RJ wasn't positive what woke him…but he could have sworn it was a wolf's mournful cry echoing through his bedroom. He lay still; not even opening his eyes, taking stock of himself.
He was half curled on his side, head not quite on his pillow, and one hand was clutching his shoulder even in sleep. An experimental flex of his fingers forced out a pained cry as they grazed tender flesh and sent bolts of pure agony shooting down the length of his arm.
He curled a little tighter around the aching limb and felt each and every bruise from yesterday bellow a hearty GOOD MORNING! AND COULD YOU NOT BE STUPID ENOUGH TO MOVE AGAIN THANKS!Or maybe it was "good afternoon". Or evening…was it even yesterday yet? His eternal clock hadn't quite made the trip back from being shot to hell.
Damn…everything had stiffened up while he slept and he wasn't looking forward to what he needed to do.
With a groan he rolled off the bed, not even bothering to try and gain his feet but dropping right to the floor. For a moment he considered doing this on the relative comfort of his yoga matt…but it wasn't worth the effort of actually getting up. Rolling onto his back, RJ closed his eyes again and concentrated on breathing. It should be full and deep but the deep bruises…or possibly fractures in his ribs and who knew what other damage that caused his chest to burn with the intensity of a dozen suns left him able to manage nothing more then something shallow and ragged.
It was a stupid idea, letting both knees drop to one side and twisting to keep both shoulders flat on the floor. He regretted the action instantly. Choking on a pain filled hiss he forced himself to stop grimacing, consciously forcing all tension to bleed out of his body. Rolling back onto his shoulders until both legs were pointing straight into the air, he scissored them one at a time, feeling his balance waver at the simple technique and fiercely biting the inside of his cheek to distract himself from the sharp aches each new motion awakened.
His normal yoga routine was most definitely out of the question today.
Normally he would use the momentum of dropping this position to propel himself to his feet…but he had a feeling that would lead to a full on faint. So he settled on risking a dizzy spell and rolled backwards instead, turning it into a reverse somersault that left him swaying on his hands and knees. Stubbornly RJ slid forward on his palms and arched his back, exhaling sharply as vertebrae cracked and popped in protest. It eased some of the tension but none of the pain. But he wouldn't let it stop him. He would not give Dai Shi the honor of letting his torture assault his life more than it already had. He would take back a measure of his normalcy and he would do it now. So he held the position and his breath then slowly extended his legs back to support himself on his toes.
Taking a shaky breath and holding it, RJ lowered himself till his chest was barely touching the floor and hovered there, testing his shoulder. It throbbed dangerously with the strain of holding that position so he tucked it to his chest and pushed himself up one handed. Once…twice…his arm was trembling too much and RJ fell to his knees, resting his head on the floor and panting raggedly.
He was dehydrated…that much was clear. And though the worst of the discomfort was focused on his shoulder, his stretching has awakened a horrible throbbing in his leg. RJ supposed that when someone with superhuman strength kicked the back of your knee out from under you, walking home on it was generally frowned upon.
Crawling to his feet and testing his weight, RJ was relived that while uncomfortable, it would support him without much of a limp. He ran through a few more basic stretches as much as was possible, trying to relieve the tight soreness.
The wolf master gingerly rotated his shoulder as he padded out into the loft. Casey looked up from the book he was reading at the kitchen table and grinned at him, "Hey, you're awake."
"Tha-" RJ coughed and one hand went to his throat. He'd screamed himself hoarse...
Casey tossed him a water bottle and RJ gratefully downed the whole thing without putting it down. "Thanks…" he rasped, wiping droplets from the overgrown stubble on his chin. He was long overdue for a shave…
"How're you feeling?"
"Like a ripped up cat toy." RJ gripped the railing hard as he climbed the stairs to the kitchen and went to refill the bottle at the sink. He nodded at Casey's uniform, the tiger's face lightly dusted with flour, "On break?"
"On watch," Casey folded down the corner of the page he was on and closed the book. He laced his fingers behind his head and leisurely tipped the stool back to balance on one leg. "We've been taking turns sitting up here. Just in case you needed anything."
RJ smiled, stopping to take a breath halfway through draining the water bottle a second time, "How thoughtful."
"Well you had us pretty worried. No one wanted to leave you…but Fran felt terrible about never opening the shop yesterday soo…."
The wolf master felt his previous disorientation return, "Yesterday? What day is it?"
"It's been a day since we got you back, two since you were captured. We weren't too sure about that part, but Fran said we were only gone for a day. "
"So…"
"You slept about 20 hours," Casey clarified, "give or take a few."
And he was already tired again. RJ rubbed his eyes, "I need a shower…"
"You do kind of smell," the tiger wrinkled his nose.
"Thank you, Casey…" RJ shook his head and turned to refill the water bottle one more time. He still felt like he could drink a small lake. "Why don't you head back downstairs? There's no need to stay."
The red ranger hesitated, "It is getting into the lunch rush…" but still he didn't move, staring at the stairs and looking torn.
"I'm not going to fall over, Casey," RJ assured him, walking over to gently shove the tiger off his perch, "Go."
Casey peered into his face, perhaps weighing the truth of that. RJ just arched an eyebrow at him and took another sip of water.
"Alright…but call us if you need anything. And eat something. You're gonna make yourself puke with all that water on an empty stomach."
"Yes, master, whatever you say."
Casey made a face at him. The red ranger snatched his JKP hat from the table and darted down the stairs to the back room, calling to Lily that RJ was awake.
The wolf master leaned against the sink, weariness settling over him. Okay, maybe not a shower. Standing for a prolonged period of time held absolutely no appeal at the moment. A bath sounded much more to his current speed. He stripped off his clothing on his way to the bathroom, throwing them in a pile outside the door with every intention of burning them later. The dirt might wash out…but the stench of darkness could never be removed. He wanted it out of his home and off his skin.
Plugging the drain and leaving the steaming hot water running, RJ glanced over the accumulation of frilly soaps and oils that Lily had scattered everywhere. By this point she had completely taken over his bathroom with her "girly products". Makeup, lotion, more hair products then he cared to count, and unmentionables that she had no qualms about leaving out once a month.
He didn't have the heart to complain. It was karma. She had to share a single bathroom with three men.
A purple box of bath salts caught his eye and RJ gave it a curious sniff. Coconuts! He immediately sprinkled some in the water. Lily wouldn't mind…probably. It was coconuts. She couldn't possibly fault him. Ooo…vanilla candles.
By the time RJ settled in the tub there was a line of aroma therapy tea lights burning around the sink and oil and bubbles in the water an addition to the coconut. He tucked a folded towel under his head and sighed deeply, closing his eyes with a peaceful smile as he reclined against the edge of the tub. He needed to start meditating in here instead of the loft. It was impossible not to relax…
"RJ!"
He jerked awake at the banging on the door, water splashing over the edge of the tub as he looked around wildly. The candles had all burned themselves out and the water was cold…he didn't even remember falling asleep.
"RJ!" Lily pounded the door again, "You've been in there for hours! Are you alright?"
"Fine! I'm fine…" he rubbed his face and stared at his wrinkled hands. He was so out of it…and wouldn't that be the most pathetic end for a Pai Zhua master? Drowning in his own bath. His father would have chased him beyond the grave just to tell him what a wretched excuse for a demise that was.
"Do you need help?"
RJ stared at the door, mouth opening and closing with no sound before he finally shook his head, "Lily…for the sake of my own sanity, I'm pretending you didn't say that. And…stay on your side of the door," he added nervously, sinking a little deeper into the water. "Please."
The yellow ranger chuckled at his alarmed tone and padded quietly away. "He's okay…" her muffled voice assured someone deeper in the loft.
The cold water had turned a murky brown color and RJ could feel sand and other grit lying on the bottom. Disgusted, he felt around the other end with his toes and yanked the plug from the drain. RJ struggled to his feet, one hand on the wall for support as he pulled at the knob for the shower.
He hissed as the hot water pelted his face like a thousand needles, closing his eyes and shivering at the contrast with the water still sloshing around his calves and the cool tile under his hand. He was embarrassingly unsteady…but RJ still took the time to wash his hair twice, leaning against the wall when he had to, an uncomfortable gritty feeling clinging to his scalp. And though his extra long soak had taken care of most of it…he still needed to scrub away the more persistent dirt from the rest of him.
At least he could drink some of the water raining down on him as he washed, not even bother to cup his hands but just tilting his head back and opening his mouth.
Tired, but feeling a bit more human, RJ turned off the water and wrapped a towel around his waist, quietly slipping back into his room. Not even bothering to dry off, he merely pulled on a pair of loose drawstring pants, absently knotting them before crawling onto his bed.
He should stretch again…try to meditate…but he was just so tired…
He knew what woke him this time…the alarm signaling an attack on the city. Limbs flailing as he struggled out of bed, RJ barely had the presence of mind to open his door before blearily stumbling into the loft, almost smacking into Theo as the jaguar raced past. Nimbly side stepping his disoriented master, Theo finished buttoning his blue pai zhua uniform with one hand and tugged off his apron with the other. "Hey, RJ!" he walked backwards to take a good look at the wolf, "You look like crap. Camille has some kind of fire breathing panda monster downtown. Shouldn't take too long to defeat…"
RJ scrubbed at his face, "Well, Dai Shi is feeling better at least."
"How do you figure?" Casey leapt the last three stairs to the loft in one stride, "It's just Camille."
"She would never leave him alone with the Sky Overlords unless the lion could defend himself."
"How sweet of her," Lily's voice was full of sarcasm as she ran after Casey and grabbed a vine. "Fran's coming up, RJ; you might want to put a shirt on."
RJ glanced down at his bare chest, "Yeah…thanks. Whoa," he held up a hand and the rangers paused. RJ looked hard at each of them, "…don't use your new powers unless you have to."
They looked at each other for a long moment; perhaps thinking of arguing with him, but whatever passed between them must have been agreement because they just nodded at him and swung out on the vines. Well…that was progress. And good to know they were back to trusting his judgment.
He hadn't really had a chance to talk to them about their sudden increase in power. The walk home had consisted of catching him up on everything they had done since his capture. It made him uneasy.
They had earned the use of the power, of that he was confident. The ancient masters would never have gifted them with it otherwise. But he questioned whether a single test proved they were ready as well as worthy. They handled it brilliantly enough against Dai Shi…but the long term effects of channeling that much power…
He had to make sure they were prepared.
RJ rubbed his eyes and went to put on a sweat shirt. One problem at a time…each in its proper turn. First the battle against a…panda…apparently. Then he could sit his students down and have a heartfelt talk.
When he ventured back into the loft Fran was already there, cross-legged in a beanbag pulled up next to his chair, watching the surveillance system with wide eyes and munching from a large bowl of popcorn in her lap. He shook his head, yeah, that would take some getting used to.
"Oh, RJ! Hi! I locked up the shop and turned off all the ovens…" she patted his chair, "I know better then to sit here now, the rangers told me all about it. But you should probably sit down cause you look really tired. But still better then yesterday. Popcorn?"
"Breath, Fran." RJ reminded quietly, snagging a handful from the offered bowl as he walked passed to collapse into the plush cushions. He knew he needed to eat, but truthfully he felt slightly nauseous at the very thought. He nibbled at the snack anyway, looking over the assorted screens to enlighten himself on how the rangers were fairing.
So far so good…Theo was using his fans to deflect the fire spewing from the monster so Lily had a better shot with her mace. Casey was fighting Camille one on one, his sabers clashing with her sais in showers of sparking energy.
"Oh! I almost forgot," Fran shoved a plate at him, the oversized slice of banana pizza almost sliding off. "Casey said to make sure you ate that."
The wolf master shook his head with a smile, "Of course he did." He sniffed at it but slid the plate onto the side table when his stomach roiled in protest.
"Aren't you hungry?"
RJ looked down at Fran watching him with concerned eyes, "I think popcorn is…"safer", for the moment."
She nodded and slid the bowl into his lap so they both could reach, resting an elbow on the arm of the chair and letting her hand dangle. RJ slid the bowl closer so she wouldn't have to stretch. A giggle had him raising an eyebrow at her.
Fran clapped a hand over her mouth, "Sorry, I just noticed your hair. It's kind of…like a character in one of those Japanese graphic novels."
RJ grunted. He'd caught his reflection in the TV…it was a nasty case of bed head. But that's what happened when you fell asleep on wet hair. He turned back to the TV as Fran smothered more giggles, no doubt mentally comparing him to some over the top ninja she'd read about who twirled excessively elaborate weapons and did impossible stunts while fighting grotesque…okay so he couldn't blame her for laughing.
The TV boomed as the rangers fired the claw cannon at the monster. When the smoke cleared it was gone. RJ leaned forward, searching the screens. It wasn't usually that easy…
Sure enough, the beast reappeared from seeming nowhere, rushing at Theo from behind with a wicked looking curved blade. Luckily, Lily saw him first and body checked the monster into a fountain. The water bubbled and steam shot out like a geyser about to erupt as the panda tried to breath it's fire at Lily underwater. She held him down, practically sitting on the beast and shouting at the boys to do something.
"Does your shoulder hurt?"
RJ glanced down at Fran, confused before he realized that he'd been clutching it without thinking. He dropped his hand, "It's just sore." That…and a bone deep ache that was getting worse instead of better.
Fran chewed at her lip before jumping up. "I'll be right back!" she called over her shoulder as she raced for the stairs, disappearing down into the shop.
Taken aback, RJ could only stare after her in bewilderment. Slowly dragging his attention back to the screens where the monster had grown about 20 stories high. By the time the megazord was formed, Fran was back clutching a long silk scarf.
"A customer left it here," she explained, "You can use it for a sling."
"Fran…"
"It will help," she insisted, pushing up her glasses and leaning over him, "here, tuck your arm. That's it. My mother dislocated her shoulder a long time ago and it always gave her trouble. Even after it healed. And she always said that sometimes, just taking away the weight of your own arm makes a huge difference."
RJ tried not the squirm as Fran wound and tucked and knotted the fabric around him. The feel of silk against his skin was conjuring up some unpleasant memories.
"There!" She stepped back, admiring her work. "How does that feel?"
RJ shifted, and was surprised to find the pain somewhat diminished. He smiled at her, "It's better. Thank you, Fran."
She smiled brilliantly back at him and twirled to plop back in her beanbag. "Ooo! I think they've almost won!"
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
As soon as the rangers unlocked the back door into JKP's kitchen, they knew it was far too quiet. No music…the television wasn't on. And while RJ could be meditating, they'd expected he would want to talk to Fran himself about their secret. There were no voices…only eerie silence.
The traded uneasy glances and quickly mounted the stairs, "RJ? Fran?"
"Shhh!"
Fran put down Casey's book and hurried down the stairs into the lower part of the loft, pressing a finger to her lips the whole way. "He's asleep," she whispered, pointing to RJ's chair, reclined as far as it could go with the master dozing under a thick throw embroidered with timber wolves.
"Weren't we just talking to him?" Casey asked, his head tilted to the side. The master had spoken through their morphers, congratulating them on a job well done. And done without utilizing their upgraded powers.
Fran nodded, "He fell asleep almost as soon as you started back. And he didn't even wake up when I yanked on the lever to make his chair go back. Or when I took the popcorn away. Or when I put a blanket over him…"
Casey's face darkened. He turned to his teammates who traded nervous glances, "I told you something was wrong."