On Fire (Power Rangers Samurai)

18 - Blood / Parting Gift 🔺

"Jayden!" Antonio shook him awake.

Jayden took a moment to fully come to his senses. He was in the forest, sitting against a tree.

"Antonio? How are you-"

"I followed you." Antonio confessed. "I knew you'd try to do something like this, I just didn't know when... Anyway this is dangerous, I'm taking you back."

    "You mean you followed me just to tell me to go back home?" Jayden helped himself onto his feet, deliberately ignoring Antonio's helping hand.

    "This has to end now!" Jayden yelled, sweat dripped down his neck. "I'm not going to go back home, lay in a bed, be tormented by this poison, and stay a burden to everyone!"

    "I'm the leader, and it's time that I take charge!" Jayden pushed past Antonio. His knuckles were white from clenching his fists tightly. It was his sheer determination that allowed him to push past his weakness and exhaustion.

    "I'm not going to leave you alone." Antonio grabbed Jayden's shoulder as he said, "I've got your back."

~~~

    "Are you the green ranger?"

    "Um who are you?"

    The stranger socked Mike right across his face, leaving his head tilted towards the right and his left check bright red.

    "Ow!" Mike cupped his swelling cheek.

    Rather than getting defensive, he was simply stunned. The last thing he expected when he walked into the living room was to get attacked by a random high school kid.

    "Terry!?" Emily recognized Mia's brother. "How did y-"

    "You injured my sister!" Terry was furious. "You're supposed to be attacking nighlok, not your comrades! How are you even a power ranger!?"

    "Terry, please let's sit and talk about this." Emily tried to intervene.

    "It's alright, I deserve much more than this hit for what I did to Mia." Mike spoke sincerely. "I'm very sorry. I promise you I'll never hurt her again. I'll do anything you want to make up for it."

    "Um," Terry, who was ready to war, was confused by Mike's peaceful reaction. "I was told picking a fight with you is a death wish."

    "Who told you that?" Emily asked while already assuming the answer.

    "Kevin."

    "Of course."

Terry was told that Mike assaulted Mia and was given no other context.

In Terry's head, Mike straight up attacked his sister for the hell of it. And since Mike seemed like a violent mad man, he may have hurt her more than once.

    "Whatever! You better watch your damn self or else." Terry went back to Mia's room.

Neither of them took Terry's threat seriously. What could Terry, a young school boy, possibly do?

~~~

    "Jayden, take a break." Antonio became sick of watching Jayden tire himself out before the potential fight. "There's no use in circling around this forest. Do you even know if your nighlok is here?"