On Fire (Power Rangers Samurai)

98 - Drive / Ruminate

"I guess I'm sorry about that." Ito reached into Jayden's cage to pet his trembling blonde head.

After Ito completed his warning sign, he cleaned up the crime scene in front of Jayden's underground cell. He was even nice enough to go into his cage and wash the spot he threw up in.

"I forgot that humans don't like to see those types of things.. It changes them." Ito kneeled to observe how the terror settled on Jayden's face before the boy turned away.

Ito chuckled, gaining satisfaction from Jayden's tearful and rattled expression.

Jayden was shattered, barely able to come to terms with what he just witnessed; an innocent life brutally murdered, essentially all for nothing.

He kept thinking, maybe it wouldn't happened if he eaten quicker. Or at the very least, he should've refrained from throwing up.

Who other to blame? He might as well have killed the monk himself.

"It won't matter when you're dead anyway." Ito went on as he parted with Jayden's cell. "I just hope for my sake that it hasn't messed with your spirit."

~~~

Antonio, Emily, Mia, and Mike hopped into a 5 seater car to be escorted towards the monk's temple. Kevin and Lauren couldn't travel with them since they had yet to be medically cleared.

But the drive was only a part of their commute. While the highways lead to towns and cities, the temple was in a secluded area within the forest. They would have to continue on foot after the drive.

Since Mike immediately called shotgun, Emily, Mia, and Antonio had to squeeze into the back.

After a few hours of Mike bumping reggaeton on the radio, Emily and Mia both managed to get car sick and fall asleep. Both of them leaned on one of Antonio's shoulders, crushing him between them.

Of course, Antonio didn't have the heart to push them off. So he started to distract himself with a train of thoughts, leading to his argument with Jayden.

He frowned as he relayed the things they yelled at each other.

Though they had little fights over stupid things, he never once disputed with Jayden so severely.

"Are the girls asleep?" Mike looked at Antonio through the rearview mirror, noticing him frowning.

"Yep." Antonio envied Mike's seat.

"How come you seem so depressy." Mike voluntarily turned off his music to not disturb them.

"Well," Antonio decided to be honest with Mike. "The last time I spoke to Jayden, we had a pretty bad argument."

The more Antonio thought about it, the more he realized how hurtful his words could've been.

Even though he completely disagreed with Jayden, maybe he shouldn't have acted like he was the only one who cared about Lauren... even if he felt like the only one who did.

"How could you and Jayden fight? You're both so chill." Mike asked.

"It was about Lauren." Antonio shook his head. "I was really yelling at him."

"Was it about how you like Lauren? Did Jayden disapprove?" Mike joked, not really knowing Lauren and Antonio were a thing.

"Heh, that would've been an easier argument." Antonio chuckled a tiny bit, knowing what Mike didn't. "We argued about Lauren having to sacrifice herself."

"Ah.." That made much more sense to Mike. "I don't usually like to think about any of us dying..."

Even though it seemed like something they'd be prepared for, the rangers never talked about dying or losing each other. It was a conversation long overdue.

Lauren having to sacrifice herself conflicted Mike and the other rangers. Now aware that the black ranger had to sacrifice herself, there was an understanding that it had to be done.

But the person being sacrificed was a friend. It was Lauren.

"I don't think death is something we have to worry about." Antonio told Mike as if it as a fact. "I'm not going to let Lauren die."

"Right." Mike didn't think Antonio was being realistic, but he hid the doubt in his voice.

~~~

Kevin was in Terry's new room, which was in the basement of the Watanabe house. He was waiting on Lauren to meet up with him so that they could head towards the monks' temple together.

But after waiting so long, he found himself a little bored and depressed just sitting and staring at Terry.

The image of Terry suffering in the other world was still vivid in his head; a tear of blood slipping from his narrow eyes, crossing his pale skin and staining his snowy hair.

Kevin remembered telling himself many times, even swearing, that Terry would not get hurt on his watch.

It seemed that things never went according to plan. Over and over, it was painfully frustrating to weather the fucked up reality thrown into their faces.

His mind circulated around Terry's condition, Jayden's disappearance, and the intruder's attack.

More than ever, Kevin was tired of seeing people he cared about hurting. He was tired of being surrounded by so much hurt.

"Kevin?" Another reminder of hurt arrived.

"Oh.." Kevin was so busy ruminating that he didn't realize she had entered the room. "Hey Lauren. Are you all set to go?"

"Not really. My medic said I can't go yet." Lauren frowned. "They used some needle to take my blood out a little while ago. I wonder why they do that."

"To make sure your blood is healthy." Kevin informed her.

Lauren seemed interested so he decided to go on.

"They test your blood and make sure there aren't any signs of bad health, like high blood sugar or high cholesterol. Or even more serious problems like cancer, heart disease... other things." Kevin explained.

"Losing blood seems like such a bad thing." Lauren was intrigued.

"We'd certainly die without it." Kevin laid back in his chair.

"You were looking at Terry." Lauren changed the subject. She noticed Kevin's long face as he stared at Terry.

"Yeah.. maybe I shouldn't spend too much time here." Kevin thought aloud.

"Wouldn't he want you here?" Lauren asked.

"But I couldn't protect him like I promised. I keep thinking about how upset he'll be." Kevin clenched a napkin in his hand. "He's paying the consequences for my failure."

"Maybe you should just apologize." Lauren's simple and sincere suggestion almost made Kevin laugh a bit. "You should do it right now."

"An apology, huh.." Kevin repeated. He pondered as Lauren anticipated it to happen.

"I'm sorry, Terry." Kevin whispered, without realizing a pair of newly gray eyes observing him.

It took both of them a moment to notice the fluttering of Terry's white eyelashes.