Brooke stood on a battlefield, surveying the area. The others were nowhere to be found, and it didn't smell like nighlok. But she was here, of all places. She didn't know why, or why her heart was pounding in her chest with a mix of adrenaline and anxiety. Her katanas were on her back and her kunai at her hip, so it wasn't like she was defenseless. Still, she felt scared- her not feeling Amaris' presence in her mind made it worse. Brooke realized she needed the white wolf now more than ever, as who was presumably her opponent strolled up. She, her opponent, was nonchalant, if not somewhat smug, a ghost of a smirk on her lips.
She had wavy black hair that stopped at the middle of her neck, strong cheekbones, and somewhat slanted eyes. Grey-gold eyes met grey, her traditional grey, and Brooke realized she was looking at herself. And she concluded that Cognitive-Brooke was looking for a fight, as her katanas were on her back and her kunai resting on her hip. It was almost like a mirror image, Brooke struggling to find the words to say as she just stared at her cognition. Everything was the same, and she realized she was looking at a person she loathed.
"No need in hiding it, y'know," Cognitive-Brooke stated, inspecting her nails, seemingly bored. Upon not getting a response, she raised her head, peering at Brooke skeptically. "Christ, Brooke. Thought you would be quicker than this." She chided, snapping her fingers for emphasis.
"Hiding it?" Brooke echoed, finally regaining her composure. Hearing her own voice coming from another person was unnerving. Even if the person was a cognition. Or that's what Brooke assumed, for all she knew this could be fucked up hallucination. But, by the way Cognitive-Brooke was walking around and talking, she wasn't a hallucination.
"C'mon now, do I need to spell it out for you?" Cognitive-Brooke mocked, quirking a brow as her eyes flashed. However, Brooke didn't respond, only inspecting her cognition quizzically, who let out a sigh. "Fuck, guess I do," She muttered, annoyance crossing her features. "I hate you." She declared, drawing her Wolf Kunai and pointing it at Brooke.
Who wasn't really surprised about that statement, self-hatred was a thing Brooke hid behind false confidence for years. "Glad to see the feeling's mutual." She retorted, hooking her thumbs on the belt loops of her black jeans.
"No, you don't get it," Cognitive-Brooke snickered, breaking into a sinister grin. Her eyes were blazing gold, and she had a slight lisp when she spoke. "I'm everything you hate about yourself! I'm every regret, every bullshit action, you've done over the five fucking years you've had your memories. Which was a lot, by the way," She stated, drawing her Wolf Kunai and throwing it up in the air, catching it with ease and pointing it at Brooke. "I'm every insecurity you've had, the ones you stuff down with a shitty excuse of a poker face. Every fear. Everything in your life that you loathe. It's fitting that I'm you, isn't it? I'm the person you hate the most." Cognitive-Brooke's grin grew wider as Brooke's eyes narrowed, landing on a color that was identical to her cognitions. Blazing gold, sparkling with hatred and slight fear.
"If you want to start a fight- make the first move. You should know that if you're me." Brooke spat, digging her booted foot into the dirt. She wasn't morphed, and she had a feeling she couldn't. At least her military boots had good ankle support.
"I won't hold back." Cognitive-Brooke threatened, and when Brooke let out a growl in response, the battle began.
When her cognition ran into battle with a yell- jumping up and performing a downwards strike that was identical to Jayden's, Brooke simply rolled out of the way. Before her cognition could react, she slammed the bottom of her foot into Cognitive-Brooke's side, sending her tumbling sideways. "Using Red's move? Really? Thought you would be quicker than this," Brooke mocked with a bark of laughter, drawing her own Wolf Kunai. "You can do better." She added, Cognitive-Brooke regaining her composure.
"You bitch!" Cognitive-Brooke screamed, breaking into a sprint, the sound of metal clanging against metal reverberating around the two silver rangers.
Fighting against herself was strange, Brooke coming up with moves on the fly as her cognition obviously knew her fighting style. It was getting to the point where she had to use moves she learned back when she was younger to win a fistfight. Making a move to slam her elbow into Cognitive-Brooke's nose, she instead made a noise of pain. Staggering back, Brooke cursed under her breath at the blood gushing from the gash on her arm. Still, she shook it off and ran back into battle.
It was like they were getting nowhere, as most moves were either blocked or parried. Cognitive-Brooke slammed her foot into Brooke's bad ankle, hearing it crack and watching in amusement as Brooke landed hard on her back. She let out a yell of pain, but it quickly died when her cognition wrapped a clawed hand around her throat. Feeling the claws dig into the skin of her neck, her airway getting more and more restricted by the minute, Brooke forced herself not to hyperventilate.
Cognitive-Brooke snickered at that, her sinister grin returning and her gold eyes sparkling with malice. "You want Red to save you, don't you?" She wondered, tightening her grip on Brooke's neck, who let out a whimper. "He's not coming. He'll leave you in the end, y'know? History likes repeating itself in different ways," Her claws were now drawing blood, black spots decorating Brooke's vision as she struggled to breathe. "How strong you are. Relying on someone else, every damn time. Because you're not as strong as you try to be. You never will be, you're just a pathetic twelve-year-old with no memories of before." Cognitive-Brooke hissed, leaning forward slightly, and Brooke saw her chance.
Curling her clawed hand into a fist, Brooke landed a strong punch on her cognition's noise. That caused her to make a noise of pain, loosening her hold on Brooke's neck. Who moved quickly, pushing her cognition off of her and scrambled for her Wolf Kunai. Her fingers curled around the hilt of the weapon, and with a deep breath, she skewered her cognition in the side. Her chest heaved, Brooke barely making out the person in front of her. All she knew was that she needed to kill Cognitive-Brooke, she was a nuisance, and the noise of pain she made was like music to Brooke's ears.
Brown and white fur sprouted on her hands, arms, and cheeks, her ears becoming longer and more pointed. "I don't need Red. I'll kill you," Brooke growled, her upper and lower canines clicking together as they grew in and hit each other. "You're nothing but a threat. I don't give a damn whether or not I fuckin' kill you." She spat, her eyes blazing gold as she grinned.
She pulled her Wolf Kunai out of Cognitive-Brooke's side, knocking the cognition over with ease. Brooke skewered her in the heart, pulling out her kunai. The leaf-shaped blade was coated with blood, her making a move to stab her cognition again- but her vision cleared. Instead of herself, it was Jayden.
His chest was heaving, Brooke instantly letting out a strangled noise of fear. "Red- Red." She choked out, noticing the crimson that was staining his red shirt. Jayden was dressed like he did when they were going to the concert, but now his face was coated with blood, his blue eyes not having their usual warmth in them. They were full of fear and pain, Brooke feeling as tears ran down her cheeks as she sat on her knees by his side.
She forced herself to act, quickly pulling her grey t-shirt over her head. Brooke balled it up, forcefully applying pressure to the wound on Jayden's chest. The wound she caused, her body shaking as she tried to stop the bleeding. It wasn't working, her grey shirt quickly getting stained with blood. So were her hands, and Brooke gagged at the smell of blood. Still, she pressed on Jayden's chest, him making a grunt of pain. She let out a sob at that, her arms shaking as she squeezed her eyes shut. Tears fell from her cheeks onto his chest, her letting out a noise of surprise when she felt a warm hand brush them away.
"Hey, hey, Brooke. Brooke, it's me. It's Jayden," Jayden's voice sounded calmer, like he wasn't bleeding out from a stab wound Brooke caused. The smell of blood was replaced with spice and smoke, quelling her anxiety, to a degree. "It's just a bad dream, I'm right here. Open your eyes, I'm okay." He soothed, gold eyes instantly snapping open.
Brooke's chest heaved as she bolted upright. She was coated with sweat, her hair stuck to her forehead, and her face shining in the yellow light. Tears mixed with sweat rolled down her face, and she took in both of her childhood friends' concerned looks. Jayden was kneeled at her bedside, Antonio sitting on the edge of her bed. Amaris was also awake, her ears flattened to her head and her violet eyes shining with concern from where she sat by Brooke's feet.
Instead of feeling safe like she usually felt, she felt trapped. Her body shaking violently, Brooke scrambled away from the three. She went to go scan Jayden's face, but her eyes fell on another figure. It was James again, but this time he had thin silver chains in his hands. "I got rid- rid of you. Go- go away," She choked out, gold eyes meeting blue. James said nothing in response, but Brooke saw how his grip on the chains tightened. "Leave me alone." She begged, her claws sinking into the comforter as she clutched onto it like a lifeline.
Both Jayden and Antonio furrowed their brows, glancing at the spot that Brooke was talking to. Nobody was there, and the two shared a worried look. Amaris, however, knew what was happening and bounced over to Brooke, nuzzling her cheek as a means to calm her down. It worked to a degree, as she stopped staring at the spot, blinking rapidly. James was gone, but that didn't help with the feelings of panic and being trapped. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed, and it felt like she couldn't keep air in her lungs.
"Brooke-" Jayden started, reaching out, Brooke shaking her head rapidly.
"Don't- I'm sorry," Brooke spoke, her own voice sounding foreign to her. Ah, so it was one of these panic attacks. The ones that made her wolf out, and she peeled off Jayden's flannel to find brown and white fur sprouting on her arms. "I- I need to- to go." She stammered, her upper lip curling around her canines. She hurriedly got off of her bed, slipping on her vans, her entire body shaking.
"Do you want someone to go with you?" Antonio offered, and Brooke nearly laughed. Instead, she let out a sob, shaking her head faintly.
"Please don't follow me. I- I don't want you guys getting- getting hurt because of me," Brooke replied, her voice an almost incomprehensible mixture of a growl and a sob. She opened her bedroom door, shooting her two childhood friends a forced smile. "Love you both." She murmured, and with that, she sprinted down the halls of the Shiba House, quickly reaching the outdoor dojo. She heard her bones pop and crack, her senses sharpening as nothing but a sense of bloodlust started filling her head. Brooke found herself drooling over the fading scent that Jayden carried, hungry eyes snapping to the back entrance of the Shiba House.
Shaking those thoughts out of her mind, Brooke wiped the drool off of her chin. She just had to make it to the woods, and she broke off into a sprint, crashing through the gates. More fur sprouted across her body, her nose becoming a snout as she made a beeline for the woods. Crashing through the underbrush, she allowed herself to shift, the golden eyes the brown wolf carried cutting through the darkness.
That left Jayden and Antonio both sitting in Brooke's room, trying to process what just happened. Amaris was still sitting on the bed, her ears flicking as she appeared to be lost in thought. "I was able to catch a glimpse of her night terror." She murmured, laying down fully and curling into a ball. Her fur was bristled, so she actually looked like a puffball, radiating a faint silver glow from where she was in the middle of Brooke's bed.
"...It was bad, wasn't it? She's had nightmares before- but she's never screamed like that." Jayden pointed out, Brooke screaming his name ringing in his head. That's what woke him and the rest of the team up, to begin with, fear instantly clawing at his heart. It wasn't even Red, it was Jayden.
"Brooke was fighting herself, in both a literal and figurative sense. I could only see so much, as her brain subconsciously blocked me from reading her thoughts, but she presumably lost sight of her humanity. Killing the cognitive version of herself caused it to change forms, taking Jayden's upon itself. That is what caused her to scream," Amaris explained, her ears pressed to her head. Even she looked shaken up, which was strangely out of character for the white wolf. "She is alright, I am still feeling her presence. All I am able to ask of you two is to not overwhelm her, as she has lost sight of humanity. She will presumably be back tomorrow." She added, but it was little reassurance for the red and gold rangers.
The three sat in silence again, Jayden trying to sort through his thoughts. He had just bought Brooke a necklace- and she screamed out his name because she killed him in a dream. It was almost laughable on how things went from enjoyable to hell on earth in a matter of hours. He knew it wasn't her fault, and he didn't blame her. He just didn't know what to do.
"Do you have any idea on what to do?" Jayden blurted, petting the top of Amaris' head gently. She had tucked her snout under her tail, shutting her eyes and not saying anything. "We're not ten anymore." He remarked, Antonio letting out a weak laugh.
"Yeah, we're not," Antonio muttered in agreement, clasping his hands together. "I think… this is bigger than us. Deja que las cosas sean," He thought aloud, noticing Jayden's confused look. "Leave things be. It's the best we can do at the moment." He explained, Jayden frowning slightly, but eventually letting out a heavy sigh.
"Yeah. You're right," Jayden agreed hesitantly, his mind at war with his heart. While a part of him just wanted to comfort Brooke- he knew that this was bigger than his comfort. "I- I bought her a necklace. I was planning to actually tell her how I felt about her- but I don't think that's happening anytime soon." He joked bitterly, Antonio raising his eyebrows.
"With what money? You didn't steal anything, did you?" Antonio teased, trying to lighten the mood. It did work somewhat, as Jayden felt the corners of his lips twitch.
He shook his head, letting out a quiet laugh. "Ji used to give me an allowance, and I have a credit card I never really had a use for," Jayden explained, one hand stroking Amaris' fur. "If he looks at the purchase history, I might be in trouble, but… It's worth it." He stated, glancing at his flannel on Brooke's bed. The fact she wore it made him happy, but it still didn't stop the sense of worry he felt. He didn't know what to do in that regard.
"Took you seven years." Antonio joked, Jayden lightly hitting his shoulder and rolling his eyes in response.
"I'm going to head to bed," Jayden stifled a yawn with his hand. He felt a tension headache coming on, so he planned to sleep it off before it got too bad. He rose from where he was kneeled at Brooke's bedside, ignoring the ache in his legs as he did so. "Amaris, you can stay with me, if you want." He offered, the white wolf lifting her head and blinking slowly.
She thought for a moment, then standing up and stretching. Amaris shook out her fur, letting out a yawn of her own. "That would be ideal, thank you," She thanked, then turning her attention to Antonio. "Goodnight. Sleep well." She murmured, nuzzling his cheek.
"'Night, you two. See you, and Brooke, tomorrow." Antonio mused, scratching behind Amaris' ears and then standing up from his seat on the edge of Brooke's bed.
"Let's hope," Jayden muttered, glancing at Brooke's samuraizer and phone from where they laid on her nightstand. He couldn't even get in contact with her if he tried, and he wished he could. However, he also knew she was in no state to answer or hold a meaningful conversation. So, he kept his wishes to himself.
A wolf howling broke him out of his thoughts, Jayden and Antonio sharing the same thought process. It was most likely wolf-Brooke, as she and Amaris were the only wolves that were in the area. It made Jayden wonder how he ended up catching feelings for the amnesiac who could turn into a wolf at will. Not that he was complaining, he was glad his brain decided to fixate on Brooke, but at times like these, all he could do was let out a faint laugh. Turning off the lamp on her nightstand, he walked out of her room, Amaris padding beside him, shutting the door behind himself.
--
Letting out a groan as she woke up, Brooke blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight filtering through the canopy of the forest. Once her eyes adjusted, she forced herself to sit up, surveying her surroundings as the gears in her brain started turning. She felt nauseous and exhausted, her head pounding in steady tune with the beating of her heart. Her body also throbbed, but Brooke shoved it aside as her senses started to kick in. She didn't know why she was in the woods of all places, but she realized it wasn't for a good reason as the smell of blood assaulted her senses.
It was coming from her, Brooke looking down at her body. The grey tank-top she was wearing was streaked with blood, her legs caked with a mixture of dirt and blood as well. Her hands and forearms were the worst, as she could barely see her skin with the amount of blood that covered it. It was all just red- and not the pleasing color Jayden usually wore. Brooke knew it was bad to be covered in so much blood, but she couldn't feel anything. Instead of her emotions she just felt blank, a husk of herself.
She sadly knew the feeling all too well- it meant that she had lost sight of her humanity, wolfing out. Well, at least it meant there were no hallucinations, but Brooke couldn't even be somewhat relieved at that. With the limbic system controlling her shifting and her emotions, whenever she uses up all of the energy her wolf form provides her, her emotions tapped out. It was good in some cases, such as now, because that meant Brooke couldn't have another panic attack and wolf out for the second time. It was bad because she knew she would have to take the walk of shame back to the Shiba House and face the team.
"Fuck." Brooke groaned, pushing herself to her feet. That caused a new wave of nausea to surface, and she tasted blood as she wet her lips. It wasn't human blood, it was deer, which was a taste that was sadly familiar as well. So, she had presumably eaten raw deer. That thought alone made her stomach churn, and while Brooke could eat raw meat and not face any consequences, she didn't enjoy it.
Grey eyes scanned the area, and Brooke didn't even know where the fuck the deer was. It wasn't anywhere near her, and she couldn't find the mental strength to care. Something else would eat it sooner or later. She couldn't even tell where she was, as she didn't recognize the area, surprisingly enough. And it's not like she could retrace her steps, she didn't even have memory of running into the woods. All Brooke remembered was waking up in bed from a nightmare. It wasn't much to go off of, her letting out a quiet sigh.
Luckily, in a flash of silver, Amaris appeared. Violet eyes scanned Brooke's blood-covered body, filling with concern for a moment. However, it quickly got snuffed out by her usual motherly look. "Glad to see you are alright, my dear." The white wolf greeted, Brooke forcing a small smile.
"We're surviving, Amaris. That's pretty much it," Brooke muttered the last sentence, swallowing down stomach acid. She wanted a nap in Jayden's arms- but she also didn't want him to see her like this. "Can you take me back?" She asked, turning her attention to Amaris.
The white wolf said nothing but obliged, and, in a flash of silver, Brooke found herself standing at the edge of the woods. Spying the gates leading to the Shiba House, she started walking, sorting through the static that was her thoughts. She didn't want to do this, frankly, she wanted to get blackout drunk and deal with the consequences later. However, it wasn't possible, Brooke letting out a sigh as gravel crunched under her feet and Amaris' paws.
"I will help you in facing the others. Do not worry in that regard." Amaris reassured Brooke, reading the silver ranger's thoughts. She was unfazed by that, grey eyes showing no emotion, her mouth and chin covered in blood.
As she got closer to the back entrance, Brooke heard the sounds of the rest of the rangers training. Well, there goes her plan of just sneaking in and taking a shower. She had to face the others covered in deer blood- one of which she had feelings for. Great. She didn't even know what to really say, she couldn't really come up with a proper explanation other than "I wolfed out". She didn't even want to bring up the fact that she ate raw deer, so she wasn't planning to.
Only Mike, Emily, and Kevin were training, actually, which made things a little easier. The three rangers snapped their attention to the silver, eyes widening as they took in the fact that Brooke was covered in blood.
"Oh my god, Brooke! Are you alright?" Emily exclaimed frantically, running over and instantly inspecting Brooke for any injuries.
"It's fine. it's not mine," Brooke replied, her voice almost monotone. She tried to force a smile, but she looked more pained than anything, so she quickly gave up on that. "Deer. Wolfed out." She explained, noticing that Mike had gone back into the Shiba House to get the others. Fuck.
Emily's eyes widened, the younger girl obviously trying to process the information. "Deer? As in… you killed it?" She thought aloud, Brooke bracing herself for the fear that was going to shine in the yellow ranger's eyes.
However, it never came, and that caused a tiny sense of relief to break through Brooke's emotionless state. "Yeah," Ate it, too. She agreed, the sense of relief instantly being snuffed out. "I can't control it, obviously, and I became a wolf. Physically and mentally." She declared, peering over Emily's shoulder.
Grey eyes met blue, Jayden instantly feeling a sense of relief wash over him. She was okay. However, that relief soon turned into worry, not even for the fact that Brooke was covered in blood. Well, that was one of the reasons, but the most prominent one was the way her eyes seemed lifeless. His eyes sparkling with a mix of worry, relief, and concern, Jayden hesitantly took steps forward to stand next to Emily. Amaris' words rang in his head, and he knew he shouldn't overwhelm Brooke. The six other rangers knew they could be walking on eggshells if they weren't careful.
"You guys have those looks in your eyes," Brooke announced, scanning the team's faces. "The "I'm trying not to show my fear" looks. You don't have to hide it, I understand completely why'd you all be scared." Her emotionless expression broke for a second, an expression of hurt crossing her features, but it was quickly snuffed out again.
"Brooke, you're covered in blood. I think we have a right-" Mike started, Kevin instantly cutting him off and saving the conversation.
"Do you know what happened?" Kevin questioned, Brooke letting out a forced laugh that sounded like a noise of pain.
"If I knew, I'd tell you. All I remember is waking up from a nightmare, and then I woke up in the middle of the woods covered in blood," Brooke answered, glancing back at the way she came. "The deer's somewhere in there," She muttered, letting out a quiet sigh and turning her attention back to the six other rangers. "Anyways, I'd get why'd you all be scared of me. No use hiding it, I understand. If this hasn't happened four other times, I'd be scared too." She added, pointing to herself with her thumbs for emphasis.
"We're not scared of you, Brooke. We're scared for you, is there anything we can do?" Mia offered, Brooke sucking in a sharp breath. She was obviously struggling to find the right words, so Amaris chimed in.
"Leave her be, she is fine. It is a factor of life for shifters, there is no reason for concern." Amaris responded, her tail and ears flicking once.
Nodding weakly, Brooke flashed the team a thumbs up. "I'm sorry for worrying you all, I'll try to make sure it won't happen again. I can't promise anything, however." She mumbled the last sentence, the six other rangers sharing worried and slightly unconvinced looks.
"Okay, but if you need anything, you can come to one of us. We're happy to help you." Emily offered, shooting Brooke a reassuring smile. She only flashed a thumbs up in response, four of the six rangers turning around and walking back into the Shiba House.
That left Antonio and Jayden, both of them looking at their childhood friend with concern. "How are you?" Antonio asked, cutting Brooke off when she opened her mouth to answer. "Truly?" He added, Brooke running a hand over her face and letting out a sigh.
"I… I don't know. Tired and empty, mostly. That's about it," Brooke responded, making a random hand motion and then dropping her hands to her sides. "It's fine. It's happened before, it'll probably happen again. Don't worry about me." She urged, brushing past the red and gold rangers to head inside.
"We care about you, okay? Remember that." Jayden reminded Brooke, grabbing her wrist before she could head inside. He had honestly expected her to respond negatively, to just brush him off and continue walking inside.
"I care about you two. So so much," Brooke replied, shooting her two childhood friends a small smile. Although it being barely there, it was genuine, sincerity breaking her monotone voice. "I just need to be alone for a bit. I'll be back to myself in a little while." She promised, and with that, she walked back into the Shiba House, Amaris padding beside her.
--
Jayden's meetings always had the worse timing, and he felt guilty when he saw the dark circles under her eyes. Brooke had just finished getting dressed when he had called the meeting, wet strands of hair framing her face. At least she didn't look emotionless anymore, exhaustion taking the place of the dead look in her eyes. Jayden had told her that she didn't have to come, but he knew it was somewhat pointless. Brooke was going to work herself to the point of self-destruction, which is something that he didn't want to see happen. However, he knew it was just a factor of being a ranger at this point. If he was in the same state- he'd still have to direct the meeting.
Six of the seven rangers were present, Kevin surprisingly being the one that didn't show. Brooke had taken her usual seat, somewhat zoning out as she judged the color of red Jayden wore for the day. He still had the grey overcoat- the emotional support overcoat, if you will, with the traditional red crewneck t-shirt underneath. The t-shirt was a darker red, but Brooke was snapped out of her analysis when Jayden started talking.
"The bullzord has the power to combine all of the zords into the samurai gigazord," Jayden explained, holding the bull disk in his hand. Grey eyes met blue, he and Brooke launching into a silent conversation for a moment. "Even the Wolfe family." He added, answering the silver ranger's silent question, who looked more relieved than anything.
"Yeah, but that's some bad mojo. There's a reason the bullzord was buried away for three hundred years." Mike pointed out, Brooke laughing quietly, something akin to playful mischief sparkling in her eyes.
"Bullzord failed the vibe check," Brooke muttered under her breath, sliding the compass charm on her necklace back and forth. It was a habit at this point, she always did it during meetings. It kept her hands busy.
While Jayden didn't hear what she said, Antonio did. He playfully slapped her leather-clad shoulder, Brooke snickering and breaking into a grin. That's another thing the team picked up on, the silver and gold rangers always bounced off each other during the meetings when Ji wasn't around. Most of the time Jayden just let his two childhood friends do their thing, as it did make him happy to see the two rangers acting like they did when they were ten. It was a sense of bittersweet nostalgia.
"No doubt it's risky. If not done right, all of the zords could be obliterated. But," Jayden started, walking over to Antonio and clapping the gold ranger on the shoulder. "I'm sure Antonio can do it." He finished, handing the bull disk to Antonio, who was surprised at the sudden attention.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, but Kevin is the one to go to for megazord combinations," Antonio stated, setting the bull disk on the coffee table.
"Thought you got in trouble." Brooke teased under her breath, dropping the compass charm. She grinned in response to Antonio's deadpan look, but soon her focus snapped to Jayden.
He had taken his usual seat next to Brooke, the smell of spice and smoke instantly clouding her brain. She was still too tired to shift, her eyes weren't even flashing, but her senses were still heightened. Not that she was complaining, and the warmth he almost radiated was nice as well. "You two are something else," Jayden muttered, his two childhood friends grinning. "Meeting adjourned." He added, Emily scanning the five other rangers.
"Where is Kevin, anyway?" Emily wondered, knitting her brows.
Mike, however, didn't seem to share the same worries. "He's probably training somewhere. It's Kevin, he'll be fine." He answered, rising from his seat. Mia and Emily shared a look of uncertainty but nodded hesitantly, the three rangers leaving the meeting room.
That left Brooke, Jayden, and Antonio. The three sat in silence for a couple of moments, until Brooke broke the silence with a yawn, which she stifled with her hand. "God, I'm so tired." She complained, letting out another yawn.
"It's good to see your back to yourself," Antonio remarked, Jayden silently offering Brooke his shoulder.
"Yeah. Wolfing out fully just fries my brain to the max. My personality decides to leave for a little bit." Brooke replied, shooting Jayden a thankful smile and then resting her head on his shoulder. Soon spice and smoke was the only thing she could smell, and she tried to keep herself awake, she really did.
It was all for naught, because Brooke almost instantly fell asleep, Jayden shaking his head with a small smile. "That was fast." He mused, using his free hand to brush some of Brooke's hair out of her face.
"You're whipped." Antonio declared, Jayden rolling his eyes as heat rose to his face.
"Yeah, I know." Jayden agreed, his voice quiet as he glanced down at Brooke sleeping on his shoulder.
There was no use in denying it anymore, Jayden had stopped playing the game of denial with himself when he bought the necklace. Which was awkward in itself, as he had no idea as to what certain gemstones or crystals meant, but he managed. At least he thought he did- and all he needed to do was confess. Which was the hard part, but he'll work it out somehow. He was planning on writing a letter- since he was already probably doing too much. It also made it easier, because Jayden didn't have to talk. Which meant less room for error, less of him tripping over his words.
He wanted everything to be right- as Jayden didn't want to lose one of his best friends and his crush. It was his only crush, and he wanted it to stay that way. He wanted to have Brooke in his life for as long as he could, but expressing that was difficult. Especially when you're already lacking in some social skills and are not exactly the most in-tune with your feelings. Even still, it'll work out. Like it always does.
--
A nighlok always ruined the show, the six morphed rangers reaching the park. Kevin was also present, but he wasn't morphed, but Brooke didn't focus on that for very long. With a discreet nod to Jayden, the red and silver rangers leapt upwards and performed identical downward strikes. The strikes sent the nighlok toppling to the ground, smoke rising from its body as the two rangers landed on their feet.
As the nighlok shouted out in surprise, the green ranger turned to the blue. "Kev, morph already!" Mike urged, Kevin's expression instantly filling with a mixture of guilt and frustration.
"I wish I could, but the nighlok ate it," Kevin explained, four of the six rangers making noises of surprise.
"Ate it?" Mia echoed, her voice filled with disbelief.
"Don't worry, we'll stop him. Just stay back." Jayden commanded as the nighlok picked itself off of the ground. He and Brooke glanced at each other, the red ranger readying his spin-sword while the silver readied her Wolf Kunai. She felt exhausted, and she knew she couldn't shift without passing out. But, Amaris was awake and present in Brooke's mind, so that was reassuring.
"Y'know it's rude to interrupt someone when they're eating!" The nighlok chided, its arms growing and barreling towards the rangers.
Before the nighlok's arms could make contact, a translucent purple wall appeared in front of the seven rangers. "It's like that long-armed one from forever ago," Brooke recalled the memory with a bittersweet smile. It was before she knew what she was getting into, when she had much less trauma. Though it was a good memory overall, because now she had the team by her side. "I can't shift right now, but I can tell you where the arms are coming from if you want." She offered and was pleasantly surprised to see Jayden nod.
"Yeah, that would be great. Thanks." Jayden thanked, Brooke humming in response.
After the rest of the team got knocked down, the silver and red rangers ran forward. They moved in mostly silent harmony, Brooke calling out where the nighlok's arms would pop up every now and again. Once she and Jayden had settled into a routine, the two rushed the nighlok. They both slashed twice with their blades, the four attacks sending the nighlok flying backwards in a small explosion.
"Forget this, I'll just eat somewhere else." The nighlok grumbled as it landed near a grate. The monster then picked itself up off of the ground, disappearing in a flash of dark red.
"That was fast." Mike summarized, the team jogging over to where Jayden and Brooke were standing. The six rangers sheathed their blades and demorphed, their suits disappearing in flashes of their respective symbols in their respective colors.
"Yeah, but what about Kevin's samuraizer?" Emily wondered, knitting her brows slightly as she peered at the grate from where she was standing.
"He'll be back when he gets hungry. By the looks of it, it shouldn't be that long." Antonio replied, Brooke running a hand over her face.
It felt weird to not have her inhumane features, and she didn't feel like Brooke. However, she shoved that feeling aside for the time being, hooking her thumbs on the belt loops of her jeans. "Is it bad I'm not even surprised about all of this? Like," She cut herself off with a yawn, stifling it with her hand. "Compared to the other stuff we've seen, this is much tamer. Even if it's a nighlok eating until it fucking explodes or something." She finished, glancing at Kevin. Mia was trying to console him to the best of her abilities- which was something she actually did quite well.
"Yeah, but I feel bad for Kevin," Emily remarked, the four others jogging over to the blue and pink rangers.
"Don't worry man, we'll get it back," Antonio reassured Kevin, but the blue ranger seemed unconvinced. He said nothing about it, however, Brooke noticing that his eyes were locked on a poster.
--
That night, the team, sans Kevin again, sat in the meeting room, the six rangers throwing out ways to get the blue ranger's samuraizer back. Brooke had even brought out her notebook and was flipping through her family's archives to see if there was anything useful, half paying attention to the conversation at hand. Amaris was asleep on the cushioned seat next to her and Jayden, the white wolf resting her head on the red ranger's thigh.
Despite the situation, Jayden was somewhat content. The tension headache hadn't even started yet, it could be the first day in a while where he didn't have one. Which would be nice, because it's been months since he hasn't relied on ibuprofen to get him through the night. The thought was strangely freeing, but he didn't show it. He just locked his emotions away, keeping his face neutral.
"Kevin's back," Brooke announced, not even looking up from her notebook when her hearing perked. It took a couple seconds, but the blue ranger rounded the corner, stopping in front of the entrance to the meeting room.
"Dude, where have you been? We've all been thinking of ways to get your samuraizer back." Mike questioned, but Kevin didn't seem too thrilled about it. He didn't seem to be too thrilled about anything, his voice monotone as he spoke.
"Oh, yeah. Right, thanks." Kevin thanked, but he sounded dejected and defeated. With that, he walked down the hallway without a word of explanation as to why he sounded so out of it.
"It's more than just the samuraizer," Mia concluded, watching Kevin's retreating form with a small frown. "I think something happened." She speculated, turning her attention back to the team.
"You're right. I saw this in town today," Ji agreed, seemingly materializing out of nowhere, the older man having a rolled-up poster in his hand. "Kevin's old swim team is in town for the regional finals." He explained as he unfurled the poster on the coffee table, the team almost crowding over it.
Sniffing the air, Brooke nodded. "Chlorine," She declared, wrinkling her nose slightly. "It's pretty strong too, so it must be a public pool." She added, grey eyes landing on the hallucination of the day. This one was even more concerning then James or Jane- it was Deker.
The half-human had his sword in his hand, his gaze levelled with Brooke's. "Silver ranger, we shall duel again." He stated, the ranger in question jumping up from her seat.
Her chest heaved and she moved without thinking, summoning her Wolf Kunai and sending the weapon hurtling towards Deker. The tip leaf-shaped blade was pointed right at his heart, but the kunai phased through the hallucination. It embedded itself into the wall behind the hallucination of the half-human, Brooke resummoning her Wolf Kunai in her hand. She raised the weapon to throw it again, but was stopped by a warm hand grabbing her arm. It was Jayden, him standing up from his seat, Amaris also being awake and looking at Brooke with concern.
"Brooke, nothing's there. It's alright," Jayden reassured Brooke, dropping her wrist. All she did was nod, her kunai disappearing in a flurry of silver particles, grey eyes still transfixed on the spot. He then continued the meeting like nothing happened, trying to change the subject. "Listen, Kevin can't fight without his samuraizer, and he needs time to figure things out." He stated, Mike nodding.
"Then we'll give it to him. And find his samuraizer in the process." Mike vowed, and with that, the meeting was over. Most of the team left the room, the trio of childhood friends and the white wolf somewhat lagging behind.
Brooke shifted her attention away from the wall, planning to call Nate for reassurance and then cry herself to sleep. The hallucination of Deker had left, but she couldn't necessarily feel relieved about it. Since the hallucinations were talking- it meant they were getting worse. And while she didn't want to tell Ji or Jayden about them, she realized she just might. The internal debate raged on, but it was solved rather quickly.
"Brooke, do you have a moment?" Ji's voice snapped Brooke out of her thoughts, and she turned to see the older man looking at her with a mix of sympathy and concern. "You're having hallucinations, aren't you?" He speculated, Jayden and Antonio sharing a confused and worried expression.
"Wonder what gave that away," Brooke joked bitterly, motioning to the hole in the wall that the Wolf Kunai made. "But, yeah. Deker talked to me just now, that's why I flipped my shit." She answered, instantly noticing Jayden's fight-or-flight response to the half-human. He didn't say anything, but she felt as he gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.
"How long have you been experiencing them?" Ji questioned, Brooke counting her fingers and muttering under her breath for a moment.
"Three days? Maybe four at most, they all just blur together at this point." Brooke answered, noticing the fact that Jayden's hand didn't leave her shoulder. She didn't say anything about it, it was grounding, in a sense.
Ji let out a sigh at that, thinking about what to say for a moment. "I will let Nate know. If they get too severe, or any worse, please let me or him know. That is not something that should be taken lightly." He urged, Brooke nodding. This time she was glad her inhumane features tapped out because the amount of stress that just hit her was immense.
"Understood." Brooke agreed, Ji nodding and then leaving the meeting room.
That left the three, Jayden and Antonio instantly turning their attention to their childhood friend. "Hallucinations?" They both blurted in unison, and if it wasn't directed at her, Brooke would've found it funny.
"Brooke, you could've told one of us." Jayden reminded her, his hand dropping from Brooke's shoulder to his side.
"That's something you can't deal with on your own." Antonio agreed, nodding slightly.
Brooke slid the compass charm back and forth on the chain of the necklace chewing on her bottom lip. She tried to think of the right thing to say, to somehow get Antonio and Jayden off of her back. "You both have enough on your plates as it is, I don't want to overburden you guys with my bullshit. It's all on me, and I don't want to drag you guys into it." She muttered, dropping the compass charm and levelling her gaze with Jayden. He had the crease about his eyebrow that meant he was slightly annoyed, Brooke bracing herself for that.
"If it's affecting your performance in battle, Brooke, I need to know. That's my job. As your leader, I need to know what's going on with you, at least to a degree, so I can plan accordingly. I need to know these things for a variety of reasons," Jayden argued, but his voice was soft. The last thing he wanted to do was make it seem like he was angry at Brooke, because he wasn't. He was more worried than anything. He didn't even want to pull the "as your leader" card, but he felt like it was the only thing that would get across at the moment. "It's not dragging me into things if I need to know them. You've been working yourself too hard, and I mean that as your leader and your friend. I know the signs of exhaustion when I see them, Brooke. Don't make yourself miserable, you can take a break if you need-" He started but Brooke cut him off with a dry laugh.
"Red, I don't need special treatment. I don't need the break, and frankly, it makes me feel worse. I don't need to take a break, I don't want to be the one who's sitting out just because the symbol I'm trying to master is giving me hallucinations. I don't want to be the one who needs the special treatment, I don't need a break. You don't need a break, do you? You're in the same boat I'm in, if not overloaded with more shit to deal with. I don't want to be treated like I'm weak or can't handle it. I… I'm sorry," Brooke stopped herself from talking when her voice cracked and her hands started shaking. Jayden and Antonio had dealt with enough of her for a lifetime. "I don't want you guys getting sick of me, or annoyed with me because I take up all of your time. I- I want you guys around all of the fucking time, but I just- I don't want to be clingy and scare you guys away. I don't want to lose you two because I'm so fucked up that I need someone around all the time. I don't wanna lose you guys because of my own insecurities." Her voice wavered, grey eyes shining with tears from the overhead light. She just squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, turning on her heel and getting ready to walk down the hallway.
"Brooke, you're not going to scare us away or anything like that. I can tell that this morning has gotten to you, and you're exhausted. It's okay to take care of yourself, you can be weak once in a while," Antonio stated, letting out a faint laugh as he recalled memories from when the three of them were younger. "You listened to us complain all the time- every time one of us was upset, you were the first one to comfort us. Frankly, we owe you for the number of times you've taken one for the team, then and now. Don't beat yourself up because you need to take a break. It's okay too." He finished, Brooke feeling as silent tears rolled down her cheeks.
Turning around, she said nothing, just tackling the two taller boys into a hug. They both felt her shaking, Jayden burying a hand in her hair. "We love you, Brooke. More than you know." He stated, he and Antonio tightening their grip on Brooke as she let out a sob.
--
That night, Brooke and Jayden shared a bed again. It was more often than not that they did this, Jayden realizing he hardly slept in his own room anymore. Not that he minded, he would take Brooke curled up at his side over his own empty bed any day of the week. He enjoyed the way she latched onto him, such as now, with her face buried into the crook of his neck. She had an arm thrown across his chest and he had a hand nestled in hair, and, to Jayden, it felt right.
"This is probably my favorite part of the day." Jayden murmured, Brooke raising her head from the crook of his neck. She was half asleep, blinking slowly at him as she processed what he said.
When Brooke did, she broke into a sleepy smile, letting out a noise of contentment. "That makes me happy, 'cause I want you here. I wouldn't have anyone else here, other than Amaris." She joked, glancing at the white wolf. Amaris was not crushing on Jayden, but Brooke found herself smiling at the thought, letting out a quiet laugh.
"You're beautiful," Jayden blurted, heat rising to his face as his mind blanked. Well, great. His heart was pounding in his ears, and he so desperately tried to save the conversation. He didn't mean to say that at all, now he was mentally kicking himself for it. "I- I mean it. You're beautiful." He realized he was just repeating himself because he didn't have anything else to say, and he knew Brooke probably knew that.
"You're the first guy that's told me that in a while. In fact, I think you're the only person that's called me beautiful and not as a shitty way to flirt," Brooke murmured, her cheeks dusted pink as she broke into an almost nervous smile. She decided to press her luck a little bit, resting her forehead against Jayden's. The red on his face darkened but he didn't say anything in protest, his eyes sparkling with an emotion she couldn't place. "You're really attractive, and the red on your face adds to it, y'know. The fact you trip over your words and get flustered at the compliments I give you is really cute. But I've also seen you handle a sword and lead a team of samurai rangers, but I don't know which one's better," She cradled Jayden's face in her hand, feeling the heat of his cheek as she caressed it with her thumb. He had seemingly gone blank, his cheeks and the tips of his ears almost the color of his ranger suit. "You're the type of guy I'm into." She purred, leaning forward and tilting his chin upwards with her pointer finger. She made a move to kiss him-
And then her phone rang. Brooke cursed whoever decided to call her, pulling away from Jayden. She rolled over, grabbing her phone off of the nightstand, scanning the caller ID. It was Nate, so she actually couldn't be mad at him. It was just bad timing, but she knew he was just probably checking up on her. Laying on her back, she accepted the call, bringing the phone up to her ear.
"Hey, I'm sorry it's late. I just got a call from Ji about the hallucinations, and I wanted to make sure you were alright. Your mother was experiencing them when she kind of…" Nate trailed, the flirty mood Brooke had made instantly dropping. Maybe it was alright she didn't kiss Jayden, she had forgotten that they were in the middle of a war. She had forgotten about her hallucinations.
"Went insane?" Brooke finished for him, Nate letting out a weak laugh. "And don't worry about it, I'm just heading to bed, thanks for checking up on me." She thanked, spying Jayden out of the corner of her eye. He was having some sort of crisis, as he was staring at the ceiling and muttering, and something about it was endearing.
"Brooke, I'm your father, I'm obviously going to check up on you. You don't have to thank me for being a decent father," Nate joked, his playful tone then dropping quickly. His mood did a complete one-eighty, his voice having a twinge of fear in it when he spoke again. "What's going on with the hallucinations. Are they talking or anything like that?" He questioned, Brooke instantly feeling a sense of worry fill her gut.
"I only had one today, because I haven't worked on the symbol for a bit, but yeah, it talked. I know I need to work on the symbol though, but I don't want to put anybody in danger." Brooke answered, and the line went silent for a couple of moments. Then there was a shuffling of papers, Nate clearing his throat.
"Brooke- as much as I hate to say this… Work on the despair symbol, but as soon as something happens, call me and get Ji. I mean it," Nate advised, urgency clear in his tone. It quickly fell, him taking on a much softer tone that was a mix between apologetic and loving. "I love you, kiddo. With all the stars and the moon, and I don't say it enough considering you're fighting a war. I'm proud of you, Brooke. I love you." He repeated himself for emphasis, Brooke quickly blinking away tears before they could fall.
"I love you too, Dad. With all the stars and the moon," Brooke sniffled, letting out a watery laugh. "Goodnight." She murmured, and she swore she heard Nate's voice crack when he spoke.
"Goodnight, kiddo. Sleep well, call me if you need anything."
With that, the line went dead, Brooke ending the call and setting her phone on her nightstand. She let out a shaky breath, staring at the ceiling for a moment. "Sorry about that, I kinda got… caught up in the moment." She mumbled, trying to desperately make it seem like she wasn't leading Jayden on. Which she didn't want to- she liked him in a romantic sense, it was just difficult given the current situation.
"No, it's fine. I get it, I was too," Jayden murmured, knowing that he'll probably have to forget that ever happened. That he didn't picture Brooke kissing him, and he didn't enjoy it. It was a game of denial they were playing with themselves and each other. "It was just bad timing and impulse decisions. We're both tired and… yeah." He trailed off, Brooke turning off the lamp.
It cast the bedroom in darkness, sans the glow from Amaris, Brooke thinking for a moment before she spoke. "Can I get closer to you? If you're uncomfortable and want to leave, you can. I don't want to do anything bad." She asked quietly, Jayden responding without missing a beat.
"I'm not uncomfortable, I just don't know how to react. You just say things that I've never been told before and- and it's… I don't know," Jayden made a noise of frustration, Brooke letting out a quiet laugh. It was hard for him to say the things he wanted to say coherently, first of all, and so he didn't say anything stupid and put their friendship at risk. Fighting the war would become almost unbearable if he just messed up and made things awkward. "And, uh, yeah. I always- god Jayden. Enough." He muttered to himself, and Brooke couldn't be more grateful for her wolf hearing.
Still, she said nothing, just biting back her laughter as Jayden wrapped an arm around her and pulled her closer to his side. They instantly fell into their routine, Brooke hearing the steady rhythm of his heartbeat as she laid her head on his chest. It was peaceful, and she was starting to drift off when Jayden spoke again.
"Weird question, but hear me out for a minute. Do you like necklaces?" Jayden wondered, Brooke looking up at him, blinking slowly.
"That's a really weird question given without context. I like necklaces and rings a lot, I just don't wear them often because of the war," Brooke replied, laying her head on his chest again. "What's the reason for that question?" She questioned, and when Jayden laughed faintly, she huffed, sitting up fully. "What, Red? What's funny?" Thanks to her eyesight, she could make out some of his features. He had a giddy smile on his face, and he looked genuinely happy. Something about it made Brooke's heart swell, her shaking her head with a small smile.
"You're funny," Jayden replied, sitting up as well and wrapping his arms around Brooke's waist. "Lay down, I know you're tired." He murmured, rocking her back and forth slowly. It was out of character for him, but Brooke didn't mind.
"What's with you right now? Are you okay?" Brooke questioned, feeling as Jayden buried his face into the crook of her neck. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, but the exhaustion was starting to overpower his rational thought process. Which wasn't good by any means, but Jayden was too tired to stop himself.
"Brooke- I'm really tired and you pretty much fried my brain by flirting with me. I don't know how you can say that stuff and not mess up." Jayden grumbled, his voice muffled. Brooke could feel the heat radiating from his face again, and that caused her to laugh.
"It's not even practice- I don't know how, actually. I just do, but I like watching you mess up. It's cute," Brooke teased, Jayden letting out a groan of frustration that was muffled by her neck. Something about it was funny, and she muffled her laughter with her hands. It was the kind of laughter that only happened when a person was exhausted, and she knew she should go to sleep. "One last thing." She announced through her laughter, Jayden raising his head from the crook of her neck and squinting at her.
"If you made fun of me for messing up compliments, I will leave this bed. I'm not joking," Jayden threatened, his voice groggy. It was just an empty threat though, as he didn't want to leave anytime soon. Brooke knew that as well, because she snorted, her body shaking with laughter as she tried to get a coherent sentence out. She really couldn't, Jayden letting out laughter of his own. "You're exhausted, Brooke. Lay down, you can say what you need to in the morning." He offered, Brooke shaking her head.
"No- no, it's better now," Brooke laughed, only laughing harder as she heard Jayden grumble "here we go". "Shut up. Anyways, you know I mean the stuff I say, right? That I don't flirt with you just to make you flustered. I actually mean the stuff I say." She stated after she regained her composure, her laughter dying out.
Jayden had gone rigid but then relaxed, a happy smile crossing his features. "You have no idea how happy that makes me." He murmured, pressing a kiss to Brooke's temple. His heart pounded in his chest as they both laid back down, and he quickly fell asleep, having the girl he loved in his arms.
--
The next morning, six rangers that had the ability to fight were called to the city center. It was the same nighlok from yesterday, it was eating a bush, the monster turning their attention to the rangers. "Mmm, candy-colored rangers!" It mocked, Brooke knitting her brows as her eyes flashed.
What kind of candy is silver? Brooke thought to herself, then shaking those thoughts out of her head. She flipped open her samuraizer and activated the brush portion, the others flipping open their samuraizers as well. "Go Go Samurai!" The six yelled in unison, drawing their symbols and morphing into their ranger suits. Well, Antonio texted his symbol, but still. It was the same concept.
"Ooh, I'm so scared!" The nighlok taunted, and that's when the six ran forward.
With Brooke having her energy back and not feeling like she was dead on her feet, she found the battle almost easy. She was shifting here and there, the brown wolf dodging the nighlok's swings with ease. Despite her being on the team for months now, her being a shifter not really being a secret, the nighlok still didn't know how to fight against wolves, minus Serrator. Which was amusing, Brooke's bones cracking as she shifted back and landing two strong slashes against the nighlok. Her attacks sent the nighlok toppling to the ground, the silver ranger regrouping with the red.
"We need to locate where Kevin's samuraizer is!" Jayden commanded as the team regrouped.
"I got it!" Mike declared with almost too much enthusiasm- the green ranger taking his samuraizer out of the pouch on his belt. "Time for a prank call!" He announced, dialing Kevin's number. A picture of the blue ranger in a tutu showed up on the samuraizer's screen, Brooke snorting at the picture then tuning into her wolf senses fully.
It was faint, but she could hear the familiar sound of a samuraizer ringing. "It's the right arm!" Brooke blurted, readying her katanas.
"Let's disconnect this call!" Antonio urged, the six running forward, only to skid to a stop when a familiar figure appeared in front of them.
Eyes widening and turning gold underneath her helmet, Brooke glanced at Jayden. From the way his body showed obvious signs of stress- his body tense and him tightening his grip on his spin-sword, it wasn't a hallucination. Deker was alive, the silver and red rangers having no idea as to how or why. The four others noticed the way the two rangers were tense but unmoving, Brooke's gloved hands shaking slightly.
"Guess he got kicked out of hell," Brooke muttered, gritting her teeth. Her canines dug into her upper lip, the stinging sensation helping more than anything. The amount of stress that flew into her body was immense, a tension headache instantly making itself present.
"Deker?" Jayden blurted, the surprise and slight fear he had tried to hide seeping into his tone. He subconsciously made a move to step forward and stand in front of Brooke protectively, but he stopped himself. That would show an obvious weakness, but Deker already knew that. But, the red ranger still stood rigid, blue eyes narrowed and glaring at Deker underneath his helmet.
"Forgive me, but I must intrude." Deker apologized, the six rangers saying nothing in response.
"Scarf, hurry up and eat until you pop," Dayu commanded, strolling forward with a dagger in her hand. The nighlok, Scarf, cackled and did what it was told, Brooke and Jayden running into battle against Deker.
Noticing that Deker had a different blade, rest in peace Uramasa, Brooke decided to use this to her advantage. Her katanas disappeared from her hands in flashes of silver, her kunai taking their places, she blocked Deker's swing with ease. She kicked him back, landing two strong strikes against the half-human, which sent him tumbling backwards. A sense of bloodlust filled her head, the urge to stab him in the heart and end things now increasing with every second.
"The devil didn't want you around or something?" Brooke taunted, standing in front of Jayden protectively. It may be the adrenaline or the feelings that she had to continuously stuff down, but she didn't want to see him hurt. Definitely not because of Deker, of all people.
"Since my sword, Uramasa broke in battle, my curse wasn't broken," Deker answered as he ran forward again, Brooke jumping back and letting Jayden take the lead. Which surprisingly didn't last very long, as Deker did a backflip over the red ranger, catching him off guard. "You can say I was lost, but now I've been found." He stated, swinging for an area that Jayden was defenseless in.
Brooke disappeared in a flash of silver, reappearing and blocking the attack. "Pack it up, Socrates." She mocked, but Deker paid no mind. Instead, he noticed how the silver ranger was blocking and returning most of the attacks compared to the red.
"You're protecting him. Have you finally become the red ranger's lapdog?" Deker wondered, Brooke letting out a growl and kicking the half-human back.
"I'm nobody's lapdog, I fight for myself," Brooke announced, readying her Wolf Kunai again. She honestly didn't know if Jayden was going to be mad at her for the "lapdog" comment, but he said nothing about it.
Oh, Jayden was pissed. Not because of Brooke protecting him, it somewhat felt nice to be the one being protected for once, but it was for multiple reasons. The first being the fact that Deker was still alive, because that meant the half-human would probably challenge the red and silver rangers to a duel, the cycle repeating itself until one of them dropped dead. The second was the lapdog comment, but his anger wasn't directed towards Brooke, it was rather the fact that she was referred to as his lap dog. Jayden didn't want her to think that he thought she was just a soldier, because that was far from the truth. It was the fact that Deker had the audacity to even think that.
"We defeated you once, we can do it again. Together," Jayden announced, putting emphasis on together and hoping Brooke got the message. He then pulled out the black box, pushing the button on top of the talisman. "Super Samurai Mode!" He called as the Shiba Crest appeared, then turning into the forked cape.
The silver and red rangers then ran forward to help the gold with battling Deker. It was the three childhood friends against the half-human, and it was going pretty well. "Hey, I think he's just stalling for time!" Antonio pointed out, Brooke glancing over at Scarf.
"Yeah, Goldie's right. This is just the opening act." Brooke agreed, noticing that Scarf was complaining about being full, the two other nighlok hearing him.
"Alright Dayu, let's do this for Serrator," Deker commanded, running forward, Dayu shadowing him. The half-human and female nighlok landed two powerful strikes on the nighlok, repeating the routine when attacking Scarf's back.
"Here we fucking go," Brooke muttered, watching as blue lightning and sparks flew from Scarf's body. "It's probably got a special megamode form or something. Like General Gut did." She explained to the team, clicking her tongue when Dayu and Deker fled the team. The stress she felt was making her shake, her heart pounding so fast that it hurt.
"We have to get Kevin's samuraizer back!" Emily reminded the others, Jayden responded without missing a beat.
"Watch this!" Jayden called as he ran forward, the forked cape trailing behind him. He cut off Scarf's right arm, grabbing Kevin's samuraizer and quickly running back as the nighlok went up in an explosion. "Kevin's samuraizer is still- what the hell?" He cut himself off, muttering the last part of the sentence so only Brooke could hear. He was directing the statement at Scarf, who had gone into its second form, now having a large shield, which had a face on it.
The silver ranger patted the red on the back, Amaris putting up a shield of her own. It blocked the blasts that shot out of the shield's eyes, keeping the rangers unharmed. "Told ya so," Brooke muttered, turning her attention to Kevin as he ran up.
"Jayden!" Kevin called, the blue ranger stopping in front of the red. "Samuraizer or not, I'm here to fight with my team." He announced, Jayden wordlessly throwing Kevin his samuraizer, who caught it and instantly beamed.
"Suit up," Jayden commanded, but his voice was friendly. However, his friendly tone fell, him placing the super samurai disk into the black box. He closed the talisman, pushing the button on the top of it. "Super Red Combination- Zords, Combine! Claw and Wolf Armor Megazord: Armed for Battle!" He called, the rangers quickly going into megamode power and entering the cockpit.
Standing beside Jayden, Brooke clutched onto her control panel as the megazord tried attacking Scarf. It was no use, the cockpit of the megazord shaking as Jayden fired off attack after attack. The attacks were getting nowhere, annoyance starting to radiate off of the seven rangers as they regained their footing for the umpteenth time.
"We have to use the bull disk and form the samurai gigazord!" Kevin announced, slight worry replacing the annoyance.
"Kev, you sure you wanna risk it?" Mike warned, Kevin nodding.
"It's the only choice we have!" Kevin defended, and that's what the team did.
After Jayden placed the bull disk into the black box, the samurai gigazord formed. It was incredibly chunky, it couldn't even move, and Brooke bit back a comment. She had a feeling Jayden would just shun her from the gigazord at that point, so she just stayed quiet for the most part. Though she did call out the "Samurai Gigazord: Armed for Battle" call with the others. It felt strangely powerful, having seven rangers chant a giant robot's name.
"Surprised you haven't said anything about the gigazord yet, Brooke," Antonio called, Jayden instantly cutting Brooke off before she could say anything.
"Don't get her started," Jayden warned, but it was already too late.
Brooke snickered, tapping the toe of her megamode boot onto the ground of the cockpit. "Oh, we're starting this. We're discussing this right now," She teased, ignoring what was presumably Jayden's glare. "It's just big, like- we can't even move. If it didn't have the power of like, forty-five zords or whatever the fuck, I'd honestly be worried," She started, Jayden just letting her ramble for a moment. He could tell she was trying to cover her stress with jokes, and he let her. "Imagine if the wolf zord couldn't even combine though. You all get your chunky robot and then there's just: the wolf zord. I dunno- let's just kill this thing so I can go scream in the woods." She finished, and the gigazord could actually move.
Not the robot itself, but the fact that it was on the bullzord, which had somehow become a cart. Which Brooke found funny, and she knew it was the stress. Her head pounded, her almost forgetting the attack name as the tiger zord attacked. Antonio followed up with the clawzord's pincer attack, the seven finishing off with a Super Samurai Strike.
"Now for the final piece of the puzzle: just use your symbol power, and we'll finish it! You ready?" Kevin asked the team, who all let out statements of agreement.
They then started drawing out the zord symbol powers in turn, Brooke starting right after Jayden. She activated the brush portion of her samuraizer, starting to draw the symbols. "Wolf Zord, Tiger Zord!" She called as she finished the symbols. 狼, the symbol for wolf, and 虎, the symbol for tiger hung in front of her in silver, Brooke just staring at them for a moment. It seemed surreal ending up here- she was standing in a giant robot with her crush next to her, using the powers of other robots to defeat a monster that was planning to flood the Earth with some arson water. It was strange, and she found herself glancing at Jayden out of the corner of her eyes.
He was doing what he always did, but Brooke noticed the little things that she hadn't picked up on before. As the others were drawing their zord symbols, Jayden was tapping his fingers against the control panel, humming quietly. It was so quiet that Brooke couldn't pick up on it- but she was glad she did. Every little thing like that was making her fall more and more in love with him, and she didn't want it to stop. She didn't want to lose him by any means.
Brooke snapped out of her thoughts when Antonio finished texting his zord symbols- the gold ranger having the most out of all of them. The zord symbols hung in front of each respective ranger, who all activated them in unison. "Symbol Power: Ultimate Combination!" The seven called, the symbols surrounding the gigazord.
Jayden even went into Shogun Mode, but the stress he had been trying to hide crept into his tone. When the seven rangers performed the final strike, he had to remind himself that he still had a job to do. "Samurai Rangers: Victory is Ours." He called, but the words felt caught in his throat- because it wasn't a victory. Not even by a long shot.
Once on the ground, Jayden instantly got tackled into a hug. It was from Brooke, the silver ranger shaking violently as she held onto him like a lifeline. He realized he was shaking too, and he motioned for the team to start walking back with a nod. When they did, he instantly returned the hug, burying a hand into Brooke's hair. The stress he felt bubbled to the surface, and he resisted the urge to cry.
The two rangers just held each other for a moment, both of them trying not to lose it. They both knew they had to keep their soldier façade up, like they were confident, like defeating Deker was no big deal. It wasn't, but they knew they couldn't let the others know that. So, they just relied on each other for the moment.
"You look like you needed it just as much as I did," Brooke tried joking when they pulled away, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. She tried to wipe them away with the sleeve of her leather jacket, but it didn't work, so she just quickly gave up on that. "We have to do it all again, huh?" She thought aloud, her voice cracking. She looked at Jayden, who didn't say anything, just looking more scared than she's ever seen him before. "It's okay to cry, y'know. I'm not going to judge you, you don't have to be the red ranger around me." Reaching up, she stroked Jayden's cheek with her thumb, and apparently, that was the confirmation he needed.
"Ji would be losing it if he saw me like this. The leader of the team finally breaking. The Great Red Ranger finally breaking." Jayden laughed bitterly, his voice cracking as tears rolled down his cheeks.
Brooke reached up and wiped those tears away with the pads of her thumbs. "Well, Ji isn't here right now, so don't worry about that. It's just me, and you've seen me at my worst so many times," She reassured Jayden, offering him a gentle smile. He returned it with his own small one, the two looking like they've seen hell and back. "It's just me, and I'm never going to judge you for crying or being vulnerable or anything like that. As someone who bottles things up as well, I know it fucking sucks to walk around just feeling shitty. You deserve to let it go every once in a while, it's not a weakness. And I'm realizing I'm contradicting myself from last night, but it's true. I would gladly listen to you if you want to talk, or if you just want to sit with me and not talk at all, that's okay. I just-" She was cut off by Jayden wrapping her into another tight hug. He wasn't shaking anymore, and he let out a shaky breath before he spoke.
"I want you- I want you around for as long as you can be. I'm not losing you to this war, I won't lose you to this war." Jayden promised to Brooke and himself, pulling away slightly and resting his forehead against hers.
"Bold of you to assume I'm dying, Red. I'm living on spite and the urge to protect the ones I care about at this point. Which includes you- in fact, I think you're at the top of the list now," Brooke announced, watching as pink bloomed on Jayden's cheeks. Their faces were only a couple inches apart from each other at this point, but she knew she couldn't act on impulse. That wasn't allowed, so she stepped back. "We can walk around if you want. We don't have to go home right away, I'm pretty sure Ji's done with my shit anyways." She joked, Jayden shaking his head with a small smile.
"If we weren't in this war." Jayden murmured, Brooke blinking owlishly, realization then dawning on her features.
"Yeah, I know what you mean," Brooke muttered in agreement, willing away her claws and offering her hand to Jayden. He instantly took it, the two rangers intertwining fingers as they started walking aimlessly. "But, the war did give me you, so that's the, like, one good thing it did. I'm planning on keeping you around, too. You're gonna deal with me for a while, Red, it's gonna be a game of who finally gets sick of each other." She joked, Jayden rolling his slightly swollen eyes with a small smile.
"It's not dealing with you if I want to be here, Brooke," Jayden argued, his voice soft, and he tightened his grip on Brooke's hand.
"Mhm, that's what they all say," Brooke retorted, but she still gave Jayden's hand a comforting squeeze. "Are you feeling any better? We can talk later if you want. Just say the word." She offered, and Jayden felt a certain sense of happiness fill his chest.
"Not tonight, but I'll keep it in mind," Jayden replied, Brooke nodding with a small smile. They then walked in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company for a while.
After walking for a bit, the pair stopped in the middle of the park, which was mostly empty. Jayden found himself scanning Brooke's face, his eyes lingering on her lips a couple moments longer than necessary. He saw warmth in her eyes, similar to the motherly look Amaris usually had. But it wasn't exactly the same. Brooke was looking at him like he was the best thing she's ever seen, and Jayden didn't exactly know why. But, he was happy about it, incredibly so. "You mean the world to me." He murmured, heat rushing to his face.
"As do you for me," Brooke returned, a genuine smile ghosting her features. "I care about you, y'know. There's no way in hell we're falling during this war. You have ranger's honor right there." She did a mock salute with two of her fingers, Jayden laughing under his breath.
"You're really something," Jayden replied, shaking his head. Brooke just grinned in response, and he knew he had a war to fight. He knew that one of the worst enemies he's ever faced came back to life. He was so stressed out to the point where the tension headache was almost unbearable. He knew Brooke was too, as the way she then rubbed her temple, her eyes flashing.
They both had the weight of the world on their shoulders- which was getting harder and harder to bear. But here they stood in the middle of a park, the silver and red rangers looking at each other like they were the best things they've ever seen.
--
That night, Brooke couldn't sleep. Even after her cry and then walking with Jayden, her mind wouldn't stop racing. So, here she was picking herself up off of the ground for the umpteenth time, working on the despair symbol. This was most likely a bad idea, but she had her phone sitting on one of the benches just in case things went south.
Turns out south was easy to reach, and Brooke felt her heart stop when she heard a familiar voice. A once comforting voice was full of malice, her eyes widening and turning gold as she quickly tried to push herself up off of the ground. However, she wasn't quick enough, as a foot connected with her ribs in a sharp kick. She made a noise of pain at that, trying to scramble to her feet. It didn't work, Brooke somehow landing on her back. A foot planted itself on her throat, slowly restricting her airway. She made a choked noise for help, but the foot just pressed down further. Spots decorated her vision, her face slowly becoming red as she couldn't breathe.
A similar shade to the shirt Jayden was wearing, a sinister smile growing on his lips as he applied more pressure on Brooke's neck. "I thought my lap dog would be better than this." He mocked, spin-sword resting on his shoulder. His blue eyes, eyes that Brooke had come to love, were shining with hatred instead of their usual warmth.
Making a pained noise, Brooke tried to shake her head, tears forming in her eyes as she tried to push Jayden's foot off of her neck. This couldn't be real. This can't be real, She thought to herself as she tried to breathe. Black spots decorated her vision, the gravity of the situation set in.
Brooke realized she might die. She might die, and Jayden Shiba would've killed her.