On Fire (Power Rangers Samurai)

60 - Courage / Jitter

"A kimodameshi!" Daisuke flickered flashlights at his face from a low angle to give a spooky effect.

"A chemo what?" Mike didn't understand.

"A test of courage!" Daisuke hyped it up.

"It's a game played in Japan." Mia unenthusiastically explained in place for her grandfather. "It takes place in a spooky area like a cemetery or this forest we're at. You must enter the area and complete a task before you leave. If you chicken out before you finish your task, you lose. That's why they call it a test of courage."

"We have to go into this forest, at night, by ourselves?" Antonio asked feeling a bit uneasy. He wasn't the only ranger who was scared.

"Not by yourselves. You'll be in teams." Daisuke cleared his throat before stating the groups. "Mia and Emily. Mike and Jayden. Kevin and Antonio."

"What about Lauren?" Mia asked.

"She doesn't want to play." Daisuke slouched his shoulders in disappointment. "Anyway, there are three stone pillars within the forest that are an equal distance from here. Your objective will be to make it there, grab the little card placed there, and come back in one piece."

"Each team gets a flashlight." Daisuke handed them out. "And using your power is considered cheating and will disqualify you from the game."

"Will there be a prize?" Mike asked, searching for motivation.

"Of course." Daisuke smiled. "Alright, head out!"

After all the teams went their separate ways towards their stone pillars, Lauren approached Daisuke wearing a long black cloak and monster mask.

"You look like a shinigami in that costume." Daisuke chuckled mischievously. "Now go scare the rangers!"

~~~

"So we're on the same page?" Antonio huddled towards Kevin. Both of them shivered as they scanned their surroundings in paranoia.

"I guess we are." Kevin acknowledged his fright. "I'd much rather fight a nighlok than be here."

"What if we are surrounded by insects and spiders!?" Antonio cried.

"Stop! Don't say that!" Kevin didn't want to be made any more afraid.

"Maybe we should turn around! There's no shame in that!" Antonio turned the other way.

"There's plenty of shame!" Kevin grabbed him before he could run off. "All of the other teams can complete the task. Jayden isn't afraid of the dark. Mike is one with the forest. Emily is probably scared but Mia is Mia. We will be the only ones who don't complete it!"

"You're right!" As Antonio didn't want to be in the only failing team, he became inspired. "Let's do this!"

While incoherently crying and yelling, Kevin and Antonio ran at a top speed with hopes to bump straight into their stone pillar.

~~~

As Mike and Jayden walked through the forest, they crunched leaves and twigs with every step.

As the treetops blocked the moonlight, the forest had an ominous vibe. Since it was dark, the two clung to the light of their flashlight.

Jayden's hand had been jittering the flashlight around for the entire time, which peeved Mike. Though Mike couldn't say anything about it.

The two rangers didn't interact with each other for the entire hike. It would've been awkward if Mike suddenly broke the silence, even if just to yell at him.

Mike began to wish his partner was someone else. He could mess around with all of the other rangers except for their stoic leader.

Getting lost in thought, Mike began to wonder why he could barely talk to Jayden. Maybe they were just the most incompatible.

Although Jayden was more tolerant of Mike's shenanigans than Kevin, it wasn't like they ever held a flowing conversation.

And even though Mike was determined to surpass Jayden's strength one day, it wasn't like the competitive feelings were reciprocated.

Out of his own boredom and sickness of thinking about Jayden, Mike kicked a pebble far into the darkness.

But Mike's actions caused Jayden to flinch and quickly divert his flashlight towards the direction to pebble flew.

"Um Jayden?" Mike didn't understand Jayden's exaggerated reaction, until his realization made him grin.

"Wait! Are you scared?!" Mike's face lit up in excitement as he smiled from ear to ear.

Jayden didn't know how to respond and blurted, "No! Why are you so happy?"

"That's why you keep shaking the damn flashlight!" Mike clapped his hands once dramatically.

"How the hell are you afraid though? You're the perfect red ranger. You could kill me if you wanted to! But I shouldn't give you ideas while we're in a forest at night. Still!"

"I'm not perfect."

"Jayden my man, you are perfect. You have the restricted emotional range of a true samurai, in which you never cry, laugh, or rage (unless it's against a nighlok). You never fumble or stutter like you have autocorrect hardwired in your blonde head. And everyone looks up to you and trusts you - trusts you with their lives! Also-"

"Mike." Jayden needed to shut him up.

Jayden always tried his best to be the leader he was supposed to be, according to his father. It was funny how Mike made it sound like he had been doing a great job at doing just that.

"I wasn't born a talented samurai... like Lauren. My father pressured me a lot, so I had to work really hard. I'm not a born leader either. I didn't have the backbone until fighting nighlok gave me courage." Jayden remembered the harshness of his father.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm not doing anything right." Jayden smiled weakly.

Mike surprised to hear that Jayden felt the same way he did about himself.

"That's dumb." Mike said playfully. In actuality, he truly found Jayden infuriating.

Why didn't see himself the way everyone else saw him. Why did he obsess over his mishaps and moments of vulnerability?

As a loose and carefree person who couldn't relate, Mike just wanted to slap him.

On the flip side, Lauren had been watching and listening to them from afar in her dark cloak and monster mask.

She couldn't help but eavesdrop as the two spoke as Jayden spoke about his feelings.

She ultimately decided that it would be wrong to scare them and ruin the moment.

"You know, I was afraid because I thought something was following us." Jayden admitted. "But now I think it's gone."