for a time until it all but disappeared. Yet it revealed softly glowing, delicate strands, coming from all over, but gathered into a bunch and disappearing into the crack the Ayakashi escaped through.

Kane let out a whistle. "How many was that?" he asked.

"One hundred and one including Tai," Daiki answered.

"I wonder which one is his," Kiari said, looking at all the strings.

Lani shook her head. "Doesn't matter. Daiki, do you remember your fishing lessons?" she asked him.

Daiki gave a slight bow. He flipped his Morpher out in Pen-mode and drew a Character in the air and his fishing pole appeared. "Rena, you're Disc please," he said.

Rena nodded and handed him her Hidden Disc. He placed it on the fishing pole. The soul strands wrapped around the Disc and along the pole. Daiki looked at Kane. "Come help me. I think this Ayakashi will be more difficult than Swordfish Origami," he said. Kane nodded and immediately stepped forward to help reel this Ayakashi in.

~*~

Tai was in pain. A great amount of pain. shootari was more powerful than he'd given him credit for. An energy field surrounded him, shocking his pour soul every time he gave a smart-assed answer to the octopus man.

"Now, now, now, Lord Shiba. Tell me," shootari asked, not for the first time.

Tai glowed more dimly than he had before. He was getting tired. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours. What do you know about the Seal?" he asked.

shootari shocked him again. "Tell me!"

Tai felt a surprising tug. Somehow it was conveyed that he was grinning through the pain. "A little longer and I may have broken, Tentacle-boy. Too bad," he added.

shootari scowled as Uta gave a surprised jerk. "Agh!" he said.

"What is it?" shootari demanded.

Uta resisted the continuous tugging on a hundred threads. "I-I'm being pulled! No! No!" shootari and Dayuu ran forward to catch him as he was suddenly jerked off his feet. A few more sharp pulls and they lost him, sprawling on the floor and knocking over furniture.

Doukoku stormed out of his cabin. "What the hell is going on out here?" he demanded. He roared in rage when he heard the soft laughter of a Shiba Lord as Tai was pulled with the rest of them.

shootari cowered. Dayuu got to her feet and began playing her shamisen. "Tell him, shootari, what you have been doing," she urged with a smirk.

shootari gulped and finally told his Lord about the Seal. The entire Sanzu River quaked with Doukoku's rage.

~*~

Since Tai's soul was outside Uta when he was pulled back into the human world, he immediately sprang back into his body. He gasped and sat bolt upright. He wasn't sure what they did or how they did it, but he was glad they did do it. He scrambled out of his bed.

One thing he knew for sure, Utakasane was back in the human world and he still had one hundred souls trapped inside of him. He flipped out his Morpher in Pen-mode. "Samurai Sword Clash!"

~*~

Uta was dragged out of Sanzu River, kicking and screaming. "Nooo!" he roared.

Lani had to admit, at least to herself, that she was slightly surprised that actually worked. Though surprised as well, Daiki and Kane lost their steady grip on the rod and he pulled free.

"You will pay for that, Rangers!" he warned them. "How did--"

"You underestimated us," Lani informed him as the Rangers fanned around him.

"Now give us back the souls of all those people," Rena commanded.

"Give us back Tai!" Lani ordered.

Two things happened at once a brief instance later. Lani used the call phrase, "Samurai Sword Clash!" Uta spit a blue energy blast at them. An explosion flared. Five fully morphed Rangers jumped through and each slashed at Uta as he or she passed.

"100 Body Parts Split!" He broke up and swarmed the Rangers. Sparks flew.

"100 Dancing Fire Flies!" A swarm of miniature firebirds attacked each piece of Uta. The Ayakashi reformed, sparking and smoking as Samurai Red stepped forward, his sword slung over his shoulder.

"Tai!" Samurai Pink said and rushed over to him. He hugged her close. "How--?"

"I'll explain later," he answered.

"Glad you're back and all, but we do have a monster to face," Gold reminded them.

"You damn Rangers!" Uta spat and began to run away.

"Oh, no you don't," Samurai Pink said. "Heaven Fan!"

"You aren't getting away this time!" Samurai Blue concurred. "Water Arrow!"

A pink gust of gust of wind and a blue water arrow hit Uta and brought him to the ground. "Land Slicer!" The giant shuriken struck him.

Samurai Green rushed forward and jumped. "Wood Spear!" He hit Uta in his middle mouth. "One more for the road?" he suggested and thrust forward as he landed, using the energy to toss the Ayakashi over his head.

Uta didn't even get to his feet good. "Giant Flaming Blade!" Red ran forward and slashed. Red lightning crackled and the Ayakashi went down in a fiery explosion.

Gold clapped her hands together. "Awesome. He pissed you off, huh Tono-sama?" she said cocking her head at Red.

Red inclined his head.

"Pissed me off too," Pink said and pulled out her Pen and Turtle Origami in preparation.

Uta roared as he grew into his second life. "Unforgivable!" He shouted.

Red nodded at Pink. "Zord time," she announced. She and each of the others pulled out their Origami Zords and drew the Large Character above them. The Origami grew to full size and their pilots materialized inside them. Samurai Red drew the Combine Character. They formed the Origami Megazord.

Red Samurai drew the Megasword and three at Uta several times consecutively. The giant Ayakashi sparked and stumbled back. "Oonanashi Renchuu!" Giant Nanashi appeared around the city.

"Crap. You guys handle him, I'll take care of these creeps," Gold stated. She flipped open her Morpher and programmed a code before closing it.  She pulled the Squid Disc from her belt. It folded in on itself and she put it on her Morpher. "Squid Origami Zord!"

The Squid Origami came out of her phone. She teleported into Squid's cockpit. She pulled out her sword and slid the Squid Disc onto it before she unsheathed it and stuck it in the console. The Squid took to the air. She pushed forward with her Sword. "Tentacle Strike!" The Squid took to the air began to strike at Nanashi as it spun around. By ones and two they were driven back in explosions.

Several Nanashi with bows and arrows took aim on her. She smirked. "Squid Cannon!" The Squid shot a cloud of black ink from a nozzle near its eyes. It concealed the entire area. She went in spinning. Several powerful lightning arcs were seen from within the ink cloud.

With the Nanashi under Gold's control Red, Green, and Blue summoned Tiger, Beetle and Swordfish Origami and united them with the Megazord.  "Thunderbird Megazord! United Under Providence!"

Uta was far from impressed. He slashed at the Thunderbird Megazord. The Megasword was there to parry each blow.

"Why don't you just die already!" Pink shouted at him.

"Not to self: don't mess with the Pink lady's man," Green said. "Let's end it, Tai," he said.

Unseen, Tai gave a tight smile and nodded, taking the Megazord to the air. The three men drew their Swords and spun their Discs. "Thunderstrike Splitting," the Megasword and the three Origami Zords powered up and the Megazord dove forward, "Slash!" The Megasword slashed Uta with full power.

Uta had no parting word as he fell backwards and exploded. One hundred orbs of light were freed. They returned to their true bodies and people began to wake up.

Pink nodded with grim satisfaction. "That brings this chapter to a close," she said.

From Squid, Gold rubbed the chin of her helmet. "You know, I've always wondered how we managed to avoid destroying half of downtown," she said.

"Good question!" Green agreed getting groans from the other Rangers.

~*~

Juzou and Saeko watched from a safe distance away. "You helped them," she said quietly.

Juzou turned away from the scene. "I will fight him," he said in a way she had no doubt that would happen. She just nodded. She watched a little longer before she joined him as he walked away.

~*~

Doukoku was a fit to be tied when he found out about the Seal, but after breaking a few things, guzzling essence and listening to Dayuu play, a strange calm came over him. "Continue looking," he said and swigged another bottle of Essence and stared out the port hatch into the endless waters of the Sanzu River

~*~

Tai was stretched out on the couch in his study, staring at the ceiling when Lani came in. He had told them all about shootari trying to extract information from him. She walked over and he looked up at her. "Well, hello there. Stretch out, take a load off," he said, dropping one leg to the floor. Without hesitation she stretched out on top of him. Since he was a good deal taller than him, she laid her head on the center of his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

"It was not fun almost losing you," she said.

Tai stroked a hand through her hair. "It wasn't much fun for me either. But I'm told you did good with the rescue plan," he said and kissed the top of her head.

Lani grinned slightly. "That's because I'm not a Pink Ranger, I'm a watered down Red Ranger and that's what we do," she declared.

Tai chuckled. "Is that what was bothering you? You thought you weren't a good Pink Ranger?" he asked and shook his head. "You're Lani, no matter what color you're wearing and I wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't have every faith in your ability. You never would have became my partner to start with if there wasn't something deep inside you that announced to the universe that -you- are meant to be a Power Ranger," he told her serious.

Lani pinched his side making him grunt in pain. "Quit speechifying already. I figured all that out myself, thank you," she declared tartly. She was Lokelani Lyong; Power Ranger.

~*End Act 15*~           

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