Chapter 29 - On Target

Kane and Taylor stood face to face several yards a part. "All right, white bread, you ain't gonna win this time," Kane warned his friend. He stomped his foot and pulled a plug of dirt out of the ground and sent it barreling toward his opponent.

Tay jumped straight up and sent a funnel of air down through the middle of the plug and exploded it in a shower of dirt. He flipped and landed preparing his next attack only to see that Kane was there. He was hit dead center in the back by another plug. He tucked himself into a ball and rolled to his feet and sent a blade of air toward where it had come from.

Kane raised a pillar of earth. The blade cut through it with explosive force, sending him into a freefall that they quickly took control of. "Are you trying to kill me?" he asked as he landed light-footedly.

"Just trying to keep you on your toes," Tay said and sent another attack. A wall of condensed air met a wall of dirt. Once again there was a shower of clumps of earth.

This went on for some time. They both finally collapsed back to back. "Ok, it's a draw. When did you get so good?" Tay demanded of his friend.

Kane snickered. "I was always good," he declared.

"Yeah, but you never acted like it before. Must be Tai's influence," he declared. "Dunno who's going to keep you on your toes with your Ninja skills when I'm gone," he said thoughtfully.

"Me either. I guess whoever Uncle sends to Tai to replace you, but it sure as hell won't be the same," he said. "So, have you told anyone else yet?" he asked.

"No. I'm going to give Tai my notice tomorrow. I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure I had the job. It's kind of hard to believe. Astral Dynamics test pilot sounded almost too good to be true. If you believe the geeks like Cam and Drake, they're on the cutting edge of scientific research and development," he said.

Kane snorted. "And you couldn't care less. You just want to fly around in some experimental doomahickey and do loop-de-loops 'til you barf," he stated and got his feet. He held a hand down to help Tay to his feet.

"Ok, you got me," Tay agreed and stood.

"Damn shame you have to leave Angel Grove though. Seems like you just got here. I know someone who's going to be very disappointed," he remarked innocently. He grimaced when he looked around. He'd have to come back in the morning and smooth things out. They'd really torn things up. Good thing Tai set aside a place for their sparring.

"Oh, yeah? Who?" Tay asked, trying to sound as clueless as possible.

"Even you aren't that dense," Kane declared.

"Dunno, Sensei Shane says I can be pretty thick," Tay pointed out.

"Quit being a dill weed before I knock out your fake tooth," Kane warned him.

"Hey. You leave my tooth out of this. My mom paid an arm and a leg to get this thing screwed in permanently," Tay warned and stuck his hands in his pockets. "As for that, it's a non-issue. Besides, you helped her line up a  stay at the Thunder Academy and learn from Sensei Hunter," he stated.

Kane shrugged. "If you say so. Though I swear to God, if I come visit you and find you moping around because you didn't even try, that tooth is history," he warned seriously.

"No it's not. Not saying I won't be moping. But, that's a forever kind of girl and I'm not in a forever kind of place," he said. "Not going to even say its better this way, but it's the way it is. In a month, I'm gone, flying experimental planes and things," he declared. "Whoa, whoa, though, wait a minute. What's with all this responsibility talk from Kane Watanabe all of a sudden?" he demanded.

Kane grinned. "Weird, right? Cam would die of shock. But, what can I say? Things change and people grow up." He looked Tay over critically. "Well, some people do," he said pointedly. Tay pulled an innocent face. "Anyway, I just want you to find your place. Me. I think I've pretty much finally found mine. It's not really what I expected, but I'm here for awhile whether Tai likes it or not. I'm only leaving when I'm sure I can run a business on my own and he lets me open up a Studio somewhere else," he answered.

Tay grinned. "Ah, hell. You'll be ready for that in a no time," he said clapped his friend on his back. "Race you to the garage," he said and took off in a streak of red.

"Cheater!" Kane shouted and ran after him in a streak of green.

~*~

Sanzu River

Dayuu held her hands on either side of her head to block out the overly loud popping sounds that were coming from the starboard shore. Doukoku roared as he came up on deck. "What is that infernal noise?" he snarled.

Dayuu pointed to where shootari and Akumaro were standing.

The two of them had half turned when they heard Doukoku's roar. "Ah, my Lord Doukoku. I will allow shootari to explain his grand vision," Akumaro said, his voice reeking of false flattery and sarcasm.

shootari made a curt motion with his hand. "My Lord Doukoku, forgive the noise but I have been working on a way to not bring pain and devastation down upon the humans. I've recruited Ikusazure to work with the finest Nanashi and captain the Nanashi Rifle Squad," he said and gestured with his staff.

On shore, targets were set up and a line of Nanashi holding rifles. A green Ayakashi with an orange flame motif stepped forward. "Ready. Aim. Fire!"

In a synchronized unit, the Nanashi fired their rifles. Energy bullets hit the targets and blew them to tatters. They pointed their rifles skyward again. Ikusazure stepped in front of them. "You call that shooting, you lazy no good sacks of sour sewage?" he barked in a commanding tone. That was a compliment.

"What do you think, my Lord?" shootari asked him.

Akumaro sighed and moved away. "Rather crude if you ask me," he said.

"But effective. We need effective. Don't we, Akumaro," Doukoku said, clearly alluding to his previous failure.

Akumaro gave a small bow. "I have not given up creating a foothold, my Lord. In the meantime, shootari's idea will distract the Power Rangers. Hopefully kill them," he agreed benignly.

Doukoku watched Ikusazure drill the Nanashi Rifle Squad again. Dayuu clapped her hands over her ears again. "You don't approve?" he asked.

"I don't care! Just send them away all ready! I'm getting such a headache," she complained.

Doukoku nodded to shootari. "See to this. All of you be warned, I tire of your failures," he said and went back down into the hold to have more Essence. "Dayuu!" he shouted after him. She hurried after him.

Akumaro tapped his chin. "Our Lord seems different," he said.

shootari nodded. "His power grows but he relies less and less on Essence to numb the feeling. See to your plan while I see to mine. The sooner this is done, the better for us all," he stated and shuffled off to give Ikusazure his marching orders.

Akumaro went to check the progress of his own plans.

~*~

Tai looked up when Kane knocked on his doorjamb then slouched in to sit across from his desk. "Yes?" he asked as he set his reading glasses aside and rubbed his eyes. A lot of his weekends were devoted to paperwork. This time it was payroll.

"You ain't firing me," Kane said without preamble. "In fact, you're going to do just the opposite and start giving me more responsibility," he added.

Tai leaned back in his office chair and looked up him with a neutral expression. "Oh, am I? When did I make these decisions? Why?" he asked, waiting curiously for the answer. This meeting wasn't totally expected, but Kane always surprised him.

"You can still ruminate on it if you want, but it's definitely what you're going to do. With Lani going back to school, you firing everyone else, Tay quitting, you're going to need my help. Besides, I decided I like it here.

"Blue Bay Harbor and the Academy are great but it's a ninja place. There's nothing but ninjas there except for Cam. Before you contacted me, know what I was doing?"

"Ninja stuff?" Tai couldn't resist asking.

"Exactly!" Kane declared and got his to his feet to prowl around the while he spoke. "Basic Earth techniques. I mean, don't get me wrong, throwing dirt around his awesome, but I'm a samurai, a Sword belongs in my hand. I've had more fun teaching your intermediate kids Bushido than I ever did learning Earth techniques and teaching them to fifteen year old brats.

"It feels like it did when I was learning from Cam, only better. I've been learning from you and Grandpa. Let's face it, love him or leave him, Cam was self taught in secret. You and Grandpa, and Daiki and Kii, you were all born with Swords in your hands. This is my place and I'm not leaving. I'll show up every day whether you pay me or not," he said stubbornly.

"So, you want to teach Bushido for the foreseeable future?" Tai asked, trying not to smile too much at Kane's little speech.

"Until I can open a sister Studio," Kane stated and waited to see Tai's reaction.

"Another Studio was in my five-year projection. I would indeed need a reliable, dedicated and trustworthy manager," he said thoughtfully. "But, I have a condition," he said and leaned forward again, and eyed his younger cousin very seriously.

Kane narrowed his eyes. "Of course you do," he said and waited, not daring to breathe.

"You'll start attending night classes next term. Get your MBA. If, after the five years is up, you have it, have proven you can handle the responsibilities of running the Studio, we'll open a second Watanabe Studio and have you listed as half-owner. Can you do that?" Tai asked.

Kane goggled at him. He nodded. "I can. I can do it. I'll register for AGCC immediately," he said and stood up slightly straighter.

Tai chuckled. "You don't have to settle for community college. Billie can get you into UCAG," he stated.

Kane was shaking his head. "I can't afford UCAG. Not to mention my test scores," he stated. Kane was never the best student. He wasn't dumb by any means, but school chafed and he scraped by because Alex nagged him the entire way through.

"We'll call it a scholarship. An investment into our future."

"I can't take--"

"You can and you will. It's part of the condition. I need any future partners to be as qualified as I am," Tai said. He stood up and held out a hand.

Kane nodded and took it firmly. He'd never been so serious about anything in his life.

He was immediately distracted.

Tai watched in bemusement as Kane shot off toward the windows overlooking the backyard. "No wonder you set your study up here. Hello, teeny-weeny yellow polka-dot bikini," he said.

Tai, despite himself, wandered over to the window. The girls were relaxing by the pool. Rex was at the grill. Tai's gaze immediately sought out Lani, who was floating on an inflatable lounger. Her one piece was red with big gaudy pink Hawaiian flower shapes on it.

Saeko was at the other end basically doing the same. Rena sat on a lounger wearing overlay large shades even though an umbrella completely shaded her from the sun. It was Kii that had Kane captivated and nearly drowning in his own drool as she applied sun screen, and sure enough wore a bright pink bikini with yellow polka-dots all over it.

"You can probably thank Rena for that," Tai said.

"I'll definitely do that," Kane said and began to back toward the door, keeping an eye through the window. "Impromptu pool party. Awesome," he declared then took off through the door. Tai laughed when less than two minutes later, Kane appeared in the backyard and kindly offered Kii his services for those hard to reach places.

Tai glanced at Lani again. He sighed and walked reluctantly back to his desk. Shaking his head, he closed up the binder he was working out of. He left the office to find Daiki and drag him away from his work on Sealing Characters. Impromptu pool parties were pretty awesome and every one deserved the break.

~*~

A group of LARP'ers in the park was in the midst of an epic quest for the Sword of Shoha'anon when one brave questor just happened to see something unusual.

Ikusazure emerged from the cracks. "All right, you maggots! Time for some practice on moving targets!" The Nanashi Rifle Squad appeared behind him. "Forward--march!" The Squad made directly for the group.

"Dude, either those are some rockin' costumes or--" an Elf Lord was saying to his friend when a sorceress began screaming.

"Ready!" The Rifle Squad brandished arms. "Aim!" They pointed at the group. "Fire!" They pulled their triggers.

Power Rangers rushed forward. Samurai Blue knocked aside a barbarian and a troll. Pink tackled the Elf Lord and sorceress that were in the lead. The other Rangers used their Swords to deflect the rest of the bullets.

"That's enough from you, Gedoushu," Samurai stated, propping his sword against his shoulder in a misleadingly casual way.

"Dude, I know LARP'ing is kind of lame, but it's no reason to go shootin' at them," Green remarked.

"Yeah, you're one to talk," said a barbarian woman he strongly suspected was a guy underneath the Wonderflex armor.

"Hey, at least I'm really a super hero," he declared.

"C'mon, man, let's get out of here," the Elf Lord said and dragged the barbarianess away with the rest of the group.

Ikusazure barked a laugh. A sharp, "Ha!" of contempt. "Looks like we're in luck boys! More moving targets! Fire!"

Now with the rifles aimed directly at them, the Rangers barely had to get their Swords up to deflect the bullets and they didn't necessarily succeed every time.

"I'm sick of this guy. Here I go!" Green rushed forward and jumped toward Ikusazure. The Ayakashi produced his own weapon, a flame emblazoned shotgun. He pointed it at Green and pulled the trigger. It hit him dead in the chest and he dropped to the ground and he fell to his knees, muttering a string of very colorful words.

"Kane!" Pink and Yellow rushed forward. Yellow checked on him while spread her new toys. "Raptor Wings!" She whirled and spun several times, sending pockets of wind into the Rifle Squad.

The Nanashi stumbled back and fell over each other but they quickly righted themselves.

Samurai Gold drew her Sword and began rushing forward. They fired at her but she was quick, using her increased speed to knock aside the blasts.

"Aim properly!" Ikusazure yelled.

Several of the Nanashi coordinated themselves to fire simultaneously. She could only deflect a couple of them; the rest got her. She fell back with a pained yelp, holding one particularly smarting place on her arm.

"Training is not complete! Resume firing!" Ikusazure ordered the Nanashi. The Rifle Squad took aim, again, this time on the more hurt teammates.

Red and White were already in action. White held her Giant Blazing Rang in front of Gold. Red held his Giant Flame Blade in front of Green. This had the dual purpose of absorbing the blasts and hiding Blue, Silver and Yellow as they jumped over them.

"Water Arrow!" Blue shot at them in quick succession.

"Land Slicer!" Yellow tossed the giant shuriken. It spun around and hit them several times.

"Metallic Naginata!" Silver tossed his dual bladed weapon like a giant twirler's baton. They sparked and lightning arced.

Ikusazure made a sound of disgust and retreated into the cracks as the Rangers regrouped.

Green rubbed his chest. "Man, we really got creamed," he said as he staggered forward. Yellow ran to him and put an arm around her shoulders to help support him.

Gold rubbed her arm, and her leg, and her side. "You're telling me," she said sourly.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Yellow demanded of Green.

"I'm good. I swear," he assured her.

"What about you?" Silver asked Gold.

"We can't all grow metallic exoskeletons, but I'm ok. Pride's a bit bruised," she said.

Pink shook her head. "Wonder whose bright idea it was to give them guns?" she said as she put her hands on her hips.

"It's too brutal for Akumaro," Blue said thoughtfully. "He seems more like a sneaky underhanded sort," he said thoughtfully.

"As opposed to the brute force of just shooting people?" White demanded and rolled her eyes under her helmet.

"Exactly," Blue agreed, ignoring her snark.

"Doesn't matter now. We'd better get back and decide what we can do to beat these guys," Red said. They agreed and teleported away, leaving the LARP'ers with grand ideas of their next storyline.

~*~

Tai surveyed his team as they nursed minor and not so minor aches and pains. They all sustained some damage. His enthusiastic duo, Rena and Kane, had the more serious injuries. Rex was nursing a particularly large spot on her arm with a handheld healing device. Her entire upper arm was a sickly shade of purple.

Kii helped Kane with a place dead center of his chest. That was the worst but he had several other spots.

Tai himself was being fussed over by Lani as she put some of Grandpa's green goop on a spot on his neck where a ricochet hit him.

"You lot look worse than usual," Billie remarked as she appeared on her screen. "Sorry it took so long, I was checking on the progress of one of the projects I have in the works that could help in this situation. I got the team into high gear but I'm not guaranteeing anything. Next time, shoot him with the Bazooka," she suggested.

"Didn't have time to summon the damn thing," Tai answered. It was the honest truth there.

"Nanashi with guns," Billie scoffed in anger. "Ok, I'll be there in a little while to see what I can about boosting the density and tensile strength of the Suits. If you can't shoot them back, then at least you should be able to hold out longer," she said and her screen went black.

Kane frowned slightly. "Is it just me or did she seem less helpful than usual?" he asked.

"Even the almighty Glitch can't work miracles," Rex commented as he set the 3HD aside because he'd gotten Rena's bruise to a more manageable level.

"Oh, please, not the goop," she said making a face as he reached for it.

"It's either this or trying to do Iaido with a bum arm," he told her. She relented.

A quiet knock at the door heralded the entrance of a Stagehand. Toji, it seems, had settled on an all black combo of shiny shoes, pressed pants, button down shirts and neckties. Out of doors they wore black hats and shades. Tai secretly thought they were probably less conspicuous before, but he didn't say anything. They'd tried.

The Stagehand carried in an extravagantly large bouquet of flowers. He bowed to Tai then presented the flowers to Lani.

Tai raised a brow as Lani took the flowers and looked at him questioningly. He shook his head. "Thank you, Haru," he said, dismissing the Stagehand.

"There's no card," Lani announced. "Just this," she said and pulled out a little paper pan with a peaceful scene of an orange sky over a red river.

"Looks like some one is trying to move in on the Lord's lady," Kane remarked as he finally managed to button his shirt.

"That looks like how Uncle described the Sanzu River. Sky of flames, river of blood," Saeko said.

"Haru!" Lani called the Stagehand back in. When he appeared she shoved the flowers at him. "Burn these. And this," she said and made sure the little fan went as well. He bowed and took the flowers to do as he was instructed.

"Akumaro," Daiki said thoughtfully.

"That's just gross on so many levels," Lani declared and shuddered. "I'll be doing yoga until Billie comes," she declared and started out of the study.

"Oh, hey. Me too. I need to stretch these bruises out anyway before my muscles seize up," Rena said and stood. She took Saeko's arm and dragged her along as well despite the protests. In her opinion, Saeko needed to socialize more, even if it was just with them. "Coming Kii?" she asked.

Kii was torn. She wanted to make sure Kane was ok, but she also didn't want to miss yoga.

"Go on, babe," Kane told her.

"Coming," Kii said and followed the girls out.

"I'll get back to work," Daiki said.

"We'll help," Rex, volunteering Kane as well. They might not have Daiki's particular skills but they brought different perspectives to the table and were willing test subjects.

"Go on. I still have payroll to work on," Tai said and sat down behind his desk.

The other three guys left the room to work while they waited on Billie.

~*~

Billie had seven Morphers spread out before her on the floor in Tai's living room. She wore goggles over her glasses and a very intent look on her face as she carefully connected a minute chip into the inner workings of Tai's Morpher. She ignored those who were gawking at her.

"It's uncanny, I'm telling you. She's Cam if he were a white chick," Kane declared to Tay. After Daiki got aggravated with Kane, he was banished. So he called up Tay for some hoops. They'd barely had time to change when Billie stormed in and demanded all of their Morphers.

Tay snickered. "She's a lot better looking than Cam, that's for sure," he declared.

"Ain't that the truth," Kane agreed.

"She's also married to the only man on Earth who could pull off being a Pink Ranger," Rex declared as he came up behind them. "Think about what that says about him," he said with a grin.

Tay cleared his throat. "I think I see your point. Cajones the size of Jupiter," he said.

"Exactly," Rex agreed.

Billie frowned as she looked up at them. "Don't you all have better things to do?" she demanded flatly. She looked down again and carefully began soldering something.

"Sorry, Glitch. Tai sent me to check your progress," he stated. "He doesn't like that I'm the only one able to morph right now," he said.

"You can tell him to hold his horses and that I'll be done when I'm done," she stated and went back to work.

Rex held up his hands and backed away to go tell Tai exactly that.

Kane and Tay had the decency to walk outside before starting to snicker. "That is one brave lady," Tay declared.

Kane shrugged. "Not many people talk to Tai like that, but I'm telling you--"

"Yeah. They must have both been designed in the same lab experiment gone horribly wrong," Tay agreed. "So, how come you aren't attached to the lip with Kii during this brief respite?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I dunno. Secret girl stuff I guess. They disappeared for yoga for awhile, then Billie came and they all disappeared again. Maybe we should find them? Might be something...fun happening," he mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

Tay barked a laugh. "This from the newly Mr. Responsibility," he scoffed.

"It's a process," Kane deflected easily. "Where could they be," he wondered aloud.

Tay tapped his own chin thoughtfully as well. He was about to say something when the sudden appearance of one of the Stagehands startled him. "Holy Cheesus! Those guys have ninja training," he declared.

Kane snickered. "What is it, Haru?" he asked.

The man gestured toward the house.

"Guess I'm needed," Kane said and began following Haru. With a sigh, Tay fell into step behind them. Turns out it was just because Tai had called a group training session. Since he was there, he let Tay join in.

~*~

A group of hikers were highly enjoying Angel Grove State Park. Its scenic mountainous trails, local flora and fauna. Pretty girls in short hiking shorts. It was a pretty day, a breeze cooled the midmorning warmth of California in summer.

What they didn't enjoy was the appearance of Ikusazure. "All right, maggots. Get it right this time," he shouted at the ranks of the Nanashi Rifle Squad. They came up behind him in military fashion. "Ready! Aim! Fi--re!" he shouted. The Nanashi fired on the group as they scattered.

A wall of dirt went up in front of the hikers. It dropped to reveal the unmorphed Power Rangers. "You guys. I knew you'd be back," Kane remarked. "See, now you've asked for it," he said as if he pitied them.

"Ready! Aim!"

"This is your last stand, Gedoushu," Tai warned them. "Samurai Sword Clash!"

"Fire!" Ikusazure shouted, trying to take advantage of the moment. The Nanashi fired, but their blasts were absorbed and bounced back by the Characters as the Rangers Morphed.

"Keep firing!" Ikusazure shouted. "Finish them quickly!"

"Keep moving so he can't get a good aim! Don't test the limits of Billie's upgrades too much," Red warned them. "Kane," he said and handed him the Battlizer as they passed each other.

"Ha! Samurai Sword Clash! Power Up!"

Red took out his Tyranno Disc. Samurai Sword Clash! Tyranno Power!"

As the Rangers scattered around, the Nanashi did indeed have trouble getting a clear shot. The Tyranno Sword was also wreaking havoc.

The Squad seemed to be outsmarted and soon was so confused in the chaos, that the Power Rangers managed to find an opening on them and began slashing at close quarters, where guns were useless.

Samurai White took a hit in the shoulder at close range and fell back. "Ow. That hurt. I hope it could have been worse," she grumbled and rolled to her feet, sweeping the Nanashi that shot her as she did so. She slashed him as she made to her feet.

Yellow chirped when a blast hit her hand, knocking her Sword out of it. "Hey! That wasn't good," she declared and balled up and launched herself into his chest, knocking him over. She scrambled for her Sword and came to her feet. She slashed him with her left hand.

"These losers are so toast," Green commented, still mad that they downed him before. Somehow, three of them managed to take aim on him and fired. He flew backwards and landed in a skid by some boulders. Luckily, the suit did absorb most of the impact.

"Dude, you suck."

He tilted his head back. "Hey! Barbarian lady. I knew you weren't a chick. Get out of here," he said as he got to his feet. He reached for his Hidden Disc. "Time for the finisher," he declared since he could see that most of the Nanashi had been neutralized.

Gold made for Ikusazure. She knocked him back toward Green with her Sword. "This could be it for you," she said.

Blasts hit her before she could react. Green almost dropped his Sword and Disc as new blasts hit him as well. All around them, more rifle-bearing Nanashi appeared. They drove the Rangers into a circle and stopped firing.

"Good thing Billie upgraded the suits, but what do we do now?" Pink asked.

"She better pull a miracle out of something," Silver commented dryly.

Ikusazure laughed. "Behold, the power of my Rifle Squad," he gloated. At least a hundred Nanashi had their rifles trained on the Power Rangers. "You see the advantage of projectile weapons, yes? Swords are for close quarters. Long distance attacks are where the winners have the advantage," he said.

Blue cocked his head. "This definitely is not good," he said.

There was a loud collective beep.

"What was that?" Ikusazure demanded.

Red straightened up and deactivated his Tyranno-mode. "That was the advantage changing," he said as he very purposely sheathed his Sword.

Green followed his example. He didn't power down, but he didn't have to. They flipped out their Morphers. Green grinned at the blinking on the screen. He pressed a button. "Bear Blaster!" he slipped his Hidden Disc into what looked like a green and gold, upside down Tommy gun.

"Turtle Blaster!"

"Wolf Blaster!"

"Dragon Blaster!"

"Bat Blaster!"

"Monkey Blaster!"

"Eagle Blaster!

"Lion Blaster!"

A fire fight broke out between the Rifle Squad and the Rangers. The power and precision of their new weapons soon had explosions going off around them as they took down the Nanashi Rifle Squad.

"What? No! How can this be?" Ikusazure demanded in a snarl.

He pulled his weapon and began firing on them. "All together!" Red shouted as they regrouped. Together they put their Blasters together. "Revolving Power Blaster!" They formed a huge Gatling gun and they pointed it directly at Ikusazure. Green drew his Sword and slid it into a slot formed specifically for it. "Power Disc!" He put the Disc into the Battlizer. A butt with a trigger appeared out of the gun. There was a sound like a camera flash charging.

"Super Samurai Power Shot!" Green pulled the trigger. Eight multicolored blasts of energy slammed into Ikusazure and he exploded in a brilliant explosion of fire and  lightning.

"Ok, that was awesome," Green declared. The others nodded mutely as they waited.

Ikusazure grew into his second life. "Giant Nanashi Rifle Squad!" Giant Nanashi came from the cracks holding a giant cannon on their shoulders.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me," Gold declared dryly.

"Summon the Zords. Rena, you and Saeko take care of them. I think I can get this thing to enlarge," Red instructed.

Green nodded and drew the Sword. "Power Disc! Samurai Megazord!" The Origami grew to their full-size and formed the Samurai Megazord. The Rangers appeared inside the cockpit, except for Red.

Samurai Gold typed the Large Character into her Morpher. When it shimmered in the air, Wolf Origami Zord jumped through it. Not only did it grow to full size, but it transformed into a vaguely feminine shaped Megazord. She appeared in its cockpit.

Samurai White drew the Large Character above her Origamizord. It grew to full size and she appeared inside the cockpit. She then drew two Characters. Unite and Wolf. "Samurai Armament!" The Eaglezord broke apart and joined with the Wolf Megazord, forming wings, a helmet and a laser gun. "United under Providence, Wolfing Megazord!"

The Nanashi fired on them both while Ikusazure laughed. White and Gold sparked and shook. "Take aim!" Gold said. White nodded and they pushed their Swords forward in their consoles. The Wolfwing Megazord lifted the Eagle Blaster.

"Eagle Blaster! Flame mode!" The Eagle Blaster fired a stream of white-hot flames at the rampaging Ayakashi.

It did little more than make them fall back and fire again. They traded volleys but the Wolfing Megazord was sustaining damage.

The Origami Megazord was trying to get to Ikusazure but he'd only fire at them randomly. "Tai, we could use some help here," Green told him.

On the ground, Red drew the Large Character above the Revolving Power Blaster. It grew to scale with the Megazords. "Kane, get in there and fire!" Red ordered.

Kane nodded and teleported to a cockpit in the inner workings of the Blaster. He put his Sword in a console. "Super Samurai Power Shot!" The cannon fired in eight multicolored blasts of energy. It barreled through the Giant Nanashi, their cannon and finally Ikusazure.

"Maggots!" Ikusazure shouted as he exploded in a brilliant display of fire and lightning.

Green slid a hand along his helmet in a cocksure manner. "And that brings this chapter to a close," he declared.

"Remind me when we get back, Billie's getting the hugest hug," Pink declared. Silver snorted.

On the ground, Red nodded in satisfaction. They'd handle whatever Doukoku and his minions threw at him and more. "Good job, Kane," he told his cousin.

Green didn't say anything, just nodded even though no one could see him.

~*~

Sanzu River

"As much as I loathe agreeing with him, Akumaro seems to have been correct in this accord. The Nanashi Rifle Squad was too much. All it succeeded in doing was making the Power Rangers even more powerful," Dayuu said as she paced across the floor. Her footsteps muffled by a strange half squeal, half gagging sound.

Akumaro gave a flourishing bow. "I do have my moments," he said graciously, ignoring the sound.

"You'd better have an even better moment soon," Doukoku said as he dragged shootari back over the side of the ship where he'd been dangling him by the tentacles. He tossed him across the room. "Or it's you next," he warned as shootari gagged and huffed and wheezed trying to catch his breath.

Dayuu gave shootari a disgusted look and went to shamisen. She began playing a calming tune for Doukoku.

Akumaro bowed again. "I understand, my lord," he assured Doukoku, he face to the floor differentially.

Snorting with irritation, Doukoku stomped over to down some Essence.

~*~

Billie extricated herself from Lani's hug. "I didn't do it alone. I had a team of specialists working on it for ages. I'm just glad it all worked like it was supposed given the rush job at the end," she said.

"But it was your idea," Lani said.

Billie skirted out of her reach, and tripped over a stool and landed on her bottom.

Rex shook his head and helped her up. "Same old, Glitch," he said.

She made a face at him. "You," she pointed at Kane. She pulled a manila folder from somewhere in her lab coat. Considering she carried her tab everywhere she went, it was rare to see her with actual paper work.

Kane raised an eyebrow. "Yes?" he asked suspiciously.

"Here. You're class schedule for the fall term. As you can see, I managed to work with your projected schedule for your Studio duties. Most of these classes are night or evening. I've managed to get you into an accelerated program where you don't have to take classes that don't directly pertain to your proclaimed major. You should get your MBA within twenty-eight months if you stick with it and do the work," she told him.

Kane took the folder mutely. He was silent as he listened to her. "Uh, yeah. How--I mean...err...It was only a couple days ago I talked to Tai," he said. Ok, that was it. She had Cam beat. No contest.

"I have contacts with UCAG," she said and shrugged. "I gotta go. Nath says I have to be home for dinner. Our anniversary or something," she said absently as she wandered off.

"Happy anniversary!" Tai, Lani and Rex called after her. She didn't acknowledge them as she blinked away.

Rex shook his head. "Only Nath could handle that girl," he said. Lani and Tai had to agree.

The after-fight meeting broke up. Kane paused in the doorway and looked at Tai. "Thanks. I never really expected to be a college man. I appreciate the opportunity. And the trust," he said.

Tai nodded. "You've it a thousand times over," he assured him.

Kane nodded again and left. He caught up with Kii. "Hey, babe," he said and draped an arm around her shoulders.

She smiled up at him. "Hi," she returned.

"So, me and you ain't got to spend too much alone time together lately. How about I go put this up," he held up the folder vaguely, "then me and you go out and have some dinner and maybe catch a movie," he suggested.

Kii beamed up at him. "I'd like that," she agreed. He grinned, dropped a quick kiss on her lips and slid away to put up the key to his future. His future was looking brighter than ever.

~*End Act 29*~           

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