Chapter 9 'The Secret Oak'

Eve sighed. She was strolling through the city's streets, searching for someone in particular. Not Ryder, just someone else. It was very important if she could find this person and would mean a lot to her if she could have a word. It was one of their daily searches for Ryder, or so Lewis thought Eve was doing.

It was not as if she didn't care for her friend. She did and wanted to apologize for her harshness. Though truth be told, she was thinking of -

Eve lost her train of thought because she was suddenly met contact with the ground from a sudden collision with another walker. She looked up to see it was Lewis, or Lewis's disguise Cody to be exact. She knew it was her dear friend from looking at the raggedy knapsack hanging from his shoulder.

He held out his hand to pull her up, "Any sign of him?" Eve lightly pushed the hand away and stood up on her own, "Nah. But by this point, I'm not sure he's even in the city anymore,"

"I'm worried about him. He wouldn't disappear for this long," Eve remembered the time he had his hoverboard taken away from him for destroying public property. He made a run for it and didn't come back until two days later. 2 days was the maximum. But now, he had been missing for 4.

"Do you think he's-?"

"No," Lewis was firm, "He can't. I need to find him and apologize," They both ambled down the sidewalk, passing by all the colorful shops full of ordinary people with regular lives. They were times when Lewis wished for that kind of life. One where he didn't have to learn combat skills to protect the world.

"Apologize? For what?" Eve asked.

"Well, we got into a big fight because he made the most ridiculous accusation that I-" He stopped. Not that he didn't want to say that Ryder thinks he had crush on Eve, but for the fact that a group of burly boys were across the street and were glaring at Lewis. His fingers trembled and sweat started to form on his face. Eve noted this was alarmed, were there Moogers around?, "What's the trouble, Lew?"

Her eyes followed the path at which Lewis was staring at and saw the boys. Eve's first instinct was to block Lewis from their view, it was something she had always done for him at school. She clutched his arm and guided him in the other direction.

Together they speed walked down Myers Street. Lewis turned his head and saw that Eve's trick failed. The boys were on their tail and were jogging up to them, "Oh no, they're still mad."

"What did you do?"

"Remember when I said I went to school as Cody? Day that Defearius was destroyed?" Eve nodded, "So, during science class, those guys were my lab group and they made me do the chemistry lab for them. I guess I got sodium hydroxide confused with sodium chloride and- Boom!"

"Then why are they out to get you?"

"Apparently, I created a new type of acid. Then I bumped the table," Lewis sheepishly admitted.

Eve finished it off, "Let me guess, a destroyed mp3 player, 2 phones, some textbooks, and...a table,"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"It was on the news!" Eve laughed then saw how nervous Lewis was getting. He was sweating up a swimming pool and his arm was starting to get slippery under her grip, "Deep breaths, Lewis. You don't want your Guise to wear off don't you? Sweat is partly water you know?"

Those were the key words that triggered Lewis's brain.

"That's it! I need to sweat!"

"Excuse me?"

"Eve, how far are they?"

"About a few feet,"

"Perfect,"

Digby was on a rampage. He and his friends were out heading to the diner for a soda when he saw Cody and some girl walking down the street,

"Woah, dude," one his friends pointed to the two, "Isn't that Laslo?" This resulted into a thump in the head, the courtesy of Digby. Laslo was the nickname for Cody since his last name was Laswell.

"I'm not stupid! I see them."

"Well, aren't you going to get him?" Digby was a part of "Cody's" lab group that day. It was his mp3 that had destroyed. The damage was irreparable. His dad had gotten furious and made him work to pay for a new one.

Digby didn't need to answer, so he went in after them. It was in his nature to give a beat down. Once Cody and the girl took the corner, he and his buddies ran faster. The two looked panicked as they were getting away from them. Diby smirked, he wanted his victims to be scared.

The chase went on for five minutes, with neither side catching up with the other. Then, it happened. The pair Digby had been chasing quickly turned around to face them. Digby stared at them and instantly felt like a moron.

"Dude!" Digby's friends were groaning and slapping Digby upside the head, "You need glasses, man? That ain't Cody!"

Eve smiled politely, "Oh excuse us. We're in such a hurry to go to the library. C'mon Lewis," she then added quietly, "Sorry, he's a bit disoriented. Ever since that...flying corndog hit him in the face yesterday," Eve inwardly winced at her terrible lie. But it least made Digby and his gang back away from them.

She and Lewis rushed of the area. She could hear Dibgy trying to convince his friends that he really did see Cody. Lewis must have heard too. They were both laughing their heads off on the way to the park.

"It worked!" Lewis shouted while jumping, thrilled to escape what pain those boys planned to inflict on him.

"Yeah, but now you're all sweaty," Eve made a disgusted face. In response, Lewis playfully shoved Eve, something he rarely did during their lengthy friendship. She smiled at him and ruffled his hair.

"Well, what do you know," They both stopped walking. Eve gazed at Lewis in awe.

"What?"

"I've known you for all my life and I never knew your eyes were blue," She took a glimpse of them when ruffling his hair, "It's a beautiful blue. A bit like the sea.

Lewis adjusted his hair to hide his face again, "Oh really?"

"Yeah. Why hide them?" The two found a bench to sit on. Lewis laid his head back and let out a big sigh. Eve could tell it must have bothered him that bad,

"Come on, you can tell me,"

Lewis put his face into his hands, "If you haven't noticed already, neither of my parents have blue eyes."

"So?"

Lewis straightened up, "So? I'm the runt. Nobody in my family has blue eyes and besides, no one really notices since I never look at anyone directly in the eye. I'm never that confident, like you."

"Like me? Lewis, you are confident and brave. You need those qualities to be a Ranger. And besides, I'm not the hardcore warrior people think I am." Eve confessed.

Lewis found that hard to believe. Besides that minor scare on the first day of training with Jayden, Eve was solid as a rock, "C'mon, name one time."

His friend shied away from the command, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Hey, I still don't know much stuff about you either," then Lewis had an idea, "My mom would do this to try and get stuff out of me whenever I do something bad and won't tell her. Follow me." He held out his hand towards her. Eve was unsure. It was her problems for her to deal with. But she was curious. Eve begrudgingly took it and had Lewis lead the way. He led her through a maze of trees and paths before reaching a giant oak tree on a hill.

The tree frightened yet amazed Eve. It sprouted from the ground and knew exactly where its branches needed to stretch and curve, creating a perfectly shaped tree. Sunlight broke the leaves, creating a spectrum that could only be seen from just the right angle. It was fairly tall and seemed to bend towards her as if it was straining to get a good look of its visitors.

"I used to go here before the city decided to pave out the forests," Eve nodded, still looking at the tree. She remembered back in 5th grade, the forests that surrounded the northern and western parts of the city were bulldozed over for some project. The project had been shut down midway and the damage couldn't be undone.

"My mom would take me to this very tree. C'mon," Then he jumped and clutched onto the lowest branch. Swinging on it like a monkey, he hauled himself up to sit atop of the branch.

"You're the kid who would get fried during Astro Ball. Yet, you have some wicked upper body strength?"

"Yup. What do you expect? My mom's Zord is an Ape after all," Eve laughed and followed his example. She soon sat beside him. The view from the tree was beyond any beautiful thing Eve had ever seen. The hill overlooked the entire park, she could see the lake, children on the playground, all to make a happy atmosphere.

"I could see why you want to keep this place to yourself. The perfect hideaway,"

Lewis nodded, but he was more focused on the tree. Nostalgia took over and suddenly he was 4 years old again, the age when his mom first took him to the "Secret Oak". He would give anything to bring this tree back in his time. With all his insecurities, the tree would have been a nice spot to calm down.

"So, what did you bring me here for?"

Lewis snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Eve, who waited eagerly, "This tree is for telling secrets. My mom and I would pick a leaf," He then found a spade shaped leaf on the branch above and waved it in front of Eve's face, tickling her nose and making her giggle. Her eyes widened, surprised she could produce such girlish noise,

"Then, we write our secrets onto them," Lewis flipped his Samuraizer and drew a couple of symbols on the leaf. He clutched the leaf tightly in his hand, "Eve, in what direction is the wind blowing?"

"North,"

"Which is the direction we're facing. Watch," Lewis unclasped his fingers, setting the leaf free. The wind swirled the leaf away, soaring above the park, "I don't know how or when, but that leaf will come back. Wherever we are, whatever we're doing, the leaves will always come to the person who needs to know the secret. When they do, it's time to talk about it. That person will help you through it."

"Interesting," Eve stated, mesmerized by the leaves. She was a bit skeptical on doing this, "I don't have to tell you any of my secrets."

"I would have to read about it eventually," Lewis said, "but don't worry. By the time it reaches you, you'll feel alright about sharing."

"Ok," Eve took a leaf, wrote some symbols on it, then set it free.

"What was is it?" Lewis leaned over and joked.

"You'll know in good time,"

Lewis decided to leave it at that, then plucked another leaf from the tree and scribbled something on it. But this time, he showed Eve, "It's about Ryder. I might as well show you."

Eve read the leaf and afterwards all she could say was, "No way."

"His dad was trying to catch a Zord, a very old and very powerful one. The Koi Zord. He never caught it. Mr. Garcia was never the same after that, relied on his music and eventually making it big in the business."

"Does Ryder know?"

"My dad said I should not to tell him. It's best that he doesn't know, since he could try and change it,"

"Why would he do that? His father still loves him. Whenever parents are away, they still love their kids, right?" Eve's tone grew shrill and Lewis knew something was bothering her.

Not knowing how to reply, Lewis only nodded and released the leaf with Antonio's secret into the wind, "He might as well know now," he said Eve grew quiet before suggesting they should head back. They clambered down the tree and strolled out of the park and into the woods. In the midst of the night and the silent walk, Lewis felt Eve hold his hand. He looked at her but Eve stared ahead, though he detected a hint of a smile on her face.

By the time they reached the campsite, it was already dark. Lewis volunteered for the first shift and Eve obliged. She curled up like a cat on her sleeping bag, ready for sleep.

"Lewis," she called sleepily, "Thank you for taking me to the Secret Oak. Only if we still have that tree in 2031."

"You're welcome. Goodnight, Eve," He heard her give a quiet 'goodnight' before sleeping.

Lewis had seen Eve's many of firsts in one day. He saw a more vulnerable side of Eve that day and felt closer to her than ever. He didn't show the Secret Oak to just anybody. He knew that Eve was special to him and hoped that from that day on, they could become the best friends they claimed to be.

Mia sat outside on the front yard, thinking about what had been happening lately. Jayden, Emily, and Antonio would disappear somewhere and upon returning, there were no words were said concerning where they went or what they did. Jayden and Antonio would be nearly spent while Emily brought home goodies from bakeries and cafes.

She demanded to know what was going on. Mike was ticked off. His eyes didn't gleam the way they whenever he saw a sugary treat and especially Emily. And when both came through the door, all he could do was excuse himself outside to train. Mia knew Kevin felt disconnected from everyone else. With Jayden gone, he had no sparring partner to challenge him, and while Mike was out training Kevin had no one else to talk to. There was Ji, but it wasn't the same as talking to someone his own age.

And for Mia, she couldn't talk to Emily as much. It saddened her that her best friend would go behind her back. She would be okay if she and Jayden were dating, if Emily told her. Maybe get a little bit jealous...alright, maybe she is very jealous. Honestly, Emily knew she liked Jayden. Then why would she go after him?

Mia felt someone creeping up behind her. Instincts kicked in and she grabbed a broom on the ground and held it against her attacker's throat.

"I surrender!" It was Jayden. Rare to find him out here, Mia thought. And he was joking. Even rarer, "I figured you would want company out here."

"Um..." Mia thought of what to say, should she plainly say no? "Okay," Or pretend the last fews days did happen and happily accept. Obviously, she chose the latter.

She set down the broom and sat down on the bench, facing the moon. She had enough drama in a week that could last a lifetime and would rather not speak about recent events.

"You seemed kind of distant today,"

"Today?" Mia asked sharply, "Today?" She rose her voice, "This entire week you've been going off somewhere. Never telling us where you're going,"

Jayden sighed and tried to formulate some sort of apology/explanation, "It's something really important I had to take care of. I can't say what I've been doing. Sorry."

"But where's Emily during all of this?"

"She's with me-"

"I knew it!" her voice shout cut through the ever so still night, "Mike was right."

"Mike? What?"

"He had this theory that you and Emily are secretly dating. It's true, isn't it?"

"What? Me and Emily?" Jayden shook his head, "No, no, no. You have it all wrong. Why would you agree with him? You've seen the way he looks at Emily and the way she looks at him. Emily likes Mike not me. And plus, she's like my little sister. It would just be wrong,"

"Oh," Mia felt stupid,"I'm sorry. I thought you were a bit of jerk since you kissed me then supposedly went out with Emily. " The conversation was going downhill from there, "Um...I better go inside. It's getting pretty late."

"Mia, don't go," Jayden said, almost begged, "Um...I mean, it's a nice night and I figured we could talk."

"Really?" Inside, Mia was beaming. But deciding to suppress her excitement to seem calm, she curtly said, "Ok."

The two sat quietly for a moment. It was a nice kind of quiet. A chance for them to come up with something to say to the other.

Mia figured it was time to discuss what happened a few night ago,"So... ?"

"So..."

"Yeah,"

Awkward. Mia was trying to indulge on the topic a little further but couldn't find the right words to say.

"So...how's the song coming along?" Thank goodness. A change of topic, if you counted the last exchange of words a topic.

"What? Oh, right. It's great, yeah," Another series of silence ensued.

"Well, if you ever need a duet partner, you could always come to me...unless you would want Ji to sing with you," Mia laughed, just the thought of Ji singing was so funny. She could imagine him with a mic, trying and failing to sing Bruno Mars on the karaoke machine, "No, I prefer for him to play his guitar. Hey, maybe if Terry and I teach everybody how to play instruments, we could form a band!"

Now this caused Jayden to chuckle, "What would you name the band? The Samurai Rockers?"

"Or maybe Katana Slash?"

"Do you want this to be a heavy metal band?" Jayden asked incredulously. Mia couldn't stop laughing. This was the funniest chat they ever had, "I was thinking Mia and the Windmills,"

"That's nice," It was quiet again. But when Mia locked eyes with Jayden, they exploded into a fits of laughter, "If we were in the 60's!" Mia admitted, cracking up.

"Hey, at least you'll blow the audience away!"

Mia never thought Jayden would be making cheesy jokes like this. And she never would have thought they spent the rest of the night talking, fooling around, and knowing a bit more about each other. They even, amidst all the silliness, they played 20 questions.

"Favorite snack?"

"Pop Tarts," Jayden replied as if it was an obvious answer.

"How come I've never seen any Pop Tarts around the house? This doesn't count as a question by the way,"

"Well, Ji had to rid the house of Pop Tarts ever since I puked during training when I was 8. Or so he thought," he leaned and whispered into Mia's ear, "I have a stash in my room."

"Really?" Mia asked incredulously. With every question she explored deeper into Jayden's past and was happy to know that despite his Samurai duties and being secluded from the rest of the world he had been a normal kid. He had done bad things and goofed off.

"My turn," Jayden furrowed his eyebrows, "Let's see, worst punishment you've ever gotten?"

"It has got to be the one time when I brought something that I should have for show and tell- my Turtle Zord!"

"No way. Seriously?"

"Yeah. But I didn't present that day, and when my mom found out she made me stand outside in the backyard and not come back until I've mastered half of my required symbols,"

"That's not bad,"

"It was raining,"

"Oh,"

"Well, I learned not to make that mistake again,"

As the questions grew to a close, it had gotten more serious and less playful.

"What was your favorite memory?"

"It has got to be...when I was volunteering at the daycare center," Mia smiled, she remembered the events as if happened only yesterday, "I was playing with a couple of kids that lived in my neighborhood. And then I saw a black SUV pull up in the parking lot, having the Shiba family crest on the door. I didn't know that once stepping inside that SUV, I had left a normal life," Mia admitted. She was grateful for being apart of the Rangers, but sometimes she wished she could go to the mall without getting interrupted by a Nighlok attack.

"So, what's yours?" she asked.

Jayden was back to his distant self. She saw the way his face was fixed in a numb state. He could be feeling many emotions all at once but his demeanor won't allow any to show. Mia thought that it was the end of talking. She brushed off her jeans and was ready to call it a night when Jayden spoke,

"Paper airplanes,"

"Excuse me?"

"Paper airplanes. My dad and I...used to sit out here and make paper airplanes. Just the two of us,"

Mia sympathized for him and put a hand on his shoulder,"You miss him so much Jayden, though you talk so little of him. It's hard for one person to keep so many things inside. Maybe if you could just let some of these feelings out, talk about them."

"Really, Mia?" Jayden asked, " It's just...I don't want to burden people with my problems. There's too many for one person to deal with."

"How would you know? Have you tried talking to somebody?"

"No. Not really,"

"Well, that's going to change because you have me. Anytime you have something on your mind, come by my room and we'll talk and have fun just like tonight,"

"Thanks Mia,"

"It's 2 in the morning! Why are you two still up?" The two Rangers whipped their heads to the front door where Mentor Ji was standing in his robe. Mia stood up and scurried inside and whispered a goodnight to both Jayden and Ji. She turned to see if Jayden was coming but he lingered outside for a while with his hands in his pockets, grinning at Ji.

"What?" Ji asked.

"Nothing," Jayden walked over to the door, "Bruno Mars," Laughing and sharing a look with Mia, he went to his room, leaving Ji to wonder what that meant.

Ryder was at the docks when he saw the leaf.

It was nighttime yet he still remained with a fishing pole rested on his shoulder. Antonio had gone home hours ago. Today wasn't successful, just how the past days had been. It came to the point when Ryder thought about giving up and returning to the campsite. He sat on a blue foldable chair Antonio had brought for him, taking in the views of the city lights. Sometimes he would cast a line just to grab fish, as some form of entertainment.

From the dim lighting of the docks, he spotted something floating on the water.

Mildly interested yet severely bored, Ryder took a fishing net and fished it out for it wasn't that far away from him. Ryder then took a cap and place it on top of his head, it gave him a sense of a comfort knowing it was on his head. The only thing he had when he left the campsite.

He splashed the net into the water and scooped it up. He brought it back to the docks. Picking it out, he huffed, "Really? A leaf." Ryder was about to throw it back, but after full inspection, he saw kanji symbols written on it. He read it.

What seemed to be an ordinary leaf had the message that changed Ryder's attitude. Just a minute before, he was about to give in and call it a day. He found out the truth about his father. He lost his confidence in himself and nearly quit the team. The man Ryder hated was not the same man he had spent the past few days with. Now Ryder had a chance to change his future. Or possibly ruin it.

A/N: This is chapter is pretty much about memories and childhood. Alright, as I promised, another chapter. I was trying so hard to make the final chapters perfect. Yup this story is going to end in like 5 chapters or so.

Ok so for the possible sequel names:

1) SPD Classified: Code Samurai

2) Samurai, SPD, and Time Travel

3) Samurai Patrol Delta: A Chase Through Time

Vote for which one you want for the sequel because I'm...indecisive. The poll is on my profile. And for guests, just vote in your reviews.

Plus, I found this really amazing song that would go with the Secret Oak bit. Roots by audiafauna. It's truly a great song.

I need to tweak the 10th chapter. It could be ready by tomorrow night.

I have another announcement: I will be gone from the 17th-21st. I'm heading to Disneyland! So that's why I'm leaving you with the 9th (this one) and 10th chapter.

Thank you very much. Don't forget to review. I love reading them.