Chapter 51: Feelings
Maria stood in front of the memorial as a gentle breeze blew around her. She placed her hand on the memorial stone, letting out a deep sigh. "We got him back Hideo," Maria began. "But he's broken. Ami broke him badly." She felt tears well up in her eyes and she shakingly declared, "This is my fault. Changing the timeline did this to him."
The Purple ranger slowly closed her hand and murmured, "Maybe, I should have let him die, like he was supposed to."
"Did he die because of me?"
Maria's eyes opened and turned around to find the Gold ranger behind her.
He looked defeated and looked like he hadn't slept in days. He glanced at her, giving her a sad glance. Maria glanced back at the memorial, shaking her head. "No. He died for Emily."
Antonio sighed, shaking his head slowly. "I was still the cause of his death. If I hadn't killed Emily, he wouldn't have died."
"Don't say that," Maria told him. "You weren't in control of yourself. Ami forced you to. You were brainwashed."
"I know what you're trying to do," Antonio replied, looking at her. "But I could have tried to stop myself. I hurt everyone in ways I never imagined hurting them. I know that I might never be forgiven for killing Emily or stabbing you."
Maria turned to look at him and stated, "I doubt the rangers would hold a grudge against you. You weren't yourself, that was Ami."
"No, it was me," Antonio began, turning away from her. "I could have broken from her control! But I couldn't! I was weak! I embraced the power she gave me instead of fighting back!" Maria grabbed his arm, pulling him back. "I know the darkness is tempting," Maria replied. "But you fought back. The Purification Symbol wouldn't have worked if you fought against it. You wanted to be free from it. That's why you're back."
The Purple ranger squeezed his arm and added, "Don't let that guilt eat you up. I know it's hard to deal with. I couldn't save my friends in the future, I couldn't save you. I watched you die in my arms and I couldn't do anything but watch. That guilt has never gone away, but you'll learn to control it, don't let it consume you."
"I'm sorry," Antonio whispered, looking at her. "I almost killed you, the person I care for the most."
The Purple ranger's cheeks went bright red and glanced away. "I'm sorry too. If there's someone to blame, it should be me."
Antonio looked at her confused and asked, "Why you?"
"I could have prevented Ami in taking you," Maria told him. "Instead, I chose to hide who I really was, like a coward. Ami took my secret into her advantage. I should have told you from the start who I was." Maria glanced at Hideo's memorial. "This mess could have been avoided."
"I guess we are both to blame."
A gentle breeze blew around them with the Gold ranger sighed. "Thanks, for saving me."
Maria looked at him and offered him a small smile. "I couldn't let her take you away from the rangers, from me."
"Despite everything I did?" Antonio replied. "Of course," Maria told him. "Because I care for you deeply."
The Purple ranger clasped her hands together, smiling. "I travelled back to the past to save everyone, including you."
"But why? Why would you risk everything, even your life for me?" Antonio told her, tears in his eyes. "Because I love you," Maria declared. "And I would risk my life again! No matter the challenges, no matter the timeline I would have to cross, I will find you and I will save you!"
The Gold ranger's eyes went wide, before he nervously laughed, tears streaming down his face. "I don't deserve someone special like you," he told her. "You're surely something, Maria Abukara." The Purple ranger grinned at him, softly laughing before stopping, the Gold ranger embracing her. "I'll try, but, if you're ever in trouble, I will do anything in my hands to save you once more. Because I too, love you with all my heart."
The Purple ranger's eyes went wide and blushed, hugging him tightly.
Mike watched the Blue and Pink ranger prepare breakfast together. He noticed how Mia blushed while Kevin laughed, making him groan, placing his head on the table. "Why can't I be like that with Emily?" he murmured miserably.
"Because you were being an asshat," Serena replied. The Green ranger felt a shiver run up his spine and turned around to find the White ranger behind him. "Morning Serena," Mike nervously laughed. "Morning Michael," Serena answered, walking towards the kitchen.
Mike observed her leave before hearing someone sitting beside him. "Hey Mike!" Emily waved at him. "How about training together later today?"
The Green ranger slowly blinked trying to comprehend what she asked him. "You mean, you and me? Alone? Training?" Mike stammered. "Who else?" Emily giggled. "I mean, of course!" Mike nodded, liking the idea of spending time with Emily alone.
Jayden walked towards the kitchen, dressed in his training clothes, a smile on his face. "Smells good," he commented, sitting beside the White ranger.
"Thanks Jayden," Kevin replied, giving him a grin. "It's mostly Mia's cooking."
"Hey, give yourself some credit," Mia told him with a smile. The Blue ranger blushed embarrassed.
"If you love birds would stop flirting and finish breakfast," Serena teased, causing both rangers to blush.
"Breakfast smells amazing," came a voice, causing the rangers to look at the Gold ranger in surprise. "Antonio!" Mia gasped out, almost dropping the plate she was carrying in her hands. The rangers were surprised that the Gold ranger was joining them for breakfast. "Um, hey," Antonio smiled at them.
"Glad you came to join us," Jayden told him, beckoning to sit beside him. The Gold ranger took his offer and sat beside the Red ranger, clearing his throat.
"I just want to say, that I'm deeply sorry that I hurt everybody."
"Hey, we're all alive and we got you back," Kevin replied, giving him a smile. "Don't worry about it," Mia told him. "We hold no grudges towards you." "We all know that was Ami and not you," Emily added. "Don't blame yourself for it."
"Thanks," Antonio told them, glancing at the plate in front of him. "It's good to have good friends like you all."
The rangers all grinned, making the Gold ranger smile.
"Good that everyone is getting alone once more," noted a voice. The rangers glanced to find Maria walking towards the dinning room.
"Whoa! New Maria!" Mike joked, seeing the Purple ranger in different clothes than the usual she wore. She wore a purple blouse with a black skirt and small boots. Her hair that was usually unruly had been brushed and tied into a ponytail.
Maria noticed the rangers staring at her. "Don't get used to it," she waved it off, flustered. She sat beside the Gold ranger and grabbed her plate of breakfast.
"This is so good!" Serena complemented, swallowing. "Thanks!" Mia smiled, blushing at the compliment. "I couldn't have a better teacher." The Pink ranger looked at Kevin, who smiled at her. "Aw, please don't kiss," Mike groaned, covering his eyes. Emily elbowed him and frowned.
Kevin rolled his eyes at Mike and glared at the Green ranger. "Please, as if we don't see you and Emily kissing all the time."
"Hey!" Mike cried out, frowning. "No we don't!" Emily declared, turning red. "The other day I tried to meditate and I found you two kissing underneath my favorite tree by the river," Maria grumbled, grabbing a piece of toast.
"What?!" Mike and Emily yelled, beet red.
"I like enjoying the calming river, not two teenagers kissing," Maria huffed. "I'm sorry!" Emily cried out, waving her hands in front of her frantically. "I didn't know! I mean, we didn't know!"
"Oh please," Mike snarked. "You're just jealous you don't get to do that with Antonio."
The rangers glanced at the Green ranger wide eyed while Maria and Antonio choked on their food, coughing hysterically. Mike laughed at their reaction while the others frowned.
"Michael," Serena growled, glaring at the Green ranger. "What?" Mike stated, glancing at the White ranger. "It was a joke!" "That was insensitive," Mia noted, looking at the two rangers worriedly. "It's a joke!" Mike repeated, frowning. "It's not a stick up your-"
The Gold and Purple ranger's glanced at each other before laughing. The other rangers were left confused but smiled, seeing their Gold ranger laughing.
Jayden grinned, finding the old Antonio back.
Later in the afternoon, Mike and Emily were watching a movie together. Kevin and Serena were preparing dinner, while Antonio practiced in the Common Room.
The Pink ranger walked outside of the Shiba House, finding Jayden training intensely. Mentor Ji was watching the Red ranger from a distance, beaming proudly.
Mia smiled at his reaction, knowing that was the face of a proud mentor. The Pink ranger leaned against the door frame, watching Jayden train before noticing the gates opening. Mia noticed a monk walking in, wearing different robes from those from the Tengen Gate. Curiosity brewed inside of her as she watched the monk approach Mentor Ji.
Mentor Ji noticed his presence and got off the bench he had been sitting on. The smile disappeared from his face, being replaced into a look of worry.
The Pink ranger watched her mentor approach the monk, saluting each other with a bow. The monk took out a letter from his sleeve with Ji talking it from his hands. The monk bowed to him once more before exiting the Shiba Gates. Mentor Ji looked at the letter and Mia saw the Shiba Family crest on it, catching her attention.
She saw the blood drain from Mentor's face and turned towards the Red ranger, who continued to train.
Mia hid behind the door, peeking from a crack and watched Ji approach Jayden.
Jayden stopped his training when Mentor Ji got in front of him. The Red ranger lowered his wooden stick, looking at Ji confused. Ji showed him the letter which Jayden took from his hands, surprised.
Mia watched Jayden open the letter and read over it, his face showing concern. She noticed his hands shaking and Mia wondered what the letter had contained that it had shaken Jayden.
"We knew this day would come," Mentor told him. "This changes everything," Jayden murmured, lowering the letter. "The rangers will finally know my secret." He glanced at the letter in his hands again and whispered, "I hope they'll be able to forgive me."
The Pink ranger's eyes went wide hearing their conversation and headed inside the Shiba House. She was confused what Mentor and Jayden were talking about. Jayden has a secret?
What secret?
Dayu walked aboard Master Xandred's ship, petting a Furry Wart. She noticed that the ship was empty, with no Nighlok in sight. "Octoroo?"
Footsteps were heard as the noodle faced Nighlok appeared from the ship's deck, his face lighting up in surprise. "Dayu! What a relief!"
Dayu glanced around and pointed out, "Seems like my Furry Wart friends aren't here for a welcoming party."
Suddenly a bunch of Furry Wart's fell from the ceiling, singing, "Welcome Dayu! Welcome! Welcome!"
"That's more like it," Dayu smirked, petting each of them. "After Serrator's and Ami's fall, there's hardly anyone around," Octoroo noted. "Your company is very welcomed."
Dayu walked past him and touched the throne where Xandred used to sit. "So, Xandred is still soaking in the river I assume?"
"Yes," Octoroo nodded. "He stayed too long in the human world and almost got completely dried out." The Nighlok noticed Dayu glancing at her Harmonium upset and stated, "At least he fixed your Harmonium before that happened."
Dayu looked at the Nighlok and proclaimed, "And in return, I pledged my loyalty to him."
"Good," Octoroo smirked. "He'll be glad you stuck to your word. I don't know when he'll be back. He must soak in a lot of misery from the Sanzu River so he can recover faster. Remember the big boss has a big tank and it will take some time to fill."
"Then let's cause some misery of our own," Dayu suggested, making her Furry Wart's state, "Yes! Misery! Misery!" "Great idea!" Octoroo agreed, turning around to glance at Dayu. "And I know what to do. Ambush the Red ranger and take him down! If we get rid of him…"
"We save Xandred and ourselves," Dayu nodded, petting her Furry Wart, a grin appearing on her face. "Go on, I'm listening."
"I have the perfect candidate and weapon," Octoroo smiled, walking towards the railing of the ship. "She's fast as lightning and knows how to fight fire with fire." Dayu followed him towards the deck as Octoroo yelled, "Fiera!"
There was a flash of light as a Nighlok shot from the Sanzu River and into the ship's deck. The Nighlok's blue hair waved around her as she got to her feet, grinning at Octoroo. "Did you miss me, Octoroo? Yearning for a dose of something wicked?"
"Ohh ah ooh! Have I got a job for you!" Octoroo declared, waving her to follow him. They walked inside of the ship, making Fiera notice Dayu among them. "Dayu!" Fiera began, smirking. "I didn't think they'd let you back on this ship, after that little stunt you pulled!"
Dayu curled her lip upward, ignoring the blue haired Nighlok.
Fiera noticed Dayu was ignoring her and snorted. "What's wrong? Couldn't make any friends on Earth and you came back crawling here?" Dayu's hand clenched around her danto, pulling it out of her Harmonium. She spun around, placing the blade of Fiera's throat, surprising the blue haired Nighlok.
Fiera side glanced at her while Dayu spat, "Listen, idiot. No matter where I go, I'm still a Nighlok. Rather than testing my patience with your taunts, why don't you try something useful?" She pressed her blade harder against Fiera's throat and declared, "Help us take down the Red ranger."
The blue haired Nighlok grinned, flashing her teeth. "Fine, fine. I'll help you. Only cause I find this entertaining."
Dayu scoffed, removing her danto from Fiera's neck and sheathed it back into her Harmonium.
Octoroo laughed nervously, observing the tense exchange between the two female Nighloks. "Good, good. Your skills are exactly what we need for this job!" He walked around the ship, taking an item from a shelf and approached Fiera.
"These are specially designed to take down the head of the Shiba Clan," Octoroo explained, giving the item to Fiera, who took them from his hands. "Hm," Fiera grunted, looking over the blue bombs. "What are they?"
"Fire flashers," Octoroo replied. "The Red ranger's Symbol Power is fire, so we're going to fight fire with fire. These are filled with evil flames from the Netherworld. Three strikes on him and it'll make a fire within him burn and destroy him alive." Octoroo giggled in giddiness. "Ohh ah ooh! The Red ranger is through!"
Antonio looked at his Barracuda Blade, putting it in front of him. He slowly unsheathed the blade, seeing his reflection on it. Suddenly, his blade turned red, tained in blood and he dropped it into the ground, panting heavily.
"Dammit!" he cursed, pacing around. Everytime he drew out his blade, his mind would drift back to the moment he struck down Emily and stabbed Maria. "No, I have to do this," Antonio murmured, glancing at the blade. He grabbed it from the floor, sheathing it and took in a deep breath. Again, he thought, exhaling. Relax. Clear your mind Antonio. Focus.
The Gold ranger unsheathed his blade once more, this time, noticing that his hands weren't shaking as much.
"You're still hesitating," came a voice.
Antonio sheathed his blade and turned around to see who was watching him. The Purple ranger was leaning against the door frame, a smile on her face.
The Gold ranger instantly blushed and glanced back at his blade. Ever since the exchange earlier in the morning he didn't know how to act around her. They had been so intimate with their feelings it was awkward. The Purple ranger didn't seemed phased on what had happened, instead, she was brutally teasing him and he didn't know how to respond to that. Dammit! I'm acting like a lovestruck teen!, Antonio thought ashamed.
Maria noticed he had turned his back on her and his ears were crimson red. Her smile disappeared and her cheeks flustered, nervously tapping her fingers together. "Am I embarrassing you?" The Gold ranger felt shivers down his spine, noticing that the shy way she was asking reminded him of Tashiko. He turned around, seeing the same thing Tashiko did when she was nervous: tapping her fingers together nervously.
"No, no! I mean," Antonio stammered, avoiding her gaze. "I, um, I-"
Maria let out a nervous chuckle, seeing how nervous the Gold ranger was. "You turn red every time I smile at you. Did our morning conversation, create an awkwardness?" "No, no," Antonio answered weakly. "I turn red because your smile is so beautiful."
There was an awkward silence with the Purple ranger turning away. Antonio noticed his failed attempt to flirt with her and scratched the back of his head. "Your smile makes you look more handsome, you know. You should wear it more often," Maria replied back.
Antonio's eyes widened and he got flustered, blushing immensely.
The Blue ranger was about to walk into the Practice Room, when he noticed the two rangers. He immediately walked backwards and hid behind the sliding doors.
"Really? Um I guess it's still hard to when I have the guilt that I stabbed you," Antonio nervously laughed. Maria laughed as well and pointed out, "I stabbed you back though. And I'll tell you, that was the hardest thing I had to do." Her smile disappeared from her face. "It hurt seeing your face flare up in pain, knowing I was the one causing it."
"But you saved me," Antonio told her. "If it weren't for you, I would still be that….thing." The Purple ranger gave him a smile. "I guess we're both guilty of hurting each other." Antonio smiled back, chuckling lightly. "I guess so."
Suddenly the Gap Sensor sounded, interrupting them. "I guess duty calls," Antonio pointed out, as his Barracuda Blade disappeared from his hands. "Let's go then," Maria smiled, running out of the room.
The rangers rushed towards the Common Room, finding the Red ranger checking over Panorama City's map.
"What's going on?" Kevin asked, glancing at the map. "There's a Nighlok attack at a temple," Jayden informed them. "Let's go."
The rangers gave a nod, following their leader while Mia trailed behind. She turned around to glance at their mentor, noticing his face full of concern. Mia wanted to ask him what the letter was about but decided against it, instead followed her friends into battle.
