It's Not Over, Chapter I

Halo

Like most days in Blue Bay Harbor, the sun gleamed brilliantly off the reflective windows of the surrounding banks and business offices of the downtown area. The stead zoom of cars and distant crashing of waves from ten miles away at the beach resounded like a symphony of well-practiced sounds, coalescing into every day Blue Bay Harbor life. Tori Hanson sighed as she checked her watch again.

He was late. Again.

Suddenly her phone chirped to life with his ringtone.

"Hey, where are you?"

"I'm closing up the shop now, I just had to finish inventory and then—oh shit!—and then I have to clean up a small oil spill…"

"Dustin, it's going on ten til' seven…do you want me to just get us a table?"

"Yeah, do that! I'll be there in seriously, like, 15 minutes tops!"

Tori rolled her eyes and sighed. "Okay, I'll see you then."

"Later, Tor."

She could swear she heard him curse again as she slid her phone shut, but she merely shook her head and shifted her van to "off." The squishing in her stomach seemed to drown out her thoughts for now, but she knew that eventually, they'd come parading right back in full blast.

The former blue ranger precociously made her way into the restaurant, reserving a table for two. Being a Friday evening, it was just a wee bit on the busy side, and she could hear boisterous laughter and giggling from the high schoolers who were glad to be on summer break. Being a teacher of sorts herself, Tori could feel their enthusiasm on a different level. No ninja classes for the next three months!

But even that thought couldn't comfort her. This talk with Dustin was going to be difficult to say the least. Ever since he and Hunter had pulled their publicity stunt, Tori had been plagued with questions about how they wound up together, how she didn't know, and whether or not she was simply a third wheel. She deserved to know, right? Sure, she had definitely moved on with Cam and the two had finally set their wedding date for August, but something in her longed for closure on the taboo topic of Dustin and Hunter.

Her phone beeped loudly three times and she slid it open to glance at the new text message. New message from: Shane Clarke.

"Hey Tor, let me know how things with Dustin go, I still wanna catch a movie with you two if things are cool after it's all done. Let me know."

She slid her phone shut and huffed out air as she looked toward the window. He had ten minutes left, she noted.

The Water Ninja let her mind wander again as she recalled a summer long ago with Hunter: warm nights on the beach, cool drinks in hand, ocean air in her lungs. It felt like paradise, she remembered. She could easily grasp moments like that with Cam; he was more than she could have imagined. It hurt her to think of how many times she'd overlooked him and gone running to him about Blake or Hunter, or even some other random guy who happened to be having a "fuck-Tori-over" day. Why did he even bother to stick around after all that, anyway? That was a mystery wrapped in an enigma almost as complex as Dustin and Hunter. From what she had observed, the two were nearly perfect together. Sometimes she watched them with uncontrollable admiration, sampling their moments of happiness. The little she did know was that they were together while Hunter was away, which explained a huge part of Dustin's mental and emotional wall construction period; yet, she didn't quite understand how they were able to manage that. She and Blake couldn't even last more than a few months while he was on his factory tours. What was it that they had to keep them unbreakable? Even when Hunter wasn't there for the funeral of Dustin's mom, Lee, they were able to move on together.

The Hunter she initially knew was cold, reserved, sarcastic, brash, and prone to mood-swings. The Dustin she initially knew was warm, outgoing, ingenuous, helpful, and prone to forgetfulness or even vapidity. So how had Hunter become a caring, selfless, introspective, observant, and gentle man? And even more puzzling was how Dustin transformed through depression with an anti-social tendency and lack of emotion or enthusiasm, to the appropriately sober, intelligent, sensitive, yet responsible partner of Hunter? It was literally mindboggling. She knew Hunter had gone through extensive training while Dustin had gone through the most traumatic experience of his life, and that somewhere along in there, the two were able to alleviate the other's stress and hardships…but did that really explain the inarguable solidity of their relationship?

"Hey!"

Tori whipped her head up from her state of pensiveness and smiled at the speaker. Like he promised, Dustin was there within 15 minutes, looking like he was glowing like he normally did. But why was he so damned happy all the time? Did he and Hunter never fight, or something?

"Hey, Dustin! It's about time you got here, I'm starving," she fronted.

The ex-yellow ranger slid into the booth and tossed open a menu. "I know what you mean. Lunch got cut short today cuz I had like four interviews for the manager position. Plus, egg-salad-sandwiches don't really taste that well if they're not cold."

Tori choked out a laugh. "You know, I think you're supposed to refrigerate those."

Dustin shrugged, "I meant to, but as soon as I walked in the door today I noticed Eric forgot to restock the moto-gloves and re-rack the shirts and stuff. I was like…swamped once I walked in."

"Well, good thing it's summer. No more classes!"

Dustin beamed, "I know! And Hunter told me some really great news today, too."

Tori didn't let her smile falter, though her heart did seem to do an odd little tango of sorts. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, he says Amino and Sensei have been talking about merging schools by sending different Sensei to the schools. That way the Thunder Academy has Wind Ninjas, and vice-verses!"
"Versa."

"Right, that's what I said."

Tori smirked and hid her face behind he menu. "That's great news, though, Dustin! Does that mean Hunter's going to be able to start teaching again?"
"Hopefully. The details are still kinda sketchy, but that's what we're aiming for."

"That'll be awesome."

Dustin nodded with enthusiasm as he flipped through the menu. "Dude, I could eat like, all of this."

"Someone must be making big money over at Storm Chargers, then," she joked.

Dustin tapped her on the head with his menu. "Hey now, you know I don't talk about that kinda stuff. Mom always said not to discuss finances, politics, or religion."

"Wow Dustin, I never knew you were so old fashioned."

That earned her a playful kick to the shin under the table.

The awkwardness she'd expected wasn't quite present, but she still felt the same sickening burning in her stomach as her questions kept bubbling over. She needed to start the discussion.

"So Dustin," she began after the waiter had served their salads, "I have a couple questions."

"I might have a couple answers," he responded through a forkful of lettuce.

She grinned. "I'm sure. No, I just was curious; like, with you and Hunter, I mean."

"Whatcha mean?"

"Well like…it was sort of out of leftfield and I guess I was just wondering…well…how?"

Dustin chuckled. Truth be told, he was not exactly prepared for Tori's question. Granted, he knew this moment would come sooner or later. All he could do was reflect back on that day so long ago where he'd gone to her house to talk with her and found her devastated in a pigsty of an apartment. He remembered laughing and joking with her while cleaning, then ordering food and watching movies all night. Silently, he wondered if he was going to have to say goodbye to any of that in the future.

"Well…I dunno, really. I guess it just sort of happened. We spend a lot of time around each other, and I think one night we were just really drunk…"

He could hardly form the lies that were sprouting from his lips, but he'd gotten used to lying when he was still on Lithium. That cold-hearted bitch numbed the enormous conscience he had and allowed him to do nearly anything without a second thought. Autonomy is what Hunter had called it.

Tori forced out a laugh. "Oh wow. When did that happen?"

"Uh…I'm not sure, really. I mean, we didn't just 'get together' right after that. It was more around the time right before he left to train."

Tori's insides quickly doused themselves. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well…I mean, you know; it woulda been kinda weird if we were like, sharing the same guy."

She laughed nervously and Dustin added in a bit of his own merriment. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"So how'd you guys make it through two years of him being away? I mean, especially with all that was going on here? And why didn't you tell Shane and me sooner so we could've helped? We were all really worried about you."

Dustin shrugged. "I'm not really sure how we got through it. I'm not gonna lie and say it was easy or that I believed we could make it, because there were points where I was ready to just throw in the towel. I mean, even phone calls were sketchy as hell. I'd get them at like, five AM or something, but only like, once every five or six months. I knew I couldn't tell you guys without Hunter being here because if you guys decided you didn't want a gay friend, what was I gonna do? I didn't have Hunter, I lost my mom…I couldn't lose you guys, too."

"Yeah, but Dustin…when you shut us out like that, you basically did lose us. Ever since Hunter's been back, though, I feel like I finally have Dustin back. I know Shane feels the same way, and Cam sorta said the same thing."

"I guess it was accidental. I didn't want you guys to dig too deep, and talking about her to you, or Shane, or Cam would've just earned me your pity. But I don't mean that in a bad way, it's just that…that's the last thing you want after something like that happens."

"So you just bottled it up?"

"I had a counselor, actually. He's really cool. I still see him regularly just to make sure I'm doing okay."

She nodded, paused, took a swig of her cola, and then mowed away at her salad again.

"If it helps any, Tor, I did want to tell you guys. Every day. Just to talk about Hunter would've been like a blessing in disguise. But it wasn't only my secret to keep, and since I hardly ever talked to him, it's not like I could just magically get his permission. I wanted to tell you guys, but I needed to know everything was going to be alright first; I mean, if Hunter didn't come back, what was the point of telling you guys, you know?"

Tori nodded reluctantly. He made sense, oddly enough, but there was just something…something she couldn't put her finger on.

—Chapter I—

"So then I told her it just wasn't my place and that I couldn't be sure if it was worth it tell them yet since I didn't know when you'd be back; if ever."

Hunter frowned at the last part, but Dustin squeezed his hand.

"I know better now, dude, I'm just saying from back then. I didn't mean to doubt you."

Hunter gave Dustin his favorite lopsided grin and squeezed his hand back. "Good."

"So what do you wanna do tomorrow? I'm completely free until one, then I have to run by the store and make sure everything's in order. Maybe you can come with me?"

"Yeah, sure, that sounds good. I was thinking maybe after that we could go to the beach and get some lunch and just relax. It's the first day of summer."

Dustin huddled closer to Hunter in their bed and nodded. "I think that sounds like an amazing idea. But you know what sounds better?"

"Huh?"

"Sleeping."

Hunter chuckled and rolled his eyes. He forced out a sigh and rolled over a little to his usual sleeping position. "You are such a sleepyhead."

"Mhm." The earth ninja was falling asleep quickly.

"G'night, Dustin."

"Night, dude."

Hunter said goodnight, but he didn't immediately fall asleep. While he held his boyfriend of nearly three years in his arms, in their bed, in their apartment, together, he couldn't help but notice how everything had panned out. At that very moment, he felt more powerful than any ranger could ever imagine being, and more heavenly than any angel could dream. With Dustin so close to him that his body heat burned his skin in simple pleasure, he felt his chest expand like a massive balloon that could burst at any moment. This was what he'd waited two years for. This was what he fought against Lothor for. This was what made living worth while. This was right.

How things had changed so much so quickly still made his head spin slightly, because when he came back home to Blue Bay Harbor, he hardly received a welcoming party or the happy reception he expected. His boyfriend's mom was dead, he was on an anti-depressant mood stabilizer, his friends hardly recognized him, and that boyfriend he loved so much was almost like a walking copy of him—like it wasn't really him. It took weeks to break through. He could remember the first time Dustin laughed, the new lines formed in his face as he did so; Hunter could tell that the lines hadn't been creased in a while. He could remember the spark of life in his partner's eyes that struck to life like tiny embers warming up to an eventual tsunami of flames. But most of all, he could remember the clear chiming of Dustin's laugh echoing in the recesses of the crimson ninja's mind and soul.

The weeks that followed weren't so rough as things started to open up more. Dustin began to socialize again and slowly took himself off his medication with the help of his psychologist and having to fight off his pushy psychiatrist. The team thoroughly enjoyed being together again, and the more Hunter was around, the brighter he could see Dustin shining. It was hard to remember what he looked like when he wasn't glowing, Hunter realized. It was like there was a constant light shimmering over him, giving his once dark eyes a new vibrant tawny color that glistened in the sunlight like orbs of bronze. His skin shone more brilliantly, and the bags underlining his eyelids slowly faded to their natural complexion. Eventually his hair grew out more and he resembled the old Dustin, but…older somehow. Maybe it was his stature or attitude. There was just something that screamed "I'm new and improved."

"Why aren't you asleep, yet?"

Hunter flicked his eyes to Dustin, whose slurred words had startled him. Since the brown-haired male's face was pressed against his chest, his cheeks and lips prohibited him from speaking correctly. It was simple things like that Hunter treasured the most.

"I was just—"

"Thinking too much again? Yeah, I know, I can basically hear your brain scurrying around."

Hunter laughed, bouncing Dustin's head around on his chest. "You can not."

"Can too. We're like, linked or something. Now go to sleep before you make my head hurt."

Hunter fought the smile back that curled at his lips, then he craned his neck up to kiss Dustin's head.

"Fine, fine. Goodnight."

"I looooove yoooou," Dustin mocked in a sing-song voice.

"I love you too, weirdo."

"Hey!"