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Fun fact: I came up with the concept for this fanfiction almost 7 years back and called it "TV in my head." I told myself I would never share the story with anyone. But now, here we are...🤭😝

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Rose Shinobi

A minute of awkward silence lasted between us. The adrenaline we experienced when we fought the nighlok now vanished with his defeat, apparently taking away our sudden sense of camaraderie too. 

We stood under the Shiba tree again, awkwardly glancing at one another while Bloom picked and dusted her bag. 

A sense of inferiority coursed through me as I looked at my supposedly team. They looked so courageous and strong and... especially the way Bloom handled herself... it was all just too far fetching for me. How can I ever live up to these guys?

"Shall we go?" Bloom asked, startling me for a second. 

"What about our stuff?" Jax grumbled and Bloom seemed to go into deep thought. 

"I'm sure you'll be allowed to go get it later," she said, finally breaking the silence. "Right now, you guys need to come to the Shiba house and get treated for your wounds, if any. And it is necessary for you to meet your mentor too"

Collective nods resonated and soon we were set on course.

I watched as Lia made her way beside Bloom, talking casually as if nothing happened. They knew each other before, I realize and that just made me feel more out of place.

I tried to focus more on my surroundings, trying to memorize each and every intricate movement of the beautiful dance the trees displayed for us. The canopy was oddly peaceful to walk under.

Suddenly, I realized Bloom was now walking beside me. Her eyes were set on the scenery too, her hand absent-mindedly playing with her pendent that was hanging on her neck from a thin silver chain. Her eyes seemed like it was glowing in that golden yellow colour of her iris. 

Her gaze snapped to mine and her eye colour... changed? It was now a shade of orange. If I hadn't actually witnessed the change in colour, I would've just guessed it to be just a trick of the light. "Is everything alright?" She asked in her calm sweet voice. My throat suddenly felt dry. "Yes," I managed to chock out.

Her eyes lingered on mine a little longer, as if reading signs on what was going on in my mind, then suddenly, her hands flew to block her eyes and just like that, she continued to concentrate on the path, without giving me second glance.

After that incident, the journey seemed longer than necessary. With Cole's scanning eyes, Jax's rebellious mutters of protest, Lia's state of dejection and Bloom's nonchalance, the walk was one lengthy silent journey.

After what seemed like eternity, we were face to face with the huge wooden gate with the Shiba  symbol. With a gentle push from Bloom, the gate opened just enough to let us through. Inside was a typical samurai mansion. Training grounds, painting easels, stone benches, wooden floors, samurai armored dummies... it was completely filled with samurai aesthetics. This place looked almost... serene, like it isn't a place where people train to face the greatest threat this humanity will ever face.

Everyone were taking in their surroundings too, gawking at it just as I was. Bloom, just as she looked all these while, looked reluctant.

The door creaked open and my spine immediately straightened. It seemed impossible to shake the feeling like I was under some kind of test. 

Our eyes stayed on the door and out came an young male, probably somewhere in his late teens or early twenties, followed by another man, somewhere around 40s, who typically looked like a samurai, his costume and all.

The young male's face broke into a grin as he took us all in. "Welcome to the Shiba house, rangers," he greeted, his voice equally enthusiastic. "I'm Jayden," he introduced himself.

Before I could process any of it, Cole interrupted him. "Wait," he said, surprise evident in his voice. "Jayden? The Jayden!? Like, Jayden Shiba?"

The man smiled and Jayden chuckled. "Yep, that's my brother alright," Bloom spoke out, her voice very low. If it weren't for the silence of surprise hanging between us, we probably would've missed it. My eyes looked at her, but hers were on her brother, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

"Dude! You're a legend!" Jax exclaimed, suddenly looking too invested in this.

"My cousin always talked about you. She told me that you were an amazing leader! It's such an honour to finally meet you!" Lia gushed.

Am I the only one lost here?

"Glad to know I have fans," Jayden chuckled again. Bloom rolled her eyes, but her smile was little too evident, telling she was proud of her brother.

"I will be your mentor," Jayden continued, his formal tone setting in again. "And this is Ji, the guardian of the Shiba house." 

I looked at the man he was pointing at, his face in a solemn peace like nothing could faze him. The wrinkles around his eyes told that he had seen more than any of us over here.

"Wait. Mentor?" Jax cut in, his eyebrows knitting together, his finger pointed at Jayden as if he was trying to piece together something. "As in... the mentor who refused to let us attend after school activities?" His tone was now a bit accusatory. 

"I'm sure you have a good reason for that decision," Cole immediately intervened, looking as if he was fighting to choose the right words. "But could you--"

All it took was a single raised palm from Jayden to stop the words.

"Let's first settle in," he said. "After that, we'll look into all your requests. But just remember to keep in mind before requesting, the samurai life-style requires commitment. Decide what is important."

Everyone got quiet at that. Bloom looked like she just wanted to get out of there.

"How about I show you to your quarters?" Ji asked, clearly trying to lighten the mood. Bloom shrugged and straight forward headed towards the door.

Ji looked at us with a sad smile and said, "come on, follow me."

Jayden followed us close behind, trailing in slowly. Lia turned to him and asked in a low voice, "is it true you defeated Master Xandred single handedly?"

"What? No!" He immediately proclaimed, his eyebrows knitting in confusion. "It was a team effort. Without my team, none of it would've been possible."

From what I've observed of him till now, he is definitely modest.

"You guys can take it from here, right?" Bloom asked and for a second, I believed that she cared enough to ask about our feelings. But no. She wasn't talking to us. Her focus were completely on Jayden and Ji.

Jayden's eyebrows raised, as if challenging her to speak more, but Bloom didn't look like she was giving up either.

"You're the red ranger," Ji said slowly. "And you're the guardian," she retorted.

"I want you out in ten minutes," Jayden told her, his voice stern. Bloom simply shrugged, her hand still playing with her pendant, and turned swiftly on her heel and headed towards a corridor and soon disappeared around the corner. Lia's eyes met mine and we both knew what we were thinking. What just happened?

Ji clapped his hands slightly, trying to brush off the awkwardness. "Your rooms are that way," he said, pointing at the same direction Bloom headed. "Follow me," he said and started walking, making us trod behind him without a second thought.

"We'll meet again in fifteen minutes to discuss about the training schedule," Jayden called from behind us. All of us halted, a mutual feeling that answering him without meeting his gaze felt disrespectful. Our heads turned to him and gave him a curt nod. His eyes fell on me and I forced a smile on my face, flushing down all kinds of anxiety I felt at the moment.

Turning back, I swiftly walked behind Ji, trying to steer myself away from the awkward moment.

Everyone's rooms were shown and my room was the last to come.

"This will be yours, pink ranger," Ji said and my heart fluttered at the title he called me. Pink ranger. I'm the pink ranger.

I went in and found a very plain, very neat room. This room needs major makeover. Neat and plain isn't my thing. 

Ji almost immediately left me alone. I opened the cupboard and found fresh pair of towels waiting just for me. Near it were my new uniform.

It all felt too real now. This was to be my life for the next few who-knows-what days.

Sitting on the bed, everything that happened today came crashing down at the same time. But I was sure on one thing.

I was the pink ranger. And I'll be a good one.

I won't just be a replacement for a replacement.

I would excel and save this world.

I'm going to prove that I am a samurai...

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Hey there! Ok question time...

What do you think Rose meant by "replacement for a replacement"?

And also, do you want to hear more fun facts? Trust me when I say this, the facts just get crazier and crazier...