Serena was checking over Spike's injuries, but given the way that he kept flinching every time she touched him, Bulk could tell that she was being somewhat less than gentle with him. He was cringing a little too, seeing the state he was in.

"Are you sure we shouldn't take him to a..."

"He doesn't need a hospital." Serena assured him. "Those meatheads may be strong, but they had no idea what they were doing. It's all just tissue damage."

"Your examination hurts more than the beating." Spike tried to joke. Serena just gave him a cold glare, letting him know that his lame joke was not getting him off the hook. She slapped him across the back of the head. "Ow!"

"Now, exactly what part of 'don't fight' did you fail to understand?" She asked him.

"But..."

"I overheard that big kid saying you broke a guy's hand." Serena told him.

"I didn't do anything! He took a swing at me and hit a dumpster. What was I supposed to do? Let him break my face instead?" He shrieked. Bulk looked to her pleadingly.

"It sounds like he was just defending himself." He told her. Serena just snorted, before turning back to Spike.

"And why exactly did he take a swing?" Serena asked him. "Last time I asked, I got the impression the bullies didn't really go much beyond name-calling with you."

Spike looked between Bulk and Serena, before finally relenting. Although he knew Serena would be disappointed, he didn't want to make the situation any worse by lying to her.

"I may have kinda...called him out." He admitted. Serena just threw her hands up.

"Alright, so after I specifically told you only to fight to defend yourself as a last resort, you translate that as a licence to go all Steven Segal and take on the leader of the pack?" She asked him. "If they hadn't already kicked your ass so hard, I would be doing it right now! And you can forget about any more lessons if that's what you're going to do with what I teach you!"

"I'm sorry, it's just...they shoved Jimmy in a locker!" He told her. "They locked him in. If I hadn't let him out, he'd have been in there until recess."

"So, you let him out!" Serena reminded him.

"When I talked to Dr. Phelps to complain, he just laughed it off. He didn't even ask the others about it!" Spike told her. "The coach just panders to them. He made the last period dodgeball, seniors against sophomores just so they could have a good laugh slaughtering us!"

"That does sound rough," Serena agreed, remembering her own high school. Between sophomore and senior year, it seemed like most of the kids just about doubled in size, especially the ones that ended up on the football team, "but still, that doesn't excuse..."

"Brad yelled at me in the changing room. He was upset that I hit him with the ball and he said he'd knock my teeth in. After everything he and his friends have been doing to the other kids, I just got fed up. He leads the others. I thought if I showed him up, then the others would leave us alone!"

Serena felt a little better, hearing his side of the story. Even though he had acted rashly, and defied what she had said, she could tell that he had at least been trying to do things for the right reasons.

"Alright Spike, you can continue lessons, but no more starting fights!" She warned him.

"There are no worries about that." Spike muttered. "I learned my lesson on that account. Bullies don't fight fair, even when they say they will."

"You're also grounded for the rest of the week." Bulk told him. Serena just looked to him, and Bulk winced a little, before looking slightly sterner. "Two."

"That's more like it." Serena replied.

"So, I guess now I'm getting pulled out of school again." Spike grumbled. Serena just slapped him upside the head again. "Hey!"

"Oh no, you are NOT getting out of it that easily!" She warned him.

"I've been there a week and already everyone wants to rip my head off!" Spike shrieked. "That guy was going to punt my head down the street! Everyone hates me!"

"Well, you have stirred up a hornets' nest that's for sure." Serena agreed. "However, part of being a Samurai is courage, including the courage to face the consequences of your actions, good or bad."

"But..."

"You do have friends there Spike, and you've just pissed off every bully in school. Don't you think they might try to get back some face?" She asked him. "If you're not around, you'll be safe, but who do you think that'll leave to face them by themselves?"

Spike looked horrified by the thought. He had been trying to make a point, to get the bullies to leave him and his friends alone. He hadn't considered the fact that he had only succeeded in making things worse if anything.

"Besides." Serena said with a smile. "From what I hear, those friends of yours really quite like you. Would you really be so quick to leave them?"

"I guess not." He commented. "I'm sorry Serena."

"Go and rest up." She told him. As he left, Bulk came to her side.

"It's not over is it?" Bulk asked him. Serena shook her head.

"I know a lot about bullies." She told him. "Now they've been embarrassed...he'll need all the strength he can to take the backlash."

Over at the Shiba House, Stephen was getting back from his shift at the local Apple store, finding Mentor Ji treating a few injuries. He had been dealing with all of the Rangers' duties single-handed since they had left. He was fortunate that so far there was nothing that he couldn't handle, even if it did mean that without a full team he took a fair number of bumps in his fights. Whatever the reason for Master Xandred's lack of activity, it had worked in his favour.

He was a little concerned about Ji if he was forced to admit it. Although he knew that he was as much a Samurai as the others, and was tough in his own right, he also was not a young man like the others. It concerned him how hard Ji was pushing himself lately. Between the strain on his body of fighting, and the strain on his Symbol Power of powering a whole Megazord single-handed when the situation called for it, he was beginning to think that Ji may have overestimated his ability to take over the role of the whole team.

"How was your day?" Ji asked him as he closed over his kimono, hiding the worst of his injuries. Stephen just nodded.

"It was fine." He commented. "Most of the issues were pretty run of the mill, pretty boring to be honest, but at least it pays."

"I just finished making some tea." Ji told him. "I know you like to wait for Serena for dinner, but perhaps while we wait..."

Just then, the door flew open, and the Samurai Rangers came bounding into the room.

"Be it eeever so huuuumble!" Mike started to sing, causing the others to laugh a little.

"There's nooooo place like home!" The others finished the song. Ji and Stephen ran over to join them.

"You're back!" Ji announced, clearly pleased to see them. "I thought you were..."

"We managed to finish up a lot sooner than expected." Jayden interrupted him, hugging Ji. Stephen knew how much Ji had to be hurting, especially around the ribs, but he never let on as Jayden hugged him. All things considered, he was sure that it was the best medicine he could think of.

"So, how was Corinth?" He asked them.

"It was...interesting." Jayden said rather cautiously. "Antonio loved his time there."

"Well, not all the time." Mike teased him. "I remember one club..."

"I'm sure Ji doesn't want to hear about that." Antonio told him, pulling out the CD. "We did find out some wicked cool stuff though. You won't believe what we saw!"

"Antonio, we've just arrived..."

"We saw the Black Box completed!" Antonio stated excitedly. "In their dimension, the Black Box was completed. We saw it in action, we SO have to finish it!"

"Wait, back up a second, you saw the Black Box in action?" Stephen asked him. "How...?"

"It turns out we exist there too." Mike explained. "It's a different dimension, so there are a few differences, but it seems we exist there too. We just...never became Samurai Rangers."

"I'll explain later." Jayden chipped in as Stephen and Ji just looked at him a little confused.

"So, if there are no Samurai Rangers, how did you see...?"

Just then, Serena came back.

"Alright guys, I'm home a little early." She announced. "You won't believe the day I've had. Spike..."

She was cut off as Emily darted across the room and snatched her into a tight hug. Serena just smiled as she looked around, seeing all the others in the room.

"Now, that's some way to be welcomed home." Serena told them. "Hey guys, you're back!"

"We arrived just a little before you did." Mike told her, coming over to her.

"I missed you too Emily." Serena told her as the Yellow Ranger kept a tight grip on her. "I don't mind, but what's with the greeting?"

"I promised someone I'd give this to you." Emily told her.

"Who?" Serena asked. Emily just smiled up at her.

"Me." She replied. Serena just looked even more confused.

"Tell you what, why don't you guys all catch up and order something in for dinner?" Jayden asked. "I doubt anyone's in the mood to cook for eight people. Ji, I need to catch you up on a few things."

Ji just nodded and gestured for the others to catch up. Jayden took the CD from Antonio and went with Ji into a side room for some privacy. Kevin just looked to Antonio as he watched them go.

"It still bothers you doesn't it?" Kevin asked him.

"What?" Antonio responded.

"The fact he still keeps secrets." Kevin answered. Antonio just shrugged in response. It did bother him a little. He knew that Jayden was a lot more open with him than he was with any of the others, but he knew that he still didn't tell him everything.

"I know he has his reasons." He replied. "Anyway, how does everyone feel about Indian?"

Over at their place, Spike was just doing some homework when the doorbell rang. Bulk got up and started heading to the door.

"You just keep doing that homework." Bulk warned him, before opening the door. He saw three kids standing on the doorstep, one of whom he recognised. Vicky was the only one he had actually met, so he presumed the other two were Mal and Jimmy.

"We do have a gate." Bulk reminded them, pointing to the wall. Vicky just looked a little sheepish. This wasn't the first time she had ignored the wall and gone into their yard.

"We just...we wanted to see if Spike was alright." She said a little nervously. Bulk just sighed and looked through to the living room, where he could see Spike was trying to listen in.

"Spike!" He called out. He then looked back to them. "He's grounded, but just this once, you can see him."

He turned to Spike, looking him in the eyes.

"You have ten minutes, and you don't leave the house." He told him. Spike just nodded in understanding, before his uncle left them to it. Vicky, Jimmy and Mal all looked horrified to see the state he was in. He was clearly hurting, and he had a split lip and an impressive black eye forming.

"I guess asking if you got away is kind of redundant." Jimmy finally managed to say. "I guess spending the morning in a locker isn't so bad."

"It looks worse than it is." Spike lied, trying to act casually as he saw them. He didn't want his friends to worry about him, but he was still feeling very sore and was painfully aware of how much worse it could have been if Serena and his uncle hadn't interfered.

"The coach checked on Brad after you left. His hand's definitely broken." Mal informed him. "He looked so pissed..."

"Brad?" Spike asked.

"The coach!" Jimmy clarified. "Brad was too busy crying."

"We...um...just wanted to see you were OK." Vicky told him. "We kind of guessed you wouldn't be back on Monday..."

"What makes you think that?" Spike asked her. They all just looked a little dumbfounded.

"Have you looked in a mirror?" Mal asked a little uncomfortably. "Unless you missed this, they're all kind of pissed."

"Sometimes part of courage is having the guts to face the consequences of your actions." Spike told them, paraphrasing Serena somewhat. He did have his doubts before, but seeing his friends, standing before him, coming to check on him even knowing that he was now pretty much the most hated person in his year, he remembered what he had been fighting for in the first place. "I mean, look at William Wallace. History would have been very different if he had given up."

"He was hung drawn and quartered!" Vicky reminded him. "And seeing the way Rick and the others were looking at you, don't think that thought hasn't crossed their minds!"

"I'm not going to run." Spike put down flatly. "Sadly, I'm grounded, but I'll see you all Monday."

Vicky rushed forward, hugging him tightly. Spike winced a little, but smiled and hugged her back.

"We'll see you Monday." She replied, parting from him. He just nodded.

"Sure you will." He answered. As they left, and he closed the door, he saw his uncle standing a little way off, smiling.

"It feels good doesn't it?" Bulk asked him. Spike nodded.

"This isn't the first time I've had my ass kicked." Spike admitted. "But it is the first time it felt like it was worth it."

Back at the Shiba House, Ji was sitting in his study with Jayden, watching the footage taken from Scott's RPM rig. Jayden just waited for his reaction to what he had seen.

"Antonio is correct." Ji commented. "The Black Box does indeed house impressive power. It will be an invaluable weapon."

"I just can't get over seeing how I turned out there." Jayden admitted.

"I guess it was not the best impression to have of yourself." Ji conceded. "So how did you feel about it?"

"I was upset at first, but I guess the main thing it showed me was how important everyone is to me." Jayden told him.

"How so?" Ji asked him.

"Well, in his dimension the other Samurai were never called." Jayden reminded him. "He told me that Dekker killed you, that's why he went after Dekker."

"That's how he ended up with Urumasa." Ji commented. Jayden nodded.

"The thing is, without you, without the others, the other me...he didn't have anyone when Urumasa started to call him." Jayden continued. "He had no one to fight for, so in the end, he succumbed to it."

"Then I suppose something good has come out of your time in Corinth." He commented. "Of course, there is one more thing I must ask."

"I kind of guessed you would." Jayden replied, pausing the footage on the female Red Samurai Ranger. He looked to Ji. "Kevin reminded them that some things are different in that dimension. He suggested that there was more than one descendent of the Shiba Clan there, and I didn't correct him. The others seemed to accept that."

"So, they haven't pursued it any further?" Ji asked him. Jayden shook his head.

"I hope that remains to be the case." Jayden told him. "Scott knows."

"You told...?"

"He agreed not to tell anyone on my team." Jayden assured him uncomfortably. "He said I should though."

"Jayden..."

"Ji, even if it wasn't for that, I couldn't tell them." Jayden told him. "They trust me, even despite everything. They lay their lives on the line for me all the time."

He sighed and shook his head.

"I can't risk it Ji." He told him. "They trust me, if they find out about this...I just can't risk it Ji."

Just then, Antonio knocked on the door and poked his head in.

"Jay, the food's arrived." He told him. "If you don't get out here quick, Mike will have put paid to all the chicken pakora."

"Well as long as there's still some chicken chaat, that's alright." Jayden chuckled, putting his arm around him. "If not, then someone's in deep trouble."