After she had started reading her mother's journal, Brooke found herself having strange dreams. The dreams were the ones that left you more exhausted than before you went to bed- and Brooke couldn't decide whether they were better than her nightmares or not. At least with her nightmares, the silver ranger knew what caused them, and somewhat understood them. These dreams were vastly different, it was white lights, people yelling, and pain. It was an intense pain that seemed to be in Brooke's bloodstream, and she felt it when she woke up with a start.
It was the same now, Brooke nearly yelling out as the pain flared, gritting her teeth and death-gripping her comforter in clawed hands. It caused spots to decorate her vision, and she squeezed her eyes shut- willing the pain to subside. It did, somewhat, and she let out a quiet sigh of relief, ignoring the aching of her body as she swung her feet over the side of her bed. Pulling on Jayden's hoodie, Brooke grabbed her phone off of her bedside table and turned the device on, squinting as her eyes adjusted to the bright light. It was around 11:30, and Brooke wondered if Jayden was awake. She realized she wanted some sort of comfort, and she hoped that he could provide it.
Letting out a sigh, Brooke ran a clawed hand over her face. There was no harm in seeing if the red ranger was awake, so she did just that. Tucking her phone into her hoodie pocket, she stood, wincing when pain flared again, the silver ranger gritting her teeth as she somewhat stumbled to her door. Opening the door, her eyes flashed gold when she stepped into the hallway, and then breathed a sigh of relief. Jayden was still awake, as told by the faint light coming from his room at the end of the hall.
The pain had disappeared as Brooke padded down the hall, making sure to stay quiet. She had quickly learned how to walk silently when living with James- walking toe to heel, and it became a habit at this point. She reached Jayden's door silently, knocking quietly.
Jayden opened the door, his hair slightly damp and his brows furrowed, but soon relaxed when he realized it was just Brooke, who wore a weary smile. "Everything alright?" He asked quietly, and Brooke's smile fell.
"Yeah, for the most part," Brooke replied, her eyes flashing. "This is going to be a selfish request, but can I, uh, talk to you for a little bit? I understand-" She started, but Jayden cut off her nervous rambling by lightly grabbing her wrist and pulling her into his room, him shutting the door behind them.
"You don't have to ask-" Jayden made a noise of surprise when Brooke instantly wrapped him into a tight hug, burying her face into the crook of his neck. He frowned when he felt her shaking, him returning the hug. "You're shaking, what's wrong?" He asked when they pulled away, blue eyes meeting grey-gold.
Brooke's eyes flashed as she wet her dry lips. "Just a rough night," She confessed, letting out a shaky laugh. "Hellbrain won't shut off, y'know, the usual at this point." She didn't feel like explaining everything to Jayden, so she just… summarized. While she knew he would listen- she didn't want to take more of his time. Brooke considered herself lucky to get this far.
Jayden wore a small, comforting smile. "I understand all too well," He murmured, and Brooke watched as pink dusted his cheeks, the red ranger suddenly looking embarrassed. "You can stay if you want." He mumbled, and Jayden felt his heart pound in his chest. He didn't even know why he was embarrassed- he and Brooke used to share a bed whenever he had nightmares when the two were little, but this seemed different, in a way. Maybe it was because they were older? Jayden didn't really know, but he pushed those thoughts aside.
Brooke blinked in surprise and then nodded faintly. "Yeah, I would like that." She murmured in agreement, her voice barely audible as heat rose to her cheeks.
The two rangers were equally embarrassed, just staring at each other for a moment, but a loud ping! coming from Brooke's phone snapped them out of it. Pulling her phone out of the pocket of her- well, Jayden's hoodie, Brooke read the notification. It was Casper telling her goodnight, and she texted him a quick response, then turning her phone on silent, turning to face Jayden. She opened her mouth to speak, only ducking before a pillow could hit her, leveling a glare at the red ranger, the pillow hitting the floor with a thump.
Jayden felt the corners of his lips twitch, raising a brow. "What?" He feigned ignorance, playing Brooke's usual game against her. He knew it was childish- very much so, but he wanted to break the silver ranger's upset mood. He didn't necessarily know-how, so Jayden just did what she did to make him feel better, which was acting somewhat childish.
It did work somewhat, and Brooke rolled her eyes with a grin. "I call bullshit- you know exactly what you're doing." She retorted, picking the pillow up off of the floor and throwing it back at the red ranger, who swatted it away with a small laugh. Brooke then shifted, the brown wolf hopping onto the bed and sitting on her haunches, wolf-Brooke's fluffy brown and white tail wagging slowly.
Smiling fondly at the wolf, Jayden got into bed fully, turning off his bedside lamp. Once the room was cast in darkness, he heard the faint rustling of his sheets, feeling wolf-Brooke make her way to his side. Once she laid down, she shifted back, and Jayden concluded she was using her wolf form to hide her embarrassment, which was something he found endearing. Pulling the comforter over them both, Jayden then loosely wrapped an arm around Brooke's waist, ignoring the pounding of his heart and the heat rising to his face.
Brooke quickly made herself comfortable, and she rested her head on Jayden's chest, hearing his heart rate slow. "Thank you." She murmured, and Jayden's hand removed from her waist to her hair, him lazily running his hand through it.
The action was calming, and Brooke felt herself falling asleep quickly. Before she drifted off, she heard Jayden respond. "Of course. I'm always here for you." He promised, his voice quiet, and the corners of Brooke's lips twitched upwards, the silver ranger making a silent vow to herself as she let sleep overtake her. It was the vow to keep Jayden close- because she didn't want to lose him.
--
Brooke skidded to a stop when the morphed team reached Panorama's memorial garden, taking in the sight. There were countless moogers in the area, which quickly surrounded the team. A loud crashing snapped Brooke's attention to the giant moogers, who had appeared and started to wreak havoc on the taller buildings the city offered.
Quickly coming up with a game plan as she and Jayden cut down moogers side by side, Brooke turned her attention to the green and blue rangers. "Mike! Kevin! We need to get the battlewing ready!" She called over the sounds of battle, and when the silver ranger saw the two rangers nod, she removed the wolf disk off of her Wolf Kunai, throwing it in Jayden's general direction. "You might find some use for that while I'm in the skies." She motioned to the silver disk, performing a somersault over a mooger's attack.
Jayden caught the disk with ease and put it on his spin sword, slightly taken aback when a burst of adrenaline and strength filled his body. "Thanks, Brooke, stay safe." He urged, turning his attention back to the battle.
"Always am," Brooke responded, soon finding herself in the cockpit of the tiger zord, the silver ranger folding up her megablade and sticking it into the control panel.
Upon hearing the familiar rawr of the tiger zord, Jayden felt his lips twitch into a smile. The wolf disk was incredibly useful, the boost of strength was a nice feeling. Still, it made him curious as to where it came from- as his own disk didn't give him a boost of strength. Summing it up due to Brooke's powers of being a shifter, Jayden swung his spin-sword with ease, slicing through moogers cleanly and causing the creatures to fall to the ground.
Still, it seemed like whenever a mooger was cut down, five more appeared in its place. "Sure hope they show up soon!" Emily spoke breathlessly, cutting down multiple moogers at once.
Jayden inwardly groaned at the onslaught of moogers, but he didn't share his displeasure with the others. "We're capable, and they're on their way." He reassured the two girls, landing powerful strikes. Jayden brought his gloved hand up to the wolf disk on his spin-sword, watching the blade on his sword light up in a mix of red and silver. "Spin-Sword: Blazing Wolf Strike!" He yelled out the attack, swinging his sword around his body in a large circle. A large ring of fire appeared, setting most of the moogers ablaze. The creatures that weren't ablaze were dealt with by two translucent silver wolves, who lunged at moogers and barked happily.
Meanwhile, the beetle and swordfish zords had appeared, moving towards the giant moogers. "We got giant moogers dead ahead!" Mike declared through the comms, excitement laced in his tone. "Let's do it, Brooke!"
Brooke grinned underneath her silver helmet as she flipped open her samuraizer and drew the combination symbol. "Zords Combine: Samurai Battlewing!" The silver ranger called out, the three zords forming the battlewing. "Let's give 'em hell!" Brooke challenged, pointing forward enthusiastically.
The battlewing soared through the skies, knocking down the giant moogers, sparks flying from the creatures wherever the combined zords made contact. It wasn't long until all of the giant moogers were defeated, Brooke finding herself in the midst of battle on the ground again. Spying Jayden, she shifted, the brown wolf lunging at a mooger that had gotten too close to the red ranger to her liking.
"Thanks," Jayden remarked, wolf-Brooke letting out a happy bark and shifting back, Brooke drawing her Wolf Kunai and cutting down moogers in rapid succession. "Does the wolf disk always give you a boost of strength?" The red ranger wondered, and the silver snorted.
"Dunno, if it's a steroids disk, it's a steroids disk. Just trying not to get my ass kicked, for the most part," Brooke jokingly responded, ducking under a mooger's swing and responding with her own slashes. "Why? Is it really making a big difference? It might be because you're not a shifter- or the fact you're not used to fighting with a power that's not elemental based."
Jayden blocked a mooger's attack and quickly kicked it back, following up with a strike that caused the creature to explode in a flurry of sparks. "Whatever it is, it's powerful," He concluded, and Brooke let out a bark of laughter.
"I'll take it," The silver ranger mused as the team circled up, the moogers not stopping their assault. "It's a full house today." She summarized, gold eyes scanning the area underneath her silver helmet.
"Man, there's a whole lotta ugly here," Mike remarked, readying his sword again once the team had fully regrouped.
It looked like the team hadn't even made a dent. "Let's change that!" Brooke urged, sliding the wolf disk in place on the Wolf Kunai, Jayden handing the silver disk back to its owner. "Wolf Kunai: Full Pack!" Brooke slashed with the kunai, soon the others performed their special attacks as well.
Even with the six attacks, it barely made a dent, annoyance radiating off of the rangers. "Ugh, they're like roaches!" Mia complained, Brooke switching out the Wolf Kunai for her katanas.
"Then we have to be the exterminators!" Kevin retorted, and with that, the team jumped into battle again.
Brooke and Jayden stuck close to each other like they usually did, covering each other's blind spots and weak points with very little verbal communication. It was an almost comforting routine- however, that soon fell when the moogers and cracks in the pavement started glowing, a feeling of dread consuming the silver and red rangers. "Silver and red rangers, silver and red rangers." The moogers chanted, starting to make their way over to the pair.
"What's going on?" Jayden wondered aloud while Brooke muttered "what the fuck", swapping her katanas for her kunai.
The cracks started to glow even brighter, and Brooke and Jayden tensed, sharing a worried look underneath their helmets. As the rest of the team froze, the two rangers continued fighting, slashing down moogers as the voice continued chanting. Brooke started to feel the dull throb of her arms and sweat form at her hairline, but she just grit her teeth, cutting through more and more moogers. She wondered why the voice- who Brooke was guessing was Xandred, wanted her. It somewhat made sense as to why Xandred would want Jayden, he was the leader of the team- the red ranger. But her? She knew she wasn't particularly human, but doubted it was because of that. Then, Brooke remembered something in her family's archives, and her eyes widened slightly. Well, fuck.
"Protect yourselves!" Both Jayden and Brooke barked when the team circled around them, seemingly making the move to protect them.
"Red, your lion disk!" Brooke urged, and Jayden nodded, taking the red disk off of his spin sword and handing it to her, who replaced the wolf disk with the lion disk. Brooke spun the disk, and when the blade of her kunai lit up red and silver, she spun the weapon in her hand once and then pointed it towards the sky. "Blazing Wolves!" The silver ranger yelled, slashing down with her Wolf Kunai.
In a burst of silver and red energy, two wolves made of fire appeared, the team letting out noises of shock. The two wolves turned their attention to Brooke, who pointed forward. "Sick 'em!" She screamed, and the wolves started doing just that, bouncing around and lunging at moogers, setting moogers on fire, and cutting them down.
"That's new," Jayden remarked, taking the lion disk back from Brooke, and watching the two wolves. One had taken a mooger's leg in its mouth and was shaking it like a dog toy, its fluffy tail making contact with moogers behind it and setting them ablaze. The other was lunging about, biting and slashing with claws and teeth.
"Thank the archives," Brooke remarked breathlessly. "I can probably try it with the others' disks too, but I'm closest to you, and since the wolves are technically made up of our symbol power, they'll listen better." She panted, turning her attention to Jayden. "You can try commanding them if you want."
Jayden nodded, letting out a loud whistle. The wolves instantly perked and turned their attention to the red ranger, pupilless eyes glowing bright orange. "Finish it!" He commanded, and pulled Brooke closer to his side, preventing her from getting burned as the wolves howled and disappeared in large amounts of fire.
The fire wiped out all of the moogers, but before the team could say anything, the cracks started glowing again. "Red and silver rangers, you're in danger!" The voice threatened with a laugh, and then faded out, and the cracks stopped glowing.
Jayden let go of his hold on Brooke as the two rangers demorphed, Jayden going to inspect one of the cracks, and Brooke sniffing the air. Despite the smell of the moogers- which was fading quickly, it all smelt normal, which was extremely concerning. Brooke ran a clawed hand over her face and glanced at Jayden, who was glaring at one of the cracks, his hands curled tightly into fists.
The red ranger knew exactly what the threat meant for him- it was about the sealing symbol, which wasn't even his job in all actuality, but Brooke? That concerned Jayden to no end- she was the last person Jayden wanted to be directly threatened by Xandred. Blue eyes landed on the silver ranger, who was deep in thought, her eyes flashing as she shoved her clawed hands into her pockets- and something about it made Jayden's heart hurt. He didn't know exactly what about the expression made him feel this way, perhaps it was the fear she was trying to hide, but Jayden could tell that she was scared, by the faint shaking of her shoulders. All he could do was walk to her side and faintly nudge her shoulder, Brooke giving Jayden a forced smile that was laced with fear in response.
"Alright, can someone please tell me what the hell that voice was?" Mike exclaimed, glancing at Brooke and Jayden.
"I've never heard something so evil," Emily added with a mutter, curls bouncing as she shook her head faintly.
Mia seemed to connect the dots, turning her attention to the silver and red rangers. "That wasn't a normal nighlok, was it?" She questioned, and Jayden let out a quiet sigh.
Glancing at Brooke one last time, Jayden turned to face Mia. "It wasn't," Jayden agreed, his voice monotone. He had shut off his thoughts and emotions- he didn't need them now. "I think it was Master Xandred."
Brooke tensed, getting ready to sprint back to the Shiba House, but was stopped by Jayden grabbing her arm. "Red, I know why Xandred's after me," Brooke muttered, her eyes turning pure gold. She tried to control her racing thoughts- piecing blurbs of information she had picked up from the archives together. "It's about the sealing symbol- a sealing symbol." Luckily, the team was too consumed in their own theories to notice Brooke and Jayden, Brooke looking like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
Jayden felt his eyes widen slightly and nodded curtly. "Lead the way." He urged, and Brooke nodded.
--
The two had made it to the Shiba House much faster than the others, Brooke quickly collecting her family's archives and notebook as Jayden went to go get Ji. The two walked into the meeting room to find Brooke frantically flipping through the archive.
"A sealing symbol?" Jayden questioned, and Brooke nodded, finding the page in the archive.
Ji watched the two in concern as Jayden took a seat next to Brooke, the red ranger peering at the archive. "You're talking about the cage symbol, aren't you?" The older man asked, and blue and gold eyes snapped towards the older man, both sparkling with confusion.
"The cage symbol?" Jayden echoed, looking at Ji, and then Brooke in confusion.
Brooke nodded. "I hadn't translated the page yet, because I thought it wasn't that important, but since Xandred wants my head, I'm guessing it's a pretty serious thing," Brooke replied, letting out a sigh, starting to read from the page. "Cavea principalis in figura est signum cione- The cage symbol is a symbol like the Shiba family's sealing symbol, but is held by the Wolfe family," She translated and read aloud, biting her bottom lip.
"It uh, fuck, I'm skipping that because I can't translate that off of the top of my head, but quod est esse in signo tenuit in domo Shiba- it is to be used with the symbol held by the Shiba family. If not, and only one symbol is used, the sealing power is weaker, and not permanent," Brooke finished, looking at Ji with raised eyebrows. "I understand about half of that- so please share with the class."
Ji let out a heavy sigh, trying to find the rights words to say. "What the archive says is true. Part of the reason Xandred has returned is that Jane- she was killed before she could master the symbol, and was unable to use it against Master Xandred," He explained and noticed the guilt forming on Brooke's expression. "Your mother's fate wasn't planned, Brooke. It's not your fault things ended up this way."
Brooke shot a wide-eyed look at Jayden, who loosely intertwined his fingers with hers. He felt her claws prick his skin, but he didn't mind that much. He was concerned about Brooke, who looked like she was going to burst into tears, stress, and guilt etched on her face. Jayden opened his mouth to ask Ji questions but was cut off by Mike.
"What's this about Brooke's mom? Are you guys keeping secrets from us?" Rapid-fire questions fell from Mike's mouth, but the silver and red rangers didn't respond, only dropping hands.
Brooke sucked in a sharp breath- and with that, everything went neutral. She entered a dissociative like state, just listening to the conversation around her. It was easier that way, as she wanted to slam her head against a wall until she was unconscious, but she couldn't do that. So, she just shut everything off, only really paying attention to Jayden, who sat beside her. He had seemingly done the same, the silver and red rangers almost falling silent as Ji sat down on one of the cushioned seats in the meeting room.
"There are secret symbols that can be used to create a seal, the previous red ranger used it to imprison Master Xandred." Ji started, and Jayden blocked it out. He remembered the night he got told his father had fallen in battle- it was a night he surely wouldn't forget, and one that appeared in his nightmares a fair bit.
"So that means it's up to Jayden now?" Mike asked, his voice quiet.
"Yes, only members of the red ranger Shiba family can use the seal," Ji replied, and Jayden felt his body tense. He hated this. Jayden knew it was an elaborate set of lies that kept everyone safer, but after so many years? He hated it.
Kevin looked at Ji quizzically. "But Master Xandred also mentioned Brooke as well. Does she have some sort of sealing symbol?" The blue ranger questioned.
"Yes, the Wolfe family has its own sealing symbol- called the cage symbol. However, Jane Wolfe, Brooke's mother, had been killed in the surprise attack when it started." Ji lied, looking at Brooke out of the corner of his eye. He knew he needed to tell the truth, and was making things worse by lying more- but Ji couldn't find the heart to tell Brooke that her mother technically had killed herself- and was bleeding out on the side of a mountain for hours before being found.
"That means you two are the real deal." Mike let out a low whistle, and the silver and red rangers didn't respond.
Emily looked at the pair, respect gleaming in her eyes. "Still, they both gave their lives to protect us." She murmured, and Jayden and Brooke glanced at each.
Taking in Jayden's look of wanting to leave, Brooke nodded faintly. She noticed the tension in his body- and didn't blame the red ranger. She wasn't doing much better, frankly, she wanted to have a mental breakdown. However, Brooke knew she couldn't do that. But she could leave. When Jayden rose to his feet, she shifted, the brown wolf padding at the red ranger's side as they both left the room.
--
Jayden had sought solace in his room, planning to just change into his training uniform and just do something to clear his mind, and that plan was going pretty well, until he heard the others talking in the outdoor dojo, him hiding at the doorway to eavesdrop.
Brooke walked down the hall, noticing Jayden and raising a brow. The red ranger only motioned towards the outdoor dojo, and realization dawned on the silver's face. Brooke made her way to Jayden's side, walking silently and leaned against the wall, tuning into her wolf hearing.
"If we work as a team, we can protect Brooke and Jayden from anything!" The two heard Kevin state, and the silver and red rangers both cringed, sharing a look of annoyance.
"Now I see it!" Emily agreed. "This is what we've been training our whole lives for-"
Brooke and Jayden seemed to have the same idea, the two rangers nodding slightly and moving from their hiding spots, Jayden standing at the doorway and Brooke leaning against the door frame. "That's bullshit," Brooke spoke, eyes flashing and her voice cold as the rangers' eyes landed on the pair. "We don't need special treatment- focus on keeping yourselves alive."
Jayden nodded. "It's not necessary, protect yourselves. It's business as usual," He tried to keep his tone as emotionless as he could, but some of the anger he tried to hide seeped through. His body was tense as he grabbed a training sword from the rack and moved to one of the training dummies. "Stay focused on the battle at hand as a team, okay?"
"We must protect you two- at all costs!" Kevin argued, and Brooke wondered if there was a symbol power to shut people up.
"Enough," Brooke demanded, pushing herself off of the doorframe and starting her walk to the gate that was near the outdoor dojo. "It's too much. Keep yourselves alive, we can protect ourselves. Don't throw your lives away like that- and it's a shitty way to live. I speak from experience." She had used to view Maxx and Casper in the same light, it was overbearing and incredibly stressful. She didn't want the team to view her as some sort of martyr, either.
"It's too much of a burden to bear." Jayden agreed, and he felt Brooke's fingertips brush his arm.
"I'm going on a walk. Good luck." Brooke murmured so only Jayden could hear, and the red ranger nodded.
Truth be told, Jayden now wished he had asked to go on a walk, but it was already too late now. Plus, Brooke's body language made it clear that she was going to snap, by the way her eye twitched and her canines were fully bared. So, Jayden left her alone. "Stay safe." He muttered, and Brooke nodded, forcing a smile.
"Always am," Brooke replied, and then with that, she left.
The silver ranger had made it to the heart of Panorama when her samuraizer started beeping. Brooke let out a sigh, running a clawed hand over her face, pulling the device out of her pocket. Flipping the device open, she cursed under her breath, spinning on her heels and sprinting back the direction she came, grey military boots silent on the pavement.
--
Brooke didn't bother with shifting back, only reaching the edge of a steep incline, golden eyes taking in the scene. Jayden was fighting the nighlok- alone, which was pretty concerning, and the silver ranger's gut told her to rush in and help him. So, she planned to do just that, surveying her surroundings. Climbing down carefully would take too much time, so wolf-Brooke just started sliding down the cliffside, digging her paws into the loose soil to provide some sort of grip.
Mike was the first one to notice the brown wolf. "Brooke!" He called, getting wolf-Brooke's attention, and the nighlok's.
"Ah, yer the other one who has the tricks up your sleeve! The boss has a problem with ya!" The nighlok sneered in a Scottish accent, and Jayden grit his teeth. He wanted Brooke by his side- he always did, but something about the nighlok was unnerving to the red ranger.
Jayden pushed those thoughts aside, racing forward and getting to attack the nighlok again- but it was too late. "Brooke!" His voice came out more worried than he liked, but still. It got the point across.
Wolf-Brooke felt her senses respond to a shift in energy, and she saw that the nighlok was charging up some attack, Jayden being flung to the side like a chew toy. As the nighlok fired its double slash move, she pooled all of her strength into her hind legs and leaped off of the cliffside. While she still dodged most of the attack, the force from it hitting the cliffside caused Brooke to fly farther than she expected, the brown wolf letting out a sharp whine as she collided with the ground.
The impact caused Brooke to forcibly shift back into a human, the silver ranger rolling a couple of times. Still, she quickly forced herself to her feet, cutting off the team before they could start. "Focus on yourselves!" She barked, turning her attention to Jayden. While she knew it would make him annoyed- he was getting his ass somewhat kicked. And Brooke didn't want to see Jayden Shiba die today.
To prevent that from happening, Brooke took off in a sprint, flipping open her samuraizer. "Go Go Samurai!" She yelled, and as the familiar suit appeared on her body. The fear that filled her gut was soon replaced with adrenaline, and she moved as quickly as she could, sprinting to reach the nighlok and Jayden.
The nighlok had sent Jayden flying and was now walking towards the red ranger. "Yer down and you'll soon be out!" The monster threatened, swinging down, and Jayden braced himself for the pain that was going to come.
It didn't come, replaced by a loud clang of Brooke's katanas meeting with the nighlok's blade. "Brooke?" Jayden murmured in surprise, the silver ranger landing a strong kick against the nighlok and sending the monster stumbling back.
"You absolute dumbass," Brooke replied, helping Jayden to his feet, the red ranger picking up his spin-sword. "Stupidity will get you killed on a battlefield-" She started, but cut herself off when she felt her senses perk again. The nighlok was charging up another one of his double slash moves, and Brooke flipped open her samuraizer and drew a symbol quickly. "Protection!"
The silver symbol did absorb a large amount of the attack, but the portion that didn't get shielded hit Brooke with full force. The silver ranger fell off the side of the cliff, and she could barely make out Jayden's concerned yell as she hit the ground. The pain that filled her body was immense, but she found herself still morphed, staggering to her feet. Her eyes landed on Jayden, and Brooke felt her blood run cold.
The warning died in Brooke's throat as she watched Jayden take a double slash straight on. She ignored the shaking of her hands as she drew the protection symbol again, the symbol providing a cushion so that Jayden didn't hit the ground as hard as she did. It worked, and Brooke cleared her head, moving quickly and kicking Jayden's spin-sword in his direction. She picked up her abandoned katanas, ignoring the pain that flared with every step.
The red and silver rangers moved on instinct now, rushing the nighlok without saying a word to each other. The blasts the two took weakened them, however. Brooke and Jayden landed on their backs, and while Brooke shifted and started tapping into the energy she reserved for her wolf form, Jayden didn't have that. Still, she could keep the nighlok busy- or so she thought. Keyword: thought.
The nighlok viewed Jayden as the weaker target, as he couldn't even stand. "I'd thought you'd be tough, but you're crawling around like a bug!" The nighlok snickered, and Brooke lunged with a growl, her claws making contact with the nighlok. However, the nighlok landed a strong slash to the brown wolf's side, which sent wolf-Brooke flying. "The both of ya!" The nighlok mocked, readying its blade and turning its attention back to Jayden. "And I love to crush bugs! Double Slash!"
When Brooke landed on the ground, she shifted back, and could only watch in horror as the nighlok fired the double slash move with the intent to knock Jayden down for the count. She couldn't muster enough strength to get up, let alone use enough symbol power to activate the third protection symbol of the fight. The scene played in slow motion, and Brooke felt her heart stop when Kevin and Emily ran forward- taking the double slash head-on.
As the yellow and blue rangers hit the ground, demorphed and unconscious, Jayden let out a yell. "No! This is exactly what I didn't want to happen!" His voice was so pained that it made Brooke's heart hurt.
Mike and Mia yelled the fallen ranger's names, and Brooke willed herself to her feet, wincing with every step she took. Her entire body hurt, but she could still fight. She was still morphed, so Brooke concluded she was doing better than Emily and Kevin. When the nighlok started to walk towards the red, yellow, and blue rangers, the silver broke into an uneven jog, ignoring the pounding of her head and the pain that flared from her ankle. She would protect them, that's the best she could do, right?
"Those fools must really care about ya! That's their mistake!" The nighlok sneered, pointing its blade at Jayden, and Brooke drew her Wolf Kunai, getting ready to fire off an attack that would at least direct the nighlok's attention to her.
However, the next couple of seconds seemed to happen in a blur. Mike and Mia ran up to protect the three other rangers, and right before the nighlok could attack, a new nighlok- Deker, appeared. Deker easily cut the pink and green rangers down, the two rangers hitting the ground and demorphing, and Brooke found herself dumbstruck for a moment. This- this couldn't be real. The nighlok was already giving them enough trouble as it is, but Deker?
Snapping out of her trance, Brooke shook her head and narrowed her eyes. Just another threat. She just had to keep herself alive, and that was kind of easy. Kind of. Sheathing her kunai, Brooke shifted again, quickly making her way over to Jayden's side. The silver ranger shifted back, grabbing Jayden's spin-sword off of the ground and blocking Deker's strike before it could decapitate the red ranger, who was struggling to find the strength to sit up.
"Can't you read the room?" Brooke spat at Deker, narrowing her eyes and pushing skeletal nighlok away with all of her strength. It worked, but pain instantly arose, Brooke gritting her teeth as she turned her attention to Jayden, holding out his spin-sword towards him. "Here, I gotta feeling this is gonna get a lot tougher." The silver ranger spoke breathlessly, and the red took the spin-sword out of the her gloved hand.
"Brooke-" Jayden started, worry seeping into his tone, but Brooke shook her head, cutting him off.
"Focus on yourself, it's gonna be okay, Red," Brooke reassured Jayden, who was unconvinced but didn't say anything else. "You handle Double Slash Guy and I can take Deker?" She questioned, and Jayden glanced at Brooke out of the corner of his eye.
They both weren't doing the greatest, but the two rangers knew they had no choice. Jayden was worried, and he also realized he was scared. Scared for himself, scared for the team, it was a type of fear that Jayden hadn't felt before. He tried to shut his emotions off- like how he usually did, but the red ranger was too exhausted for that. Jayden, for once in his life, couldn't stuff down his emotions, and that was extremely concerning. This whole battle was extremely concerning, and the way it was going? It didn't seem like it would end well for the two remaining rangers.
Still, Jayden swallowed past his fear and nodded faintly. "That's fine. Just… please stay safe." The last part ended in a mumble, and Brooke couldn't find the heart to respond like how she usually did. He sounded so small, and it made her somewhat upset.
"You too. If you need anything, yell. I'll be there." Brooke promised, and the silver and red rangers collected their bearings as the two nighlok argued.
"Deker?" The Scottish nighlok blurted, seemingly in shock. "What are you doing here?" The monster questioned, confusion mixed with surprise laced in its tone.
Deker had recovered quickly from Brooke shoving him backwards, and his voice was calm. "Red and silver are my opponents- not yours," His voice suddenly turned venomous, and both Brooke and Jayden got ready to lunge. "Please leave."
"And what if I don't want to?" The Scottish nighlok spat, and with that, the battle began.
Brooke and Jayden fell into their usual routine again. The two rangers rolling out of the way of the two nighlok's attacks, Brooke turning her attention to Deker. Her dual katanas clanged against his one, and Brooke felt Jayden beside her, him having blocked the Scottish nighlok's blade with his spin-sword.
"It's showtime, Red," Brooke muttered, and Jayden nodded, the two rangers sprinting off in different directions.
Brooke felt her bad ankle start to throb as she half ran away and half fought Deker. That fact in itself caused the silver ranger to inwardly groan because these things always seemed to have the worst timing. Still, she fought through the pain, slashing at Deker, and gathering enough strength to kick him back again. Brooke knew that she was running off of pure adrenaline at this point, and she spared a glance at Jayden. He seemed to be doing alright- the blade of his spin-sword being on fire, so everything was somewhat normal at his end. That was relieving, at least. Returning her attention to Deker, Brooke blocked his swing with one katana and performed an uppercut with the other, sparks flying where the silver blade made contact with the nighlok.
Deker seemed taken aback, but soon regained his composure. "Well done, silver ranger. We're not so different, you and I." The nighlok congratulated, and Brooke jumped over his low swing. When she landed, she felt her ankle shift out of place, and Deker saw his opportunity. With a carefully aimed swing to Brooke's ankle, he sent the silver ranger to the ground, who demorphed and let out a yell of pain that almost sounded like a howl as she landed in the dirt.
As the Scottish nighlok dried out, Jayden felt his blood run cold at Brooke's yell. He turned his attention to the silver ranger, and the red went onto autopilot. Tightening his grip on his spin-sword, the red ranger broke into a sprint, feeling his warning call die in his throat as Deker swung for Brooke's neck.
Brooke raised her kunai just in the nick of time, her arms shaking from the kickback of Deker's blade colliding with the weapon. "Oh, we're incredibly different," Brooke spat, lips curling around her canines and eyes pure gold. Bringing a clawed hand up to the wolf disk on her kunai, she spun the disk quickly. As the blade glowed silver, she screamed out the attack. "Lone Wolf!" With what little strength she had left, Brooke forced herself to her feet and slashed Deker in the chest, which sent the nighlok staggering back with a noise of surprise.
Brooke felt the adrenaline leave her body after that, and she staggered backwards, losing grip of the Wolf Kunai. The weapon fell to the ground and disappeared in a flurry of silver particles, and so did her katanas. While she just accepted she was just going to make contact with the ground, Brooke surprisingly didn't. Instead, Jayden caught her before she could fall, the red ranger offering himself as support.
"While you did provide a strong counterattack, that was too easy," Deker stated matter-of-factly, and Jayden narrowed his eyes underneath his red helmet, holding his spin-sword in front of himself and Brooke protectively. "This isn't the battle I want, and it's clear that Rabtish's double slash took too much out of you both. Uramasa won't be satisfied unless you two are at your peaks, but next time, you will taste his slash." Deker threatened, and Brooke choked out a warning.
"We gotta move." Brooke hissed out in pain, ignoring the spots decorating her vision. Jayden nodded, taking her clawed hand with his gloved one and running to the side as Deker swung.
The nighlok's swing cut a large rock cleanly in half horizontally, the top half crashing to the ground. "Now go, you two will need to be at full strength to even have a chance against me." Deker challenged, leaping to the top of the incline. In a flash of purple, the nighlok changed forms, revealing a man with black hair and a beard. "You two will satisfy my hunger, a hunger that I've had for centuries. So for now I leave you two be until you two are again at your best, and then we will duel."
Brooke didn't comprehend much, as the energy left her body once again. Her bad ankle gave out, and she cursed under her breath as she lost her balance. Before she could hit the ground though, Jayden pulled her close to his chest, Brooke staring at his red helmet with unfocused eyes, her features having returned to normal.
Jayden demorphed and tried to mask the worry on his face. "I've got you, it's alright." He murmured to Brooke, and she only nodded, closing her eyes and seemingly falling asleep. Or losing consciousness, he couldn't tell.
Brushing some of her hair out of her face, Jayden sat on the ground, somewhat cradling Brooke against his chest. He heard Mike calling Ji- that was good. Jayden didn't know if he had the mental strength to do that. His blue eyes scanned Brooke's face, which was crusted with dirt and some blood from a bloody nose. The picture made Jayden's heart hurt, and he didn't know why.
"I'm sorry." Jayden choked out, his voice barely above a whisper as he turned his attention to the other members of his team.
Emily and Kevin were down for the count, and Mia was comforting the yellow ranger to the best of her abilities while Mike was on the phone with Ji. Jayden realized that this was his fault- his team had gotten hurt because of him. The guilt came crashing down, and the red ranger couldn't lock those feelings away, no matter how much he tried. And he wanted to.
--
The rest of the night passed in a blur for Jayden, he remembered getting told that Brooke and the others were okay- just beat up. But it didn't lessen the guilt he felt. In fact, him being the only one relatively unscathed made things worse. So, Jayden made a snap decision, planning to return to his room and get ready to leave. However, he was surprised to hear a faint voice.
"Red?" Brooke's voice was groggy, and she rubbed her eyes. "Everythin' okay?"
Jayden saw the bruises starting to decorate her arms and legs, frowning. "You should be in the med bay." He didn't answer her question directly, and Brooke only limped forward, wrapping him into a tight hug. Brooke's fluffy black hair tickled Jayden's face as she buried her face into the crook of his neck. He didn't know if she knew what he was thinking about, or just wanted a hug, but he nearly cried.
Jayden's emotions were too haywire for his liking, and Brooke holding him like she didn't want to let go was the one good thing he's felt all day. He offered a weak smile to the silver ranger, who blinked at him owlishly, and Jayden realized that the pain meds were probably making her out of it. Still, it was Brooke, and Jayden would take it.
Loosely intertwining his fingers with hers, Jayden led Brooke in the direction of her room. "Let's get you to bed, you need the rest." He spoke softly, and Brooke nodded.
"Was goin' to get your hoodie anyway." Brooke declared with a tired voice, and a ghost of a smile appeared on Jayden's lips. It was a little bit of a struggle, but eventually, Brooke was in bed, Jayden kneeling at her bedside.
"I'm sorry," Jayden whispered, and the blankets shifted, Brooke turning her unfocused gaze to where she guessed the red ranger was.
She couldn't process much, as Ji had given her pain meds and meds to help her sleep- and Brooke noticed that they weren't mixing that well. "For what?" She sleepily replied, furrowing her brows. "We're alive." She tried to sound convincing, but her words slurred together somewhat.
Jayden could only form a weak smile, and he waited for the silver ranger to fall asleep, which didn't take long, before speaking again. "Goodnight, Brooke, sleep well." He murmured, gently cupping her face in his hands and pressing a faint kiss to her forehead.
With that, Jayden shut Brooke's door behind him as he stepped out into the hall, returning to his original plan. After shrugging on his jacket and packing his satchel, Jayden made his way out of the Shiba House. As he walked through the wooden gates, the red ranger turned his gaze to the sky, noticing the full moon that was shining bright.
He wasn't worth the lives of others- not him. I'm too much of a hazard, Jayden thought, turning his attention away from the full moon. I don't hold the most weight on his shoulders. Gravel crunching underneath his footsteps, the red ranger made his way to the streets of Panorama.