Disclaimer: I don't own them.

*Italic indicates thought

Chapter Twenty-One: Finally Alright

A/N: Hey! Well, we've reached the end. Sorry if I confused you guys, but I meant to say this was the final chapter. Anyways, thank you to everyone who supported and read this story. I promise the next one won't be as dark. I'll probably be posting the next one sometime this week, so look out for it. Enjoy the last chapter!

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." -Martin Luther King Jr.

~Two Months Later~

I sit in my room, running my hands over my book. Reading has quickly become one of my favorite pastimes now. With my options for entertainment very limited, I find reading to be very fun. Even without my vision, I can still place all the changes to my room. There are more books in here now, and Ji has removed any weapons or sharp objects. I know the rest of the house is mostly unchanged as well, so I can find my way around.

I hear the front door open distantly and pause in my reading briefly. I look up when I hear her. "Where is Jayden?!" I stand up, setting my book aside gently. I find my way to my door and open it. "Where is he?!"

"Ji, who is she?!" Kevin asks desperately.

"Tell me where he is!" the girl insist again. I walk a little faster; finding my way to the living room almost by instinct now. I stop in the doorway and the next sentence spoken makes me grin. "Tell my where my brother is."

"Brother?!" the other rangers exclaim.

"Lauren?" I ask quietly.

I hear someone moving around and a gasp. "Jayden!" Next thing I know she's hugging me and I hug her back. "Jayden, it's so good to see you."

"You too."

She pulls away and I hear her gasp quietly. "Oh my god, Jayden what happened to you?!"

"Can someone pleas explains what's going on?" Mike asks. "Who is she?! Why is she calling Jayden her brother?!"

"I feel like there are several overdue explanations here," Ji says. "Jayden, why don't you and Lauren go outside."

I nod. "Come on," I say, taking her hand. I feel my way to the front door and let us outside into the yard. I sit down on the bench and feel her sitting next to me.

"What happened?" Lauren asks quietly. "Jayden, what happened to you?"

I sigh. "Eight months ago, the nighlocks captured me and held me prisoner for six months. Let's just say those six months were something out of a horror movie for me."

"Is that...is that what happened to your...your eyes?"

I nod. "They blinded me by pouring Sanzu river water over my eyes."

Lauren gasps quietly. "Oh my god. Six months? Six months you were missing and no one told me!" I feel her get up and hear her start to pace. "You were blinded and no one bothered to tell me?! My own brother! And no one said a word!"

"I guess it was decided that sticking to the plan was...important."

"Not more important than your life," Lauren says sitting down again. "Six months and I knew nothing about it. I'm a horrible sister."

"No," I respond, frowning. I set my hand on hers. "You're not a horrible sister."

"I certainly don't deserve a brother like you. You've been taking my place and went through all that... I can't believe it."

"Honestly I can't sometimes ether. But it's ok. I've gotten better. I can move around the house just fine. And I can even read and dress myself. They make clothes with Braille tags. I had no idea."

"You can't tell me that everything is perfect."

"It's not. I get really bad panic attacks sometimes, and I'm kind of paranoid. I don't think those are ever going away."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's ok. This wasn't your fault. And despite what I thought for weeks, it's not my fault ether. It all just kind of...happened."

"What nighlock is responsible for this?"

"Serrator. But don't worry, the team's already taken care of him. I feel like they really enjoyed destroying him after everything he'd done."

"Better them than me."

I smile. "Probably."

"I wish I could've been there for you."

"It's ok. I had my friends and Ji. They never gave up on me, even when I'd given up on myself. You'll see, they're the greatest team and friends anyone could ask for."

"Aren't you worried about them being mad at you for lying to them?"

"Yes," I admit. "But after everything we've been through the last few months, I feel like this is actually a small bump in the road."

"From the sounds of it, this is an ant hill compared to a mountain."

I laugh. "I guess. But now, with the real red ranger here, they can finally set their sights on defeating Master Xandred."

"The second red ranger," Lauren tells me. She puts her hand on mine. "After everything you've given through to keep me safe–the things the nighlocks did because you had the red samuraizer–you are a real red ranger. And don't let anyone ever convince you you're not. I'm proud you're my brother, and it's an honor to take your place on the team."

I smile. "Thank you."

She hugs me. "And I'm sure Dad would be proud of you too."

I simply hug her in return. I'd had my whole life turned into a dark and terrifying place. But now, even if I couldn't see it, I knew it was filled with light and promise again. I hugged my sister tight, feeling whole again for the first time in forever. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you. Come on, we should probably go inside and see if Ji's done explaining yet."

"Yeah," I agree standing. "Probably."

"Are you ok? I mean, are you ready?"

I touch the akin around my eyes, now completely healed and scarred over. I think of the scars on my body; the ones on my back that crisscross in impossible patterns. I move my hand and take Lauren's. After all I've been through, nothing in life could ever be so horrible, or scary, or alone. I know that I have nothing left to fear for whatever lay ahead on my unseeable path. I nod. "Let's go." I am clothed in dignity and strength, and I laugh without fear of the future.