Author's Notes: Sorry all! I thought I'd posted the second chapter to this when I posted the first chapter of my Mass Effect story, but I guess I hadn't. Oops...better late than never, right? :) Here is chapter two! With added benefits of a little drama with the boys. Adam and Rocky...well, things can't be roses forever. Haha.

Buffyxenaman: Thanks!

Eclipticvibe: Glad to see you were waiting for the third installment! :) This story will be all over the place, but I felt like a lot of Rocky's whininess would stem from the time frame of the story (Turbo). I feel like they glosses over a lot of his feelings from the movie to the show, and then he just disappeared completely...apologies if he gets too unbearable ;)

Enjoy, everyone!


"Mrs. DeSantos? Hi, it's Adam. Can I talk to Rocky?"

"Ah, Adam, yes, let me get him real quick. Just a minute."

Adam grew a little concerned when it took nearly a minute for Rocky to appear on the other side of the line. What bothered him more, however, was the tone with which the other spoke. It put Adam on the immediate defensive.

"Hey. What's up?"

"I was just calling to let you know everything went great yesterday. I wanted to know what you ended up thinking about that place." Somehow, now he found himself babbling. "Sorry I left so abruptly, I just—"

"It was great. Loved it, actually. Gonna go sign the paperwork later this week."

Adam balked. When was this decision made?

"Were you, you know, gonna call me and tell me this?"

"Sometime today, yeah."

"Pretty sure that kind of thought warrants an immediate phone call," Adam replied shortly.

"Yeah, well, I didn't know when you'd be around."

He opened his mouth to say something, only to stop himself. He'd been fully prepared to go through another round of stroking Rocky's delicate ego, but now, he wasn't so sure. This was becoming too much to deal with each and every time a monster attacked.

"When is the signing?" he asked.

Rocky sounded surprised. "Friday morning at Mr. Balmers' office."

"Fine. See you then."

Before Rocky could say anything else, Adam hung up the phone. A surge of adrenaline rushed through him, as if to reward him for making such a brash decision. He didn't think it completely the best choice, but for once, he wanted to show Rocky what it was like to be treated so disrespectfully. He half-expected the phone to ring, for Rocky to call back and chew him out, but common sense told him it wouldn't happen. Rocky would likely take even greater offense to the action, which was only going to make things worse.

At that point in time, Adam didn't care, couldn't care. He'd had enough of being looked down upon for continuing to live a life that he had worked so hard to keep. He was proud to be a ranger, loved it, and wouldn't give it up for the world. People depended on him and his abilities. He liked that. Rocky would have to understand and eventually respect that fact.

Adam looked at the clock on the wall hanging above the kitchen bar. The time read 8:30AM.

"Damn it all. I'm gonna be late for work."

. . . . .

By the time Friday approached, Adam had more or less cooled down. He was still upset with Rocky and his flippant attitude, but in a more tired manner than anything else. He felt no anger toward the other boy, just disapproval. He wanted to sign the paperwork for the dojo that morning and get things rolling. It didn't make sense for the children who took their courses to be put in the middle of their fight and have to deal with the consequences. If Rocky had found a place that he liked, then that was the end of it. If he wanted to put his money down on the location and make it his dojo, Adam would support him. Even if Adam was upset with him, this was Rocky's decision—he was there to help offer another opinion.

It was with that thought in mind that he drove alone to Mr. Balmers' office on the west side of town. He had to leave his car in a parking garage about two blocks away given the cramped nature of downtown Angel Grove, but he was willing to pay the necessary money since it would eventually work out in their favor.

Pocketing his keys in his jeans, Adam walked down the flight of stairs out and on to the street. When he stepped inside the cool, air-conditioned building where the realtor's office was he breathed a sigh of relief. Even two blocks in this heat was pretty intense. He loved summer, but didn't always love the heat.

He opened the glass door with the Angel Grove Commercial Enterprises logo stuck on it and made his way to the main counter. He smiled at the secretary sitting there, busily typing away at the computer.

"Hi Shangela, I'm here to see Mr. Balmers. I believe he's expecting me."

Shangela smiled. She gestured toward Mr. Balmers' cubicle not too far away. "Oh, hi, Adam! Rocky is already inside with him; he just arrived a few minutes ago. Go ahead and go on through."

"Thanks."

Adam stuffed his hands into his pockets. The idea of seeing Rocky for the first time in four days was making him ill. He hated that fact, but he knew it was the anxiety within him that was doing it. This was the longest they had gone without speaking before. Even though it had been for a lesson, Adam was doing his absolute best to keep composed. He hoped Rocky had learned something throughout it all.

Somewhere in the back of his head came the nagging reminderthat Rocky did not call once the entire four days they were apart. He tried to push it aside as he peered around Mr. Balmers' cubicle wall.

The red haired man smiled, brown eyes gleaming. "Ah, Adam! Please, sit down. We were just about to start."

Sitting in the chair on the left was Rocky. He wore a red button up with his sleeves rolled up, and a pair of darker jeans. He'd done his hair, too, which had grown progressively longer the last few months. Adam smiled faintly at the thought. Seeing Rocky now was like seeing him back when they were freshmen together—he always looked so young with his longer, wavy hair.

Adam was snapped quickly back to reality when Rocky gave little more than a noncommittal "Hey" in greeting, to which he replied similarly.

After sitting down and running his hands over his thighs, Adam proceeded to listen to Mr. Balmer explain to them all of the necessary details of their lease. Having never done any of this before, Adam made sure to ask as many questions as possible. Not surprisingly, this irritated Rocky, who seemed to wish to simply sign and be done with it. However, Adam didn't want to get involved in anything they couldn't handle. The questions continued throughout all the pages of the lease until he felt things had been properly explained.

"Got any more questions?" Rocky asked, with a hint of incredulity to his tone.

"No, I'm good. Just want to make sure we know what we're getting into," he said. He spoke firmly, but calmly. "This is good for a year, right, you said?"

"Correct," Mr. Balmers explained. "With your signatures I will be able to cash the check Rocky has written here. Give me until Monday and I will have everything all settled and in place for you gentlemen, including permits and licenses and everything. Who shall I call when all is ready to go?"

"Me," Rocky said, before Adam could even open his mouth.

"Him," Adam agreed, though irritably.

"All right. Well! Congratulations! It's been a pleasure doing business with you boys. From the sound of it, you've already got a popular following, so translating the business over to the area shouldn't be difficult at all. Just remember what we talked about when it comes to getting everything turned over to your name and you should be just fine."

Mr. Balmers shook both Adam's and Rocky's hands before moving to stand. "You boys are free to go. I will be sure to contact you Monday. Have a great weekend!"

"You too," they said in unison, watching the other man exit his cubicle and walk down the carpeted hallway toward what looked like a copy room.

Now that they were alone, there were a number of things Adam wanted to say. Unfortunately, this was neither the time, nor the place. And from the looks of it, Rocky was already rearing to go. The brunette moved to stand and moved past Adam's seat without a second thought to it.

"Wait," Adam said. He reached out and gripped Rocky's arm. Though upset, now he felt concerned. Rocky seemed awfully distant. Even at their worst, it had never been this bad before. He had never been one to try and immediately talk about things when upset—hell, they usually had to be pried from him—but his partner was rarely able to hold anything in this long.

He went for a jab that he knew he shouldn't have. Yet it still came out, anyway. "No congratulations? Nothing?"

"Congratulations to us," Rocky said, genuinely, before starting to gently pull himself away. "I really gotta go. I've gotta go teach, remember?"

Adam blanched. That was right. Rocky taught Friday mornings at ten. He looked at the clock on Mr. Balmers' desk. Rocky was going to be late no matter what the case. All of his questions had made their session run significantly longer than planned.

Now he felt guilty.

Not really sure what to say, because an apology didn't feel right, Adam just swallowed and nodded, watching Rocky disappear out the door in a hurry.

Adam returned home that morning and putted around the house, doing nothing in particular. Because of scheduling at the amusement park, he had the day off, which put him in a pickle. To keep himself busy he did some chores, including the dishes, laundry and straightening up his living area. However, by the time lunch hour rolled around, he was beginning to grow restless.

Not to mention, without something to distract him, his mind immediately went back to what happened with Rocky earlier. Adam wasn't the type who liked to air his dirty laundry with people, especially his friends, but keeping everything inside was beginning to give him a headache. He needed to get away from it, away from all of it, and so he decided to hop in his car and drive to the outskirts of town in order to visit Tanya at the radio station. He'd turned the radio to her channel while driving there, admiring how natural she sounded. She had such a beautiful voice; it had definitely been made for easy listening.

He pulled into the sparse parking lot under the height of the afternoon sun, pocketing his keys and rushing inside. His pale skin felt flushed from the few seconds outside. Suddenly his mother's voice rang in his head: Did you use your SPF like I told you to?

Adam rolled his eyes at the thought, moving deeper into the studio. When he came upon Tanya's room he carefully knocked on the glass. She spoke into the microphone and then flipped a switch, taking off her headphones and urging him in. Once he stepped through the door she came at him and hugged him tightly.

"Adam! So good to see you!"

"Look at you," Adam laughed. "You're in a great mood. What's up?"

"Reviews are in for my show so far, and I'm getting great ratings! They wanna pick me up for a permanent position!"

Adam smiled genuinely. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks!" Tanya clapped her hands together. "I'm so excited. I've got so many different ideas, I can't wait to share them with my manager. He's gonna love 'em. So," she folded her arms over her chest, still smiling, "what brings you all the way out here unannounced?"

He couldn't just come right out and say he needed to talk. Not only did it seem rude, but he didn't want to ruin her good news.

"Just wanted to see how you were doing," he settled on saying. He, too, folded his arms over his chest. "Maybe see if you wanted to go have lunch, or something."

"That'd be great! I'll bounce ideas off of you and you can tell me how you like 'em."

"Works for me." Adam linked his arm in hers. "Come on, we'll go to that new taco shop that just opened up at that strip mall down the road. My treat."

Knowing Tanya wouldn't disagree, Adam took her to his car and drove them about a mile or so along the freeway toward the strip mall. Despite having just opened this summer, the interest drummed up was significantly less than anticipated. All Adam really cared about was that he was able to find a good parking spot just in front.

He and Tanya walked inside, and immediately Adam's eyes were assaulted by a wave of blues, oranges, reds and yellows. When he took the time to really look at the displays along the wall, he realized they were made out of beautifully finished ceramic tiles, which created unique mosaics of interesting shapes. It seemed a little overdone for a fast food joint, but at least it was pretty to look at. Besides, he thought, it wasn't like they would be coming here often. Fast food remained relatively foreign to their diets.

Once their food arrived, both rangers took their trays and bottles of water to a small table near the back corner, out of the way of the sun. Adam started digging in to his soft taco without hesitation. Even he had to admit that sometimes, he just really wanted greasy food.

"This is pretty good," he said, mouth half-full of taco meat and cheese.

"I can tell. You must be hungry."

Tanya's gaze made Adam feel a little self-conscious. He smiled bashfully, quickly chewing and swallowing his bite. She took one of her own shortly afterward, so he decided to pop open his water instead.

"So, how goes the dojo search?"

Despite any anticipation he could have had in regards to the subject, Tanya managed to hit him completely off guard. Adam hesitated for just a moment, giving her all the information she needed. He could see the gears turning in her mind.

"Uh oh," she said. "No luck yet?"

"No, we had luck," he said quickly. "We found a place."

Tanya looked at him expectantly. Adam didn't know what she was getting at, and so he shrugged his shoulders. She said, "Well? No excitement? No hurrah? Was it really that bad?"

"Oh. Well, no, it just…"

Great, he thought. His appetite was slowly whittling away because his stomach was turning. He couldn't explain without going overboard, and he didn't feel like talking about it all.

"Oh, come on, Adam. You know I know something's up. You might as well tell me now, or I'll just have to play twenty questions and find out that way."

Tanya and her no-nonsense attitude never ceased to make Adam smile—even if he was completely flabbergasted by it sometimes.

His lack of a response made her ask, "So, did you two have an argument about the space?"

"No," Adam replied. "It's…no."

He knew that Tanya had not yet heard about Rocky's penchant for nasty behavior since giving up his ranger abilities, seeing as Tanya was not as close to Rocky as she was Adam. Nonetheless, it was about to surface, and suddenly a part of him felt like defending his partner for being so upset, as if he were justified. It was a weird sensation, out of left field and completely baffling.

"Well, then, what?"

"Rocky's just been…difficult, lately."

Tanya raised her eyebrows. "Ah…I feel like we're experiencing déjà vu."

Adam scratched his head. "What in the hell is that?"

"Something you've been through before. You said Rocky is being difficult. I can only imagine why. Did it start on Monday?"

"Monday? What was—oh."

Monday was the monster fight with Divatox's goons. And, of course, that was when the attitude had begun. Tanya was referring back to when Rocky was out due to his injury, which Adam had thought about, as well. What she didn't know, however, was the extent of his difficulties. If she did, who knew what she'd say.

"It's permanent this time," Tanya said, sighing. "Rocky's gonna take a long time to adjust to it, Adam. He's used to being involved. It's gonna be a real strain."

Adam frowned. "I don't know if I can handle the attitude every time I go to fight…well, monsters, you know?" He lowered his voice. "How can I make him understand I'm not doing it to piss him off?"

"It's like I said last time: he has to come to that understanding, himself. All you can do is try and be patient with him. Try and get him to focus more on the dojo. He's been talking excitedly about it for weeks."

Tanya made a good point. "The realtor said we should have the space by Monday."

"Great! In the meantime, he can work on getting all the necessary equipment, decorations, all that stuff."

When put like that, it seemed so clear, so simple. Easy. But Adam knew it would be much more than that. Nothing with Rocky was easy when he copped an attitude.

"Don't rush him, by the way," Tanya added, almost as an afterthought. She pointed at him. "He was a ranger for three years. That's a long time. It's not gonna happen overnight."

Adam sighed, but nodded. He knew he was in for a long haul. He had always just assumed that Rocky would be okay with it, would move on, just as he had when he'd injured his foot. This time, however, it was permanent. That likely wouldn't go away for a long time.

He was ready, he told himself. He could handle whatever Rocky threw at him, so long as he was able to enjoy his work. After all, again he thought of the children they taught, and how unfair it would be to them for their sensei to be acting like brats.

"Anybody ever tell you you're wise beyond your years?" Adam asked Tanya, the corners of his lips curling into a smile.

Tanya smirked. "No, but it's a very welcome comment."