Red As Love and Death

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Prologue
Pages in a Book

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It was red, hand-tooled leather and gold-edged pages thinner than ice-cold breath. It was hidden on a shelf, tucked between several other books with leather covers and gold and silver pages. But something about it drew her to touch it, drew her to pull it from the shelf and flip it open, read the black handwriting on the inside cover of the book.

Lily found it, but Casey read it.

"It was an accident," he read slowly, carefully. "That's all it was."

Casey looked up from the words written on the pages, staring at Lily. By rights, they shouldn't have been here. It was the library of Doctor Tommy Oliver, on loan because Theo wanted to study the history of the Rangers. But somehow, Casey didn't think the Black Dino Ranger knew that this book was here. It was just a feeling, but for some reason… there was something that gave him the idea that they shouldn't have been reading this.

"This feels private," Lily murmured.

She glanced helplessly at the book, feeling something like tears pricking angrily at her eyes. There was something strange about the words in this book. It wasn't meant to be read, she could feel that in her blood. This book held a secret, a strange and special secret, private. It wasn't meant to be read, but something plucked at her, plucked at her attention and her thoughts, called to her. The book wanted to be read and yet the secrets within its pages seemed so private. For some reason, whatever this "accident" was frightened Lily. It made her think of smoldering hell just before dusk, as light slowly gave way before the oncoming, ever-present darkness.

"But what was an accident?" Casey asked her. "I feel like we ought to find out. It could be something important to the Power Rangers."

"Casey! This sounds like someone's diary. We shouldn't be reading that."

"It's in Dr. Oliver's library. We asked him before if there was anything we weren't supposed to read and he didn't mention anything. This book is kind of obvious. I doubt he'd be able to forget it. Don't go chicken on me, Lily. I wanna know what's in this book. It sounds really interesting."

"It just… feels wrong."

"Why?" He demanded.

"I don't know! I want to know more, I do. I really want to know what's in that book, but it just feels-"

"I wanted to know my future," Casey read on, ignoring her protests. "My mother was a witch - she knew how to read the signs. I was learning, but I couldn't control it well. It was a silly wish, but I had the power to make it come true. What I saw was just an accident, but it was-"

"Casey!" Lily cried.

"It was enough to send me and mine straight to hell!" The Red Jungle Ranger finished with something like triumph. Then he realized what he'd read, and froze, staring with wide eyes at the pages. "What?" He whispered softly. "I… I don't understand… what does she mean?"

"I… I don't know," Lily whispered, shocked. "What could possibly… who is this? Who's journal is this?"

"I don't know," Casey said softly, flipping back to the inside cover. "I have no clue whatsoever. What could she possibly have seen that was so awful?" He searched frantically for a name, an address, anything, on the inside flap. His eyes alighted on what seemed to be the hastily scribbled words on the flyleaf. Unlike the rest of the journal, these words were written in crimson ink, redder than fresh blood.

"You can't keep it all inside.
Write it down, share it, like I
have, or it will destroy you.
When you have, come find
me again. I'll be waiting."

- Red

The Red and Yellow Jungle Fury Rangers read the words inscribed on the flyleaf at least three times before they met each others' eyes. This was… so secretive, so mysterious, so strange. What did it all mean? What was so important that it had to be written down in this journal? And who was "Red?"

"It was a Red Ranger," Casey murmured in soft disbelief. "A Red Ranger gave this journal to someone. But which one?"

"Dr. Oliver? He was a Red Ranger once."

"We'll find out if we read it."

"Yes," Lily replied. "Yes, we will."

"So you're okay with reading it now?" The Red Ranger asked softly, touching the flyleaf almost reverently. It was soft as down beneath his fingertips. "No 'it's too private?'" At his words, Lily shook her head. Something in that message, scribbled with the intensity of some deep emotion, touched her somewhere strange inside. Like the ringing of phantom bells, or the whispered summons of ghosts.

"Read it, Casey," she whispered. "Read it."

Casey settled back into his chair, touching the edge of the page to turn it gently, and found the first paragraph. He sought out the last words he'd read, about hell, and found the next sentences the writer of the journal had hastily penned. He could tell this had either been written in great haste or with burning intensity, because the writing was sloppy, though not unreadable, and many words were crossed out. Some of the Is weren't dotted, and a few haphazard Ts uncrossed.

"My curiosity got the better of me when I followed the whimsical wish in the back of my mind, that strange desire I succumbed to, trying to see the vastness of my destiny. Like any life, it twisted and turned, strange and wonderful and far too complex for me to see, much less understand," the Red Ranger continued to read. "But I did see one thing that made sense - my enemy. Dark hair, eyes burning with fury and the love he had for his Rangers. I saw pain in his eyes, and wondered why my mother had never tried to sway him to our side. He was different than I'd expected, different in my vision than how I knew him to be. There was a girl with him, fighting the nefarious forces often pitted against them both.

"I knew, somehow, that he was my destiny. I would kill him, that crimson-clad Power Ranger, or die. It was that simple. He was - he still is - my destiny."

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So, that's my prologue. This is actually not about the Jungle Fury Rangers, but I wanted the newest batch of Rangers to find the journal. My heart leads back to Space Rangers and before, so my hunky Red Ranger protagonist is (probably) from that era. Anyway, this is from first person, a first (well, second - only one other 1st person fic ever) for me, so please, tell me how I can improve. I love reviews, even if they're critiques. This is T-rated, but I do dark stuff generally - self abuse, alcoholism, drugs, angst. I'm not sure if this fic will have that in here or not, so we'll see. It's as my Muse moves me. Currently she's curled up in a potato chip bag, purring, so I figure I'm good for now. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the prologue. I will try to have a new chap out before the end of April (as my laptop should be getting fixed soon) but I do have at least 5 other fics sucking my lifeforce from my body: Lord of the Rings, Pitch Black, the Dark Knight, Ronin Warriors, and Sky High. Check them out if you like. =)

Ciao!