Chapter 16 'Returning'

An hour later, the group stayed that way in the campsite. Jayden and Mia had stopped crying but remained kneeling before where Eve lay in her final moments. Lewis was silent. His broke free of his mother's consoling hold to sit beside the Shibas.

By this time, Antonio, Kevin, and Ryder chose to arrive. Lewis jumped to his feet at the sight of Ryder, limping towards him.

"What are you doing here?"

"I used up the last of the time machine's power to get rid of those SpitFangs. I guess all three of us are gonna be stuck here for a while," Ryder laughed. Lewis pulled his friend into a warmly embrace. It was comforting to know that he wasn't absolutely alone. He felt Ryder look around and noticed the dark atmosphere, "Hey, where's Eve?"

Lewis's voice quivered as he whispered, "She's gone," He broke the hug and went on to explain how Eve had been stabbed by the Mooger. He explained how he didn't reach her in time and how she was eventually erased from existence,"

"Lew, there's alot of things I didn't understand from hearing that scientific mumbo jumbo. But the one thing that I don't get is...if Eve disappeared, then shouldn't we?"

Lewis wasn't in the mood to explain any further. He didn't feel like talking much. Ryder pressed on, "Well? My dad should have met my mom by now. Why haven't I disappeared yet?"

"I don't know,"

"Don't lose hope Lewis,"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"There's a chance she-"

"What?" Lewis suddenly exploded, causing everybody in the clearing to stare at him, "That she could still be alive? You know better than to say such a thing to me. Don't raise their hopes," He gestured to the Shibas, "And don't certainly raise mine!"

Lewis stomped off to the Eve's final resting place and sat on the log. It was the same log her head rested on. He composed himself before apologizing to Ryder. The thought of Eve coming back was something written out of a fairytale, where the man gets the woman of his dreams and ride off into the sunset- the miracle amidst the tragedy. Rangers were never one to live their lives scot-free of tragedy.

"It's just that I could have done something. I'm sorry Eve," He sat there and buried his head in his hands. He heard Ryder call his name.

"Lewis?"

The Turquoise Ranger didn't raise his head, "I'm okay. Don't worry about me."

"No, it's not that," It was then when Lewis heard the panic in Ryder's voice. It was the kind of panic when you were faced when a monster was coming or if a tornado was visible in the distance, "Is there supposed to be a purple light here?"

Bring his fingers away from his eyes, Lewis saw what Ryder had been talking about. A mass of purple light appeared beside him. He shakily stood and backed away. What is this? Soon, a figure materialized and the light was gone.

There, in front of Lewis, lay Eve. He blinked his eyes, not believing this sight. It was when Jayden and Mia rushed to their daughter's side he realized this was real. Eve returned.

The said girl was in regular shape for someone who had nearly died. She wore the same bloodstained garb but had her wound bandaged up. If Lewis were to unravel the bandage, he would see stitching. Ji had never reached the stage in which he were to stitch the stab wound. This made him wonder who performed the procedure.

"Eve!" Her eyes fluttered open at the sound of her name. She propped herself up and checked out her surroundings. Surprised, to say the least, was how she appeared. Then surprise melted into happiness when she wrapped her arms around her parents. She was breathing heavily and crying at the same time.

"We thought we lost you," Jayden said. Mia caressed her daughter's cheek to brush away the tears. The whole Shiba family was together and they intended stay that way.

"I'm sorry, dad,"

"What are you sorry for?"

"For meddling in your lives when I clearly knew better than to,"

Jayden smiled. If Eve hadn't meddled in his life in the first place, then he wouldn't have come to know her. Of course, almost losing her wouldn't have happened. But it had gave him the strength to confess his feelings for Mia.

"I'm glad you did," Eve shook her head, smiling. She caught sight of Ryder and pursed her lips.

"You have a lot of nerve to use up the power and strand us here," she said quietly.

"Hey, I did what I had to do!"

"I know. You didn't want to leave us,"

"I wouldn't mind leaving such a bossy pants behind, but...you're still hiding my hoverboard somewhere,"

Eve scoffed. She knew that was 'I care about you' in Ryder's language. She turned her head and met Lewis's gaze. Her expression softened. She held her hand up as if to strike him, but only made a move to throw something his way. Lewis caught the object to only find his Xel in his hands.

"You said I was going to be erased from time! Thanks for getting me worked up over nothing," she said. What she did next surprised Lewis, she smiled and leaned over to peck him on the cheek, "Thanks for everything. Look, I'm sorry for the way I acted. I've been pushing you away when all you were doing was care. You care enough to keep trying to pierce my shell. I was caught up in my own independent life to notice. I took you for granted."

Lewis didn't pay much attention to most of what Eve said because he was too busy touching the spot where she kissed him. His face turned bright red and was sure to stutter the next time he spoke, "It's c-cool, Eve," He cleared his throat to stop the stutter, "If only I had reached you in time, you would have never gotten hurt."

"Getting injured is in the Ranger job description,"

"That is true!" Ryder exclaimed from the far back of the campsite, "Speaking of injured, I think my leg is broken. When are we gonna head back to the Shiba House and patch this baby up?"

Eve was sentenced to stay in the infirmary for a week, much to her dismay. There was one thing that Eve absolutely detested and it was idleness. Laying down in a comforter without having the need to do any physical labor did not suit well with her. Luckily, she had Lewis and Ryder to keep her company.

Her cot was in the center, between her two boys. On her right lay a sleeping Lewis. He had given up his nights to watch over Eve. Worrying about her was something done 24/7, her parents would know that all too well. His injuries were minor, having only been scraped and cuffed a few times during the Mooger attack, yet he stayed in the infirmary. But Ryder was another story. When the Battlewing took an impromptu dive into the ocean, his leg rammed into the Zord podium. A thick white cast was wrapped around the injury. Sometimes Ryder would doodle comics on its surface. If Eve saw another panda on a rocket, she would sure go insane.

Even if it hadn't been said aloud, Lewis and Eve became a couple. Ryder woke up one morning to find Eve fast asleep in Lewis's arms on Eve's cot. He had never seen his friends so content in his life. He didn't miss the photo opportunity and neither did Mia. Jayden, on the other hand, was playing the 'overprotective father' card and made sure the two were separated at nighttime.

At the end of the week, Eve was well enough to get up. Her parents were hesitant of letting her leave her cot but knew it drove their poor daughter crazy for not being able to do anything. Lewis helped her to her feet and together they made for the kitchen. She winced upon walking but the pain was tolerable once seeing the party of people in the kitchen.

The Rangers threw together a party for Eve. Cookies and cake of the most delicious kind scattered the tables and counters and a banner hung from the cabinets that said 'Glad You're Not Dead!'. It was obvious it had either been Mike or Ryder who made it. The Ranger family gathered around the table and shouted a great "Surprise!"

It was weird how things turned out the way they did. Eve slid into a table without hesitation. Her guard was no longer up. Throughout her recovery, she realized that it wouldn't hurt to lean on someone or accept a helping hand. There was nothing wrong with trusting anybody. Lewis enjoyed seeing Eve at ease. She was free to laugh along to a joke or share an anecdote about her childhood without having the need to look behind her.

There was never a heartwarming scene quite like this one. Mike and Antonio would discuss their greatest pranks to Ryder with an occasional grunt from Kevin whilst Mia and Emily talked to Eve about the sacred art of shopping. Off to the side, Jayden relayed the traditional 'If you hurt my daughter...' lecture on Lewis.

Ji stood behind the kitchen island. He was preparing 7 glasses with his world famous strawberry lemonade. Instead of being jovial as the rest of the Rangers were, he maintained a solemn expression. When he finished, he set the tray down in the center of the table during the beginning of an interesting conversation.

"So Eve, what was really your mission?"

"Well," The Magenta Ranger stopped eating her doughnut to answer Lewis's question. The Rangers paused their meals to listen, awfully as curious as Lewis. She didn't mind telling. Secrets and lies were behind her now. There was nothing to hide, "I was looking for someone to shed a light on a prophecy,"

Ji stiffened as she said this. Only Lewis caught this. He didn't say anything, only continuing to listen to Eve.

"I heard my parents talking about a prophecy right before mom disappeared. I searched the archives and stumbled across this secret door downstairs. I figured the prophecy was behind that door. The only way to open it though was with a shodophone. My aunt Lauren's shodophone that is,"

"Aunt?" The whole table seemed to ask.

"Yes," Jayden replied sullenly, "my sister."

"Sister? You never said you had a sister!" Mike exclaimed. A few heads turned to Antonio's way, who was as shocked as the rest. His best friend since childhood had a secret sibling? This changed the way he saw Jayden.

The Senior Gold Ranger pointed finger at Jayden, "We will so be talking about this later."

"Anyway," Eve cut in to avoid any further awkwardness, " But the shodophone has been locked away. I thought if I could travel back in time to retrieve it from Lauren. It was said that she was nearby here at this time,"

"But why didn't you just get the shodophone from your time?"

"It's because the only person who knows of its location is dead," Eve casted her gaze down at her plate, obviously reminiscing, "Well, that's all really,"

Jayden reached in for the glasses at the center of the table. Each member of the current Samurai Ranger team were able to snag a glass. Eve was about to take the last one when Ji stepped in. He put the glass on the counter. The three Samurai children looked at him in confusion.

"A toast. To our Samurai family! No matter what time, we will always be together," Jayden called before clinking glasses with his team. They all drank the lemonade. Then, all of the sudden, everyone's heads jerked backwards before they sank into their chairs. Eve ran to her mother, who sat beside her, and saw that she was unconscious as so was the rest of the team. Ryder and Lewis stood up and stared at Ji in mixed horror and surprise.

Eve was about to question him until she saw a familiar looking bottle on the kitchen island, "Memory serum."

"It's best for you three to return to the future now," She opened her mouth to protest but no sound came out. Pausing, it suddenly became clear that it was time to go back. Yes, the time machine had no power left but that didn't mean they couldn't fix it. Eve didn't expect to stay in 2012 forever yet she didn't expect to leave so soon.

Ryder and Lewis understood immediately. The two boys left to pack up their items whilst Eve remained in the kitchen with Ji. She glanced back at her unconscious parents. They wouldn't remember a thing, "Ji, why did you do this?"

The elder mentor smiled sadly, "If you remain here, who would be in the future? I'm sure your parents would be wondering where you are,"

"No, really?" Eve knew just as her father Ji had more reasons for making a decision, often it being Ranger related reasons.

"It is your destiny,"

"Am I the one in the prophecy?"

Ji held her gaze as he swiped the serum bottle off the island. He handed it to her, "Only time will tell. They would wake up soon. You should get going."

Eve nodded but surprised the mentor by engulfing him in a hug, "Ji, I've missed you." They stayed that way for a while before Lewis came running with Ryder at his tail, each with their respective items.

"Eve. Let's bounce. There's not much time before they come to. A second dosage isn't a good idea,"

With that thought, the three left through the back way.

Eve lingered in the backyard, she looked at the Shiba House. She wanted to scan every floorboard and window until the image of her old home was locked fresh in her mind. She wanted to remember what it looked like before the explosion destroyed it. She peered into the kitchen window and could see the Rangers waking up. She turned to join her friends but not without seeing Ji raising his own glass of lemonade to his lips.

They made it to the campsite an hour later. Ryder immediately went to work on the time machine. Before running out of power the time machine crash landed on the cliffside. Jayden, Mike, and Kevin had hauled it back to the campsite during the week of Eve's recovery. The little pod was dented in various places, all due to attaching to the Battlewing and partaking in a Zord battle. Lewis and Eve packed up their tents and tore down their elaborate camp. Soon, there was no sign of their stay.

In a sigh of defeat, Ryder completed his diagnostics, "Just what I thought. I just repaired the minor damages from the Zord battle but it's the power we need."

"Spectrix?" Lewis cried, "But that doesn't get invented until-"

"12 years from now, I know!"

"How are we going to leave?"

"I think I may be of an assistance," A new voice caused the three Rangers to turn to the source. Dayu stood, harmonium in hand, beside the time machine. By the looks of it, she traveled through a GAP. Instinctively, they backed away. Eve's fingers slipped into her pocket, prepared to draw out her Samuraizer.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help,"

Eve refused right away, "No, no, no. There is no way I'm letting you near it,"

Lewis stiffened at the sight of Dayu. He wanted to protect Eve from any Netherworld creature that came their way. He was ready to lose her again. He shielded her from the Nighlok's vision, "I don't believe a Nighlok would help a human."

Dayu tapped her foot impatiently and Eve could tell she reluctantly arrived. It must have been taken a whole of courage to come here. Though it was odd and may be a possible form of trickery, Eve detected the truth in her eyes. She genuinely wanted to help. But why?

"I can power your machine," she quipped, "And in return you will one day return the favor."

"Ok," Lewis and Eve stared at Ryder in astonishment. Lewis tried to convince his friend otherwise but Dayu's hand was already pressed against the time machine's surface. Red static enveloped the pod and soon it hummed to life. The kids ran inside to check the power levels. It read 100%. Running back outside, they went to thank Dayu but were surprised to find her missing.

She had disappeared into the GAP.

Eve turned to Ryder, "Why did you let her fix it?"

"You saw the look in her eyes, didn't you Eve? She wanted a second chance,"

"At what?"

"Being human," Ryder left Eve to ponder on the thought. Dayu did some terrible things in the past and she didn't seem to regret it. It was hard to imagine Dayu caring for anybody else, or even care at all. But she may never know who the real Dayu was and she decided to leave it at that, "Hey guys, you know what need to do when we get back, right?"

"Yes," Eve sighed. She brought out the serum bottle Ji had given her, "Once we return, we must drink it. We will forget about what has happened in this mission. So in case S.P.D question us about time traveling, we won't remember."

"Like nothing here ever happened?" Lewis asked, crestfallen. It took a moment for Eve to realize that once they take the serum, they wouldn't remember this experience. The experience which brought her and Lewis together.

Eve gripped Lewis' hand tightly, noting how she would soon forget the tenderness of this moment. After they hid the time machine they would run to the Zen House, tear off the bottle cap, and together gulp down the serum. She couldn't bear to think of what would happen after that.

Each one of us learned something from this experience. Ryder wiggled his fingers into his pocket and felt the Koi Zord nestled inside. He smiled wistfully at days he spent with his dad. He wished that his resentment for his father would soon die out in the future.

Lewis raised his watch, "It's time to go."

"You do know that this is a time machine," Ryder pointed out "He'll still be arriving at the same time anyway,"

Eve laughed before prodding along with her best friends towards the now vacant campsite. Only the time machine remained.

"Guys, I still think we should name this tin can," Ryder called from out of the blue, "Something cool like 'Starfighter XX-09',"

"Too sci-fi. It needs to be sophisticated," Eve commented.

"Hey! I got it," Lewis broke into a wide grin, "The Nikola Night. It's an anagram for Anti-Nighlok."

"Hm…I like it. Night for short,"

"Got a good ring to it,"

Ryder pushed the button on the side of The Night's entrance. The door hissed and slid open. Ryder stepped inside but Eve held Lewis back. The couple looked at each other than at their entwined hands. The same frightening thought occurred to them.

"Lew, if we're going to take the serum ourselves-" she couldn't finish.

"Shh. I will be alright,"

"-But what if we never get together. How could we make this work if we forget?"

Lewis cupped Eve's face. She was too distraught to relish in his touch. The many 'what if's had her lost and confused. She was scared of not being this with Lewis. The past few days, she was filled with so much love from her parents and her friends. She never wanted it to end.

"Eve, you and I will be together. I have that feeling deep inside me . Like our parents, we are meant to be. No disturbance in time is ever going to change it. Heck, no memory serum is going to change the way we feel about each other," Lewis finished off, nearly breathless. He couldn't believe the emotions he had just expressed. Stringing words together to make sense was never his strong suit.

Eve was silent.

Oh no, I freaked her out too much, Lewis thought.

But instead of being frightened, Eve pecked Lewis on the cheek, "I never knew you had a way with words, for someone who stutters alot. You know just what to say,. Thank you"

"R-Ready to g-go?"She laughed at his gobsmacked expression and nodded. It wasn't the first time she kissed him on the cheek yet Lewis acted as if it were. They treaded on until they caught up with Ryder and the time machine.

Their half Latino friend raised a suggestive eyebrow at Lewis who turned beet red under the scrutiny, "Wonder what took you guys so long," he winded before entering the time machine. Eve punched his shoulder hard. They entered The Night and all three friends stood in the entryway, taking one final glimpse at 2012.

"So many trees,"

"Yeah. Wish they had more of these in our day," Ryder said wistfully. They didn't want to look at the forest for too long, "We need to go," he urged.

Eve led the group further inside the time machine. With a press of a button on the wall, the door sealed shut behind them, closing off the greatest adventure they may ever have. The greatest adventure they may have to forget.

A/N: Okay, I lied. I said to expect a new update by the end of this week in my other story. I typed half of this up today. I wanted to finish this story so I could start the sequel. I've got the 1st chapter ready to go with bits and pieces of later parts. Sometimes I would get ahead of myself.

I bet I can get the last chapter up by the end of the week. It would be nice to see how this story ends. And there is a huge shocker you probably won't expect.

Thanks for the support and keep reviewing.

*~Phoebee~*