Over at the Shiba House, it was beginning to get late. The Rangers couldn't help but notice Jayden's absence from Dinner. Indeed, he had been largely conspicuous by his absence most of the last day. He never even put in an appearance at training, something that really troubled the others. It wasn't like Jayden to skip training. It didn't matter if he was sick or hurt, indeed, generally he had to be specifically ordered to forego training if he was sick or injured. Today, however, he had left before the others had gotten up; leaving only a note saying that he would be back later.

It was worrying that he had taken this course of action. Master Xandred had been silent for over a week now, and no one had seen hide nor hair of Arachtheor. Even Dekker had been remarkably quiet. They hadn't actually heard anything from him since Antonio interrupted his duel with Jayden in Japan. While it was nice to have a break to train, focus on their other responsibilities and recover from some of the nagging aches and pains that were a natural part of their lives and rarely got a chance to get over completely between battles, the fact was they knew that it was unlikely that he was wasting this time either. The odds were he was preparing for something big when he did make his comeback, and they were all on alert.

Jayden had now been gone for a couple of hours, and training was over. They weren't especially worried that missing a day of training would do any harm for the Red Ranger. He was so dedicated he would likely train by himself somewhere anyway. It was more the fact that he was isolating himself from the team that bothered them.

They were using the time to their benefit in the absence of a better plan. Mike was out the back working with Kevin on his sword technique, while Emily was in the corner on the computer, working through her on-line modules.

Right now, Antonio was working on the Black Box, trying to get Emily's Power Disk uploaded into the ancient weapon. Mia was standing by, watching and waiting as he worked with his morpher, transferring data from the Power Disk. They all knew now how much the process took out of him, and as such Mentor Ji insisted that someone remain with him whenever he worked on the Black Box just in case he needed medical assistance.

"Just a little more." He stated, the sweat beginning to form on his brow as he tried yet again to work with the Ape Zord. Mia saw the spirit leap to his morpher and hover there for a moment, before turning to the Black Box. Antonio and Mia both smiled as he struggled to maintain the link.

"You're almost there." Mia said encouragingly. "You can do it."

"Excellente!" Antonio cried out as it leapt into the Black Box. He started to rock a little on his chair, before Mia grabbed him to check up on him. "That Ape Zord really put up a fight."

"Given who it belongs to are you surprised?" Mia asked him, handing him a bottle of water. Antonio took a long drink as he composed himself.

"I guess not." He replied. "Two down, three to go."

"Remember what Mentor Ji said; don't try to upload more than one a day." Mia told him. "It takes enough out you as it is, and we may need you in battle."

"Just then, Emily came rushing through the house, carrying something from the printer. She seemed to be far more excited and energetic than normal. She tripped and stumbled, almost taking a face-plant straight into the table they were using, being caught by Antonio and Mia.

"Emily, calm down." Mia told her. "What's the hurry?"

"Where's Mike?" Emily asked her.

"He's out in the training yard." Antonio told her. Emily pulled herself out of their hands and ran as quickly as she could through the rest of the house. "Emily, wait up! Dónde está el fuego?"

Mia and Antonio chased Emily as she made her way out into the training yard, where Mentor Ji was overseeing Kevin and Mike locked in a training bout.

"Mike!" She called out, rushing towards him. The distraction almost cost them dearly. Kevin was only just able to pull his strike as she ran onto the mat, throwing herself on Mike and tackling him to the ground in an impassioned hug, kissing him enthusiastically.

"Emily, I could have brained you!" Kevin yelled.

"What's going on?" Mentor Ji asked, coming over and breaking up the scene of excitement. Emily by now had tears in her eyes. She knew better than to run into the middle of a sword battle in progress, so they had some idea it was something important.

"I just sent off my last module!" She rushed out. "It's been accepted, they're just compiling my final grade!"

"Emily?" He asked her. She just nodded.

"Once they do I can print off my diploma!" She told them. "I'm graduating!"

"Emily that's great news!" Mike told her, hugging her tightly. The others all descended on her, joining in the scene. One of the things they had regretted was the fact they had to pull Emily out of school early, and they had arranged for her to complete her high school education online. Now, after all that time and effort, it seemed like it was all finally paying off.

"Hermosa i intelligente." Antonio complimented her. "I am so breaking out the barbecue tomorrow."

"This is indeed a cause for celebration." Mentor Ji agreed. Emily just pulled out her cell phone and dialled. Antonio had rigged her cell and Serena's with a secure line that they could use to contact each other without fear of being traced by Master Xandred. She just furrowed her brows as she got a spoken message.

"Her cell's turned off." She commented.

"I'm sure she's just busy." Mike assured her. "You'll get hold of her later."

"I know, I just wanted her to know." Emily sighed, before the smile came back to her face. "I can't believe I finally did it!"

"We never doubted you for a moment." Kevin replied. "Mike, if you want to call a rain check..."

"Thanks Kevin." He answered as he and Emily finally got up. "So tell us, what do you want to do tomorrow?"

"Yeah, it's your celebration." Mia added. "Anything you want. Just name it."

Meanwhile, over at Kensington Estate, Serena and Michael were still sitting in their cells in the old slave quarters as the morning approached. It wasn't exactly the best of conditions for encouraging a healthy sleep. The floor was hard, except for a little straw, and the bucket in the corner that served as sanitation did nothing to make the environment any more comfortable.

"The sun's up." He told her, pointing to the main door, where light was beginning to shine through the cracks around it. "It's Sunday."

"The last day of the hunt." She commented. By now, she was sure that Kenzo would be long gone with the sword. She had been trapped here almost a full day, unable to do anything to stop him. With that head start, he could easily have taken it and left. The only reason she suspected he hadn't just killed everyone and left them there to starve was because a guard had since come by with some food for them. Not because they actually cared or anything, but because the Kensingtons wanted them to be healthy enough to run and provide a good chase.

"There're two of us." Michael reminded her. "If we run in opposite directions..."

"You heard him; he asked which one of us is going first." Serena sighed. "They'll release us one at a time. There's no way they'll risk one of us getting away and bringing the cops."

"So...who do you think they'll pick?" He asked her.

"I don't know." She told him. "If Frederick has his way, I suspect it'll be me."

"Who are you anyway?" He asked her. "Obviously my father didn't hire you to find me. You obviously aren't a cop..."

"I was trying to steal a sword." She told him. Saying it like that, it all sounded so pointless. She knew the potential importance of the sword, but given the fact she was now waiting to be hunted like an animal, she was beginning to question the wisdom of coming. Just then, the door opened and a familiar face came in. It was Kenzo. He was wearing tight white trousers, black riding boots, and a deep red coat. He smiled as he came to Serena's cell.

"You're still here?" She asked him. He just nodded.

"Please, do you think I could resist the chance to see this?" He asked her. "The sword can wait. How often will I get a chance like this?"

"What's your story?" She asked him. She cast a glance over at Michael, reminding herself she was limited in what she could say. "Are you like Dekker?"

"In a way." He told her. "Let's just say that the future my father had planned for me didn't really hold much appeal. I decided to walk a different path."

"You decided to become a..."

"I decided to surpass anything my father could ever teach me!" He interrupted her. Just then, a couple of guards came in. One of them had a badly bruised face, and the other was limping badly. They were two of the guards Serena had taken down during her attempt to escape. They looked to Kenzo curiously.

"What are you doing here mate?" One of them asked. "The breakfast buffet..."

"I just wanted a last look at the quarry." Kenzo assured him with a smile. They were here far too early for the release, so he presumed they were here to have a little fun with Serena first. "She's the one that..."

"She killed two of my friends." One of them told him. "She smashed my face in..."

"She stabbed me in the arse!" The other complained. Kenzo just smiled and looked to her.

"Neither of you have the key to her chains do you?" He asked. "I'd hate for there to be any mistakes."

"Trust me, she's going nowhere." The one with the bruised face told him. Kenzo just smirked.

"Just...don't damage her so much she can't run." He told them, patting one of them on the shoulder as he left. As they opened the door to her cell, stepping inside, one of them pulled out a length of rope as the other slammed a fist into her face, sending her to the ground. They pulled her hands behind her back roughly, tying them together tightly.

"This is for Frank." One of them shouted as he kicked her hard in the ribs. "This is for Peter!"

Serena could do nothing as the two men exacted a measure of vengeance on her for their injuries, and their mistaken belief that she had killed two of their friends. The only solace was that they would not kill her; she still had to take part in the hunt. There was one other thing on her mind as she tried to ignore the worst of the beating. Kenzo was still there, and the hunt was still going ahead. That meant that no one suspected anything was amiss. The sword still had to be in the manor. That meant she still had a chance...presuming she lived long enough.

Back at the Shiba House, Emily was sitting by the computer waiting on the e-mail from her course to confirm her completion. Mike came over, sitting next to her, putting his arm around her warmly.

She looked to him and gave him a little smile, but he noticed something odd about her. While she had been incredibly excited, almost delirious before, now, she seemed to be more than a little quiet.

"Still haven't managed to get Serena?" He asked her. He could understand that she wanted her family to know about her success, and so far for some reason Serena wasn't answering her phone. She shook her head.

"I guess it'll make a better story once I get my marks through." She sighed. Mike could feel the disappointment in her.

"There's more to this isn't there?" He asked. She just turned to face him.

"It's just...I feel like I've missed out on a lot of stuff." She told him honestly. "I mean, I know I didn't have a great time back at school, but there're so many things that the other kids got to experience that I didn't."

"Like?" He asked her.

"Prom." She began. "Graduation."

She clicked on the E-mail as it finally came in, before going to the print command.

"Everyone else got to dress up, go to fancy dances, have photos taken." She told him. Just then, the printer kicked into life. She pulled the paper out and stared at it. "They all had a beautiful day where they got all dressed up and had their friends and family around them, you know the whole fuss. My graduation is printing out a diploma."

She handed him the paper and he looked at it.

"Emily, I didn't go to graduation either." He told her. "It isn't a big deal."

"It just feels like it to me." She admitted. He just smiled at her and showed her the diploma.

"Em, this is what's important. These marks are amazing." She told him. "You're in the ninety fifth percentile. With these marks, you can do anything you want!"

"I know, and I'm happy, really I am." She assured him. "I'm sure I'll get over it. I just...I guess I wish I could have something normal."

With that, she took her diploma and gathered up her jacket.

"Mia promised to take me somewhere I can get a frame for this." She told him.

"Well don't take too long." Mike answered. "Antonio's set up a major haul for the barbecue. You have a big day tomorrow."

"I won't be." She said with a smile as she left.

Back in England, Frederick and Edward had assembled the hunting party for the first of the two main hunts. They were all dressed and ready for the hunt, and mounted on horses preparing for the order to ride. Edward held up a hand to call for silence.

"For those of you who are returning from previous years, you all know what to expect." Edward announced. "If you are joining us for the first time, you are in for a treat. The kind of hunt you will not find anywhere else."

"This year though, you're all getting your money's worth." Frederick stated. "This year, you have two main events. Bring the first quarry!"

The two guards dragged Serena into view. Her hands were still bound behind her back, and she had numerous cuts and bruises from their beating. Frederick looked to his father, then back to the guards a little judgementally.

"What happened?" He asked them.

"She struggled." The one with the limp lied. Edward just sighed. "She can still run, she's not too bad."

"She struggled?" Frederick asked them. The one with the bruised face realised he didn't believe them.

"She killed two of the boys!" He protested.

"She stabbed me in the arse!" The other complained. Frederick just sighed and shook his head.

"There was a time we would have used dogs to track the quarry." Frederick announced, pulling something out of his jacket. "Now, we find this to be better."

It was a leather collar, much like a dog's collar, only it had a padlock at the buckle, and a device attached to it which had a green blinking light on it. The guards held Serena tightly as he buckled the collar around his neck and fastened the padlock. "The collar incorporates a GPS tracking system which can be read by your handsets. Now, we don't want the hunt to be too easy, where would be the fun in that?"

There was a small laugh from the hunting party at this statement.

"It is accurate to within fifty feet." He announced. "Now, as you heard, she has already killed two people, and she did injure two more, so she will be a real challenge. I urge you all to be careful. This one will be a fine challenge."

He grabbed her by the hair and turned her away from the house, forcing her to look down a field.

"That post is a hundred and fifty yards away." He told her. "Do you see it?"

She just nodded in response. There was no point in trying to explain she didn't kill the guards.

"Once you reach the post, the hunt will begin." He told her, pulling out a knife. He cut her hands free. "I suggest you run."

Serena didn't need to be told twice, and took to heel, running as fast as her legs would carry her.