A/N: Here you all go! PRS but Jemily Style and with a major twist!
Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. Mr. Saban does and always will.
Here I present to you the next Chapter! One step closer to the finale. Will she finally tell the others her secret in this Chapter? Read to find out.
These next three Chapters I really want to get out, so expect fast updates. That way I can get the Christmas chapter actually up on Christmas this year.
~PRS~PRS~PRS~PRS~
"Emily has a choice to make, a very difficult one. Finally being free from her curse sounded very tempting, and she could finally stretch her wings. But if she sacrificed the human world for her own selfish gain, her wings would wither away so she couldn't fly…"
Top of the World
Chapter 26: Stroke of Fate
August 15, 2013
Panorama City, City Square
When Jayden woke up a couple hours later, his first instinct was to see if his friends were okay.
He painfully lifted his head to get a better view of his team. Kevin was stirring, cradling his sprained, left arm. Mia was on her back, holding her knee. Mike was on his side, holding his torsi, due to a possible broken rib or two. Antonio...
Antonio was up and walked toward and unconscious Emily, his Barracuda Blade in hand.
"Antonio," Jayden warned, coughing quite a bit. The others turned to the Gold Ranger, watching him carefully. "Antonio, what are you doing?"
"We have an opportunity to end this once and for all," he replied, emotionless, refusing to let to the others see the unshed tears in his eyes that had yet to completely surface. "We might as well take it."
Kevin said nothing. He would have praised Antonio for doing to right thing, but due to it being three against two at the moment, he decided against it.
Antonio was standing directly over Emily now. Emily was lying on her back on a broken piece of a flight of stairs made out of stone, her feet near the top and her head at the bottom. Unsheathing his weapon slightly, Antonio's gaze never wavered from Emily...
She looked so helpless just lying there...
The others watched this scene intently, waiting to see how it would unfold.
'I'm sorry about my pride. It could have been my downfall. So, I'll start over. I'm the Gold Ranger, Antonio Garcia.'
'Welcome to the team! I'm Emily Suzuki, the Yellow Ranger!'
She was the first one to take him seriously and play along. She was the first one to accept him on the team. His mind shifted to another memory.
'I just don't understand why Kevin could hate me so much. I guess he only likes real samurai, huh?'
'That's not true, Tonio. You see, I'm not supposed to be a Ranger either, but Kevin likes me just fine.'
'What? You're not?! Why not? You sure look like a real Samurai to me!'
'Hahaha~! Thanks, Tonio, but my older sister, Serena, got sick and so I had to take her place. She's the real Yellow, not me.'
'Don't sell yourself short, Em. I'm sure she's proud of you.'
'I know she is, and I am proud of you. You know for a fact that a being a true Samurai is what is in your heart. All you have to do to make up with Kevin is get him to realize that. Hey, who knows? Maybe you'll get him to loosen up a bit...'
Antonio's grip on his handle tightened as he remembered that conversation. She was the one who encouraged him to keep going.
'Hey, Em.'
'Hey, Tonio.'
'Do you think my obsession for fishing is a little weird? I mean, other people kinda give me very strange looks as I walk by, like their disgusted or something...'
'Of course not. Don't let it get to your head, Tonio. Besides, you're not obsessed with fish. Fish is your passion. If that's what you like to do, then just ignore those stares and all those comments you get. Keep on fishing! Besides, if you didn't like fish, we wouldn't have had all those fish dinners you keep making us. You're a very good cook, by the way.'
'Aw, gracias, amiga. I can teach you how to cook if you like. And Mia too.'
'I'd very much appreciate that, Tonio. Thank you.'
And such was her advice to him on bullying. Antonio squeezed his eyes shut.
'Thank you again, Emily, for not giving up on me.'
'No problem, Antonio. I don't give up on anyone.'
'Mike's right. That is why you wear the wristband...'
The Green Ranger's words rang in his ears.
'Emily is the Gem, but she's also our friend...our sister...would you really turn your back on her and ignore everything she's ever done for you?'
"No," he said aloud, causing the others to give him confused looks. He sheathed his Barracuda Blade and lowered it. "I'm sorry, Kevin, but I can't do it. Emily saved me...many times...more than I can count. She followed me when I was rejected by everyone when I wanted to join the team. She came after me. She brought my spirits up. She refused to give up on me." She lowered his voice. "She taught me what it really meant to have true friends, to be a true Samurai. Sorry, Kevin. I tried to do the right thing, and I believed I could do that if I sided with Kevin, but..." a single tear fell down his bruised cheek, "Mike, will you forgive me and accept me onto your side?"
Mike quietly replied, "Of course, Antonio. There's always room for one more. Two more, actually, if Kevin ever realizes what Emily means to him..."
"We have a duty as Samurai," Kevin stated firmly, yet unshed tears also in his eyes, touched deeply by what Antonio just said. "It is our duty to protect this world. And if doing that means destroying Emily, so be it."
"KILL!" Mike suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs, causing Emily to finally stir. The others all jumped at his sudden volume, even Jayden. "KILL, KEVIN, NOT DESTROY! Emily may be the Gem, but she's also a human being! You don't destroy humans, Hamasaki, you KILL them!"
The Blue Ranger realized with a sudden, painful pang of guilt that Mike was right. Antonio was right. They were all right. Maybe he was on the wrong side…
That harsh silence when interrupted when they heard Emily finally stir. Her hazel eyes fluttered open and the pain finally hit her. She lightly groaned, trying to hide her pain from the others. She sat up, holding her dislocated shoulder, her left shoulder, in pain, preparing to do the most insane thing she's ever done.
Pop her shoulder back into place.
Roughly shoving her shoulder back into the socket, unimaginable pain shot throughout her entire body, but mainly resides in her shoulder, but she knew that she had succeeded. She barely managed to suppress a loud cry of pain, but the expression on her face revealed all of her emotions.
"Are you okay, Em?" She hears Mia ask softly, gently...sincerely...
"Y-Yeah..."
"Yeah," Mike replies, "you just popped your shoulder back in place. It hurts for a while, but afterwards, you know it was worth it, because you feel much better than before." Emily nodded, a small smile on her face, memories of the same thing happening to Mike. But instead of popping it back himself, Jayden had done it for him. The Green Ranger cursed his leader at first, but Jayden's smile, half-smirk, never wavered, and soon he had asked Mike if he was feeling any better. Mike noticed the pain fading, and he apologized, swearing to never doubt Jayden again.
Emily lightly coughed before asking, "You guys...can still stand, right? You're not hurt?"
"Not severely, no," Antonio replied. "We'll be okay, Em. Don't worry about us."
"I can't help it," Emily quietly said in return. Her little smile was gone, and her voice was barely above a whisper. But the others could still hear her. "It's sheer instinct."
~P~O~W~E~R~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~S~U~P~E~R~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~T~O~P~OF~T~H~E~W~O~R~L~D~
Shiba House, Sitting Room
Emily had led them all back to the Shiba House, so they could all recuperate. While the others were having their injuries bandaged by Mentor Jii, Emily had refused treatment, saying that her friends needed it more than she did. Now, they were looking at the table map, and Emily's mind was highly preoccupied with what Serrator had told her.
'You have a choice to make as well, Yellow Ranger. As I was telling Deker, the one who must make that final stroke must be one who feels the pain of both humans and Nighlock, but belongs to neither. But don't worry about people getting hurt, Yellow Ranger. Let me assure you, once you slice the earth open, you will be free as well.'
Freedom...
That sounded so tempting to her. It sounded like paradise. One stroke and her wings would finally stretch out. No more curse. No more bad destiny. She would finally be at peace.
But if she sacrificed the human world for her own selfish gain, the guilt would build up and soon, her wings would wither away so she couldn't fly.
But she wanted to be free...
She was snapped out of her thoughts by Antonio getting up, the seat he was sitting up giving off the sound of the friction of the chair sliding across the hardwood floor.
"I'm sorry, Emily, but I must confess!" She glanced at him, wondering could have him so worked up. "I almost killed you."
She glanced back at the map, saying quietly, "That's okay."
A silence immediately hung over the group. Obviously, they were surprised at her answer.
"No, Emily," Antonio retorted, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. This caused her to look at him, sympathetically and guilt-fully, "Not on accident. On purpose."
She sadly glanced down at the ground before pursing her lips, and she walked over to him and finally made eye contact with him. The others watched this scene fold out very carefully.
Unshed tears were in her eyes as well.
"I know, Antonio, and I told you. That's okay." She saw his eyes filled up immediately with more pain that he was already feeling. Without any other words, she wrapped him a warm, tight embrace. She quietly told them all, "I know, you guys, saying 'I'm sorry' is not enough, but right now..." Tears began to flood her vision once more, "I don't know what else to say."
She released Antonio from the hug and, without another word, she left the House for the second time that day.
Antonio, and the others, could only stare after her, all wishing they had begged her not to go, that they had asked her to stay. That they had requested that she explain herself.
"Do any of you know," Jii suddenly asked, quietly, but loud enough where they could hear him, "what it would be like to be in her shoes? Do any of you realize how much pain this has caused her, and is causing her right now, and will cause her in the future?"
"Mentor...you knew about this?" Kevin asked, nearly whispering, the emotions building up. After witnessing what Emily had just said and done, he knew he would never be the same.
"Yes, she told me a while back in June," he replied, his voice strong and sturdy. "I made my decision the moment I realized that she was hurting because of her identity as the Gem. She has known of her destiny since she was five years old. Only her mother and her sister knew. The only one outside of her family who knew of this was your father, Jayden. He told me Lilia had told him something secretive about Emily. I never believed him or knew what he meant until Emily confessed to me in June."
"My dad knew?"
"Since the moment Emily was born. Why do you think your father repeated you the meaning of teamwork every day?" Jayden glanced back at the table map, unable to deny the truth in these words. "Jonathon Shiba had a premonition soon after his team united together. Something would happen to the Yellow Ranger line in the 18th Generation, something that was good to the Nighlock, and sure enough, he was right." When no one replied to this, Jii continued, "But, ever since she was five, she refused to connect with anyone, yet she wanted to be everyone's friend, as she wanted to have the image of her being a good person in as many minds as possible. She is still a natural born klutz, but all that teasing only made her feel worse about her destiny. Serena got ill on purpose, so that with Serena out of the way, Xandred could have easier means of getting to his portal on that day of destiny. Imagine Emily's guilt. Yet, she still kept moving forward, despite knowing how much pain her destiny would cost her, especially once you guys came into the picture. She did not want to hurt any of you, and that's why she hesitated in telling you."
"She was trying to protect us," Mia softly said, the others finally connecting all the dots.
"And that's why she went through that phase of going rouge in battle," Mike added. "She wanted to prove she was strong enough to protect us, while actually protecting us in the process."
Jii nodded and gently added, "Don't feel bad about not realizing this before. You were so focused on your own pain, you didn't realize that she is in more pain than all of you combined."
~P~O~W~E~R~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~S~U~P~E~R~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~T~O~P~OF~T~H~E~W~O~R~L~D~
Panorama City, Carmelo Forest
Deker stopped to see the Yellow Ranger, de-morphed, but her Spin Sword was in her hand. It was poised so that she was ready to fight at the first sign of trouble.
"Yellow Ranger," he said, calmly, "I half-expected you to already be at Serrator's coordinates by now. But, I see you are ready to fight..." He brandished his Mooger sword and poised to attack.
But Emily lowered her sword and layed it down gently on the ground between them. She was on her knees now, and she lowered her head, giving Deker some respect.
"Don't do it." This request surprised. "Please, I beg of you. This world is a peaceful place. It is full of pain, and I know it hasn't been kind to you, but we eventually learn to accept the bad with the good. That's what makes this world such a beautiful place." Tears splashed onto the dirt below her. "Please, Deker, I beg you, don't do Serrator's bidding."
They were both cursed. They were both persuaded that they were warped, but in all actuality, they weren't. Yet, Deker could feel her pain. Easily. And he realized that...he and the Yellow Ranger were mostly the same. But there was one major difference between them.
While he had let Uramasa corrupt him, Emily refused to give up. She kept moving forward, while he held a firm hand onto the past.
He too lowered his sword and began to walk. He walked past her, but then he stopped. "I admire you, Yellow Ranger. Our curses have us both hurting and suffering, but you kept moving forward. You never gave up. I assure you, Miss Suzuki," Emily immediately looked up at this. She never heard Deker call her 'Miss Suzuki' before. He always referred to the Rangers by color, "my only interest is my sword, Uramasa. Once it is back in my hands, I promise you, I shall walk away." Emily gave a tearful smile, despite the fact that Deker could not see it. "But your choice...I will not try to convince you to do the same as myself. Do what your heart feels is right."
He ended on this note and walked away, leaving her to ponder deeply.
~P~O~W~E~R~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~S~U~P~E~R~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~T~O~P~OF~T~H~E~W~O~R~L~D~
Panorama City, Parkside Trails
The five Rangers, morphed, had just witnessed Deker slash Serrator across the chest. Now Serrator screaming out, "Why?!"
"Your mistake was thinking I shared your hatred of humanity. My only concern is the sword. You made me that way," Deker reminded his 'master'. "Remember?" Off to the side, Dayu's heart fluttered with happiness.
She was so proud of him.
"We're done here," Deker concluded, sheathing his sword, Uramasa. "Besides, your second chance is here, Serrator." He leapt up and landed beside Dayu, and Emily stepped forward. Her gaze remained unfazed as Serrator rushed forward with happiness and relief.
"Ah, you're here, Yellow Ranger," Serrator commented. "This is the spot where the boundary between the two worlds is the weakest." Emily saw it. She felt it. She stood in front of the boulder, her sword at her side, in her hand, her right hand. She was ready.
When she raised her sword to her shoulders, she felt her body go numb. Her nerves would not respond, and they were tingling. Her sense of hearing was fading and her eyesight was getting blurry. She could feel the human misery within the earth, the crevice. She could feel the earth practically beg her to carve it in two, but she could also hear it ask her to help it.
She shifted her grip, yet she felt nothing. Her eyes were glistened over, like she was in a trance.
She was going to slice it open. She would be free. Besides, she knew that she would indeed be free, but her team...they could surely handle it. She had faith in them.
But then, she heard Mike loudly yell, "Jayden, what are you thinking?! That's EMILY!"
She snapped back into focus, fully realizing what she was doing. She could hear Serrator laughing evilly, and she felt, right then, in her heart, that what she was about to do was wrong.
"Bullzooka Blast!"
Emily braced herself for the impact, but it never came. Instead, beside her, Serrator had caught it, but he had not stepped in front of her. He was nowhere near her. She heard Serrator yell, "It's the end of the line for you, Rangers! Literally!"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other five de-morph and collapse on the ground, and in that instant, she realized one very important thing.
"Well, go on, Yellow Ranger! Slice this world in two!"
Jayden wasn't aiming at her. He had fired at Serrator.
Emily's eyes burned with the fire of determination once again, and she spun her Power Disk, raising it up in the air.
Because Jayden, and the others, knew who the real enemy here was.
Serrator.
"NOO!" Jayden yelled, reached out for Emily, their teammate, their friend...their sister.
She brought her sword down, but instead of cutting the rock, much to their surprise, Emily sliced across Serrator's other shoulder.
"WHAT?! You too?!" Serrator exclaimed, dropping to his knees. "Three hundred years of planning, ruined in an instant! WHY?!"
Emily dropped her sword to her side, but she kept a firm grip on it. "You're second mistake was thinking I had no heart for others," she replied, her voice hard and defensive, her anger showing through. "You thought that I was selfish, that I kept my secret from the others because I didn't want to them to reject me." She quieted her voice down, the others listening intently, but also their hearts were touched by what she was saying. "You're wrong about me, Serrator. You're wrong about Deker and me both. Besides, you should probably get it through your head that you can't get everything you want." And she walked away, towards her collapsed and de-morphed friends, without another word.
"You'll still be the portal!" Serrator called after her. She only stopped when she finally reached her friends. When she did, she kneeled down and placed a calm hand on Antonio's shoulder. "You'll still have to do Xandred's bidding!"
"I know," she coldly replied. "But I'd rather do his bidding than yours."
"But Xandred and I...we're both the same!"
"No, you're not!" Emily yelled back. She silenced her voice before replying, "Xandred had a heart once. He loved Lady Ruki, and I solely believe he still does."
"That's rubbish!" Serrator yelled in protest, before noticing that Emily was helping each of her friends stand. They all turned to him, even Emily, whose eyes were filled with such anger, it was beginning to make Serrator suspect that emily was exactly the type of Ranger you wanted to mess with. "You, Yellow Ranger, are more heartless than Deker, just like any Nighlock!"
Emily had a comeback already prepared. "But I'm not a Nighlock, Serrator. I am a Power Ranger, and in the name of all that is good, prepare yourself for divine punishment!"
"Go, Go, Samurai!"
The rest of the fight went well, but Emily was mainly silent, only speaking when spoken to. And in Gigazord cockpit, for the final strike, Emily used some of her own energy, given to her by Xandred, to power up the Shark Sword. She had nearly collapsed after Serrator was finally destroyed, but she suffered in silence, sitting with her back against the wall, rubbing her arms, where underneath, her birthmarks were burning brightly.
She didn't dare interrupt her friends' celebration and important milestone in their job as Rangers.
~P~O~W~E~R~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~S~U~P~E~R~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~T~O~P~OF~T~H~E~W~O~R~L~D~
Panorama City, Seashell Bay
They were walking home now. None of them had any new injuries that were life threatening, which was a huge relief to Emily. This ordeal with Serrator was her fault, or rather, most of it, if not all. Despite this, Emily kept her distance, afraid that should hurt them even more than they already were. As they went on ahead, Emily slowed down and eventually, she had fully stopped and was now watching them walk away.
'Now that they know the truth, I can't be around them anymore...I thought that telling them would finally fix things, but apparently, I was wrong. All it did was make things worse,' she thought sadly.
A sharp pain shot through her body, her birthmarks glowing brightly in the light of the setting sun. She began to feel her energy drain away. Due to this, Emily was forced to sit down and lean against a nearby tree. She suffered in silence, fully confident that the others were already halfway home by now.
But some part of her urged her to call for them, to notify her friends of her suffering. yet, the other part of her told her to keep quiet, to not worry them anymore, to not endanger them anymore.
Torn and broken, tears began to fall from her hazel eyes. But she weakly whispered, her throated constricted painfully and parched, "H-Help me..."
She really couldn't do this by herself. The tears fell harder as she realized that she was being left alone, like she's always wanted, but now that it was finally happening...she hated it...
"I'm sorry..." she whimpered, laying her forehead on her arms, resting on her knees, which her drawn up close to her chest. Curled into a tight ball, she sobbed, "I'm so sorry. It was never my intention to hurt any of you...just, please...I beg of you. Forgive me."
"We already have, Em." She lifted her head and saw her friends through her heavily tear-filled eyes. They were standing over her, someone kneeling next to her, unraveling the scarf around his neck, and using it to wipe away her tears. "Have you been crying?" It was Antonio, the one who was hurt the most by this, the choice they had to make. She didn't want to say 'yes', but she didn't want to lie to them anymore.
So, instead, she replied with, "What makes you say that?"
"We came back for you, Em," Mike said, somewhat dodging the question. "Because…listen, Mentor brought us up to speed. He told us all about your pain and what you suffer every day..." and he faded out.
"And, to be honest," Kevin picked it up, "we should be apologizing to you. We were too wrapped up in our own pain to even consider yours."
"After careful thinking," Mia continued, the others following Antonio and kneeling as well, "we realized that your pain is greater than ours. And so, we're sorry of being inconsiderate of your feelings, and we deeply apologize for all the pain we've caused you."
"Mia, stop," Emily cut in. "You guys didn't do anything to hurt me."
"Yes, we did," the older girl was speaking for them all, and her sincerity was showing through. "Most of the pain you went through trying to tell us was because of us."
It was funny how not even twenty-four hours ago, she couldn't look them in the eyes. Now, they couldn't meet her eyes.
But her mind filled up with memories of them all together, being themselves, having no worries, having fun...
Antonio teaching her how to fish, Antonio being his usual hyper self while the group was out taking a walk and Emily playing along with him, Antonio conquering his dear because of her own heart of gold, Antonio thanking her for being the first one to give him a chance to be on the team...
Kevin teaching her a comlicated move, Kevin comforting her after Jayden ran away, Kevin and herself double-teaming up against Armadeevil, Kevin offering his comfort to her when she was upset about Serena...
Mia and herself liking each other from the moment they first met, Mia talking to Emily about their crushes and overall girl stuff that guys would not understand, Mia taking Emily out shopping, Mia and herself double-teaming against the Nighlock Duplicator...
Mike apologizing to her for hurting her feelings, Mike handing her the team spirit wrist-band, Mike and her double-teaming against the Nighlock Switchbeast, Mike urging her to confess her feelings to Jayden...
Jayden's words when he first gave her comfort, Jayden helping her get better and get stronger, Jayden's words and hugs of comfort, hers and Jayden's red faces when they realized that had nearly lip-locked...
And she realized...those moments between them and herself...were real. Their friendship wasn't completely ruined. It had just hit a nasty bump and it was taking them a while to recover, but...they were still friends.
True friends...
Just when she thought she had been permanently abandoned, something she thoroughly regretted wanting, they came back. For her. They wiped her tears away. They let her get her feelings out. They let her be herself.
She gave a soft, sad smile, and said, "I was so close, you know." They glanced up at her, knowing full well what she was talking about: splitting open the earth. "For a moment, I thought I really was going to do it."
"But you didn't," Antonio replied, softly. "Everything turned out okay in the end."
"Only because you guys made me realize who the real enemy was...you see, Serrator knew that my curse would indeed be lifted, but my mom told me that I was born premature, and I would have died had it not been for Xandred choosing me as his Gem. Basically, once I sliced that rock open, I would have died within moments of breaking that barrier, and Serrator could have taken complete control over me, with no will of my own." Her voice went soft. "And you guys would have been the first ones I'd have been ordered to kill."
The five glanced down at the ground guilt-fully. They knew how much this curse was hurting her. But then, she surprised them.
"Thank you."
"But, Emily..." Mike began, but Emily beat him to it.
"I would like to give up being the Gem," she explained, "but not at that price. So, thank you, all of you, for reminding me of my reason for fighting, of why I resist being the Gem. And that reason...is you guys."
She was smiling at them, her first real, genuine smile in such a long time. They had all missed it so much. They found themselves returning that smile. Then, she turned to Antonio.
"You feeling okay, Tonio?"
Antonio smiled wider at her nickname for him. "Depends. Will you be okay, Em?"
She looked into the smiling faces of her five friends one at a time. Her smile grew wider and happier as she kept in mind of what all they had done for her, and she for them. She turned back to Antonio and nodded.
"Yep," she replied. "I'll be just fine."
Antonio responded with a cheerful, yet gentle, "Then, I am, too."
Emily's heart skipped a beat when she heard Jayden speak up for the first time, "Em, all I want to know is why." She looked at him, somewhat confused. "Why didn't you tell us before?"
"Because I didn't want to hurt you," she replied, her smile gone completely now. "What Antonio went through is exactly what I didn't want to happen to any of you. All the pain I've caused you..." Tears flooded her vision again. "I'd take it all back if I could..." she broke eye contact with them. "I just...I feel like a monster!"
'You, yellow Ranger, are more heartless than Deker, just like any Nighlock!'
'But I'm not a Nighlock, Serrator. I am a Power Ranger, and in the name of all that is good, prepare yourself for divine punishment!'
The more time Emily spent with her friends, the more she hesitated. And the more she hesitated in telling them, the harder she fought against her own destiny.
Emily's hand reached up to wipe her tears out of her eyes. But before she could do so, Jayden grabbed her wrist and held it in a firm, yet gentle grip. She gazed at him with tear-filled eyes.
Hazel eyes met blue.
Jayden's soft gaze never wavered as he quietly told her, "Don't. Don't wipe your tears away. They are what made you truly human. And not one of us hates you, Em. Believe it or not, and we've told you this before, but you are the heart of this team, of us all."
"He's right," Mike added. "Courage, compassion, honor...we need someone like you on this team. We need you to remind us of what we really stand for."
Emily said noting, her tears of sadness replaced by those happiness. her smile, though tearful and wavering, was back, and she leaned forward and embraced Jayden in a tight hug. Sounds of light sobbing were heard as she happily cried into his shoulder.
"Shh," Jayden replied, wrapping his arms around her, running his fingers softly through her hair, "it's okay, Em. You're home now."
To stay.
And to her, it really did feel like home.
"Group hug!" Mike announced, and Emily gave a short laugh as the others gathered in and joined the hug.
She sniffed and said, "You guys are the best."
"No, Em," Jayden gently retaliated, "you're the best. You keep our feet on the ground. We'd be lost without you. Besides, a certain someone has a birthday today."
It then hit Emily hard when she remembered not only when she last heard those words come out of Jayden's mouth, but also what day it was today.
"Oh goodness!" She exclaimed. "It's my birthday, isn't it? I completely forgot."
She felt Jayden nod from above. "Eighteen years, Em. How do you feel? Older?"
She loosened up the hug to rest her head on his shoulder, relaxed. "Not really. Younger, actually. It feels like a heavy burden has been lifted from my shoulders."
Her guilt of hurting her friends was gone. No trace of it remained.
Mia stood up. "C'mon. Let's go celebrate." The others also stood and with the sunset behind them and their arms around each other, unwilling to let go, the six Samurai walked back to the Shiba House.
"So," Mike began, "what do you want to do, Em?"
She shrugged. "I don't care. Just so long as I'm with my friends." Her true, best friends...
"Movies?" Antonio suggested.
"Just as long as I pick the movie," she replied, "and can we get ice cream afterwards?" They all turned to Jayden.
The Red Ranger couldn't help but chuckle. "Why not? But let's go back to the House and change first." He motioned to their dirt-and-blood-splattered clothing. "It's looks like we got into a fight."
"But we did get into a fight," Mike joked. "Just not with your average bum on the street."
As they all laughed, Emily couldn't help but feel like she had gotten taller, her heart overflowing with newfound confidence and unconditional love for and from her true, best friends.
And for the first time in a long time, she felt content, with all worries behind her, because she knew, with her friends at her side, she could take anything that came her way.
~PRS~PRS~PRS~PRS~
Where are all my reviewers?! Where'd you guys go! *cries* Come back~! Review, please! To those who are reading and do review, I appreciate you! Thank you all for reading!
The ages, as of right now, are, from youngest to oldest: Emily = 18, Mike and Mia = 19, Jayden = 20, Antonio and Kevin = 21
My own adaption of Clash of the Red Rangers is now up. It is titled "Immortal Bonds and Unbreakable Promises". Please take a look if you are interested!
A/N: Well? What do you think? Tell me how I did! Review! How do you like the Jemily twist I gave it? A preview:
Chapter 27: "Fight Fire with Fire"
"Who is this girl? And why does she have Red Spandex on? Will Jayden's secret finally be revealed? What surprising conflict is in store for the Rangers?"
Question of the Chapter: As you can see, I have changed the cover image to this story. Can any of you try to guess what I'm trying to convey by making this cover image?