Jayden was already packing his bags. He couldn't wait to go back home, back where everything was normal. He wanted to sleep in his own bed, in his own room, in his own house. He wanted a dojo, not a barn, and he wanted a house full of bonsai, not farm animals.
And most importantly, he wanted Kate out of the way. Ji could have his summer romance, but once he was home, and miles away from this small town, he would have to focus on his Samurai work. Ji just didn't have time for a girlfriend.
Just as Jayden got his bag zipped up, Antonio walked in, ready for bed. It wasn't too late, but because they had to get up early every morning to take care of the farm, it was best to go to bed early. Antonio saw Jayden with his bags packed and chuckled.
"Homesick?"
"I'm not a country boy," Jayden nodded his head, "The fast the Shiba House is up and running, the better, for all of us."
"I kind of like this quiet life," Antonio walked to the bed and sat down. Jayden looked to him strangely.
"Quiet?"
"When we're not fighting Nighlok, yeah. It's peaceful out here. And look at the view from the bedroom window.
"Alright, fine, the scenery is nice," Jayden rolled his eyes and dropped his bag by the door, "But…"
"And the stars. I thought there were a lot of stars at the Shiba House, but I guess, out here, there's even less light and smog. The sky is covered in little bright lights."
"Well, yeah, but…"
"I mean, the Shiba House is great, don't get me wrong, but I'll really miss this place. After this whole Ranger thing is done, I might be coming up here for vacation."
"Well, this place stinks, literally. There's always work that needs to be done, and there is no taking a day off from it. There's no real dojo to train in. Everybody knows your business. The Shiba House is better…"
"Boy, you've really been in a mood since the Ji's mystery girlfriend thing," Antonio chuckled. "Relax, Jay, I doubt you have anything to worry about. I mean, if this is a long time thing, we had no idea. I don't see why he would change just because we know now. And if it is a new thing… long distance relationships are really, really hard, and I don't think Ji has the time to put the effort into it."
"Exactly," Jayden smirked and crawled into bed with Antonio. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. "Hopefully the house is finished soon. I can't wait to get out of here."
-Samurai-
Serena and Emily sat in silence as Kate watched them, waiting for a response. They had just learned that she was one of several contacts Ji had in this town, and her job was to make sure the earth clan, their family, was kept safe and sound.
The job consisted basically of ensuring that the earth clan always had a Samurai ready to send to the war so the team would always have their yellow. Every family had someone looking out for them, someone they knew very well. It was up to that person to make sure nothing happened to the family, and if something did, they needed to step up and help in any way they could so that there always would be a Ranger ready to fight the Nighlok.
But that wasn't the shocking part. That made sense. The more Serena and Emily thought about it, the more they realized they should have been able to figure that out. Kate had covered for them and their family so many times, protecting the Samurai secret without even knowing it… though it seemed she knew exactly what she was doing.
The shocking part came next. Kate wasn't a contact that would keep in touch with Ji. In fact, complete silence was usually best. However, after hearing no news on Emily for almost two years, and being completely unsure whether Serena was sick, healthy, alive, or dead, Kate could resist temptation and had called Ji to ask after them. Hearing they were okay, Kate was relieved. She had watched the girls grow up, and if anything had happened to their mother, or both their parents, it would be her responsibility to raise them up as Samurai, like Ji did for Jayden after his father passed. She couldn't help but think of the girls as the daughters she never had, and she had to ask after them.
From that point, Ji would call every night to share a story with Kate about what happened and how the girls managed to overcome it, but the conversation would always stray. Kate always had her two cents to put in, and Ji always had something to say about that as well. Eventually, they started to talk about themselves. Eventually, the calls were less and less about Serena and Emily, and more and more about Ji and Kate.
So, when Ji knew he was so close to Kate, and when he finally got a night off to relax, he called to meet up with her. In Kate's version of the story, there were sparks from the moment they met face to face.
"So…" Serena whispered after a long silence, "You and… Ji?"
"You know he's our mentor, right?" Emily asked. "I don't know what that has to do with anything, but…"
"I know," Kate nodded, "This situation is complicated right now. Eventually you'll be going home, and it'll be impossible for Ji to make the trip up here. As much as I love our phone calls, talking with him, face to face was just…"
"You really like him," Serena smirked, "This isn't just a one-time fluke."
"I don't know what you girls are talking about," Kate shook her head, "I'll admit, there was a little bit of alcohol involved last night. I'm sure, like me, Ji knows we have a job to do. Until the Nighlok are defeated, we can't get distracted."
"Please," Serena rolled her eyes, "We kind of ended that whole chastity thing."
"If you had been at the festival last night, instead of making out with mentor, you would have known that," Emily smirked and flicked her thumb over to Serena, "You'll never guess how much trouble Serena still gets up…"
Serena shoved her sister into the back of the couch and pressed her hand tightly over her mouth. She was seriously starting to consider duct.
"Serena, I know about Terran, James, and even Dekker," Kate said, "You can let your sister go now."
"Thank you," Emily smiled as Serena moved her hand away, "Wow, I have a lot of blackmail."
"Shut up," Serena muttered and then looked over to Kate, "I've got that all figured out."
"I trust that you do," Kate nodded and got up to walk to the door, signalling it was time for the girls to leave, "And I also trust you will stay out of my business. I'm a big girl, I can handle my own relationships. Whether you girls like it or not, you have no say what Ji and I choose to do together."
"Ew," Emily frowned, "There's a thought I don't want."
"So you and Ji…"
"I don't know what's going to happen," Kate admitted, "but whatever does happen, it's a choice Ji and I are going to make together," she gave each girl a kiss on the forehead, "Now head on home. It's getting late."
Emily nodded and started making her way down the path, back to the road. Serena trailed behind slightly. She had known Kate her entire life, and when she spoke of Ji, as much as it freaked Serena out, she seemed to be very happy. Though her relationship with Dekker was something she wished had never happened, it did teach her one thing: it was hard being in a relationship with someone when the whole world was against it. Though Serena was sure that no matter what, Dekker would have turned back into the monster he was, a little part of her always wanted to believe that what they had could have worked out, if the Rangers, and if Dayu, especially, could have just moved on.
"We're probably headed home soon," Serena said, "but you're invited to lunch tomorrow."
"Serena…"
"I insist," Serena smiled, "You can meet the gang, spend a little time with Emily and me… and a little time with Ji…"
"Serena, what did I just…"
"You might regret it if you don't," Serena said. She gave Kate a kiss on the cheek and rushed out to walk back home with Emily.
Kate nodded her head and slowly closed the door. Lunch sounded nice.
