Brooke sat next to Jayden, well, wolf-Brooke sat next to Jayden as the red ranger stood next to his mentor. The silver and red rangers had finished their training earlier, and now the pair, plus Ji, were watching the other rangers go about their training.
Jayden had his usual emotionless expression, and wolf-Brooke's brown and white tail wagged slowly as they watched Emily. The yellow ranger was sparring with Mike and seemed to be holding her own rather well, the younger girl landing powerful strikes. Soon, Emily had knocked the green ranger down, Mike hitting the ground on his back with a grunt.
"Emily's usually the one falling over," Ji mused, as Emily walked up to Mike hesitantly, rambling out apologies. "She's different with a sword in her hand." The older man commented, and Jayden laughed faintly.
"Maybe she can teach Mike a few things." Jayden wondered with a grin, and Brooke stood, shifting back into a human.
Grey eyes flashed when she watched Emily shoot more apologies at Mike. "The only thing is- I can read the guilt in her eyes from here. Which is a good and a bad thing." The silver ranger added, tapping her foot subconsciously.
Jayden glanced at his friend, it was the first time he's heard her speak since training began. She had shifted and stayed in her wolf form for a couple of hours, being mostly quiet. "How so?" He asked, and Brooke smiled slightly.
"Well, it's good that we all have some form of empathy, so we aren't heartless killing machines," She joked, as Emily was helping Mike to his feet and asking if he was alright in a worried tone. "Just, with holding people in high regard- and fighting alongside them, it can mess with the rational part of your brain. At least, it does for me sometimes." Brooke remarked, her eyes flashing again. She didn't know how many times she fumbled with a swing because she was preoccupied with making sure the others weren't getting killed. Which was something she was working on, especially after their run-in with the dreadlock nighlok, but she was progressing slowly.
Both Mary and Casper had told her, on numerous occasions, that she worried too much. And not about herself, either. It was always someone else, and Brooke chalked it up to trauma, but shook that thought aside, as Emily chased Mike into the Shiba House, raising her eyebrows. Sharing a look with Jayden, she broke into a grin and quietly followed the two rangers.
Ji let out a mix between a sigh and a chuckle, Jayden looking at him with a quizzical expression. "She's grown up, but her attitude hasn't changed much." The older man observed as the silver ranger seemed to hold her normal nonchalant attitude, and Jayden let out a small laugh, watching as the door to the Shiba House shut behind her.
"I suppose so."
--
Brooke watched as Emily held a bag of frozen peas, smiling at Mike, who was rubbing his sore back. "Here you go!" The blonde stated cheerfully, thrusting the frozen peas towards Mike with a cheerful expression.
Mike glanced down at the bag, reading the label, and looked at Emily with an expression of confusion mixed with worry. "Frozen peas?" He questioned, and Emily nodded, her usual warm smile on her face.
"It's like an ice pack! I was accident-prone as a kid, and they always healed me right up. Let me help!" The yellow ranger explained, moving to press the bag of frozen peas to his back, and Brooke snorted as Mike stood quickly, shaking his head.
"No thanks." Mike fired back, warily eyeing the bag of peas.
"You really should," Emily urged, and soon the yellow and green rangers started their game of chase. "Mike! They'll make you feel better!" She chided, and Brooke saw the plate she was just about to step on.
The silver ranger moved quickly, grabbing Emily's elbow before she could fall, and catching the bag of frozen peas with her free head. "C'mon sunshine, don't go eating peas now." Brooke teased, grinning and revealing her sharper canines.
Emily didn't seem to find it funny, a look of guilt making its way onto the younger girl's face. "I'm such a disaster." She mumbled, and Brooke frowned, lightly throwing the bag of peas onto one of the seats, it landing with a dull thump.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up now, you were trying to do a nice thing and tripped," Brooke scolded, her voice gentle but firm as she let go of Emily's elbow and picked up the plate. "It happens to the best of us." She reassured the yellow ranger, who seemed unconvinced.
"I'm sorry," Mike added, taking the plate from Brooke's hand and grabbing the frozen peas, about to make his way into the kitchen to return the two items.
However, Mike stopped in his tracks as Emily spoke sadly. "It's all my fault, I was being silly. I'm always messing things up. I'm sorry." The green and silver rangers shared a look as Emily beat herself up, Brooke's eyes flashing. It was uncharacteristic for Emily to be acting so down on herself, and it made the two other rangers concerned.
"Don't apologize, Em. Accidents happen." Brooke tried reassuring her, and her eyes flashed when Emily looked at her. She scanned Emily's expression and was surprised to find jealousy sparkling in her eyes. It was faint, but still there, and Brooke took it as her cue to leave the scene.
She went to go pat Mike on the shoulder, cringing when she noticed her claws were fully bared. "I don't think I'm cut out for this right now," Brooke muttered so only the green ranger could hear, and Mike nodded faintly.
With that, Brooke was off, her feet carrying her to the outdoor dojo once again. It was empty now, which she breathed a sigh of relief at. Seeing the jealousy in Emily's eyes caused anxiety to swirl in her gut, and Brooke dealt with that anxiety with the best way she could. Summoning her katanas, the swords appeared in a flurry of silver particles, and she tightened her grip on the hilts. Her claws dug into the leather hilts some, but she ignored it and just cycled through her moves. Performing the familiar moves caused her anxiety to disperse somewhat, and soon, the routine was the only thing Brooke was thinking about.
A couple of minutes later, as she landed back on her feet from her handspring, Brooke's gaze shot to Jayden. She didn't know how long he was watching her for, but shrugged it off, sheathing her blades. "Heya, Red." Brooke greeted as her blades disappeared once again.
Jayden returned her greeting with a small smile, walking towards the silver ranger. "Everything alright?" He asked, his blue eyes scanning the girl. He noticed the tension in Brooke's posture, and that made him wear a small frown.
Brooke just wore one of her usual grins, nudging his shoulder with her own. "Doing just fine. What about you?" She asked, but before Jayden could respond, the gap sensor started blaring, the two rangers nodding at each other, sprinting back into the Shiba House.
--
Luckily, the nighlok didn't have moogers surrounding it, but the aesthetic the monster had creeped Brooke out some. It had three large and unblinking red eyes on its back, and she wondered if he could see out of them. She guessed not, because the nighlok didn't see her and Jayden running towards the nighlok from behind, Brooke in her wolf form.
"Surprise!" Jayden yelled, leaping up and slashing down at the nighlok, and Brooke lunged at the same time. Still, both of their attacks missed, the nighlok quickly rolling away from the silver and red rangers.
Brooke shifted back, drawing her katanas as the nighlok spoke. "The samurai rangers? I've been saying all the wrong things right!" The monster snickered, and Mike seemed to grow annoyed.
"Talkin' smack about people isn't cool!" The green ranger snapped at the nighlok, but the creature didn't seem too fazed.
It moved at an alarming speed towards Mike, him stumbling back some. "I know something about you! Your bike had training wheels until you were ten!" The nighlok sneered, the three red eyes on its back glowing.
"What?" Mike muttered in disbelief, and the green ranger went flying, slamming into a parking garage. The concrete cracked at the force, debris falling around Mike as he hit the ground.
Emily was at his side instantly. "Mike, are you okay?!" She questioned frantically, Mia and Kevin tearing their attention away from Mike and back towards the nighlok.
"What did you say to him?" Mia growled as she and Kevin settled into fighting stances.
The nighlok made Kevin his target next, and Brooke cringed. That was going to be two down, in a matter of about half a minute. "And you, blue ranger, you're just borrriiinnnggg!" The nighlok laughed as Kevin went flying, Mia moving to attack.
"Lousy cook!" The nighlok insulted, and the pink ranger hit the same concrete structure that Mike and Kevin did.
"Mia!" Emily yelled in concern, Mia hitting the ground hard. Luckily, they were all still conscious, Brooke and Jayden moving together as they stood side by side in front of the nighlok. "I don't get how he's sending everyone flying! All he's doing is saying mean things!" The yellow ranger blurted, confusion and concern in her tone.
"Keep your guard up!" Jayden warned, and Brooke couldn't even fight past her nerves to nod. "This one's tricky." The red ranger put the lion disk on his spin-sword, and normally, Brooke would've shifted.
However, the fear she felt was blocking everything else. The limbic system, which was the main part of the brain that was responsible for processing emotions, was also the part of the brain that controlled her ability to shift. So, when fear caused her body to stiffen up and freeze, her brain sent out the signal that she wouldn't be able to shift. Which wasn't the best thing, because Brooke wished she could just charge the monster as it sneered at Jayden. Instead, she just heard her heartbeat in her ears and felt her hands start to shake.
"C'mon, what tricks?" The nighlok mocked, pointing at the red ranger. "I'm just telling the truth! And my motto is, if the truth hurts, excellent!" The monster moved towards Jayden, and Brooke felt her throat close up.
Well, there went the main person who grounded her, because there's no way in hell she was going to throw Casper into this mess. Brooke willed her feet to move, so she could do something to help Jayden. Her silver boots just stayed stuck to the asphalt, and she bit her bottom lip so hard it drew blood, her canines fully grown in. She was terrified of what the nighlok was going to say to her- because she had a list she could go down of things she was insecure about. And it was things she didn't want the others hearing.
At least Jayden could move, but when he spun the lion disk, the nighlok just swatted his sword away like it was nothing. "You're a red-faced liar liar pants on fire!" The nighlok cackled, but Jayden just set his jaw. "You've got a secret!" With that fact now hanging in the air, Brooke watched as her friend's back slammed into the metal gate that closed off the parking garage. The bars bent from the force that Jayden was flung, and Brooke cringed.
Brooke snapped out of her fearful state, calming her nerves and running forward. It was just a nighlok. She dealt with them on an almost daily basis, and who cares if it spat out insecurities? Well- the team did, but still.
"So you've finally come to play!" The nighlok snickered, and Brooke ignored the way her body shook and she broke out into a cold sweat. It was just a nighlok, and it was going to be okay. It always ended up okay, and she would just grit her teeth and bare it. Like she always did. "Let's see if we can tear away that false confidence!"
It was just a nighlok. It was just a nighlok. It was just- Brooke repeated the mantra in her head as the nighlok moved too fast, and was too close to her. But it was going to be okay- it always ended up being okay- "Hmm, got one!" The nighlok's red eyes that were on its back glowing as the creature let out a mocking laugh. "No wonder your dad hit you!" This time it was loud enough so all of the rangers could hear, and Jayden watched in horror as Brooke shook violently.
"Huh?" The silver ranger squeaked, but it was no use. She got flung back, the metal gate breaking as Brooke hit it with full force. She heard her katanas hit the ground as she rolled, landing on her side. Her entire body shook, and she wanted someone by her side.
At least she could shift, but the brown wolf took two steps forward and collapsed, Brooke's brain forcing her to shift back into a human once again. The silver ranger struggled to breathe, and she didn't know if it was because of the pain flaring in her ribs and back or her panic attack. It was probably both, and Brooke resisted the urge to scream as she demorphed, tears pricking her eyes as her suit dissolved into the silver kanji for wolf, and then disappearing altogether.
Brooke didn't allow herself to cry, especially on a battlefield, so she just shook. It took all of her willpower not to lose it and break into sobs. She pressed on her eyes with the palms of her hands, almost trying to push back the tears as she sat on her knees. Her body was vibrating at this point, and Brooke just tried to remind herself that it was just a panic attack. It wasn't going to last forever- and that she was safe. She and Maxx were safe, and far away from James.
When she pulled her palms away, her vision danced with black spots for a moment. Brooke forced herself to slow her breathing, counting under her breath as she calmed herself down. Her gaze flickered to the other rangers, who were all slowly getting to their feet, sans Emily.
The nighlok's taunts seemed to be ineffective against Emily, as she just landed calculated and powerful strikes. Every time the nighlok spat something that would've sent the others flying, the yellow ranger just returned with her yell and strikes.
"Earth Slicer!" Emily called out, her blade turning to the weapon, which represented an over-sized shuriken. "Take this!" The yellow ranger threatened, flinging her Earth Slicer like a boomerang.
"Hey, I cut people down, not you!" The nighlok snarled as it hit the ground, smoke rising from its body. The monster rolled a couple of times and then bounced back on its feet quickly. "I better go vent somewhere else." With those final words, the nighlok disappeared, Emily skidding to a stop.
"Yeah, go ahead and run, you loudmouth!" Emily yelled at the monster, then lowered her Earth Slicer to her side, the weapon turning back into her spin-sword with a flash of yellow. "I've got a feeling we haven't heard the last from that creep." She muttered, and the other rangers staggered over, demorphing.
Brooke followed suit, pushing herself off of the ground and walking towards the group with shaky legs. Her ribs seemed to ache in tune with the beat of her heart, but she ignored it as she made her way to Jayden's side. Jayden shot her a concerned look, but she just shook her head. It wasn't the time for unpacking trauma, and Brooke planned to keep it that way.
--
The walk back to the Shiba House was silent, every ranger consumed with their thoughts. But when they walked inside and settled into the meeting room, the meeting started, just like any other.
"That nighlok is a bully," Ji started, and Brooke nearly rolled her eyes from her seat next to Jayden. Well, no duh. "He channels mental pain and turns it into physical pain." He explained, and the team started their apologies, trying to explain their insecurities.
"He caught me off guard, it won't happen again," Mia vowed, the pink ranger's face set with determination.
"Listen, I may have training wheels, but..." Mike trailed for a moment, green eyes landing anywhere but the team's faces. "I didn't need 'em."
"And, I'm a good cook, right?" Mia asked nervously, and Brooke wished her insecurities were just about training wheels or cooking.
While Brooke knew she shouldn't judge the others, "No wonder your Dad hit you," was incredibly higher on the list of mental pain. God, she wanted Casper, he seemed to be the only one who truly knew what the nighlok's taunt meant, and she didn't feel like explaining her trauma to the others. She didn't even explain it to Casper fully, he just knew the basics, which she didn't even mean to tell him, but looking back on it, she was glad she did.
The others just nodded and let out hesitant agreements to Mia being a good cook. Kevin switched the topic, onto a somewhat more depressing one, but still. "Am I boring to you guys?" He blurted out, and Jayden piped up.
"You're extremely disciplined and orderly, Kevin. That's a great quality for a samurai."
Kevin smiled, nodding. "Yeah. You're right, it is." The blue ranger agreed, the compliment boosting his ego.
Brooke kept her head somewhat down, trying to make herself out of sight. She knew once she got called on the questions would start, so she was trying to make herself as little as a target as possible. Her claws snagged on her grey sweater, and she cursed silently, willing them away. To her surprise, they didn't, so Brooke just wrenched them out of the knit fabric aggressively and laid her clawed hands in her lap.
"Emily was the only one who wasn't affected," Mike pointed out, and the yellow ranger looked bashful. "That nighlok knew exactly how to hurt us, why couldn't he hurt her?" The green ranger asked, directing the question at Ji.
"Perhaps Emily has some special power." Ji mused, and Emily shook her head, looking up at the older man.
"It's nothing great like that," Emily muttered shyly, a weak smile on her face. "I was teased and called names as a kid, but my sister told me to pretend like the person teasing me didn't say anything at all," The yellow ranger explained, her blue eyes scanning the team. "And it really worked. So when the nighlok said those things to me, it's like he didn't even say them."
Just say no to the verbal abuse, it can't hurt you without your consent. Brooke joked bitterly, but, truthfully? She was jealous of Emily's ability to roll with the punches, well, the hurtful statements. The silver ranger wished she had that ability- but words had affected her for a long time. Whether it be from herself or others.
"So, then why are you always beatin' yourself down? It makes no sense." Mike asked Emily, brows furrowed. "Unless that's what you really think about yourself."
The rest of the team winced at the green ranger's words, all sharing concerned looks with each other. Emily seemed to lose what little confidence she had held, deflating slightly.
"Well, no, but," Emily was struggling to find the right words, visibly tensing. "I'm sorry. I..." She mumbled, curling her hands into fists at her sides. After a couple moments of silence, she rose from her seat and left the room quickly, Brooke's eyes flashing as she watched the younger girl's retreating form.
"Mike!" Mia scolded, leveling a glare at Mike. "The nighlok's words can't hurt her, but yours can!"
Mike let out a heavy sigh. "I'll go apologize." He offered, getting out of his seat and leaving the meeting room.
Mia and Kevin left shortly after Mike, and that left Jayden, Ji, and Brooke. Feeling the stares of the on her, Brooke let out her own sigh, burying her head in clawed hands. She avoided making eye-contact with the two, hoping Jayden would just drop what the nighlok said.
He did the exact opposite. "Was what the nighlok said to you true, Brooke? About your-" Jayden questioned, but was cut off by Brooke sucking in a sharp breath.
The silver ranger's voice was weak and full of fear when she spoke. "Drop it, Red. Please. I'm okay. I'm safe now, so you don't have to worry about me." Grey-gold eyes met blue, and Jayden could see the fear she tried to hide.
"Still, Brooke," Jayden started, and he knew he was walking on eggshells at this point. It was shown by Brooke's glare, but he ignored it. "You don't have to carry stuff like that alone." He reminded Brooke, who sighed and ran a clawed hand over her face.
"Jayden. Drop it," Brooke repeated, her voice much firmer, lips curled around her canines. "I'm serious. I don't feel like delving into trauma-land right now, because it's not a good place. I'm fine now. It happened years ago at this point, water under the bridge." She felt her body shake, and she tried to focus on her breathing, keeping her emotions in check. Shifting due to a spike in negative emotions caused a lot of energy to be used up, and there was a chance that the shifter could lose control of their wolf side, losing their humanity until they calmed down. Brooke recalled shifting due to a particularly bad mood swing, it causing her to lose her humanity, and when she snapped back to herself, she was covered in blood, a dead deer laying a couple of feet away from her. Not the best times.
"Water under the bridge?" Ji echoed, shooting a quizzical look at Jayden. The red ranger just shook his head, brows furrowed. "Brooke, what exactly did the nighlok say to you?" Ji questioned, and Brooke buried her head in her hands.
Not knowing if she would get lectured for telling Ji to drop it, Brooke just let out a sigh. "Nothing extraordinary. Insecurities, like the others." Her voice was muffled by her hands, and she had a lisp due to her canines.
"Brooke, you know what I mean," Ji chided, and frankly, he was worried. Did she learn about Nate? If so, that would cause a lot of turmoil that the older man wanted to avoid. While he didn't want to make the silver ranger upset, he needed to know. "What did the nighlok say to you?" Ji asked again.
A growl rose from Brooke's throat, and raised her head, making direct eye-contact with the man. "Nothing extraordinary. It was nothing." Brooke repeated, her voice emotionless. The quivering of her shoulders gave her away though, and Brooke didn't know if she was shaking due to anger or fear. Frankly, she didn't want to find out, shoving the emotions down.
"Brooke, it's not nothing," Jayden argued, a look of annoyance of his face. The annoyance was the one he felt when he wasn't being taken seriously, the discussion between the silver and red rangers unmoving.
Jayden was unwavering from this argument, and so was Brooke, and neither of the rangers backed down. The two were known as the most stubborn rangers for a reason, after all. Ji recalled a time when they were both ten, and they had gotten into a similar argument. It was because Jayden was spending all of his time training, and to say Brooke was upset was an understatement. The two children bickered for about an hour until Ji had to step in and break it up himself.
The older man wondered if he would have to step in now, because the teenagers fired retorts back and forth quickly, unwavering from their positions. The rest of the team had heard the two and (not so) sneakily eavesdropped, the four watching the two with looks of concern. The argument went on for a couple more moments, not going anywhere until Jayden's temper flared.
Jayden raised his hand, anger laced in his tone. "Brooke!" His voice was louder than he meant for it to be, and Brooke flinched, her expression turning into one of fear quickly. Seeing Brooke's change in demeanor, his anger immediately got replaced with one of fear, his blue eyes widening.
"I'm sorry- I'm sorry," Tears fell down Brooke's cheeks, and her chest heaved, taking in Jayden with wide eyes as panic overtook her body for the second time today. When Jayden stepped forward, she instantly scrambled back, boots squeaking on the floor. Brooke wrapped her arms around herself, her claws digging into her sweater as she tightened her grip. "I'm sorry." The silver ranger repeated, her voice quiet, panic written in her expression.
Jayden held out his hands in front of him, signaling that he wasn't going to hit her, hesitantly taking a step forward. "Hey, it's alright. I'm sorry, Brooke." He tried to make his voice as soothing as he could, but Brooke just shook her head, pushing past the others and running out of the room.
After Brooke left, the team, plus Ji, stood in shocked silence. That silence lasted for a while until Mike spoke. "Well, that means what the nighlock said about her dad hitting her was real." He concluded, and Kevin shot the green ranger a glare.
"Mike! Be respectful!" Kevin reprimanded, getting ready to launch into a lecture, but was cut off.
"Her dad hitting her?" Ji echoed, looking at Jayden in disbelief. Still, that meant Mary had been successful. Brooke did truly think of James as her father- but it didn't match up with what the older man had heard about the silver ranger's pseudo father. From what Ji remembered, James Wolfe was a nice man and did love Brooke like his own. It didn't make sense that James would be violent towards the girl he pictured as his daughter.
Jayden nodded, his mouth set into a thin line. "The nighlok told her that she deserved it," He explained, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a heavy sigh. He thought it as bullshit, frankly, because nobody deserved to get hit by their parents, and wanted to tell Brooke that, but it was too late. The look of fear Brooke gave Jayden caused him to feel like Xandred had skewered him, but emotionally. "But, we shouldn't discuss it without her. It would be a touchy subject for anyone, and I know Brooke. Us discussing it now would just make her more upset." Jayden urged.
"I think someone should check on her," Emily commented, a look of concern etched on her face. "Jayden, you're the closest to her. And if she doesn't want to talk to you, just let Mia and I know."
I'm still the one who caused this to begin with, Jayden thought bitterly, but nodded and left the meeting room. His converse made light taps on the wooden floors, and Jayden let out a deep sigh, trying to clear his head. He wasn't the best with conflict, and what happened with Brooke drove that point home. His stunted communication abilities made him wonder why his Dad made him stay locked up in the large dojo in the first place. Well, Jayden knew why. It was because he was the red ranger- and that was the most important thing in his life, well, it seemed like it. Still, Jayden thought he should at least have some ability to communicate, due to him being the leader of the team and all.
Stopping at Brooke's door, Jayden hesitantly knocked, wetting his dry lips and speaking slowly. "Brooke? It's Jayden, and I just wanted to check up on you. And apologize." He spoke through the door, and he cringed when he was met with silence. After a couple of awkward seconds, Jayden got ready to call Mia and Emily over to help, because he didn't know what to do.
However, it wasn't needed, because Brooke opened her door with a weak smile. "You can come in, it's okay." She grabbed his wrist lightly and pulled him into her room.
Jayden awkwardly sat on Brooke's bed, taking in her room as the silver ranger shut the door and took a seat next to him. It was identical to his, the only real difference being the leather jacket that was thrown on her desk chair and her doc martens that sat near the door. However, it did smell faintly of coffee and cinnamon, and it was strangely relaxing. Brooke noticed Jayden's inspecting the room and smiled faintly.
The pair sat in silence for a couple of moments, until Jayden spoke. "I just wanted to apologize for eali- you're a wolf again," He stated the obvious, and wolf-Brooke's tail wagged slowly. She rested her head on Jayden's thigh, and the red ranger blinked down at the wolf, heat rising to his cheeks. Jayden didn't even know why he was flustered, it was just an overgrown and feral dog, but his heartbeat still pounded loudly in his ears. Maybe it was because it was still technically Brooke, just in a different form, and it was her resting her head on his thigh. Pushing those thoughts aside, Jayden took in a deep breath and continued. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to trigger something for you."
He didn't know what to do with his hands, and Jayden didn't want to risk making her annoyed by petting her. So, he just rested his hand on the top of her head and prayed that it was an alright thing to do. It seemed to be, as wolf-Brooke closed her eyes, a seemingly peaceful expression on her face, her tail wagging slowly. Jayden smiled faintly at the sight and then wondered how he got here. If someone told him, just weeks ago, that his childhood friend- who was a wolf, would be happily resting her head on his lap, Jayden would've called bullshit. It was a strange situation, but despite the strangeness of the situation, he enjoyed it. He ran his thumb over the fur on the top of her head, surprised to find it so soft.
Jayden looked down at Brooke, who seemed to be enjoying his touch, her tail wagging slowly and her eyes closed. Smiling, he spoke softly. "I won't hurt you, I wouldn't. You have my word." He vowed, and after a couple of minutes, Jayden was surprised to find that wolf-Brooke had stopped wagging her tail. Knitting his brows, he peered down at the brown wolf and laughed slightly. She was asleep, and the only movements that came from her was a slight flick of her ears now and then.
Jayden found it cute- because it meant Brooke was comfortable enough to fall asleep around him. It reminded him when they were kids, when Jayden would have nightmares. Brooke had always found out and crawled into bed with him- sharing her stuffed wolf with him. Speaking of, his blue eyes landed on the wolf, which was sitting on her nightstand. It was worn with age, the fabric fraying in some areas and one it's button eyes a different size and color than the other, a replacement. Seeing the stuffed animal caused Jayden's heart to leap, because, it was still Brooke. It was the same Brooke that had held his hand and told him to squeeze it whenever he got scared when they were kids.
It was still his best friend, even if she couldn't remember him. They had both grown up, yes, but Jayden was happy to have the seventeen-year-old by his side like they were still ten. They might be fighting a war now, but Jayden was glad he had Brooke fighting alongside him.
--
The gap sensor blaring and her samuraizer beeping woke Brooke up, and she subconsciously shifted back into a human, feeling the roughness of Jayden's jeans on her cheek. Feeling her cheeks heat up, she sat up quickly, Brooke not wanting to start that conversation, and grabbed her samuraizer, and following Jayden as he ran out of her room. The rest of the team notice the matching shade of pink on Brooke and Jayden's cheeks and shared knowing looks. Still, the pink faded as the team reached downtown. The six rangers glared at the nighlok, forming their usual line.
"Anyone ever tell you you're a bully?!" Mia snapped at the nighlok, a look of determination on her face. The entire team was ready to finally end the creature, and not get blown back in the process. Hopefully, this time they wouldn't.
"Yup!" The nighlok chuckled. "Nicest thing anyone's ever said to me!"
"I wasn't loved as a child, but you don't see me acting like a complete dick," Brooke joked, her samuraizer making the familiar noise when she flipped the device open. Noticing Jayden's disappointed look, the silver ranger snorted. "Humor is a valid coping mechanism, y'know?" She replied cheekily, and Jayden rolled his eyes, nudging Brooke at then leading the charge,
"Samuraizer: Go Go Samurai!" The six drew their symbols and the ranger suits appeared on their bodies, the team drawing their blades and settling into fighting stances. "Rangers Together: Samurai Forever!" They all yelled the statement in unison and got ready to charge the monster.
The nighlok had other plans, snickering. "More like heartbroken forever! I know the truth about you, and you're really gonna have it!" The nighlok had decided to make Kevin its target, quickly moving closer to the blue ranger. Kevin moved to attack, but it was already too late, the three eyes on the nighlock's back flashing red as it spoke. "Mentor's Little Pet!"
With the insult, Kevin went flying, just like when they fought the monster the first time. Brooke froze for a moment, but then shook the negative thoughts out of her head. They were going to get through it, just like they always did. Plus, she had Jayden by her side, the red ranger radiating a "take no shit" attitude as he readied his spin-sword. Still, Kevin eating concrete before the battle even truly started was worrying.
"This isn't good." Brooke and Jayden stated in unison, and the other rangers, sans Kevin, shared knowing looks under their helmets. They noticed that the silver and red rangers seemed even more in sync than usual now, and it was amusing to watch, in a sense.
"Get away, weaklings! My business is with the yellow ranger!" The nighlok threatened, pointing a finger at Emily and summoning moogers.
"Go get 'em, Sunshine!" Brooke called to Emily, before jumping into battle herself, ducking before Jayden could hit her with his fire smasher.
Emily nodded, and the yellow ranger rushed forward, making quick progress with the nighlok. She kept fighting through most of the insults, and with the help of Mike, she let off a powerful attack that knocked the nighlok off its feet, the monster having stones shoved into its mouth. The team regrouped, Mike giving Emily a congratulatory side-hug.
Brooke nudged Jayden, grinning at him underneath the helmet. "Do what you do best. Light 'em up, Red." She urged the red ranger, who laughed slightly.
"With pleasure," Jayden answered, attaching the beetle disk to his fire smasher. "Cannon Blast Mode! Lock and load!" He seemed rather proud of the rhyme he created, and Brooke snorted as the original five put their disks into the fire smasher. Jayden fired, and soon the nighlok burst aflame, the rangers cheering triumphantly. However, the cheers ended when the nighlock grew in size and let out some witty comments that the team didn't pay attention to.
"Onto the second act, everyone!" Brooke called as she hopped into the cockpit of her wolf zord. The zord let out a happy bark, going into a play bow, it's metal tail wagging excitedly As the others formed the samurai megazord- Brooke still not getting over how slow they took to combine the zords, Brooke pushed the folded blade that was in the control panel forward. The mechanical wolf bounced happily, rushing the nighlok, who turned its back onto the silver ranger.
The eyes on the nighlok's back started to glow, and Brooke and the monster called out their attacks at the same time, Brooke pointing forward triumphantly.
"Three-Eyed Zapazoid!"
"Howl!"
The silver attack met with the purple lightning that fired out of the nighlok's eyes, but Brooke still got hit, the cockpit of her wolf zord shaking. She rooted her booted feet on the ground, clutching the control panel for dear life as purple sparks of electricity shocked her zord. The wolf zord instantly let out a pained whine, and Brooke cursed under her breath as she tried to keep steady footing.
"Brooke!" Jayden called in worry over the comms, the silver ranger regaining her footing and pulling her zord back.
"I'm okay!" Brooke responded, and her wolf zord whimpered, flattening its metal ears to its head. "It's okay bud. The others have our back." She soothed the zord, who pawed at the ground, letting out a whine.
"We do! It's okay!" Emily reassured the wolf zord in her usual cheery tone, breaking away from the main megazord. "Mike! You up for a combo kick?"
"Hell yeah! Let's do it!" Mike agreed, and the megazord's leg, which was controlled by Mike, kicked Emily's ape zord.
The ape zord, which was folded into its pyramid, was sent flying towards the nighlok and hit the monster in the face. The nighlok let out a snarl as Emily attached to the main megazord again. Jayden also summoned the beetle zord and connected it to the main megazord as well.
"What a dumb hat! What were you thinking?" The nighlok insulted with a sneer.
"Hey Red! Fire!" Brooke urged Jayden with her usual teasing tone, and her wolf zord let out a happy bark, regaining its composure.
"Full Pack!"
"Beetle Cannon!"
The silver and orange blasts hit the nighlok, and not soon after, with a couple more combined attacks, the nighlok ate shit, as Brooke liked to put it. But, as the nighlok fell, so did Emily, passing out from overexerting herself.
After the nighlok was defeated, the team took a walk around the city, Mike carrying Emily on his back, who was still knocked out, and seemed relatively dead to the world. "The nighlok must've gotten to her after all," Brooke murmured, her eyes flashing as she peered at the yellow ranger. She supposed that normal pedestrians just thought the blonde was taking a nap. "She did a good job of hiding it."
"Everybody has something they don't want to hear." Jayden agreed, glancing at Brooke out of the corner of his eye. Spending time with Brooke made him realize that he had feelings that he needed to keep hidden, most of them revolving around the silver ranger. The nighlock could've easily brought those feelings to light, but Jayden was grateful that the monster didn't. He just shoved the feelings down and hope they didn't come to the surface. Which worked. Sometimes.
"Girl's got guts! Her sister would be proud!" Mike congratulated, holding the yellow ranger in high regard. The entire team did, because if it weren't for Emily, they most likely would've still been picking themselves off of the ground. But they weren't, due to the yellow ranger. And the world was a little safer, which was a plus.
Brooke saw Emily break into a smile, obviously listening in. Letting the yellow ranger have her fun, Brooke turned her attention towards the road when she heard the cheery sound of an ice cream truck. The melody caused her to break into a faint smile, as the other rangers heard the sound a couple of seconds later, all of them perking up.
"Sure as hell sounds better than the gap sensor!" Mike commented with a laugh, and, in an instant, Emily had "woken up", wearing a large smile on her face.
"Did someone say ice cream?" Emily cheered, urging Mike forward. "Go go go! We have to catch up!"
As the five ran ahead, Brooke trailed slightly, getting lost in her own thoughts for a moment. However, it didn't last long, because she felt someone hold her hand. She looked up and Jayden, raising her eyebrows.
"C'mon, you've had a long day," Jayden urged, pulling her forward with a small smile. "Plus, I enjoy having you by my side." He added, mumbling, and Brooke's eyes widened, but she broke into her usual grin, shaking her head with a faint laugh, pink dusting her cheeks.
Letting Jayden pull her along, Brooke squeezed his hand, the red ranger returning the action. "Always will be." She vowed, her voice barely above a whisper.