Mia stood by the door, unsure of how to approach this situation. In the few months she had been a samurai, she had, in a way, adopted Emily as a sort-of-sister, but Mia didn't know the first thing about actually taking care of a little sister. She could play the big sister role when it meant stopping fights or easing fears or inspiring self-esteem and confidence, but she didn't know how to pick up the pieces.

She watched as Emily crawled into bed and grabbed a yellow stuffed ape; the same stuffed ape her sister had given her before she left. It was the only thing Emily truly cherished in this house, but at the same time, this was the only time Mia had seen Emily holding it so tightly.

"What did he do?" she asked the yellow Ranger as she walked closer to the girl's bed. Emily shrugged.

"He didn't really do anything," she turned away from Mia before the Wind Samurai noticed the tears. "We were just doing the dishes and I broke one of them. That's when you came in."

"Why don't I believe you?" Mia asked softly as she took a seat beside her fellow female Ranger. She nudged Emily, "There's more to it, I know there is. You can trust me."

"I don't want to talk about it," Emily shook her head. "You can go watch your movie with Kevin. I don't care. I just want to be alone."

"As tempting as that is, I don't think I would be able to enjoy the movie. Not when I know there's something bothering you."

"Nothing's bothering me."

"Emy…"

"Fine," Emily placed her ape back beside her pillow and forced a smile for Mia's sake. She got up from the bed and walked to the door, "We'll both go watch the movie with the guys."

Mia groaned inwardly as Emily opened the door and walked out. She could see the surprised look on Kevin's face. He hadn't been expecting Emily to come out of her room so quickly.

The yellow Ranger took her seat and waited for Mia to join. Mike had disappeared somewhere after retelling his perspective of the events to Kevin and getting a long talk on him getting too close to Emily too fast. Kevin stood by his beliefs that Emily was just a kid. He wanted her to be part of the team. He knew it was important that she was treated as an equal member. But socially and when they weren't Rangers, he assumed everyone needed to remember that she was only sixteen years old. He didn't like how Mike was trying to worm his way in, and had, in a way, accused Mike of taking advantage. This caused Mike to leave.

Mia walked over and sat down beside Kevin, who had moved the stools closer together against the wall to form a couch. To make things a little more comfortable, he found pillows and placed them against the wall as well.

When Mia was in her seat, Kevin started the DVD. He had chosen something family friendly; something with a good message, a strong plot, and a lot of humour.

Emily seemed to be enjoying herself while the movie played, but Kevin and Mia knew this wasn't a fix. Kevin leaned in closer to Mia.

"Either you're really good at the whole feel-better thing, or Emily's stubborn."

"She wouldn't say a word," Mia shook her head and whispered, "I don't think it's got anything to do with Mike."

"Mike told me what happened," Kevin said. "His version, at least. He thinks there's something bothering Emily and he wants to help her out. He says he feels like he knows her best and she'll open up to him better than anyone else."

"Why does he think that?" Mia frowned. "I share a room with her. I train with her."

"I don't know," Kevin shrugged. "All I know is we don't really know Mike that much. All we know is that he likes to play his own game. He's usually got his own agenda and he doesn't care who he steps on. He was the one who used your bad cooking to give himself a good time."

"I don't get it," Mia turned to Kevin.

"It's just… Mike and Emily… Emily and Mike…"

"You don't think…?"

"Mike's in denial," Kevin nodded, "Either that, or he's playing a role to keep me and Jayden calm. The guy's one of my best friends, I would never say anything bad about him, but…"

"You don't have to say anything," Mia said. "I was thinking the same…"

Mia suddenly jumped and closed her eyes as the cartoon shark swam across the screen, bearing his teeth. She hid her face in Kevin's shoulder.

"Tell me when it's over!"

Both Kevin and Emily turned to her with a perplexed look. Emily pointed to the screen.

"It's Finding Nemo."

"I hate sharks."

"It's a cartoon," Kevin grinned. "One of the best. My dad used to get me to watch it when I felt like giving up. He always told me: where would Nemo be if he or his father gave up?"

"A fish tank in Australia," Emily answered. "Or, if that little brat got her hands on him, he would be back in the ocean, belly up."

"I hate sharks," Mia repeated and grabbed onto Kevin for safety. He chuckled, shook his head and wrapped his arm around her protectively while the shark chased after Marlin and Dory. It was a very scary scene, for a two-year old maybe, but Kevin didn't mind. After all, he liked holding Mia and he loved that she felt safe with him.

-Samurai-

Something's bothering her, I know it, Mike pondered as he walked through the halls. He didn't want to see anyone at this point, not if they were going to accuse him of putting his foot in his mouth and hurting one of his friends again. He would never do something that stupid, not intentionally.

He thought he had earned their respect. He thought they were finally starting to realise that there was more to him than video games, jokes and skateboarding. He wanted to be a Samurai, and he loved being a Ranger. When it came down to it, he knew he would always make the right decision: the decision to protect the world and his friends.

But he couldn't even be friends with the yellow Ranger without the others breathing down his neck. It was crazy. All he wanted was to help her out. He knew she was worried about her sister. He knew she constantly felt like she was living in her shadow. He knew all these things about her and he knew he could help. She just wasn't opening up and letting him help.

It didn't help that the others kept interrupting.

She was about to tell me, Mike kicked the wall, a little too forcefully, and hurt his foot. He hissed inwardly and started bouncing until he reached a door frame. He leaned against it and rubbed his foot until a sound caught his ears. Ignoring the pain in his foot, he walked over and saw Kevin, Mia and Emily enjoying a movie. Mia and Kevin were cuddling together on the couch and every time the shark appeared on the screen, Mia would move in even closer to Kevin and he would hold her. Mike was going to remember this next time Kevin tried to use the "duty before self" excuse to step around his crush on Mia. He knew the blue Ranger was enjoying her closeness.

He then turned to Emily, sitting alone on her stool. His expression softened as he watched her. If she wasn't going to open up to him, he was going to figure out what was bothering her. There had to be something he was missing. Something she said.

"I guess trying to fill my sister's shoes has brought back some of my insecurities."

"If we ever beat the Nighloks and Master Xandred."

"I got my butt kicked out there. I guess I'm just hoping to pass out before the pain kicks in."

"You guysdid a great job."

"She usually beat me, but she would always give me pointers and I would improve… well, improve to the point where I wouldn't lose by much."

"Serena always told me I could do anything I set my heart too. But I'll never be as good as her."

Mike let out a deep sigh. He knew what was bothering Emily. It was clear as day to him now.

He turned away and walked off without a word. Now that he knew what the problem was he could work on fixing it without her knowing he had figured her out. He just needed to find a way.

On his way back to his room, he walked by Jayden's room and overheard Jayden and Ji talking. Curiosity got the better of him and he leaned in to listen. If they were talking about tomorrow's training, he could use the night to think about how he could help Emily. He was her training partner after all.

"I think it's obvious who should get the Swordfish," he heard Jayden tell Master Ji. "Kevin's worked hard for it."

"There is definitely a connection between Kevin and the swordfish," Ji agreed. "Of course, the tiger belongs to you, Jayden."

"There's just a matter of choosing a candidate for the beetle," Jayden said. "We need to pick one of the three."

"I don't feel Emily is ready to pilot the Samurai Battle Wing," when Mike heard Mentor Ji saying this his fists clenched. Emily was very capable of doing anything. She had proven that when she fought the Negatron. Mike believed in her, but it was no wonder she didn't believe in herself. Her Mentor didn't even believe in her.

"That leaves Mia and Mike," Jayden continued. "I think both of them are more than ready to handle the responsibility."

"They are," Mentor Ji seemed to agree and Mike felt a sense of pride for himself. At least he was getting some recognition. He had been working very hard as of late and had even bested Kevin a few times. That on its own was enough of an accomplishment. It wasn't easy to do, "But one Samurai has been showing a lot of potential lately. I feel it deserves to be rewarded."

Mike grinned for not only did it sound like he would be given the honour of possessing the beetle Zord, but he also had an idea for how to help Emily. All his hard work was paying off. If Emily wanted to improve as well, he was going to teach her.

But first, he wanted that beetle.