Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers: (Super) Samurai. This is purely fan-made.

The room was silent. Mia gently rocked Emily back and forth, trying to hold her own tears back. Her eyes fell on Kevin as he paced the room. She couldn't imagine how she would feel if she lost him. She had no idea what Emily was going through, and no idea how to help.

In their most recent… misadventure, Octoroo had fooled all the Samurai. After they thought they had destroyed all his Nighlok, they had gone to Serena and Emily's farm for a home away from home while the Shiba House was being rebuilt. Little did they know, one of the Nighlok had survived, and had taken Kevin's place in the team. Nighlok Kevin had slowly stirred the pot with the Samurai, hurting Mia first, setting Emily up for a trap, and leaving Mike tied up the closet.

With Serena's help, Mia had put enough distance between herself and Kevin to stay safe. She had suffered quite a bit, and was still telling her brain that Nighlok Kevin and her Kevin were two very different people. In fact, one was a monster.

Emily had slipped away from Kevin, and ran away from him before he had a chance to finish her off.

Mike had suffered the least, but at the same time, he had suffered the most. While Nighlok Kevin worked on his plan to flush Emily away from the team, he knew he needed to get Mike out of the picture. Without ever taking the green Ranger out of the house, Nighlok Kevin had kidnapped him, tied him up, and left him hidden in the closet in Serena's bedroom, where no one had found him until it was too late. Because of the way he had been tied, the gag, the cloth in his mouth, and his severe claustrophobia, Mike had suffocated, and was dead long before Emily found him.

Nighlok Kevin was long dead now, but this time, defeating the Nighlok didn't restore the Samurai's lives to normal. Mike was dead. He was still dead. Emily was struggling to deal with that.

Mia took a deep breath and then looked down at the yellow Ranger. Emily was sleeping, though it wasn't a peaceful sleep. Still, it was enough to take her out for a couple of hours. Mia gently tucked her into bed and looked to Kevin with nothing but worry in her eyes.

"She wasn't talking to us."

"I figured that out," Kevin nodded. "She really misses him."

"Too much," Mia sighed.

"Do you think she sees him?" Kevin asked and then Mia gave him a strange looked, "I mean, I know he's not there… but in her mind, do you think…"

"She's not letting go," Mia said. "You're right, he's not there, there's no way he can be, she might not get that yet."

"Why don't you go downstairs?" Kevin offered, "I'll stay up here. I'll keep an eye on Emily."

"I won't be doing anything," Mia shook her head; "I can stay up here with you. I know it's you, I know you wouldn't hurt her… but after what the Nighlok did… it's probably best if I stay."

Kevin took a deep breath and then nodded his head. He never would hurt the Rangers, but he couldn't blame them, Mia and Emily especially, for looking at him a little differently. They had been hurt, and it would take a long time to recover.

In the other room, Mike had just gotten the news from his bear Zord. If he could prove he was worthy, he would be given a second chance to live. While trapped, he had gotten his hands on his Samuraizer, and had created part of a symbol that would have kept him alive for a few more hours, long enough for someone to find him. He only got halfway through, but that was still enough to give him a chance.

He just had no idea his chances were slim. He needed to do something; he just had no idea what.

He walked through the wall, smirking a little at this newfound power. He made his way into his and Emily's bedroom and he saw her sleeping, with Mia and Kevin watching worriedly.

"I should have…" Kevin started but Mia interrupted him.

"You did what you could."

Mike looked to them and then walked to the bed. He lay down beside Emily and wrapped her up in his arms. No one could see him but her. No one could feel him but her. It was a very bittersweet arrangement the bear Zord had given him, but it gave Mike a clue – maybe the key to getting life back was Emily. She didn't deserve this pain. He thought maybe, if he could show the bear Zord how much she needed him, he would get his second life.

She shifted in his arms, slowly waking up from what he guessed had been a nightmare judging by the tears that broke out and flowed down her cheeks – or she could have just been waking up from a dream – a dream where everything was okay.

She rolled over, and he saw her looking at him. First there was a smile, and she seemed to grow excited, but it was quickly wiped off her face as she saw the faint glow surrounding him and felt his embrace was cold and empty. She shoved him off the bed, not afraid to hurt him because he was dead.

"Leave me alone!" she screamed at him.

Kevin and Mia jumped out of their skins and rushed over to try and comfort the yellow Ranger. Emily looked right through them and shot daggers at Mike.

"Go away! If you're dead, then just die!"

"Em, I just talked to the bear Zord," Mike got up to his feet and held his hands out defensively. Fortunately, Mia and Kevin held her in their arms, unknowingly protecting him from her, "He'll give me a second chance…"

"No," Emily shook her head. Mike knelt by the bed and showed her the hourglass that had once been his Samuraizer.

"I have a week, a week to prove I'm worthy of a second life. You and I have a week, hopefully more, to be together."

Emily growled and snatched the hourglass from his hand. She tipped it upside down, trying to make the sand fall back and speed up his time. If he was dead, she wanted him dead. If he could live, she wanted him alive. She didn't like these games and conditions.

The sand continued to fall, but defied gravity and fell up. Mike's time was still about a week. Frustrated, Emily tossed the hourglass into the wall. It didn't break.

"Are you trying to get me killed?" Mike asked as he picked up the hourglass and checked it for cracks.

"You're already dead!" Emily screamed.

"No," Mike shook his head, "I'm in… I'm in limbo…"

"I'm in hell!" Emily pulled away from Kevin and Mia, who were horrified by her outburst. They couldn't explain her words or her actions. They just sat and watched as Emily riled herself up, unable to do anything but try and get a word in.

Emily couldn't even hear them. It was like Mike was the Samurai actually present and they were the ghosts.

"Emily, stop this," Mia begged as Emily pulled away, "Emy…"

"Emily, please," Mike ran after her and grabbed her arm, "Look, I'll try to make this work for you. I think you're the key. You're the only one who can see me."

"NO!"

"Em," he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight. Emily tried to push away – this was not a good hug, it was a reminder he was dead. Mike continued to hold her, "Please, I have a second chance. You can help me. We have one week."

"I don't want to wait a week," Emily finally gave up and sobbed into his shoulder, "I want you."

"We'll make the most of it," he promised, "I'll try to figure out what I can do to live again. We'll work on that, and if we get our way, we'll have a week that lasts a lifetime."

"And if you can't get a second chance?" Emily shook her head, "It's a week to say goodbye. You're prolonging…"

"No," Mike wouldn't do it. He wouldn't let her suffer, "You let me do all the hard work, okay? For now, just think of me as yours. I'm all yours. If we have to, we'll say goodbye in seven days."

"In seven days?"

"Don't say goodbye to me before seven days."

"Don't say goodbye to me," Emily hugged him tight. Mike nodded his head and kissed her cheek. He held her tight, feeling her warmth. This was going to be her best week ever; he had to make sure of it. He was certain that was the key – she was the key.

She was always the key.

As he held her softly, hoping his arms were offering her some comfort, he looked over his shoulder at Mia and Kevin. He wished he could help them, but the bear Zord, or whoever was doing this to him, had only made him present to Emily. No one else could see him or hear him.

But they were terrified of him. Or rather, they were terrified of what he was doing to Emily. She wasn't crazy. She could see him, she was talking to him, screaming at him, and holding him, but the others had no idea. They thought she was losing it. They thought they were losing her.

Mike couldn't take her away from them. They needed her – and if, by chance, he couldn't get his second life, she would need them.

He moved away from her and lifted her chin, "You're not talking to them?"

Emily shook her head, "What can they do?"

"You need them, Emily. You're scaring them…"

"They can't bring you back!"

"They're your family. You need to lean on them."

"No."

"Please don't do this, Em. Don't do this to yourself, and don't put them through this. They want to help…"

"They can't help! No one can help."

"Please, Em," Mike pulled away from her and stepped out of her way, leaving her with a path to Mia and Kevin, "Go to them. Just… just in case I don't make it… I'm not letting you live alone. You'll still have your family. Don't push them away. Don't shun them."

"They can't…"

"They can help," Mike nodded, "I promise you, this will be the best week of your life. Part of that, is enjoying life with them."

Mike gestured to the window and smiled, "You're at home, Emily. You're on your farm, with your sister, your nephew. They aren't dead. They aren't going anywhere," he gently pulled her arm forward, hoping she would take the hint and go to Mia and Kevin, "Please, Emily."

Emily's chin quivered as she looked at Mike, but then she turned her head, just to glance over to Mia and Kevin for a second. She saw the horror on their faces. The panic in their eyes. They were scared for her. Terrified even. They wanted to help, she could see they did, but she wouldn't let them.

She ran and threw herself back into Mia's arms, hugging her pink sister tightly. Mia held her close and kissed the top of her head.

"What's going on, Emily? What do you need? Please, say something. Talk to us."

"I need a hug," Emily whispered. Mia was startled. It had been days since Emily had spoken to anyone but the thoughts in her head and Mike's urn. But as Emily's voice hit Mia's ears, with a request for a hug, Mia was more than happy to oblige. She held her little sister close.

Kevin wrapped his arms around both, and kissed the side of Emily's head.

"Whatever you need," he told her, "We'll get it for you. Just let us help, Em."

"I need Mike," Emily whispered. Kevin and Mia nodded and let her know they understood she was hurting and that they wanted him back too. As they sat down with her, Mike felt a pain in his chest.

He was wrong. Hearing it in his own head, the thought that maybe proving Emily still needed him sounded genius. Hearing the words leave her mouth – it sounded selfish. He didn't want her to need him. He didn't want her to have to depend on him to be happy.

Something else. It needed to be something else. He had to wonder what the bear Zord wanted him to do, and why only Emily could see him. It seemed cruel, it seemed really cruel.

As Mike walked out of the room, hoping Emily would take his absence as a chance to reconnect with the Samurai, he didn't see Kevin pull away from the three man hug to rub his chest.

"Are you okay?" Mia asked. He nodded his head.

"Probably just the bandages itching again," he assured her. "I'm fine."