Here its is the chapter that answers all questions.

What is the ribbon all about?

Why did antonio call emily an angel?

What is Jaydens problem?

Will Jayden ever admit his feelings for Emily?

All these questions will be answered in this chapter.

This Chapter is much longer than another other that i have written apx 3x larger in fact. Read every detail and pay attention, its easy to understand as long as you read everything.

As well this chapter was written to a particular selection of music i would recommended listening to them while reading, of course you do not have to but i think i really enhances parts of this chapter. Also this chapter IS RATED T for character death. so just a fair warning.

SONGS

In my arms -Plumb

Be Strong- Delta Goodrem

The Freshman- The Verve Pipe

PLEASE REVIEW !I love to hear from you guys and see what you are thinking and it really helps me know if you are understanding the story or not. I look forward to hearing from you. so with out any farther ado

I PRESENT TO YOU

RIBBONS AND RIVERS


Ribbons and Rivers

Booom! Crash!

It was the worst storm in years, the rain was pouring down by the bucket load, and it would not be long until the nearby river spilled over the banks and began flooding nearby homes. He knew they would be safe though, he watched his father pile bags of sand around their house the last few days. As well his father had dug a 2 foot deep trench around the perimeter of the house for an extra line of protection.

Booom!

He knew he was safe but it didn't change the fact that the sound of the thunder and lightning kept him awake, also even though he would never admit it around his friends or his father… it scared him.

He slowly crept out of his bed and tip toed down the hall to where his mother slept. Normally he would have stayed in his room out of fear that his father would tell him to man up. This time was different though, and besides his father was not home.

He had left early morning on some unnamable errand.

As he pushed the door to his mother's room open, he at first was worried he would wake her but instead he heard the sound of her comforting voice. "I was wondering when you were going to come in here and protect your old mom from the scary storm." She said as she sat up in her bed and reached her arms out to her son. He ran to her and climbed into her bed with her.

"It's okay mom, I am here to protect you." He said as he snuggled up in the warm blankets with her.

"So who is going to protect you then?"

Beebeebeebeebeep!

Morning, or at least for Jayden it was, 5:45 am time to get up and train. He used to get up at 6:30 to train and then would join the other rangers for breakfast at 7, but things had not been like that in a while. In fact the rangers did not even eat breakfast together anymore; they had not eaten breakfast together in month now, not since Emily left.

After Emily left things changed practically overnight, in fact they did. Each morning Emily would wake up at 6:30 with Jayden and while he would train and shower up she would quietly prepare a nice breakfast for everyone so that no one would have to endure Mia's cooking, she would tell me she did it because Mia was always making dinner. After breakfast was finished she would always make Jayden a nice hot cup of tea and place it by the door of the Dojo as a way of saying breakfast is ready. After that it would be 7 am and everyone's alarms would be going off, and not wanting breakfast to get cold they would always hurry to the kitchen for breakfast. Everyone would talk and laugh together; it was always a great way to start the day.

Mornings were much different now though. Unable to sleep Jayden began waking up much earlier and would train until he was too hungry to continue, that would usually be around 9. Mia never felt motivated to cook breakfast, she felt like she would be replacing Emily if she made breakfast, but she still missed Emily very much so she still awoke every day at 7 and would wander into the kitchen and sit and the table and wait for Emily to just be there one day. Kevin feeling bad for what Mia was going through would get up around 7:15 just to go comfort Mia and make her eat something. Mike had gotten very lazy; he didn't get up until 8:30 and sometime even later. He would poor a single bowl of cereal, eat it slowly and then would quietly walk outside to train. Antonio began spending more time at the Shiba house to help train with Serena, but mostly to keep an eye on Jayden, who's health had begun declining due to lack of sleep.

Serena being new there really did not notice the major difference in the rangers. She knew that Emily thought the world of them from all the letters she received from her, and in the letter they did seem to be a bit livelier. She did not complain though, she was being trained daily and was progressing quiet well. They worked well as a team in battle and she really felt like she was doing a good job, which she was but she did notice that she could not seem to get in close with the other rangers. It was not for lack of trying nor was it because they were rejecting her; they all were just very quiet. She at times would speak with mentor Ji about it and he was always very reassuring but, she knew that they all were just really missing Emily.

"Mentor?"

"Yes Serena."

"Sometimes I feel like maybe I got sick because my sister really was meant to be Yellow ranger and I wasn't. I know that sounds wrong but, I can't help but feel my coming has ruined a perfectly good family."

He sat by her side and took her hands in his. "Serena, your sister was loved very much but you are here now and are doing right by your family, you are saving the world. You have been nothing but an asset to this team ever since you have arrived, you truly are a gifted Samurai, you are part of this team now and we are happy to have you."

She smiled and thanked Ji and then joined the others outside for practice. She practiced daily with everyone and it was always such a learning experience. She enjoyed the time she spent with each of her fellow rangers; however she could not say the same for her training with Jayden. He was always so hard on her; it was like he was really trying to hurt her sometimes.

As Jayden's sword came crashing against her own the force from him pushed her to her ground. "Are you this intense with everyone, or do you just really dislike me?" she questioned from the ground.

"If you don't get pushed you will never be as good as you need to be." He answered as she got back on her feet.

"As good as I need to be or as good as my sister?" she asked defensively

"You're already as good as your sister, I just want to make sure you won't ever need constant protecting, you need to be strong on your own."

"But aren't we supposed to look out for each other? That what a team does doesn't it, it looks out for one another. I know it's your job to deliver the sealing symbol to master Xandred and I promise I will be able to protect you so that you can fulfill your duty as red ranger."

"That is not your job. I can protect myself; your only job is to help the team succeed in all our dealing with the Nighlok."

"Why are you so guarded?"

"I'm not." He said as he put is practice sword down and walked away. "Training is done for now."

"It my job to protect you mom, I'm going to be red ranger someday after all."

"You know, it's okay to let someone else take care of you sometimes, even the red ranger needs to have someone protect him at times." She pulled him into her arms tightly. "Especially at times like these, you need to know that you will always be safe in my arms."

"Mom? Did dad ever need protecting when he was the red ranger?"

"Your father would have never made it as far as he did if it was not for the other rangers, they would have given their lives for your father."

*Cough cough*

"Mom?" the boy cried as his mother continued to cough. "Mom!" she began to cough up blood.

"MOM!"

"Alight amigo enough is enough. You have been walking around here like you hate the world the last few weeks. It is time we talked, and that's not a suggestion, we are going to go for a walk and you're going to talk to me."

Antonio had finally had enough of Jayden being as he was. Enough was enough, he had a plan to help Jayden but he also knew that it could easily back fire if Jayden was not ready for what Antonio had planned for him.

The two boys walked in silence as they left the Shiba house and began walking into the forest. It was not long before Jayden realized where they were going.

"Why are we going there Antonio?" Jayden stopped and started at Antonio

"Because, it's time for you to overcome what's really bothering you." He answered as he placed his hand on Jayden's shoulder.

Jayden pushed his hand away. "You have no idea what's bothering me!" he said as he began walking back towards the Shiba house.

"You gave the ribbon to Emily; I know exactly what's going on with you."

Jayden hung his head low

"Jayden, Emily is not going to end up like your mom."

His mother got sicker and sicker as the days went on. His father spent every evening getting drunk and punching holes in doors.

He would spend opportunity he had with his mother, the only time he didn't was when his best friend Antonio would come over. His mother tried her best to get out of bed and take care of her son but she was so weak.

One day when he came home from school his mother was nowhere to be found. He ran from room to room calling for her, even Antonio joined in, in the search. After hours of searching they found her sitting by a river, miles from the house.

"Mom!"

She turned and smiled at her son as he came running towards her. Antonio followed but kept his distance.

"Mom what are you doing out here, your sick you need to be resting!" he grabbed her arm and tried pulling her up. "Come on mom we need to get you home."

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a single red ribbon. "This is the most important possession I have son."

"Mom we can talk later please lets go home."

She smiled and continued talking. "When your father and I were dating, he often took me to the river and we would feed ducks and just talk to each other. He was still a ranger when I met him."

Young Jayden sat down by his mom, realizing she was trying to tell him something important.

"He was always so worried for my safety, the day before his final battle he asked me to marry him, and he didn't have a ring so instead he ripped his uniform and made this ribbon. He tied it in my hair and told me he would always love me no matter what, and then he left."

"My mother and Emily have nothing to do with each other!" He snapped at Antonio

"Then why did you push Emily away, and then give her that ribbon?"

"I…I don't know."

"Yea you do, you were trying to protect her."

"She was leaving, I was only trying to make it easier for her to let go, nothing more." He protested

"Then why did you give her the ribbon Jayden?"

She looked to her son. "I want you to have this." As she handed him the ribbon.

"Mom why are you giving me this, it's yours."

"Son someday you are going to find a girl you will love with all your heart, and you will always want to protect her, be by her side and make sure she always knows you love her. This girl will be your angel, she will love you with all her heart. When that day comes I want you to give her this Ribbon."

"Mom, I don't need your Ribbon it's yours!"

"I love you so much son! I wish I could watch you grow up, I wish I could be there for you when life gets hard, I wish I could hold you In my arms forever, I wish I could protect you from all the thing that will hurt you, you have such a hard journey ahead son, please just remember I will always love you."

"Mom stop talking like that, your fine, we just need to get you home."

"Give it to your angel son…promise me, and remember love is sacrifice." Her eyes began to close and her body started to go limp as she fell into the river.

He jumped in the river and held her in his arms. "MOM!" he cried "Please don't leave me!" "Please mom, wake up, mom I love you please wake up!" "Please!" "No, no, no, no, mom please wake up!" "I promise mom, I promise!"

That night after the funeral, his father called Mentor Ji and asked him to take Jayden into training early. After the call was made his father turned to his son, "She made the Ultimate sacrifice for you son, you had better not fail." Then with that his father packed a bag and left.

He walked into his mother room and looked around at all the proof that she once existed in his life. He found her favorite blanket on her bed…it still smelled like her. He sat on the floor of her bed and held her blanket close to his face. 'What had his father meant by, his mother made the ultimate sacrifice?' his mother just got sick, he didn't understand. He didn't even understand how she got so sick.

He pulled the ribbon out of his pocket and looked at it. "Mom, I promise I will give it to the right girl, she will be an angel I promise, but if I find her I don't want her to die too. I didn't want you to die mom, please come back to me….I need you.

"I don't want to talk about this Antonio; I thought you promised me you would never bring this up."

"You also promised you would be okay and would get over your mother's death; so it seems both of us have broken our promises."

"Antonio, I have long since overcome my mother's death."

"If you have, then prove it, keep walking and go down to the river."

"Why does this matter to you so much!"

"You gave Emily the ribbon, AFTER you pushed her away; why would you push her away?"

"I told you she had to lea..."

"Shut up Jayden! You could have fought for her to stay, and you could have told her how you felt, that ribbon only means something to you, she has no idea what it means, you are not honoring your mothers last wish the way she wanted you to! She wanted you to protect and stand by the side of the girl you gave that ribbon to, not push her away, if…"

"I am protecting Emily!" "She can't get hurt if she is away from me and all of this madness." His voice began to soften. "I will not lose her too, I will not be able to protect her, she is better off without me."

"If Emily loses or gets rid of that ribbon you will have lost the most important item to your mother, do you understand that?"

"yes I know I just…."

"You need to accept that your mother and Emily are not the same person, their fates will not be the same, go down to the river and learn to accept your mother's death, and then move forward with your life."

"Antonio my mother died because of me she is dead because of me!"

"You don't know that Jayden, your father was just upset, he probably only said that because he wanted to blame someone for her death, and let's say she really did sacrifice herself somehow, that was her choice, it was not your fault, you need to accept that not everything that happens is your fault, it's time to move on Jayden." Then with that Antonio walked away and left Jayden to make his choice.

Knowing he was a Nighlok now, how could he ever expect to protect Emily from anything, especially himself? He was not even sure he could still seal away master xandred anymore. Antonio was right though he needed to get over his mother's death.

For hours he did not move from the spot Antonio left him at, he just stood there and tried to find the strength he needed to go down to the river. Soon a storm began to blow in. The sky started to darken and the winds grew in strength. It was just like the day his mother first got sick. The memory pained him so much, but he knew it was time to find the inner strength and overcome that painful memory. The rain was not yet coming down but the thundering clouds continued to threaten.

Then finally he took a step forward, and then another and soon he found that he was drawing closer and closer to the river. As he drew closer the memories of his mother flashed in his mind over and over. She used to take him to the river when he was just a boy and they would feed ducks together. She always took her shoes off and hung them in the tree while she soaked her feet. He even remembered seeing the ribbon in her long blonde hair; she would always fiddle with it when she was thinking about something important.

As he drew closer to the river he began to notice there was a figure sitting at the river. He didn't understand; no one in their right mind would be at the river while a storm was approaching. As he got even closer the figure became clearer. It was woman, she had long blonde hair and a red ribbon tied in her hair. "Mom?" he wondered and he started to run down to the bank of the river where she sat. When he got there though, she was nowhere to be seen. "Mom!" he yelled. He looked farther down the river and again he saw her, she was standing in the river this time. He ran down the river bank to get to her. Then once again when he got there she was nowhere to be found.

The storm was really picking up now and the rains began to pour down. He continued to run by the bank of the river and look for his mother. As he did the river water began to rise and started to rage. "Mom? Where are you?" He soon saw the body of his mother lying down in the river further down the river, the same way it was on the day she died. He jumped into the river and began to race down to her. When he got there she was gone again. "STOP LEAVING ME!" he yelled. Just then a strong wave from the now raging river crashed into him and knocked him into the water and left him unconscious and lost to the depths of the water.

"It's okay; I'm here for you now"

"Mom?"

"no"

"Where am I?"

"Why don't you open your eyes and find out?"

His eyes began to slowly open and when they did again he saw the blonde hair, but no ribbon and not his mother. "Emily?"


No for all of you who might misunderstand it was not emily in the river, he was hallucinating, essentially the ghost of his mother was leading him to Emily.

the next chapter will have SERIOUSE JEMILY moments in it just so you know.

so here is the deal the more reviews i get the sooner i will post kk

Tell me your thoughts on this chapter