A/N: Hey guys. I'm back with a new one-shot to induct into my archive of Power Rangers fanfics and I hope you will all enjoy it. This is a one-shot centering on Mike and Emily's relationship which I absolutely adore. For the sake of this story, Emily's last name is Mullins and Mike's last name is Rogers. They were two rangers who did not have surnames during their series, so I have created surnames of my own!

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Samurai or any of the show's characters. I am simply using the characters for entertainment purposes only. I am the sole creator of this plot; so please, do not reproduce it in any way, shape, or form. Thank you!

"Confidence"

Emily stifled a yawn as she descended the main staircase of her home, sleep still weighing her eyes down. She could smell freshly cooked bacon wafting throughout the stairwell along with the sounds of her mother and father having a conversation. Her sock-covered feet touched the final step and she smiled before poking her head through the archway and staring at her parents lovingly.

Mrs. Mullins was positioned at the stove, a spatula in one hand and the other hand curled around the handle of a skillet as she scrambled a batch of eggs. Mr. Mullins was leaned back in a chair, the top three buttons of his plaid button-up shirt undone and his hair unkempt as he and his wife chatted eagerly about the upcoming county fair.

Emily cleared her throat, announcing her presence before walking into the room. Her parents turned towards her and smiled as she pulled out a chair and took a seat.

"Morning sweetheart." Her mother crooned. "I must say, I'm surprised to see you up this early."

"I'm always up this early mom." Emily said as she began to braid her hair into a hanging pigtail.

"I know Em; it's just that I thought you might sleep in a little later today. You and your friend did get in pretty late last night from the Shiba House."

"Old habits die hard I guess."

Mr. Mullins watched his daughter as her fingers wove her hair into a loose braid. When she started on her second braid, he cleared his throat and Emily glanced in his direction.

"So how long is the boy going to stay?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

"Just for a little while." Emily said quickly to reassure her father. "I mean, it's not a permanent thing. I wasn't expecting for him to stay for a long time if that's what you're thinking. He just wanted to help me move my things back home and make sure I got settled in alright."

"What about his family hon?" Mrs. Mullins questioned her daughter as she cut of the gas flame and moved to scrape the scrambled eggs into a serving bowl. "Shouldn't he have gone home to check in with them? I'm sure they've missed him."

"He called them on our way over." Emily said, brushing her mother's concerns off. "He plans on going home sometime next week. Look, this isn't a permanent living situation; and I really hope you guys can welcome Mike here with open arms."

Emily watched as her mother finished scraping the last of the eggs into a bowl and stood to her feet quickly to retrieve two plates from the cupboards. Her parents watched as she hurried to prepare two plates of eggs and buttered toast before she hurried out of the room.

"I know that look all too well." Mrs. Mullins said, a knowing smile on her face as she moved to grab her own plate. "Our daughter's finally found her first love."

Emily pushed the door to Mike's room open slowly and couldn't help but to giggle at the sight of the former Green Samurai Ranger. His left leg was dangling off the side of the mattress as he lied sprawled out in its center. The blankets were in disarray all around him and his pillow had fallen onto the floor at some time during the night. Emily tiptoed across the floor before setting the two plates down on the bedside table. She then took a seat beside him, the mattress sinking against her added weight.

"Hey Mike?" she called out to him gently, her right hand resting on his chest. He grumbled before rolling over and pulling his legs up to his chest. Emily giggled before shaking him. "Come on Mike, it's time for breakfast."

"This early…?" he grumbled against the mattress.

"Oh, come on. It's not that early. It's going on seven and we have a busy day ahead of us."

"We do?" Mike asked as he finally rolled over to face her.

Emily nodded. "I was hoping you'd like to go to the county fair with me this afternoon. It's nothing fancy like you'd expect to find in the city, but it will be so much fun. So, what do you say?"

Mike wanted to put this conversation on hold and sleep until mid-afternoon, but the adorable look of innocence resting on Emily's face compelled him to do otherwise. He sat up with a heavy sigh before taking her hand in his and lacing their fingers together.

"I'd love that Em."

Her cheeks reddened and she averted her gaze to the two plates on the nightstand table. Mike smiled before giving her hand a gentle squeeze. She looked back to him, their eyes meeting and in that moment, she felt at ease.

"We'd better eat before the food gets cold." She said, her blush darkening as she removed her hand from his and snatched up their plates. Mike watched her for a minute as she hurried to gobble down her breakfast before eating his own meal.

The county fair turned out to be more interesting to Mike than he had originally thought. The entire county seemed to be at the fairgrounds. There were elderly couples sitting at picnic tables, parents helping their children buy tickets for the rides, teenagers hanging around with their friends either getting into trouble or staying out of it, and so many others.

The carnival paled in comparison to an amusement park one could find in the city, but it was still pretty nice. There were flashing multicolored lights everywhere and at least thirty food stands serving up any food one could imagine. There was a section where you could buy arts and crafts or sign up for some of the events that would be happening later in the week like the beauty pageant and talent show. There were several rides like a swinging ship, the scrambler, the Ferris Wheel, and the house of mirrors. Then, there were the various gaming booths where Mike and Emily currently found themselves trying to toss a ping pong ball into a goldfish bowl.

Mike's tongue inched its way out the corner of his mouth as he gave the ping pong ball a tiny toss. Emily could barely contain her excitement as the ball plopped down into a bowl of water, scaring its goldfish inhabitant to the bottom of the bowl. She clapped her hands excitedly while the booth attendant removed the ball and went to pour the goldfish into a plastic bag for Mike to hang on to.

"Aw, you won a friend." Emily said as she rested a hand on his shoulder. "What are you gonna name him?"

Mike placed his hand to his chin and scratched it in thought before his face lit up with an answer. "I think I'll call him…Mickey."

"Like Mickey Mouse?"

Mike nodded as he took the bag from the attendant and headed off towards the Ferris Wheel. Emily followed after him and smiled.

"Yeah, like Mickey Mouse." Mike continued. "I mean, Mike Jr. sounds really corny and I don't want to name a fish Michael, because that sounds even worse. So Mickey it is then."

Emily laughed before stopping and grabbing his arm. Mike raised an eyebrow and turned to Emily to ask what was wrong and was surprised to see that her smile had faded away into a look of sadness. He raised an eyebrow before looking up to where a group of girls could be seen laughing up ahead of them. There were three of them in total and they looked like a typical group of popular girls. Mike's eyes narrowed when the shortest of the three, a girl with wavy black hair, spotted Emily. She tapped the other two girls on the shoulders and pointed at the former Yellow Ranger and laughed before the three of them walked over. Mike could feel Emily's grip on his arm tighten and was immediately concerned. Whoever these girls were, they were a threat to Emily.

"Well, well, well girls, look who it is." The raven-haired girl spoke as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It's little miss Emily."

"Hi Jane. Hi Beth, Leah." Emily said as she forced a smile onto her face.

"I heard you were back in town." The raven-haired girl known as Jane spoke up, an un-genuine smile on her face. "So, did you have fun at ninja school?"

"Yeah!" the blonde girl Beth piped in while Leah tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Did you learn how to walk up walls and leap across tree branches?"

"Aren't ninjas supposed to wear masks to cover their faces?" Jane said, earning a fit of giggles from Beth and Leah.

"Hey, knock it off you three." Mike said as he took a step forward and stood protectively in front of Emily. "You're really starting to piss me off. First off, she didn't go to a ninja school. She was a samurai warrior in training. Second off, you have no right to talk to her like that. Can't you just mind your business and buzz off."

"Ooh, looks like little Miss Em got herself a hunk of a bodyguard while she was away." Jane said.

"That's it." Mike said as he set his bagged goldfish down on the ground; but before he could approach Jane, Emily's smaller hand rested on his shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. He turned towards her and was amazed to see that the fear had disappeared from her face and was replaced with confidence. She pushed her way past him, her hand dropping from his shoulder, and moved to stand in front of him with her hands on her hips.

"You know something Jane? For years…for eleven years I allowed you to talk down to me like I was nothing. I allowed you to tease, ridicule, and mock me. You have made me feel lower than anyone has ever made me feel and thanks to you, I spent most of my childhood and half of my adolescence struggling to find my confidence and find the ability to fit into this small town. But since I went to the academy, I have learned that I am strong and that I have the ability to be confident in who I am as a person. I left Shiba house with new friends and a sense of self-worth that I hope someday you will find. So go ahead, make fun of me and call me names like you used to. I am no longer your stepping stool."

Mike smiled proudly at Emily and the confidence that was radiating off her. She snatched his hand and tugged him away from the three girls as she led him towards the parking lot.

Emily smiled to herself as she untied the top of Mickey's bag and poured him into the small fishbowl she and Mike had purchased on their way back to the farm. She smiled as the orange fish swam around observing its new surroundings of multicolored rocks and fake plants. The Yellow Ranger lifted the bowl from the kitchen table before carrying it up the stairs and into her bedroom.

Mike was sitting on her bed leaning against the wall with a car magazine on his lap. He smiled at her when she walked in and set the newly assembled fishbowl on her desk.

"Welcome to your new home Mickey." She said as she tapped the glass twice with her index finger. She then stood upright and turned around to face Mike who was watching her intently.

"What is it?" she asked him, suddenly feeling uncomfortable under his intense gaze.

The Green Samurai closed the magazine and tossed it to the side before patting the empty space next to him. Emily moved over to join him and resisted the urge to smile as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. She rested her head against his shoulder while he rested his chin on top of her golden curls and took a deep breath.

"Remember a few months back when we were still rangers and you told me how Serena passed on her Yellow Samurai duties to you?"

"Yeah, I remember." Emily said as she began to trace random shapes on his jean-covered thigh. "Why?"

"You said that you weren't good at school when you were younger and that you were always getting picked on constantly. Those girls at the fair…were they the ones you were talking about?"

Emily nodded, her curls tickling Mike's nose. "Back when I was a kid, they would tease me and spread rumors about me all around the school. I had no friends and it was hard for me to fit in; But Serena always knew exactly how to make me feel better. Whether she was playing her flute or hugging me and telling me how special I was, she always managed to help me get through it. It's funny…all the time spent at Shiba house made me realize that one can become stronger when they overcome their weaknesses. I'm not going to let Jane and her friends bring me down anymore. I have what it takes to stand up to them. I'm no longer that small, defenseless little girl who's alone. I have the will to fight. I have the spirit of a Samurai Ranger. I have friends. But most importantly…"

Emily trailed off and Mike raised an eyebrow as she sat upright and turned to him, her right hand cupping his cheek. Their eyes locked, brown meeting green, as Mike tried to make sense of what she was getting at. His mouth suddenly felt dry and he couldn't explain why an unbelievable amount of nervousness was tickling his stomach. Ignoring his nerves, he leaned forward and closed his eyes, his forehead resting against hers.

"What's most important Em?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I have you." She said, her voice unwavering and holding sincerity.

"You'll always have me Em." He promised before reaching his right hand to cradle the back of her head and bringing her lips to meet his own.

Emily could hardly contain her emotions as Mike's lips moved against hers in a slow, steady rhythm, releasing months of pent up feelings in that one moment. The way his hand held her against him was gentle, loving, and caring. She traced his hard jawline with her free hand as she nibbled on his bottom lip, the heat pooling between the two of them rising to the point that it was nearly unbearable. Emily's lungs ached for her to take slower breaths, but her heart reassured her that she would be fine. A rhythm developed between the green and yellow rangers and when they finally broke apart for air, both felt a longing for the rhythm to continue.

Emily lifted her head to meet his gaze and smile at the sight of a lopsided grin on his face. He slowly reached a hand out and tucked a stray curl behind her ear before leaning forward and pressing his lips to her forehead.

"I love you Emily."

Emily sighed as she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest where she could hear the strong, steady beating of his heart.

"And I love you."

A/N: And there you have it. I just wanted to write a quick little one-shot for Mike and Emily since they are one of the only couples after Power Rangers Mystic Force that I love. So, here's my tribute to the two samurais. Review!

-KairiAngel13