#hwalipon

[mkartinip]

And D, you're in the eye of the storm.

[just-absolutely-super]

oh FFS Hekiru made JFC?

you are such a loser, Konno should have gotten that position over you

[ceeceetumbles]

waa i am back w a fic! first time in forever!

guess what character it's about!! yes that's right it's hekiru im obsessed with him. thank you.

warnings: this has go! go! loser ranger! manga spoilers and also threatening a little girl with physical harm. also a little bit of nervous habits that hurt urself.

this was fun to write! i love hekiru. he is a terrible person. i doubt anyone will be looking for this fic or have much reason to read it but if u do i hope u like. ^-^

/////////////////////////////

it was a hot, muggy night.

hekiru was patrolling, by himself. they trusted him to do things like this. just him, and his artifact, and the thick sweltering air. it was late. no one was really out and about at this hour. he kicked at the gravel as he walked.

his path took him by a playground. it was quiet, abandoned, empty. the equipment shone in the moonlight. he shivered and started to hurry past.

“hey,” someone called.

he froze.

the voice cycled through his brain. child, female, distant. not really a threat. he turned, slowly.

there she was. sitting on the swingset, barely moving. he saw her hair fall over her shoulder as she tilted her head.

“come here,” she called.

hekiru did not want to come here. he wanted to run away.

but she could definitely see the uniform. the weapon. she knew who he was. what he stood for. if he ran away, she could tell his higher-ups, and that would go on his record. a mark of cowardice.

well… maybe he could lie? tell them that he hadn’t ended up walking through the playground? that she was making things up for attention?

he was still debating the topic when she sighed heavily and shouted his name.

“aran hekiru! come here! shouldn’t a ranger help a civilian in need?”

his name? how did she know his name?

his heart pounded through his ears. he walked towards her. his boots crunched on the sand underneath.

“good,” the girl said, and kicked her feet. the swingset creaked.

“no one likes you,” she said.

hekiru stopped in front of her and blinked. “excuse me?”

she stared up at him. her eyes were unflinching. “no one likes you.”

hekiru scoffed. “okay? what do i care what you say? you’re just some random kid.”

she narrowed her eyes. “excuse me?”

“you heard me. goodbye.” hekiru turned and started walking away.

(his heart was racing, his chest constricting. no one? no one liked him? no one?)

(don’t listen to her, he reassured himself. of course everyone likes you! you defeated hwalipon! you saved the world!)

(and of course people are going to be jealous. you defeated hwalipon. you saved the world.)

(and of course people are going to hate you. they are going to find out, and they are going to hate you. it’s all just a big lie, isn’t it? you’re shaky, pedaling on a tightrope ten stories above a flaming vat of oil. you liar. you fraud.)

“i’ll tell them!” she yelled after him. “i’ll call the rangers and i’ll tell them you left me here, by myself, in an abandoned playground in the middle of the night! i’ll cry!”

he gritted his teeth. this kid - !

“little brat,” he growled as he stomped back over to her. “c’mon. let’s go to the police station. they can take care of you.”

“i’m not lost. i’m not going there.”

“not lost? really? so, you snuck out. and i need to get you back home.”

she stuck her tongue out at him. “i’m not going anywhere with you.”

he took a deep breath and clenched his fists at his sides.

“listen, kid, how am i supposed to help you if -”

“don’t you want to know how i know?” she cut in, dragging her sneakers on the dirt. “aren’t you curious?”

“huh? know what?”

“how i know your name. or how i know that no one likes you.”

“shut up. you don’t know that.” he gnawed on his lower lip.

“yes, i do,” she said, firmly.

“whatever. i’m not going to ask. i’m going to get you down to the police station, and -”

“my dad’s a ranger,” she said. “in blue. just like you! and he told me. he pointed at you on the tv and said, that’s aran hekiru. we all hate him. he’s a jerk. an arrogant, selfish, cowardly jerk.”

hekiru huffed. “h-he sounds jealous.” he scratched at his forearm. gloved hand on sleeved arm. he scratched harder.

“my dad’s the best ranger in all the ranger force,” she said. “you should be jealous of him.”

“oh, wow. is he junior first rank?” hekiru scratched at the back of his neck. his uniform was starting to feel too tight.

“he should be.”

his lip split. he tasted blood.

“what’s your goal in telling me this, anyways?” he crossed his arms, tucking his shaking hands against his chest. “just saw me patrolling and decided to harass me?”

“basically.” she crossed her arms back at him. “it’s my duty to stand up for what’s right.”

“h-harassing me is what’s right?”

she nodded, somber in silhouette. “my dad told me that you’ll never be brought to justice. he said there’s no proof.”

“y-your dad s-says a lot of things.”

“you’re sweating,” she said, leaning forwards. the swingset squealed. “sweating a lot. i didn’t even say what i’m talking about. but you know, don’t you? you know. he’s right.”

hekiru shook his head. “s-shut up.”

“he said he saw it all.”

“shut up! shut up!!”

“you’re a liar! and a killer!”

“SHUT UP!” hekiru shrieked, his voice shrill, tight, clipping right through the dense night air. he moved before she could even notice it.

a click, a hum, and a rush of air against her cheek. his artifact lit up a brilliant bright blue. it flashed right in her eyes. it pressed, hot, against her neck.

she sat very still.

“shut up,” he said, quiet. the artifact hummed. it threatened.

hekiru’s hands shook.

she stared at him. her eyes were dark, wet, trembling. her lips started to quiver.

“e-everyone likes me,” he whispered. “everyone loves me. i saved everyone. okay?”

her breathing shuddered.

“okay?” he insisted, shoving the artifact a little closer against her neck. she swallowed and nodded.

“good,” he huffed.

his heart pounded. he gasped for breath in the muggy night air. his ears were ringing.

he tightened his grip on the scythe.

“who’s your dad?” he said, quiet.

her eyes widened.

“n-no,” she stammered. “n-no, i’m not going to -”

“tell me.” hekiru glared. his hands shook hard. “i-i just need to know his name.”

she started to cry, harsh and choking. “i’m sorry. i’m sorry. i’m sorry. i’m sorry.”

he couldn’t hurt her. he couldn’t leave any tangible proof. and he couldn’t kill her. someone might put two and two together.

but he needed to know. he needed to know. he needed to know. he needed to know. why wouldn’t she just tell him?! why couldn’t anyone make anything easy for him?!

loose threads. loose threads. the world was getting filled with loose threads. someone in the ranger force knew. they’d seen him?? how??

he choked on his own spit. his throat tightened to a pinpoint. his hands shook so hard. so hard.

“fine,” he mumbled, lowering the artifact. “whatever. go.”

the girl’s eyes widened. finally free. she scrambled backwards off of the swing and ran, fast, her feet scrabbling against the dirt as she fled. she was crying, still. hekiru could hear her sobbing.

all of her bravado melted away the moment she saw my true power. he smirked and traced a little star in the sand with the end of his scythe.

he’d give her a head start. enough time that she wouldn’t realize he was following her. no doubt she’d run straight home after something like this.

ugh, these loose threads. he shook his head and clicked his artifact onto his back again.

aran hekiru had saved the world. that was the truth. the truth.

he couldn’t let anyone say otherwise.

[izfaish]

slowly catching up on loser ranger/ranger reject manga and holy shit. wtf happened. [spoilers for up to vol. 11 chapter 102]

what happened to the focused stories. the domino exploration of each keeper and battalion. who told haruba to ramp things up into a final arc(?) WHERE IS KOGAMA IS HE OK???

usukubo is being done so dirty... idc about your dad, he is a loser stan who eats up your screentime. inko is the only ira member i care about. hot take but she should've been the head of the ira.

i actually quite like souma, he's a nice grounding force compared to the others. and look, the whole exposing keepers for who they really are had its moments. but i wished it happened after we got to spend more time with pink and yellow battalion.

idk, coming from hisuki's arc and magatia, which really took its time, the latest arc(s) haven't been as compelling. it escalated far too quickly, esp. with the introduction of the ira.

like, i would've preferred meeting ukyo and sazan during the zoo mission, then following their journey towards joining the ira. or maybe d disguises himself as yumeko and infiltrates yellow battalion as per her request. that way we can learn more about yellow in that fun undercover way the series introduced. pink battalion being the last "obstacle" would be interesting considering that pink keeper is sakurama's sister. IDK I'M JUST??

i was half-joking, but the reason i say that inko should've been the head of the ira is because usukubo's dad (whose name i don't even remember) is interesting in terms of what he knows... not who he really is. idk, he's just... kind of lame.

i like that he's from an older generation who remembers certain things that conflict with the image of the dragon keepers now, and that he's fueled by the same symbolic devotion that made the invader church so dangerous... but like. that's kind of it. he does cool things but isn't cool at all. he's only the ira head bc of pretty privilege, idk.

inko, however, has a motivation that's kind of relatable? that dark and twisted grudge towards one's bullies, wanting them to get their comeuppance but the world isn't fair like that... only for the invaders to bring that for her... like damn. not only is it compelling imo, it could nicely tie in with the wider themes around breaking the status quo.

like IMAGINE if inko and hwalipon (or however you spell it) had worked together. if the keepers reminded inko of her bullies. we would get this shy and harmless antagonist who turns out to be threatening bc she has a point.

that's my self-indulgent wish, though.

i might have more thoughts to yell later but yeah. loser ranger,,, why.