Wasn’t Supposed To Be
(Another story, this one actually has a set ship XD
Ship: Tsuki/Ivan (also known as Thunder Wolf)
Song Set To: “I Found” By Amber Run (I suggest listening to it while reading this)
It occurred to her that she had fallen for Ivan after already knowing who he was.
Tsuki had befriended Heckyl not too long after RJ had, meeting the dark haired alien in the restaurant one cool quiet day. And it hadn't taken much or long for him to become a part of their weird little family, to end up working there, bickering with Dillon, watching the other cubs mess up or run around along Tsuki, to beat them all at Super Smash Bros or to just...become one of them. And she knew what she was from the start, that he was an alien at least, and once he told her, and RJ and only them it seemed, the truth it became clear to her. Her loyalty to the Rangers had to be second; her loyalty to the sewed together family she had now came first. Besides she didn't even know the team that was fighting Heckyl.
Not until Ivan had walked in.
A knight in shining armor. That was really the best and only way to describe the figure that was Sir Ivan of Zandar; a beautiful specimen of chivalry and goodness and when he looked at her, spoke, smiled, she couldn't help a smile herself. There were few she'd met who were so kind to her at first meeting, and more so since their first had been an immediate admittance of her connection to Heckyl. She kept RJ out of it, she didn't want to risk what might happen if a Dino Charge Ranger found that the Jungle Fury team was harboring their enemy willingly, or that RJ was fully prepared to fight to protect Heckyl if need be. No, there was no need to let that slide. Yet oddly there was little judgment to how Ivan spoke to her and she remembered thinking how odd; wasn't it more normal to decide that the friend of your enemy, the “little sister” of one of your greatest foes, was too an enemy?
Instead no, what she found was way different. Ivan didn't seem to dislike her; actually he kept coming by and he was always so nice to her. She thought at first it was simply to keep an eye on Heckyl but as it seemed that more and more he came when Heckyl was out, whether out plotting or doing chores or something of the kind, she started to suspect other reasons for his coming by. Not Tsuki actually minded; part of her began to look forward to his visits, especially after the stormy day when they first sparred. A sparring partner was rare, especially for her and her sword skills, and yet he was a formidable opponent. More than that; Tsuki had been honing her skills since the moment she could first lift a shinai, the bamboo practice swords her father had her start with, something she'd been able to do almost as long as she had been able to walk. Even among those who had years of life on her, it was rare to find many who could stand against her; she worked hard to keep her family's traditions and sword style alive and it showed.
Yet Ivan could stand up to her; she felt her heart race with every parry, strike and maneuver, the sound of their swords clashing, even wooden as the practice blades were, sending sparks through her brain. She pushed back, her blade sliding against his almost like water, and it was met with the slightest of movements and the completest of stops. He struck back, his sword moving like lightning, and she would make graceful steps, stopping it in it's tracks. Every strike was met, every slash countered, every stab blocked, and yet....neither showed any frustration. Tsuki's heart was racing so fast but her mind never felt more clear; she would do a twirl, striking out into her more complex techniques, and yet he would still catch her. At one point he actually did; the slipperiness of the mat on the ground for once got to her and she, the graceful swordsgirl of balance and speed, lost her footing, falling towards him. Only to find herself against a strong chest, arms wrapped around her and her eyes went up to look upon Ivan's face as he asked her if she was okay. He sounded concerned, actually truly concerned. And she felt her face heat up before pulling away.
She started to realize it soon after and there was plenty of normal fear, normal for her at least. Fear that like with her other loves this would only end with pain and her causing disaster. Fear that he would think her weird for liking him. Fear that he might already have someone and thus would only reject her if she even tried to tell him. Fear was pretty normal when it came to her feelings but something else too this time. Heckyl; he was her friend, her big brother, and she had loyalties to him. Yet there she was, her heart torn; a feeling of dread too accompanied it and she was conflicted. Could she really be siblings with the villain and in love with a hero? She could try but suddenly she felt herself in the middle of a situation she had not been before, the choice between family and love.
Her decision? Not to make it. She neither would tell Heckyl about her feelings for Ivan, or that she even knew the Gold Ranger of his enemy team, and she would just never tell Ivan how she felt about him. Problem solved, logic wins the day.
Even if she hated to lie to someone she cared about. Especially two of them.
Even if every time she looked at Ivan she felt her heart just leap simply for seeing him.
Even if every time she came into the loft to see Heckyl beaten up and hurt it killed her inside to know at least one person responsible for it.
Even if it killed Tsuki to know that she was doing nothing to help either, just herself.
Even when Ivan seemed to be getting closer to her every time they met and sparred and there was something to his smile and his reactions to her kissing his cheek, complimenting him, being sweet to him seemed so much different than the normal friend response.
Because she was always going to be a coward unwilling to choose.