Disclaiemr: Ninja Storm Power Rangers, Dino Thunder Power Rangers, their world and characters are not mine.
The Talk
Hunter was carrying in the last box when he saw Trent and Kira getting into Dr. Oliver's black jeep, Kira behind the wheel. He tilted his head to the side curiously and a small smirk made its way across his features. If he hadn't been carrying a box full of Kira's stuff, he would be rubbing his hands together maniacally, like some deranged mad scientist, but as his hands were full, he just imagined it and it made him feel better.
Nonchalantly, he walked into Tori's little house on the beach that Kira was renting while she was going to Blue Bay Uni, gigging around town and studying as an air ninja under Shane and Watanabe Sensei at the wind academy. Blake and Tori had left for Washington the week before. Hunter, who had been dating the petite singer for about two months now, was pleased that Kira was moving down close to the academy and by extension, him.
He was met in the tiny living room by three males. The tallest was dressed in a red shirt and jeans. Connor McKnight, former red dino ranger, stood with crossed arms. He had filled out in the couple of years since he left high school and he was still a lean, mean, soccer playing machine. He quickly became the sensation of Turtle Cove University where he attracted attention on and off the field. Ethan James stood to his right dressed all in blue. The shorter colored man wore an expression of stubborn fierceness that Hunter had not seen since he had watched the blue dino ranger fight Dustin all those years ago. Standing to Connor's left, was Dr. Thomas Oliver, paleontologist and the only former ranger to become the mentor of a ranger team. His expression of exasperation and resignation told Hunter all he needed to know. Dr. Oliver was already on his side. This confrontation was clearly for the benefit of Connor and Ethan.
Hunter was amused. He had gone through his share of "hurt her and I will kill you" moments, but usually, he was the one doing the cornering, not the one being cornered. With a small sigh and a bleak smile, he put down the box. "So, where did Kira and Trent go?"
"For lunch," Ethan bit off a bit belligerently and Hunter didn't have the heart to tell him that his facial expression looked more like a petulant five year old than a grown man about to graduate from college.
"Huh," Hunter said absently looking around, "She sure has a ton of stuff, huh?"
Tommy Oliver barely controlled a lip twitch. Hunter was baiting them. Pretty bold of the thunder ninja. Tommy decided there and then that this was going to be more amusing than anything else and began to commit every moment to memory to retell Haley when he got back to Reefside.
Connor cleared his throat, "We just want you to know, that if you hurt Kira in any way, we are personally going to come down to make your life hell."
"Just the three of you?" Hunter asked casually.
"Well, yeah," Connor said.
"Plus Trent," Ethan said pointing a finger at Hunter and nudging Connor in the side.
"Yeah, and Trent."
"So why did Trent take off with Kira?" Hunter asked, "He's missing out on all the good stuff."
"Good stuff?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah, you know, the threatening, the posturing. Guys, I have three women that live with me and then Tori. I'm an old pro at this."
"Huh –"
"Kira doesn't know that you are doing this does she?"
"Uh –"
"Boy, is she going to be irked when she finds out," Hunter said shaking his head. "And you sent Trent as distraction? He's going to spill the beans. She's going to come back here to give you a tongue lashing. And to top it all off? They won't have picked up lunch."
Connor and Ethan looked at each other, then they looked at Hunter, then, they looked at Tommy. Tommy shrugged at them helplessly. He had more female teammates than anyone and had done his share of busting heads.
As if on cue, there was tire screeching in the driveway and the three dino rangers winced. Hunter just smirked and picked up the box that he had put down and walked down the hall towards Kira's bedroom. He would just drop the box and return for the show.
Sure enough, by the time he got back, the door burst open and there stood a seething Kira Ford, her hair a bit mussed from her ride in the open jeep. She stalked up to the three men who seemed to have frozen in place once they heard the jeep pull in. Trent followed behind her to stand next to Ethan abashedly.
Ethan rolled his eyes, "Some distraction you are," he muttered at Trent.
The young Latino man just shrugged and looked at the floor. "I don't know why you guys send me out with her when you concoct these crazy schemes. You know I can't hide anything from her," he said a little helplessly.
"Then you lie," Connor said with an exasperated look at Trent.
"First you try and corner my new boyfriend, then, you lie to me, Connor?" Kira said coolly. All conversation in the room stopped and three panicked looks, one still exasperated and resigned teacher and an amused boyfriend looked to Kira. She stood there, a petite yellow whirlwind in black crop pants and a yellow camouflage shirt, dark blond hair tumbling over her shoulders and brown eyes flashing.
"Er, not lie," Connor said trying to back track and looking to Ethan and Trent for help, but Trent continued to look at the floor and Ethan continued to glare at Trent. "We would never lie to you, Kira." An expressive eyebrow went up, "Well, you know," Connor muttered, "unless we totally knew we could get away with it, which we never do, but that's beside the point."
"Oh, man," Ethan said knowing that Connor was just digging them deeper. "Kira, look, we were just trying to, you know," he looked to Trent, no help there. Connor was going to have trouble digging himself out of his own grave. Dr. O was just standing there looking amused.
"Kira, honey," Hunter said as he walked up to her. All eyes swung to him and Trent noted that he didn't flinch as he received the full brunt of Kira's glare of death. Ethan sighed in relief. Connor continued to mutter to himself and Dr. O just shifted his weight and folded his arms. Hunter just threw up his hands in front of him as a defensive gesture and continued to slowly walk towards Kira as if she was some wild cat that would scratch at him with no provocation. Well, no, she had provocation, it just wasn't him. He tried a smile, "Look, the guys were just trying . . ."
Kira folded her arms across her chest, "I know what they were trying."
"Yeah, and you totally have to respect them . . ." now two eyebrows were arched, and both at Hunter.
"Are you defending them?" Came the incredulous question.
"No," Hunter was quick to reply as he took a half step back, "no, not defending, just I understand, you know."
Kira tilted her head to the side, a wry look on her face, "because you're a guy."
"Well, yeah," a cautious step forward.
Now a bit of an evil smirk came across Kira's mouth, "and because little girls like me can't take care of myself."
"Now wait a minute, I didn't say that."
"You implied it."
Hunter just shook his head at her and gave her a mock glare, "You may be able to get them to shake in their boots with comments like that, sweetheart, but not me."
"No, but I bet Tori can," Kira retorted.
"Oh, absolutely," Hunter swooped in and caught Kira around the waist, "But you, sweetheart, are not Tori."
Kira glared a Hunter for a moment as he flashed a winning grin at her before spinning her about and giving her a kiss. The three young dino rangers were watching with their mouths hanging open. Tommy had moved to open some boxes and begin unpacking, now that he knew that Kira wasn't going to flatten anyone (Connor) soon.