A/N: How about quick recap of the previous chapters?
Fifteen months ago, the others mysteriously disappeared by the work of the evil Nighlock, Serrator. After a few rough months of being an incomplete team, they have all reassembled. But something has come up with Emily: her plan with the Black Box chooses now to backfire, and because of Skarf's ferocious attack, now the others know about it as well. But what happens to the others when they realize that Emily is missing?
Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers: Samurai, just the plot.
Note: There will be no pairings in here, just friendship and a bit of fluff (Jemily and Kia). Antonio and Emily fluff will only be sibling-like in this one. Yeah, it's one of those team-bonding stories. So, enjoy!
And no, Emily is not dead yet. She's still alive, at least, for a while longer. (Spoiler? Read to find out.)
~PRS~PRS~PRS~PRS~
True Strength
Chapter 7: New Beginnings
Emily's note was found the next morning by a distraught Mia. She screeched for everyone to get into the room at that very second.
She had woken Mike up, which was a big mistake, always, because Mike was not the morning person. Once they all had entered the room where Mia found the note, they all asked her, "What's wrong, Mia?"
Mia read Emily's note out loud:
"Dear Friends,
I'm sorry that my handwriting is shaky. I suppose I really am reaching my limit. I'm sorry for ruining that good moment. We had just celebrated a big victory, not just from a Nighlock defeat, but also because we were finally all back together and acting like a team again. I ruined that moment, and for that, I deeply apologize. Please, don't blame yourself, Antonio. None of this was your fault. None of this was anyone's fault but mine. I am not saying goodbye, but rather, 'See you later.' I'm in a better place, but not that place. I'm at the Tengen Gate, because Daisuke told me to go there.
Sincerely, Emily"
"We have to go after her!" Mia was on the verge of crying. Heck, she probably already was.
"Mia, calm down," Jayden cut in, surprisingly very calm.
"How can you say that?!" Mia nearly screamed everyone's ears off.
"Mia, Jayden is right," Mentor Jii cut in. "If Emily has found peace at the Tengen Gate, or rather, eventually, she will, then we must let her recuperate there. That is perhaps the best place for her to recover, rather than here."
Mia was about to protest, when the Gap Sensor went off.
_P~O_W~E_R~_~R_A~N_G~E_R~S_~_S~A_M~U_R~A_I~
Keep going, keep going. Just a few more steps.
Emily, right now, was completely exhausted. She was going to pass out any minute now. But she had to keep going.
Just three more steps.
Why did this stair case have to be so long and steep?
Two.
Almost there.
One.
Then, she tripped. Landing flat on her face, Emily groaned from the pain it caused.
Feet appeared right next to her head.
Her vision blurry, Emily slowly glanced up just in time to hear Daisuke say, "Good job, Emily," before she passed out.
A smile on his face, Daisuke carried her himself to the recovery room.
_P~O_W~E_R~_~R_A~N_G~E_R~S_~_S~A_M~U_R~A_I~
As the Rangers faced this Nighlock, called Duplicator, who seemed to be a bit of a narcissist, they couldn't help themselves as they were all filled with worry and sadness for and about their dear friend, Emily. At times, Mia found herself snapping in anger, which she took out on the Nighlock. After Antonio had disarmed him with the Lightzord, Mia quickly destroyed Duplicator with her Air Way attack. When he went Mega, Mike allowed her to pilot the Beetle Disk for the Battlewing, with Antonio piloting the Clawzord and the Lightzord.
Due to Mia's anger and frustration, as well as depression of the possibility of losing her "little sister", Duplicator was defeated in no time flat.
_P~O_W~E_R~_~R_A~N_G~E_R~S_~_S~A_M~U_R~A_I~
Emily felt some liquid against her dry, chapped lips and slowly recognized it as some of Daisuke's herbal medicine. She opened her eyes, but all she received was darkness.
Bright light cut through the darkness and some white clouds appeared. Those clouds revealed a golden gate.
"Where am I?"
"Now, you are truly dead." Emily turned around to face Daisuke, in spirit form, but he was there. "And the Black Box has died with you, but thanks to all the many uses of it, it has rebooted. You are now no longer connected to the Black Box."
"I-I am?" She couldn't bring herself to believe that she was dead, but she was glad that the Black Box had been fixed.
"Yes, those are the gates to heaven," Daisuke continued. "But you do have a choice." This caught her attention right away. "You may either choose to stay on Earth with your friends or enter the Gates of Heaven to eternal peace." Emily knew what she was going to pick: the latter. Eternal peace sounded very tempting right now. Then she could go back to earth to her friends and share that peace with them. "But there is a catch." Emily's smile went away. "Once you enter the Gates of Heaven, you can never come back."
"Then," Emily said, "I have to make a choice. Stay dead or die later."
"Yes, Emily, this is the point of no return."
Stay dead. Then that way she could keep that eternal peace.
Die later. That way she could still stay…with her friends…
"How do I choose?" Emily asked as Daisuke started to fade away from view. "Do I just say it?"
"No, you must say it with your heart, otherwise, they're just empty words," and Daisuke disappeared completely.
Emily closed her eyes. She had chosen now. She opened them, and she was lying on the floor, on a Japanese style futon, Daisuke and an assistant standing over her, and she back at the Tengen Gate.
"Daisuke…"
The old man smiled and told her, "Good job. You're older self has died. Now it is time to face your true destiny. Can your hear them, Emily? All the prayers spreading across time, all for you? Now, awaken, Gatekeeper!"
Emily's hazel eyes widened in shock as she felt Daisuke's symbol power of healing and life join with her own Symbol Power of Earth…
_P~O_W~E_R~_~R_A~N_G~E_R~S_~_S~A_M~U_R~A_I~
When the others had returned to Shiba House, they were surprised to find Jii already waiting for them outside. He had done it before, but he rarely ever did it. It usually meant that either he was extremely worried or had very important news to share.
As Antonio and Kevin tried their best to soothe a still angry Mia, Jayden spoke up, "What's wrong, Jii?"
"Nothing. I was just worried that one of you may not have come back at all. My worry was for not. I apologize."
Jayden placed a comforting hand on his mentor's shoulder. "Don't, Jii. Don't apologize. Your worry means the world to us. Besides, you couldn't help. Especially after the whole ordeal with Emily…"
The air around them went quiet and intense. Emily had grown to be a sore subject in the Shiba House now. No one liked to talk about Emily's predicament, not when they knew she was still very ill. Only very good news could change this.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by a Samrauizer ringing. Jii reached into his robe and pulled his out. He answered, "Hello?" The Rangers listened intently. "Daisuke? She is? Alright. I understand. Thank you for all your help, Daisuke. Bye." When Jii hung up, he found himself being surrounded by the Rangers.
"What's wrong with Emily?" Antonio asked. "Has her condition worsened? Is she dead?"
"No, actually, Emily is just fine, or rather, she will be. She's gotten over the critical situation of her illness and she got through it just fine. According to Daisuke, she put up one hell of a fight. However, Daisuke has asked us to let Emily stay at the Tengen gate for a few more days in order to let her recuperate fully." He turned to the team leader and Emily's superior. "Jayden?"
He nodded. "Of course." Sharing a content smile with the others, finally, he added, "We'll give her all the time she needs."
~PRS~PRS~PRS~PRS~
Not my best work, I know. Sorry about that. Hopefully that fact that I finally updated makes up for it.
A/N: What do you think of it, so far? Any questions? Feel free to ask. Sorry about the late update.
Any comments? Thoughts? Feelings? I'm free to answer questions about it. Just review and/or PM me.
Major Question: What happened at the Tengen Gate just now? Any guesses?
