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lylacynth13 · 1 month ago

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And the Universe Said You Are Not Alone

Word count: 3803

An ambush leaves Kanade in the clutches of the Zoo Rangers, and it’s up to the rest of the Fussy Eaters to bring her back.

It only took three words for Rui’s blood to run cold.

“Boss was captured.”

He was on his feet immediately, the invention he was tinkering with swiftly forgotten. Activating his Coda, Rui practically sprinted through the door. No time for transformation sequences, he thought, before turning his attention back to Ichika on the line.

“What happened?” She’d had enough insight to send her coordinates before calling, meaning he wouldn’t have to waste time figuring out where she was. “Who’s over there right now?”

“We were facing the Zoo Rangers when FOW joined in and caught us off guard. Rin and I were able to slip away but Boss got caught,” she said hurriedly. Rui frowned for a moment; an ambush of this scale was unusual. “There’s no sign of White Crow, though. Or HopeHopeHeart.”

“Where are CBNEL and Devoted Evil?”

“Nearby, in hiding. We’re all waiting for a plan.”

So the odds weren’t hopeless. Rui quickened his pace, mentally composing a course of action.

“Tell CBNEL to create a distraction that will lead away FOW,” he told Ichika. “And send Devoted Evil out to find HopeHopeHeart and keep them away from the Zoo Rangers.”

There was a bit of shuffling on the other end, and Rui could hear Ichika tell Rin to relay his instructions to the other groups. “What about White Crow?” He paused. It was rare for White Crow to not be there, but they’ve always been able to handle her in the past.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Do they seem to be doing anything?”

“Nothing but ask her questions,” Rin said suddenly, taking over the phone. “They’re trying to get her to reveal information about the villain league.”

“Alright. I’m almost there, we can talk more once I arrive.” Rin and Ichika both let out a noise of acknowledgement before ending the call.

Rui couldn’t help the dread that sunk in as he approached the location Ichika sent him. As a whole, the Fussy Eaters were more than capable of handling the Zoo Rangers. It was practically routine, even. Letting Kanade handle things on her own was different. Reliable as she may be, Instant Boss could get reckless if she was dealing with a situation alone.

That’s our Boss, I suppose. Rui chuckled to himself humorlessly. Despite being evil she’d never do anything careless that could put a fellow villain in harm’s way.

He could only hope she wouldn’t do anything that would put herself in harm’s way before they could reach her.

🎵🎵🎵

Admittedly this wasn’t Kanade’s proudest moment. Restrained and unable to use her powers, Kanade could do nothing but warily eye the heroes surrounding her. They’d been trying to get her to reveal information to them for the better half of an hour, but seemed to finally realize they weren’t getting anywhere. Instead they took to standing around, trying to figure out what to do with her.

“Hey, are we sure this is Instant Boss?” Orange Eagle turned to the rest of the Zoo Rangers. “Looking at her now she seems kind of…I don’t know, pathetic?”

“Urk…” Kanade winced at the words like they had physically slapped her.

“Of course, Orange Eagle!” Pegasus Man Red let out a laugh that managed to shake Kanade to her bones. Just how loud could one person be? “She was with Bread Eater and Picky, so she must be Instant Boss! Though, it's unfortunate that the other two managed to escape…”

I guess that’s one good thing about this, Kanade thought to herself. At least I know that they got away. Speaking of absent team members…

“Where’s White Crow?” Her question made the heroes turn to her in suspicion, but her curiosity was genuine. It was odd for Mafu- no. For White Crow to be a no show.

“She’s on her way!” Salmon Pink was quick to speak up for her absent teammate. She stared at Kanade with wide eyes filled with determination. Maybe it would be a good idea to recruit someone with this much enthusiasm…

“Not that it’s any of your business,” Orange Eagle moved to stand between Kanade and Salmon Pink, as if protecting his fellow hero. He quickly led her away, but Kanade could still hear him whisper to Salmon Pink, “Ignore her. We just need to wait for the rest of ‘em to show up. Doesn’t mean we need to strike a conversation.”

Having lost the attention of two Zoo Rangers, she turned towards the members of FOW. Internally, she wished she had paid more attention to their files. Cafe Master and Teardrop…I don’t remember if they have any food dislikes. What did Rui tell me about Cute Ribbon? Something about hot food? No, that’s too broad. Vivid Rum…tomatoes I think?

“Say, Vivid Rum,” Kanade started, drawing the hero’s attention. “Are there any foods you absolutely can’t stand?”

“Hm? Well I guess there’s-“ Vivid Rum cut herself off suddenly. “Hey, wait, if you’re trying to recruit me it won’t work!”

“But what if I told you we could get rid of all the food you don’t like?” She implored. “Including dishes that incorporate tomatoes? If you help me, then we could make sure you never have to worry about them ever again.”

“How did you- wait, a world without tomatoes…?” Vivid Rum paused, sounding almost mystified by the idea. “Maybe…no. I won’t join your side!”

“Why not?” She was so close…Kanade didn’t understand. “Why wouldn’t you want to live in a world where you’re free to eat whatever you want?”

“Well I sorta already live in that world,” Vivid Rum explained. “Tomatoes aren’t difficult to avoid if you ask for them to be removed. Besides, I have a duty to protect!”

How noble, Kanade thought. But that nobility is getting in my way right now!

Sensing the end of the interaction, Vivid Rum turned to talk with one of the other heroes. Sighing, Kanade tugged experimentally against the binds around her wrists. She knew they were magic but couldn’t determine much else. Maybe they were connected to the Coda? Rui would probably know more.

Aside from being able to block out her powers, the restraints didn’t feel any different from a normal rope. A well-timed strike and they’d probably come right off.

That may be exactly what I need, she considered. They’d left her legs unrestrained, probably because they assumed she wouldn’t try anything while surrounded by heroes. If she could get them to throw an attack her way…

Kanade bolted suddenly, aiming for a space between the heroes that was large enough for her to weave through.

“Wah!” Salmon Pink let out a cry of shock. “Hey! Come back!” As soon as the words left the hero’s mouth, an abrupt boom echoed through the street. Four more immediately followed.

She risked a look back as she ran, seeing five towers of smoke rising in the distance. CBNEL’s calling card.

“Now of all times…?” Kanade heard Vivid Rum mutter. “We’ll deal with it! Get Instant Boss!”

The members of FOW took off as the Zoo Rangers gave chase. A guttural shout was Kanade’s only warning as a blast of heat shot past her, grazing her arm but just missing her restraints. Orange Eagle.

“Careful!” Pegasus Man Red scolded his teammate. “That fire is dangerous! If you don’t watch out you could seriously damage something!”

“Is now seriously the time to be yelling at me about this?” Orange Eagle shot back. “Instant Boss is gonna get away!”

“Not if I can help it!” Salmon Pink declared. Vines and roots shot out of the ground, reaching for Kanade.

She tripped as one of them grabbed her foot, hitting the ground with a harsh thud as her face collided with the pavement. A metallic taste filled her mouth. She must have bitten her tongue when she hit the ground. Wearily, Kanade lifted her head. The Coda is meant to boost my stamina and endurance…but I guess there wasn’t much to boost in the first place...this is definitely going to bruise…

She turned to face the heroes as they approached before stopping as her gaze landed on a small bramble bush.

Salmon Pink must have summoned it, she concluded. If I can reach it then maybe…

“Wowww!!” Pico-Pico Rainbow let out an ecstatic cry of awe. With the Zoo Rangers’ attention turned towards the blue-haired hero, Kanade reached her wrists out towards the thorns. “That was so cool, Salmon Pink! The way you made the planties burst out like that! Can you show me how to do that?”

”Oi, you know that controlling plants is part of her Coda only don’t you?” Orange Eagle scoffed. “Besides, we don’t have time for- hey, what do you think you’re doing?!”

Kanade let out a yelp as she was roughly grabbed by the collar of her outfit. Orange Eagle picked her up with ease, keeping her away from the bramble.

“Agh! I’m so so so so sorry!” Salmon Pink let out a hurried stream of nervous apologies, quickly doing away with the bramble bush. “I should’ve put that one away! I didn’t realize she was going to try to cut her restraints! Forgive me!!”

“Yeah, yeah, calm down,” the orange-clad hero grumbled. “It’s fine. No harm no foul, right?”

“That’s right!” Pegasus Man Red loudly chimed in. “Besides, it was your swift action that managed to stop her! Your work should be rewarded!”

“R-really? You mean it?” He nodded. The salmon themed hero turned to look at Orange Eagle, her expression asking for his approval.

“I said it’s fine, didn’t I?” Orange Eagle sighed. He turned his head to look at Kanade as the others started a new line of conversation entirely. Something about stars? It was probably better to tune them out.

“…could you let me down now?” Kanade couldn’t help but feel embarrassed at being handled like this. She was a respectable villain, not a cat to be domesticated!

“You think I’m falling for that again?” came Orange Eagle’s reply. “You obviously can’t be trusted not to run off. Better to just keep you like this until the rest of your group mates show up.”

“Oya? It seems we’ve arrived just in time then.”

That voice…! Kanade raised her head and immediately spotted Rui descending from the skies, standing atop a drone. Ichika and Rin were nowhere to be seen. They must be hiding somewhere close.

“About time, Death Veggie!” Pegasus Man Red let out a hearty laugh. “Have you finally come to surrender your ways as a villain? We have your boss after all!”

”Keeping a hostage?” A grin spread over Rui’s face. “Fufu~ Sounds like villain work to me.”

“H-Hey!” Salmon Pink protested, shaking her arms around wildly. “We’re not the bad guys! You’re the ones always causing chaos around the city!”

“Oh?” The drone lowered closer to the ground, and Rui jumped down when it reached a safe height. “And here I thought two wrongs don’t make a right. Honestly, what sort of example are you hoping to set for the children you perform for?”

“That’s not what we’re getting at and you know it,” Orange Eagle growled out. “Where are the rest of you? There’s two more of you Fussy Eaters, aren’t there?”

“They’re scheduled to arrive soon.” Rui let out a mischievous chuckle. “I’m sure they’ll be here in a flash.”

As if on cue, a burst of light appeared from behind Rui, hitting all of the heroes and Kanade. Orange Eagle let out a cry of shock and let go of Kanade, momentarily blinded. Dazed from the light herself, Kanade could do nothing to stop her fall.

Suddenly, two pairs of arms wrapped themselves around her, grabbing her and leading her away from the heroes. As the stars in her eyes faded, she could make out black and yellow hair.

“Ichi- er, Bread Eater?” Kanade’s vision began to clear more, letting her fully see Ichika and Rin’s concerned faces. “Picky?”

“Boss!” The two of them cried out simultaneously, faces morphing into expressions of relief. Ichika quickly took notice of the burn on her arm as Rin got to work on her restraints. “You’re hurt!”

“It’s not urgent,” she tried to reassure. She looked around them. It looked like the two of them had sought out safety in a hidden alley. “Where’s Death Veggie?”

“He brought his army of robots,” Rin said, finally doing away with the binds around Kanade’s wrists. She rubbed them, the restraints having made them sore. “He’ll be fine.”

“He’s alone with the Zoo Rangers?!” Kanade stood up urgently, stumbling slightly. “We need to go help him!”

Ichika caught her arm before she could run off. “Boss, wait. Are you sure you can handle going back? Rin just said Death Veggie has his robots, he’ll be able to handle the Zoo Rangers just fine.”

“What kind of boss would I be if I let one of my own face the heroes by themself?” Ichika and Rin exchanged worried glances before looking back at Kanade.

“Alright,” Ichika relented. “We’ll all go.”

Kanade nodded, satisfied. She let Ichika and Rin lead the way; she wasn’t actually sure where they had brought her. As they reentered the street, it was clear that Rin and Ichika had been right. Rui stood on one side, smirking smugly as the heroes chipped away at his robots on the other end.

Reaching for the shadows with her Coda, Kanade willed them to wrap around and restrain the Zoo Rangers. Startled, they flinched away from the darkness, but couldn’t stop it from restraining them.

“Boss?” Rui looked at Kanade with worried eyes, but his voice betrayed his relief. He gave her a tense smile. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t be content with leaving me here. Forgive me for not having more faith in you.”

“It’s fine-“ Kanade began, before an arrow embedded itself into the ground just next to her foot. She stared at it in shock before recognizing the design. “White Crow…”

The hero in question emerged from behind her fellow Zoo Rangers, who took advantage of Kanade’s surprise and freed themselves from her shadows. “You’re late.” Orange Eagle bristled, annoyed. “What took you so long?”

“Sorry,” White Crow responded, not sounding particularly apologetic. “I had some trouble slipping away.”

A wave of understanding washed over the Zoo Rangers, and Orange Eagle’s demeanor softened slightly at her answer. Unbeknownst to the heroes, the Fussy Eaters also caught onto the implications of White Crow’s response. They were perhaps the only villains to know of the hero’s true identity, and they went to great measures to make sure no one knew they had this knowledge.

Whether White Crow herself was aware of the fact that they knew her identity was uncertain, but as far as they knew she had never brought up the topic with the other Zoo Rangers.

“Boss.” Rin tugged at Kanade’s sleeve. “What’s your Coda level at?”

Kanade grimaced internally. Between keeping up the identity protection glamour, containing the damage of the burn, and her shadow manipulation just moments ago, her Coda levels were running thin. If I told her that then she’d insist I sit this one out. It’s better if she doesn’t know.

She gave Rin what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.” Rin frowned, unconvinced, but let the matter drop.

“Let’s deal with this as quickly as possible.” White Crow shot off another arrow towards Ichika, who managed to swiftly move out of the way.

“Little late for that, don’t you think?” Despite his irritated words, Orange Eagle readied himself into a fighting stance.

Kanade locked eyes with Rui and gave him a nod. At his command, the small army of robots advanced. Immediately, White Crow and Orange Eagle took to the skies while the other Zoo Rangers fended off the robots from the ground.

Ichika willed the sunlight to lessen, allowing Kanade to bend the newly made darkness to her whim. She directed a shadow beam towards Orange Eagle, who deflected it with a burst of firelight. White Crow let out a barrage of arrows, forcing the Fussy Eaters to back away in order to avoid them.

One arrow whizzed past her head, catching her off guard and making her lose her balance. Seizing the advantage, White Crow prepared another arrow and fired it her way. It grazed her shoulder and Kanade winced at the sudden sting. Before she could fall, Rin caught her, helping her stand properly.

Kanade’s eyes widened as she noticed a cut across Rin’s cheek. “You’re bleeding!”

“So are you,” Rin pointed out. “If you’ll be fine then so will I.”

Unable to argue, Kanade turned her attention back to the fight right as Ichika shot a beam of light towards White Crow and Orange Eagle. It clipped one of Orange Eagle’s wings, and he faltered in the air for a moment before landing with a grimace. White Crow masterfully dodged the attack and fired off one of her own.

Rui threw a device towards the arrow, and it formed a shield around Ichika as soon as the objects collided. Ichika shot him a grateful look before the two rejoined the fray. While all of the other Zoo Rangers battled on the ground, White Crow remained hovering above them, eyes narrowed and locked onto Kanade and Rin.

“Picky, you need to step back,” she warned. “Your illusions won’t be able to protect you here.”

Before Rin could respond, the sound of an arrow flying towards them caught their attention. The two turned to find the projectile responsible for the noise headed their way, aiming straight for Rin. Without another thought, Kanade released a burst of shadow that simultaneously destroyed the arrow and burned through the rest of her Coda.

The glamour dropped, revealing her identity to anyone looking. White Crow, being anyone, did nothing but stare at Kanade with wide eyes.

White Crow’s not just anyone though, she thought as panic began to settle in. She’s Mafuyu. And now she knows.

Rin wasted no time in setting up an illusion of Kanade’s outfit. It wouldn’t fool the Zoo Rangers forever, but it was a substitute glamour that would last long enough for them to escape.

Not that it matters. Not now that Mafuyu knows.

Kanade felt distant, like her soul had been separated from her body. The world around her turned fuzzy. She could hear Rin’s voice call for a retreat, but it sounded far away. There were hurried movements all around her, leading her away.

When the movements finally stopped, the voices began, too blurred for her to fully make out what they were saying. Something about a smoke screen and the Zoo Rangers and Mafuyu-

“She knows…” Kanade muttered, almost deliriously. The voices around her went silent. “Mafuyu knows and she’s going to hate me-“

“-oss.”

“-I told her she could trust me but now she’s never going to trust me again-“

“Boss!”

“-but I can’t just leave her with her mom! This is all my fault, if I hadn’t gotten captured, if I’d managed to get away on my own, if I’d done something right for once-“

“Kanade.”

Startled by the sudden use of her real name, Kanade paused her mad rambling. Lifting her head, (when did she start looking down? What sort of leader becomes so out of it they lose track of their whole body?) she looked up to see Rui, Ichika, and Rin watching her.

Ichika and Rui smiled softly at her, but she could see the worry in their eyes. Rin, meanwhile, wore her concern clearly. Her knuckles were white from how tightly they were grasping the fabric of her skirt.

“I’m sorry.” Kanade blurted out. Her hands shook as she clenched them into fists. “We had to retreat because of me. You should’ve left me there instead of coming to rescue me.”

“Enough of that,” Rui softly chided. “We would never leave you behind. You’re our Boss. And above that, you’re our friend.”

Ichika nodded in agreement. “Us Fussy Eaters have to stay together.”

“Kanade.” Rin stepped forward. Slowly, as if waiting to see if Kanade would back away, she let herself lean into the white-haired girl, pulling her into a hug. The physical contact said everything the normally touch-averse girl couldn’t.

Shakily, Kanade lifted her trembling arms up and wrapped them around Rin. Her vision blurred for the second time that day, this time with unshed tears. “What are we going to do…?” Kanade whispered. “She knows.”

“We’ll figure that out when we get there,” Rui said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “For now, I say we all get some rest. Today turned out to be much more stressful than any of us anticipated.”

As if to disagree with Rui’s suggestion, Kanade’s communication device rang. Rin detached herself with a frown. She pulled out the device, but hesitated as she hovered her finger over the call button.

Rui extended a hand. “Would you like me to take care of it?”

“Yes.” Kanade nodded. ”Could you…put it on speaker please?”

Rui made a hum of affirmation as he picked up the call.

“Boss?” [E]’s voice came out from the other end of the line.

“It’s me,” Rui responded. “Boss can’t come to the phone right now. There’s been a bit of a…complication. We’ll explain more later. Did something happen on your end?”

“[C] got hurt.” [E]’s voice was shaky. “She’ll be alright, I think, but I don’t know if she should go back to her house tonight. She seems like she’d rather not be there.”

“Bring her over to Safe House Gamma,” Rui instructed. Kanade startled as she finally realized where they had brought her. “We can assess her injuries and share information here. I’ll tell Devoted Evil to head this way too.”

“Alright,” Ena agreed. “We’ll be there soon.”

The call ended and Rui stepped away to update Devoted Evil of the situation. A wave of exhaustion hit Kanade all at once, and she could feel her eyelids grow heavier. This didn’t go unnoticed by Ichika or Rin, and the two led her over to one of the safe house’s couches.

“Get some rest,” Ichika told her. “We’ll wake you when everyone gets here.”

Despite how tired she was, Kanade felt obligated to wait for the others to arrive. She tried to protest but was quickly stopped by Rin, who looked up at her with worried eyes. “Please? For us?”

Hesitantly, she laid down on the couch. She closed her eyes as Ichika hummed a gentle melody and Rin carefully placed a blanket over her. Distantly, she heard Rui’s footsteps, and he let out a soft chuckle as he approached. Finally drifting to sleep, Kanade couldn’t help but smile.

Their company…it makes me feel warm.

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