A/N:
This supernatural short story was inspired by the ancient Japanese tale of the Princess Peony. A few references to Shinkenger may also be included, mostly because it's my favorite Sentai.
With that said, I do not own Power Rangers, Shinkenger, its characters, or any of its related intellectual property. I'm just a humble fan trying his best to salute the show.
A warm summer wind blew across the dark sands of the beach as Dayu stood waiting atop a bluff overlooking the ocean. The pale light of the full moon lit up the skies above and reflected off the dark rippling waters in the distance. As the surf pounded against the shore, it almost reminded her of the constant churning of the Sanzu River, where the spirits of the netherworld restlessly floated underneath, waiting for their chance to claw free and wreak havoc upon the mortal world. As Dayu continued to keep a close watch on the shoreline, the Nighlok demon idly strummed an eerie tune from her shamisen that echoed across the beach.
Finally, she spotted the form of a ghostly young man who approached from the waters of the beach. He wore a finely made yukata robe and carried a pair of ornate swords, the marks of a samurai noble. The spirit of the handsome young man stepped before the Nighlok warily and gave a courteous bow. "Mistress Dayu? I thank you for meeting me. I've been told that you may be able to help me."
The corners of Dayu's lips curled into a sinister smile, "Of course, Prince Shirou. Helping to serve the spirit of a samurai noble is a great honor. Please tell me, what troubles you?"
Prince Shirou glanced out toward the waters and sighed, "I've been wandering this earth for far too long, and I've always felt so alone… until this summer, when I came across a young maiden."
Dayu tilted her head curiously, "A spirit who has fallen in love with a mortal… most interesting."
"You don't understand." Shirou continued sadly, "Since the time I heard her play her beautiful flute, I've come back to listen every night, but I have nothing to offer her."
The ghostly samurai prince sighed and gave a hopeful look as the Nighlok thoughtfully stroked her chin. After a few moments, a devilish grin lit up Dayu's face and she reached into her robes to reveal a beautiful pink peony flower.
"Say no more, my prince. I have just the thing. Give this flower to your lady. The magic within it will guarantee that in time, you and her will be together forever."
Shirou took the flower gratefully and looked to Dayu, "I can't thank you enough Mistress Dayu! But... I'm afraid I have nothing to repay you with."
Dayu turned her back and gave a wicked smile, "There is no need to repay me, my prince. Consider it a gift... tribute from the Nighlok Warlord, one fellow spirit of the netherworld to another."
As Shirou bowed gratefully and departed into the darkness, Dayu watched him leave and savored the thought of bringing eventual ruin to another mortal life and a hopeless love affair. With that, she began to make her way across the dark sands of the beach, and back towards the sorrowful waters of the Sanzu River.
As night set in, Emily walked the brightly lit halls of the Shiba House, her home away from home. In her hands, she carried a small wooden flute that she had brought from home as she made her way out toward the backyard gardens. As Emily passed the den, she was surprised by how unusually quiet the mansion was tonight. Kevin was reclining in an armchair reading a book while Mike and Mia were busy watching a movie from the nearby couch. While she continued on her way to the porch, she came across Jayden Shiba who was hanging up decorative paper lanterns outside and lighting them.
"Hey Jayden!" she smiled brightly as she greeted the Red Ranger, "What's all this?"
"Hey Em," Jayden replied looking up from his work, "Obon is coming up and I just thought I'd get a little head start celebrating it."
"Obon?" Emily asked with a questioning look
Jayden nodded, "It's said that during the summer, the spirits of the Orient become more active and Obon is a celebration to welcome home those souls who come to visit their loved ones. I thought I'd leave a couple lanterns out to help guide them on their way."
Emily gave a thoughtful look, "Do you think maybe your father will come to visit you too?"
Jayden stopped and looked at her and she suddenly began to backpedal apologetically, "Oh, I'm so sorry Jayden! I didn't mean to upset you…"
Jayden shook his head gently and shrugged, "It's ok. I guess part of me kinda still hopes that he might. Sounds pretty stupid to be believing in those old ghost stories, huh?
"No. I don't think so" Emily replied sitting down on the porch. "I think it's very good of you to light those lanterns for the other spirits out there too."
Jayden nodded and gathered his things, "Well, I should probably get going. It's getting late."
"Jayden, wait!" Emily called, "It's such a nice night out. I was going to practice my flute, and was hoping maybe you'd stick around and listen. Would you like to just hang out together for a while?"
Jayden paused for a long moment giving it serious thought before politely shaking his head. "Thank you, but... maybe some other time Em."
Emily gave a disappointed sigh as she watched Jayden shuffle back into the house. She really couldn't understand him sometimes, how the young samurai lord could go from being a fiery and concerned leader on the battlefield to such a distant and shy person toward people who cared and genuinely wanted to be closer to him… people like her. Turning back to her flute, she looked out toward the moonlit gardens and began to play.
That night, Emily decided to play a gentle and contemplative oriental tune with Jayden and the wandering Obon spirits in mind, the long flowing strains of music reflecting a hint of loneliness and melancholy.
When she finally finished, she put down her instrument and stopped as she heard a faint clapping sound in the near distance. She stopped and looked up as a warm summer night's breeze blew a small cloud of pink flower petals toward her. Her gaze followed the petals out toward the gardens and as the moonlight reflected off the nearby pond, Emily saw what looked to be a figure standing near a row of blossoming pink peony bushes. Her heart raced for a moment wondering if it was an intruder, but she rose and took several steps to get a better look at the interloper.
"Hello?" she called out, but there was no answer. "Is anyone there?"
As she approached slowly, she began to see the figure of a young man, dressed in the finely patterned robes of a traditional samurai. He smiled gently at her and extended his hand in a welcoming gesture. At once, Emily was struck by how handsome and regal looking the young samurai was. Again, her heart raced, though this time, it was not out of fear, but excitement.
"You play beautifully." The samurai said. "I've been coming to listen to you play every night since the summer began."
"Who are you?" Emily asked in wonder as she continued to approach the pond.
The samurai replied, "You may call me Shirou. The way you played your flute has captured my imagination, like your beauty has captured my heart."
Emily continued to draw near, captivated by the noble young man as she felt lightheaded from the compliment, "I… thank you."
As she spoke, she didn't see where she was walking and tripped on a rock. As she fell forward toward the water of the pond, Shirou caught her in mid-fall with a sweeping gesture and gently rested her on the ground.
"My lady, are you hurt?" he gallantly asked with concern.
Emily looked up to him in amazement as Shirou helped her to a sitting position, "No. I'm fine. Thank you. And… my name is Emily."
Shirou reached into his robes and produced a beautiful pink peony flower, the one Dayu had given him. "Then take this gift Emily, as a sign of my deep admiration for you."
Emily looked down and marveled at the flower in her hand before her attention was snapped away at the sound of her voice being called. Moments later, Mia entered the gardens and found Emily sitting in the grass by the pond. She stopped and gave a confused frown, "Emily? I was just looking for you. What are you doing all the way out here… and on the ground?"
Emily turned her head quickly and saw that Shirou was gone and there was no trace left of him. Was it all her imagination? In her hands, she still held the beautiful flower the samurai had given her.
"I…" Emily began hesitantly, "I'm not even sure you'd believe me if I told you." As Mia helped her up, Emily began recounting her meeting with the ghostly prince while they walked back inside the house. After telling her story, Emily waited for the Pink Ranger's response as they made their way to bed.
"So, do you think I'm crazy?" Emily asked expectantly while sitting cross-legged on her bed.
Mia gave a thoughtful look and smiled, "Assuming your story is true, I actually think that it's all a bit romantic. And to think, we're so used to fighting supernatural enemies like the Nighlok that we start questioning ourselves when we come across something that doesn't try to kill us for once."
"But you don't think Shirou is evil, do you?" Emily asked in sudden worry.
Mia shrugged and plopped down into bed, "Probably not. If he was, he wouldn't be able cross through the Shiba House's magic wards and defenses."
"Maybe," Emily sighed thoughtfully as she continued to hold the peony flower in her hand and study it. "Or maybe I was just dreaming again and seeing things."
"Well, whenever you figure it out, be sure to turn out the light, ok?" Mia yawned sleepily as she stretched out in her bed and closed her eyes.
Emily nodded and thought again on Jayden's words about the wandering summer spirits. She wondered if she should tell him, but decided against it. If Jayden was already a little sensitive about the thought of ghostly visitors, it was probably for the best. As an afterthought, Emily placed the pink peony in a small glass of water by her bedside before turning out the light and going to sleep.
The next day came and went. In the absence of any Nighlok sightings, the Rangers spent their day doing conditioning workouts and weapon training drills. Throughout the day, Emily often found herself idly glancing out toward the gardens during training, as if hoping in vain to see the mysterious samurai again. As the 5 Rangers sat at the dinner table that evening finishing their meal, Emily gave a yawn and sheepishly apologized with her bright trademark smile.
"I'm sorry everyone. I must have overdone it in practice today, so I think I might turn in a little early."
"Are you sure you're ok?" Mia asked giving a quick look of concern to her younger friend.
"I'll be fine." Emily cheerfully reassured her as she rose from the table. "I'm just feeling a little beat. I'll see you all tomorrow."
Mia looked around the table for any other response and was disheartened by the lack of concern from the other three boys. After Emily departed, Mike leaned back in his seat and turned to Kevin, "All right, we've still got the whole evening off. What do you say we fire up the X-box and go play some Halo in the den?"
"I fail to see what that has to do with samurai training, Mike." Kevin sighed crossing his arms officiously.
"Come on Kevin. Don't be such a lame ass." Mike urged nudging him. "Think of it as uh… situational training for combat!"
Kevin eyed the younger samurai skeptically for a minute before giving a deep sigh, "Well, I guess it's worth a try."
"Great!" Mike cheered. "Mia? Jay? Are you in too?"
"I'll pass." Jayden replied calmly sipping from a cup of tea as Mia shook her head too.
Mike rose from the table and dragged Kevin along toward the den for a night of gaming, "Well, suit yourselves then."
After they left, Jayden lowered his teacup and cleared his throat. "Mia…"
The Pink Ranger turned in surprise at the call of her name and looked to Jayden.
"Do me a favor and keep watch over Emily later?" he asked. "Just to make sure she's all right."
Mia looked to him a moment and nodded with a small smile. With that, she rose and left to start washing the dishes as Jayden remained at the table to finish his cup of tea in peace.
Late that night, Emily awoke to find herself in the darkness of her bedroom as she heard the faint sounds of her name being called. She couldn't be quite sure if she was still dreaming, or if someone was actually calling her. Bright rays of moonlight came streaming in through the slats in her window and lit up the water glass where her peony still sat, looking more alive and colorful than last night. As she glanced around, she saw Mia was already in bed, fast asleep so she slipped on her shoes and began to head for the door. As if in a foggy dream, Emily made her way through the dimly lit hallways of the Shiba House toward the back porch.
Elsewhere in the house, Jayden sat in his room busily practicing some calligraphy before bed. When he heard the soft sound of shuffling feet and the moving of doors, he looked up slowly from his desk and put down his ink brush. Moving quietly out his bedroom door, he grabbed a wooden practice sword and made his way to investigate the source of the strange sounds. As he paced the halls of the house, he heard the door to the backyard porch gently close and he silently slipped into the shadows to find out exactly what was going on.
Meanwhile, Emily made her way outside of the house and headed toward the garden as if in a trance. As she neared the moonlit pond, Prince Shirou materialized from the peony bushes to greet her again with a happy smile. "Emily, you've returned! I was waiting for you."
Emily nodded and looked at the samurai prince with curious wonder, "I don't really understand what's going on, or what I'm feeling right now." she admitted. She was trying hard to think and make sense of everything, but her mind felt so foggy. "I have to know Shirou, are you one of those wandering summer spirits? Why have you come?"
Shirou nodded and gave a melancholy sigh, "In life, many years ago, I had once been a prince of a great samurai clan, but I died much too soon and have wandered the earth ever since... all alone and looking for meaning... looking for an end to my lonely existence, that is, until I heard your music."
Emily blinked as she struggled to focus, "I... I still don't understand. What does this have to do with me?"
Shirou stepped forward and gently took both her hands. "I'd like you to come away with me... so that we can be together."
Emily's eyes grew wide and she drew back, shaking her head, "Wait? What? I can't. Besides, I'm still alive, and you're... not."
"What if I told you there was a way?" Shirou pleaded trying to take her hands again. Suddenly, he turned as he noticed a rustling in the nearby bushes.
"Who's there?" Jayden called loudly pressing through the dark gardens. As he emerged from the hedges, he brandished his wooden sword and found only Emily standing by the pond and peony flowers, seemingly frozen in shock.
"Emily?" he called in surprise, lowering his weapon slightly, "What's going on? I thought I heard voices out here." Emily remained silent and wore a blank look of confusion on her face as Jayden approached slowly, scanning the area for any potential threats.
"Emily, what are you doing out here?" he asked again, gently taking her by the shoulders.
She looked around tiredly and shook her head as if trying to make sense of something. "I... I don't know. I think I might have been having this dream and... I can't be certain. Maybe I was sleep walking, or something?"
Jayden studied her closely with a concerned look. He still wasn't quite sure how he felt about Emily, or any of the others as "friends " just yet, but she was one of his family's loyal retainers and his responsibility. Even if it was modern day, it was still his duty as a samurai lord to look after her and protect his vassals.
"Listen Em, I'm just glad you're ok." he sighed, "but, you've been acting a little strange today, and I'm starting to worry. Are you sure everything is all right?"
Emily shrugged off Jayden's hands and nodded tiredly, heading back toward the house. "I... I think so. I think I just need to go lie down for now, ok?"
Jayden watched with concern as she slowly started to walk back toward the mansion. He took one last look out toward the dark gardens with a suspicious frown before following her back inside to the safety of his family's house.
*To Be Continued
