A/N: This story was requested by Chaos Knight. Most of the ideas were his, since the Abaranger series has never been seen before by my eyes. A/N: Mikoto is alive and on the good guys’ side in this story. So is AbareBlack (Asuka).    

“For True Hero”

  In the depths of space, a battle raged on between good and evil. Flashing through space like meteorites of light, Sonic and Shadow alternated in sending pummeling blows to the Final hazard as it neared the atmosphere. “Sonic!” Shadow called “We’re almost done here. Are you allright?” The younger hedgehog smirked as he delivered another blow to the weapon. “Aren’t I always? We’ve just about got him!” “Heh” Shadow mused, glancing to his golden counterpart. “Allright, it’s my turn now. I’ll destroy this thing and fulfill Maria’s wish!” In a streak of pure energy, Shadow rushed head first into the Finalhazard, then flew to a safe distance near sonic and slapped hands with him. “Allright, not bad out there.” Sonic said with a wink. “Now let’s get this ARK outta here!” “Already ahead of you!” Shadow exclaimed. The two flew upto the deteriorating ARK on the brink of entering the atmosphere, and prepared to use Chaos Control. “Ready?” Sonic asked, and Shadow nodded. “Allright! Now, Shadow!” “Got it...” Shadow replied as the two summoned an immense amount of warped energy and directed it towards the free-falling colony. “Chaos Control!!” By their command, the ship was engulfed in a bright gold and ivory light, and then disappeared, to be transferred to a safer place away from the atmosphere. Sonic disappeared with the ARK, but Shadow was the only one to stay behind. Looking upto the ARK, he smiled lightly, then lifted his eyes to the starry velvet before him. “Maria…this is what you wanted, right…This is my promise that I made to you…” In a faint flash of light, the hedgehog disappeared from the depths of space, thought to never be seen again.   * On the same day on Earth, and not too far from the Dino Café, the calculative medical doctor, Mikoto Nakadai sat in solitude in a secluded park, collecting his distant thoughts. With his clouded eyes pinned to the flat grass beneath him, nothing but a sigh emitted from his lips. “….” As his mind continued to ponder thoughts that would not be answered, he reluctantly stood up from the bench and checked his wrist communicator. He may be needed soon. As he turned on his heels to leave, he heard a sharply pitched sonic boom, and the shrill cry of birds soon followed. Alarmed, but more interested in what the caused the commotion, he directed his attention behind him. Watching, he saw them cry and fly off into the sky. His eyes narrowed. ‘…What could have caused them to be so upset…?’ Curious, he.casually walked over to the bushes in the park where the flock flew from. Peering down behind the bush, his eyes widened at the sight they beheld. An ivory and crimson hedgehog lay. “A hedgehog?” he wondered, nearing closer to it. As he reached a hand to it, its ivory color dissolved into an ebony shade and the glow disappeared. “Amazing…” he uttered. Eyeing the hedgehog, he nudged it with the toe of his shoe, checking to see if it were alive or not. In the depths of his subconscious, Shadow stirred and fidgeted a bit in the grass. Seeing him move, Mikoto carefully knelt down beside him and touched him on the arm. “...Hey…” he called, nudging Shadow to wake him. After being shaken, Shadow’s eyes lazily opened, and he muttered a few broken words, before trying to turn to face his finder. Gazing up at the human with half-lidded eyes, Shadow tried to recognize him, but couldn’t. “…Who…are...” he faintly spoke, his words uneven. “I am a doctor…” Mikoto spoke, not telling Shadow his full identity just yet. “If you’d like, I could help you…” Shadow said nothing, but eyed Mikoto for a few seconds, then returned his eyes to the seclusion of behind his lids. “A doctor you say…I don’t know…any doctors…” “Where are you from…?” Mikoto asked, his eyes curiously trailing over Shadow’s air shoes, taking note of the advanced technology they held. There was a pause, as Shadow took in a breath, then sighed. “..Don’t know…” he uttered, his voice deteriorating. Seeing that his current interrogation wasn’t helping the hedgehog’s condition, Mikoto eyed for a few moments later, then carefully scooped him into his arms and carried him off to the Dino Café. * Once inside the cafe, Mikoto carried the unconscious hedgehog to the Abarangers’ favorite hangout spot. As soon as the electronic doors slid open, the Dr. was greeted by a spunky little girl in pink. “Hello Dr!!” she beamed enthusiastically. Mikoto nodded in reply. “Emiri…” The young girl wasn’t an actual fighter like himself and the rest of the Abaranger, but she liked to dress up in her own Abaranger outfit and fight alongside the genuine articles. Pausing in his steps, he looked around. “Where are Auska and the others?” “Oh, they stepped out, but they’ll be back real soon!” “I see. They had another mission?” Emiri nodded. “Yup.” “And you didn’t go?” “Nah, not this time. It was just another Evorian. A battle I could win with my eyes closed.” Mikoto half-frowned, but was rather amused. “I see. Well, you seem to be holding things pretty well. If anyone asks for me, I’ll be in the lab.” “Gotcha!” she nodded, giving him a wink. As Mikoto began to leave, Emiri caught a better look of what he carried in his arms. Interested, she got up from her seat and walked closer to him. “What is that…?” she asked pointing. “Oh this?” Mikoto said, looking to Shadow. “It’s a hedgehog, I think. But it seems to almost mock mankind the way it can move and speak.” Emiri’s eyes widened. “It can TALK? Is it a new toy?? What’s wrong with it, is it sleeping?” she exclaimed, reaching out to grab Shadow’s arm and tugging on it. “How does it work?” With a blank expression, Mikoto moved Shadow away from her, then brushed past. “I’ll be in the lab if anyone needs me.” “Oh...” Emiri squeaked, watching him go. Alone in the room again, she folded her arms and tilted her head to the side. “Hm…hedgehog or whatever it was, it WAS kind of cute… It almost felt REAL.”   ~ I’m tryin’. ^_^ For more info on the Abarangers, goto: http://www.supersentai.com/database/abaranger/heroes.html I’ve been studying the Super Sentai websites for hours to make sure I got the characters as close to their active counterparts as possible. Thanx Chaos Knight! You helped a bunch. -Mel