A/N: Yes, the frustration of the dreaded "Error 2" is FINALLY over! Everything is updated and back in its rightful place! Anyway, with a week to go before another new ep. Here's a little filler I wanted to do.
Legal: I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, characters, places, events etc. Anything not covered by the above rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.
Emily was in the woods, walking around slowly as she looked around cautiously. She didn't know why she had come here, or what she expected to accomplish by coming, but something was drawing her here. She had tried in vain a few times to find the spot where her kidnapper had taken her, hoping to find some trace of him, some clue as to who he was, or where he had gone.
She found her way into a clearing, making her way out onto a stony bank by a stream, surrounded by trees. It was a beautiful spot, the water was so clear, that she could see fish swimming around just under the surface. The trees were an explosion of colour, and birds were singing, and occasionally fluttered around between trees, in a kind of natural choir that seemed to be there almost just for her. She thought briefly of how she used to love going on picnics as a kid. It was a lovely spot that she just knew Mike and Serena would love. She knew it would be some time before that could happen, Serena was still bed-ridden, and she and Mike were far from done with their responsibilities as Samurai, but she always wanted him to meet her sister before her family.
She still wasn't sure what was going on with her and Mike. They had been good friends since they had met, and over time, things between them had started to change. She started spending more time with him than she did with the others, and their time together grew more intimate. She loved spending time with him, and pretty soon they would finish paying off the replacement television and be able to spend some time together outside the academy together. It was a thought that made her smile.
She suddenly paused as she got an ill feeling in her stomach. The birds had stopped singing. Indeed, looking around, she noticed that the birds were gone, all except a few stragglers that she had only just noticed fluttering away. Something had spooked them. She reached into her jacket, pulling out her Samuraizer, and gripping it tightly just in case.
Turning slowly, she saw a campfire, and some bedding. The fire was lit, indicating that whoever had lit it had to be nearby. As she came over, she inspected the belongings left behind, and found the long, white cloak the man had been wearing the first time they had met, back when he observed Jayden's battle with Kevin. A little way off, she saw a short length of rope tied tightly around a tree, with frayed edges where the Ape Folding Zord had clawed through it. This was it; this was where he had brought her before.
She paused as she heard some stones shuffling behind her, gripping her Samuraizer tightly. Rising slowly, she turned around, seeing him standing behind her. He was wearing only a pair of trousers, and he was dripping wet. The bindle of fish he was carrying over his right shoulder gave away why, he had obviously gone to gather some food. He didn't have a rod with him, only a spear. He gave her a little smirk as she confronted him.
"You know, if you will insist on wearing such a distinctive scent, I would suggest you approach the camp from upwind." He told her as he set down the fish. He kept the spear with him, shifting his grip on it as he started to approach her. "For what it's worth, it is a nice scent."
"Thank you." She responded. She didn't really know why, she had said it before she could think of anything else to say. This was the man that had kidnapped her only a couple of days ago, and who had openly told her that he wanted to kill one of her best friends. He had attacked her, and even threatened to kill her when she tried to escape, only to let her go of his own accord when he decided she was of no use to him.
"How are your injuries?" He asked her, walking straight past her to a rock on the other side of the campfire, and sitting down, resting his spear on the ground. Emily still couldn't think of anything to say. She had come here, seeking him out, only now she had found him, she couldn't think of anything to say. She shook her head.
"My hands are sore." She told him. He saw the bandages wrapped around them and nodded. "It isn't serious, I should be fine."
"Urumasa does not take kindly to being handled by just anyone." He told her, picking up his sword. "I see this time you have come armed."
It was only then that Emily remembered that she was still holding her Samuraizer. She looked back to him, mustering as much confidence as she could and nodding. "Good."
"You want to fight me?" She asked him. He just got up and drew his sword, tossing the scabbard aside. It started to glow with an unnatural red light, illuminating his chest and face, bathing them in its glow. Emily flipped open her Samuraizer, scribing her power symbol in the air and transforming into Ranger Mode. She drew her sword katana, preparing for battle.
"I can see reluctance in your grip." Dekker told her as he started to circle her. "Your stance is shaky."
"Are you going to fight me or teach me?" She snapped, hoping to sound more confident than she really was. He was right about what was going on; she didn't want to face him. She had already tried that once, and had been roundly defeated. Even with her Samuraizer, she wasn't certain she was strong enough. Dekker though exuded a confidence that she could feel. His gaze penetrated her, almost as though he could see her very heart beating in her chest, racing as he confronted her.
"Perhaps a little of both." He answered as he drew into a guard. "I'll allow the lady to lead off."
She rushed forward, taking a cautious swing to assess his defences, which he easily deflected. Their swords rang out as they clashed again and again. Emily struggled for position. He was testing her, pushing her like she hadn't been before. Soon, he flicked the Spin Sword from her hand, where it landed a few feet away, point-down in the ground. His Katana came to rest at her throat.
"Pick it up." He told her, removing the tip of his sword. She ran over, snatching it up and started swinging. Dekker got back on the defensive, but every time she tried to force him off-balance, he regained his footing with super-natural ease. It was like he knew every inch of the forest intimately. Soon, he caught her, spinning her around and holding her sword-arm out to the side, while the serrated edge of Urumasa was pinned against her chest and throat. She could feel it burning against her, even through the suit. He shoved her forward roughly, before taking up his guard once more.
"You attack with rage, but it is not properly harnessed." He told her. "It makes you unfocused. You cannot defeat me like that."
He had done it again; he had told her she couldn't beat him. She wasn't good enough to take his notice. She pulled out her Samuraizer, drawing a symbol in the air and casting a shower of rocks in his direction. Dekker parried most of them, but one struck him hard just above the right brow, drawing blood and staggering him.
Seeing her opportunity, she ran forward, smashing his sword aside wildly, before bringing her own across his chest, drawing blood. He hit a tree, allowing him to reverse his momentum too quickly for her to react and smashed her sword away, before slicing her neatly a few times across the chest, sending her to the ground unmorphed.
Emily felt weakened by the attack, and was struggling for breath, but she knew she had to keep going. She started to crawl towards her fallen Samuraizer, only to be stopped as Dekker stepped on her wrist. She gritted her teeth and grunted as she struggled not to scream. The rope burns on her wrists and the burns on her hands hadn't healed yet, and the pain was intense. Dekker flicked the Samuraizer away, before grabbing her and lifting her off the ground, drawing her up to face him. She saw the look in his eyes as he held her closely.
"No one has drawn blood from me in many years." He told her, flashing a smile at her. "Perhaps I was premature in my judgement of you."
He held her in his strong arms, and threw Urumasa aside. She struggled as he pulled her closer, but only for a moment. As he drew her in, she could feel his heart beating faster and his warm breath on her face. He placed a hand behind her head...
She suddenly felt a jolt, shaking her awake. There were arms around her, but not his. She blinked a few times, getting her bearings as she realised she was in the living room of the academy. Looking around she realised it was Mike who had shaken her awake.
"Em, you fell asleep." He told her. She saw the television on, and saw titles rolling and remembered. The guys had all been watching a movie together, one of Mia's chick flicks which, invariably ended with a wedding. She realised that she had indeed fallen asleep during it. Mia was just putting the DVD back in the box, while Jayden and Kevin were clearing away the empty bowls that had held the popcorn into the kitchen.
"Sorry, I guess I'm just tired." She muttered, rubbing her eyes. She felt him tightening his grip on her, and kissing her softly, but she didn't feel the way she usually did. She didn't know why, she cared deeply about Mike. She hated the fact that this was happening. She knew he was good for her. He always made her feel good about herself. He had never hurt her intentionally, and she knew he never would. He cared about her intensely, and their time together had always been good, but since she had come back, she had been having these thoughts about the man who had kidnapped her.
She didn't want to feel that way. She hadn't had a boyfriend until she met Mike, the closest she had come was the boy at school who had let her out of her locker when she had been shoved inside, only to shove her back in once he realised who it was. She didn't know what it meant to be in a romantic relationship, but she was sure about one thing. She wasn't meant to be having wild dreams about another guy while she was with someone. Especially when the guy she kept thinking about was a guy that had taken her against her will, injured her in battle, and threatened to kill one of her best friends.
She couldn't help it though. Since that day, she had been thinking about him a lot. She couldn't get him out of her mind. The dreams were quite intense, and she was beginning to worry that she might say or do something in her sleep that would give it away to Mia. She already knew the Pink Ranger had a bad habit of occasionally muttering in her sleep, and she knew some of the things Mia occasionally dreamt about. If she found out, and Mike did...she couldn't bear to think how he'd react if she was dreaming about someone else. She felt Mikes arms loosen on her a little.
"Emily, is something wrong?" He asked her. "You, um...haven't said much all night."
"I guess I'm just tired." She told him, looking away from him. She couldn't lie to anyone's face. It was something that most people kept telling her they loved about her, but right now it didn't seem like much of a gift. She couldn't look at Mike and lie to him; she knew he would see right through her.
"Well, I guess it is pretty late." He commented, checking his watch. "And we have early training tomorrow. Mentor Ji said he has a big surprise waiting for us tomorrow."
"Well given what his last surprise was like, I guess we should be well rested." Emily agreed. "I'm sorry I've not been much fun tonight."
"It's alright, we all have days like that." Mike admitted, helping her off the couch. "You should have seen the tantrums I threw when my Gameboy stopped working."
She managed a little smile at the thought of that. He was trying to make her feel better, just like he always did whenever she seemed down. She didn't feel like she deserved him given the way things were going. She just reached up, kissing his cheek softly.
"I'll see you tomorrow." She whispered, making her way to the bedroom she shared with Mia, finding the Pink Ranger putting her DVD away and starting to get ready for bed.
"You missed a great movie." Mia told her. "I wanted to wake you so you could see it, but Mike wouldn't let us."
"He wouldn't?" Emily asked a little uneasily.
"He said you seemed really peaceful." Mia told her. "Personally I just think he thinks you're cute when you're asleep."
Emily blushed a little as she heard her say this. She knew Mike felt very strongly for her, she believed as strongly as did for him, which just made everything worse.
"Say Mia, you really love those kinds of films don't you?" Emily asked her. Mia just nodded.
"Yeah, I know, I'm just a sucker for the whole happy ending thing." She said with a smile. "I guess I've always loved the idea that there's someone out there that just makes a person happy."
"Well, you know some of those scenes...the ones that are kind of..."
"Racy?" She asked with a little snigger.
"Do you ever have dreams like that?" Emily asked her. "You know, about a guy?"
"I don't think there's anyone that doesn't." Mia told her, coming over and putting an arm around Emily as she showed her to the bed. They had shared a room for a while now, and had shared a lot with each other. Emily was a fair bit younger than her, and from what Mia had come to understand had been somewhat sheltered by comparison growing up with her family in the country. It was still a little amusing to see her shy away or blush whenever something that most of them would think nothing of came on television. She had been coming out of her shell for a while thanks to her relationship with Mike, but it was clear that she was still unsure about some things. "It's perfectly natural."
"Really?" Emily asked her.
"Hey, you share a room with me; you know I was having pretty interesting nights after the wedding missions." Mia admitted with a little smirk. "I've got to admit, I haven't been able to look at Jayden the same way."
She shifted closer, looking Emily in the eye.
"You haven't been in this kind of a relationship before, so you're new to this, but you're a grown woman. It's only natural that you'll start to see him a little differently." Mia said reassuringly. Emily wanted to say something, but the words just wouldn't come out. Mia had presumed that the dreams Emily was asking about were about Mike. "I know it might make things seem a little strange and uncomfortable, but believe me, it's all perfectly normal."
"It doesn't feel very normal." Emily muttered. Mia just smiled and nodded as she went to her own bed, getting under the covers.
"It won't for a while, but I'm sure eventually you'll see that it's nothing to be ashamed about." Mia told her. She then paused as she thought about something. "Um...Emily, I just have to ask, you do know about...?"
"My parents had 'the talk' with me." Emily groaned. "I might be sheltered, but I'm not that naive."
"Sorry, I just had to check." Mia said, sounding relieved that she wasn't going to have to go there. She just settled into her bed. "It'll be alright Emily, I'm sure of it. Mike's a great guy."
As she turned over, Emily pulled one of her stuffed toys onto the bed, holding it to her chest. It was a panda that Mike had won for her at the funfair to cheer her up after she threw up coming off the Roller Coaster for the second time. Mike had joked that eating two hotdogs, and ice cream and a bag of cotton candy before going on wasn't the wisest move, but reminded her that at least this time she had made it to a trash can and not thrown up on him. She hated the way she was feeling, and was almost dreading going to sleep. Mike was right for her, he was good for her. He was too good for her. He didn't deserve a girl who kept fantasising about some nameless psycho that had tied her up and threatened her with a sword, no matter how good looking he was.
She held the panda in tightly, kissing it softly. She wanted Mike, and only Mike. She kept telling herself that, and would keep doing so until her brain finally got the message, no matter how long that took.