Weight of the World-p.r.s

30-the ghost of you

With Jayden's foot crushing her windpipe, Brooke realized she was absolutely defenseless in this situation. The fact that it was Jayden made it worse for her, as she had comforted him when he cried just hours ago. She couldn't think of a reason as to why he wanted to kill her- because that was no doubtedly his goal. The black spots decorating her vision and lack of ability to breathe made that abundantly clear. Her face was starting to turn purple due to a lack of oxygen, tears rolling down Brooke's cheeks as she let out a pained noise, hoping that it would snap Jayden out of whatever trance he was in. Her claws scratched at the leather of his shoe as she tried to push his foot off of her neck. It did little to help, as he just put more pressure on her neck, restricting her airway further.

"Come on, I thought you could do better. You are my lapdog, after all." Jayden scoffed, blue eyes glittering with slight malice. The smile on his face, as if he was enjoying slowly killing her, struck fear into Brooke's heart. She didn't know how it ended up like this. She didn't want it to end up like this, with the boy she had fallen in love with killing her.

"He is not real. This is a product of the hallucinations, my dear. Fight back." Amaris urged, Brooke making a choked noise at that turn of events. That made sense to a degree, as Jayden didn't smell like anything. It was like he wasn't real, that being all the confirmation Brooke needed to fight back.

Steeling her nerves, Brooke summoned her Wolf Kunai, the silver weapon appearing in her hand. Silently apologizing to Jayden, she squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her grip on her kunai, skewering his, well, hallucination-Jayden's leg. Her kunai had easily pierced through his jeans and most of the muscle in his leg, Brooke pushing the weapon in further with what strength she had. He let out a sharp noise of pain, and it caused him to lessen the pressure he had on her neck. Which was what she was hoping it would do, Brooke pulling her kunai out of hallucination-Jayden's leg and pushing his foot off of her neck.

Running off of pure fear and adrenaline, Brooke scrambled to her feet, her chest heaving as she sucked air into her lungs. With spots decorating her vision, she acted on autopilot, curling a clawed hand into a fist and punching hallucination-Jayden square in the face. While he staggered back, she spotted her phone laying on one of the concrete benches. Nate. Nate could help, and Brooke ran over to her phone, picking it up with shaky hands.

"Siri, call Nate Wolfe." Brooke choked out, her voice hoarse as she tried to slow down and control her breathing. As her phone automatically dialed Nate, she kept a gold eye trained on hallucination-Jayden. He was still seemingly recovering from the fact that he had gotten stabbed in the leg and punched in the face, the hallucination of the red ranger having an expression of annoyance on his face.

Nate, much to Brooke's relief, picked up on the first ring. "Hey kiddo, is something going on?" He greeted, his voice slightly groggy.

"Yeah. I have a hallucination of Jayden Shiba trying to kill me," Brooke answered, her throat raw. She was forcing out the words at this point, and it was painful to do so. Her eyes were still locked on hallucination-Jayden, who had turned his attention to the blood slowly staining the leg of his jeans. However, his eyes soon met Brooke's, who felt her face pale as a sinister grin grew on his lips. "I'm sorry to call you so late, but I need you to be here. I can't handle this by myself." She begged, and she heard the sounds of keys jingling.

"Don't apologize, I'll be right there. Hold out for as long as you can. I love you." Nate stated, the line going dead after that.

Brooke set her phone back on the bench, surprised that hallucination-Jayden hadn't lunged at her yet. He was just staring at her, which was almost worse. She readied her Wolf Kunai, slowly walking over to him and steeling her nerves. "What's your story? Aren't you trying to kill me?" She questioned, hallucination-Jayden letting out a bark of laughter.

"You're still relying on others? Really?" Hallucination-Jayden mocked, completely disregarding Brooke's question. "I don't love you back, you know. Just give up." He announced, Brooke's eyes widening as she felt a figurative knife stab her heart. However, she didn't have much time to mull over what he had said when he ran forward with a yell.

Even a hallucination of Jayden fighting her with an intent to kill was unnerving to Brooke. She didn't know if hallucination-Jayden knew her weak points as the real Jayden did, but she didn't necessarily want to find out. It was extremely difficult to fight the hallucination, and not just because it was Jayden. Hallucination-Jayden was fighting dirty, which was completely out of character. Whenever Brooke blocked one of his swings he responded by trying to punch her in the face. He eventually did land a strong punch that caused her to stagger back.

Clutching her nose, Brooke barely dodged Jayden's low swing. His spin-sword connected with her upper thigh, cutting through the cloth pants of her training uniform. Pain mixed with the burning sensation of when her skin made contact with silver erupted, Brooke letting out a hiss of pain and gritting her teeth. The skin surrounding the gash on her leg instantly blistered and popped, blood flowing down her leg and dripping on the wooden floor in the outdoor dojo. Her nose was bleeding as well, but she didn't pay attention to it for very long. It was kill or be killed at this point, hallucination-Jayden or no.

The sound of metal clanging against metal reverberated around the silver ranger and the hallucination of the red ranger, the two attacking each other with malicious intent. Hallucination-Jayden swung for Brooke's neck, which she blocked with her Wolf Kunai. Then she quickly swapped out her kunai for her katanas, jabbing. She managed to stab him in the shoulder, which caused him to jump back. Brooke then slashed with her katanas, which hallucination-Jayden barely blocked with his spin-sword. The two made eye contact, panting, and bleeding from various wounds they caused to each other.

"Why don't you just give up? It will save us a lot of trouble." Jayden remarked, Brooke jumping back to avoid his jab.

"I could say the same to you." Brooke retorted, her voice cracking. Her throat felt like she had swallowed thumbtacks, the exhaustion starting to catch up to her. Her training uniform was sticking to her body due to a mix of blood and sweat, and she honestly felt like giving up.

That seemed to piss hallucination-Jayden off, as he ran towards Brooke with a yell, the battle commencing once again. The two managed to land more strikes and slashes against each other, blood running down Brooke's cheek from a small cut. Hallucination-Jayden was starting to end up in the same shape, blood flowing from a gash on his forehead. His face was shining with sweat, his chest heaving as his already red shirt, which was cut in some places, was being stained crimson. It was a sight that Brooke usually feared, and she still did. She just had to remind herself it was a hallucination, that the real Jayden was safe and unharmed. She just took a deep breath and ran into battle again.

--

Antonio was walking down the gravel path, dragging his cooler that carried his fishing supplies behind him. He made his way through the gates, furrowing his brows at the sounds of his two childhood friends yelling. He reached the outdoor dojo, fear filling his gut as he saw Brooke appear behind the hallucination of Jayden. She jumped up and wrapped an arm around his throat, putting him in a sloppy chokehold. Their weapons- her katanas and his spin-sword, were discarded, the blades of the swords having blood coated on them in some places. They were both covered in various cuts, their clothes cut open and blood dripping from the wounds. It wasn't sparring- it was an actual fight.

Gold eyes met brown, brown and white fur sprouting on Brooke's arms as she tried to keep hallucination-Jayden in a chokehold. "It's a hallucination- gah!" She cut herself off with a noise of pain, hallucination-Jayden having snapped his head back, hitting her in the face. Her nose started bleeding again, her lip splitting open as well. "Get Ji!" She yelled to Antonio, who was staring at the scene, eyes wide.

However, the gold ranger soon snapped out of his trance and nodded, leaving his cooler as he sprinted into the Shiba House. That left Brooke and hallucination-Jayden, Brooke disappearing in a flash of silver and reappearing on the roof. It was supposed to be a time-out for a moment, a way to collect her thoughts. However, it didn't last very long, as hallucination-Jayden soon joined her on the roof. He had his spin-sword in hand, Brooke ducking under his swing and punching him in the gut. He let out a grunt, staggering back, her taking the precious seconds to summon her katanas. She used the two swords to block his one, the two rangers half running and half fighting on the roof.

It was going pretty well, meaning that Brooke hadn't been killed, but she felt her heart stop when hallucination-Jayden slid the lion disk on his spin-sword. She traded out her katanas for her Wolf Kunai, sliding the wolf disk on the weapon and spinning it. Her kunai lit up silver while his spin-sword lit up red, illuminated the two's bloody and sweaty faces. They wordlessly fired off the attacks at the same time, the silver and red attacks hurtling towards the red and silver rangers.

The two attacks collided with each other, and it was loud. It sounded like a cannon blast, Brooke's ears ringing as she narrowly dodged hallucination-Jayden's downwards strike. Her body throbbed, but she tried to ignore it to the best of her abilities because she knew the fight wouldn't stop until one of them dropped dead.

Meanwhile, Jayden sat at his desk in his room, running his hand through his hair for the umpteenth time. Making a quiet noise of frustration, he set down his pencil, lead coating the side of his hand. Balled up pieces of paper surrounded him, half-written and poorly worded love confessions. He had been trying to write out his feelings for the past hour, but all it was doing was making him frustrated. Writing out his feelings for Brooke was harder than he thought, and it was still awkward. It was less awkward than actually talking, but it was still awkward nonetheless.

However, he was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard what sounded like footsteps on the roof. Knitting his brows, Jayden subconsciously glanced at his ceiling, then getting up from his seat at his desk. His first thought was Brooke- as she was the only one that was usually outside this late. However, she was never usually on the roof, and that was slightly worrying. His worry increased when what seemed like a cannon shot going off, Jayden instantly leaving his room.

The others seemed to have the same idea, which was only the four other original rangers. They all were actually still dressed in their street clothes, having looks of confusion etched on their faces. They all just stood there for a moment, until they heard more footsteps on the roof. It was only one pair, but they were erratic as if they were dodging something.

"Uh, any of you know what that is?" Mike wondered, voicing the other's silent question.

Jayden opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by a heavy thud coming from outside. The five ran towards the back entrance, reaching the outdoor dojo. Brooke was the one who had fallen off of the roof, and the amount of blood and cuts covering her body was worrying. She tried to push herself up, making a noise of pain that quickly turned into a noise of surprise. She sloppily raised a katana to block a swing, Jayden feeling his blood run cold as he took in the person who tried to land the swing.

"Jayden?" Emily blurted, her voice laced with confusion as she glanced at the hallucination of Jayden and then the real Jayden.

The hallucination was also covered in blood and cuts, blue eyes sparkling with malice as he tried to land another downwards strike. Brooke rolled out of the way, hopping to her feet and lunging at Hallucination-Jayden with a yell. Both of the rangers didn't notice the rest of the team standing there, plus Antonio and Ji.

"Jayden, do you know what's going on?" Kevin asked, Jayden shaking his head with knit brows. His face was also slightly pale, blue eyes shining with worry.

"This is the last stage of the hallucinations," Ji answered for Jayden, the older man's eyes trained on Brooke and the hallucination. "The hallucinations take a solid form, attacking those who are trying to master the sealing symbols." He explained, but Jayden was tuning it out for the most part.

Instead, he was focused on Brooke and his hallucination. Watching himself fight the girl he fell in love with the intent to kill her terrified him. All of this terrified Jayden more than he wanted to admit, and he acted on autopilot. Hearing Brooke's pained yell spurred him into action, his spin-sword appearing in his hand in a flash of red as he sprinted over to his hallucination. He was moving without thinking, blocking a swing that most likely would've decapitated Brooke from where she was on the ground. Landing a strong strike, Jayden winced at the noise of pain his hallucination made. It was all too real, but he didn't focus on that for very long.

Instead, he turned his attention to Brooke, who was still trying to catch her breath. Her head was spinning, her chest heaving as she tried to suck in as much air as she could. It didn't work, and she just started coughing, which was agony on her already raw throat. She was almost expecting hallucination-Jayden to just run at her and finish the job of killing her, but it didn't happen. The smell of spice and smoke filled her nose, Brooke turning her attention to Jayden. Gold eyes met blue, him wearing a gentle smile as wordlessly offered a hand. She took it, the real red ranger helping the silver to her feet.

"You put up a damn good fight." Brooke joked, her voice hoarse and cracking. Truthfully, she was glad Jayden was now at her side. It made things a little easier, as he was also attacking his hallucination, so the guilt wasn't there.

"Why'd it take my form?" Jayden wondered aloud, subconsciously wrapping an arm around Brooke's shoulders as she leaned into him for support.

"Probably 'cause I care about you. The mental torture of making the people you care about the most kill you- shit." Brooke cut herself off, watching as the hallucination presumably started taking another form.

What was once the figure of Jayden was now just a ball of silver energy, the red and silver rangers both cursing under their breath as they readied their blades. The silver energy took another form, both Jayden and Brooke feeling as their faces paled and eyes widened. It was Antonio, the gold ranger demorphed but having his Barracuda Blade in hand.

"The gang's all here," Jayden muttered bitterly, turning his attention back to the five other rangers and his mentor. "Go inside! We'll handle this!" He commanded, Ji getting the general message and trying to force the others inside.

"Brooke, Jayden-" Emily started, but Brooke cut her off quickly.

"Listen, this isn't a nighlok. It might target you all, so, please. Red and I will handle this," Brooke reassured the five, gold eyes then falling on Antonio. It was clear to see he was having some sort of strong internal conflict, brown eyes snapping to his hallucination, his childhood friends, and then to his hallucination again. "I'm sorry!" She apologized, Antonio snapping out of his thoughts and shaking his head.

"Yell if you need help, I know how to fight myself better than anyone." Antonio joked bitterly, sparing one last glance at his childhood friends and the hallucination of himself. He just shook his head and let out a noise of stress, walking back into the Shiba House.

That left Brooke, Jayden, and the hallucination of Antonio. The red and silver rangers just stared for a minute, trying to think up battle strategies on the fly. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was going to end up like this," Brooke apologized, starting to lose her voice. The fatigue mixed with the pain hit her like a truck, and she stumbled in place, Jayden grabbing her upper arm to help balance her. "Nate's on his way. Hopefully, he has a way to stop this." She added, eyeing the hallucination-Antonio.

"It's not your fault. It would've happened eventually," Jayden reassured Brooke, removing his hand from her arm. The palm of his hand was now stained crimson, and he made the mental note to stick by her to the best of his abilities. "Here we go." He announced, taking a deep breath.

The battle began, the silver and red rangers falling into their usual routine. Changes were being made on the fly, as Brooke was already injured and hallucination-Antonio was a completely new opponent. He was labelled as the "fastest ranger on the team" for a reason, but luckily, Jayden knew some of his friend's fighting style. It still didn't feel right- fighting against one of the people who pretty much kept him sane. Even if it was a hallucination, it was convincing as all hell. It made both rangers feel guilty as they landed some of their attacks on hallucination-Antonio. He obviously didn't feel the same guilt, as Jayden was now sporting cuts on his arm and cheek, the front of Brooke's training uniform also being sliced through.

Seeing Jayden get hurt made Brooke feel guilty. It really did, and a part of her wanted Amaris to teleport him away so that he could be safe. But she had a feeling he'd just come back and get annoyed, so it would be all for naught. So, she shoved down that guilt to the best of her abilities, her gaze locked on hallucination-Antonio. The three had stepped back for a moment, and Brooke heard the warning bells in her mind when the hallucination summoned a disk. As the gold ranger slid the disk on his Barracuda Blade, the silver and red rangers instantly froze, their bodies subconsciously tensing.

"Barracuda Bite!" Hallucination-Antonio yelled out the attack name, slashing multiple times with his Barracuda Blade. It sent multiple gold attacks hurtling towards Brooke and Jayden, who snapped out of their trances.

"Amaris." Brooke thought, the translucent purple shield appearing. It blocked the gold attacks, the silver and red rangers discreetly nodding to each other as they moved to run forward again.

"Again?" Jayden blurted, blue eyes wide as he stared at the ball of silver energy. His body was starting to throb, the cuts covering his body starting to sting. It was nothing too serious, however, as while Antonio's moves were fast, they didn't hold the same strength as Jayden's did.

Her chest heaving, Brooke tried to mentally prepare herself for whatever hallucination appeared next. She was expecting either Maxx or Casper, as they would make the most sense. She was wrong, however, and when the hallucination formed she nearly cried right then and there. "Mom?" Brooke breathed out, her voice cracking as her gold eyes were transfixed on the hallucination of Jane Wolfe.

The seventeenth generation's silver ranger was morphed, the familiar silver ranger suit reflecting the yellow light coming from the Shiba House. However, Jane's helmet was off, her thick brown hair tied up into a ponytail, brown eyes turning gold as they landed on her daughter. "Really? This is who I gave my life for?" Jane scoffed, unsheathing her own kunai from where it was sheathed at her hip. "I gave up everything for you, Brooke! You should be better than this." Her attention was focused on Brooke, who said nothing, her canines and claws fully bared.

"If you don't want to fight her, I can take it. It's my mother, after all. She's probably gonna be fuckin' ruthless." Brooke offered, Jayden quickly shaking his head and tightening his grip on his spin-sword.

"I'm not leaving you alone out here. We'll figure it out." It was reassurance for both himself and Brooke, blue and gold eyes narrowing at the hallucination. Both rangers were struggling to come up with a battle plan, as they didn't know what Jane Wolfe would do.

"If she shifts, leave it to me. I'll deal with that," Brooke muttered, taking a deep breath. Her body was tense, her hands shaking slightly. She tried to harden her resolve, and she knew she had to keep Jayden safe. She didn't want her mother killing her childhood friend and crush. "I don't like saying this but- we're probably gonna get our asses kicked. So just... don't be stupid and die on me." She urged, Jayden almost laughing.

However, he knew it was a warning. He didn't really know anything about his opponent, and that scared him. "The same to you. Let's go." Jayden commanded, and with that, the battle began.

Brooke was right. The strength Jane carried was far greater than her own, even when she relied on her wolf strength. Every attack made her arms waver and caused her to stumble back. Even Jayden was having trouble just blocking the attacks, let alone retaliation. Jane had much more experience compared to the two seventeen-year-olds, and that was made abundantly clear when Brooke and Jayden were sent to the ground. Both rangers let out groans of pain at that, but they didn't have time to catch their breaths at all. Instead, they just stared at the pure brown wolf standing a couple of feet away from them.

Jane's wolf form was much bigger than Brooke's, the chocolate brown wolf baring her canines as her gold eyes sparkled with malice. She was tall- almost twice as tall as Brooke's wolf form. It was terrifying, but wolf-Brooke tried not to show it, the brown and white wolf bristling her fur and standing in front of Jayden protectively. He didn't even mind- as he had no idea as to what the fuck he was supposed to do in this situation. He's never fought a wolf before, let alone a wolf that was one of the strongest people he's ever fought. He knew he would have to step in before Brooke got seriously hurt though, so he mentally prepared himself for that. He rose to his feet, wincing at the pain that instantly erupted in his body, and wolf-Brooke lunged with a snarl.

Watching two wolves fight was... confusing. Jayden didn't know what was truly going on, his brows slightly furrowed. His confusion turned into worry when he heard a sharp yelp, Brooke quickly shifting back. Somehow she had managed to get a sloppy hold on the chocolate-colored wolf, and she ignored the way the wolf's claws scratched at her skin. She had gotten bitten in the leg, and at that point, she knew Jane could easily overpower Brooke in her wolf form. Her mother could easily overpower her in both forms, brown and white fur sprouting on Brooke's arms as she brought her kunai straight down. She was struggling to breathe, her chest heaving as a mix of blood, sweat, and tears rolled down her face. She didn't want Jayden to see her fighting like this, completely feral, scrambling to just wound the wolf.

Making a move to run over there, Jayden tightened his grip on his spin-sword. Instead, there was a flash of silver, Nate Wolfe appearing quickly, Amaris standing beside him. He scanned the area, grey eyes instantly widening when they fell on the hallucination of the wolf and his daughter. "Fuck. Amaris, can you get her out of there?" He quickly asked, an ax-staff appearing in his hand in a flurry of light purple particles.

Amaris quickly obliged, the white wolf sprinting over and slamming her body into the chocolate brown wolf. It caused the wolf to stumble to the side, Amaris wasting no time and teleporting Brooke over to where Nate and Jayden were standing. She landed on the ground with a dull thump, making a choked noise of pain.

"Hey, kiddo. I've got you, you're alright." Nate soothed, wrapping an arm around Brooke's waist and hoisting her up. She didn't say anything, only instantly stumbling when she tried standing.

She slumped into Jayden's side, mumbling something that neither Jayden nor Nate could pick up on. "I don't honestly know how long this has been going on for. She was fighting me- well, a hallucination of me for a while." Jayden quickly explained, offering himself as the crutch to help Brooke stand.

"From the looks of it, probably far too long. Thanks for keeping her alive," Nate thanked, his eyes falling on Jane again. She had shifted back, gold eyes trained on her ex-husband without saying a word. "It's always you, isn't it?" He joked bitterly, and when Jane lunged, he swung his ax-staff. It caught her in the chest and sent her flying backwards, Jayden making a quiet noise of surprise. Nate heard it, and he grinned, shaking his head. "Jane's a real bitch, it's not my first time fighting her. It's just probably going to get messy, so take Brooke inside. I'll handle this." He urged, Jayden instantly shaking his head.

"I can't just leave you-" Jayden started, but was cut off by a sharp whine. Jane had shifted and lunged again, Nate landing a sharp kick against the wolf's side.

"Dad- you can't fight my battles for me," Brooke forced out, standing upright fully and biting back a noise of pain. Part of her knew she should take Nate's advice, that he was capable enough to fight Jane on his own. But another part of her- the incredibly stupid part, wanted to finish the battle. It was her mess, after all. Having someone else do the work for her didn't sit right with her. "Besides, you can only do so much when she shifts." She added, Nate shooting her a deadpan expression when her voice cracked.

"...Christ. Some father-daughter bonding this is." Nate muttered, shaking his head. He raised his ax-staff at the ready, only to knit his brows.

"The hell is she doing?" Jayden blurted, voicing the trio's thoughts. His delivery made Brooke snort, but her sense of humor soon died when she realized what her mother was doing. Nate seemed to come to the same conclusion, the two Wolfes instantly sharing a look of worry.

Jane had picked up Brooke's- well, her samuraizer, the brush portion still flipped from when Brooke had failed at mastering the despair symbol once again. The seventeenth generation's silver ranger was drawing a symbol, a symbol that Brooke knew all too well. She could only stare at the silver kanji for a moment. It was the despair symbol, and she quickly came to the conclusion that if the symbol hit her, Nate, and Jayden, it would not end well. She didn't know what to do for a moment, her mind just going blank as she subconsciously grabbed Jayden's hand. She knew her claws were probably digging into his skin, but she felt like she needed to know where he was. That he was safe. Or as safe as he could be, for the time being.

The symbol for despair hung in the air, illuminating Jane's face, which was expressionless. Her gold eyes were emotionless, her enlarged canines peeking out from under her upper lip. Without saying a word, she activated the symbol, and Brooke slid the wolf disk onto her Wolf Kunai. Spinning the disk, she fired off an attack that intercepted the symbol, causing what seemed like another cannon shot to ring out across the outdoor dojo. Without waiting to see what actually had happened, Brooke sprinted forward, tackling Jane and sending her to the ground. The eighteenth generation's silver ranger raised her kunai over her head, both hands wrapped around the leather hilt. She wasn't even thinking at this point- she knew she had to kill Jane. It was self-defense, for Brooke, Nate, and Jayden.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Brooke brought her kunai straight down. She tried to ignore the sound of the silver weapon being embedded in her mother's chest and the way the smell of blood instantly assaulted her senses. Jane's claws scratched at her daughter's arms, Brooke retaliating by pushing the kunai in deeper. This was the woman who ruined her life, Brooke reminding herself that as she quickly pulled the kunai out of Jane's chest and raised it over her head once again. Strands of black hair hung in her face as she panted, growling incoherent words as blood, sweat, and tears ran down her face. Gold eyes shone with a mixture of fear, guilt, and hatred, Brooke tightening her grip on her kunai to stop her hands from shaking.

This is the woman that ruined your life. A dark voice in Brooke's head rang out as she narrowed her eyes. She barely heard Nate yelling something, her ears ringing as she quickly brought the kunai down. It was meant to go through Jane's neck, to finally kill the hallucination of the person who Brooke felt a mixture of love and hatred for. It was supposed to be a way to get her mother's ghost off of her shoulders. It wasn't Jane who was the silver ranger, it was Brooke. And Brooke didn't damn the samurai power rangers into a losing war. She had won. The kunai rushed downward, but before it could puncture Jane's neck, the hallucination exploded.

It was an almost blinding flash of silver, and Brooke couldn't feel anything when she collided with the ground. Her kunai flew out of her hand and skidded across the outdoor dojo, but she couldn't find the mental strength to care. She couldn't find the mental or physical strength to care about anything, her ears ringing. Everything was blurry- and then it went black.

After a series of hours, Brooke stirred, slowly coming to her senses. She smelt disinfectant, medical supplies, blood, and sweat. Overall, it wasn't a pleasant combination, but it was soon drowned out by spice and smoke. Cracking open a grey eye, she wasn't surprised to see Jayden watching her in concern. His hair was damp and his wounds were bandaged, and that caused a sense of stress Brooke didn't know she had to be lifted off of her shoulders. He was okay. Everyone was fine- well, besides her physical condition. But that was temporary.

"Hey," Jayden greeted as Brooke opened her eyes fully. He had a warm smile on his face, but it soon fell when Brooke tried to return his greeting. Her voice was completely shot- as she opened her mouth to speak and sounded like a broken speaker. "Okay, so talking's out of the question. But, I'm glad to see you're alright." He added, Brooke breaking into a weary smile.

Everything is alright now- she'd be fine. Reaching out a bandaged hand, Brooke lightly patted Jayden on the shoulder. It was something he seemed to find amusing, as his blue eyes sparkling with a mix of amusement and adoration. They didn't talk, as Brooke really couldn't, but they didn't need to. It was a comfortable silence, even if they both were in the med bay. Even if Brooke couldn't really move without pain flaring up at every movement. That was fine, Jayden was next to her. She felt safe when he was around, she almost always did. Even when a hallucination of him tried to kill her, and that he was almost successful.

Closing her eyes again, Brooke just let the feeling of pain wash over her. Everything was sore- everything throbbed, and she wanted nothing more to just wish it away. She had to admit at this point: being a power ranger sucked. It wasn't all bad, of course, but it seems like now more than ever she found herself bearing injuries that physically and metaphorically knocked her off of her feet. A tiny part of her brain wished she was in Jayden's shoes- even though he had his own problems to deal with, his own job to do. Hell, he seemed to have assigned himself as Brooke's moral compass and/or damage control, and that was a pain in the ass in itself. At least she thought so. It wasn't like her life was a walk in the park. Or that she made it any easier for herself. Jayden had the patience of a saint. Or he was just extremely stubborn. Though, it was probably both.

Without opening her eyes, Brooke reached out her hand again. She felt as Jayden took it, intertwining his fingers with hers, making a noise of contentment. He let out a faint laugh at that, subconsciously tightening his grip on her hand. "It's strange having you this quiet," He murmured, Brooke opening her eyes just to glare at him. "I'm just saying- even when your side was cut, you still teased me." He added, Brooke rolling her eyes.

She couldn't respond verbally, so she just pointed to her throat. A collection of bruises formed a shoe print- the shoe print of Jayden's shoes. He seemed to notice that, his blue eyes widening and instantly filling with guilt. "I'm sorry-" He started, Brooke cutting him off by shaking her head.

Spying her phone from where it was sitting next to her, Brooke grabbed it, forcing herself to sit up. She let out a hiss of pain, her eyes flashing in rapid succession as she bit back a scream. The last time she felt like this was when she broke her ankle, subsequently falling off the roof of Mary's apartment. And this was worse, her entire body throbbing in tune with her heartbeat. It felt like she had gotten run over by a freight train- then thrown off a building. Brooke now wanted nothing more to still be unconscious, but thanks to her being a shifter, she couldn't. She debated knocking herself out for a moment, just slamming her head against the wall hard enough to probably kill brain cells, but decided against it. It's not like Jayden would let her, anyway.

Shaking her head and sighing, Brooke unlocked her phone and opened the notes app. Creating a new note, she typed quickly, her claws tapping against the screen. Grey-gold eyes scanned the screen before handing the phone to Jayden. Who took Brooke's phone, quickly reading the messages.

it's not ur fault. U didn't make the hallucinations, & it only was a hallucination of u bc I care about u.

don't apologize for something u didn't do, u don't have to feel guilty about anything. Ty for fighting w/ me

If anything, I should be sorry for u fighting for me

"You don't need to thank me for fighting with you. I'm here with you until the end," Jayden declared, then instantly regretting the words that came out of his mouth. Until the end wasn't possible. Not unless he somehow mastered the sealing symbol in like, a week. Guilt made itself present, but he just shoved it down. He couldn't really explain that, and he just hoped Brooke didn't notice that he was guilty. "I want for you to depend on me." He added, his voice barely above a whisper. He handed Brooke's phone back to her, and she instantly started typing again, her eyes flashing as she did so.

She wouldn't lie, it was somewhat annoying that she couldn't speak, but at least she had a way to convey her thoughts. It was better than playing a game of charades because something in Brooke's mind basically knew Jayden wouldn't be good at them. It seemed like the kind of thing he'd be too dense for. Not that him being dense is a bad thing, it was actually kind of cute, in a way. His sense of disconnect from normal life was endearing, but also saddening. But, still. The way he got confused about mundane things from time to time was cute.

I do depend on u. but u have to protect urself b4 you protect me. Put urself first.

if u have time to protect me, protect urself. Not that I'm not grateful, but I don't want u to get hurt bc u were worried about me. It wouldn't sit right w/ me.

Jayden took Brooke's phone from her hands again, reading the note. "I know, don't worry," He stated, grey eyes meeting blue. "Don't give me that look."

It was a complete deadpan stare, and Brooke took her phone back from Jayden again. She quickly typed another note, practically thrusting the phone into his hands.

I mean it. I don't want to hurt u, directly or indirectly. Promise me.

She was uncharacteristically serious, and Jayden wondered what triggered that. Well, it seemed like him getting hurt, but Brooke was never this serious before. He opened his mouth to respond, only to be cut off by the sound of the sliding door to the medbay being slid open. It was Nate, an expression of relief crossing his features when his grey eyes landed on his daughter. He quickly made his way over to the bed she was sitting on, Brooke breaking into a smile.

"Hey kiddo, glad to see that you're awake," Nate greeted, gently patting the top of Brooke's head. She did the same thing she did with Jayden, nuzzling into his touch. "Huh. That's new." He commented, Brooke's eyes flashing as she averted her gaze, puffing out her cheeks.

"She does the same thing with me. I think it's a wolf thing because Amaris-" Jayden was cut off by a flash of silver, the wolf in question instantly appearing. She didn't say a word, just sitting on her haunches next to Jayden. She was seemingly expressionless, but the relief shining in her eyes said otherwise.

Nate, who had seemingly not picked up on the fact that Jayden openly admitted to being physically affectionate with his daughter, hummed in thought. "Hm. From what I remember, Jane didn't do that. Though, she was never really affectionate." He thought aloud, taking a seat next to Brooke, who's eyes had turned grey-gold at the mention of her mother.

"...What was she like? Before everything happened?" Jayden asked Nate, who seemed surprised at the sudden question. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." The red ranger quickly added, Nate shaking his head.

"It's fine, don't apologize," Nate reassured Jayden, before falling silent. "She was... she was strong. Not just physically, ironically enough. When we had met, the war with Xandred had just started, and I was a guard at the Tengen Gate," He explained, a bittersweet expression on his face. "She scared me, honestly. Intimidating as fuck, even more so than your dad- and it was clear they hated each other. It was a fight for the role of the leader of the samurai rangers, and they both were stubborn to have the title."

Lost in her own thoughts, Brooke tuned out the conversation for the most part. She didn't like the feelings that had surfaced when Nate was talking about Jane. It wasn't any ill will towards Nate, but rather a... a longing. To know what Jane would've been like before the war fucked her up. She wanted to know if her mother truly loved her, even if she was a shifter and her daughter would've been human. If the war had ended earlier- everything would've been different. Perhaps Brooke wouldn't even have met Jayden. Or maybe she would've, but she wasn't really certain.

However, Brooke's mind kept looping back on the one question. Would have Jane loved her? Did Jane love her? Probably not, and she came to that conclusion from her twelve plus years of missing memories. But it was a nice thought to have, in a way. She wanted to ask Nate, maybe he would know. Well, she wanted to, but also not.

"Nate," Amaris murmured, the white wolf flattening her ears to her head. Nate instantly turned his attention to her, quirking a brow. "Brooke wanted to know if Jane truly loved her. Her perception of her mother is not pleasant, it has not been since she found out what Jane had done. I do not have an answer to give, as I was located on Sweetbrier Mountain." She stated, and Brooke didn't confirm or deny the statement. She just shifted her attention to the bandages on her thigh from where hallucination-Jayden managed to land a swing with his spin-sword. Her eyes welled with tears, and she didn't want Jayden seeing her like this. Not that he hasn't seen her cry before- she just wasn't necessarily proud of it, crying over her "mommy issues".

An almost uncomfortable silence fell over the four, Jayden resting his hand on top of Brooke's in a comforting manner. She didn't respond, only blinking back more tears. She had a feeling she would end up crying, either way Nate answered the question. Still, she braced herself to the best of her abilities. But she still wasn't prepared when Nate broke the silence.

"...She did, in her own strange way. When you were born, she- she had the biggest smile on her face. When you started to walk and talk, she would always shift when you asked. You would cling onto her, and she'd parade you around the house, looking so proud of herself," Nate answered, keeping his voice even. "It obviously doesn't change what she did. You have every reason to feel angry at or resent her. Truthfully, my feelings towards her aren't the most pleasant, either." He admitted, and Brooke let out a sob.

"Sorry," Brooke forced out, her voice hoarse and cracking. "I'm sorry." She repeated herself, starting to shake violently. It was like all the fear she was supposed to feel fighting the hallucinations caught up with her, and she didn't like it at all. Squeezing her, now gold, eyes shut, she tried controlling her breathing to prevent a panic attack. That's one of the last things she wanted happening.

"Don't apologize." Nate and Jayden said in unison, blue eyes meeting grey. Jayden then nodded, signalling that Nate should be the one talking.

"It's okay, kiddo. Don't apologize at all," Nate murmured, Brooke raising her tear and blood-stained face to look at him. He ran a hand through her hair, breaking into a gentle smile. "You're okay, everything's gonna be okay," He wrapped Brooke into a hug, and she instantly latched onto him. He smelt like a campfire in a sense, and for some reason, it made Brooke cry harder. "The world just isn't kind sometimes, no matter how much we try to make it. But, I love you, with all the stars and the moon. You're not going to be alone, I promise you that. It's going to work out, and I'll be right there if you need me. You're never alone." He murmured, Brooke letting out a sob and burying her face into the black shirt Nate was wearing. One hand was buried in her hair, the other rubbing small circles on her back.

It seemed to work as a method of comforting her rather quickly, as it wasn't long until Brooke cried herself to sleep. Nate was rocking her side-to-side gently but stopped when he felt his daughter relax in his arms. "Sorry, didn't mean to make things awkward for you," He apologized to Jayden quietly, who shook his head.

"It's alright, I get it. It seems like things never get any easier." Jayden muttered, Nate letting out a laugh.

"A seventeen-year-old shouldn't be saying those things, you know. Still, it eventually does get better, I assure you. Maybe not exponentially, but it does," Nate started, glancing down at his sleeping daughter and then Jayden. "It's funny- you've both changed so much, but still glued to the hip. It's easy to tell that she cares about you, and you care about her." He thought aloud, Jayden knitting his brows slightly.

"Really? How?" Jayden wondered, Nate smiling at shaking his head. The older man said nothing, but Jayden still got the message that he knew more than what he was letting on. Well, fuck. Still, it saved the embarrassment of actually telling Nate that he had bought Brooke a necklace and was trying to work up the courage to confess.

"I just can, maybe it's because I'm Brooke's father," Nate answered, letting out a heavy sigh. "Speaking of, she's going to have to live with me for a bit. If the hallucinations keep getting worse, it would distract you all and put you all in harm's way. Plus, it might be helpful for Brooke to just get away from here for a bit. It might be a variable in triggering the hallucinations, given everything." He added, letting go of Brooke and gently setting her on the bed that he was currently sitting on. She didn't stir, only mumbling something incoherent in her sleep and twitching slightly.

"For how long?" Jayden questioned, shoving back the rush of emotions that came with the idea of Brooke leaving the Shiba House. It was like they were eleven again, and he hated that. He'd thought he'd mentally trained himself so that he didn't feel things like that anymore. He knew he was being selfish, as well. It was for the team's safety, but he was still reluctant to the idea. But it wasn't like he really had a say, as Nate was Brooke's father and he had the right to keep his daughter safe.

The older man crossed a leg over his knee, lost in thought for a moment. "I honestly don't know. It's all dependent on good luck, at this point," He admitted, noticing Jayden's worried expression. "It's not permanent, obviously, since she needs to be here to be a ranger. But, for the sake of the mission, Brooke needs to leave. She, and the rest of your team, will be safer that way," Nate stood up from the bed, glancing at Brooke one last time and then Jayden. "I've run it past Ji, I'm coming back tomorrow to pick her up." He added, Jayden just nodding.

He couldn't be selfish. No matter how much he wanted to. "That's fine, I understand," Jayden agreed, letting out a quiet sigh and standing up from his seat on the bed. He didn't even know why he was feeling possessive, and he didn't want to be. He knew he had no right to be. "I'll walk you out." He stated, Nate just nodding with a small smile.

As the door to the med bay slid shut, Amaris kept her violet eyes trained on Brooke. The beds were too small for both the white wolf and the silver ranger to fit- much to Amaris' annoyance. Instead, she just curled into a ball, resting her snout on her tail. Her ears flicked once before she closed her eyes, falling into a light sleep.

--

The next three days passed in a blur for Brooke. She had been staying at Nate's, the wolf and tiger disks being left with Jayden, and she wasn't necessarily against it. She got to do mundane things that she hadn't done in months- like watch T.V. and take a bath. And while she still kept up on her training, she could take breaks if she needed to without feeling weak. Brooke could take things slowly- instead of the fast-paced life she lived when she was at the Shiba House. She enjoyed it, but it was bittersweet. She was a soldier, and while she enjoyed the break, she felt bad for taking a break. The world didn't just stop when she didn't fight, it kept going. 

As long as Xandred was still alive, it wouldn't end. The constant stress and exhaustion were seemingly never-ending. The constant threat that the people Brooke cared about could be taken away from her with one misstep, one wrong swing. Those were the things that worried her the most- it wasn't even her life now. Of course, survival was a human instinct and a wolf instinct, but it wasn't one of Brooke's main concerns. Even with the fact that if she died, everything would end with her. And she didn't have a daughter they could do blood experimentation on to make a soldier. Of course, there was always Maxx, but her little brother putting his life in constant danger because she had failed didn't sit right with Brooke. She wouldn't let the others down, and she would keep them, and herself, alive in the process.

Making that silent vow to herself, Brooke squinted as the sun beamed her in the eyes. She had been training, as Nate told her to let him handle the hallucinations for now. So, she just focused on her swordsmanship, cycling through moves that she had ingrained in her memory since she had started training to become a power ranger. Which was so long ago at this point, and Brooke couldn't even fathom how she got where she was. Standing in her biological father's backyard while he tried to figure out how to stop her hallucinations of her childhood friends and mother from killing her. It was something she'd never even imagine- and she had seen a lot of strange things due to being a shifter and a ranger.

"Hey," Nate's voice snapped Brooke out of her thoughts, and she lowered her katanas, shifting her attention to him. He was standing at the doorway that led to the back porch, his hair slightly ruffled, as if he had run his hands through it multiple times. "So, I looked through everything I could, but nothing." He admitted, running a hand over his face and letting out a sigh.

Brooke frowned, her eyes flashing as her katanas disappeared in a flash of silver. "I've actually been thinking that over, actually. I was wondering about the Tengen Gate, as sealing symbols have worked in the past. They probably have stuff dating back before the Shiba House- and they kinda owe me and Red for letting us get poisoned." She stated, her footsteps silent against the wooden steps as she made her way onto the back porch.

She had gotten her voice back this morning, but it was still a little hoarse. Brooke had instantly debated calling Jayden just to make sure he wasn't worrying himself to death- which he probably was. But, he was probably training, and she didn't want to interrupt him. So, she decided to wait and spring a call on him before she went to bed. It was almost shameful to admit, but she missed the red ranger far more than she probably should. Brooke realized she was starting to turn into him in a sense, as her worry about him when he wasn't around was increasing with every passing day. And that was something she didn't have when he had first dragged her into the Shiba House for the first time. That was all Jayden.

"I'm not even going to ask about the poison," Nate muttered, Brooke laughing under her breath as the two walked inside. "But you're probably right- and we should've gone there to begin with." He added, Brooke rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet for a moment.

"Well, we've been busy. But, can we just stroll in? Or do we have to make a reservation or something?" Brooke doubted that the Tengen Gate was a hotspot for people to go or bustling with activity. But, she really didn't know. It could be used for tourism or something- just an example of Japanese culture. She didn't even know what state the Tengen Gate was in after the whole poisoning incident. She assumed that it was fine, though. The team would've probably been called to help if that wasn't the case.

"I'll handle that, you can go get dressed. I'm pretty sure that they'll let us visit." Nate answered, digging his phone out of his pocket. As he presumably called the Tengen Gate, which Brooke didn't even know they had phones, Brooke made her way back to her room.

A little less than three hours later, she was back at the Tengen Gate. Sitting on their knees, both Brooke and Nate listened as Daisuke explained the origin of the hallucinations. It was because symbol power came from both a samurai ranger's physical and mental strength. The hallucinations are hallucinations of the ranger's greatest fears, such as Jane somehow appearing and attacking Brooke. It was one of her fears- which was one she didn't know she had. But, it still made sense, given everything.

"So, is there any way to stop the hallucinations? Because I won't make much progress if those show up every night." Brooke questioned, her eyes flashing as she looked up at Daisuke.

The older man nodded, the beads on his necklace lightly hitting each other. "It's called an inku kigō, otherwise known as an ink symbol. It can be viewed as a tattoo with the properties of a protection symbol. Usually, all red and silver rangers get them when they first start showing signs of having symbol power. However, given your circumstances, it would make sense as to why you don't possess one." He explained, Brooke and Nate sharing a collective look of "that was easy".

"But what about Jane?" Nate blurted, furrowing his brows as he recalled memories of his ex-wife suffering under the hallucinations. "The hallucinations are what caused everything to happen, right?" He questioned, confusion written on his features.

"Jane received an ink symbol, but it seemed like it had been forcibly removed by a magic that isn't symbol power," Daisuke answered, Brooke instantly perking up, her eyes flashing.

She and Nate seemed to have the same thought process, the two Wolfes coming to a quick conclusion. Serrator. It was the only logical explanation, and it seemed right up the nighlok's alley. That thought alone caused Brooke's resolve to see him explode and stop his reign of torment to strengthen. God, she wanted nothing more to see him dead. She wanted nothing more than to be the one to kill him. Brooke would go against Jayden's orders for that one. Kill the nighlok that ruined her life and deal with the consequences later. But that was all in due time. She had to worry about the hallucinations first.

"So, how do I get the symbol? Is it actually like a tattoo or something?" Brooke wondered, her eyes flashing as she chewed on her bottom lip. Another tattoo wouldn't be a bad thing- she had been meaning to get another one anyway. And it was a win-win if the tattoo was actually useful, not simply for aesthetics. She really should've just gone to the Tengen Gate when the hallucinations started.

Daisuke shook his head, holding up a somehow translucent piece of parchment. "It's a relatively easy process." He explained, Nate and Brooke sharing a look of uncertainty.

However, Daisuke hadn't been wrong. In less than five minutes, Brooke had the protection symbol inked on the inside of her forearm in black. She rubbed her thumb against the symbol, her eyes flashing when the ink didn't even smudge. It made her wonder where Jayden had his because it wasn't in an obvious place like his forearm. That was probably something that had to do with the team- or why an eight-year-old had a tattoo. It made sense.

Nate, who saw his daughter subconsciously rubbing the symbol on her forearm, laughed lightly. "Mary said you have a tattoo, is it really that strange?" He wondered jokingly as the two walked down the path to reach his car, gravel crunching underneath his loafers and Brooke's platforms.

"No, I was just thinking," Brooke dropped her arm with a sigh, her eyes widening when realization dawned on her. Nate had talked to Mary. That meant he probably knew all about what kinds of things (which were morally grey and somewhat illegal) she did before she moved into the Shiba House. That was a terrifying thought. "But you talk to Mary? I didn't think you would, given... everything." She asked, the two reaching Nate's car.

"We got back in touch after the night when I found you at Sweetbrier," Nate explained, unlocking his car and opening the driver's side door. Brooke mirrored him, sliding into the passenger's seat and shutting the door. "She also told me about how you acted before you became a ranger." He added, putting the key in the ignition.

As the engine revved to life, Brooke stayed silent. She didn't know how to explain- it's not like she was proud of what she had done. "Guess I'm finally getting the parenting I needed since I was sixteen." She joked, not lifting her head. She kept her grey-gold eyes locked on her platforms, subconsciously counting the scratches and scuff marks that were on the black leather and rubber.

"Brooke," Nate didn't sound angry, just disappointed and worried. "I- I get it. You were forced to grow up way too fast and... and it makes sense that you would find means of escapism to cope. You are living a life that nobody else would understand," He started, subconsciously tightening his hands on the steering wheel. His grey eyes were unwavering from the road in front of him, them shining with seemingly parental guilt. "Still, you overdid it. The things you did- they would've probably left some everlasting damage if you were human. And not coming home, or coming home drunk or under the influence of something? Panorama's a good city, but there are horrible people everywhere. And God knows what they'd do to you if they found out you're a shifter." It was a talk Brooke had heard before from the bullshit assemblies they had in school- all about safety and stranger danger. Deep in her mind, she knew what she did was wrong and dangerous, incredibly so, but she didn't really acknowledge that. Her own life was of little concern to her. Her self-esteem used to be based on what guy she could get with- and it was pretty easy to do when you're a known dancer.

"Casper- my friend said the same stuff," Brooke joked bitterly, keeping her gaze locked on her doc martens. Her canines grew in and gave her a slight lisp, and along with her trying to keep her voice steady, she was starting to become incomprehensible. "I don't really have an excuse- it was just..." She trailed, clasping her hands together to stop them from shaking.

"A form of self-medication?" Nate finished, glancing at Brooke for a moment. She had practically curled up into a ball, drawing her knees to her chest. "I'm not angry- I'm just worried about you. I love you." He murmured, there being a couple of seconds of silence before Brooke spoke again.

"I love you too. If I could go back and not fuck myself up, I would." She muttered, and the rest of the car ride was in silence.

--

The next morning, Brooke found herself back in Panorama. Readjusting her grey duffle bag on her shoulder, she walked down the familiar streets, rock music playing softly in her ears through her earbuds. It was a mindless walk- grey eyes focused on the path in front of her. Nothing eventful had happened, which was nice, but her interest was piqued when her samuraizer started beeping. Taking the device out of her pocket, Brooke flipped on open, bringing up the map of Panorama. She also felt Amaris make herself present in the back of her mind, which was good.

The red dot that signaled a nighlok attack was at a factory- Norway factory, to be precise. Scanning the area, Brooke's eyes flashed when she found a route, instantly breaking off into a sprint. She wanted to at least drop her duffle bag off at the Shiba House, but there was obviously no time for that now. Instead, the bag just slammed uncomfortably into her back with each stride, but she tried to ignore it to the best of her abilities. It would be her first battle in almost a week and the first one in a while without the hallucinations. That thought was freeing, at least.

She apparently reached the factory before the others did- which wasn't really surprising. Throwing her duffle bag to the side, Brooke did a mental checklist. The wolf and tiger disks were with Jayden, so that was out of the question. But, she did have the moon disk, so that could work. Summoning her Wolf Kunai, she slid the moon disk onto the weapon. As it clicked in place, she stepped forward.

The nighlok hadn't noticed her, instead having its blade pointer at a worker's throat. "Scaring you all is like child's play! You humans are more like chickens!" The monster mocked, Brooke narrowing her eyes.

It was true that civilians were easy to scare, but she wouldn't mention that out loud. Instead, she spun the moon disk, the silver blade of the kunai lighting up a mix of silver and purple. "Then why don't you pick someone who'll actually fight back? Crescent Moon Slash!" Brooke yelled, firing off the attack and flipping open her samuraizer, activating the brush portion.

The nighlok, who had started to turn around at the sound of Brooke's voice, got hit with the silver and purple attack head-on. It sent the monster flying, which landed on the concrete not far from the other rangers' feet with a thump. The six made noises of confusion for a second, then spotting the familiar flash of silver. As the silver ranger suit materialized on her body, Brooke spun her kunai in her hand, then pointing it at the nighlok. However, she shifted her attention to the team, disappearing and then reappearing at Jayden's side in a flash of silver.

"Your little game is over, nighlok." The silver ranger spat as the nighlok picked itself off of the ground.

"I'm not just any nighlok- I'm Duplicator! And I work for Serrator," The nighlok, Duplicator, introduced itself, tracing the engravings on its blade. "I'm the coolest and the best in the biz!" It stated, Brooke gritting her teeth underneath her helmet.

"Let me handle Mr. Cool here," Mike announced, still running forward without getting an answer. As the green ranger rushed the nighlok, the five others turned their attention to the silver.

"So, uh, I'm back. I'll explain once we get back but, uh- I'm sorry for having to leave." Brooke apologized, watching as Mike fired back witty retorts to the nighlok's taunting. He landed a strong strike against the monster, which sent it to its knees.

"There's no need to apologize, it's good to have you back!" Emily stated enthusiastically, the silver ranger smiling faintly at the yellow's energy.

"Glad to be back- oh, that's new." Brooke cut herself off when Duplicator disappeared, the six running over to cover Mike.

However, their defensive stances soon fell as the seven samurai rangers scanned the area. Duplicator seemingly duplicated himself- numerous copies of the nighlok appearing. One of the Duplicators started talking, Kevin cutting it off by firing a shot from his Hydro Bow. It hit the nighlok straight on, which sent the monster to its knees. After that it just dissolved, becoming a cloud of black smoke and then disappearing altogether.

"You think you can catch me, but you can't!" Duplicator taunted, duplicating itself again. As more copies of the nighlok appeared, the main monster let out a cackle. "Let the real fun begin!" It called, Brooke steeling her nerves.

She didn't want her first battle to be against a small army of the same nighlok, but she knew she had to deal with the situation at hand. Having a silent conversation with Amaris, the silver ranger wordlessly cut down duplications, cycling through moves that had been engraved in her mind at this point. One of the positive notes was that the duplications fell rather easily, disappearing after enduring only one or two slashes. However, Brooke was soon gagging at the smell of nighlok, panting underneath her helmet as she forced herself to breathe out of her mouth. It wasn't ideal- but still much better than the stink-nighlok that the team had fought ages ago, even before Antonio had joined. Looking back on that, Brooke was proud of how much she's grown. Also, she wasn't battling alcohol addiction or dead, so that was a plus.

Regrouping with Jayden, Brooke bit back a scream of frustration as more Duplicators appeared. "I've just about had enough of this shit." She growled, every word emphasized with a strike that caused multiple duplications to the ground.

"Glad to have you back. Fire Smasher!" Jayden called, his spin-sword turning into the large weapon in a flash of red. He spun it in a wide circle, which sent all of the duplications surrounding the two flying. Brooke then played cleaning crew, sheathing her kunai and shifting. The brown wolf bounced around, lunging at the duplications and knocking them down quickly.

It wasn't long until all of the duplications had disappeared, the six rangers and brown wolf regrouping. At a call of "up here!", the seven turned their attention to the real Duplicator, who was standing on a platform that was on the side of one of the security towers. The nighlok fired off purple balls of energy, which were deflected in a flash of silver and violet. Amaris had quickly appeared, a translucent shield appearing in front of the others as the white wolf stood next to the brown wolf.

Duplicator jumped down from the platform, looking somewhat displeased at the turn of events. "You may not be on the ground, but I'm still the coolest one around!" The monster sang, taking a couple of steps forward and then falling to its knees with a grunt of pain. Duplicator's body started greying and cracking- signaling he was drying out. "You got lucky this time, rangers!" The nighlok threatened, disappearing into a crack in a flash of dark red.

The seven rangers demorphed, standing in silence and processing the battle that had just happened. It was strange, to say the least, but Brooke was snapped out of her thoughts when a hand clapped her on the back. It sent her stumbling forward, the multiple necklaces she wore hitting together as she regained her balance. Once she did so, she shot a playful glare at Mike, her eyes flashing. "Thanks for that. Appreciate it." Sarcasm was dripping from Brooke's voice, the silver ranger only playfully taunting the green.

"Anytime, Miss Werewolf. I take it you're not having any of those freaky visions anymore?" Mike speculated, Brooke nodding.

"I'll explain once we get back home," Brooke waved her hand in dismissal, her eyes flashing as she scanned the area for her duffel bag. Her gaze landed on it but soon snapped to the man that was sitting on a crate not too far from it. Was he there all battle? If so, she was grateful that he seemed to be lost in his own little world.

Mia seemed to notice the man as well, sympathy instantly working its way to her features. "You guys can go on without us, Brooke, and I will check on that guy over there." She stated, pointing to the man.

The five other rangers voiced their agreement and started walking back towards the Shiba House, but not before Brooke and Jayden had launched into their own silent conversation. The silver ranger sent the red off with a smile and a small wave, the corners of Jayden's lips twitching upward, even if just for a moment. After they had fully left, Brooke turned her attention back to Mia, nodding towards the man, silently asking if they should walk over there. She nodded, the two black haired girls jogging over to where the man was sitting. Well, Mia did, Brooke taking the time to shoulder her duffle bag. She decided to let Mia do all the talking, as she was the "big sister" of the three girls in the Shiba House, her being the oldest of the three with an almost mother-like aura. Brooke genuinely loved Mia as a friend- but she couldn't defend the pink ranger's cooking. That's one thing that she was grateful for when she went to Nate's, that she didn't have to pretend to like something that was absolutely vile.

"The monster's gone." Mia started, the man lifting his head at the sound of her voice. He was instantly smitten, Brooke laughing under her breath and silently walking over to Mia, standing beside her. She didn't say anything, just keeping her grey eyes trained on the man as he seemingly short-circuited, unable to form coherent sentences.

"Uh, you good? We can call someone if you're having a seizure or something-" Brooke was cut off by Mia playfully slapping her arm. The silver ranger then made eye contact with the pink, her eyes flashing as she grinned. "No, but in all seriousness, are you alright? We can listen if you wanna talk." She offered, Mia nodding faintly.

The man seemed to find his voice, his tone instantly changing. "I'm a loser." He blurted, Brooke's eyes flashing as Mia instantly went into what was now deemed "mom mode".

"Why do you think that?" Mia asked softly, sitting beside the man. Who, now looking at him fully, seemed to have been in some sort of explosion, as ash was covering his face, black hair spiked straight upwards.

"Because I've been fired from three jobs today. If I can't keep a normal job- how am I supposed to be a samurai?" The man wondered aloud, Brooke and Mia sharing a wide-eyed look.

A samurai. Right. Brooke couldn't even fathom wanting to be a soldier in a war- and she was one. Still, she tried to hide her general shock to the best of her abilities. "It's... achievable, but a lot of work." She trailed, talking with her hands as a way of trying to get the message across. She felt bad lying to the man, but it was something that usually wasn't achievable unless you were born into a samurai family- the outlier being Antonio. Still, the gold ranger probably put himself through hell and back as he trained. Symbol power wasn't an easy thing to deal with, after all.

"Well, I've heard that part of being a samurai is that you never give up. No matter how hard things are, you keep going until you make it." Mia added, putting a somewhat positive spin on Brooke's words. "I'm sure the right job is out there for you." She stated, taking one of the man's hands and pulling him to his feet. He seemed to be in awe that she was holding his hand, even for a moment, and Brooke took two awkward steps back as Mia dropped his hand. The two discreetly nodded at each other, the silver and pink rangers starting to jog back in the direction of the Shiba House.

However, before they could get very far, the man called out of the two rangers. "Wait! What're your guys' names?" He asked, and before Brooke could tell Mia to make up fake names because he could be a creep, Mia answered.

"I'm Mia, and that's Brooke!" Mia called, pointing to Brooke, who awkwardly raised her hand.

"Good luck job hunting," Brooke called, shaking her head with a sigh and starting to jog again. "We're gonna break that poor man's heart without really meaning to, you know that, right?" She questioned Mia, who nodded.

"Trust me. I've been there." Mia responded, Brooke nearly stopping in her tracks.

She never really asked Mia about what her love life was like before joining the team. Though, while Brooke did want to know- she assumed that the pink ranger has dated at least one person, she kept quiet. Brooke's own love life... wasn't really a love life. It was just a collection of three to four one-night stands that happened when she was drunk out of her mind. It was shameful, she will admit, and now she was crushing on Jayden Shiba. The boy who had been sheltered all of his life, and has probably never seen anyone drunk. That's why Brooke planned to keep her past to herself. At least for now.

Scanning the area, Brooke made sure nobody was around before skidding to a stop. "Amaris can get us out of here," She explained, noticing Mia's confused and slightly concerned expression. The pink ranger nodded, walking over and standing next to the silver. Who silently called on Amaris, the two rangers disappearing in a flash of silver.

Immediately they appeared in the meeting room. Which apparently startled the other four rangers, Jayden being M.I.A, as their attention snapped to the spot where the two had appeared rather quickly. They all tensed, reaching for their samuraizers out of habit, but all soon relaxed when they realized it was just Brooke and Mia. The pink and silver rangers were standing at the entrance of the meeting room, four pairs of eyes locked onto them.

"A little warning next time would be nice, it's kinda freaky when you teleport around like that," Mike stated, Brooke putting on an expression of faux hurt and disappointment.

"I am offended," Brooke started, disappearing in a flash of silver and reappearing at the other side of the meeting room. She set down her grey duffle bag, plopping into her usual seat in between Jayden and Antonio, Jayden's usual spot currently empty. However, it wasn't empty for long, as Amaris appeared in a flash of silver. The white wolf jumped up onto the cushioned seat, sitting on her haunches and making herself present in the meeting. Well, more like making her presence known, as she would've known what happened in the meeting anyway. It seemed like Amaris just wanted attention, Brooke giving it to her by subconsciously petting the wolf as she spoke again. "So, what's up? Did I miss anything in the time I was gone?" She wondered, Kevin shaking his head.

"It was strangely quiet. What about you?" The blue ranger asked the silver, who was surprised at the sudden question. "If you're back, I take it you're not having hallucinations anymore?" Kevin questioned, Emily nodding.

"We're glad to see you okay and have you back, also. It's kinda boring without you, honestly." Emily added, the three others nodding in agreement.

"Well, I'm flattered. But seriously, it's good to be back. I missed this place, surprisingly enough," Brooke muttered the last sentence, scanning the meeting room. The wooden walls and floors held memories- and while most of them were of war council meetings, they were memories. "To answer your question, yes, I'm hallucination-free now. They happened because I didn't get an ink symbol, and that's how they stopped. It was strangely simple." She added, knitting her brows as she took in the team's confused expressions. "What?"

"Ink symbol?" Mia echoed, tilting her head to the side slightly. She had taken her usual spot on the seat next to Emily, the pink ranger peering skeptically at the silver. "I thought all of the symbols that weren't written with symbol power were made from ink."

Realization dawned on Brooke's face, her eyes flashing multiple times in rapid succession. "Yeah, okay, your confusion makes sense now. But, to explain in Daisuke's terms, it's pretty much a tattoo with the properties of the protection symbol," She explained, pushing up the sleeve of her dark grey and black checkered flannel she was wearing. The black protection symbol was proudly displayed on her forearm, hiding some of the scars that covered her arms. "Apparently the red and silver rangers are always supposed to get them, but I didn't- given, well, everything. So, I'm sorry for being a distraction to the mission and putting you guys at risk-"

"Wow, Jay's rubbed off on you," Antonio cut Brooke off, deflecting her glare with a flick of his wrist. "But don't worry about it, we're all back and in fighting condition." He reassured her, Brooke nodding slowly as she pushed her sleeve back down.

"Right, thanks, Goldie," Brooke murmured, then quickly going quiet. She didn't want to talk about her feelings for long, though she knew Jayden was probably going to want to play a game of 20 questions. However, she just accepted that. It was hard to change the red ranger's mind about anything- he was surprisingly stubborn for a leader. Not that it hasn't probably saved the team's lives at multiple points, he was just... an immovable force, in a sense.

"Hey... how's that guy?" Emily asked, changing the topic before an uncomfortable silence fell over the

"Mia's about to break some poor kid's heart," Brooke announced quickly, a grin growing on her features as she stared at the pink ranger in a silent challenge.

"It's not like that," Mia argued, shooting a playful glare at Brooke, who snickered. "He said he wanted to be a samurai," She corrected, causing all of the rangers in the room, sans the pink and silver, to share confused glances. "I just told him that a true samurai never gives up." The pink ranger finished, taking her usual seat next to Emily in the meeting room.

Mia's statement caused an awkward silence to fill the room, the rangers cycling back to the somewhat failed battle. Mike was the first one to break the silence, per usual. "Y'know, after a battle like that, that's a good thing to remember." He referred to Mia's statement, the team nodding. They couldn't give up now.

--

The six had been throwing out different ideas to each other for the past hour and a half- sometimes joking around, but generally taking the discussion seriously. It had gotten to the point where the night was starting to fall, the lamps in the Shiba House being turned on. They cast the meeting room in a yellow glow, creating a somewhat cozy atmosphere despite five young adults and teenagers discussing methods on how to kill a monster. A monster that wanted to kill them and take over the world, mind you. It wasn't really a pleasant topic, but the rangers had gotten somewhat numb at the thought of their lives being threatened.

"There must be a way to pick the nighlok out from its fakes. There has to be something we missed." Kevin started, stating the general topic of discussion again. They had hit a wall, going back to the drawing board to try to find something they forgot about.

A figurative lightbulb appeared over Emily's head, the yellow ranger standing from her seat excitedly. "Hey, they're mirror images, right?" She asked, the other rangers letting out a "yeah" in unison. "Maybe the fakes don't cast reflections! Y'know, like vampires?" Her voice was brimming with childlike excitement, and something about it made Brooke happy.

However, that happiness faded when five pairs of eyes landed on her. Her eyes flashing, Brooke let out a noise of protest. "Don't look at me, I'm in the same boat you are," She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "And before you start with me being a werewolf thing- I'm not a werewolf. We've been over this," Brooke added, a subconscious excitement filling her body when the smell of spice and smoke filled her nose. "Jayden Shiba." She called as soon as she heard his footsteps, and he instantly stopped in his tracks, holding the light zord in his hand.

Blue eyes instantly snapped to his team, Jayden obviously trying to cover the sudden shock. So, he just shook his head and continued walking. "Forgot about that," Jayden muttered, Brooke snickering. Which made him do a double-take again, blue eyes meeting grey. "Happy to have you back," He greeted, it being a playfully sarcastic retort. Jayden had other things to say, of course, but he knew those would have to wait. So, he just focused on the task at hand, setting the light zord on the coffee table. "Though, I think I have an answer. It's almost dark outside now, and the light zord's powerful beam could possibly shine through the nighlok's tricks." He announced, the team voicing their agreement.

"Oh, Brooke. I forgot to ask, but, does only the main nighlok..." Mia trailed, obviously struggling to find the right words.

"Have a scent? No. All of them do, and I would prefer if that was not the case," Brooke finished, standing up from her seat and grabbing her duffel bag. Amaris also hopped off of the seat, shaking out her fur. "I assume you can't tell the difference either, Amaris." She added, directing the statement to the white wolf, whose ears flicked.

"Sadly, I cannot. Since I am mostly observing unless I am called upon, I cannot see any more than you can." Amaris answered, her tail flicking. Violet eyes landed on the light zord, silently inspecting it for a moment before speaking again. "Though, I have a strong belief that Jayden's plan will be successful." She stated, nuzzling into the red ranger's touch as he scratched the top of her head.

"Can't wait for him to show his face again," Kevin stated excitedly, his voice full of determination.

"When he does, he's going down," Jayden vowed, and with that, the meeting ended.

The other rangers then left the meeting room, leaving only the silver and red. Amaris had also disappeared, no doubtedly going to find a place to sleep. Still, that left Brooke and Jayden, both of them trying to find the words to say. "So, uh, I'm gonna unpack, and you can come sit with me if you want. Just say the word." Brooke offered, readjusting her duffel bag on her shoulder. She didn't know why this was suddenly so awkward- she was usually more composed. Though, she realized this was the first calm moment they've had since she almost kissed Jayden, thus getting unintentionally cockblocked by Nate. Failed attempts at kissing someone usually makes things awkward.

"Sounds like fun." Jayden agreed, Brooke laughing under her breath.

"Oh, it's exhilarating, lemme tell you. Gonna keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time." Brooke snickered, silently leaving the meeting room with Jayden beside her. He didn't add to the joke, as he just enjoyed the fact that Brooke made herself laugh. He found it cute.

About half an hour later, Brooke had gotten unpacked and was now sitting across from Jayden on her bed, one leg tucked underneath of her and the other hanging off her bed. Amaris was acting as the barrier between the two- as the white wolf was curled into a ball and fast asleep, and neither Brooke nor Jayden had the heart to wake her up. So, they had just been sharing small talk, chatting quietly about mindless topics. It was almost comforting, and Jayden liked hearing Brooke talk. She was the one who talked the most out of the two of them, the silver ranger currently discussing things about her high school experience that she felt like sharing. They hadn't talked about the fact that they missed each other, it was actually a discussion they were avoiding. Neither of them really knew why, perhaps to avoid potential awkwardness, but Jayden soon steeled his nerves and stopped beating around the bush.

"I missed you," Jayden blurted, his cheeks dusting pink as he broke into a somewhat sheepish smile. "It's funny... because I lasted seven years without you, but now- it's like I'm making up for the lost time." He mumbled, blue eyes shifting to the silver strands in Amaris' fur.

"I missed you too. It's boring being on my own now, y'know? I've gotten used to having you around- I welcome it, even," Brooke stated, and Jayden really wished she couldn't say things like that with a straight face. "Are you upset that I can say stuff like that without getting embarrassed?" She teased, noticing the slight crease above his eyebrow and the way his eyes sparkled with faint frustration.

"Don't start," Jayden warned, raising his head and making eye contact with Brooke. Taking in her cheeky grin and her signature mischievous expression, he let out a faint sigh. "Brooke, I'm serious." He stated, but they both knew he wasn't really serious. So, Brooke didn't listen to him at all.

"What're you gonna do, Red? Ground me?" Brooke taunted, Jayden lightly hitting her hand away before it could ruffle his hair. He glared at her in a faux warning, which caused her to let out a bark of laughter. "Ooh, you want to ground me so bad. Give me cleaning duty for the rest of this damn war 'cause I can make you embarrassed. Bet." She snickered but was soon caught off guard by Jayden tackling her to the bed, the red ranger smiling faintly at her shocked expression. However, it didn't last for long, as a grin worked its way onto Brooke's features. She opened her mouth to speak, only to be stopped by Jayden placing a finger on her lips.

"You really need to learn how to be quiet," Jayden stated, and he then realized what position they were in. It could be taken as something inherently sexual- but at this point, he didn't really care. He somewhat enjoyed having power over the girl who usually made him flustered. He also knew that Brooke could easily overpower him by using the strength that came with her wolf form, but from the look in her eyes, she didn't seem to mind the fact that she was trapped underneath him.

Grey eyes were half-lidded, a lazy smirk working its way onto Brooke's face when Jayden removed his finger from her lips. "Teach me, then. Demonstrate to me how you can shut me up. Because," A clawed hand grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulling Jayden down so he and Brooke's face were only centimeters apart. Her other hand was pinned above her head, Jayden's legs on either side of her body so that she couldn't move. Not that she cared, she could play power bottom, and she wasn't even drunk. "I think I can make you incredibly vocal with a few choice motions. So, if you want to play, by all means." She purred, watching as Jayden's eyes widened with her underlying threat.

"You- you win," Jayden mumbled after a few seconds of awkward silence, Brooke letting go of the collar of his shirt. "Just stop looking at me like that," He let go of Brooke's wrist, moving so that he was lying beside her rather than hovering above her. "You make it hard for me to think straight sometimes. It isn't- I don't know how to deal with you." He added, halfway burying his, now burning, face into one of Brooke's pillows.

"I know, it's... it's genuine. If we weren't in this war, it would be a totally different situation," Brooke thought aloud, grey eyes glued to the ceiling. "But you win some, you lose some, I suppose. You're not actually uncomfortable, though, right? Because if you are- please tell me. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, you know that." She promised, turning her attention back to Jayden, who shook his head quickly, lifting it from the pillow.

"I'm not uncomfortable- I just don't know what to do. And I just walked into that, so don't worry. You're fine, I like being able to be with you like this. It makes me happy, even if you're absolutely insufferable sometimes." Jayden teased, Brooke breaking into a genuine smile.

Sitting back up, she stretched her arms over her head, letting out a yawn. "It's part of the package. Gotta keep you on your toes somehow," Brooke yawned, ruffling her hair and scanning her floor for her platforms. She had taken them off when she went to sit on her bed- and because they had been starting to hurt her feet. "And while this is fun, we still have a nighlok to fight." She reminded Jayden, standing up from her bed. Grabbing her platforms, she traded them out for her military boots, quickly pulling them on and lacing them up while Jayden pushed himself out of bed with a yawn.

"Right." Jayden agreed, pulling on his own shoes, which were a pair of brown leather boots. They had obviously seen better days, as they were scuffed in multiple places and looked well worn, but they were his usual go-to shoes for fighting in, besides his training sneakers. The boots the ranger suits offered were well-made as well, as that was a given since it was technically part of the rangers' "soldier uniforms".

The two walked out of Brooke's room just as her samuraizer started beeping, the gap sensor being triggered not shortly after. The loud sound made Brooke jump in surprise- as she had forgotten just how loud the gap sensor truly was. Still, she shook off her general shock, running beside Jayden as the seven rangers crashed through the wooden doors of the Shiba House.

--

The team reached Norway Factory quickly, as Duplicator decided to show up again in the same location. Speaking of, the nighlok was muttering to himself, the rangers nodding in unison and getting into position. The light zord was also doing its job and illuminating the area, causing a backlight on all of the rangers as they introduced themselves. On Jayden's call, they surrounded Duplicator, who let out a quiet growl of annoyance. "Lousy rangers, I'm getting bored of fooling you! It's just too easy!" The nighlok taunted, trying to sound tough even though it was surrounded by seven people who wanted to see it dead.

"You're the one being fooled, nighlok." Mike fired back, "nighlok" sounding like a curse leaving his lips.

With that, the battle began the same way as the last one did. Duplicator duplicated himself and the team now had to come up with a plan on the fly as the light zord wasn't fully charged yet, go figure. So, it was back to good ol' reliable- the rangers just cutting down everything that they had to. It wasn't long until the duplications were cut down, the light zord slowly powering up. The original Duplicator then fired off purple balls of energy from the sky, which were easily deflected by Brooke drawing the protection symbol.

Duplicator still didn't seem too fazed by the fact that its attacks kept getting blocked. In fact, the nighlok was cockier than ever, summoning more duplications of itself. "My mirror men and I are invincible!" The monster stated proudly, the small army of duplications marching towards the seven rangers.

"Okay, I think we're ready!" Antonio called out, the light zord making happy chirps of approval. "Let there be light!" The gold ranger thrust the light zord upwards, a powerful beam emitting from the zord and illuminating the entire area. It temporarily blinded Duplicator, and the rest of the rangers, who put up their arms as a way to shield their eyes from the harsh light. However, as harsh as it was, the beam of light did its job. Duplicator's duplications started dissolving due to the light, the duplications becoming plumes of black smoke and then disappearing completely. Which left the nighlok standing alone, yelling out in frustration when the monster realized his duplications were gone.

"That was excellent!" Kevin praised, and Antonio was already readying his Barracuda Blade, the gold ranger making the move to run forward.

"Now that you're alone- let's see what you've got!" Antonio taunted, sprinting towards the nighlok and fighting Duplicator one-to-one. Without its duplications, Duplicator was a relatively easy target, the sword the nighlok carried being cut in half quickly. That caused Duplicator to scramble backwards, Antonio pressing a button on the light zord before the nighlok could react. "Flashing Strike!" He yelled, the attack colliding with the monster and sending it to the ground, smoke rising from its body.

"Antonio, do the honors!" Jayden called, the black box and super samurai disk materializing in his hand with a flash of red. In one swift motion, he threw the talisman and disk to his childhood friend, who caught it with ease.

Antonio wordlessly opened the black box, placing the disk inside of the talisman before shutting it again. The gold ranger then thrusted the black box outward, pushing the small button that was located on the top of it. "Super Samurai Mode!" He yelled, the Shiba crest appearing and turning into the forked white and gold cape. Attaching the black box onto his Barracuda Blade, Antonio then slid a disk and attached the black box onto his Barracuda Blade, pride seeping into his voice as he spoke. "Didn't you hear, nighlok? Gold is the new black! Super Barracuda Bite!" Slashing with his Barracuda Blade, multiple gold attacks were sent hurtling towards the nighlok.

Duplicator went up in a small explosion when the gold attacks made contact, the six other rangers jogging up and praising the gold. Their celebrations didn't last long, however, as Duplicator then grew into his megamode form, the team falling into a routine that they had done countless times before. The wolf and claw armor megazord and the samurai megazord were formed, along with the light zord growing in size and forming its own megazord. The light zord then ran forward and attacked Duplicator- sending the nighlok backwards as the claw and wolf armor megazord fired off the Wolf Claymore's Finishing Strike. It was going quite well until Duplicator did what he did best besides being a pain in the ass- making duplications of itself.

"Antonio, make the light zord-" Jayden spoke quickly from the comms, Antonio quickly cutting his childhood friend off.

"Don't worry, I have a move that will make these duplications leave for good. Watch this!" Antonio started, pointing forward excitedly from where he stood in the cockpit of the wolf and claw armor megazord. The shoulder pads and most of the chest of his megamode suit had changed into white- signaling that he had gone into super samurai mode. "Battledisk Scattershot!" The gold ranger called, the light zord following the command and firing out multiple blank disks.

As the disks collided with the nighlok, the silver ranger turned her attention to the gold. "So, are you getting the power trip that comes with super samurai mode?" Brooke asked, resting her elbows on her control panel and intertwining her hands. "The way you're acting says you are." She added, resting her chin on her intertwined hands and turning her attention back to the battle. She also made sure that her voice was quiet enough so that the comms couldn't pick it up- which was a habit that the sparkly rangers in arms subconsciously settled into.

"Can see why Jay has his red ranger complex," Antonio answered, Brooke snickering and grinning underneath her helmet. Despite their conversation, the two rangers were still paying attention to the battle at hand, as the light zord had nearly taken out all of the duplications. "I also made sure to make fun of him while you were gone." He stated, and Brooke could hear the mischief in his voice.

"Thanks. Someone's gotta keep him humble," Brooke thanked, standing up fully and placing her hands back onto her folded megablade. The light zord had just finished taking down the last duplication- meaning that it was now her and Antonio's turn. "Let's end this, Goldie! Wolf Claymore: Finishing Swing!" The silver and gold ranger called out the attack name and fired off the attack in unison, the attack making contact with Duplicator, who exploded on impact.

The cockpit of both megazords went up in cheers, Jayden smiling faintly underneath his helmet as he called the finishing line. "Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours." He called, and with that, the battle was finally over.

The seven rangers demorphed as soon as they hit the ground, their ranger suits disappearing in flashes of their respective kanji in their respective colors. A happy atmosphere surrounded the team as they started walking back to the Shiba House, the conversation light as Antonio got congratulated and praised for basically carrying the entire battle. While that was happening, Brooke noticed Emily waving her over, the silver ranger quickly making her way over to the gold.

"Hey, sunshine, what's up?" Brooke greeted, her eyes flashing as she noticed Emily looking somewhat bashful. Which was surprising, because she was just expecting the younger girl to tease her about Jayden.

"Um, if you're going out to train tonight, can I join you? I know that you and Jayden usually train together but I kinda want the extra practice," Emily asked quickly, the blonde launching into nervous rambling before Brooke could respond. "Plus, I like the way you fight and I was wondering if you could teach me- only if you wanted to, of course! I know you're busy, so, um, yeah." She rambled on, Brooke breaking into an almost mother-like smile and placing a hand on Emily's shoulder, which caused her to stop talking.

"Of course, Em. You didn't need to give me a five-page essay on why you want to, either," Brooke teased, her tone then softening. She realized she was using the same tone that she used to use for Maxx, and then came to the realization that Emily filled the void of not seeing her little brother. "Just let me know when you want to, okay? I'll be there." She promised, Emily nodding happily.

"Thank you!" The younger girl beamed, then running off to catch up with the other rangers, sans the red and gold.

Both Jayden and Antonio were standing a couple feet away, Brooke's eyes flashing when they landed on her two childhood friends. "There you two are," She greeted, the three then falling into their usual line with Jayden and Antonio flanking Brooke's sides. "She likes the way I fight. First time I heard that one." She let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head slowly.

"Don't overdo it- even for Emily." Jayden reminded Brooke, who nodded once in affirmation. Meanwhile, Antonio had come up with a new way to tease him, the gold ranger grinning at the red.

"Surprised you aren't jealous because your usual training partner is booked," Antonio teased, deflecting Jayden's deadpan stare of disappointment with a grin. "Silence is just proving my point- hey!" He cut himself off when Jayden reached over and lightly swatted the back of his head, the red ranger raising his eyebrows at the gold in silent challenge.

Brooke just let the two have their fun, a bittersweet feeling washing over her. She had a feeling that this is how they acted when they were kids- before they had to deal with their lives being threatened with every new day. She selfishly wanted those days back but pushed those feelings aside. "I'm not leaving you guys again." She quietly vowed, neither Jayden nor Antonio hearing her. Brooke planned to keep it that way- as she felt like if she spoke it too loud, it wouldn't come true. And that's the last thing she wanted happening.

--

a/n: long time no see, guys! Sorry for not uploading in probably about four months, school has been kicking my ass, and I have missing assignments due but I'm writing this instead. So, take this longer-than-usual chapter as an apology, and I'll try to be more consistent in uploading. Honestly, I was just tired of writing for a bit, and this Google doc and computer that I'm writing on had been literally collecting dust. Hopefully, it's all uphill from here, though!

So, I've returned, and I want to thank y'all for the support despite the fact I pretty much went off the grid for a while. Have a happy holiday season (or what's left of it) and stay healthy and safe. Things have been getting more difficult for all of us, but just keep pushing forward. Thanks for reading!