The Red and Gold World

Chapter Six: The First Attack

Antonio held his arms out, stepping closer to the door where Jayden stood still.

His best friend..still looking close to the same as he did when Jayden last saw him. Though his hair was shorter and positioned more to the side. Leather covered him clothing-wise, jacket, pants. Though he still kept the iconic gold accessories. His large rolling box stayed behind him. Still as dirty as always with his small fishing logo on the center of each side. He looked—so much more different. But the same.

Jayden watched his feet kick in the silence. "Hey, Jay-"

"You came late," Jayden cut him off. His own words burst from his throat. It wasn't even controlled, it just came out. "Seems you never change." His eyes drifted up to the side, a smirk following his wandering eyes.

Antonio released a breathy chuckle. "Oh screw you." His arms wrapped around Jayden, palm on Jaydens shoulder blade. He pat his hand a few times, then a sigh, his body relaxing onto Jaydens. "Dang I missed you."

Jayden sighed himself, his relief, his happiness overseeing his friend, and his pent-up confusing emotions all coming out in one pitched breath. His hand crept up Antonio's back, holding him even closer. "I missed you too Ant." Ant. He hardly called him that in front of the team the year before. It was almost embarrassing to call him that; like it was some sort of inferiority by showing his affection towards his friend. Well—the entire team was his friends—but—with him it was different.

They stayed connected. Continued to stay connected by a relief hug.

"Woah are we interrupting something here?" Kevin's sarcasm broke Jayden from his daze. His eyes opened wide on Antonio's shoulder. The black leather pressed on his bottom eyelid. Antonio disconnected from his body. They both turned slowly. "Nah," Antonio walked off from Jayden, his arm still around his shoulder. He smiled shortly at Jayden. "I was just receiving my warm welcome." He pressed his chin into the air, eyes closed in a somewhat prideful expression. So much like he was before his departure a year ago.

Jayden shook his head, attempting to appear calmer than his body was feeling. Shaky, trembling, uneasy. Just by his friends one interaction. "Yeah right. Your warm welcome." Jayden walked ahead to his group at the door, Antonio staying at the small platform under the gazebo. "Anyway, we need to continue training. We never know what may happen-"

Before even finishing his words he was interrupted by Antonio's boisterous scoff. His suitcase slid off the wood. "Seriously Jay? All you ever do is train," Antonio followed Jaydens same path, standing straight up to his leader. Though, since he was on a lower stair he was much shorter than Jayden. He had to clearly look up to him. Their faces were close. Jayden squinted his eyes waiting for a reply. Antonio's mouth overturned. "I just got here. Cant, you spare me this one time?"

His pleading gaze was too much. Those looks hardly ever got to him, but now? With Antonio it was different. And his new return made it even further different. Jayden tightened his lips against each other. "Fine. This one night;" he looked back to the rest of the team, making a small unsure nod. "Only tonight. Everyone." Jayden turned his head back to Antonio. "Especially you. Train in the morning."

****

The team woke up bright and early like Jayden had hoped. He himself did wake an hour later, hearing grunts and slaps from training from the main room all the way from his own bed.

Though, when he came out, Antonio wasn't with the team. Jayden questioned the team, and they said they hadn't seen him either.

Worry filled him. Was something wrong? Did he not return to his previous room and instead another residence to stay? Or—did he leave?

The team, or mostly Kevin, must have noticed his distressed question and pat his shoulder, giving words to calm him. They didn't know where he was but attempted to comfort him as much as they could despite unknowing. Jayden though, couldn't get his disappearance from his mind. Even when he began to train, all of the pent-up stress came out in his hard hits. Much harder than he had intended. The dummy nearly broke. The entire team stated in surprise. The noise from the hit still echoed off the walls. 'I didn't mean for it to be that loud...' he shook his head while looking around at the team. They looked away as soon as his eyes placed on theirs. He felt slightly embarrassed, and as the rest of the team trained, Jayden left the room. He was wholeheartedly prepared for another battle, even if it had been so long. He was constantly ready..he had to be. He was forever the red ranger.

Jayden slowly stepped up onto the higher ground of the living room, Ji was already there, standing, seemingly contemplating something on the open map. 'He hardly opens the map now...since the nighlok were taken down..' His chin was being held by his pinched fingers, and his stick seemingly held him upright. He was unsettled..that was for sure. Jayden slowly stepped close. Folding his arms, he looked wide-eyed at the map. It was truly his natural reaction at what he saw. 

A blip, a dark, glowing, and moving blip. It was loud and no one looking at the map could miss it. It felt like his breaths were being ripped from his chest, and before he could even speak anything, the already exhausted team was surrounding him. 

"It went off.." Mike bit his tongue after speaking into the small crowd. "The buzzer."

It had been forever since he heard that phrase..that it went off. It felt like too long. Jayden looked at his shocked team, and then back at the map. It felt like a dream seeing it glow once again. A nightmare..actually. 

Jayden clenched his jaw, looking up to Ji's eyes and nodding confidently. Like he used to back then, Exactly like then. He felt like he was back then--a year ago.

"Let's go." 

______

Hope you enjoy this chapter! 

Thank you for reading! 

--MFP--