A/N: This is an AU, Alternate Universe, in case any of you didn't know, where Jayden is the oldest instead of Lauren, plus a bunch of other things that are different, such as whom the Pink Ranger is. I'm not telling you anything else. You have to keep reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. Never have. Never will.

Note: Beware of a little Latonio! Also, Memily is brother/sister type in this one. (Like always.)

~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~

I'll Take My Chances

Chapter One: Only Temporary

When Lauren Shiba first meets the team, she is worried that this will not work out, that things will fall apart, that her team will not like her, that the secret fact that she has an older brother will be too obvious.

But when she first meets them on the street, she sees them. She sees an African-American male wearing blue and a pair of swim trunks. She sees a Hispanic male wearing green, pants in his jean pockets. She sees an Asian male in dark pink and black, wearing a guitar on his back. Finally, she sees a young Caucasian female in yellow, a wooden flute in her jeans pocket.

They all show her their Folding Zords, as proof that they are the Samurai Rangers that she's been waiting for. The African male holds up the Blue Dragon. The Hispanic male holds up the Green Bear. The Asian male holds up the Pink Turtle. The Caucasian female holds up the Yellow Ape.

As she holds up the Red Lion, she thinks, 'This actually may turn out to be easy.'

Kevin Hamasaki, the African male, turns out to be the Blue Ranger, the Red Ranger's right hand man, the second-in-command, ready to take command if the Red Ranger is unable to. Like the Dragon, Kevin is very loyal and takes his training seriously. He is also very strong and able to match Lauren in sword-fighting skills. The way he looks at Lauren is with gentleness, yet determination and willingness to help in any situation. He's the team's older brother, the one who looks after everyone else.

Michael Hayashi, Mike for short, is the Green Ranger. He's wild, like the forest itself, and he loves video games. He also has a 24 inch flat-screen TV that he had refused to part with. He also quite the rebel, pretty lazy, cracks jokes, some of them really bad, and not to mention his conflict with Kevin.

Terry Watanabe, the Pink Ranger, is silent. He plays the guitar every night he goes to bed and he carries a thick photo album of a girl whom he seems to admire. He may be quiet, but in battle, he is strong, quick on his feet, and doesn't take anyone's nonsense, especially him being a pink kind of guy. When he did speak, he spoke with such emotion, whether it be happiness or anger or merely contentment. He looked up to Lauren as an older sister and was constantly the mediator between Kevin and Mike.

Finally, last but not least, The Yellow Ranger's name turned out to be Emily. She had curly blonde hair that she later straightened and bright hazel eyes. She was everyone's little sister, Terry's twin, and the true heart and spirit of the team. She was a klutz, but with a sword in her hand, she could do some serious damage. She never gave up and she ignored any insults directed towards her. Being the only other girl on the team, Lauren found herself constantly hanging out with Emily and the two quickly became best friends.

One day, at dinner, Jii had made a really wonderful pot roast. Emily sighed after taking her first bite of it, and said, "Serena would have loved this."

The entire team turned to her. Mike skeptically asked her, "Who's Serena?"

Emily was slightly startled and then realized what she had just said. She took a deep breath, wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans, and said, "Serena is my older sister. Being the Yellow Ranger was her birthright, before she got sick."

"A simple cold isn't enough to abandon your samurai duties," Jii pointed out.

Emily stared at the ground and quietly said, "She's been sick for nearly six years. I'm sorry I didn't tell any of you. I just didn't want you to see me as a replacement."

The others smiled at her and reassured her that not one of them did. At least they had a Yellow Ranger.

This is when Terry came in clean, which he didn't very often. "Truth be told, I'm not supposed to be here either. My older sister, Mia, was supposed to be the Pink Ranger, but she, uh…she died in a car wreck along with my grandpa seven years ago."

"Hey, it's okay, Terry," Emily said, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "If you need any support, I'm always here. Is Mia the girl who is in your photo album?"

"Yeah, that's her," he said.

"Can I see it someday?"

Terry nodded, smiling for the first time since he got his arrow.

Soon afterwards, Antonio Garcia arrived, Ranger Gold. He and Lauren had met when they were kids and he too liked Lauren more than a friend. He was kind and caring, so he got Emily hooked. He played guitar, so he got Terry hooked. He loved to play around sometimes, so he had Mike hooked. And he had the heart of a true Samurai, so eventually, he got Kevin hooked too. His transition into the team was a little rough, but after proving himself many times, he eventually got accepted as an official Samurai Ranger. He also fished for them and for a living and was a master of the grill, and he also made the best seafood in town.

On one of these rare days off that they got, Emily decided to take Lauren shopping. She dragged her friend and leader to the mall, where they entered nearly every clothing store. In one store, Emily took a shirt that was mainly red and white and held it up by Lauren, observing.

"Hmm…" Emily's face twisted into a observing look. "I can't tell if it's you or not. Well, why don't you try it on and you can tell me if you like or not."

"It's red," Lauren pointed. "That alone is enough for me."

"Please, Lauren?" Emily put in her puppy face. Lauren could not handle that face, so she was forced to take the short and try it on.

It turned out that Lauren did like it, so she bought it, along with other amazing outfits that she liked, most of them, if not all, being the color red. Emily bought all yellow and white stuff. As they walked home with all their shopping backs, Emily turned to Lauren and said, "Thank you for coming with me, Lauren. I really enjoyed it. This the most fun I've had since Serena got sick."

Lauren knew she had just confessed something personal, so she quietly and politely responded, "You're welcome. And thank you, as well. I've never so much fun in my entire life."

"Oh?" Emily turned to her, curiously.

"I've always lived in complete solitude. It's nice to actually go out in public and do something with a friend that I could call my own," Lauren said, turning to smile at her. Emily happily smiled back.

It had been seven months since they had all gathered for the first time and today would have been Mia's birthday. Terry wanted to do something in her memory, but he had no idea what to do.

However, Emily had helped him by giving him ideas: tell the others stories about her, they all give her their own special messages, and then they celebrate that he was even alive.

And they all did that. Terry couldn't remember feeling so happy in his entire life.

About four months later, Emily got a letter from home. She took it, filled with complete happiness, but when she finished with the letter, her hazel eyes were filled to the brim with tears threatening to fall.

The letter read:

"Dear Emily,

If you're reading this, then I have already passed on. I was a rare case, Emmy, and I'm sorry we never got to say goodbye. I'm sorry that you had to live in my shadow all you life. But sometimes, I think you becoming the Yellow Ranger was a good thing. It helped you become what you wanted to be without being in my shadow. You could excel there. You would become the greatest Yellow Ranger to walk to planet.

I'm proud of you, Emmy. I always have been and always will be. Keep doing your best and one day, we'll see each other again. But remember, I love you dearly, little sister. I always will.

You are the Yellow Samurai Ranger, now and forever.

With all my Love,

Serena"

Lauren held Emily all night, the others in the same room with the two girls. That night, Emily realized what great friends she was lucky to have…

Lauren was also, surprisingly, affected by Serena's death. It made reality hit her. That reality reminded her that this was only temporary, until her older brother Jayden came and took his rightful place as the real Red Ranger.

But it felt so real.

~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~

A/N: Well? How'd I do? And yes, this is eventual Jemily and Lantonio. Chapter 2 is coming up soon!