Ji was sitting in the corner of Siobhan's office, while she worked with Brenda during another session. She had come to accept Ji in her sessions, knowing that Brenda was still terrified to go out on her own, but over the last couple of sessions, she had asked him respectfully to sit in the corner, and not to speak or interrupt their sessions. Siobhan was listening intently to Brenda as she spoke.
"My office called." She told her. "They're really understanding about the whole thing. They said that they never expected me to be back quickly."
"Is that what you believe?" Siobhan asked her. Brenda just shrugged.
"I'd like to think so." She answered. "I didn't really know too many of them too well. In some ways, I almost felt like they were calling to find out when I'd be back though. Without me there, they're down a health inspector. Everyone will have more work to do. I just...can't face it."
"You said your physical recovery is going well." Siobhan reminded her.
"I'm starting to get more used to the limitations." She admitted. "The physical therapy's getting easier. But..."
"But?" Siobhan asked as Brenda tailed off. Ji sat up; a little interested to hear this. He knew there was still something holding her back. Was she finally about to say something. "Just...take your time."
"It's...I just...I can't ever stop thinking about what happened." Brenda admitted. "When I shower, when I get dressed in the morning...I see it."
"You're referring to your scarring?" Siobhan asked for clarification. Brenda just nodded. It was only then that Ji realised something. Although he wasn't really expecting anything too much from her, and he had loved how close they had been lately, it now occurred to him that he had never seen her when she wasn't fully clothed. She was always careful to be wearing at least a shirt that covered her whole torso around him. One night when they had been cuddling on the couch, she had pulled her shirt down rather aggressively as he held her. Was she really so self-conscious about it?
"Any time I'm getting dressed, when I clean up in the morning, I can see it, and it all comes back to me." She told her. Siobhan considered what she had said.
"Sometimes the physical reminders of violent incidents can maintain that trauma, making it harder to recover." Siobhan told her. "Sometimes victims of such incidents consider cosmetic surgery."
"Cosmetic surgery?" Brenda asked her. Siobhan just nodded.
"I understand there are clinics that can do incredible work." She told her. "How would you feel about that? Do you think not having to see the scars every day might help?"
"I...I don't know." Brenda muttered.
"Well, it's just something you might want to think about." Siobhan told her. "I'll have my receptionist look into options for you. You can think it over for yourself between sessions...speaking of which, I'm afraid we're pretty much out of time for today."
"Already?" Brenda asked, looking to the clock. She could hardly believe it. The sessions could really drag in, and at other times, they seemed to end almost as quickly as they began. As Brenda started to get her stuff together, Siobhan looked to Ji. "Um...Brenda, why don't you go and talk to the receptionist about what we talked about? See if we can come up with some material for you to read? Ji, would you mind staying for a little while? I want to talk with you."
Ji could see Brenda was reluctant, but she did go out of the room eventually. She was confident enough that the therapists' office was safe that she didn't need Ji to be in the same room as her. Ji hung back, waiting to hear what Siobhan had to say.
"So, how do you feel about the progress being made?" She asked him.
"I am not your patient." Ji reminded her. "As long as Brenda..."
"You care about her deeply, I understand that." Siobhan interrupted him. "But you also need to be mindful of your own feelings. A trauma like this affects the loved ones of a victim too."
"I am concerned for her." Ji admitted. "This thing about the scarring...I hadn't realised that it bothered her so much."
"How have things been between you?" Siobhan asked him. "Romantically I mean?"
"I didn't want to push things." Ji told her. "She is still recovering; I think...we have been close, but..."
"I understand. There is one more thing I'd like to discuss with you." She said in a tone that told Ji he probably wasn't going to like what she had to say. "I also think that next time; I'd like to speak to Brenda on her own."
"On her own?" Ji asked her. "But...she wants..."
"I think she's become overly dependent on having you around." She told him sadly. "I think you know what I'm talking about."
"But she's so afraid." Ji told her.
"I know, and it's natural to want to be there with her." Siobhan stated with a little smile. "However, unless you plan on going to her office with her every day, you know that she has to be able to operate on her own."
"I just don't know..."
"You want what's best for her. That's very commendable." Siobhan interrupted him. "But you know what I'm saying. I think it's time we wean her off this dependence on having you around."
"I will think about it." Ji promised her. Siobhan just nodded.
"That's all I can ask of you." She answered. "Now, I believe Brenda is waiting for you."
With that, Ji left the office, trying to get around what she had told him. A part of him knew that she was right. As much as he wanted to be there for her, as much as he hated seeing her afraid, Brenda needed to be able to deal with things on her own.
Over at Central High School, Spike was sitting with Mal and Jimmy, while a little way off, Vicky was talking to Cody. Although he went to Western, during lunch period he had managed to sneak in to see her. Jimmy saw Spike looking decidedly distracted and just nudged him.
"Are you going to eat that?" He asked, pointing to his pudding cup. Spike hadn't even touched his packed lunch really. He had been sitting there holding the baguette his Uncle had made him, making no effort to eat it. Spike just handed it over.
"Say Spike, what's your problem?" Mal asked him. "You've barely said a word."
"I can't believe Vicky's going to the dance with Cody." He stated. "Jimmy, doesn't that bother you?"
"Hey, Cody's a pretty cool kid." Jimmy replied with a shrug. "I guess its a little weird thinking of her dating, but at least it's someone I know is alright."
"Yeah, what difference does it make?" Mal asked him. Spike didn't answer though. He just took a bite from his baguette as he watched Vicky laughing at something Cody had said.
"How much is there to discuss anyway?" Spike asked them. "I mean, it's a dance right? Just throw on a shirt and turn up right? What's so hard about that?"
"It is a pretty big deal." Mal reminded him with a shrug. "I mean, it's not like any of us have dates."
"So Mal, are you still giving the comic book store a miss after school?" Cody asked him. Mal just nodded.
"Yeah, I have stuff to do." He told them.
"Say, where do you go all the time?" Spike asked him. "You've not been available after school for like the last week."
"I have stuff to do alright?" He asked, before craning his neck to call over. "Hey Vicky! You better hurry if you want lunch!"
He knew that was as much a warning to Cody as it was to her. He still needed time to run back over to Western. He just picked up his stuff and smiled at Vicky, before skilfully faulting the fence and running off. Vicky came bounding over, re-joining her friends.
"So, what were you discussing today?" Spike asked.
"We were just deciding what to do before the dance." She told them. "We figured just because we're going together, there's no reason to not go as a group. We were thinking about meeting at the food court for something to eat."
"That sounds good." Jimmy answered. "You know, it might be a couple of weeks yet, but I'm actually looking forward to it."
"Same here." Mal commented. Just then, a freshman kid came over and tapped him on the shoulder, before handing him a note. Mal opened it, and smiled, before handing it back to the kid.
"Just say that's fine." He told him. Spike, Jimmy and Vicky all just looked at him. He just shrugged.
"What? It's not like I do everything with you guys." He commented. "Anyway, I just need to check on something. I'll see you guys in class."
With that, he left them. Vicky shook her head.
"Where do you suppose he's been going all week?" She asked them.
"Beats me." Jimmy replied. "Anyway, I've got some books to return to the library before class."
With that, they all packed up their stuff and headed for the library. Spike noticed the slight skip in Vicky's step and couldn't help feeling his stomach knotting up. He remembered his talk with Mia, and he had since figured out what the problem was. Unfortunately it was something he couldn't do anything about. He liked Vicky. He liked, liked her. Unfortunately, by the time he realised that, and figured out why the thought of Cody asking her out bothered him, he was too late. He had already made his move. Now, all Spike could do was try to deal with it, something that was proving a lot harder than he had anticipated.
In the cave, Dayu was struggling to try to get to her feet when Jindrax and Toxica returned with some food they had foraged. Toxica could see her struggling, and came to her, helping her back down.
"Dayu, you're in no condition to go anywhere." Toxica told her.
"We have to find Dekker." She told them. "We have to..."
"We can't go looking for him with you in this state." Jindrax interrupted her. "What do you think you're going to do like this?"
"You are still kind of crispy." Toxica commented. Dayu hated to wait any longer, but right now, she had to concede that she wasn't in any fit state to go looking for Dekker. She didn't know if he'd remember enough to remember Jindrax, and so he would only be in danger if he sought him out. As far as she was aware, he had never met Toxica, so that wouldn't be any of any use either.
"Alright, so I guess I'm not going after Dekker right now." She conceded as her injuries finally overtook her, and she was forced back down. "So, do you have any more of those ointments?"
"I guess I can whip something up." Toxica sighed. "In the meantime, maybe it would be worth figuring out what you want to do once Dekker has that sword back."
Dayu just lay back, allowing them to treat her, thinking about what they had said. Sooner or later, it was an issue she would have to address. Getting to Urumasa was one thing, but destroying it would be another matter altogether, something she now knew through painful experience. As Toxica started her work, Dayu succumbed to the pain and passed out.
"So how bad is it really?" Jindrax asked her. Toxica shook her head.
"If she wasn't a Nighlock, she'd never have lived this long." She told him. "All we can do is hope she's strong enough to hold on while she heals."
"Well, she's pursued Dekker for all these years." Jindrax commented. "If anyone's shown the kind of strength it would take, it's her."
Back at the farm, Serena's father was just coming back after a long day as her mother was finishing preparing the dinner. As he hung up his jacket, he sniffed the air and smiled.
"Now, THAT smells amazing!" He commented, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her. "You know what I like."
"I think we've been married long enough that I should." She said with a little smile. As she did, she heard the door opening, and Serena came in. She didn't stop though, heading through to her room.
"Serena?" Her mother asked. "Serena?"
As she went through to her room, she saw Serena starting to pack a bag. She came to her daughter's side and grabbed her arm, turning her towards her.
"Serena, what do you think you're doing?" Her mother asked her.
"I'm going back." Serena told her. "I'm going back, and I'm going to take Serrator's head."
"Serena, I know that's what you want to do, but you know that isn't our way!" She told her.
"Well maybe it should be!" Serena snapped. "Serrator killed the only man I ever loved, and instead of taking care of him, we've just been letting him swan around the place like..."
"Serena! You already almost cost dozens of lives looking for vengeance." Her mother reminded her. "You do remember Cody right? Or the fact you allowed him to set the Bull Zord loose on the city?"
"Well, last time I didn't have this!" She replied, pulling a power disk out of her pocket. She showed it to her mother.
"Where did you get that?" She gasped. Serena looked to her.
"Stephen made it; it was with his Master System." Serena informed her. "It's for Kasamune. He must have been working on it to give me a power boost! With this...!"
"Serena, you have no idea if it'll even work!" Her mother shrieked. "You've never even tried it!"
"Every day, the Nighlock grow stronger mom!" Serena told her. "I can't wait..."
"Serena, until you know what will happen, there's no way you can risk it." She told her. "Serena, I know you're hurting, but there are still people that care what happens to you."
"I just want..."
"Serena, please..." Her mother's words tailed off and she breathed a sigh. "If I can't stop you, then...at very least, let me help you."
"Mom?" Serena asked her.
"I've tried again and again to get you out of that barn, and I've failed every time." She told her. "Maybe if I help you train, I can at least stop you running off before you're ready."
She took the disk from her daughter.
"If you're really intent on using this, then at least wait until you know you can use it." Her mother told her. Serena finally relented and nodded her head.
"Now, go to the kitchen." She told her. "I've made rabbit stew. Surely a hot meal sounds pretty appealing."
"It does." Serena told her. With that, she guided her daughter into the kitchen. As soon as she was behind her though, she grabbed her daughter tightly in a sleeper hold. Serena struggled against her, but her mother held her. She eventually passed out. Serena's father came into the bedroom, finding his wife over the unconscious form of her daughter.
"What the hell?" He asked. "What did you do?"
"Your daughter had this!" She told him, showing him the power disk. "She was planning to go back and use it on Serrator."
"So you knocked her out?" He screamed as his wife tried to pick up their daughter.
"I did what I had to!" She answered him abruptly. "Now how about a little help here?"
"What are you doing?" He asked her.
"Just...help me will you?"
A little while later, Serena woke up back in the barn. Her head was still spinning after the attack. It took a moment for her to remember that it was her mother that had done it to her. Looking around, she saw that there was a blanket and a pillow, but nothing else of note. Even Kasmune was gone.
As she started to shift, she noticed something odd. Pulling the blanket off her, she saw that a length of chain had been wrapped around her left ankle, and padlocked in place. Picking up the chain, she followed it to one of the supports, finding the other end wrapped around it, securing her in place. She grabbed the chain and started pulling on it, but it wouldn't budge. She groaned as she finally gave up. The barn door opened, and her mother came in, carrying a bowl and a spoon.
"I brought your dinner." Her mother told her. Serena just looked at her, completely livid.
"What the hell?" Serena roared.
"Your dinner." Her mother reiterated. Serena just rolled her eyes, before grabbing the chain, shaking it.
"Don't you think there's something else we need to talk about?" Serena screamed at her. "You chained me up?"
"I already told you Serena, there are still people that love you and who care about what happens to you." She reiterated. "I couldn't watch you go after Serrator..."
"You've got no right!" Serena yelled.
"You didn't leave me any choice!" Her mother wailed as her tears began. "I can't watch you throw your life away!"
"Mom...!"
"I'm sorry it came to this. I've tried Serena, I really have." She told her. "But if this is the only way I can get you to stay until we can get you to think about this and talk to us, then...I'm sorry!"
"I don't want to talk!" Serena screamed at her. "Now take this fucking chain off me!"
"I'm sorry Serena." She sobbed as she left. Serena watched her go, locking the door as she went. She screamed, throwing the bowl of stew at the door, before renewing her struggle against the chain. She had no idea how long she tried, before she finally gave up and resigned herself to the fact she was going nowhere. Eventually, she just pulled the blanket around herself and lay down; still fuming over the fact her own mother had imprisoned her in the barn. Eventually, exhaustion overtook her and she fell asleep.