Mia looked to the crowd a little nervously. Serena had shared the Ninja's plan about talking to Panorama City, but it hadn't gotten off on the right foot.

Not everyone would be talking. It was still too soon after the incident at the bank, and so if a Samurai turned up with a wound to the calf it would confirm their suspicions that the girl at the bank was a Samurai. Emily had to sit out, and blend into the crowd. Fortunately, enough people around the city were hurt, so a brace on her leg and crutches didn't make her stick out. As long as people thought she had just broken her leg, it was all going to be fine.

Kevin and Antonio stayed with her. They had their sympathy and sacrifice stories to share, but nothing really about loss. Of course, Kevin had to sacrifice his dreams of swimming in the Olympics, but his dreams meant little to other people who had lost their homes, their jobs, their parents, spouses, siblings, or children. Antonio had sacrificed a lot as well, and like the other Samurai he had faced danger and trials that the ordinary man couldn't even imagine, but the fact that he had chosen this life, unlike the others who were born into it, kind of ruined any argument for him. He had asked to be a Samurai.

So the white Ranger, the two red Rangers, the green Ranger, and the pink Ranger were all in the middle of the hostile crowd. By now most people had been settled, but some still decided to throw a few drinks and half-eaten snacks their way. Mike got a little frustrated, caught a hot-dog and tossed it back into the crowd.

"You're all ass-holes!" he shouted. Mia grabbed his arm and held him back. Like herself, this was a little distressing for Mike. Both knew what they were going to talk about. It had been a while for both of them, but their losses still hurt them deeply. Mia could still clearly remember Dayu slicing her father's head off, ending his life swiftly and unfairly, and taking no mercy on a man who didn't even belong in the war in the first place.

Mike had to think of Scruffy, and his death played over and over in his head. Were it not for the war, Scruffy would still be alive and happily chasing after balls and squirrels and would be cuddling with Emily at nights. He also had to think of Carrie. Though he knew she was alive in another world, in his world she was dead. He would never see or hear from his daughter again, and would never know what became of her. She was his first; his precious little girl, and she had been taken from him prematurely. She hadn't even made it into the second trimester when Emily miscarried. It still angered Mike to think of how badly Serrator had hurt him.

One by one, the Samurai shared a few of their stories with the crowd. Sometimes they shouted. Mike shouted the most whenever someone interrupted him, called him or the yellow Ranger names. Sometimes, they cried. The tears couldn't be seen behind the helmets, but the body language said enough. It was Lauren who cried the most, which was surprising to everyone. For those who didn't know her, it was weird to see the red Ranger, the leader of the group, and the one they had learned had been key to saving the world break down in tears. For those who did know her, Lauren wasn't one to let her emotions get away from her often. She was opening up to the Samurai but seeing her get so upset about her past in such a public space was very, very shocking. Jayden had to take her in his arms and hold her. He had to finish her life's story for her, while keeping the details that would reveal who she was private.

"Boo-hoo," someone shouted, "Cry me a river. How can we even trust anything you say is true…?"

"Lay off them, dude," someone else cried and shoved the man who was still being hostile. When the Rangers looked out at the crowd, they saw it was Dustin arguing with a stranger, "Someone's behind that spandex. A human being."

"So?"

"So?" Shane shrugged his shoulders, "You're picking on people who've lost just as much as you? Pink's dad died recently in this war."

"Yeah! And the two red Rangers lost their dad too!" Tori added. The Ninjas were all scattered in the crowd, acting like they were a bunch of different voices coming together. As they spoke up for the Samurai, a bunch of other heads started nodding and agreeing.

"We've been ridiculous," a stranger said, "I guess… we overreacted. We're all still alive. Things could have been worst, right?"

"If it weren't for the Samurai Rangers, those monsters would have destroyed everything."

It took some back and forth. There were still some angry shouts, but more and more people spoke up against the hostility and stood in defence of the Samurai Rangers.

But there was one voice that was louder than all the others. One man, who claimed he had watched his wife, sons, and daughter be murdered right in front of his house by a monster, got so angry he lunged at the Samurai. The pink Ranger, Mia, happened to be in his path and was knocked to the ground. She had been caught by surprise, and really she didn't want to fight back given the whole city was watching, and no matter how it happened, a Ranger punching a civilian would never look good.

But the civilian didn't have a clear head. With a strong fist, he punched Mia once in the helmet, then before he could do so a second time, someone interfered.

Riley had been watching in the crowd and stuck beside Kevin while the Samurai gave her speech. She had been a bit bored for a while because she couldn't understand everything that was going on, but she did understand when someone was hurting Mia. She knew Mia was the pink Ranger and she hated when anyone did anything to hurt Mia.

So when the man lunged for Mia, she broke away from Kevin, pushed her little body through the crowd (which wasn't hard given how small she was) and then jumped in between the man and Mia, taking the second punch to the head. She dropped, the crowd gasped. She screamed loudly, crying out in nothing but pain.

Mia sat up, shoved the man away and took Riley in her arms to soothe her. The man got up and backed away as he looked down at his hands in shame.

"Riley," Mia whispered so the city wouldn't hear she knew Riley's name, "Are you okay?"

Riley screamed and clung to Mia tightly. It was very obvious to everyone, even those who were towards the outer edge of the crowd that she was hurt. Kevin pushed his way through and got down on his knees beside Mia and Riley.

Someone else pushed her way through the crowd, bursting out as quickly as she could. When Kevin noticed someone was coming towards him and his family he looked up to get a look at her face.

"Ms. Clarkson?"

"Riley, are you okay?" Sabrina dropped to her knees to have a look at the little girl for herself. By now Riley had buried herself in Mia's chest, screaming and thrashing around painfully. She wouldn't let anyone look at her or touch her unless they were Mia. She trusted no one as much as she trusted Mia.

So the pink Ranger took Riley in her arms and turned to her teammates, "You guys finish up here. I don't care what you do or how you do it. Sick Green on everyone. I've got to go."

Mia rushed off with Riley in her arms, and Kevin took off behind her. While a path cleared for the pink Ranger, Kevin had to shove and plough his way through people. He didn't care who he pushed around as long as he got out of the crowd.

Sabrina started to follow as well. Riley's safety was her number one concern, and this incident was definitely one she needed to investigate. She had seen what had happened, and she knew it hadn't been Riley's possible adoptive parents who had caused her any harm, but she had still gotten hurt. As far as Sabrina knew, Riley was always getting hurt.

In the middle of the crowd, the Samurai looked to each other. They weren't sure what this meant for them – if they were finally going to get their freedom back or if the city would turn on them again because Riley had been hurt in their presence.

Someone from the crowd did ask about them, and about Riley, "Are you just going to stand there?" she pointed to the man who had accidentally punched Riley, "He hit a kid! You're supposed to be superheroes. You can't let him…"

"It was an accident," Jayden shook his head and looked to the man, who continued to stare at his hands and ignored everything around him. Given how upset he seemed, Jayden could tell he was a good person, but the stress of the city and the war had gotten to him. It had gotten to everyone and unfortunately the only people left to blame were the Samurai, "I think it's clear we've lost a lot in the war. My team and I understand the mess we've left behind after every single battle. It's never been pretty; not for us, and certainly not for you. We've done our best to ensure a brighter future. I can promise you, those monsters, or Nighlok as we call them, are never returning. Panorama City is safe once and for all. You don't need the Samurai Rangers anymore. Now is a time for recovery. We need to grieve, but more importantly, we need to move on. We are deeply sorry for any pain this war has caused to you, your families, and our own."

"Sorry, you're…"

"No more questions or comments," Jayden said and started to lead his team away from the crowd. There were a few murmurs of discontent, as not everyone could be convinced that the Rangers should be allowed to get off lightly, but louder, stronger voices silenced them.

The Rangers met up with Antonio, Emily, James and Terran in a tiny café owned by one of Ji's friends. He had called them over, calling the morphed Rangers by their names so they knew he was safe, and let them hide out inside until the crowds dispersed and everyone went back to their own business. Lauren, as soon as she powered down, was on her phone trying to get in touch with Mia and Kevin. The rest of the Samurai didn't look very happy. They got some drinks for the table from the owner and waited in silence.

"We're never going home, are we?" Emily muttered just as the door to the café opened. Shane, Dustin, Tori, and Cam walked in. They spotted the Samurai easily, as they were the only other people in the café, and took a seat with them at the table.

"So, that went well."

"Sarcasm is not appreciated, Dustin," Antonio rolled his eyes.

Shane shook his head, "That's not sarcasm. We got in touch with the ninjas at on the police force and the ones working in the city. They're working with Ji's friends to get him and Kate out jail. If that happens, it's because the hunt is over, and you're all free to go back to your regular lives."

"Wait, really?"

"What Jayden said must have been what convinced most of the city," Cam nodded, "That, and the sob stories of what you guys have been through to protect everyone."

"And a few kind words from the ninjas didn't hurt," Tori smirked. "You probably didn't see them, but we had a few of a students in the crowd."

"A few?" Dustin asked, "Dude, we shipped the entire Academy down here in a bus! That was not a comfortable ride."

"I told you to be friendly," Tori shrugged her shoulders. Dustin rolled his eyes and then waved over the owner of the café.

"I'm starving!"

"Sandwiches, coming up," the owner smirked. Dustin grinned from ear to ear before he was suddenly knocked out of his chair and to the floor by a very powerful hug. He looked down, saw a mass of blonde hair and chuckled.

"Ow, Emily."

"You really convinced the city we're good guys?"

"I think so," Dustin nodded his head and sat up, "You're a strong and painful hugger."

"You can paralyze my sister anytime!" Emily cried. She gave Dustin a kiss on the cheek, then with help from the table, Dustin, and Mike, she stood up, grabbed her crutches and raced as quickly as she could to the door, ready to get her aunt and Ji out of the jail cell they were being held in. Jayden was right behind her.

Lauren, who had gotten through to Kevin moments before the Ninjas came in with good news, suddenly hung up her phone, scooted out of her place at the table and raced out. Where Jayden and Emily turned left after leaving the café, Lauren went right, in the direction of the hospital. She ran the entire way and burst through the doors into the waiting room, where she saw Kevin and who she assumed was the social worker in a very heated argument. She pulled the two apart and looked to Clarkson, "What's going on?"

"She's going to take Riley away!" Kevin shouted and pointed his finger at Sabrina.

"I'm not doing this because you're a bad person," Sabrina sighed while shaking her head, "Some people, as kind and caring as they are, just aren't the people we look for when we try to find a child a permanent home. Riley's been hurt too many times for me to feel comfortable leaving her in your care, and this time it's serious! You took your eye off her…"

"For a moment! She slipped out of my hand and…"

"You brought her to an angry mob of people! You're asking for trouble. You were also the one who pushed her down the stairs…"

"I would never hurt her!" Kevin shouted, "I never wanted to hurt her! She's a kid, she finds trouble…"

"She almost got shot! You've missed a few meetings with me, you and your wife disappeared with Riley without informing me or Social Services and you won't tell me where you've been or why you ran. This is not a safe, stable, and healthy environment for such a young child. I'm really sorry, but…"

"Kevin's amazing," Lauren interrupted. She gently pushed Kevin into a seat and held her hand out to Sabrina, "I'm Lauren Shiba."

"You had two stars by your name," Sabrina said. "And who exactly are you to the family?"

"A friend. A friend who knows exactly what Riley's been through and how tough it is on a kid."

"I know that too," Sabrina answered, "It's my job to…"

"My parents died when I was young, and I was moved from home to home: foster homes, I guess. I was moved around so much I never felt like I had anyone who liked me, never mind loved me. I felt so deprived and so lonely until recently. I found my brother and his friends, Mia and Kevin included, and they took me in. They gave me a home and a family and it's been crazy, I'm sure you know that, but even in the hardest times, it's been great. I wish I had been as lucky as Riley when I was a little girl. I wish someone had saved me back then. You can't take her away. You can't hurt her like that. Not after everything she's been through."

"After what I've seen…"

"You haven't seen anything. I've spent time with Riley, I've gotten to know her. If you take her away from Kevin and Mia, you're going to ruin her."

"Kids are resilient. We'll find her a safe home with responsible…"

"When?" Lauren asked. "You know how many kids need homes, and with all this chaos in the city, I'll bet there aren't many people looking to adopt. It could be years before people are ready to take kids into their homes. It could take even longer for someone to fall in love with Riley. You know it's a hard process. You know it hurts a kid to know there is no one who loves them."

"She will be well looked after by the city…"

"It's not the same!" Lauren cried and by now there were tears pouring down her face. She was fighting as hard as she could for Riley and couldn't imagine the little girl having to live the life she had lived. Though it would be without the training and the weight of the world on her shoulders it would be full of uncertainty.

Sabrina's face softened. She liked to think she was good at reading people, and was a good judge of character. It was, after all, her job to judge the character of people and to be right. She knew very little about Lauren, but she could tell that whoever she was, she did care deeply for Riley.

She pointed to Kevin, "Do you really trust this man with a four year old, broken girl? Do you really think this man and his fiancée are the best thing for a scared, little girl?"

"She's not broken or scared when she's with them," Lauren nodded, "I trust them. I trust them together and individually. They're going to make Riley very, very happy. That's what we all want, right?"

Sabrina gave Lauren a little smile and then turned to Kevin, "I don't usually do this, but… congratulations, it's a girl."

Kevin's jaw hit the floor and he couldn't move from his seat. Sabrina gave him a light pat on the shoulder, shook Lauren's hand, and then pulled out her cell phone, promising she would get the paperwork done quickly so it was all official. She left the hospital, but not before making Lauren and Kevin promise to keep her up to date on Riley's condition.

When she was gone, Lauren turned around and smiled at Kevin. He finally jumped out of his seat, took Lauren in his arms, hugged her tight and spun her around.

"I could kiss you right now!" he told her when he set her down and he squeezed her tight, "You are, officially, the most amazing person in the whole wide world. Whatever you want, it's yours. Just name it! Anything! I'd buy you your own planet if you asked for it."

"Take care of her," Lauren said and tried to pull away from Kevin. He nodded his head but couldn't contain his excitement. He gave Lauren a kiss on the cheek and then started dancing around. He hadn't been thrilled at the thought of adopting Riley when it first came up, even though he had been the one to suggest it to Mia. He hadn't even really liked bringing a child into his home temporarily when he thought her parents were still alive and looking for her. But overtime he started to fall in love with the idea of having not just a daughter, but Riley as his daughter. She had been challenging, especially for him, and they had had a very trying relationship, but there was nothing on this world that would have made him give her up. More than anything, he wanted to be her father. He wanted to know that someone who loved and cared for her as much as he did was taking care of her, and no one could possibly love her as much as him and Mia.

Lauren watched him dance around the waiting room and groaned, apologizing to the people he had disturbed not only with his fight with Sabrina, but now with his bright, happy, and very energetic cheer.

"You're going to be one of those very protective, very embarrassing dads like on those sitcoms Emily watches, aren't you?"

"I'm a dad!" Kevin grabbed Lauren's arms, inviting her to dance with him. She shook him off.

"Kevin, stop it! You look like an idiot," Lauren hid her red face and turned to the woman looking up at her. "Would you believe me if I told you I've never met this man before in my life?"