Disclaimer: I don't own them
*Italic indicates thought
Chapter Forty-Seven: Jayden Tells Lorrie
A/N: Wow it's been a while! I swear though, I'm working on finishing this! For everyone who's still reading, thank you and I hope this chapter is enjoyable for you.
"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on." -Robert Frost
"Are you sure we're not lost?" Lorrie asked as Jayden led her through the woods.
"I'm certain of it," he assured her. Her hand was grasped tightly in his as they followed the winding path. It was a beautiful day out. The sun was shining through the trees and illuminating the forest. Years ago it was the kind of day Jayden would've been too paranoid to enjoy because of the chance it would end in a nighlock attack.
"I think we passed that tree already."
"Lorrie all these trees are the same."
"Exactly!"
Jayden started laughing. "I promise we're not lost."
"Then why have we been walking for two hours?"
"Actually it's only been-" Jayden checked his watch. "One hour."
"That's still a long way to walk just to have a picnic. Couldn't we have gone to a park or something?"
"Not for what I have in mind."
Lorrie frowned. "What'd you mean? I thought we were just having a picnic?"
"We are. I just...have something else for us to do too..."
"That's not cryptic. Well whatever it is, you should know I'm not sleeping with you in the woods."
Jayden could feel his face getting red. "Nope, not that. Don't worry, definitely not that."
"Seriously Jayden, what is it?"
"It's a surprise." They kept walking for another 25 minutes, Jayden leading her off the trail and deeper into the trees. They climbed over a fallen tree trunk and Jayden helped her climb down. He looked around. They were far from the path and there hadn't been another person around for a while. He nodded to himself. This is a good place. "We're here."
"We're in the middle of nowhere."
"I just wanted to make sure we have privacy." Jayden led her out into the small glade and dropped her hand so he could spread out the blanket.
"Privacy? If you're planning on killing me, you should know I'm a lot more dangerous than I look."
Jayden grinned up at her as he finished spreading the blanket out. "I have no doubt." He quickly took the food out of the basket, arranging it neatly on the blanket, then took Lorrie's hand. He helped her sit and sat next to her with their fingers intertwined.
"Ok, you have me alone, now what's this all about?"
Oh god. He'd faced down armies of demons, but Jayden was terrified in this moment. "You remember how I said I would tell you everything yesterday?"
"Yes."
"Well..." He took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Lorrie, there are some things you need to know about me."
"O-Ok?"
Jayden swallowed. Had his dad been this nervous telling his mom? Considering how their marriage ended it was probably best not to think about it. "Lorrie...I'm a samurai."
"You're a what?"
"A samurai. An ancient Japanese warrior."
"You're ancient?"
"No! I'm not! Just...samurai as a whole are ancient."
"I don't understand."
"I'm descended from a samurai lord. The traditions and fighting skills of the samurai have been passed down from parent to child in my family for over 18 generations."
"Wow. That's...that's kind of crazy..."
"There's more."
"Oh good."
"I'm also a power ranger."
Lorrie frowned. "You're a power ranger and a samurai?"
"A...samurai power ranger if you will." He studied her face. "You don't believe me."
"No Jayden, it's not that. It's just that..."
"This is hard to believe I know." Jayden sighed and stood up. There was only one thing to do. He stepped back. "Watch."
"What're you-"
"Just watch." He took out his samuraizer and flipped it open. "GO, GO, SAMURAI!" He drew his symbol in the air and flipped it. He enveloped him and he felt a familiar rush of power and energy coursing through his body. He looked at Lorrie, whose mouth was open and eyes were wide. "Now do you believe me?"
Lorrie slowly stood up. She felt like her legs might give out under her as she walked over to him. With a slightly shaking hand, she reached out and touched the suit. "Jayden?"
"It's me." Jayden reached up and took his helmet off. "It's always been me."
"You're the red power ranger."
"I used to be."
"You-you really are a...a samurai ranger."
"Yes." Jayden de-moprhed and gently took Lorrie's hand.
"Why? How?"
"Centuries ago, an evil demon lord known as Master Xandred, leader of the demon monsters called Nighlocks, tried to take over our world. My ancestor, Takeru Shiba acquired five power morphers. One for him, and four for his most trusted and skilled samurai warriors. The five of them swore to vanquish that evil and keep our world safe forever. Unfortunately, Master Xandred and his nighlocks were a lot more powerful than anyone anticipated. It wasn't until my generation that we were able to finally defeat him once and for all so that the world will never have to fear him again."
Lorrie blinked. "That's..."
"Impossible?"
"Yes."
"I know. I know this is a lot to take in."
"Yeah."
Jayden studied her face. "You ok?"
"I-I don't know. I just found out my boyfriend is actually a highly skilled warrior who defeated a demon king while wearing red spandex."
"It's not actually spandex..."
"I'm sorry Jay. This is just..."
"Crazy?" Lorrie nodded. Jayden was at a loss. Without thinking he pulled her closer so their foreheads were touching. "But I don't want "good" I don't want "good enough"/I want "can't sleep, can't breathe without your love"/Front porch and one more kiss, it doesn't make sense to anybody else." His singing wasn't that good, but he didn't care because it always made Lorrie smile. "Who cares if you're all I think about/I've searched the world and I know now/It ain't right if you ain't lost your mind..." He paused a little bit and Lorrie picked it up.
"Yeah, I don't want easy, I want crazy/You with me baby?"
"Let's be crazy." They finished the last line together.
"Lor, everything about us is crazy. Everything. This new information is just one more crazy thing to add to the pile of craziness."
"I guess." Lorrie still couldn't believe it. "It's just...my boyfriend is a samurai?! My boyfriend is a power ranger?! My boyfriend is...is a hero." Something else started to build inside of her next to the shock and apprehension. Jayden was a hero. He'd protected the world from evil. He was brave and heroic. She was still a little apprehsnsive, but she knew she was also proud. She ran her fingers through Jayden's chestnut hair. "My boyfriend is the bravest man alive."
"So...you're ok with this?"
"Yeah," Lorrie nodded. "I am."
"Really?"
"Really. Thank you for finally telling me the truth. Thank you for trusting me."
"Of course. I trust you with my life." They kissed for a moment. "You're really ok with this?"
"Absolutely. Like you said, it's just one more crazy thing."
"Good, because I got one more crazy thing to run by you."
"Oh?"
Now Jayden was the most terrified he'd ever been in his entire life. Which was a pretty high bar to clear. He carefully took a small velvet box from his pocket and opened it. "Lorrie, I love you. I really, really love you. More than anyone or anything I've ever loved in my whole life. You're amazing and wonderful and I can't imagine my life without you there." Without really thinking about it, he got down on one knee, still holding one of her hands, and looked up at her. "Will you marry me?"
Boy did she look surprised! Lorrie didn't say anything for a minute. Finally, she swallowed and whispered, "Yes."
"You-you said yes?"
Lorrie smiled. "Yes Jayden, I did."
Happiness wasn't the word to describe how he felt. Jayden was suddenly on his feet, the ring was on her finger, and he was twirling her around. He set her down and kissed her. He couldn't stop grinning as they stood with their foreheads touching. "You said yes."
"I did. You getting cold feet on my already?"
"No." Jayden kissed her. "Never.
"Is that all the surprises today?"
"No, but we can eat lunch first before we get to the rest."
"Good, I'm starving."
- Samurai Ranger Life -
Kevin checked his watch again. "Jayden's late."
"Dude chill," Mike said. "He'll be here."
"What if she doesn't take it well?" Antonio asked, laying across several seats so his head was in Lauren's lap. "What if she freaked out?"
"There's always that risk," Kevin acknowledged.
"I'm sure everything is fine," Emily told them. "Have a little more faith."
"I think Kevin and I have a reason to be worried," Mike replied.
They heard the gate open and everyone got up from their sitting and relaxing positions. "Show time," Antonio smiled, rubbing his hands together.
"Be nice," Lauren told him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Jayden's very excited about this."
The door opened and Jayden came in holding Lorrie's hand. "Lorrie, I'm sure you remember my friends," he said.
"Right, your "foster siblings"," she replied with a smile that implied she knew that was a lie.
"Haha, yeah. My sisters, Lauren and Tiara. Lauren is also the red ranger. Tiara was also the red ranger for a small amount of time."
Everyone watched Lorrie's face when he said this. She simply smiled. "Nice to see you two again."
"Kevin is from the blue ranger family."
Kevin shook her hand. "Nice to see you again Lorrie."
"Emily is from the yellow ranger family."
Emily smiled brightly and gave Lorrie a hug. "Welcome."
"Mike the green ranger family."
Mike also shook her hand. "Glad you're taking this so well."
"Mia from the pink ranger family."
Mia also gave her a hug. "I'm glad you're here."
"And Antonio is the gold ranger."
"The first of my kind," Antonio said with a smile.
"And Jii is our mentor. He...kept us all alive off the battlefield."
"It's nice to really meet all of you," Lorrie said. "The real you."
"Welcome to the secret," Mike said. "You're sworn to secrecy now."
"I think I can keep it a secret."
"I can see that," Lauren said, eyeing the ring on Lorrie's finger. "Have you told her absolutely everything."
"I think so..."
"Even your current duties you're trying to dodge?"
"Current duties?" Lorrie asked, giving him a look.
Jayden sighed. "Technically, not technically, I am the helping Lauren run the Shiba Clan. It's complicated."
"Technically, not technically?"
"Yes," Lauren nodded. "Traditionally the oldest child is the one who inherits the powers and becomes a ranger. Kevin, Mike, and Mia are all the oldest. Sometimes though, younger siblings can take their place. Emily has an older sister, but her sister was sick and unable to perform her duties. Tiara took over for Jayden and me when we were too injured."
"My mother took my aunt's place when she died," Mia added.
"Makes sense," Lorrie nodded. "But why are you and Jayden both red rangers?"
Jayden put his arm around her. "I think that's a story for another time."
"Back to the original topic," Lauren said. "Jayden is, I'm assuming, moving back into the Shiba House, which means you'll need to as well."
"Why?" Lorrie asked, not really understanding.
"If I may?" Jii asked. Lauren gestured for him to continue. "As the name may suggest, the Shiba House has been the home of the Shiba Clan for centuries. If it traditional for the Head of the Shiba Clan to live here. Lauren is the oldest, but due to Jayden leading the team for most of the war, she felt it was only fair for him to share the title with her."
"Makes sense."
"Which means Jayden should live here where he can fulfill his duties."
"What kind of duties?"
"Mostly acting as a figure head. Any real financial or important decisions are made the council of keepers known as the Kīpa-"
"You'll love them," Antonio interrupted with a hint of bitterness. Lauren ran a comforting hand through his hair.
"Anyways, Jayden and Lauren approve any final decisions and show up to look important."
"And he has to be living here to do it?"
"It's tradition. He did grow up here, he should live here and raise his own family here."
Lorrie seemed to be digesting what Jii had told her. "I understand that."
"You'll get used to all the crazy tradition stuff," Antonio assured her.
"You also better get used to the bowing," Tiara advised her. "You're marrying one of the highest ranking people in this insane little world of ours."
"Guys don't scare her," Mia said.
"So, will Lauren live here and...raise her family here too?"
Lauren chuckled nervously. "Not exactly."
"Not exactly?!" Emily demanded, looking at her sharply. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Today is not about me, it's about Jayden. This is another conversation for another day."
"There's a lot going on right?" Tiara joked, lightly elbowing Lorrie. "Has your brain exploded yet?"
"I'm fine," Lorrie assured her. "Just...slightly overwhelmed."
"Don't worry you have plenty of time to get a hold of all this," Kevin told her.
"In the mean time," Antonio said as he stood up and clapped his hands. "I'm going to start cooking dinner."
"It's about time!" Mike told him. "I'm starving!"
Jayden laughed as he kissed Lorrie's hair. "Let's step outside for a minute." He led her through the House and outside to the backyard.
"Your friends are great," she smiled.
"They're the best." He put an arm around her as the sun started to set. "Are you sure you're ok?"
"I am."
"You just seemed...not ok with some of the stuff Jii was saying."
"It's not that I'm ok with it. I guess it'll just take some time to get used to all of your traditions."
"If it bothers you-"
"Jayden." Lorrie turned to face him and held his hands tightly. "It's just a lot to take in, but if it matters to you, then it matters to me. If this is your life then I want it to be my life too."
"Really?"
Lorrie smiled and kissed him. "Really."
