On Fire (Power Rangers Samurai)

43 - Angst / An Honor

Emily gasped when she saw Lauren with her legs all bloodied.

She woke up when her spirit joined her body. Since Jayden remained asleep, she was alone until the rest of the rangers returned.

The rangers had to hold Lauren down to remove the arrows. As they tugged on the arrows and pressed down on them with cloths, Lauren nearly boxed all of them out.

After Lauren changed into a black tank top and shorts, Mia and Emily helped the medic bandage her wounds.

"The arrows didn't pierce you as deeply because of your muscle mass." The medic told Lauren. "Knowing you, you'd probably be up and about in a few days, but I want you in bed rest for at least a week."

"You both know each other?" Emily asked them.

"She refills my inhalers. And she checks on me every month." Lauren explained. "I'm sick of her."

"The feelings are mutual. She's an annoyance like no other." The medic rolled her eyes under her glasses.

Mia and Emily laughed, Lauren and the medic genuinely looked pained to see each other.

"I'm leaving. I hooked up an electrocardiogram on your brother so you can monitor his heart rate. I don't know how long it'll take for him to wake up. Call me back if he doesn't do so in 3 days."

Also, the poison in your system isn't deadly." The medic turned to Emily and Mia. "You ladies must force this pill and this vitamin down her throat every day for a week."

After the medic left, Lauren pretended to fall asleep so that Mia and Emily would leave the medical room.

When they were gone, she sat up and looked over to Jayden, who laid unconscious on his bed. The wires that linked him to the electrocardiogram slipped under his red shirt, pasted to his chest.

The monitor showed that his heart rate was slow as he was in a resting state.

What if his heart stops?

Lauren wished the machine was never there. Watching his heart rate made her anxious.

She always carried herself with certainty and confidence, but it all withered away as his eyes remained gently shut.

The intense fear she felt was humbling, as she had previously believed that angst had no place in her life.

She needed Jayden to be okay.

~~~

"Are you tired?" Mike asked Emily. The two of them were sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Not really. I felt energetic when I woke up." Emily responded while stretching her arms and yawning. Right after her yawn she leaned on Mike and hugged him.

Mike chuckled. He shifted himself so that he could get comfortable and pulled her closer to him.

"I was afraid that I would lose you forever." Mike stared blankly at the ceiling.

Serena slipped into Emily's thoughts, as she and her sister would say similar things to each other.

Emily truly knew how Mike felt but had no words. She hoped that her embrace would compensate for her silence and bring him comfort.

"I'm so glad you're back." He told her.

Mike wanted to be the one to protect and save Emily. But Emily protected him from Splitface and Lauren saved her afterward.

He thought he was being responsible with his actions, but he was just demanding things from himself he couldn't deliver.

He never needed to protect Emily. There's a million other ways to show love.

"I won't leave you." Her words had much more weight than Mike would ever know.

Mike smiled as Emily fell asleep in his arms. It was an exhausting day.

A blanket floated on top of the couple as Kevin passed by the living room.

Before Mike could give him a thankful expression, Kevin had a foot out of the living room.

Kevin had changed silently but drastically.

He stopped calculating his meals and training more than he had to. He slept for longer hours when needed as well.

Kevin just seemed happier.

~~~

"Master Xandred, you look well!" Octoroo exclaimed. "That Sansu water is really doing the trick!"

Octoroo expected Master Xandred to rock the boat with another raging fit since Splitface ended up failing, but he seemed more... stable.

"I was thinking," Something Master Xandred doesn't usually do. "We should just kill the rangers!!"

Just as Master Xandred seemed calm, the roar of his voice echoed throughout the waters.

"I agree to that!" A new nighlok stepped onto the boat.

His body was stylized as if he was wearing a brown kimono. His skin was hunter green with streaks of red and brown that accentuated his fluid features.

On his back was a quiver filled with wooden looking arrows and their silvery feathers jutting out.

His bow was large and intricately carved. It looked as if it was black, but had a slight tint of green to its gleam.

"Why waste energy making the humans miserable? Their world is so cruel and miserable that they're already doing the job for us." The nighlok scoffed. "The second we kill the rangers, the world is ours. No one will stop us from breeding even more misery and finally drowning their world."

"Who are you?" Master Xandred asked, getting wet over his theory.

"Velos." The nighlok grinned. "It's an honor Master Xandred."

"I like the way you think. Stay aboard." Master Xandred ordered.

"It would be an honor."