Chapter 10 'Like a Ghost'

Lewis had a revelation one day. It was the discovery that would forever change the future. Or what's left of the chance to have one, that is.

He was eating out with his mother. They discovered a quaint bakery on Main Street that was Lewis' favorite. One day, the bakery's business would expand to create a scrumptious company that sells amazing bread flavors that have yet to be created. With this in mind, he couldn't help but slip a few ideas to the owner the last time he went.

Emily ordered a small pumpkin pie for her and Lewis to share. It was when he picked up his fork when he knew something was wrong. He tried picking it up, thought it slipped through his fingers. He looked at his hand; it was dulling and was semitransparent. Lewis remembered the day Eve resembled a ghost and he had thought it was some sort of trick.

"Oh my gosh," Emily saw this too and put a hand on Lewis' face. His skin felt silky and wintry It was as if she was feeling the wind. It wasn't long until other people caught sight of Lewis. Some pointed and stared. Lewis had sworn he heard 'albino' amidst the whispering.

Emily grabbed her son's wrist and together they ran towards the park. On the way there, Lewis regained his color and solidity. They were near the playground when Emily stopped and asked, "Are you okay?"

"Fine, but I felt a little woozy back there,"

"Fine? You were about to disappear back there!", Emily was scared for her son,

"Disappear?" Then Lewis had a brain blast. He had an epiphany, "We have to go to the clearing. I need to tell Eve this- wait, mom?" Emily wasn't beside him. She was running to the front of the mall. Moogers were causing some commotion over there.

Emily had already morphed up and was taking care of herding people away from the danger. Lewis followed in suit and began slicing and dicing Moogers. It was his first time to use swordplay in an actual setting, it was quite thrilling yet so frightening. Emily stood in front of her son, protecting him.

"Lewis, get out of here,"

Lewis swung his sword and brought a few Moogers down. He calculated his next move before executing it with near perfection, "No, I'm not leaving you here," Soon, he was back to back with Emily, "It's just one thing I don't get though."

"What?" Emily then flipped over a crouching Mooger and slashed its' armor.

"Moogers...with no Nighlok," Upon hearing these words, the Moogers backed away from the two Rangers and escaped through a GAP.

Lewis and Emily demorphed and stared at the GAP in puzzlement, "What just happened?"

"You should go back to the clearing, Lewis. I need to go to the Shiba House and tell the others of the attack,"

Lewis agreed and they went in separate directions. On the way to the clearing, Lewis was running over the past events through his mind. It all started as a mistake, a childish dream to travel back in time. Then with one mistake, another came and then another. Things start occurring that never should occur. The fact that they were in 2012 was the start. Then it was interfering with Defearius, the Guises, the training sessions, etc.

The thoughts were rattling through his head, desperate to find an answer. So many concerns emerged as well. But the main worry was Ryder. What if this happened to him? What if he faded completely? Maybe that was why they couldn't find him.

Lewis decided to go searching for him. If he couldn't find Ryder this time, then he was a goner.

"It didn't work!" Master Xandred yelled at Octoroo, "The plan to lure the Rangers away from the time machine failed with the Moogers,"

"It was only one try," Dayu droned from her place on the deck, "You could never take over the world on the first try, you would know that very well, Master," Octoroo had been constantly watching the Rangers through the GAPS and observing them like a scientist. He studied their strengths and weaknesses were. It took nearly a week. No Nighlok was summoned to wreak havoc for that time. But to keep the Rangers on their toes they sent a daily batch of Moogers. If they haven't figured the pattern by now...

What Xandred didn't understand was that the Moogers were just a test. Those Moogers that the Yellow and Turquoise had fought were called back immediately because Octoroo's surveillance duty was finally completed today. Now it was time for phase 2.

Octoroo ignored the activity happening in the room and proceeded to inch towards a leather chest that he kept in case of emergencies. He opened it and cautiously brought out an ivory stained cup coiled in scales of what was rumored to be a gigantic sea serpent, the first Nighlok to have ever strike fear in the humans.

"What is that?" Dayu asked while Xandred, on the other hand, knew very well what the object was.

"This here is, the Chalice of Deviation, the key to the entire plan Master Xandred. Now after observing those new Rangers, I'll know exactly how to use the Chalice,"

"Octoroo! Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Xandred yelled, fully aware about the power needed to activate the Chalice.

"Master, I'm sorry but you need to activate the Chalice. Only your energy source could,"

"Fine!" Xandred was irritated and wanted nothing more than to just eliminate the Rangers.

"Ready?" Jayden asked. He twirled his staff and took stance on the mat. He had been training Eve for three days. Those three days had been filled rigorous warm ups that could drain one's strength before the real exercise began. He took all the basic technique Ji had taught him when he was his daughter's age and fashioned it into a five hour training course. To his surprise, it only took two hours for Eve to learn it, so for the remainder of the sessions Eve would teach Jayden a thing or two about her style of fighting. This exchange of techniques should make this fight interesting.

Eve stalked onto the mat with her staff in hand and lips sealed into a thin line. She was very serious. Having inherited her mother's creativity, Eve expresses it through her fighting (and fortunately, not cooking). Six years of gymnastics and training had prepared her for this and she didn't plan on losing.

"Ready, Big Red" she confirmed. Eve walked further down the mat until she met her father at the center.

Jayden struck first and Eve raised her shinai to have the tip cover her shoulder, blocking the attack. She pushed Jayden back to give herself space. Using her shinai for support, Eve jumped as if she was pole vaulting and kicked her father from her horizontal position. Jayden stumbled back but was not brought down.

Eve advanced with her shinai but Jayden saw it coming and intercepted it and used his free hand to clench his daughter's wrist. He was pressing his shinai on hers and she was forced into a kneeling position. The next thing Eve knew, her head was on the ground with Jayden's staff on the back of her neck, locking her in. Her foot shot out and swiped Jayden. His grip on the shinai went slack as he fell on his back. It dropped a few feet away from him. Kneeling, Jayden was set on retrieving it only to be halted by the surface of wood he felt on his neck.

Looking up, Jayden could see Eve had him trapped. She won. Or so she thought. Jayden rose up slowly as if he was going to surrender, but he surprised Eve by performing a backflip and knocked her shinai away. Both Jayden and Eve raced to get their shinai. They fetched their weapons and spun around to have their staffs meet in an X.

They clashed and continued on without any new tricks, plain traditional. The shinai clanged together, almost in a rhythmic pattern. And if you happened to be hiking in the woods and heard the sounds of drumsticks beating onto each other, you would be entranced by the beat and might think it was a woodpecker since the clicks never lasted for more than two seconds and by then, Eve and Jayden's shinais have clanged together at least fifty times.

The fight drawn out from a few minutes to nearly half an hour. Neither one was out of energy until the last few moments of the fight. Everything ended when both Eve and Jayden had to steady themselves with their shinai. They could barely stand.

It was a tie.

Eve set her staff down as Jayden did the same. She handed it him a water bottle and began to point out her mistakes as she dabbed her face with a towel, "I know my posture wasn't correct and I was shaking during that block, I know. I'll have it down by tomorrow, I promise."

"What are you going on about?" Jayden said loudly, "That was amazing. I've seen your little mistakes but overall, that was great fight"

"It's because I have a great opponent. I've never seen you fight like that. You even used my backflip move, something I liked to call 'Round 2!" Jayden had never been one to break tradition, but Eve's tips and moves would surely beat the Nighlok. And for once, he had fun during training, "Round 2?"

"Yeah. It was a funny story, so Lewis and Ryder were-"

BEEP

Jayden frowned and checked his watch. It beeped, 4:00.

"I have to go. Same time tomorrow and we'll work on zanshin,"

"Jayden, could you not leave just yet? I need to live up to my end of the agreement," Jayden remembered the advice Eve was supposed to give in exchange for the training sessions. He must have had such a fun time training that he forgot to ask for the advice. He could spare a few minutes.

"Sure," Eve perched herself on a bench (made from symbol power) with advice ready to be given, "So, mom has no clue that you have these feelings for her. If you treat her like the rest of the team then she'll continue to think she's just a friend."

Jayden nodded, understanding, "What do you suggest I should do about this? I don't know what to talk to her about."

"Spend more time with her. No other teammates around," Eve paused to think then snapped her fingers once she figured it out, "Take her to the movies. The movies is a perfect setting because if there's a period of silence, mom would think you're watching the movie. She would never notice you running out of things to say. And afterwards, on the way home, you both could talk about the movie. Hopefully, that would lead to different subjects of conversations."

"How do you know all this?"

"To me, this is the most logical solution to your questions," Honestly, Eve had no idea where all this was sprouting from. She would never normally think like a matchmaker or a hopeless romantic. She was continuing to surprise herself in 2012.

"I don't know," Jayden said, both hands in his pockets. He wasn't sure if he had the courage of asking Mia to the movies. Give him a Nighlok with an impenetrable shell or a Red Ranger from another dimension any day. Asking out a girl, especially a fellow Ranger, would sure to make him back down from that challenge. He was scared.

"Come on! You had me go on a 10 mile hike in the forest, and when I tell you to go to the movies you suddenly quake in fear and quit. I pushed my respiratory system to the limit. You should be the one to push your limits as well. You're Big Red!" Eve hurried to pack up her things in her bag and made the bench disappear, "You better be at the cinemas tonight."

"How would you know if I don't show up?"

"I'm going to be there of course,"

Ryder was at the docks with Antonio when he saw Lewis.

He didn't say hi to him of course. He was still mad at the intelligent Turquoise Ranger still. Instead, Ryder quickly turned around and tapped a sleeping Antonio's shoulder. His dad had been resting on the fenced border for a few minutes. It was his daily nap.

"Hey, can you go and grab us something to eat? I'll pay you back,"

"Oh sure," Antonio groggily replied before walking off.

"Nah, I don't have money," Ryder laughed. Then took a cap and place it ontop of his head. Then he took a fishing pole and acted like he was preparing to cast. Lewis was only a few feet behind him. Ryder glanced at him to see he was on his Samuraizer.

Probably talking to Eve

Ryder scoffed but eavesdropped on the conversation anyway.

"Eve, yeah it's me. I'm looking for Ryder," They were looking for me, huh. Why would they care?, "I know, I know," Lewis said, "But he could have disappeared. No, not like that. I mean as if he didn't exist. I need to tell you more about what happened today Eve," As if I never existed? I guess it's Eve's dream come true.

"What is it Eve? Really? I never thought about that before," Eve knew something before Lewis did. Gasp, the world is falling apart. Ryder thought sarcastically with a smirk.

"Wow. His stuff is still there and...I could use a new shirt,"

Ryder whirled around, "Don't you dare touch my stuff!"

Lewis hung up the phone. It turned out he wasn't talking to Eve at all, just a ploy to get Ryder to hear him, "I know you can't help but eavesdrop."

"If you came to apologize, I'm not having any of it," Ryder turned to face the bay.

"But I am sorry," Lewis walked over to stand beside him, "What I said was totally out of line. And you're right, it seems that I've been on Eve's side because...there's a slight chance that I maybe have a crush on her."

"I knew it!" Ryder exclaimed before getting serious, "And I guess it's not all your fault. Eve is right. I'm a reckless guy who doesn't have anything better to do than cause trouble."

"What? We're too tense all the time, you bring the fun during training. You loosen up. Something we should do. I mean, we're here in the past! We could have fun, go to the beach, go to the library!"

"Woah, stop right there," Ryder laughed, "But I can't. I have to catch that fish. The past few days I spent with him were something I've wanted. If I catch that stupid Zord, then I could see him everyday. I actually love my dad.,"

His father left him for fame all because of a fish. This fish was all it takes to make things right. The past few days with Antonio were one of the best days of his life. He never felt so content with anybody else but his mom. This what he was missing. He wants to get those days back, the days he couldn't spend with his dad. Just catch this fish.

"Ryder, I was trying to find you for another reason. I knew you would find the leaf. I never thought you would actually think you were going to do this. This could really mess up your existence," Then he told Ryder about what had been happening with him and Eve, about how they nearly disappeared.

"Don't you see? We're messing up with the order of events. Eve and I are wrecking our parents relationship. They might never get together by this point and we would have never existed. And have you ever thought what happens when you catch this fish? You are what you are today because of your dad's absence. This could change who you are,"

"Yes because I would be happier!"

"Really? When you catch this fish.." Lewis stopped, knowing this wouldn't go in the intended direction, "You know what? Do what you got to do. But I warned you of the consequences," Lewis walked off, going off to the clearing. Hopefully, Eve would listen.

Antonio came back with two hot dogs "Sorry, the shops nearby are closed. But I found a hot dog cart. So are you ready for a break?"

Ryder hooked the entire bucketful of bait and had a fierce look in his eyes, "No way,"

A/N: Thank you guys!

I'm off to Disneyland. So I won't be on FF for a while. No announcements but the polls are favoring SPD Classified: Code Samurai. So, you better vote for the sequel title just in case you prefer Samurai Patrol Delta: Chase Through Time or SPD, Samurai, and Time.

And let's pray for the victims of the Boston Bombing. It was incredibly sad and my teacher had a friend who was at that marathon who had crossed the finished line way before the bombs detonated. I hope they families of the injured would find some relief and that we will know why this happened.

*~Phoebee~*