As time wore on, the Rangers were really finding themselves enjoying their time at the Italian restaurant. Emily especially was having the time of her life. It wasn't often that they got the chance to just unwind and have a good time like this all together. The fact that this particular celebration was all about her just made it all the better for Emily.

As the main course was cleared away, the waiter came around with the dessert menu. They all looked to Mentor Ji hopefully, and he just nodded to confirm that he was willing to pay for a third course, much to their delight. They all perused the menu, imagining the delights within.

Jayden just looked at his menu as the others started to chatter about what they wanted to have to round out their meal. He wasn't having such a great time. Antonio had insisted on sitting right next to him, and it made things so much harder than they needed to be. He was looking pretty good in his tux, Jayden had to admit. Of course, Antonio always looked good to him. That was exactly the problem. He could no longer deny the fact that he was having these feelings for Antonio.

As Antonio quizzed one of the waiters about the dessert menu, he could see the look in his eye, and the subtle gestures. He was flirting with their waiter. It wasn't like he could blame him, as far as he knew, Antonio was single, and it wasn't as if Jayden had given him any reason to believe there was any reason he couldn't test the waters. It didn't stop Jayden feeling an intense hatred for the man. When Antonio touched his shoulder and the man smiled at him, Jayden just wanted to tear that arm off. The waiter left to fetch Antonio's order.

"It looks like I'm going to need some extra training." The Gold Ranger commented. "I know a whole banana split isn't the best, but when the food's this good, what's an extra pound or two?"

"It looks as if that isn't all you want." Mia teased him. He just gave her a little smile in response.

"I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it." He admitted. "Maybe I'll ask for his phone number later."

Jayden gripped his hands tightly under the table, his knuckles beginning to turn white as he heard this. It made his head hurt just thinking about it. While it hadn't even gone as far as Antonio asking him out, Jayden couldn't deny the anger building in him as he thought about someone else with him. He just wanted to reach out and grab him, to tell the Gold Ranger that the guy was wrong for him, but to do that, he'd have to reveal the reason he felt that way. Mentor Ji just coughed to attract Jayden's attention.

"Jayden, are you sure you don't want anything?" Mentor Ji asked him as the waitress finished taking their order. He just shook his head gently. He couldn't think of anything right now, much less eating.

"Well, maybe you can share mine." Antonio suggested. "Save me from myself huh?" He caught the waitress as she passed him.

"Excuse me, but that waiter, do you happen to know if he's...you know...on the market?" He asked her. She just shook her head.

"He's married." She told him. Antonio just clicked his fingers and gave a disappointed look to the table as she left.

"Why are the cute ones always straight?" He asked them. Inside, Jayden was more than happy to hear this. He knew he couldn't act on his feelings for Antonio, but that didn't make it any easier to imagine him hooking up with someone else. "Well, I guess I just have to keep looking."

"Maybe not too hard though." Kevin suggested. "I mean, we all stopped seeing our friends and families for a reason. You wouldn't want to put someone you care about in danger."

"Well that's easy for you to say, you have a girlfriend." Antonio reminded him as Kevin put his arm around Mia. He just shrugged as he looked to Jayden. "I guess that just means you and I are out of luck amigo. Unless there are any other Samurai hiding in the woodwork."

"I didn't even know about you." Jayden replied, hoping to end this conversation. "If you'll excuse me, I'm just heading to the bar. I need another beer."

"I'll come with..."

"It's fine." Jayden cut him off as Antonio was about to get up. "Does anyone else want anything?"

The other Rangers just shook their heads to indicate they were alright for drinks, at which Jayden just left. Antonio watched him go, a little concerned by the way he was acting.

On Master Xandred's Junk, Dayu was sitting alone in her quarters, taking advantage of one of the few times she ever was alone. Master Xandred had ordered her to destroy Dekker, and when she had failed, he had not been shy in making his displeasure known. He had accepted her explanation that she was no match for Dekker in a direct conflict, and that once he was no longer distracted by the Red Ranger, her opportunity to catch him unawares was lost. That still hadn't spared her from his wrath, or his torture. She was still in pain following his brutal punishment, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

Part of the curse of Urumasa was that he remembered little of his life that didn't make him a more effective warrior. While he remembered his family, and their mistreatment of him, the humiliation and rage they had built in him, he didn't remember her. That was the most painful thing of all. He couldn't remember when she was human and they had known each other before. Her mind drifted back to a time long ago, long before she had become a Nighlock.

She was a young girl, barely more than a child when she was brought to the house. Her family was poor, destitute. When her father could no longer afford to feed her, he took her around the noble houses, hoping to offload her as a servant.

She could remember coming to the house on that day. She was a skinny, frail looking thing, having had irregular meals at best for weeks. When food was scarce, priority went to her father and brother, since they needed their strength for working. She only ate when there was enough left over. She was dressed in filthy rags, and her feet were bare. She was brought before a man and his sons. She looked to the ground, her gaze never shifting from the embroidery at the bottom of their robes. Her father had taught her after the last house refused to take her never to look a superior in the face unless invited.

"Is this the girl you promised?" The man scoffed. "Are you sure she's alive?"

"She barely looks strong enough to hold herself up." His eldest son sneered. "What use will she be?"

"That will do Yarrick." The father responded. "I asked you a question peasant."

"She is stronger than she looks." Her father told him. "The drought has not been kind to our family, but I assure you she will work hard."

The man grabbed her chin roughly and turned her face upwards to get a better look at her. Despite her hunger, she was quite a pretty girl in her own right, with smooth, unblemished skin, and long, dark hair. He looked into her eyes as if he was inspecting livestock. "Does she talk?"

"Only when spoken to." Her father assured the man. She had learned that lesson when the first family turned her down. Her father's cane was an effective teacher in that respect.

"Does she read?" The noble asked.

"She can." He responded.

"Does she have her own teeth?" The noble asked, turning her face a little as he checked her hair for any sign of lice. "Show me girl."

"Do as he says Dayu." Her father beckoned her. Dayu showed that she did indeed still possess teeth. He wasn't really concerned about her welfare, the noble only wanted to know because it would make feeding her easier.

"She seems healthy enough." The noble told him. "I'm not sure she's worth fifty though, I'll give you 15."

"Please..." Her father began, but he noticed the boys' hands straying to their swords as he stepped forward and backed down. The noble just snorted, before reaching to his purse.

"Fine, twenty, but not one coin more." He sighed, handing over the money. This man was easily wealthy enough to have no need to haggle, but he also could tell that her father was in no position to refuse any offer for his daughter. He just took the coin and left the house, never to return.

"Yarrick show her to her quarters." He ordered his eldest son. "Get her a bath and some suitable clothing. She may be a half-dead peasant, but if she's to remain in our house, there's no reason she needs to look or smell like one."

"Come girl." Yarrick barked, gesturing for her to follow him. As she went inside, and the gates shut behind her, there was a finality to it that filled her with a sense of hopelessness.

She looked around the grounds fearfully, taking in every detail. She didn't know exactly what her duties would be as a servant, but she was sure that they would quickly let her know. It was then that she noticed another boy, perhaps a year or so older than her, working on a mannequin, striking it as hard as he could. There was blood on the mannequin, and as she took another look, she realised that it came from wounds on the boy's knuckles. She felt a hand grabbing her roughly by the scruff of the neck.

"I said come!" Yarrick snapped at her. "Dekker! Harder!"

The younger boy just nodded, and went back to his exercises, hitting the mannequin harder than before. As they got to a small out building and Yarrick ushered her inside to show her the shed they intended her to use as a bedroom, she cast her gaze back to the youngest brother. He was clearly treated harshly by his family, he wasn't even thought of as important enough to be with the rest of the family to inspect their new servant girl. Although she hadn't spoken with him, she could sense a kinship with him. He had things just as bad as her. Perhaps together they would survive it.

Over at the Shiba House, the Rangers arrived back, to find that the party planners had completed their work. The yard was decked out with lights and decorations, and an entertainment system had been set up to provide music. Emily was all but on the moon with excitement to see it all, knowing that Mike had set this up just for her. She might not have gotten to go to the prom at her own school, but Mike had made one just for her.

"You know, there are a couple of traditions I need to observe." Mike told her as Mentor Ji, Kevin and Antonio went to the kitchen to fetch the food for the barbecue. "The first thing I guess is I still have to ask you if you'll go to prom with me."

"Are you serious?" She giggled. "What do you think the answer is going to be genius?"

"It's tradition." He replied. "Emily, would you do me the honour of being my date to the prom?"

"I'd love to." She answered. Mike gestured to Mia, who reached into her purse for something. Emily held her hands over her face, breathless as Mia handed Mike a corsage. He smiled at Emily as he presented it to her. She just held her right hand up, allowing him to place it on her wrist.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Kevin reached into the fridge to get the salads as Antonio started to prepare the meat for the barbecue. Everyone had noticed that Antonio had been a little quiet since the restaurant, but so far none of them had a chance to really ask him what was troubling him. Mentor Ji gestured to Kevin to give them some space. The Blue Ranger took his salad bowls with him. Mentor Ji just came to Antonio's side as he started to cut up some fish.

"You have been very quiet." Mentor Ji stated. "I'm beginning to think something is wrong."

"That almost sounded like a joke." Antonio said with a little smile, trying to distract Mentor Ji from the issue. He could see though that he was focussed, and that it was a hopeless task to avoid this conversation. He just sighed. "Jayden's been acting strangely for a couple of days now."

"I have noticed." Mentor Ji agreed.

"Yeah, but...when I think about it, he only started acting this way since we had that sparring match." Antonio told him.

"Do you think that has something to do with this?" Mentor Ji asked him. Antonio had to think about what he would say for a moment. He knew that Mentor Ji and Jayden were practically father and son. He was the closest person to Jayden, and he had to be careful what he said.

"I made a stupid joke when he pinned me." Antonio recalled. "I said he had me where he wanted me."

He turned to Mentor Ji and looked to him quizzically.

"Do you think he has a problem with...you know...what I am?" He asked. "He said he was cool with it, but I'm starting to wonder."

Meanwhile, out in the yard, Mike was slow dancing with Emily to the music as they waited for word from the others. Mia was sitting at a table with Jayden, talking with him about something as the night wore on. Emily wrapped her arms around Mike's neck, resting her head on his chest as they danced.

"This has been really amazing." She whispered. "I can't believe you did all this."

"What can I say? You're worth it." He told her. Emily parted from him a little way, looking deeply into his eyes.

"I love you." She whispered to him. Mike couldn't help smiling as he cradled her head tenderly to his chest and continued to dance with her.

"I love you too." He answered.

Fin.