Toughest day Ever

Emily chuckled as she looked at the black wig on the floor. What a day she'd had, what with the entire team being so hungry and thirsty constantly and never getting enough, and then those two 'future Samurai' guys. She was thoroughly exhausted and ready for a warm bath and bed.

Training would be mighty hard the next day if she was falling asleep.

She was soaking in the hot water now, flexing her toes as she relaxed every muscle in her body. She had just closed her eyes when three knocks rapped on the door and the lock jiggled for a second, since it was locked. She sighed and lifted herself from the tub, wrapping a towel around her and peeking out.

"Mike?" she inquired, "what are you doing here?"

"Oh…were you taking a bath?" his cheeks turned light pink now as he scratched the back of his neck, "uh…Mentor told us about what happened earlier today."

"You mean with you guys eating and drinking everything?" she inquired before smiling gently, her brown eyes forgiving as ever, "don't worry about it. It was fine, and I got to be tough for once."

"You were always tough enough," he sighed before looking away, looking a bit flustered, "but anyway….just meet me outside later in the garden, will you? I understand if you're tired, but I really need to talk to you about something."

"Sure thing," she smiled, closing the door again gently and returning to her bath. She really should be worried about taking too long, but she was so tired….

XXXXXX

She bolted awake, promptly smacking her forehead against the shampoo bottle beside her head. She gasped a bit, realizing she was still in the bathtub…and somebody was knocking really hard. Grabbing the towel around her, she rushed to the door and peeked out again.

"Mentor…." She flushed redder, "I'm sorry…I kind of fell asleep…."

He chuckled, his twisted face of worry and slightly anger vanishing at the truth. The poor thing was exhausted, and that was obvious from the way she almost fell asleep at diner. She'd been in there for about an hour, so he had right to be concerned, but now that he knew she was alright…

"It is alright. Just get dressed and get to bed. You need your rest," he smiled understandingly to her, walking out and relieved that she only revealed her face to him in the crack of the doorway. The last thing he needed was a lawsuit on his hands….

She almost sunk to the ground with embarrassment. Awkward….

XXXXXXX

"Mike…" she was embarrassed with a face caught on fire all over again the very next day, "I'm sorry, I completely forgot…"

"You were really tired, and I understand," he patted her shoulder assuringly, "don't worry about it. You got some rest, and that's all that matters."

She hadn't, really. She was too tired to sleep, thinking about the day she'd just had, thinking about training, thinking about ways to improve, and thinking of him and her sister. She'd just dozed off lightly when the alarm buzzed, and now she was even more exhausted than before. She would have to push through, though, and get through morning training before taking a nap.

A nice, long nap…sleep….

She jerked up, alarmed at almost making her face a part of her balanced breakfast. Wiping the milk drops out of her blonde bangs, she blushed pink, wondering if anyone had noticed. Kevin was out on his morning jog with Antonio, Mike was trying to avoid Mia's 'eggs', and Jayden was getting a head start of his training, so she was probably safe…

XXXXX

Jayden had noticed through the corner of his eye, however. He looked up, pausing in mid-swing to rest his katana sword tip on the top of his toes casually. She was about to fall asleep over breakfast again…had she slept at all that past night?

"Em," he strode up to her easily, putting a hand on her shoulder gently, "did you sleep good last night?"

She looked up, seeming to be in a daze and not quite registering his question for a couple of seconds, "Oh…uh…yeah…"

By the way she looked down and studied her feet, eyelids drooping and posture sagging horribly, he knew she was lying. He gently grasped her hand, guiding her towards her room with one hand on her back to support her.

"You need rest," his voice was slightly scolding, but concerned for her well-being, "get you some sleep and join us by evening training. I understand that a Samurai needs to be ready for battle when nessesary, but as far as training…we can let that slip at least this once."

He smiled to her gently, but that was too easy for Emily, who was too afraid of rejecting and was her own hauntingly worst critic, "But Jayden….I have to keep up with you guys."

"You are keeping up just fine," he promised, laying her back, "now sleep, alright? You can even run a couple of laps around the house if it would make you feel any better about missing morning training."

To this, she agreed.

XXXXXX

Puff, puff, puff…..she finally completed her fifth lap, now panting heavily and tired all over again. She'd rested fitfully, so even though she was still exhausted, she could run on what little strength she had left on barely any more sleep and regular training.

"Mentor's a jerk, making you do that," Mike sighed, taking her hand as soon as she doubled over panting and guiding her somewhere…to her room.

"It was Jayden's idea to make me feel better," she confessed as she was laid back, "for missing morning training. It was too easy just to let me slip by missing it and sleeping."

"You needed that rest, and you obviously need a lot more," he undid her training belt easily, brushing her bangs out of her face and turning her ceiling fan on full blast, "so go on and sleep away."

"Wait…what is it that you wanted to tell me last night?" she grasped his hand before he left, and he smiled gently, kissing her forehead lightly.

"I just wanted to tell you that you really are tough enough," he whispered in her ear as she finally started to drift off, "and that today might just have been tougher than yesterday."

XXXXX

"Ha!" she cried out, back flipping off of the wall and promptly landing on her bottom, "ow!"

She sighed, rubbing it for only a moment before getting back up with a wince. Since she was the last one to receive the Black Box, she decided that she needed to work harder to catch up with everyone else on their training. Now she was working on backflips and flexibility outside, using the stone top of the garden fence and practicing landing on her feet. So far, it only worked every once and while, and when it did, she was still clumsy.

"Em…you're pushing too hard again," Mike was suddenly there in the doorway, watching over her with the rest of the team right behind him, "don't kill yourself training."

"I'm still not tough enough…" she looked to the ground sadly, gripping her training sword tighter in her hand, "I still need to catch up."

"You stayed strong when we couldn't," Mia spoke up, going forth to clasp her shoulder.

"Only because you guys covered me," she looked to the ground, and Antonio grasped her other shoulder gently, yet firmly.

"We work as a team. It was a good thing we were hit and not you…we had to be saved," he smiled sweetly, and she sniffed a tad, self doubt beginning to take rehold on her.

"What would it have mattered?" she asked softly, climbing back onto the stone fence top and jumping off before anyone could respond. She only ended up being caught in Kevin's hold, however, and she sighed.

"I said you had to stop being so nice," the Blue Samurai sighed back and shook his head, "but you are tough, in your own way. Your creative, and you saved all of us yesterday."

"You were stronger than even me, Emily," Jayden looked into her eyes with all seriousness now, nose almost touching hers, "I know now that you have it in you, and it comes out more than I ever thought. I underestimated you before, but I do know now more than ever you are the best of us."

"I've known that from the beginning," she heard Mike's whisper in her ear as she finally smiled back to her team, hugging her friends all in one and dropping the training stick.

XXXXXX

He smiled as he listened to her play her flute. He had always known she had it in her…and she saved them all with it. And now she was relaxing, seeming to let all her worries go as she played with the rising sun, fully rested and ready to be good ole Emily again.

The toughest day ever surely was the previous day, not when she was on her own with the cursed team. And that was only because she was still filled with self doubt and fear of rejection.

He'd just have to change that from now on.