#sweetpudding

Sachika had called Lakia in for help with a job while Shoma was working on another. They'd just finished and the two were walking back to Hapipare in a comfortable silence. Their hands occasionally brushed against each other but neither had the guts to take the other's hand. Sachika noticed this and kept trying to get the courage to speak up. "Come on, I can do this," she encouraged herself.

At the same time Lakia was lost in his own thoughts. "I can't be with her, not while I'm hiding my involvement with Stomach… But if I tell her she might hate me." He let out a frustrated sigh prompting Sachika to look up at him.

"Are you ok Lakian?" She asked gently, getting closer to him so their arms were against each other.

"Yeah, sorry, I just got lost in thought," he muttered. A tinge of pink dusted his face and he reached for her hand but stopped short when he realized they'd arrived at their destination.

"Hey, can I talk to you about something?" Sachika asked nervously as they entered Hapipare. She gestured to the table and he took a seat nervously. She went and got them some water and took a seat across from him. "We've been friends for a bit now and work together often," she started. "I was just wondering if maybe you'd be interested in doing something together sometime." She was fiddling with her sleeves and looking at the table, her face slowly turning pink.

"I- I can't," he spoke in a broken voice. "I want to, I really do, but I can't."

Sachika looked up to see him nervously twisting and pulling on his hair. His eyes looked like oceans of sadness. She didn't understand why if it hurt him so much he would say no. "Is it because I'm a human?" She asked, coming to the only conclusion that made sense.

"No it's not you it's me," he whispered. "Shoma was afraid of Hanto finding out he's half Granute because he didn't want Hanto to hate him… I don't want you to hate me… But I won't lie to you and I won't get into a relationship with you while hiding something." He forced himself to meet her eyes as he removed his Mimic Key. "I have an ability to inject a neurotoxin that induces a state of complete bliss…"

"Lakian, have you attacked humans?" She was terrified of the answer she knew she'd receive.

"Yes, I originally came here as a Stomach part-timer while looking for Comel's killer. Shoma and I got back the people I took but it doesn't change the fact that I shipped people off to Stomach." He looked at her sadly, "Hanto hating Shoma would be ridiculous, he's not a monster. But I am and I know it, I'm sorry for keeping this from you."

Shoma walked in with Hanto, the couple were discussing their dinner plans but froze when they saw the Granute in his true form. "Lakia are you ok what's going on?" Hanto asked, zeroing on his best friend's sad eyes.

"Sachika-san are you ok? You look upset, what happened?" Shoma interjected, walking over to check on her while Hanto checked on Lakia.

As they reached their friends both suddenly started moving. Lakia was the first to speak as he put his Mimic Key back. "I told her the truth, I'm a monster who attacked humans. I can see she's scared I'm going to head home." He walked over to the door despite Hanto's protests and stopped to give her one last heartbroken look, "I'm sorry."

"Lakia wait!" Hanto yelled after him looking from Sachika who looked both terrified and guilty and the door not wanting to have to choose between his friends.

"Go after him Hanto, I'll take care of Sachika-san and meet you at home later." Shoma's eyes reflected the same worry Hanto felt but as always he stood strong for the people he loves. Hanto nodded and rushed out the door after his best friend. "Are you alright? You can be honest with me."

"I wanted to go on a date with him but he told me he couldn't be with me while hiding things. He told me about the toxin he has and that he used it to abduct people for Stomach," she replied, her voice shaking as badly as her hands were.

"He went with me to get them back and we got everyone," Shoma tried to defend his friend.

"He said that too but he also said it didn't change the fact that he was the one who took them in the first place…" She threw herself into Shoma's arms, "I should have gone after him, not Hanty. I know he's still the same Lakian but I'm scared."

"I understand, you know how Hanto felt finding out I was a Granute," Shoma replied gently. "Lakia has worked hard to protect people and make up for his wrongs, no one died or was injured by him and he's saved countless lives."

"I know but… I don't know I feel stupid for acting like this," she muttered sadly.

Shoma pulled away so he could hold her shoulders and look her in the eye. "You are not stupid, you're coping with learning something that scares you and reconciling it with someone you love. I understand, you didn't yell at him or call him a monster. You didn't even walk away from him, he left to give you space." Shoma stood up and offered his hand, "come on let's go for a walk, it's a nice day."

She took his hand and followed him out the door, grateful to have Shoma with her. "Thank you Umasho, I appreciate you."

Hanto ran to catch up to Lakia and almost missed him on the swings at the nearby park. "There you are, I've been looking for you." He ran over and took a seat on the swing next to him. "Are you ok?"

"No," he answered honestly, he didn't have it in him to put on an act and it was just Hanto. "She's terrified of me Hanto, I'm just a mon-"

"You stop that right now, you're a Granute not a monster," Hanto snapped at him. "You, Shoma, and Dente taught me that Granutes aren't monsters. I wouldn't date a monster or call a monster my best friend."

"She thinks I'm one," he whispered.

"How do you know? Did she say that before Shoma and I walked in?" Hanto pressed but he already knew the answer.

"No, but you saw the look on her face. It's fine, I'll be fine, I'm just going to go home and go to bed." He stood up to walk away but was stopped by Hanto's hand on his wrist. Hanto used his surprise to yank him into a tight hug. "Hanto what are-"

"You looked like you needed a hug," Hanto replied. "Lakia you're my best friend, you've been there for me so let me be there for you." Lakia slowly raised his arms and hugged Hanto back, silently letting the tears fall. "There ya go, I'm here for you buddy." After a moment Hanto let him go, "come on dude I'll walk you home."

As they walked they heard a scream that was suddenly silenced. They ran down a nearby alley and found a Granute gathering presses. "Call Shoma, I'll get the presses and pass them to you. Get them and the nearby civilians out of here. Henshin!" Valen charged the Granute, catching it off guard and succeeding in stealing the presses. "Lakia catch!" He tossed them to Lakia who was still on the phone but managed to catch them all and take off running.

Shoma and Sachika were sipping hot chocolate on a bench near the river when his phone rang. He pulled it out and instantly became anxious when he saw Lakia's name. "Hey, are you ok? Did Hanto find you?"

"Yeah and we found a Granute, Hanto's fighting them now, hold on." Shoma heard the sounds of Valen and Lakia shouting before Lakia was back. "I've gotta go, I'm evacuating civilians then I'll go back Hanto up." With that the line went dead and Shoma was on his feet when his phone pinged with a notification that Lakia was sharing his location with him.

"I've gotta go Sachika-san, there's a Granute. I'll meet you back at Hapipare ok?" Shoma took off only to see Sachika start running alongside him.

"I'm going too, I can help with the civilians so you and Lakian can back up Hanty." She gave him a fierce look of determination he couldn't argue with. They got there in time to see Lakia cover a young child with his body as a large chunk of a nearby building fell. "Lakian!" She shouted his name in terror but when the dust cleared she could see him holding the chunk of concrete on his back.

"You know what I am, I'll be fine," he reassured her. The child's mother ran up and grabbed them with a terrified thank you to Lakia. With effort he managed to get out from under the rock. He didn't hesitate to pull his driver out, "henshin!" Vram immediately ran to back up Valen despite the pain he was clearly in.

"I told you, he's still the same Lakia you know," Shoma reminded her gently before running off after his boyfriend and friend. Sachika watched the mother and child for a minute as they sat hugging each other before shaking her head. While the Riders fought she would evacuate civilians.

She'd just finished evacuating everyone and had just rushed back to the Riders in time to see Glotta make an appearance and sneak attack Lakia. He was knocked from his transformation, back bleeding from a deep slash in it. "Lakian no!" She found herself running to him despite the danger. She pulled him into her arms at Glotta's feet, "leave him alone."

Glotta laughed hysterically, "you need a human to protect you? How pathetic let me put you both out of your misery." Sachika covered Lakia with her body and braced for the blow that never came.

She looked up to see Gavv and Valen fighting Glotta. "Take care of Lakia," Valen yelled at her. She nodded and looked down at the bleeding Granute in her arms.

"Lakian, hey stay with me," she shook him gently. Tears fell from her eyes landing on his cheek. "Lakian? Say something please…"

Slowly his eyes opened, "Sachika?" His voice was weak and he had a faraway look in his eyes.

"Yeah it's me, I'm here," she cried. "I'm going to save you I promise, just don't give up ok?"

"Why?" The heartbreak and confusion in his voice hurt her.

"Because I love you, I don't care about your past. I don't care that you're a Granute. Just stay with me please, I don't want to lose you." He raised a weak hand up to cup her face with a loving smile.

"I love you too," he whispered. "Kiss me?" His weak voice scared her and she didn't know what to do other than what he asked. She pressed her lips to his gently, when she pulled away he had a serene smile on his face. "Thank you," his eyes started to slip closed and his breathing slowed.

"No stay with me, you owe me a date. You said the only thing keeping you from saying yes was your secret but I know it now. I still want to be with you so please, just hang on." She was looking around frantically for a way to save him. He forced his eyes open to look at her but it was clear he was struggling. Suddenly one of Gavv's whipped soldiers appeared on his Vrocanbuggy. They gently took him from her and gestured for her to get on. She quickly did so and they got on behind her to hold Lakia while she took them to Dente.

The elder Granute was working on the powerup he had planned for Shoma when she rushed in. "Dente help, Lakian's hurt badly I don't know what to do." The whipped soldier placed the now pale Granute on the bed.

Dente rushed to treat him with Sachika standing off to the side in case there was anything she could do to help. Eventually Hanto and Shoma arrived worried about their friend. "Dente is he going to be ok?" Hanto's voice was strained with worry and his hand shook as he took Shoma's for support.

Dente took a seat with a tired sigh, "it was a close call but he'll be alright. He likely won't wake up for a while. It's probably best he stay here for a little bit."

"Sachika-san? Are you ok?" Shoma asked gently, reaching out to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I almost lost him Umasho, there was nothing I could do. If you hadn't sent help he would have died in my arms. There's gotta be a way I can do more, Hanty do you think I could become a Rider like you?" She looked determined and it honestly scared Hanto and Shoma.

"Absolutely not, first off we'd need another one of the Granute organs I have in me. Second we'd need someone willing and able to do the surgery. And third that surgery is hell if you survive it and if you're not careful it'll kill you like mine almost did." Hanto shut her down and he felt bad doing it but he didn't want to see his friend suffer the way he did.

"What if I taught you to be a medic?" Dente was quick to offer a compromise knowing he wouldn't be around forever. He would feel better if he had someone to take over for him should something happen. "Then you can treat them on the spot if necessary. I'll make you a weapon to defend yourself with and you can learn to fight from one of the Riders. Does that sound fair to all of you?"

Hanto and Shoma nodded and Sachika hugged him. "Thank you, I'll do everything I can to learn as much as possible." He hugged her back happy he could cheer her up. "Can I stay with Lakian? You can teach me while taking care of him."

"You can just say you want to stay with your boyfriend," Dente chuckled. She gave him a sheepish smile and went to sit next to Lakia, taking one of his hands in both of hers.

When Lakia woke up he looked around in confusion but when he saw Sachika leaning against the bed asleep his memories came flooding back. "Sachika?" He gave her shoulder a gentle shake and smiled when she started to blink awake. "Did you take me to Dente?"

When her brain processed what she was seeing she pulled Lakia into a gentle hug. "Lakian I was so scared I'd lost you." He hugged her back, flinching in pain. "Oh no I'm sorry you're still hurt, lay back down."

"I'm surprised you woke up as soon as you did," Dente cut in with a yawn. "Let us look you over, do me a favor and remove your Mimic Key." At the confused look he received Dente elaborated, "I'm going to teach Sachika about Granute biology so she can be a medic for the team."

A couple weeks later Lakia and Shoma watched Hanto and Sachika sparring. She was a quick learner and had picked up first aid for both humans and Granutes. Her training with the Riders was going well and she had gotten good at defending herself in practice. She was decent in hand to hand combat and could use the knife Dente made her fairly well but what she really excelled at was shooting. Dente had made her a rifle that could be kept in a compact form much like the weapons Shoma's siblings used. She was a natural with it quickly becoming a better shot than even Lakia. "You can beat him, Sachika!" Lakia called out encouragingly to his girlfriend.

Sure enough Hanto threw a punch and she was able to dodge and use his own momentum to take him down. "I win Hanty," she cheered before offering him a hand up.

"Yeah you got me because I underestimated you, next time I'll win." He accepted the hand up as Shoma and Lakia rushed over, the latter had a proud smile on his face.

"It's alright you can just admit my girlfriend's a badass Hanto," Lakia laughed. Sachika eagerly threw her arms around him and kissed him. When she pulled away he rested his forehead on hers. "I love you."

"I love you too." The two stayed like that for a minute just enjoying a moment of peace together. Hanto and Shoma smiled at each other, happy their closest friends had found the same happiness they had. "Come on, let's do some target practice, maybe you'll actually beat me today."

"You're going down this time." Lakia took her hand and the two rushed to set up their targets, teasing each other as they went.

The next battle was with Lango at the airport. While he was distracted by the three Riders, Sachika went after his agents and the cases of presses they carried. She took cover and lined up her first shot, the first one went down and the second scanned the area to look for the source of the attack. Sachika lined up her next shot but a third agent dropped down behind her and knocked the gun from her hands. She rolled away from the agent and drew her knife. "You're just a human, you think you stand a chance?" It taunted her, amusement laced its voice.

"Why don't you come at me and find out?" She snapped back as she took a defensive stance. The third agent charged her at the same time the second agent tried to sneak attack her but she'd anticipated this and managed to slip out of the way resulting in the third taking the second out for her while still taking damage from the second’s attack. She used the opening to stab the agent in the back, taking it out. Finally she ran and grabbed her gun to spin around to shoot the fourth and final agent she'd heard coming. She quickly went and snatched up the cases of presses and headed back towards the fight with Lango.

When she got back she saw the dragon Granute advancing on the three injured Riders. She dove for cover and lined up a shot right for his head. The shot rang out only to be blocked by his shields. He turned to look but Sachika had already ducked down out of view. It didn't matter that she didn't hit him, the distraction was enough for Shoma and the others to escape. They met back at Lakia's place since it was closest so she could treat their wounds. "That was dangerous if he'd seen you he'd have killed you." Lakia scolded, not at all happy with her for putting herself at risk.

"Yeah but not only did I get the presses back from his agents while he was distracted by you, I also saved all of you." She argued as she tightened the bandage she was wrapping around his arm a bit tighter than necessary.

"Ow, careful," he complained, only to shut up at the glare she gave him. In the end he sighed and gave in. "Alright you're right, thank you for saving us. I just don't want to lose you, Lango is dangerous."

"And we'll find a way to beat him as a team." Sachika gestured to Shoma and Hanto, reminding him he wasn't in this alone. She gently ran her hands through his hair, "I'm not going anywhere Lakian, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself."

He pulled her into his lap and pressed his lips to hers gently. The jellyfish ran his hand through her hair lovingly. His other arm wrapped around her waist to hold her tight. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. They broke apart at the sound of Hanto clearing his throat, their faces a bright red. "I think we should probably leave, come on Shoma." He muttered as he took Shoma’s hand and led him out the door, pausing to send a playful wink at the couple.

"Do you want to spend the night? I usually sleep on the couch but there is a bed in the other room." Lakia started twisting his hair nervously without meeting her eyes.