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.
Just like the "Seeing Red" chapter, pay attention to the dates, as some scenes here will be flashbacks while other scenes take place in the present day. Also, the first flashback is the day Lauren's team first arrives at the safehouse, while the other flashbacks take place on the fateful night.
~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~
"Dayu and Emily both rush to the Ultimate Duel, wanting to ensure that their man doesn't die. However, none of them are aware that the turnout of this fight could drastically change the Earth's fate."
Better Together
Power Rangers: Samurai REDO
Season 2, Episode 18: Pulsations
Keller Forest, Panorama City, California
September 23, 2004
Everyone breathed in the tense air as soon as Blake turned on the emergency brake of their SUV and parked in front of their safehouse.
This was really happening.
This was their life now, the location they would all live in until Lauren got a chance to use that Seal. She was only thirteen years old, but she put her blood, sweat, and tears into perfecting that Seal, just so the world could stay safe for however long her Seal would actually hold.
Lauren just hit puberty and the world was already resting on her shoulders.
The five all stepped out of the car, and just stood there looking at the house after closing all four car doors, just taking it all in.
Lauren was the only one brave enough to cut through the apprehensive silence, "I guess it's time to hunker down, guys. This won't last long, I promise."
"We can only hope so," Matthew replied.
"Either way," Serena cut in, "all we can do is go into this full throttle. This new lifestyle will take everything we have, and if we fail, the entire human race is in danger."
"Yeah, no pressure," Daniel quipped back.
Blake used the key to open the car's trunk, "Everyone, shut up and get your stuff. I'm not your maid."
Blake's comment was not a joke nor a sarcastic comment, but everyone else laughed at it anyways, and it made the air much less tense than it was before.
Part of Lauren felt hopeful now. They could get through this.
They would.
~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
November 4, 2015
Dayu's heart suddenly clenched in fear, and she nearly fell to her knees. The still exhausted Octoroo (worn out due to giving away his second life; a plan that had failed, by the way) saw Dayu stumble, but catch herself before she could fall to the ground.
"What's wrong, Dayu?" he asked.
"It's Deker!" she cried aloud. "He's in danger!"
Unfortunately, Octoroo didn't see the urgency in that, "Deker can handle himself. I mean, he was a former General for a reason. So why are you so concerned about him now?"
"Because he's about to break his curse!" Dayu quickly replied, before moving towards a Gap. "I can't lose him!"
"Dayu! Wait! It's too risky! The Rangers might stop you!" Octoroo's warnings fell on deaf ears.
He couldn't shake the feeling that this would not turn out well.
~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~
Keller Forest, Panorama City, California
Dayu and Emily both entered the same forest on opposite ends of the said area, just in time to see the same fight occur on a wooden bridge.
Both saw Jayden throw up his Sword and block Deker's Uramasa. Both saw Deker parry and strike again. Both saw Jayden block again before making a downward slash.
Neither were holding back, and it was clear that the fight needed to be stopped because either could lose at any time. Things could go south so quickly if there was even one minor slip-up.
The only problem was that there was a strong possibility that neither Jayden nor Deker would listen.
Because Dayu knew that Deker wanted to break his curse, and fighting his foil was the only way to make that happen, the only path he was willing to take.
Especially after what happened with Serrator.
Because Emily knew that Jayden was fully aware that Deker needed to be stopped, and, as the final puzzle piece, the last chance for revenge for Lauren's team.
Especially after finding out all four were dead.
Both females rushed towards the fight, both from opposite ends of the area. Both were equally as fast, but one got their first.
The fight led away from the bridge to the neighboring trees, and next to an unmarked gravestone, Jayden collapsed to his knees. Exhausted, he leaned hard against his Sword, as Deker did the same against a nearby tree.
"I commend you for your determination, Red Ranger," Deker breathed. "You fight better when you have something to fight for. You are my foil, after all."
Jayden still didn't deny that, nor did he accept it.
After a moment of silence, only filled with heavy breathing, Deker got back to his feet, Uramasa in hand, "Stand. The break is over."
To be quite honest, Jayden was not ready to continue the fight. His body, especially his lungs and right arm (the one that held his Sword), were crying out to him for mercy. But his heart, mind, and soul all knew that he had to continue this duel, for Emily's sake, not his own.
So Jayden used his Sword as a crutch, leaning heavily against it as he struggled to get back to his feet.
"BOTH OF YOU, STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!" came a familiar voice, coupled with a frantic pair of heavy footsteps, and both men saw yellow.
Jayden looked up to see Emily standing in front of him, unmorphed arms out. She was protecting him from Deker, without the protection of her Ranger suit or any kind of weapon.
"Yellow Ranger," Deker muttered.
"Emily, what are you doing here?!" Jayden managed to grind out. "You're supposed to be with Lauren!"
Apprently, saying those words had pressed Emily's berserk button, "Are you crazy, Shiba?! Don't answer that! Of course you are! Why else would you be here by yourself?! Everyone's been worried sick about you!" Jayden honestly wasn't insulted by her words, because he knew that she was only angry at him out of worry and concern. She quickly rounded on Deker too, "And you!" The outcast's eyes slightly widened in surprise. "Both of you apparently forgot my promise! I told both of you that Jayden and I would take you down together, Deker."
Deker charged, as he explained, "Since my sword Uramasa broke in battle, my curse wasn't broken. You can say I was lost, but now I'm found!" He and Jayden clashed once more. "Until Uramasa's fixed, I'm just a sword for hire."
Jayden stepped back in order to dodge Deker's swing, but he saw Emily and her Sword blocking Deker's attack. "Then, we'll just have to defeat you again. But this time, you're facing both of us!" she told Deker, and to be honest, Jayden too.
Jayden didn't know how Emily's words impacted Deker, but he certainly knew how they impacted himself. You could always leave it to Emily to screw his head back on straight.
But it was her he was doing this for...
Emily summoned her Spin Sword, "I'm your opponent now, Deker. No one else!"
Summoning a weapon (finally) was apparently Dayu's cue to jump into the fray, and Emily quickly found Dayu's sword (from her Harmonium) was pointed directly in her face. Jayden immediately jumped to his feet, ready to protect Emily, while the Yellow Ranger immediately turned her Sword to Dayu instead.
"Neither of you Ranger pests are touching Deker!" Dayu angrily ground out, and her grip on her blade tightened before she raised it up, with the intention of striking at Emily.
It was here that things got hectic.
Just as Jayden attempted to push Emily behind him (she was still unmorphed, after all), Deker grabbed Dayu's arm, stopping her attack.
Dayu turned to Deker, surprised, "Why are you stopping me?"
"Do not interfere, Dayu," Deker told her. Not quite stoic, but not quite angry either. "This is my business, and mine alone."
It was Dayu's turn to have her berserk button be pressed, "You are my husband! It is my business whether you like it or not!"
"Dayu, please," Deker replied, almost pleading.
While the two cursed Nighlocks were arguing like the old married couple they once were, Jayden looked over his shoulder at the person he was trying to protect, "This is our chance to run, Em. I need to get you out of here."
"I'm not going anywhere," Emily glared at him.
"She's right, Red Ranger," Deker cut in, as he raised Uramasa, ready to attack both Rangers. "We will finish this duel, even if both of us die."
Beneath his helmet, Jayden's eyes lowered into a determined glare.
No matter what happened to him now, he had to protect Emily. He knew she could take care of herself - she had proved that time and time again - but he always had a certain feeling to protect Emily that he could never shake (to be honest, he never wanted to get rid of it) no matter what he did.
Right now, all he could think about was that Emily was right behind him, her Spin Sword in hand and ready to fight, but unmorphed, and that Deker was a dangerous opponent and may be allying with Dayu now, a dangerous opponent herself in her own right.
But Emily and Dayu both acted before Jayden and Deker could. Both ladies stepped in front of the men guarding them (for different reasons) could react and took a swipe at each other.
Dayu stepped forward first, intent of striking down both Rangers, but Emily quickly blocked her. Both blades clashed with each other, and the force that ensued turned into a harsh wind that caused all four to stumble backwards.
Deker and Dayu fell down one side of the hill, and Jayden and Emily lost their footing and fell off the cliff on the opposite side.
While Deker and Dayu stumbled down the same hill individually, Jayden quickly grabbed Emily and hugged her close to his chest. He felt her tightly hug him back, before the two were submerged in water.
~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~
Once reaching the bottom of the hill, Deker immediately turned to face Dayu, "Why did you interfere?"
Dayu remained steadfast in her position on the matter, "Because I can't lose you a third time!"
Deker went silent, and his eyes glazed over, as if he was suddenly lost in thought.
Dayu continued, "I already lost you on our wedding night and when Xandred kicked you off his crew. I can't let anything else happen to you!"
"Dahlia," Deker suddenly, yet quietly pressed. "This is something I have to do."
The fact that he called her by her human name did not slip past her, "W-What did you call me?"
"Dahlia," he answered without any second thought. "And I know why that name means something to you. And the feeling I get whenever you call me 'Derek', I understand why. I remember now."
"E-Everything?" She had accepted long ago that this day would most likely never come. Now that it was happening, now that Deker's memory had finally returned...it wasn't something that she was prepared for.
"Everything," Deker replied. "Three centuries ago, we got married. Uramasa was a gift from you, and your Harmonium was a gift from me. That's why those objects are so important to us." Dayu nodded, clutching the said instrument tightly to her chest. He continued, "But on our wedding night, our house burned down."
"By Serrator," she cut in.
"By Serrator," he agreed. "I believe I died, because I have no memory of what happened next."
"You weren't," Dayu revealed, her voice wavering. "But you were getting close."
"Alright..." Deker paused, digesting that, before continuing, "So you made a deal with Serrator: you become a Nighlock in exchange for my life. But he tricked you, tricked us both, by cursing both of us." He paused again. "Three hundred years of pain for us..."
"There were many times where I wished I had forgotten everything just like you," she quietly admitted. "I can't take this pain anymore!"
"Neither can I," he told her. "But at least you remembered. I spent three centuries not having any idea who I was, or why fighting with Uramasa only made me ask more questions, or why my fellow female General was so vaguely familiar to me, or why listening to her music calmed me down."
"But I can't kill myself," Dayu said. "I've already tried. More than once..."
"Neither can I," Deker revealed. "That's why I've been seeking out the perfect opponent all these years. I learned long ago that only my foil, my equal, can truly put me out of my misery."
"Your foil?" Dayu wondered who her foil was.
"Yes," Deker explained. "The one whose shoes you can easily see yourself in, but one crucial point in their life made them different from you as well." He turned to fully face her, "Please, let me do this, Dahlia."
A tear started rolling down Dayu's cheek, "But I..."
Deker - no, Derek - embraced, and she quickly returned the gesture, hugging him tightly. He gently whispered in her ear, "We still have a chance to be together. As long as you hold onto your humanity, we can see each other again in the afterlife."
Dayu's weeping into Deker's shoulder was the only sound that filled the area for a while.
~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~
Jayden and Emily had regained consciousness rather quickly, and the two trudged out of the river and onto the shore, their clothes wet (and Jayden de-morphed). Fortunately, neither of them were serious injured. A cut or two, yes, but nothing seriously.
Once the two were leaned against a boulder resting on the river bank, Jayden quietly asked Emily, "Em, why did you follow me?"
"Stupid question," was all Emily said, as she nursed a cut on her right arm (from Dayu).
Jayden didn't deny this, as he did already know the answer, "Fine, I admit I deserve that. I'm sorry I forgot about our promise. But when I left, I intended for this fight to only involve me and Deker. No one else."
"Why?" Emily was refusing to look at him, but she no longer sounded angry.
"Pardon?"
"Why did you go by yourself?" Oh. He managed to pinpoint her current (primary, at least) emotion: betrayed.
"Because I felt quilty." She finally turned her head to look at him, slightly surprised but also concerned.
"I'm sorry for not being able to save your sister."
Emily took a deep breath before telling him, "Y'know, when I said that it wasn't your fault, I meant it." This time, he was the one refusing to meet her eyes. So she continued, "Serena's gone, yes, and yes, I've accepted that, but that doesn't mean I still can't be sad about losing my big sister. And all of that does not mean that I'm currently in a bad place, with no one to turn to in the midst of my suffering, because that's not true. I have the best mentor to turn to for advice and six of the bestest friends anyone could ever have." She saw his profile add a soft smile, and she decided to just go for it, "Especially you, Jayden, the man I love. As long as I have you, I don't need to worry about anything else."
Jayden didn't answer with words. Emily wasn't shocked, per say, nor surprised when he kissed her, only startled until happiness and affection quickly took over. When they did, she returned the gesture, leaning into it as she closed her eyes, and allowed herself to enjoy the moment while it lasted.
It was here that Emily knew that he felt the same way about her.
They were forced to break apart when their lungs started requesting for air.
Jayden pressed his forehead against hers, a ghost of a smile across his face. "You have no idea how long I've waited to do that..."
Emily lightly giggled, before proposing a compromise, "I'll let you go after Deker as long as you let me hold off Dayu."
"As long as you don't die."
"I won't die as long as you don't," she replied. "Do you trust me?"
He answered without any hesitation, "Always."
~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~
The sun was almost completely down when Dayu came across the river bank an hour later. She jumped down from a ledge, hoping to catch the two Rangers off-guard, but she only found one.
"Yellow Ranger," Dayu greeted.
"Dayu," Emily returned, her eyes lowered into a glare as she pulled out her Samuraizer.
"Where's your Red?" Dayu asked. "Run off with his tail between his legs? Or...he's going after Deker by himself," she realized. She unsheathed her blade from her Harmonium, "Out of my way, Yellow Ranger! I need to protect Deker!"
Emily wordlessly drew her Symbol and morphed in a flash of yellow light. Once she did, she unsheathed her Spin Sword and readied herself to attack. "I'm sorry, but I can't do that."
Just like Emily knew she would, Dayu made the first move, running at the Ranger full speed. Emily ducked before Dayu swung at her again. Emily spun away to avoid another collision, as the Nighlock aimed a second slash for her stomach. Emily took a step backwards, before using her Sword to block the next attack.
The two locked blades and struggled, both attempting just as hard to overpower the other.
"Why are you stopping me, Yellow Ranger?" Dayu asked, her voice slightly strained due to the stress she was currently placing on her body. "If I recall, you also wanted to break up the duel."
"I'm here," Emily answered, "for the same reason as you."
This obviously hit a nail on Dayu's head, as the Nighlock actually stopped to think about those words.
Dayu was here to help the man she loved. There were some important details that were missing, but that's what it all essentially boiled down to.
The Yellow Ranger was here for the same reason...?
~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~
The sun was completely down by the time Jayden and Deker met up at the same opening in the trees, both on opposite sides of the field.
"Where is the girl, Red Ranger?" Deker asked, before changing into his Nighlock form into a flash of purple fire.
"Where she needs to be, Deker," Jayden coldly replied, before morphing in a flash of red light.
"It's time to finish this," Deker said, both of their swords unsheathing as he said this.
"Then what are you waiting for?" Jayden asked, before Deker ran towards him.
Jayden side-stepped him, and the two blades clashed a few times, before they both jumped up into the air and upon meeting halfway, they slashed at each other, sparks immediately flying from the wounds landed.
~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~
The Yellow Ranger loved the Red Ranger. Everything made sense now.
Dayu struck Emily across the chest, and the younger of the two stumbled to the ground, de-morphing in a flash of yellow, her Sword lying on the ground a couple feet away.
But Emily crawled to her Sword and grabbed it before slowly getting back to her feet. Dayu wasn't surprised by this, as all the Rangers tended to stand their ground until their Nighlock opponent was either defeated or had retreated.
No, what Dayu noted as Emily got back up was the wooden flute in Emily's back pocket.
"That flute..." Dayu said, and Emily visibly showed her surprise that Dayu would even bring that up. "Do you play it often?"
"Whenever I'm sad or stressed, yes." For some reason, Emily didn't want to lie to her. For some reason, she couldn't find herself to be dishonest in this moment.
Dayu lifted up her Harmonium to take a better, rather lengthy look at it.
When the Nighlock said nothing, Emily decided to ask, "Are you the same way with your Harmonium?"
Fortunately, Dayu answered, "Yes." Emily noted that, this time, Dayu was not angry at a Ranger's curiosity (unlike last time, where she actively refused Mia's sympathy). Dayu, instead, appeared to have something else plaguing her mind. She asked another question, "Did someone give that flute to you?"
"Yes, my older sister," Emily replied. She was wondering where Dayu was going with this, and her clairvoyancy was telling her to keep this up. So she took her flute out of her pocket and looked at it as she continued, "It was first given to me when she went missing, and I always played it whenever my mom or I missed her. Now that she's confirmed to be dead...well, it's become the one last piece of her that I have now."
"I see," Dayu breathed. Then she surprised Emily by sheathing her blade. "Perhaps, you and I are more similar than we both think."
"How so?" Emily gently asked, genuinely curious.
"The instruments we carry," Dayu explained, "are both tragic keepsakes that hold our very souls and spirits within them. We both fight with all our might to keep ourselves tethered to our past, and we cannot live properly in the present, which is why we're both deathly afraid of the future and what it may bring."
Emily didn't deny the truth in this. She couldn't, because it was all true. "So, what are you so saying?"
"Deker was right," Dayu continued, somewhat as if Emily didn't say anything. "Foils do exist. You are mine, Yellow Ranger."
"'Foil'?"
"My equal," the Nighlock replied. "Similar, but also different. Because unlike me, you are so far ahead."
Emily doesn't know how she understands what Dayu's trying to say, so she surprises herself by saying, "Because I've found something worth living for." When Serena first disappeared, the three years following were torture for Emily, but she's a Power Ranger now. That means that she has to live in order to protect the innocent and her friends. "And you're stuck in the past. The night you and Deker were cursed is the exact moment in time that you are still trapped in to this day."
Dayu's heart and soul was still stuck in that moment. That's why it was Dayu's nightmare when she was put to sleep by Rhinosnorus, and why Emily was 'so far ahead'.
Dayu was quiet for a moment as she digested that, before quitely admitting, "Deker told me that we could still be together in the afterlife...as long as I held onto my humanity. How can I tell that I've kept it all this time, for 300 years?!"
"You ask a human," Emily quietly replied. Dayu finally looked up from her Harmonium, meeting Emily's emotional hazel eyes eyes. Emily continued by going off of what her clairvoyancy was telling her, "To be honest, you holding onto your past is the reason why you're so different from other Nighlocks. You have the same emotions that most humans do. You love Deker, even after three centuries. You feel guilty about cursing him. You play your Harmonium in order to soothe your pain. You despise Serrator because he tricked you, more than once. You hold tight to your Harmonium because it's a tragic keepsake. Heck, you trying to protect Deker now is proof enough! Trust me, Dayu, giving up your humanity, those emotions, will make you forget all about Deker and what you once had. Don't give up your humanity, because you and Deker deserve happiness after all the pain you two have been through. That's why Jayden and I split up in the first place...it's so that you and Deker can both die with your humanity in tact, Deker by Jayden's hand, and you at mine."
A mercy kill...
Dayu took a deep breath, before clutching her Harmonium tightly to her chest, "Thank you, Yellow Ranger. I sincerely never expected you, of all living beings, to show me mercy."
"Neither of us are objecting to you trying to keep Deker alive," Emily quietly continued. "We understand that feeling, because we both lost someone close to us in the past. But I can't let you interfere with that duel."
"I understand," Dayu said. "But in order to Deker's curse to fully break, both of you need to defeat him."
"Wait a minute," Emily paused. "Are you...actually agreeing to this?"
"Yes," she and Dayu connected eyes again. "Deker's been in pain for far too long. Three-hundred years too long."
Tears began to fill up both of their eyes, as Emily nodded.
~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~
Keller Forest, Panorama City, California
October 13, 2006
Lauren was writing in her diary while sitting on the front porch, unable to shake her bad feeling. Matthew's superstition about Friday the 13th being an unlucky day, while sneezed at by Blake and Daniel, couldn't be wiped from her mind. At least Serena felt the same way she did.
It had been two years since the five first moved in here.
Right now, the other four were enjoying their after-dinner volleyball on the front lawn, and Lauren was rather grateful that they were focusing so intently on that, instead of her. This was because she was currently writing about them, fully aware that any one of her diary entries could very well be the last one she ever wrote.
But today really took the cake. Today, she was really scared, and she just couldn't deny that.
At 7:38 PM, Lauren was in the middle of writing to Jayden, Antonio, and Ji when the Gap Sensor suddenly went off.
The five raced inside, where Daniel tapped the television they had, causing the map to open up there. Meanwhile, Lauren quickly raced upstairs to place her diary back in her room. "Uh, guys?" Daniel paused, in fear.
"What's wrong?" Serena asked, as Lauren raced back down the stairs.
"Why are there no dots in the city?" Matthew asked, all five of them staring intently at the map.
"That's what's wrong," Daniel replied. "There are no Nighlock in the city, but there are three right here in this forest."
"They've found us," Lauren took in a sharp breath, as the group immediately went on the defensive.
~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~
Keller Forest, Panorama City, California
November 5, 2015
After after about a few hours of fighting (time was quickly lost track of), Deker and Jayden both found the other's sword against their chest. But they didn't stop. Both stepped forward and continued their respective strikes.
Some distance was finally created, but it didn't last long, as Deker quickly closed it with an attack, saying, "The last time we dueled, you broke Uramasa in two instead of defeating me." Jayden fell to his knees, but managed to block the next strike. "But this time," Deker continued, as he began to overpower Jayden, "the only thing that will break is my curse."
Deker proved himself to be too strong this time, and his sword sunk into Jayden's shoulder. Jayden softly cried out in pain.
"I will be free, Red Ranger," Deker said, "no matter who the sacrifice needs to be!"
The half-Nighlock forced Jayden to his feet, only for the Red Ranger to be met with two slashes across the chest that sent him stumbling to the ground.
Jayden was quickly back on his feet. He couldn't give up here.
Deker rushed towards him, ready to land the final blow, but Jayden was quick to block it. He then pushed his Sword in a way that it was the one on top, before moving it up Deker's blade and then landing a solid strike on him.
Jayden quickly turned around and block Deker's next strike, before he landed one that knocked Uramasa out of the Rogue's hand.
He raised his Sword above his head, "This ends now!" and brought it down, slashing Deker's chest from chin to knees.
When Uramasa finally landed in front of its master, Deker was engulfed in a giant explosion that Jayden was too slow and exhausted to get away from.
Dayu and Emily both saw the resulting explosion and knew exactly what had happened. The two immediately rushed towards the area the explosion had come from.
The field was burning, on fire, by the time Jayden came to a few minutes later. The explosion had disengaged his morph and left him utterly exhausted and rather injured.
When he was able to sit up, his Sword in hand, he looked around the ring of fire he was surrounded in. Deker was lying down on his back a few feet away, Uramasa still stuck in the ground where it fell just minutes before.
"It's finally over..." Jayden muttered in utter relief, breathing deeply and tired of fighting now.
But the moment of victory didn't last long, since a familiar voice quickly made itself heard, "This isn't over yet."
Deker was still alive?!
"H-How?" was all Jayden could say, as Deker began to sit up.
"I apologize," Deker replied. "This cursed body won't stop." It was here that Jayden realized that Deker seemed to have no control over his own body. He was currently sitting up much like a zombie would.
"Don't you think we've fought enough?" Jayden asked. He wanted to buy himself time to recover, but he was also curious. "We don't have to do this anymore."
"This is all I never needed to do," Deker tiredly replied, as he got to his feet. "Now raise your sword. It's time I found peace in your defeat."
But when he tried to pull Uramasa from the ground, he quickly found that it won't budge. It was almost as if something, or someone, was holding it in place.
"Face it, Deker," Jayden solemnly told him, subtly shaking his head. "You're too tired to even lift your sword. That's proof enough to me that this is, indeed, over."
Deker, however, looked down at his arm when he felt someone gently grab it, "Dahlia?"
She wasn't really there, but he could feel her spirit, her heart, her soul. She was in her Nighlock form, but she quickly turned into her human form, "Derek, please listen to my final words." The hand was was holding him clearly hand on it a golden wedding band.
"Release me," he muttered in desperation. "Let me be free of this curse. Please."
"Listen to my last words," she repeated, as her grip on his arm slightly tightened. "I love you, Derek, and I always have. You deserve to be free of your pain. I'm sorry for placing so much on you."
And she chose to let go on his arm.
"Thank you," Deker quietly said, as Dahlia's spirit faded away.
To Jayden, the whole thing looked rather awkward, because he couldn't figure out who Deker was talking to. It really seemed like he was just talking to himself.
But no matter how silly-looking, it did allow Jayden to finally get to his feet. He slung his Sword over his shoulder, and said, "This fight is over," before turning around and starting to walk (or limp) away.
"If only that were true," Deker sadly muttered, before transforming into his Nighlock, his Uramasa in hand.
Jayden quickly turned around when he heard foosteps running towards him, only to stumble back in shock and sudden fear when he saw that those footsteps belonged to Deker himself.
But then Deker suddenly stopped after being hit with a yellow light from behind.
Uramasa got stuck in the ground again as Deker dropped it and fell to his knees, letting see who had saved him.
"Emily..." he breathed.
In one move, Emily had finally avenged Serena as well as fulfilled Dayu's request.
The girl moved her Sword to her left hand, while she used her right to draw a yellow kanji with her Samuraizer, "Symbol Power: Stones!" The kanji created and brought a barrage of miniature boulders down onto a section of the fire ring, creating a pathway of escape.
Emily immediately went in, running directly to Jayden. She slung one of his arms around her shoulders and helped him out of the fire ring, and the two made it out just in time.
However, Dayu slipped inside the ring just as it closed back up. Jayden and Emily both watched her kneel next to Deker's motionless body, but they were rather surprised to see her make no move to get Deker to safety like their Ranger counterparts.
"Derek?" Dayu asked, before picking him up off the ground and holding him in her arms. "Can you hear me?"
Deker's breathing was shallow, but he eventually managed to quietly say his last words, "Thank you, all three of you, for freeing me from my dreadful curse. Thank you, Rangers, for proving that kindness and mercy still exist in this world. And Dahlia..." The fact that Dayu visibly reacted to this name made Jayden understand who Deker was talking to, and he finally understood that 'Derek' and 'Dahlia' were their real names. "I love you, too, and I always will. I'll see you...in the afterlife..."
Dayu nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek, as Deker disintegrated into ash in her arms, his curse finally broken and his suffering over after so long.
Both injured to an extent, Jayden and Emily could only watch as Dayu struggled not to cry or scream aloud. They were expecting it, but the cry of agony did not come.
Instead, the two were srprised when Dayu said, "Thank you, Rangers, for helping me free Deker's soul. I can only hope that the two of you don't meet the same as we did," before retreating back to the Sanzu River through a Gap in a nearby tree, silently crying the entire time.
The two sat in silence before Emily quietly asked, "You okay, Jay?"
"I'm fine," he told her, in the same volume. "Deker's hits weren't as damaging as Fiera's." He could tears in her eyes, and he could tell that they weren't just for finally avenging her sister, but also for Deker and Dayu. "Why did Dayu thank us?"
"Because she asked me to mercy kill Deker," she softly answered, obviously trying hard not to cry. Before he could ask why, she continued, "I guess she loved him so much, she was willing to let him go, so he wouldn't be in any more pain."
"Yeah..." Jayden agreed.
The air between them was quiet, until Emily muttered, "I still can't believe it. We did it." They had avenged Lauren's team, including Serena.
"We did it," Jayden agreed, before adding, "Together."
The two met eyes before she wrapped him in the biggest hug she could muster, unshed tears stinging her eyes, tears of both joy and mourning for Serena, Deker, and Dayu. He immediately returned the gesture, just holding her as the sun began to creep up. No words were needed in this moment.
A few feet away, Uramasa dissolved into red sparkles like its master before it.
~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~
Keller Forest, Panorama City, California
October 13, 2006
"They've found us," Lauren took in a sharp breath, as the group immediately went on the defensive.
"The wolves are coming!" Serena cried out, as they raced out the door.
However, as soon as they got outside, they were met with balls of fire that immediately broke apart the symbols that formed the protective barrier around the perimeter of the house. The protective barrier went down, and Matthew suddenly pushed Lauren to the ground just in time to avoid another barrage of fireballs that hit the house behind them.
The five, all in varied positions on the ground, could only watch as their safehouse caught on fire, their home for the past two years was slowly destroyed.
The teens turned around to face their three Nighlock opponents: Deker, Robtish, and Fiera.
"Well, lookie here!" Fiera exclaimed. "You were right, Deker! They were hiding in the forest!"
"Hey! Less talk, more destruction!" Robtish cried, ready to fight some Rangers.
"Not going to happen, Nighlocks!" Lauren retorted, before leading the morph. "Samuraizers!"
"Go, Go, Samurai!"
~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
November 5, 2015
Octoroo lowered his staff, through with he had watched the whole fight happen, as Dayu sobbed, mourning the loss of her love.
"So, Deker's gone," Octoroo solemnly said, and Dayu simply turned her head again, tightly clutching her Furry Wart companion for comfort, failing to mask a sob. Her back was turned to him, but he knew what she was going through. "What do you plan on doing now?" He turned around to face her.
"I don't know," Dayu whimpered, before taking a deep, shaky breath. "He was all I had left, and now...now, I've lost him forever..."
"You haven't lost everything, Dayu," Octoroo reminded. "Remember the boss? He powered through the agony of drying out just long enough so he could repair your Harmonium. I have an idea! Why don't you channel all your newfound misery through your Harmonium? Maybe a little number from you will be enough to wake him up!"
Octoroo had a point. The heartbreak from losing Deker forever would make her music much more powerful. But she kept going back to what Deker said, about keeping her humanity so they could be together in the afterlife, and the Yellow Ranger had told her that the key to making that happen was to hold onto her human emotions.
Deker had refused to doom the entire world just so he could be free, and Dayu truthfully didn't want that to happen either. She didn't want the entire human race to suffer because of her heartbreak.
So, as she picked up her Harmonium from her seat, she honestly replied, "I'm just going to play one last song for Deker. If it just so happens to revive the Master, then so be it."
Outside the boat, on the shores, Marauders, both big and small, began to appear.
~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
It was around 7:38 AM when Antonio entered the kitchen for breakfast, and he was mildly surprised to see Lauren already up and about. She was sitting at the kitchen table, staring intently at her cup of tea, seemingly lost in thought.
"Lauren?" She snapped out of her reverie and turned to the kitchen entrance, where he was standing. "You okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied with a small smile, before turning back to her cup. "Don't worry, I've only been up for thirty minutes now."
As he stepped up to the counter and poured his own tea, he asked her, "What's bothering you?" She was quiet, and he sat down next to her, "It's that missing piece, isn't it?"
Lauren's silence and troubled frown spoke volumes.
So Antonio made his choice, "Let me help walk you through everything."
"Yes, please," he heard her mutter. "I'm so lost."
"Before we get started, Lauren," he began, "you should know that we found your diary." She snuck a glance at him. He didn't meet it, but out of the corner of his eye, he could see slight fear and also slight relief. But she said nothing, so he continued, "So, we know everything up until the very last journal entry, presumably when the Gap Sensor went off."
"It did," Lauren recalled, going back to staring into her tea. "We went inside, and the map told us our worst fear: that the Nighlock were surrounding the house, not in the city. So we went back outside, only for the three Nighlock to break through the protective symbols. The house caught on fire, effectively blocking our only escape. With no other choice, we morphed and faced them."
"Alright," Antonio replied. "So far, everything seems to be in order. What about the fight that ensued?"
She continued, "Daniel took on Fiera, Matthew and Blake took on Robtish, while Serena and I took on Deker." This must've been when Deker had analyzed Lauren and her fighting style, Antonio remembered Jayden telling him. "But then Fiera managed to land a hit on me, the same attack that injured Jayden the other day, and that's when things started going downhill. It was...it was five against three, but we were still losing. Fiera kept shooting at me, just teleporting all over the place until I was literally on my knees. Fiera had me right where she wanted me, and she...made me watch as Robtish and Deker...well, they appeared to have an argument about something. I don't know what it was about - I was too far away - but...Deker just left after he said that his part of the mission was done. But Robtish...he struck down the other four, which was clearly against Deker's orders, before retreating to avoid drying out. Fiera then told me why they were ordered to attack us, and that's what's still fuzzy. What happened after that is blurry to me, but I do remember a Zord putting me in stasis just as my soul was separated from my injured body, I believe, of my own free will."
"And then your soul found its way to Emily," Antonio finished, and Lauren nodded. "So, what Zord are you referring to?"
She suddenly, quietly realized, "The Bullzord."
"What?" he asked, alarmed.
"The prescence I felt was bigger than the other Zords we knew about at the time," Lauren recalled, "and it had horns. It's aura was also very powerful. I'm positive. Why are you so surprised?"
"Well, because the Bullzord wasn't freed and tamed until earlier this year," he explained. "It's also never had a master before, not even now, even though it's a crucial piece of the Ultrazord. I'm just wondering what its intentions were."
Lauren was quiet as she reminded him, "Remember, each Zord has their own way of recruiting their Rangers. Lion, in particular, looks for people with strong inner fire, or willpower."
Antonio agreed, "Yeah, that's what he said when he chose Jayden. Claw looks for people with clever and active imaginations."
"Definitely sounds like you," Lauren replied with a smile.
He chuckled, shyly averted his gaze from her as he did so, before taking a sip of his tea. She giggled, before drinking from her tea as well.
"You'll find the missing piece, Lauren," he quietly said. "I know you will." Lauren's smile did not waver, as she started to wonder when her affections for Antonio got so deep.
At least until the Gap Sensor chose that moment to go 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~
Food Planet, Panorama City, California
Mike was out on a grocery run with Kevin and Mia, and he was getting sick and tired of listen to their romantic lovey-dovey chatting. Actually, that wasn't the full truth. He supported Kevin and Mia together, one hundred percent, as long as they were happy.
He just hated being the third wheel.
The trio were in the pasta aisle when Mike spotted a familiar brunette-haired girl in an aqua-colored shirt. Her back was to him, and she was talking to someone or something (he couldn't tell which, or who).
Nonetheless, he could easily tell who she was just from how her backside appearance.
"Angela?"
She jumped and turned around like a tornado, hiding whatever she was talking to behind her back. When she saw who it was, she started to relax and slapped on a cheerful smile, "Oh, Mike! Hi! It's been a while. How have you been?"
"I've been good," Mike replied, slightly curious and mildly concerned as to what she was hiding from him. "Stressed, but just fine. How have you been?"
"Great!" Angela said. "Spike and I made two new friends. But also worried, because it's been really quiet lately on the Nighlock end, but you haven't called me yet to tell me that it's over and you guys won."
"Because it's not over just yet," Mike quietly told her, before giving a little warning, "We're preparing for the final battle now."
"Good luck," Angela quietly replied, just as Mike's Samuraizer went off.
Mike picked up quickly, "What's up, Antonio?"
"Nighlock attack down by the Marina!" came Antonio's voice on the other end.
"We're on our way," Mike replied, keenly aware that Kevin and Mia were at his side now. Once he hung up, he said, "Sorry, Angela, but we have to go."
"Good luck," she repeated, but once they were out of side, she whispered, "Don't die..."
~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~
Keller Forest, Panorama City, California
Jayden and Emily had placed some flowers on the spot where Deker had fallen. They were having a mini funeral for their foe that had caused them quite a bit of trouble, but had also helped them out more than once (whether by accident or on purpose, they didn't know).
The mood was ruined when Emily's Samuraizer went off. She picked it up, only to hear Lauren on the other end, "What's up?"
"Nighlock attack at the Marina," Lauren replied, sounding as if she was running, which made sense if there was a Nighlock attack. "Did you find my brother?"
"Yeah," Emily answered. "Don't worry. We'll be right there."
When Emily hung up, Jayden guessed, "Something tells me it's Dayu,"
Emily nodded, agreeing with him completely, and the two were 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~
Southern Marina, Panorama City, California
"Super Samurai Combination!" Lauren called.
"Claw Armor Megazord, We Are United!" She and Antonio announced together. Lauren was also leading Shogun Mode, with Antonio as her support.
"Let's cut these guys down to size," Lauren said, she and Antonio motioning the Megazord to walk towards the Giant Marauders in front of them.
They cut down one, then another, before blocking the blocking the weapon of a third. Antonio glanced down at the city below them, and instantly became concerned when he saw a hoarde of regular-sized Marauders swarming the people unfortunate enough to be caught in this mess (which was a lot of people).
"Oh no!" he cried. "The Marauders are having a fiesta down there too!"
"But we could hurt civilians if we attack them," Lauren reminded.
"This is not a good situation to be in," Antonio groaned.
Fortunately, the duo's prayers were answered when Kevin, Mike, and Mia (all morphed) arrived on the scene to protect the civilians.
While fighting a small group, Mike looked up at the Megazord, speaking directly to Lauren and Antonio, "Don't worry! We've got this! You just focus on the big ones!"
"Thanks, amigos," Antonio said.
"I knew they would come through," Lauren added, before facing back to the front. "Now, let's get our job done too."
"Right!"
And the mecha fight against the giant Marauders continued.
Meanwhile, Kevin, Mia, and Mike were pleasantly surprised when a morphed Emily and an un-morphed Jayden arrived on the scene and began slicing down Marauders left and right.
While Jayden rushed forward to escort civilians to safety, Mike said over all the sword clashing, "Glad to see you, Em! We were getting worried!"
"Jayden and I are tough," Emily called back. "Of course, we were gonna be fine!"
"Why isn't Jayden morphed?" Kevin asked, before cutting down another enemy.
"Because Lauren currently is," Emily replied, breifly glancing up at the Megazord. "Guys, listen! Due to circumstances, the Nighlock attacking right now is mostly like Dayu!"
Mia immediately stopped, "Dayu?! Why do you think so?"
"Because Jayden and I just defeated Deker," Emily explained after slicing at a Marauder behind her. "He's gone now, and Dayu was there to witness it all."
Mia stopped to listen to the air, and Kevin chopped down a few Marauders that were running towards her. After a few seconds, the Pink Ranger commented, "There's a song in the air, now that you mention it. I can hear it. It's filled sorrow and misery."
Over all the fighting, the song slowly began to get louder and louder until the entire city could hear it.
~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~
As the Marauders kept the Rangers busy (she didn't want to be disturbed), Dayu calmly played her last song for Deker by the ocean, the same spot where his Uramasa was split in two. She was a fool to think she and Deker could ever be reunited, wasn't she?
At least she still had Octoroo and Master Xandred. She had sworn allegiance to them, after all. Master Xandred had risked his own life to repair the Harmonium he had broken months earlier, and Octoroo was rather pleasant company.
But she missed Deker, and she was trying to desperately keep a solid hold on her humanity. That way, once she died, she and Derek could be reunited in the afterlife, and live happily ever after, just like the way it was supposed to be.
Mia was intent on learning the source of the music. Marauders just so happened to follow her there. After cutting down the last enemy, she turned to the source at last, and even though Emily had warned them beforehand, Mia was still surprised to see (who she considered) her arch-enemy.
"Dayu?"
The female Nighlock turned her head, "Hello, Pink Ranger. Quite a sad mourning, don't you agree?"
Mia wanted to show her sympathy, but she still got flashbacks of the last time she did so, so she instead steeled herself up, "So, Emily was right. It is you. Why are you here?"
Dayu turned back to the ocean, "I'm just here to say my last goodbyes to my beloved. Is that truly so wrong?"
"When your goodbyes are only causing humans to suffer, yes!" Mia raised her Sword to attack.
Getting angry, Dayu turned back to face Mia, raising her Harmonium, "Foolish girl! If I really wanted my music to make people suffer, then you would automatically know!"
Where was the Yellow Ranger? Dayu needed her to land the final blow, not the Pink Ranger.
"I'll never trust a Nighlock like you, Dayu!" Mia called back.
Dayu suddenly disappeared, and the Pink Ranger stepped forward in shock. Where did she go? She then looked to her right when she heard a blade unsheath. Mia got ready to defend as Dayu ran towards her.
Mia blocked all her attacks, before parrying them. She then caught Dayu's arm and now the two were back-to-back.
"You're a fool, Pink Ranger," Dayu said. "I'm only attacking you right now out of self-defense. I'm only here to play one last song for Deker. And you're not the Ranger I'm waiting for."
"Fine, I'll humor you," Mia bit. "Who are you waiting for?"
"Nighlock who were once human can only be defeated by their true foil," Dayu replied.
Mia didn't buy that, and she finally pushed back against Dayu, creating distance between the two. "Like I care about a myth!" She then leapt up and landed the final blow against Dayu, slicing through both the Nighlock and her Harmonium with her Sword.
Dayu stumbled backwards, sparking with pink energy, "You should've listened to me, Pink Ranger..."
It was here that Mia finally felt that Dayu was telling the truth, "What do you mean?" She then understood after thinking back on Dayu's words, "I'm not your 'true foil'...am I?"
"No..." Dayu explained, fully honest. "Your Yellow Ranger is. She understands me in a way that you are not able to." Mia noted how Dayu tightened her grip on her Harmonium when she said that. "The energy from her final blow would've canceled out all my misery completely, but you only unleashed it. Now, because of you, all of humanity is doomed!"
Dayu finally became too tired, too exhausted, and dropped her Harmonium, which immediately began to surge with dark energy and misery. A dark cloud suddenly rushed out of it and formed a tornado of darkness that pushed Mia to the ground.
This was literally the opposite of what Dayu wanted. She wanted the Yellow Ranger to defeat her. That way, this cloud of misery would not be surging, and the world would still be safe for now.
The other Rangers immediately noticed the black tornado of sorrow and wondered what it was, especially since they could all feel misery and sadness filling the air. Emily's clairvoyance was telling her that she had made a mistake of some kind.
In the Megazord cockpit, Lauren gasped, "Antonio, look!" He did, just in time to see the beginning of the end.
Suddenly, the ocean in front of Dayu splashed up, creating a cover as the dark cloud disappated.
The ocean wave slowly disappeared, revealing the silouette of the last Nighlock the Rangers wanted to step foot in their world.
Master Xandred...
TO BE CONTINUED...
~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~PRS~REDO~
Original Shinkenger Episode: Acts 45, 46, & 47
Original PRS Episode: The Great Duel & Evil Reborn
Note: Yes, Jemily is now canon! And before any haters comment on that, just remember that the main pairing for this story is [Jayden, Emily (PRS)], and that it's been that way since I posted the very first chapter. Also, Antonio/Lauren was a pairing canon did not delve deep into enough.
The canon episode corresponding to this chapter kinda did Dayu dirty (hence why she was the main protagonist of this episode). Sure she showed up "in spirit" (which in this chapter symbolizes her heart finally letting him go), but if she really loved Deker (or rather, if the writers gave her more agency), she would've tried to stop that duel. That definitely would've better led to her deciding to use the misery that ensues to revive Xandred and made the whole thing more impactful. Speaking of Dayu, her foil is indeed Emily (for the reasons stated in this chapter) and not Mia, and Jayden's is Deker's, but it felt right to give Emily the final blow.
What was Angela hiding from Mike, Kevin, and Mia? You'll find out in the next chapter, I promise.
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 19: "The Sealing Symbol"
"With Master Xandred fully revived, the Rangers must use their trump card: the Seal. But Xandred has a special surprise of his own."