On Fire (Power Rangers Samurai)

111 - Purpose / Lost

~~ flashback continuation ~~

It was that time to do the thinking. And so, Kevin and Lauren were having a research session, sifting through a few small stacks of books from the samurai archives.

Kevin was flipping through a book about humans who have turned to nighloks, getting frustrated by the inconsistency in the amount of detail among the instances recorded.

Also, none of the information seemed helpful, since they couldn't find a recorded instance of an interrupted process like Terry's, in which he was saved before completely becoming a nighlok.

"We're not getting anywhere." Kevin muttered. "What if we can't find a way to fix Terry before his next.. internal attack?"

"We don't even know what's wrong with him to begin with." Lauren kept her eyes on her book.

"What do you mean?" Kevin thought they were on the same page. "He was in the other world, turning into a nighlok."

"We don't know if he's physically part nighlok, or if there is some form of evil within him we can extract." Lauren explained what she was getting at.

"Oh, I mean, his hair and eye color, even his skin color changed. Doesn't that mean he is physically part nighlok?" Kevin assumed.

"But Terry's physical exams showed that he was fine, functioning like a human. I was thinking there could be some form of evil within him that isn't physical." Lauren still looked through her book.

"What are you reading?" Kevin came over, looking over her shoulder.

"It's about the nighlok's evil energy. We have symbol power, and the nighlok have something we can't actualize yet. But maybe if we can understand it, we can extract it from Terry, assuming it is within him." Lauren went on.

"So you were thinking all of this and haven't told me a thing?" Kevin was shocked. The frustration that was once directed towards the archives was now on Lauren.

"Yes." Lauren replied to the question, eyes still not leaving her book.

And with that, Lauren informed Kevin that he had been searching for a lost cause, exerting his energy and patience for at least over an hour.

The urge to act furiously burned in Kevin's chest, rising up to his throat and nearly shaking his vocal chords.

Why the hell would she withhold such information; something they could've used to figure it all out together?

He was so ready to shake his fists in the air, but he knew he couldn't. Not to Lauren.

"It's a Shiba trait." Kevin took a reassuring breath, storing his frustration in his tense muscles. Working in a team unfortunately meant tolerating the team.

"Lauren, whenever we try to make plans, we usually share our ideas. And you've always shared your ideas too."

"I do." Lauren confirmed.

"So why didn't you tell me anything you just said earlier?? We could've been working together and it would've saved me so much time." Kevin's anger came out softly through an annoyed inflection in his voice.

"Oh..." Lauren thought.

"Oh?" Kevin repeated. "Managing my time well is important to me."

"Oh." Lauren continued to think. Kevin turned around, ready to give up on her and leave before she finally said, "I'm sorry..."

"I don't.." Lauren stopped, realizing what she was about to say. She was in disbelief. "I don't know what to do. I can't think of a plan."

And a gaping feeling took ahold of her, stirring emptiness and dread. A feeling she recalled the times she felt anxious about leaving Jayden and committing to Antonio, but different.

From the beginning of her memory, she had known her purpose to be saving others. What would happen to her if she couldn't?

She didn't know that her self esteem was at risk. Her confidence wasn't derived solely from her strength and knowledge, but her ability to apply it to difficult situations and come out on top.

And now, she had hit a wall. Nothing, no solution came to mind.

And all Lauren could think about was Mia. She didn't want her to be upset. She wanted to save her from another devastation.

"Lauren?" Kevin had been trying to grab her attention. Her face looked so lost and even panicked, he couldn't help but lighten up.

"We'll figure it out." He wanted to cheer her up, immediately beginning to brainstorm. "You said that it's likely some nighlok evilness is within him."

"Is there a way we can extract it?" Kevin suggested.

"Well we don't even know what we're extracting, or how to do it safely, or how to get rid of it if we were to extract it." Lauren argued, fiddling her fingers as her thoughts frenzied.

"So is there a way we can check what is within him?" Kevin asked, trying to maintain a soothing tone. "If there's anything at all?"

"I've read all of the archives throughout years. I know every symbol. There is no symbol to help us."

"You know how to do every symbol?" Kevin was in awe and just had to ask.

"No, I mean that I have knowledge of all the symbols. Many symbols require lots of strict training or are not compatible with my darkness element. Like your water symbols, I can't do that." As Lauren explained, it seemed pull her away from overthinking, but only for a short moment.

"There just isn't a way." Lauren's whole body felt uncomfortable and irritable as she couldn't release the emotions she felt properly.

As she got up to leave, the door had just slid open.

"There is a way." Daisuke entered, giving an unsure smile.