Early the next morning, the samurai Rangers gathered inside the Shiba House's indoor dojo for some sparring practice. It was particularly hot that day and the other Rangers were more than happy to train in the comfort of air conditioning. To their surprise though, Jayden was the last one to show up that morning. The normally punctual Red Ranger looked tired and gave a small yawn as he picked up his wooden practice sword and greeted the others. As Jayden gathered everyone together, he couldn't help but notice that Emily appeared a bit deflated and haggard looking herself.
"Everything ok there Emily?" Mike asked trying to cheer her up. "You look like you just woke up and tangled with a Nighlok."
Emily paused a moment, thinking of some explanation for Mike when Jayden calmly answered, "Don't worry Mike. One must have also found its way to my room last night. I didn't really sleep very well either." Mike shrugged it off and got back into line as the Rangers paired off to begin their practice. To Emily's relief, Jayden partnered up with her for the morning training session.
"Thanks for not saying anything." she said quietly as they finished stretching and took ready stances with their swords.
Jayden fixed his eyes on her and replied quietly, "When practice is over today, I'm still going to want to talk about last night."
As Emily gave a reluctant nod, the two of them stepped forward and began exchanging light blows with their wooden swords. After a few minutes of sparring, Emily found herself struggling to keep up with the flow of battle. Her limbs felt like they were weighted down and she began to breathe heavily as Jayden circled from the outside, trying to break through her guard. Jayden must have realized something was wrong as she began to fight sloppy and miss several easy counter moves.
As they clashed once more, Jayden advanced quickly and broke through Emily's guard, but stopped himself from landing a blow as Emily's face went completely white. The other Rangers stopped and abruptly turned in horror as Emily staggered backwards. As she fainted to the ground, Jayden continued to stand in place, frozen in shock at what had just happened.
When Emily finally awoke later, she found herself lying in her bed with the others gathered around her wearing looks of concern. As she slowly opened her eyes, she tried to reach up and remove the cool damp cloth that had been placed on her head, but Mia stopped her hand. "Easy now," the Pink Ranger said gently easing Emily back down, "You gave us a big scare earlier."
Mike shot a suspicious look toward Jayden who was standing off near the doorway to the bedroom, watching from a distance. "I hope Jayden didn't get too rough and clock you upside the head."
Jayden fixed Mike with a quiet frown as Emily shook her head tiredly, "No. That wasn't it. Jayden never even touched me. While we were practicing, I suddenly felt really lightheaded and well… I don't know what happened. I must have fainted."
Seeing the worried looks of her fellow Rangers, she tried to rise from bed, "But I do feel a little better now. Let's get back to practice?" To her disappointment, Kevin placed a firm hand on her shoulder and eased her back down, shaking his head.
From the doorway Jayden spoke, "I think you should stay in bed and rest for now Emily. I'll have Ji check in on you when he returns with some medicine later."
Turning to the other Rangers, Jayden reluctantly gestured to the door, "In the mean time, the rest of us should get back to work. We'll do some light drills and end early. Sound fair?"
The others nodded reluctantly and shuffled out of the room behind the Red Ranger, leaving Emily by herself. She wasn't sure what was going on, but it was scaring her. Between the visions of Shirou to the fainting spells, she wasn't sure what to do. With a deep sigh, she glanced at the vibrant healthy looking peony sitting at her bedside and she smiled weakly before lying back and trying to get a little more rest.
Over the next few days, Emily's condition did not improve. She ate less and suffered from increasing fatigue, as well as restless sleep. As the week passed, the Rangers began to worry as she slowly began to grow even weaker. To the frustration of old Mentor Ji, none of his potent medicines or remedies had worked and when he had called for a Shiba family doctor to examine Emily, even he was at a loss to explain the nature of the mysterious illness that had seemed to grip the girl.
Later that week, Jayden somberly sat on the porch one evening, lost in thought while looking out toward the gardens. As he sat, he idly stroked his little lion origami zord with his fingers. Nearby, Mentor Ji sat on a side porch, busily tuning his own shamisen. With Emily growing sicker, the mood of the Shiba House had grown dark and Mentor had decided to try and play calming music to raise their spirits. It was also his hope that Emily might hear the music from her room and be comforted while she rested.
As Ji continued to tune his instrument, Mia stepped out of the house and found Jayden sitting alone. He didn't turn to acknowledge her, and though he didn't say anything, she could tell he was worried for the youngest samurai in their house.
"How is she?" Jayden finally asked after a long silence.
Mia shrugged and sat down near him, "She's resting right now. Mike and Kevin are also taking turns standing watch. The good news is, the doctor said she doesn't seem to have gotten any worse... for now, anyway."
Jayden nodded thoughtfully and glanced up to the Obon lanterns with a small frown as he thought again about Emily's sleep walking episode in the garden. "You know, it sounds like a crazy thought, but I've begun to wonder if Emily's condition is supernatural in nature... like maybe the Nighlok have something to do with this."
As Mia glanced over at him, Jayden asked quietly, "Have you noticed anything unusual happening around Emily recently?"
From where she sat, Mia bit her lip and wondered if she should mention the ghostly encounter that Emily had claimed to have seen earlier in the week. Finally, she decided that she should. She was a loyal servant to the Shiba family and was honor bound as a samurai to be truthful to her lord. As Mia told Jayden what Emily had seen, Ji began to play an oriental song on his shamisen, filling the grounds around the Shiba House with soothing music. After telling what she knew, Mia was surprised when Jayden shared his own strange experience from several nights ago and how he found Emily sleep walking.
"I still don't understand," Jayden frowned. "Why didn't she say anything about this to us... or to me?"
Mia leaned back pensively, "Maybe she didn't want to hurt your feelings. Maybe she thought you'd be disappointed to hear that she came across a spirit and you still haven't been able to see your father yet."
"It doesn't matter," Jayden replied defensively, "I'm responsible for her safety, and she's still my family's vassal."
"But she's also your friend." Mia pointed out gently, "Or at least she'd like to be, if you'd let her."
Jayden grumbled petulantly. He knew Mia was right, but he was still too proud to openly admit it. Glancing up to the Obon lanterns, he said quietly, "Well, whoever this Prince Shirou ghost is, I'm not going to let him take Emily away from us. That's all that matters right now."
Mia sighed and rolled her eyes to herself. If that was an admission from him that she was right, she would take it.
"Hey, Mia!" Jayden called as he pointed to the Obon lanterns. She looked up and noticed them begin to flicker unusually as Ji continued to play. The Red and Pink Rangers looked to each other for a moment before turning their attention out to the gardens. To their surprise, they saw a mysterious apparition materializing from nearby the pond and peony bushes. Although their eyes had not fully adjusted to the dark, the figure looked to be one matching the description of Prince Shirou.
As the spirit looked around toward the source of the music, it appeared to stop when it seemed to spot Jayden rising from the porch. Before Mia could speak, Jayden drew his samurizer and summoned his Ranger sword as he advanced quickly toward the pond. As quickly as he had appeared, the ghostly samurai turned and disappeared behind the peony bushes as Jayden increased his pace to a run. As he reached the pond, the Red Ranger looked around tensely, and gripped his weapon, expecting an attack.
"Prince Shirou! Show yourself!" he shouted as Mia followed close behind. In the wake of the sudden commotion, the shamisen music stopped and Mentor Ji came from around the corner to see what was wrong. Fueled by adrenaline and his concern for Emily, Jayden continued to stomp through the gardens, blindly groping at the darkness. As Mia approached, he turned to her, "Mia, hurry and get Kevin and Mike! I want us to search every inch of this garden!"
Mia fearfully nodded and hurried back inside the house to summon the other samurai Rangers. It looked like it was going to be another long night.
After spending an unsuccessful night searching for ghosts around the Shiba family property, the four other samurai Rangers gathered together around the central living room table the next day. All of them had gotten little sleep and looked completely exhausted. As Mentor Ji joined them at the table, Mike grumbled to himself, "Couldn't we have waited to have this meeting until after we ate? What good will it do us to be both tired and hungry?"
Kevin gave him a reproving frown and elbowed him lightly, "Remember, we're doing all this to help Emily."
That shut Mike up quickly as Jayden cleared his throat, "I know everyone has been very worried about Emily, and we're all a little frustrated and confused about last night. You may think this explanation is going to sound strange, but it's all we've got right now." The others sat and listened as Jayden and Mia told their stories and began to speculate about the influence of the ghostly samurai.
"Well, if that's the case, then I say we find Shirou and go all Ghostbusters on his butt!" Mike said impatiently while making a fist.
Kevin crossed his arms and gave a pensive frown, "Hold on. If Shirou is the cause of Emily's sickness, we can't "bust" him until we get him to tell us how to make her well again. Besides, how are we even going to lure a ghost out when he ran from Jayden and Mia?"
Jayden and Ji exchanged a quick glance before Jayden answered, "If Shirou seems to be drawn to music, then that's what we'll give him."
Mia nodded and chimed in, "It was Ji's suggestion that he and I play music from the porch at nightfall. Meanwhile, the rest of you will lay in wait from the garden to confront the ghost when he appears."
"That's kind of a stretch," Kevin admitted, "and it might work, but what if Shirou sees only you and Mentor playing the music? What's to keep him from running?"
"That's where Emily will come in." Jayden replied solemnly, "If this ghost is drawn to her, then her presence on the porch should offer enough of a distraction for the rest of us to get close."
"Wait! You're going to put Emily in harm's way, even in her current condition?" Mike cried in outrage.
"I'll run it by her first." Jayden told him with an even voice, "It's a calculated risk, but I won't follow through unless she agrees to it."
Mike frowned and gave a grudging nod as Ji rose from the table, "We'll start preparing to do this tomorrow night. In the mean time, let's eat some breakfast and spend the day resting. We're all going to need it, for Emily's sake."
That evening, after dinner, Jayden walked down the main hall of the house toward Emily's room while Mia was finishing cleaning up the kitchen. As he approached, he saw the door was cracked open and a night lamp was lit inside. He gave a gentle knock and peeked inside to see Emily slowly turn her head from the bedside. His heart sank as he looked upon her. The normally vibrant color of Emily's face and lips had drained, and her golden hair lay mussed upon her pillow. Still, she managed a weak smile to greet him.
"Hey Emily," Jayden said gently, "I'm sorry to disturb you. Do you mind if I come in?"
She nodded and gestured for him to come over and sit at her bedside. As he approached, he took a moment to glance at the bright pink peony flower sitting at her bedside... the one Shirou had supposedly given her.
"I'm glad you came by." Emily began, trying to be positive. "It's not exactly the circumstances I was hoping for to hang out, but I'll take it."
Jayden looked to her with an apologetic smile for the sweet thought. "I'm sorry Emily. I feel like this is all my fault. Part of me feels that if I never put those stupid lanterns up, that ghost wouldn't have come and this never would have happened to you."
Emily shook her head, "It's not your fault. If anything, I shouldn't have gone looking for trouble and getting into this mess. I should be the one apologizing to you."
Jayden shook his head, "The only thing that matters right now is that you get well. I know we already spoke about our plan earlier, but if you don't feel up to things tomorrow..."
"I'm going to do this." Emily said firmly. "I know the risks, and I'm willing to do it if it can help you all."
"I don't want you to feel obligated to do this because I'm your leader, or your lord." Jayden said balling his hands, "I'm saying this out of concern... as a friend."
Emily stopped and looked at him in surprise before giving a genuine smile. While it was weak, there was glimmer of her normally sunny personality that shone through for the briefest moment.
"I trust you completely Jayden." she said laying back tiredly with a content look as she closed her eyes.
"Get some rest Em," Jayden said with a small smile. As he sat and watched her begin to doze off, he reached out and placed his hand over hers and gave it a gentle squeeze, "We're not going to let some spirit or sickness take you away. I'll protect you, and won't let any harm come to you. I promise."
From outside the grounds of the Shiba House, Prince Shirou began to pace restlessly as the manor grew quiet and he saw the lights go out. Where was Emily? It had been several days and he hadn't seen her. Even more troubling, the people who shared the house with her had seemed to become aware of his presence. As he paced, he worried if he had done something wrong, or if Dayu had broken her word about the magic flower she gave him.
"You look troubled Prince Shirou," came a voice from the darkness, "and on such a lovely evening too." Shirou turned around and gripped the handle of his sword as the figure of Dayu materialized out of the darkness. As she approached, she made a point to stay clear of the boundary line of the Shiba property that was protected by powerful magic wards against her kind.
"Mistress Dayu," Shirou said, relaxing his stance and greeting her. "What are you doing here?"
"Coming to follow up on your little love affair, my prince," she smiled in amusement, "though I never thought it would have brought me here."
Shirou looked to her questioningly and Dayu decided to offer a little more information, "This is the home of a modern samurai noble... the lord of the Shiba clan. It would seem you are trying to court one of his vassals.
The ghostly prince gave a concerned look, a shadow of worry crossing his face. "If that's the case, I have no intention to upset Lord Shiba."
"Nonsense," Dayu laughed. "If you had already given that flower to one of his servants, then there's not much he can do at this point anyway."
"What are you talking about, Nighlok?" Shirou frowned in confusion.
Dayu laughed and gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "The magic of the peony that I gave you is likely draining away the life force from your paramour as we speak."
"But that will cause her to die!" Shirou exclaimed in horror. "You lied to me Dayu! You said that flower would guarantee that Emily and I would be together forever!"
"I kept my word to you Prince Shirou. Think, when the girl's life is drained away, she will become a spirit, much like yourself. Then she will be able to be with you for eternity. Isn't that what you wanted from the beginning?"
Shirou stopped as he considered for a moment, "Well... yes. But I feel like I should at least say something to her."
Dayu folded her hands into her robes, "Lord Shiba is a young stubborn samurai. He will do everything in his power to stop you from taking that girl. Should you confront him, I'd suggest you be cautious."
Shirou stood for a long moment with a conflicted heart. In his heart, his samurai code of honor knew this to be treacherous and wrong, but the selfish part of him didn't much care anymore. Part of him would be willing to fight for that girl, even if it was against Lord Shiba. As he turned to look around, he saw that Dayu had disappeared, vanished back into the darkness of the night. For now, he would wait and keep a silent vigil on the manor. After all, he had all the time in the world.
To Be Concluded...
