A/N: Enjoy the chapter! Sorry you guys had to wait so long.
Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Samurai or Samurai Sentai Shinkenger. I just own most of the plot and the characters and things you don't recognize from the original versions.
~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~
"Master Xandred demands Serrator return Dayu's Harmonium, as Jayden and Emily's minds are clouded with doubts."
Better Together
Power Rangers: Samurai REDO
Season 2, Episode 13: Mutiny
Shiba House, Gianni Forest, Panorama City, California
April 17, 2015
Mike entered the outdoor training yard still wearing his pajamas, obviously in a frantic state, "Guys, we've got a problem!"
"We sure do," Kevin said. "It's time for training, and you're not ready."
"Not me," Mike shot back. "It's Emily. I was worried when she didn't know up for breakfast, so I stopped by her room to check on her, but she's not there."
"She's not inside?" Mia asked.
"No," Mike shook his head. "I searched the entire House, and I even called her Samurizer a few times. No answer. So, sorry, Kevin, but training is the last thing on my mind right now."
"Then, let's take a day off," Jayden suddenly cut in, which was strange, because he had been uncharacteristically quiet ever since they came back from Monalua Island three days ago. "Leave Emily to me."
"You sure?" Antonio asked.
"Yeah," Jayden replied. "I know where she is, but Ji, I'll need to borrow your motorcycle to get there."
"Alright," Ji said, as he took his keys out of his pocket and handed them over to his godson. "I trust you to know what you're doing."
Jayden said nothing, only going inside to change into his casual clothes. Mia answered for him, "He does. Besides, it has to be him."
"Yes, it does," Kevin agreed with her, to her mild surprise. "We need to talk about what happened on Monalua Island."
"What did happen?" Ji immediately asked. "Three days ago, you guys left like normal, but when you returned, you were all changed people. What happened?"
The four were quiet, until Antonio quietly admitted, "Mike and I...were brainwashed into turning against each other..." Mike chose to remain quiet, but his solemn expression spoke for him. Antonio continued, "It was...not a good experience. All Serrator had to do was to blow some ash at us and leave us to our own devices."
Ji waited for Mike to jump in, but when he didn't, Ji spoke up, "I see. So both of you feel guilty about turning against each other so easily." Their silence spoke volumes. "Don't." The two immediately looked at him, surprised at his advice, but he held up his hand to silence them, as he explained, "It's not your fault, either of you. Remember that you were only fighting each other due to Serrator's influence." His words made them think. "And it's okay to be weak sometimes. It means you're human." The two nodded, gently smiling, and Ji returned their smiles with one of his own. He then turned to Mia and Kevin, "What about you two?"
"Nothing really happened to me, to be honest," Kevin confessed. "But I was bothered by something Dayu said to Emily, and I still am."
An intrigued Mia turned to him, and asked, "Deker said something about Emily to Jayden." Kevin looked at her, alarmed. Mia continued, "What did Dayu say?"
Kevin sighed, "That Jayden was hiding something from her, something important. She also mentioned that Emily's heart was a prison, and that's the part that bugs me the most. The wording Dayu chose makes it difficult to understand what she means by it." He turned to Mia, "What did Deker say?"
Mia replied, "He said that Emily was a bad influence on Jayden, but he also said that he knew what Jayden was hiding from Emily."
"Does he?" Mike asked.
"We don't know," Mia warned, "but don't put it past him. Deker's rather observant. There's a good chance he and Dayu do know something that we don't."
"True," Antonio said. "Remember, he knew that Emily was clairvoyant when we didn't, when she didn't."
"So that's why they're not talking to each other," Ji realized, and they turned to him. "Ever since you guys returned from the island, I've noticed that the two have been incredibly distant, barely talking to not only each other, but also you guys."
"Yeah," Mia said. "All of this is why Jayden needs to be the one to find Emily right now. Those two have to talk. Otherwise, this is never going to end."
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Junk Ship, Sanzu River, Netherworld
"Octoroo," Xandred growled, as the Furry Warts dangled from the ceiling and imitated Dayu's Harmonium. "These Furry Warts are a poor substitute for Dayu's music." He turned around and smacked several of the Furry Warts to the ground, "They don't cure my headaches. They give me headaches!"
"Oh boy," Octoroo replied. "You're missing Dayu. Her music is the only thing that can soothe you. Don't worry. I'll get her back for you!"
"This medicine's not working!" Xandred yelled, as he threw his bowl to the ground.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Cortez Forest, Panorama City, California
"Medicine not working. Medicine not working," Dayu's Furry Wart companion relayed the update.
Dayu laughed, "Without my music to soothe his headaches, Master Xandred's miserable. That's music to my ears."
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Junk Ship, Sanzu River, Netherworld
Xandred took another swig of medicine as Octoroo whispered, "Boss, I have a suspicion that Serrator knows something about Dayu's Harmonium that we don't."
Serrator overheard this. "Dayu's Harmonium, you say?"
"I know that you know!" Octoroo said. "Give it up, Smiley!"
"I may know something about it, yes," Serrator said. "May I ask why are bringing this up?"
"Master Xandred wants it," Octoroo explained. "His headaches are getting worse."
"Are they now?" Serrator asked. "Then, I will go bring it back." He turned around and walked to the exit of the ship. "I hid it in a safe place."
"Wait a moment!" Serrator stopped when he heard Octoroo call out. "I don't trust you. I'm coming along to ensure there's no monkey business."
Serrator sighed, but said, "As you wish."
Xandred watched them both leave.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Cortez Forest, Panorama City, California
Dayu gently stroked her Furry Wart friend, "This is taking too long. Serrator should have fixed my Harmonium and your Uramasa by now." She turned to Deker, who was standing next to her. "I think it's time we demand Serrator to pay up!"
But Deker's response surprised her, "I'm willing to wait a bit longer. As long as he does what he's promised."
"But Deker-!" Dayu called back as Deker walked away. "How can you say that?!"
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Limatore Beach, Panorama City, California
Jayden went through his thoughts as he drove Ji's motorcycle down the highway. He had a good idea on where to find her, and in the very least, he knew where to start looking.
Ever since Emily first showed them the Keller Forest House, Jayden always got the feeling that Lauren had never left, that she was still there with them, in person. He didn't dare share this with anybody else, since he would only get suggestions that he was greiving or he was going crazy.
He wasn't.
Because the feeling came in spikes, and he always, only ever felt it from Emily. Emily was always in control, but there were times where her conscienceness was overlayed with another's. The ability to sense the supernatural was a gene that ran throughout the Shiba family line, and this is what helped Jayden sense when this happened.
One of the spikes came when Emily woke up while her spirit was stolen. Emily's conscienceness was the most prominent, like usual, but Jayden could sense another spirit there, helping Emily stay awake.
At the time, they were only concerned about defeating Splitface and saving Emily's life, so none of the Rangers kept in mind the mystery of how Emily managed to wake up (albeit temporarily) and it eventually slipped their minds. Except for Jayden.
And he knew it wasn't grief, because it wasn't just Lauren that he sensed. While they were working with the Ranger Operators from Corinth, Jayden could sense Dr. K's spirit within Emily in the brief amount of time that she was in the blonde's heart.
And the most recent spike was on the two days Antonio was meeting with his dad, as if Lauren was concerned about Antonio too, but it was stronger when Antonio was talking about his mom at dinner on the second day.
Jayden had his suspicions, but that's all they were right now, because he had no way of proving them. And he didn't want to bring Emily in on all of this in case he was wrong.
In real time, he saw the sign for Limatore Beach and got off on the road there.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Parkside Trails, Panorama City, California
Serrator led Octoroo to a rocky cliff by the sea, "I see. Without the comfort of Dayu's music, Master Xandred's headaches are crippling him."
"Yes," Octoroo replied. "At first, the only reason she was on the Ship was to keep plucking away at those strings. But as time went on, she proved herself as a extremely capable fighter, and Xandred decided to make her a General too."
"The reason Xandred is so interested in Dayu's music is because, like all Nighlocks, he is attracted to the misery that emits whenever she plays," Serrator explained. "It makes both him and myself stronger."
"But Master Xandred's headaches are hurting him," Octoroo argued.
"Yes, but take away those headaches, and he and I are not so different," Serrator said, before walking over to a boulder with a large crevice in it.
"What big talk!" Octoroo said. "You're nothing like him! Now, where's the Harmonium?"
"It's hidden inside this crevice here," Serrator replied. "Allow me to retreive it for you."
Octoroo watched as Serrator started chanting. The crevice began glowing red, and after a beat of silence, Serrator spoke up again.
"My apologizes, Octoroo," he said. "It's taking longer than anticipated." He turned around, only to see Octoroo staring out at the ocean.
Meanwhile, Octoroo's mind was flashing back to how Xandred was before they found Dayu.
He'd always had a stormy personality, with the River relaying to all other Nighlocks how mad he was every minute of every day. But back then, he was even worse.
But that all changed when he heard Dayu playing from a Gap one day, and for the next one hundred years, he searched for her as his music soothed him.
When he found her, she never stood a chance, "So, you are the maker of this music?"
"Yes. I-It is my song."
"From now on, you will only serve me. And in return, I will spare your life. I shall make you my minion. In the Netherworld, your music will serve a higher purpose than self-pity."
"...I accept."
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Limatore Beach, Panorama City, California
Sure enough, Emily was exactly where he thought she would be.
She was at the same place Deker fell when Jayden fought him earlier this year and broke his Uramasa. She was sitting on the boulder there, her rollerblades resting against it, and playing her flute, a clear sign that she was upset and trying to clear her mind.
When Emily was done, she rested her flute in her lap and said, "I can feel your vibrations behind me, Jayden." She was the Earth Samurai, so it made sense. "And I could hear the motorcycle." Of course. "What do you want?" She didn't turn around to face him, but she didn't have to. Jayden knew she was mad at him just by the way she sounded.
"We need to talk," he replied.
"Yeah, we do," Emily replied, before getting sassy on him, "But I'm not sure if you're capable of that. Are you?"
Her sudden sarcasm was a clear indication of how hurt she was. Jayden sat down next to her, saying, "I admit I deserve that." Before she could sass him again, he continued, "Deker thinks you're a bad influence on me, which is a clear indication that I'm doing something right."
He kept his gaze focused on the ocean in front of them, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw her crack a small smile, "Maybe I am a bad influence. Deker's been right about things before."
He finally turned to her with a knowing smile, "True, but there's nothing bad about you, Em." She shyly looked down, her face turning red at the compliment. He continued, "I'm serious. You're the one who brought us all together, and that's a truth you can always believe in, no matter what anybody else says." She was quiet, but she let him continue, "Deker and Dayu's choice of words were chosen specifically to tear apart the group dynamic."
"But they're right," Emily said, sounding more like a question she feared the answer to rather than a statement that she was confident in. "Aren't they?"
"So to speak," he confessed, in a tone that tried to soothe her fears.
"So you are hiding something from me," Emily said, "but more in the sense that you know something about me that I don't."
"More or less," he admitted.
She was quiet, before she asked, her voice trembling, "Why haven't you told me yet?"
"Mostly because I haven't proven it yet," Jayden truthfully told her. "I didn't want to bring you into it until I was sure. Remember, I had suspected that Deker was one of the three wolves for a while, but I could never prove it until Deker himself slipped up."
Emily was silent, even when she finally spoke, "Right. I'm sorry for doubting you."
He shot her a comforting smile, "It's okay."
"Who do you think the third wolf is?" she asked him.
"Someone we haven't met before," Jayden guessed. "Because you would've told us who they were by now." Emily nodded, agreeing with him. He continued, "But no matter who it is, we'll deal with them together, like we always have."
Emily leaned against Jayden's shoulder, and he wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. The loss of their elder sisters still stung deeply in their very souls, even after all this time.
But their comfort would always be each other.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Parkside Trails, Panorama City, California
Octoroo sighed, "This is none of your business, Serrator. Just hand over the Harmonium!"
Serrator snuck up from behind, the damaged Harmonium in hand, "I'm afraid not. You can't see how feeble your Master is. You serve a weakling."
Octoroo turned around just in time to block Serrator's attack, "How dare you?! You traitor!"
Octoroo pushed Serrator off of him before swinging down his staff. Serrator jumped back to avoid it.
"Give it up, Noodle Brain," Serrator said. "I will never give up this Harmonium! It is key to my plans!"
Octoroo dodged Serrator's lightning strike by jumping up and landing on the cliff above him.
Serrator continued, "I was hoping to wait until it was too late for you to interfere. But it seems my deception is over."
"I knew you were a lying, cheating, fancy pants-wearing, snake!" Octoroo struck back. "When Master Xandred hears about this, you're dog food!"
Serrator watched as Octoroo quickly entered a Gap.
Back at the Shiba House, the Gap Sensor started going off.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Cortez Forest, Panorama City, California
Dayu gasped when she felt it. "My Harmonium! I can feel its prescence! It's nearby! SERRATOR!"
Deker could only watch as Dayu pulled out her dagger and rushed off.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Limatore Beach, Panorama City, California
Jayden picked up his Samuraizer the moment it went off, "What's up, Ji?"
"There's a disturbance at the coastline. Parkside Trails," Ji related to him. "I'm not sure if Emily is with you, but the others are already on their way there."
"We're on our way," Jayden told him, before hanging up.
As he and Emily stood up, the blonde said, "I have a bad feeling about this. Serrator's never rubbed me the way any other Nighlock does."
"We'll be okay," Jayden reassured her, as she picked up her rollerblades. "As long as the six of us stick together."
She nodded, now determined, before the two took off.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Parkside Trails, Panorama City, California
Still holding the Harmonium, Serrator walked along the coastline, using his Locator to search for the exact location to place his Wedge. He stopped when the top began to spin. "Ah, here it is. One of the last three that I need." he held up the Harmonium, "Time for you to play your music one last time. Your swansong."
"Serrator!" came a familiar voice.
Serrator turned around to see the six Rangers standing on top of the cliff above him. "Please do not meddle anymore, Rangers! It's rather annoying!"
"Fat chance!" Jayden said. "Samuraizers!"
"Go, Go, Samurai!"
"Go, Gold Samurai!"
Once morphed, the six Rangers leapt down to face the Marauders that Serrator had summoned.
Jayden took down a couple, "Samurai Fire, Power Ranger Red!"
Kevin struck down another, "Samurai Water, Power Ranger Blue!"
"Samurai Wind," Mia cut down three more, "Power Ranger Pink!"
"Samurai Forest, Power Ranger Green!" Mike blocked the sword of one.
Emily sliced through four before facing forward, "Samurai Earth, Power Ranger Yellow!"
Antonio cut down a couple before sheathing his blade, "Samurai Light, Power Ranger Gold!"
"Rangers Together-" Jayden began.
As the Marauders exploded around them, signaling their defeat, the Rangers all finished with, "Samurai Forever!"
But more Marauders showed up. The six Rangers simply saluted with their Swords and raced forward to fight them.
Serrator watched them from the cliff that had just leapt down from, "That should keep them occupied for a while. Now, time to play to your song, Harmonium. One final time."
He heard a yell from behind him and he leapt up just in time to avoid Dayu's dagger. Dayu turned to see him land on the cliff opposite of her. "Serrator, what's your game?!" she yelled. "You never intended to fix my Harmonium, did you?!"
"To be honest," he replied, "all I really wanted was Deker and the powerful sad music that this makes." He held up his Harmonium. "You are truly naive, aren't you? You've been nothing but a pawn in my game the entire time."
Dayu growled, "You deceived me for the last time!" She leapt up to attack him, "Liar!"
"Ah, ah, ah," Serrator held up her Harmonium as a shield, and sure enough, Dau halted her attack. "And it only took you three hundred years to figure that out."
"Put my Harmonium down so I can take you down!" Dayu said.
"Not a chance!" Serrator replied, before striking her with his claw hand, sending her flying.
Down below, Emily blocked a Marauder's sword with her own, before she called out to the others, "Huh? Guys, look! They're fighting each other!"
"What?!" Mia immediately halted her fighting after taking down a Marauder near her. "They're supposed to be on the same side!"
But the Marauders kept them busy, as Serrator slowly walked towards an injured Dayu.
"Give me back my Harmonium, Serrator!" Dayu yelled before rushing towards.
Serrator kicked a ball at her, "Such a futile attempt."
The ball turned blue and hit her multiple times. A lightning strike from his fingers send her flying again.
Now lying on the ground, Dayu could only watch as Serrator walked closer to her, "Your frustrations taste like the sweetest candy on my tongue."
Dayu breathed heavily, "I can only hope...that your wickedness will come back on you tenfold..."
Serrator laughed, but was interrupted by the sky suddenly striking dark as if a lightning storm was occuring.
Everyone stopped what they were doing, Nighlock or Ranger, as yelling could clearly be heard reverberating throughout the area.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Junk Ship, Sanzu River, Netherworld
"So Serrator has been deceving me this whole time?!" Xandred yelled. "I'll go to Earth and defeat him myself!"
He got up, but was immediately held back by Octoroo, "Master, please! I know you're angry, but you can't leave the River! As soon as you step foot on Earth, you'll dry out!"
"Get off me!" Xandred struck Octoroo across the chest, making him let go, before storming off to a Gap.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Parkside Trails, Panorama City, California
As the Rangers regrouped, the skies began to darken, almost like night had arrived. The Marauders had all been defeated, but Emily knew they had a bigger issue to deal with.
"What's going on?" Mike asked. "The sky's like an eclipse."
Rocks began to gather and stack themselves, one of top of another, until they created a wall. Behind this wall was a red aura. It got brighter and brighter until a figure began to show through the cracks in the stone wall in front of it.
"Day shall turn to night!" came a dark voice, and it was familiar to the six Rangers. "The sun shall set on this world, never to rise again!"
"Xandred..." Jayden muttered, confirming to his teammates who was speaking to them.
"What?! It can't be!" Serrator exclaimed, hovering over Dayu, ready to deilver the final blow. Dayu gasped, already knowing who it was as well.
"It can be!" The stone wall cracked and broke down, revealing Master Xandred, sword his hand, angrier than ever. "And it shall be! Serrator, you will pay for your treachery!"
He was here.
"How did he manage to negate the effects of the Seal so quickly?" Kevin asked.
Serrator cut in, "He didn't. He merely passed through a Gap, like any Nighlock does."
The skies began to brighten back up, and Antonio replied, "And it's taking a toll on him. His night spell is already losing power."
"Xandred!" Dayu called out.
"The fact that his spell is fading so fast is only proof that his visit here will before short," Serrator explained. "See? He's already drying out."
Crack.
He was right. Xandred's right shoulder was completely dried up already.
Xandred growled, before sending a wave of fire from his sword at them all. An giant explosion engulfed the Rangers and sent them all to the ground. Xandred, meanwhile, turned to his primary target.
"Serrator!" The said Nighlock turned to face Xandred as the Nighlock King send out dark symbols in order to bind him.
Serrator tried to fight it off, "I will not be bound!" However, he was unable to keep the symbols from knocking the Harmonium out of his hand. It landed behind Xandred, as he sent out more symbols.
"I never thought you'd venture off into this realm!" Serrator said, before leaping away, obviously taking the coward's route and splitting before he can be destroyed or captured. "Once you dry out, I'll take the lead!" he gave one last warning.
"You will not escape me!" Xandred said, as Jayden got to his knees.
He spun the Lion Disk, "Spin Sword!" His Sword engulfed in flames, he ran to Xandred and swung hard, "Blazing Fury!"
No effect.
Xandred grabbed his Sword and held it in place, "Ah, yes, the Red Ranger of this generation." Jayden saw the left side of Xandred's torso turn to stone. "I owe you and your team some payback! Give me the Seal!"
Jayden managed to dodge the first strike, and tried to block the second with his Spin Sword, but it only ended up splitting his Sword in half.
Jayden fell to the ground, the pain from his chest more excruciating than he was expecting.
"Jayden!" He heard the others call out to him, before he looked up and saw them all standing in front of them, personal weapons raised, "Quintuple Slash!"
The five attack together in unison, only for Xandred to block it easily and send a wave of fire from his sword at them.
Jayden saw the five land on the ground in front of him, too injured to get up, and he started seeing red again.
He shakily got to his feet, trudged over to Emily, grabbed her Sword just as she was reaching for it (and ignoring her protest of "Jayden!"), and stood in front of them all.
"Super Samurai Mode!" Jayden called out. As he was decked out in the familiar white coat, he saw Xandred's right leg turn to stone
"Jayden, wait!" came Emily's protests. He ignored her and put together the Super Firebull Bazooka and readied himself to fire it. "Stop! He's not the third wolf!"
That wasn't why he was angry this time, Jayden mentally told her. Last time, it was solely about Lauren and wanting to get revenge on one of the Nighlock responsible (Robtish) for whatever happened to her.
"She's right, Jayden!" he heard Kevin agree as Xandred stared him down. "It's not worth it!"
No. This time, it was purely about protecting the others, about protecting Mike and his cheerfulness, Mia and her kindness, Kevin and his loyalty, Antonio and his energy, and Emily and her sunshine.
"Sorry," he apologized to them. "But I have to do this."
And he could tell that Emily immediately understood.
It was obvious that they were never going to beat Xandred right now. He was just way too powerful. They didn't have to worry about any innocent civilians crossing this area; it was too late in the day for that. All they could do was ensure their own survival until Xandred dried out.
It would only take a couple more minutes at most, but it would be a long couple of minutes.
And he fired.
But Xandred cut it in half before jumping into the air. Jayden followed, firing the Bazooka many more times (he lost count very quickly), but Xandred blocked every single one.
Eventually, Xandred grew tired of this and bound Jayden with his dark symbols. "Enough playing around!" He then struck at Jayden, who fell to the ground.
Jayden painfully got to his knees, as Xandred kept laughing.
"It's the end of the line, Red Ranger!" Xandred said, before sending one last wave of fire at him just as he managed to stand up.
Red lightning surrounded Jayden, manifested from his injuries. He was engulfed in an explosion, and when it dissipated, he fell to the ground, de-morphing on the way.
Jayden looked up to see Xandred walking away, saying "Pathetic," before he lost concsiousness completely.
"Jayden!" Emily called out, and she was the first one to run over to him. The others were hot on her heels, but they let her turn Jayden over and lay his head in her still-morphed lap.
As they urged him to wake up, Xandred picked up the Harmonium that he himself damaged months ago. He groaned in pain as his left shoulder turned to stone.
"Master, please!" he heard Octoroo say. "You're drying out! You need water!"
"Not yet," Xandred said, before leaping up and landing on the cliff Dayu was recovering on. "Dayu, I will repair your Harmonium, but you must return to the Ship and swear allegiance only to me."
"I've wandered alone long enough," she whimpered. "I swear." Xandred was the one who gave her a place to go, after all.
"Then, we have a deal," Xandred said, as he took a patch off of his armor and placed on the Harmonium. In a single second, the patch melted and fixed the instrument completely.
Dayu gasped, "It's fixed!" That was all she ever wanted.
Xandred handed it back to her, and she hugged it tightly, relieved, as he told her, "Yes, but you better never dare to defy me again."
"I won't," she whimpered. "I promise."
"Now, you will play it again for me," Xandred said. "Forever."
Octoroo quickly stepped in, "Hurry, Master! You must submerge yourself in Sanzu Water quickly!" He ushered his Master over to a Gap. "Don't worry about those Rangers! I'll take care of them." As he entered the Gap, pushing Xandred into it first, he gave out one final order, "Colossal Marauder Cannon Company! Advance!"
The Rangers were startled when they felt the Earth shake. Kevin, Mike, Mia, and Antonio all stood up as four Giant Marauders carrying a giant cannon (like the one on Monalua Island), but Emily couldn't bring herself to leave Jayden alone.
Mike kneeled next to Emily, "Em, take Jayden back to the House. The rest of us will take care of these guys."
Emily nodded, "Okay," before she de-morphed.
Mike (still morphed) held onto the Black Box, still in Jayden's hand, "Sorry, Jay, but I gotta borrow this." He then grabbed his Sword and ran back to the others. "Super Samurai Mode! Super Samurai Combination!"
Emily watched the Claw Armor Megazord form through tear-filled eyes, before glancing back down at Jayden, her vision becoming blurry as her tears began obstructing her sight. "Hang on, Jayden," she pleaded.
But she got no response from him. The dirt and bruises on his face and all over his body, blood even seeping through his clothing, only made Emily's worry rise even more.
"Claw Armor Megazord: We Are United!"
Once Mike had formed Shogun Mode, the four remaining Rangers stood in the cockpit (lineup: Mia, Antonio, Mike, and Kevin), not ready to fight, but ready for all of this to be over.
The Marauders immediately fired their cannon, causing the cockpit to shake. They fired again, but the Rangers stood their ground.
"They're packing a bigger punch than usual, aren't they?" Mike asked.
Antonio took out the Bull Disk, "I'm summoning the Bullzord to help us out."
"Hurry!" Mia urged.
"Summon Bullzord!" Once summoned, Antonio entered the cockpit. "Bullzord Transformation!" After the Bullzord shifted its parts to form a humanoid, the two were ready, "Bull Megazord, Armed for Battle!"
The Marauders turned their cannon the to Bull Megazord.
"Shoulder Blasters!" The attack made the four Marauders drop their cannon.
As they ran over to it and struggled to pick it back up, Mike called, "Super Samurai Artillery: Samurai Battle Cannon!"
The Battle Cannon was formed, and Antonio charged the Bullord up for the final strike, "Bull Disk: Power Up!"
The Marauders fired their cannon one last time.
"Katana Power!"
"Revolving Laser Blaster!"
"Battle Cannon Blast!"
It was a struggle, a fierce but short one. But it ended with a victory for the Rangers, as the cannon and the four Marauders carrying it were destroyed.
But Mike didn't say the victory line. No one did. Because it didn't feel like one.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Shiba House, Gianni Forest, Panorama City, California
Emily, by some miracle, had found the strength to carry Jayden back to the House by herself (though the motorcycle they had taken probably helped). She entered the doors, and the second Ji saw the injured Jayden on her back, he immediately jumped into action.
The first thing he did was get on Jayden's other side and help Emily carry him over to the seats surrounding the Gap Sensor map table. "Set him down here." Once they did, he said, "Stay with him. Locate and keep track of all his injuries. I'll go get the first aid kit."
Ji took off, leaving Emily alone.
The others were still out on the battlefield, taking care of the Cannon Company. Emily had thanked them all the way home.
But all this time alone had given Emily plenty of time to think, and she had figured something out.
She loved Jayden.
She had probably fallen for him the moment she first ran into him in Keller Forest, and during their following conversation at Angela's cafe.
She had almost lost him to his own anger once, against Robtish. And this time, she may be losing him to his own protective streak, once again, this time against Xandred.
A tear fell down her cheek.
~B~E~T~T~E~R~~T~O~G~E~T~H~E~R~~P~O~W~E~R~~R~A~N~G~E~R~S~~S~A~M~U~R~A~I~~R~E~D~O~
Junk Ship, Sanzu River, Netherworld
Octoroo watched his Master sink deeper and deeper into the River. Xandred was so dried out that there was no telling how long he had to stay there. It could've been until the end of time.
"Still as useless as ever," came Serrator's voice behind him. Octoroo immediately turned around, grabbing his staff and raising into an attack position. "Don't bother. You're no match for me, Octoroo. And now, I can take control of this ship, of the Sanzu River, without any opposition."
"Master Xandred will awaken, and he will destroy you!" Octoroo growled. "And if not him, then the Rangers definitely will!"
"Master Xandred is no match against me either," Serrator said, "as long as he has that handicap. The Rangers, on the other hand, will not survive long enough to pose a threat."
TO BE CONTINUED...
~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~
Original Shinkenger Episode: Act 40
Original PRS Episode: The Master Returns
Note: Yes, I gave you guys a pretty solid view as to what the twist is, and who Lee is. It's also to prove that it's what I've always had in mind, and didn't just randomly come up while writing the previous chapter.
I changed Super Blue to Super Green mainly to give Mike another chance to use the Black Box, and the parallels between Dayu and Emily here are on purpose.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review and tell me what you think!
A/N: Do review, please. If you guys have any ideas you want me to consider adding, please PM me. A preview for the next chapter:
Season 2, Episode 14: "Resolutions"
"As the Rangers try to recover from the recent revelation of Serrator having ulterior motives, a monster with the ability to make people hungry attacks the city."