Lie to Me (Jayden Shiba)

Prologue

A/N: I don't strictly follow the plot of the show, so if some things are off or different, that's why. Just go along with anything!

(Listen While Reading)

"Kana, hey, Kana, listen to me! Listen to me, okay?" Jayden paced outside of the Shiba House, hand shakily pressing up his phone to his ear, desperate to hear the voice of his best friend on the other line.

"Jay, I'm sorry..." she faintly responded, her voice breathy and dying out. Jayden looked around in panic, heart pounding out of his chest. There had to be something he could do! Something, anything!

"Hey, it's gonna be okay, just stay on the line." He mentally cursed himself for sounding shaky, wanting to reassure her that things would be alright, but he wasn't very convincing.

"Ah, we had so much left to do..." That was when it truly hit Jayden, that this was the last time he'd ever speak to his best friend. The most important person in his life, the one he vowed to protect for the rest of his life.

His heart shattered.

"Kana, please..." Jayden whimpered for the first time in years, his legs shook and any moment he'd fall to his knees.

"It's okay, at least... I get to talk with you one last time," Jayden shook his head, gripping at his hair, yanking it out with his free hand. "You'll be an amazing Samurai, I just know it. Don't give Ji a hard time anymore, and make friends with your team. Save the world for me, okay?"

"Stop! Please, just stop! Don't say shit like that!" Jayden cried out falling to the ground, thrashing and punching at it, not feeling his knuckles cracking open. "This can't be happening! What can I do!?"

"Lie to me, Jay." Jayden froze, hearing the saying that belonged to the two.

"Kana, I can't do this without you," he ignored her comment, voice cracking.

"Jay, one last time..." Kana's voice was dying out, "lie to me, give me another lie." Jayden didn't respond, he flinched at the explosions going on behind the call.

"Please..." Kana whispered, pleading for the last time.

"We'll meet again, everything will be okay. I'll be fine." The boy managed to croak out, the explosion drowning out most of the call.

"Yeah, you really do lie beautifully."

The line cut out no second later, at the same time as Jayden's heart was ripped from his chest.

Do you have any idea what it felt like to lose her? It felt like everything went white. Like everything I'd ever known didn't matter anymore. Then I realized, I had lost the most important thing in my life.

*One Year Later*

"Jayden, breakfast is ready," Mentor Ji stood at the boy's bedroom door, looking at him with pitying eyes. He knew what today was, and he wished he could do something for the boy; comfort him, tell him that things will be okay. But neither would make him feel better.

"I'm not really hungry," Jayden mumbled. He sat at the edge of his bed, holding a picture frame. It showed him with a girl his age, just over a year ago. Mentor wanted a normal picture, but the girl decided to catch Jayden off guard and hop onto his back. The two were grinning, looking at one another.

Jayden can't remember what that feels like.

"Alright, if you need anything I will be with the others at the courtyard, training." Mentor shone Jayden a small smile, even if the boy hadn't looked up once from the frame. And so the man left the red ranger to his thoughts, to his mourning.