Chapter 31 - Amped Up

Rena Hart jumped just as the ground exploded around her. She landed in front of her opponent and went for a triple tap, but he blocked her. She then dropped and swept his legs out from under him. Taylor Hicks landed with thud but immediately bounced up. "It's getting to where I can't win at all anymore," he complained as he backed up a few paces and gave her a bow. "Maybe it's best I'm moving on anyway. Time to start schooling instead of getting schooled again," he added as he rotated his shoulder.

Rena suppressed a frown at his remark. There was absolutely no reason for her to get all pouty because he was leaving Angel Grove. "Yeah, well, thanks for helping out. Kane and Kii have been so busy lately translating her manga that he only trains when Tai forces him to," she said and rolled her eyes.

Taylor nodded. "You've picked up on the techniques quickly. Sensei Hunter doesn't know what a jewel he's getting. Just wish I knew more about Thunder Techniques," he said apologetically.

She shook her head. "I'll learn when I get there. It's sort of gratifying to learn things the old fashioned way rather than with electrodes stuck to my head and locked in a room with a monitor displaying demonstrations at an accelerated rate," she remarked dryly.

Taylor chuckled. "Is that how you learned Iaido so quickly?" he asked as they headed toward the Studio to change out of their training uniforms.

"Yep. Though to be honest, Billie wasn't worse than my gymnastics coach from when I was twelve. Talk about a holy terror. Coach Bieste was a beast," she declared sourly.

"You just have a problem with authority figures. I get it. Why do you think I quit the Air Force? Almost got kicked out my first week. My sergeant was a monster. I began to wonder if he wasn't some new threat to Earth. Alas, no. He was just a tough as nails military man who didn't make the cut to be an astronaut," he said.

Rena chuckled. "You didn't want to be an astronaut?" she asked.

"Nah. I just wanted to fly," he said. He paused and gave her a sideways glance. "I know is probably the most absolute worst timing, but I think I'll kick myself to death if I don't ask. Will you have dinner with me tonight? A private going away party. Just the two of us," he said and literally held his breath.

It took Rena a moment to process the dramatic change of topic. "You're right, that's horrible timing," she murmured finally. She actually wanted to hit him but resisted the urge.

"Yeah. That's what I figured," he said.

"I didn't say no. I just agreed that the timing was horrible," she said. "But, I think I don't say yes, I'll kick myself to death, too," she finally answered.

"Then...tonight? Eightish?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm not riding around on that deathtrap," she said, referring to his motorcycle. "I'll take Rex's car and meet you at your apartment," she said.

Taylor nodded. "Then it's a date," he declared and wandered off toward the guys' locker rooms.

Rena sighed. The timing was indeed horrible, but she wasn't about to pass up this opportunity. She checked the time and grimaced. After she changed she had to run errands in the city for the Studio. Idly she wondered who'd be driving around the Bushidomobile when she was gone. Her mind spiraling in so many directions at once made her dizzy. She decided to stop dwelling on things and take a shower.

~*~

"Are you sure the teleport has to go completely offline?" Tai demanded of Billie as he glared at her screen. "The Gedoushu have been very active lately. What if something happens?"

"This is exactly why I have to take it offline. It's been used so much lately. It's not like the system Zordon had put into place using the Grid. I still can't seem to replicate what exactly he and Alpha 5 did there. Even Beez is no help," she declared. "This one uses residual Grid energy, a network put into place by us and satellites. It's been so overused lately it needs to be worked on and upgraded. Danny says we have to take it offline until he can get it working better. We think we've found a way to use even more Grid energy. It's either this or it stops working mid-teleport and all your atoms are scattered to the four winds," she pointed out.

Tai sighed. "The detection net and communicators will still work, right?" he asked.

"Of course. The teleporter is a completely separate entity. If worse comes to worse, we can have Beez attempt a teleport using the old system. It still hasn't worked quite right since Widow and Roki shorted it out so it's very risky," she explained.

"I'll let everyone know, but getting to the city, or anywhere else will take time," he said thoughtfully.

At this Billie smiled. "Holly actually has been working on some new toys for you guys. After this final teleport, I'm taking the network offline. Check your garage," she said and the screen went blank.

Shaking his head at her, Tai got up from his desk and wandered toward the garage. He entered through the door that connected to the house. The garage didn't seem any different. There was a Stagehand working on the black town car and Kane was tinkering with the bike.

Kane looked up when Tai came in. He was meant to be helping Kii, but she'd kicked him out because he was impeding her creative process. When he went to help Daiki he ended up with a door slammed in his face. Tired of being kicked around, he'd planned to take a drive but his bike hadn't sounded right when he started it. One of the Stagehands doubtlessly thought the sound it made meant there was problem when he knew damn good and well there wasn't. Now he couldn't figure out what exactly had changed.

"What brings you by the garage, O Tono-sama?" he asked.

"Call me that again and I'll--hey, where the hell did that door come from?"

Kane looked and turned toward a quietly inconspicuous door on the far side of the garage next to a neat collection of tools on a wall. "Uh...I thought you had it put there," he said.

Raising an eyebrow, Tai approached the door. It didn't have a doorknob or an entry pad beside it. "What has she done now?" he grumbled. He pulled out his Morpher in Pen-mode. He drew a Reveal Character on the door and activated it.

The door vanished and revealed a brand new extension to the garage. Inside the second garage were eight Power Cycles.

"Holy--bikes? For us?" Kane asked and ran for the one that had the stylized Wood Character as the front. "Sweet," he declared. "That's different. This button here says 'Hyper-Speed'," he stated, eager to try out this new toy.

"Well, at least now we can get around easily while the teleport is down," Tai said, looking as the back of the garage as it gradually inclined into an opening under the ground. The Stagehands were doing so much on the property; he'd stopped really paying attention. He could see that had to change.

Kane wasn't paying him the least bit of attention. Tai chuckled and contacted everyone else to tell them about the teleport going down and the Samurai Cycles, as he was now dubbing them.

~*~

Billie had errands to do on her lunch break. She hated leaving her lab. Danny all but shoved her out the door and told her to get out of his way while he worked. She thought he was taking an awful lot of liberties for someone who didn't even work for Nodroz.

Sighing, she stepped into a convenience store to grab something to eat from the deli there. She knew the food was ok because it was on her way to and from work. The store wasn't very busy that time of day. She was glad. She moved toward the cappuccino machine and began to mix herself up some sweet sweet caffeine.

"Ah, mother's milk," she said to herself. As she made her way toward the deli section she passed a man in a suit studying a map in what could only be described as a mixture between horror, awe and glee. She didn't really pay him any attention. She was eying a particularly tasty looking hunk of pizza and her mind was preoccupied with technological things.

Akumaro looked up from his map. He folded it back up and slipped it into his inside pocket. He put his shades back on. "Dr. Billie?" he asked smoothly.

Knowing that she wasn't exactly unknown in the neighborhood, or even scientific circles, Billie was used to strangers knowing her name. "That's me," she said absently and turned.

She'd been out of action for quite some time. She was the first to admit, even when she was in action, her fighting abilities were never her best asset. The fist to the sternum was quite unexpected. Her cappuccino flew out of her hand as she flew backwards and landed hard on the tile floor of the store.

Akumaro grunted as the coffee splashed him. He looked down at the winded, pained woman. "This is horribly easy," he declared as his hand changed into his long claws.

Billie was out of practice, not completely untrained. In fact, she got rigorously trained by Tai and Danny when she was seventeen. Both of them were horrible slave drivers who never let her use her clumsiness as an excuse to slack off. When she could somewhat breathe again, she swept his legs out from under him.

She scrambled to her feet and shimmered slightly as she attempted to access her genetic ability of turning invisible but she was still too winded so she kept reappearing.

Akumaro was right behind her as she ran away. He wasn't worried about the Power Rangers. He already had a plan in place to deal with them.

~*~

Tsubotoguru was an odd looking Ayakashi that almost seemed to look as though he were covered in silly string. There was nothing silly about Tsubotoguru. Serious as a bellyache he liked to say. In fact, he contemplated heavy thoughts as he slipped through the cracks into Angel Grove.

Startled shouts disturbed his contemplation. "So noisy! Can't a person take a walk to clear his head?" he demanded. "I'll really give you something to complain about then," he scoffed. He took a breath and turned toward them. He exhaled and a swarm of nasty little insects flew at the people. The bugs went down their throats and into their stomachs. People fell to the ground in pain.

Tsubotoguru nodded in satisfaction. People's groans and whimpers of pain where like music to his ears.

~*~

Tai's fears were well founded. The alert system went off and coordinates appeared in his Morpher. He contacted everyone. "We have Ayakashi activity. Everyone to the garage," he said.

"No can do. I'm already in the city. I'll make my way to the coordinates now," Rena said.

"We'll be there ASAP," Tai said and cut connection. He went to the garage where everyone else assembled. "Let's do it," he said. They all nodded. They flipped out their Morphers in Pen-mode. "Samurai Sword Clash!" They drew their Characters in the air and activated them. The Characters flipped around, enveloping them and formed power suits, helmets and Swords.

They mounted their bikes and drove down the incline in the back of the garage and took an underground path that led to a well hidden opening near the city. When they hit the open stretch of road into the city, they activated Hyper-Speed. Riders and Cycles stretched into elongated colorful blurs as a seven cracks echoed around them as they broke the sound barrier.

~*~

Sanzu River

Doukoku looked around. "Where is Akumaro?" he demanded of shootari and Dayuu.

Dayuu gave a careless shrug. "He said something about dealing with the Power Rangers' gadget girl," she answered.

shootari stroked his tentacles. "It is not a bad plan. Once she is out of the way, I'll send someone to kill the Shiba Lord," he declared.

Doukoku snorted in derision. "You make it sound so easy," he said. He suddenly clutched his middle and grunted. The entire Sanzu River began to tremble.

Dayuu jumped to her feet. She grabbed a bottle of Essence. "Here, drink this. It will help," she told him soothingly.

Doukoku knocked the bottle out of her hand. "I don't need that!" he snarled. He went up on deck and roared, releasing a power that sent the Waters of the Sanzu River crashing over its shores in twenty-foot waves.

shootari clutched a balustrade. "The sooner the link between him and the Shiba Lord is severed, the better for us all," he said.

Dayuu nodded as she too found something to keep a hold of.

~*~

The ground shook under Rena's feet. She frowned. There hadn't been an earthquake in Angel Grove for quite some time. She was rushing toward the Ayakashi sighting when she saw a commotion out of the corner of her eye. People were making way for a woman running down the street. A woman who seemed to disappear in places.

"Billie?" she said. Not far behind the woman was a man in a dark charcoal colored suit. He didn't run but has he glided along, he seemed to be catching up with her. Silvery claws glinted on his left hand. "Akumaro," she said. She closed the doors of the van and dashed in between people to place herself between Billie and the Gedoushu.

Billie tripped over her own feet and went down with an oomph. Being a klutz was going to get her killed.

Akumaro grinned and produced an odd looking blade that almost seemed like a folded fan. "We should have done this sooner," he said and the blade lengthened into a truly menacing blade. He swung the blade toward the prone figure on the ground.

Rena's short blade caught the blow. Caught by surprise, Akumaro wasn't prepared for the resistance or the kick she delivered to his chest. He staggered back. "What?" he snarled.

Rena grabbed Billie around one arm and hauled her up. "C'mon. I can't morph here," she said and pulled her along with her. Billie didn't argue. She ran along with Rena, glancing back to see Akumaro was still behind them. "We'd better get you somewhere quick. I'll contact the others," she puffed and huffed. She was so out of shape.

"No can do. They're on an Ayakashi hunt," Rena said. "Now save your breath and run," she ordered. Billie just nodded and ran.

Rena suddenly veered right and Billie nearly fell over again. Rena pushed her behind her as they entered an alley. She turned to face Akumaro as he calmly entered the alley. "You're supposed to be otherwise occupied, Gold Ranger," he informed her.

"Well, as luck would have it, I was in the city running errand. Bad for you, good for Billie," she said and pulled out her Morpher and flipped it open. "Light Morpher!" she said and pulled a reddish disc out as well. "Light Disc!"  The disc folded in on itself and she pressed a button on the Phone. "Active!" She flipped the phone closed and put the disc on the phone. "Golden Light!" The Light Morpher shone a light and a symbol appeared in the air. The Light Character formed her gold and navy power suit, short sword and helmet.

Akumaro grinned suddenly and assumed his true Gedou form. "Then I will simply go through you to get to her," he declared and sprang forward.

Gold pulled her sword and sprang forward. "Not gonna happen!" she declared.

Billie decided to get out of the way. She really hoped Danny would have the teleport ready soon.

~*~

Feeling so much better about thinks after leaving a trail of pained humans in his wake, Tsubotoguru hummed along to the moans and whimpers making such lovely music. He still had serious thoughts on his mind. A different sound caught his attention and he turned his annoyed gaze to a group of humans that had just spotted him and were screaming in fear.

"Stop with that infernal racket!" he said and shook his fist at them. He inhaled deeply. He didn't get a chance to exhale his bugs. Multicolored lasers hit him in the back. He spun around roaring in pain. Seven Samurai Rangers on Samurai Cycles spread out behind him then circled him before coming to a stop.

"Power Rangers! That's just what I need. Go away so I can think!" he shouted at them and shook his fist again.

"That only one going away is you," Samurai Red declared as the Rangers dismounted and pulled drew their Swords.

"That's what you Ranger's think!" Tsubotoguru said and inhale and exhaled quickly, releasing a swarm of bugs.

The bugs spread out and attacked the Rangers. They hit with a shower of sparks even has some of them were cut down with quick Sword slashes.

"Nanashi Renjuu!"

The Nanashi appeared from the cracks around the Rangers, providing even more distraction from Tsubotoguru.

Three of them attacked Samurai Pink. Smarting from various places the Ayakashi bug stung her, she slashed at the Nanashi and jumped backwards and put her Cycle between her and them. She pulled the Falcon Disc from her belt. She slipped it on to her Sword hilt and spun it. A whirlwind of purple wind energy spun around her blade. "Raptor Wings!" Her Sword transformed into two larger, more wing-like, white-pink-and-purple fans. "Come and get it boys," she beckoned.

The Nanashi jumped at her. She jumped at the same time, and spun around, spreading the Raptor Wings. The three of them were no match for her attack. She landed gracefully with her Wings spread angelically.

Samurai Silver placed his Swords hilts together and pulled his Hidden Disc from his belt as three Nanashi came toward him. He slid the Disc on to his Swords' hilts and spun it. Silver energy swirled around the blades. "Metal Naginata!" The Sword turned into a dual ended naginata.

He twirled the gleaming weapon carelessly as he and the Nanashi circled each other. Two of them rushed at him as the third tried to come up behind him. He got one of the ones in front of him while simultaneously taking out the coward behind him, but the third slashed into his side with his blade. His suit sparked and smoked as he whirled away with a grunt of pain. The side of him that wasn't turning numb was his left side, admittedly his weaker side. "Son of a--hya!" One handed he used his entire body to but strength into the blade as he spun back, slashing through the Nanashi's middle. "Take that," he grunted and cradled his side.

Samurai Yellow found herself faced with three Nanashi coming at her. She used her Sword to block the blow one of them slashed at her with his. She kicked him back into the other and they stumbled and nearly fell.

She used the opportunity to bring out her Fox Disc. She slid it onto her Sword and brownish yellow energy spun around the blade. "Fox Claws!" Her Sword and the Disc formed gauntlets on her arms that were topped with scoop-like clawed weapons.

The Nanashi righted themselves and moved on her again. They slashed at her with they're swords, but she used the Claws to block them, yet she wasn't able to slash at them. One of them was able to knock her back, but she agilely sprang back to her feet. "Enough!" she said and rolled as the next Nanashi tried to slash at her. She clawed him behind the leg, came up slashing the second and whirled to catch the third across the face.

Samurai Blue pulled his Swordfish Disc from his belt and slipped it onto his Sword. He spun it and blue watery energy circled the blade. "Water Arrow!" His Sword turned into his bow and he hit one of the Nanashi rushing toward him dead on. He jumped up onto the seat of his Cycle. He crouched but made sure he was mobile in order to lay down cover fire for the others.

Samurai Green just had to wonder why five Nanashi were setting their sights on him. He decided to get fancy. He pulled the Beetle Disc out of his belt. He had no idea if he could or should do this but he was quickly becoming surrounded by very hostile Nanashi who were keeping him on his toes as he narrowly avoided slashes from their swords, or at times, didn't.

He was saved when one of Blue's Water Arrows. That gave him enough time to slip the Disc on to his Sword and set it spinning. Orangey-green energy swirled around the blade. "Wood Spear!" The Sword transformed into the Wood Spear. He made the blade come out of the top. He jabbed at a Nanashi now trying to slice his head off. The head of the Spear came off and slammed into the Nanashi with a shower of sparks. The head returned on it's on. Both Green and the Nanashi stared at it for a moment. He grinned under his helmet. "Next," he invited, beckoning them with one hand.

After only a moment's hesitation, they rushed forward. He flung the head of the Spear in an arc at one of the Nanashi and used the staff of the Spear to disarm another and jab him in what he assumed was the throat. The head of the Spear slashed its target, turned and slashed another one. It reattached to the staff. Green spun around and jabbed his final attacker in the middle.

Samurai White took a blow to the sternum that landed her on her rear. She growled when her attacker was taken out by a Water Arrow. She gritted her teeth. "I don't need his help," she declared and game to her feet, pulling her Hidden Disc from her belt. She slid it on her Sword and spun it. White hot flames licked up the blade. "Giant Blazing 'Rang!" The Sword transformed in to the overly large boomerang and she slung it around herself, effectively clearing her immediate area of Nanashi. She caught it and leaned against it.

Samurai Red pulled the Tiger Disc from his belt and slid it onto his Sword. He spun it and flames flared around the blade. "Giant Flaming Blade!" He made short work of the Nanashi opposing him but he was on the lookout for Tsubotoguru. "Daiki! Do you see him?" he called out.

Samurai Blue rose to his feet and scanned the area. "There!" He said and shot an arrow at the Ayakashi about to slip down an alley.

Red ran for him. The ally way suddenly exploded in golden light and blue arcs of energy. Samurai Gold flew through the air backwards and crashed into Red. He caught her and looked up as Akumaro walked out of the alley after her. He was smoking every bit as she was. "I was wondering what happened to you," Red remarked dryly.

"He was after Billie," Gold said and got to her feet.

"Yes, and I'm fine, thanks for asking. Danny got the teleport working just in time. As it is that explosion nearly did me in," Billie's voice said through their helmet comms.

Akumaro surveyed the scene before him. "Bother," he huffed.

"Give me the box. Your Ayakashi is getting away," Gold stated and nodded to where he was once again to trying to go unnoticed.

Red nodded. He handed her the Battlizer. "Lani, Kii, Rex," he said and took off after the Ayakashi. They followed him.

~*~

Akumaro suddenly found himself facing four Rangers. He managed to deflect Green's Wood Spear with his sword. He used White's own 'Rang to deflect Blue's Water Arrow.

"You don't get to be in position by being unskilled in battle," he pointed out drolly.

Samurai Gold opened the Battlizer and put the Power Disc inside. She closed it and held it up. "Samurai Sword Clash Power-up!" A bright light began to blink as she brought her arm down to hold it in front of her. She pressed a button on the back of it and the Shiba symbol and Truth Character lit up, growing larger. In a bright flash of light, the symbol and character wrapped around her. Her helmet changed, began slightly more angular and ornamental with a silver mouth plate. Gold chest armor wrapped around her feminine figure and metal platelets forms along her arms and legs.

Samurai Gold took the Power Disc from the Battlizer and slid it onto her sword before clipping the box itself to it.

Akumaro cocked his head at her. "Going to try again?" he asked. "Try me," he snarled. Blue energy arced around his fingers again.

She took her Hidden Disc from her belt and placed it in the Battlizer. "True Lightning Dance!" She zoomed forward, slashing not him, but around him, leaving golden crackles of electricity around him.

Akumaro unleashed his power at the same time. There was a long fraught moment and Gold used her Sword as a lightning rod to ignite the Lightning. The two opposing forces erupted but not before she saw him disappear into the cracks in the sidewalk. The force of the explosion knocked them all back.

"That might have been slightly overkill," Green remarked.

"Did you get him?" White asked hopefully.

"No," Blue answered. "Come. The others may need out help," he said.

The other nodded and ran to catch up with their comrades.

~*~

Samurais Red, Pink, Yellow and Silver tracked Tsubotoguru. "Stop right there, Ayakashi," Red said.

Tsubotoguru turned sharply. He inhaled and exhaled quickly.

"Samurai Blasters!" Red said. "Lion Blaster!"

"Falcon Blaster!"

"Monkey Blaster!"

"Bat Blaster!"

They managed to fend off the swarm with their Blasters. They then surrounded Tsubotoguru and fired on him. He cried and staggered back. "You asked for it, Rangers!" He said and flung out his hands. Charged globs spat from what was possibly his mouth. They caught each Ranger even as they tried to dodge. They were blown off their feet.

"Dragon Blaster!"

"Bear Blaster!"

"Wolf Blaster!"

"Eagle Blaster!"

Four more Blasters fired on the Ayakashi. Blue, Green, Gold and White helped their comrade's to their feet.

"I'm sick of you," Red declared. "All together!" The Rangers grouped around him. They put their Blasters together. "Revolving Power Blaster!" They formed a huge Gatling gun and they pointed it directly at Tsubotoguru. Gold drew her Sword and slid it into a slot formed specifically for it.

"Power Disc!" She 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!" Gold pulled the trigger. Eight multicolored blasts of energy slammed into Tsubotoguru and he exploded in a brilliant explosion of fire and lightning.

"What a day," she complained.

"And it's not over yet," Green pointed out as the Ayakashi grew into his second life.

"Giant Nanashi!" Tsubotoguru summoned. Several of them appeared from the spaces between the buildings.

"It never is," Red said grimly.

"Here we go," Gold said and took back her 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, White, Gold and Silver.

Silver and White flipped out their Origami Zords. They drew Large characters over them. The Zords grew to their full size and their pilots appeared in their cockpits.

The Eaglezord zoomed by another Nanashi, opening its beak and spitting fire at it.

The Batzord spread its lethal wings and flew between two of the Giant Nanashi and sliced through them.

In command of the Samurai Megazord, Pink blocked a Nanashi with a sword with the Megasword. Tsubotoguru used the distracting to flings an electric glob at them. It hit them with an explosive force. That cockpit sparked. "We can't take another hit like that. No rush or anything," Green said to his comrades on the ground.

The Eaglezord took the opportunity to distract Tsubotoguru while the Batzord took out the remaining Nanashi.

Red drew the Large Character above the Revolving Power Blaster. It grew to scale with the Megazords. Tsubotoguru suddenly found himself alone facing the massive weapon.

Gold teleported to a cockpit in the inner workings of the Blaster. She put her Sword in a console. "Super Samurai Power Shot!" The cannon fired in eight multicolored blasts of energy. They exploded into the Ayakashi.

"All I wanted to do was think!" he cried as he died.

"Well, that brings this one to close," Gold declared and slumped.

What. A. Day.

~*~

Billie, with a butterfly bandage on her face where Danny wasn't quite quick enough to get her out of that alley before it exploded, surveyed the group before through her. They seemed in worse shape than she was. The bugs that the Ayakashi produced left welts on them even though their power suits. "Everyone that was infected with the bugs is better now. The bugs seem to have died when the Ayakashi did," she explained to them.

"That's good. This one was tough, even without having to deal with Akumaro," Tai said thoughtfully. "It was a smart move on his part, going after you," he added, giving her a shrewd look.

"Go figure. An enemy with brains," Billie said dryly. "Luckily Rena came along. Thank you," she said.

"Don't choke on it," Rena said with a grin. "Oh, shoot," she said, noticing the time. "Love to stay longer for the after battle debriefing but I have to go get ready," she said and ran out of Tai's study.

"What's that all about?" Saeko asked, raising a brow.

"What you haven't heard about the Big Date?" Kane asked, feigning shock.

"Not everyone gossips like a twelve year old girl," Daiki told Kane pointedly.

"How else do you learn things?" Kane asked back.

Before Daiki could retort, Saeko shoved a couch pillow into his face. Daiki and Kane could bicker for awhile if she let them. "Enough. Forget I asked," she stated.

Lani giggled. "The Big Date, as Kane put it, is Taylor and Rena going out even though he's leaving," she explained to Saeko.

"Oh," Saeko said.

Rex cleared his throat. "Anyway. I think it's safe to say that they are stepping up their game," he said, changing the subject.

Kiari nodded. "Even the Nanashi seemed more difficult this time," she said with a frown.

"I have a theory about that. Today's tremor didn't have an epicenter. The only areas affected are those within a certain radius Watanabe-Stapleton land. This is the area I believe to be connected to the Sanzu River. My guess is Doukoku is getting stronger and his power is not only leeching into our world as more and more leaks turn up, but also into the Nanashi and Ayakashi," she said.

Tai rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Of course," he said. Lani rubbed his shoulders.

"I wish I had better news," Billie said.

"It's not your fault," Tai said. "Go let Nath nurse you. You had a hell of a day, too," he said.

Billie nodded and the screen went blank.

"The rest of you can go on about your business. I highly suggest finding me that Sealing Character if at all possible," he told them.

"We're working on it," Rex stated, not put off at all by Tai's sharp attitude. "The Library is a big place and not everyone can read ancient Japanese," he said. He saluted and wandered out with the others behind him.

Only Lani remained. She rested her chin on his head. "You need a break from working and worrying. Let's go out," she said.

Tai smiled faintly. "Where do you suggest we go?" he asked.

"Hmm. I have an idea," she said and leaned down and whispered in ear. His smile indicated he liked what he heard.

~*~

Sanzu River

Akumaro waltzed over to shootari's work station and cleared it off.

"What are you doing?" shootari demanded. He was in the middle of studying a particular scroll. Akumaro's grin never wavered. He used a quill to circle three places on the map from the convenience store. He circled three spots on shootari's map of the Sanzu River.

"Akumaro!" Doukoku shouted.

Leaving shootari to come to the right conclusions, Akumaro went to face his lord. "Lord Doukoku. I regret to inform you that I was unable to eliminate the Ranger's gadget girl. But I did notice new leaks in the human world," he said. "The Waters continue to rise," he said.

"Your attempt to sway my wrath at your failure is pathetic," Doukoku warned him with a snarl.

"Lord Doukoku, it is indeed good and as much as I would enjoy seeing you kill Akumaro, we may still need him," Dayuu said, moving forward to put a hand on his arm.

Doukoku glared at Akumaro. "Get out of my sight. I do not want to you again today," he said, waving his arm to dismiss him.

Akumaro bowed and swept toward the porthole. He gave one last glance back at shootari. The squid-faced Gedoushu was staring back at him. Akumaro gave him a jaunty salute before he jumped into the River.

Doukoku grunted. He turned his attention to Dayuu then dragged her into his cabin, slamming the door behind him.

shootari stroked his tentacles, cackling thoughtfully. Akumaro was so much more cunning than anyone had given him credit for.

~*~

Rena had a blast. She was also more than a little annoyed in the back of her mind that he hadn't asked her out before he had to move away. She'd picked him up in Rex's car, but he insisted on driving from then on. He was charming, funny and drop dad gorgeous. It wasn't fair.

He opened her door when they arrived back at his apartment. She got out of the car. He had a serious expression on his face. "What?" she asked.

He smiled ruefully and shook his head. "I just had a great time. Sucks that it has to end," he said.

She nodded.

He kissed her. There was no way he was going away without kissing her once. Or twice. Maybe a few times. She was kissing him back after all.

Rena was thrilled and excited. On top of everything else, he was an excellent kisser. Damn him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close and deepened the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck. She didn't want the night to end.

Neither did he. He broke away and rested her forehead against hers. "You want to come up?" he asked.

She swallowed and nodded. He squeezed her close for a moment. He broke away, grabbing her hand. He led her up to his apartment. She followed, excitement growing with every step.

~*End Act 31*~           

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