Disclaimer: I do not own Super Sentai or anything associated with it.

Rating: K+

Summary: When all is said and done after the final epic battle, what is left for the crew of the Gokai Galleon? Only they can decide. M/A, L/D, J/A, G/SS

A/N: I will get around to the gajillion other stories I've started at some point. I promise. I'm just entirely lacking inspiration for any of them at the moment :-( Apologies. But in the meantime, here's some rubbishy rubbish* :-D I've been toying around with this idea for a while, but it's midnight in Australia, I should be asleep, so of course now is the perfect time to write it. Gah.

*not fit for human consumption

A/N2: For the purposes of this story, I've had to make a quick decision on what the Greatest Treasure is. A popular school of thought is that it is something metaphorical, i.e.: a home, freedom, peace, etc. (Any or all of the above). So please, no flaming re: lameness of Greatest Treasure. Just go with it, we can safely assume the real Greatest Treasure will probably be nothing like this :-p Teehee. Lameness abounds.

AFTERMATH

Emptiness is only temporary

And it was done. The greatest treasure found, and hardly what he expected. Bandages and plasters were the evidence of what passed. And the pain. But any price to pay for the greatest treasure in the universe. His dream.

Joe moved aside as he passed, not looking into his eyes. Anger, perhaps. Resentment. He could not blame him. Was it fear? Apprehension? Luka moaned at the table, reaching for her aching side.

He made his way to the crows' nest, peering out into the night sky. They celebrated, the people of Earth. The bright, colourful, peaceful explosions filled the sky. They celebrated their freedom. He celebrated the achievement of his lifelong ambition. If only this felt more like a celebration.

The empty feeling somewhere deep inside, permeating a darkness to every fibre of his being. Who was he? Someone who would risk the lives and dreams of his crew for his own dream. He could not forgive himself.

He looked out at the stars, infinite. Uncountable. How many had the Zangyack once controlled? How many did they still occupy? In his mind, the numbers were uncomfortably close. That war was far from over. As important a figure as Ackdos Gil was, he was only one man. The Zangyack army was a behemoth. They were wounded, but far from out.

He did not like to think about that. That was not his concern. For now, he had to fix his own mess. How could he decide what to do next—a thought he had not had for these ten years past—when he did not know what to do now?

How could he face his crew?

An undefinable amount of time passed. Minutes, hours, days, months—he hardly knew, lost in his thoughts. It could not have been long, but it felt so long. Then he felt her hand on his arm. He would not look at her, but his face turned ever so slightly in her direction.

"Marvelous-san," she said hesitantly. He did not flinch or shy from her touch, so she continued with growing confidence. "It's okay, you know?"

"I left you all," he said gruffly. It was a fact. "You could have died. Any of you could've died. You nearly did."

She forcibly grabbed his shoulders, turning him around to face her full-on. He did not know how she found the strength or the energy after all they had been through.

"But you came back, Marvelous-san," she said quietly but determinedly. "You came back."

He came back. He always came back to them. But now he had achieved his dream. And now he had nothing. Empty.

Wooooh, so a bit more of an introspective/unfun fic than I usually do. I can't help it. Thinking about the end of Gokaiger stirs up less than chipper feelings in me. I don't want it to end! :-(

As always, feedback truly appreciated. This is new terrain for me, and necessitates some OOC-ness, so suggestions/constructive criticism would be just what the Hakase ordered ;-)

Little Goose