Mike and Dekker arrived in a bleak place, bathed in a red light.

"I have taken you as far as I can." Dekker sated. "You have one hour."

"So you're chickening out of a fight?" Mike asked him as he started to walk away. "I thought you were all about challenge."

"I am." Dekker replied. "If you get your girlfriend back, remind her what I said to the Gold Ranger."

"Antonio?" Mike asked. Antonio hadn't actually tod them he had spoken with Dekker. "What...?"

"She is strong, strong to a level I never anticipated. It had taken me a long time to recover from the injuries I suffered at her hands." He replied. "I want you to save her."

"Bacause...?"

"Once I am finished with the Red Ranger, she will be my next challenge." He answered. Mike could not answer, Dekker had taken him to the Netherworld, and he knew his time was short. "This is as far as I take you. Good fortune Green Ranger!"

Back in the mortal world, Serena was on the roof of a museum, looking through the skylight, watching the security staff on their patrols.

"OK, this is going to be seriously tricky." She commented. "There's no way I can examine..."

"Let me worry about that." Hayley replied. "I'll be looping the surveillance tapes from...now! Nothing you do will be on camera."

"So what about the guards?" Serena asked.

"Why do you think we asked you?" Hayley replied.

"I've spent months in bed!" Serena reminded her. "Fine, I'll do it, but no killing!"

"We never asked that of you." Hayley reminded her. "I'll kill the security systems as I agreed...all you have to do is deal with the guards."

In the Netherworld, Xandred was resting for once, completely obivious to what was going on around him as a result of the stupor created by his medicine. Mike climbed into the room, at which he saw Dayu enter.

"Not a word." He growled as he brought out his spin sword. "Or I slit his throat!"

"You really think it would be that easy?" She asked dismissively. "Master!"

Xandred awoke. And Mike found himself launched across the room by an unseen force. Xandred just glared at him.

"You are in the wrong place." Xandred stated.

"I'm putting down a challenge!" Mike answered. "I want Emily's spirit!"

"It's not happening!" Splitface declared. "I..."

"So you're a coward!" Mike roared. "I swear on my sword that our battle will be just between us."

Xandred nodded, appreciating the significance. Samurai too their oaths on their sword, the belief being that if they failed in their task, then their sword would fail them in battle. He just nodded.

"We will not interfere." He declared. "Go Multiface, show us your worth!"

Mike just pulled out his Spin Sword and waited for the attack.

The other Rangers arrived at the site of the last battle, looking fo any sign of Mike or the Nighlock, but they could find nothing. Dekker arrived, holding Urumasa

"You are preoccupied." He stated. "Now is not the time for our duel."

"Fine, piss off!" Jayden said angrily. "We can live without..."

"The Green Ranger is already in the Netherworld." He interrupted him. The Rangers all looked at him in horror. "I took him there at his request. He has approximately half an hour left before he will be unable to return."

Just then, Antonio arrived. He was smiling, something they weren't expecting under the circumstances.

"I have an idea!" He told them. "Come on!"

Back in the Netherworld, Mike was finding himself under pressure. True to his word, no one was interrupting the battle between Mike and Multi-face.

Multi-face grabbed him around the throat and drove him through the deck into the bowels of the ship. Mike got back to his feet slowly as the others arrived.

"You made a big mistake Green Ranger!" Multiface stated. Mike just snorted.

"Did I?" He asked, before driving his word through the hull of the ship. Moogers rushed to quell the flood as it came in. Mike just held his sword point-down

"I don't care what happens to me, I'll scuttle the whole fucking ship!" He snarled. Xandred coud tell by the look in his face he was serious. "Come back to the mortal realm or I swear I'll take the whole ship to the bottom of the river!"

"GO!" Xandred snapped.

With that, they were both sent to the real world.

As they arrived, the others were waiting.

"Body swarm!" he Nighlock stated, but he found himself unable to do it. "I said..."

"No point, we marked you!" Mike replied. "You can't scatter"

"But..."

"You have no right to complain coward!" Mike snapped. "Stand back guys, I'll tak care of this myself!"

He pulled out his samuraizer and traced a symbol in the air, before casting it. The Nighlock screamed in agony as a tree grew through him, impaling him. As it grew outwards, the Nighlock was torn apart, exploding in a ball of flame. Lights scattered in all directions as the spirits he had stolen returned to their rightful owners.

"One more tree, one less Nighlock!" Mike said coldly. "That's the kind of maths I like."

"It's not over yet." Jayden responded as Multiface returned as a mega monster. "But this time we'll take him together!"

"How?" Mia asked. "Without Emily we can't form the megazord!"

"Let me worry about that." Antoinio replied as he pulled out his morpher. "Alright clawzord, it's time for your big moment!"

In another city, Serena was watching the guards movements in the museum, looking for a window of opportunity as she used one of Hayley's devices to pick the lock on the window. Hayley had already assured her that she had taken care of the alarm. Once it was open, she waited for her opportunity, before launching herself into the air. She accomplished two goals at once, breaking her fall and also taking out a guard as she landed on him, knocking him unconscious with a harsh blow to the back of the head. She knelt over him, checking no one had heard her.

"Sorry buddy." She whispered as she dragged him behind a statue. "Alright Hayley, I'm in."

"Find the sword." Hayley told her.

"Wow, I thought you were meant to be the angel on my shoulder or something." Serena said sarcastically.

"I've dealt with the cameras and the alarm, the rest is up to you." Hayley responded. Serena just made her way through the museum to an exhibit, a glass case holding a katana in a patterned, black scabbard. She lifted the case, taking the sword from the exhibit.

"I've got it." Serena told her. She pulled the sword from the scabbard, the blade making a little rasp as it came free for possibly the first time in centuries. Serena sighed as she saw the signature on the blade.

"It's a true Masamune." She told Hayley. "It isn't what we're looking for."

It was then that she noticed something odd, a strange symbol etched into the collar of the scabbard. She placed the sword aside, and gripped the collar, finding a hidden switch in it. She removed the collar, finding a small, hidden compartment in the scabbard, only a few millimetres across, which housed a parchment. She pulled it out and read it. "Hayley, I might have found a clue."

"A good thief doesn't stop to count his purse." Hayley replied. "The sword is worthless..."

"According to the sign it's worth about 10 million." Serena corrected her.

"It's worthless for our cause, the parchment isn't." Hayley replied. "Put the sword back and get back to the motel. We'll check out the parchment there."

"Alright." Serena replied. She replaced the Masamune back in its scabbard and replaced it on the exhibit, closing the glass case. She looked around, watching for guard, before running up the wall and launching herself back to the skylight, and hauling herself up to the roof, escaping into the night.

Emily woke up with Mike waiting over her, and smiled. She had no doubt that he would be the first face she would see.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"Don't worry, it's still your birthday." He replied. "Many happy returns by the way."

"The Nighlock..."

"He's gone." Mike assured her, taking her hand softly. "We took care of him."

"But..."

"There was no way I was letting him take you." Mike told her. "I marched right onto Master Xandred's junk and dragged him back."

"You went into the Netherworld?" Emily asked him. "Mike, humans can't survive there! You could have..."

"If I didn't bring you back, I wouldn't have wanted to come back anyway." He told her, drawing her in and hugging her tightly. "You're the best of us Emily, you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I couldn't let you go."

As he released her, she felt her heart beating faster as he just looked at her in that way that always made her feel amazing, like she was the only thing in the world that mattered.

"I have a confession to make." He told her. "I told the others."

"Mike..."

"They thought the same as me, they wanted to make it memorable." He assured her. "The party's still waiting."

"Mike, I..."

"I doubt they'll be interested in hearing excuses." Mike chuckled as he lifted her out of the bed in a bridal carry. "You're going."

"Well, you're the boss I guess." She replied with a smile, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He carried her through to the main room, where the others were waiting for her. Paper chains and banners were hanging, and there was a huge cake waiting for her. Her face lit up as they all came over.

"Happy Birthday." Jayden declared, hugging her first. "We were worrying you would miss the whole thing."

"I even baked a cake especially." Mia told her. She just laughed as she saw the look on Emily's face. "Only joking, I got it from the bakery. My cooking lessons haven't gotten THAT far!"

"They did extend far enough for a sea bass dinner." Antonio told her, putting an arm around Jayden's shoulder. "Caught fresh this morning by yours truly!"

"There is one more thing." Mentor Ji told her, presenting her with an envelope. "I know that I normally forbid contact with family, but it's not every day that a Samurai turns 18."

Emily took the envelope from him, her hand shaking as she recognised the handwriting. She didn't need to look inside to know it was from Serena. She ripped open the envelope, discarding it carelessly on the floor as she read it.

"Happy Birthday, try to remember some of it." She read aloud as her tears began. "Your beloved sister Serena."

Mike held her closely and comforted her as she broke down. He knew one of the reasons this was so hard was because she missed her family so much, that was why he wanted to show her that she had a family right here with the Rangers.

"Alright, before we get too mushy, who's up for a Nacho starter?" Antonio asked. The Rangers all cheered as they went to the table to begin the celebration not only of Emily's Birthday, but of the fact that the heart of the team had been returned to them. As she began, Emily looked to Mike and smiled. He had quite literally gone to Hell and back for her. She couldn't imagine being with anyone else.

Meanwhile, Serena arrived back in her motel room, finding a bottle of champagne and a glass waiting.

"I took the liberty." Hayley told her over the earwig. "I figured you deserved it."

"Thanks." She replied, popping the cork. She got a scanner, and started to scan the parchment as she took a sip. "I'm sending the parchment as we speak."

"It's another clue." Hayley replied. "It isn't much of a clue, it just says this isn't the blade you seek, this is a blade of Masamune, a quite mundane though admittedly fine sword."

"So we just wasted our time." Serena replied sarcastically as she finished her glass. "I risked a felony arrest for nothing."

"We do know one thing at least." Hayley replied. "It isn't this Masamune."

"How many are there?" Serena asked. "He was one of the most legendary swordsmiths..."

"There are only seven still in existence." Hayley assured her. "According to legend, Masamune was more than a swordsmith, he was also a mystic. Nothing he did was without purpose. If his blades lasted, then that was not by coincidence."

"So I need to check out every Masamune there is?" Serena sighed. "So much for a one-off mission."

"I'll have your plane tickets to you by the morning." Hayley told her. "The next one is in Italy."

Fin.