Ever since the cast was put on her arm Mia had trouble getting to sleep. It wasn't easy finding a comfortable position when she couldn't move her arm around. Not to mention the cast was not a comfortable sleeping buddy. With Kevin's help, she could usually find a good position and eventually would drift off to sleep, but tonight was different. Tonight there was what sounded like a battle raging on outside and the noise was keeping both her and Kevin up.
"One more earthquake and I swear, Kevin, I'm going to push them both off a cliff," Mia muttered as the ground shook. It wasn't a huge quake, just strong enough for Mia and Kevin to feel it, but when it happened every couple of minutes it was irritating.
"Mentor's just pushing Emily to her limit to see how far she can go," Kevin tried to explain to his fiancée. "Strength and determination is important for mastering Symbol Power, you know that."
"Do they have to do it in the middle of the night? Midday would work just as well, wouldn't it?"
"They've been out there doing this for hours nonstop. I'm sure Emily's going to drop soon. When she does, the earthquakes, the falling rocks and the dust pounding against the window will stop."
"Has she tried prying the box open with a crowbar?" Mia asked. "I'm sure that'll work. It's just a tiny little box."
"A tiny little box sealed by symbols that are stronger than any symbol Emily's ever created."
"So… you're telling me the yellow Ranger, way back when, was able to create a sealing symbol so powerful none of us Rangers today can undo it, and no one thought of maybe asking her to seal away Master Xandred? Meanwhile, Jayden's been working his ass off to master a sealing symbol that's never been mastered or that we're even sure will ever work completely?"
"Sealing a box and sealing a Nighlok are two very different symbols," Kevin chuckled. He kissed the side of Mia's head before rolling over in bed. "You know, the earthquakes are actually kind of rocking me to sleep. Just pretend you're on a boat."
"I hate boats."
"Who hates boats?"
"I do, you moron," Mia growled. "And I hate you for hating boats."
"Go to sleep," Kevin laughed. "You get cranky when you're tired."
"No I don't," Mia muttered, "And don't tell me what to do Mr. I-think-I-know-everything-but-really-I'm-just-a-stupid-moron-who-doesn't-have-a-clue-about-anything."
"I love you too," Kevin smiled and rolled his eyes before drifting off to sleep. Mia huffed loudly, lay down in bed and closed her eyes.
-Samurai-
"How did everyone sleep last night?" Jayden asked everyone at the breakfast table, breaking the silence that had been in the room since they all walked in. He looked around at the five other Rangers, noting their appearances ranged from completely sleep-deprived to 'what do you mean there were earthquakes and rockslides last night?".
"That's a stupid question, Jayden," Mia was the former. "In fact, you're stupid for asking it. Why the hell would you think that was a good question to ask? Would you ask a Nighlok if he wanted to hang out over the weekend and have a drink? No! You know why? Because that Nighlok will kill you for asking such a stupid question. Of course he doesn't want to hang out over the weekend. He plans on destroying the world by Thursday, anyways! Why would he make plans when the world has come to an end and you're not longer alive to hang out with?"
Antonio leaned over in his seat and whispered to Kevin, "She wasn't bit by a Nighlok again, was she?"
Kevin shook his head, "Worse. She didn't get any sleep."
"Ah…"
"Next time," Mia continued her rant as she reached for the jam across the table, "think before you ask a stupid question. The Nighlok won't spare your life and neither will I… dammit, why won't this jar open? Kevin…!"
"Hand it over," Kevin laughed. Mia gave him the jar and he popped the lid open. Normally the jam was a little tricky to open because the top was usually sticky, but it was especially hard for Mia to open with only one good arm. He chuckled as he handed the jar back to her, "Here you are, an open jar of jam just for you."
"Stop being a smart-ass and hand me the knife," Mia muttered. Jayden couldn't help but scoot away from Mia slightly as she asked for the knife. He was confidant she wasn't going to hurt him, yet, but he didn't want to risk being wrong.
Mike chuckled when he saw Jayden scooting away, "Still want to call yourself the fearless red Ranger?"
"Even Master Xandred would be scared of Mia in the morning," Jayden said. He cast a glance over at Emily who had fallen asleep at the table. Her head was resting on her arms in front of her bowl of soggy cereal. All Jayden could make out of his yellow teammate was a mass of blond curls and a yellow sweatshirt. "I won't even ask how she slept."
"What's this?" Mia grumbled, glaring at Jayden, "Did you finally get your first brain cell? Anyone with one brain cell would know it's stupid to ask stupid questions."
"Mia," Kevin chuckled as he touched Mia's shoulder. Her head twirled to face him, her glare following. Kevin smiled sweetly, "would you like to go for a nap now that Emily's no longer training?"
Mia nodded, grabbed her plate of toast with jam and walked back to her room to get some rest. Kevin turned to Jayden and signalled to him that it was safe to speak without being verbally assaulted by the tired pink Ranger.
"It's a good thing she doesn't have to train with us today," Antonio laughed. "I would hate to be paired up with her."
"Any idea what time Emily finally went to bed at?" Jayden asked Mike. He had fallen asleep before the end of Emily's training and had no idea when the earthquakes and other earth attacks had ceased. He figured if anyone knew (anyone who wouldn't bite his head off for asking such a stupid question) it would be Mike.
The green Ranger shrugged his shoulders, "I think Mentor brought her into her room at five this morning. I was too tired to check the time. I kind of just saw Mentor carrying her in and then rolled over and fell right back to sleep."
"Five-thirty," the yellow lump that was Emily muttered from behind her arms. "I didn't go to bed until five-thirty."
"She fell right to sleep, though," Mentor said as he entered the room and poured himself some tea. "I hope you got enough sleep, Emily. We'll start our next lesson in a couple of hours. Make sure you're ready."
Emily lifted her head from her arms slightly and glared at Mentor as he walked out of the kitchen. She then looked up at Mike.
"If you love me you'll stab me with a fork and leave me to die."
"I guess I don't love you then," Mike chuckled. Emily shot him another angry look and he smiled at her, "I'm kidding. Do you want one of the forks from the table or should I go for a clean one?"
"From the table," Emily answered. "If I don't bleed to death maybe I'll get a virus or an infection and that'll kill me."
"Mentor's really got you working hard, huh?" Antonio asked the yellow Ranger. "Some of those symbols you cast were bright. The light seeped into our bedroom last night from time to time, huh, Jay?"
"Mentor used to train me like that," Jayden nodded his head. "He always used to tell me the only thing you achieved by quitting was failure."
"What if I don't mind failure?" Emily asked. "Failures get to sleep. I want to sleep."
"I need that Earth Stone," Antonio told her. "You're getting it if it kills you."
"You're a wonderful teammate, Antonio," Emily grumbled sarcastically. "So willing to let other die to make your life easier. How did we used to manage without you?"
"Hey, I saved your life, remember?" Antonio chuckled. "Technically, you owe me your life. I'm going to cash in on that debt now, if you don't mind."
Emily stuck her tongue out. Antonio stuck his out in response. Emily glared at the gold Ranger and he glared back playfully. This lasted until Emily's eyes closed and her head sank down into her arms. In an instant she had fallen asleep.
Mike finished his breakfast and scooped his sleeping girlfriend up in his arms so he could carry her to bed. She was going to need all the sleep she could get before her training resumed. It seemed like Mentor Ji was working her really hard, and this wouldn't stop until her Symbol Power was strong enough to break the seal on her box and she could get the Earth Stone.
Kevin grabbed his plate and Emily's bowl of soggy cereal and walked to the sink to dump it all out.
"Emily better open that box up soon," he said to Jayden and Antonio as they helped him clear the breakfast table. "I can put up with a cranky Mia for a day or two, but anymore and this will stop being funny."
"You think your overly-tired, extremely irritable girlfriend is funny?" Antonio asked.
"It's not me she threatened to kill," Kevin chuckled and turned to Jayden, "I would stop asking questions around her if I were you."
"Noted." Jayden nodded.