Chapter 4

*Meanwhile on Tempurnia*

"This is absurd! How could she run away from home like this?!" Halbin Brixley bellowed as he banged a hand on his desk in his study, ice appearing on the surface in its wake. "I gave her everthing these past ten years and this is how she repays me?!" He then turned to the picture of his late wife Tsuyuki Yakumura-Brixley hanging on the wall of his study as if she were still around, and tiredly ran a hand through his red and blue streaked brown hair. "What have I done wrong in raising our daughter alone, Tsuyuki? I bet you're up there frowning at me right now aren't you?"

A girl walked in with golden blonde hair with red streaks, ruby red eyes and dressed in all black. "I heard the commotion, Uncle Halbin. Still sour about Temura running away, huh?"

Halbin glanced up at his niece and glared at her. "You saw Temura leave? Why didn't you stop her, Cresana?!"

Cresana folded her arms across her chest and leaned up against the wall, "Temi had been feeling uncomfortable with the suitors you kept sending to meet her, and she couldn't take it anymore so she ran away. And if you're wondering if she went to Palliere, Mama would have notified me along time ago given that I'm worried about her too. If Temura had gone to Yallis, then Aunt Mysha would have called me instead."

"They wouldn't have told me even though I'm her father?"

"You would've stopped her from going anyway even if she was just visting family due to the arranged marriages you kept setting up."

The Tempurnian let his multicolored eyes sink to the desk with concern. He may be greedy but the man was genuinely worried for his only daughter. He turned back to Tsuyuki's picture and broke down.

"Ever since I lost your aunt, I became weak and let my heart succumb to greed and avarice. I waited over a decade to try to sell my own daughter off just to acquire more than what I already have. No matter how much money I gained, it could never fill the hole in my heart when my wife passed away those many years ago. I am deeply ashamed of myself and it took me this long to finally realize the error of my ways. I know you may not be here, Tsuyuki but please forgive me for all the grief I have caused for our daughter."

The Pallierian said nothing as she watched her uncle wallow in his shame, self pity and grief. She inwardly frowned and shook her head at him as if she was mentally scolding him.

'Ten years for you to finally open your eyes to the truth and see the light huh, Uncle Hal? Makes me wonder if you still want to stay a greedy, money hungry pig. But if you're willing to change your ways, now would be a good start.'

"Well," Cresana said trying to change the subject. "If Temura didn't leave Tempurnia, there might be a chance that she's still here just hiding somewhere from that monster attack earlier."

Halbin's eyes lit up with a small glimmer of hope. "I wonder if she went to Tromazia Cave on Mt. Pyrona. Mysha used to take you two there sometimes with her on her exploration trips."

'Oh, Goddess Nefia if you can hear my prayer, please let my daughter be safe,' he silently prayed. 'Temura's all I have left heaven so help me if something were to happen to my precious girl.'

"She could be there but that place is sorta like a maze or so I heard from Aunt Mysha and based on experience from being there."

As if to answer Halbin's prayer, a light engulfed the room for several moments causing both occupants to immediately shield their eyes. When the shining light dispersed, there stood(or rather sat) the goddess Nefia. Cresana's eyes grew wide with shock and almost fell on her butt from seeing the deity up close in person.

"Your daughter is alive and safe, my dear Halbin," Nefia spoke in a calm, soothing voice.

The Tempurnian wanted to get down on his knees and bow, Nefia raised a hand up as her way of telling him there was no need.

"Milady Nefia, I am deeply worried about Temura. Is she still in the cave hiding away?"

The goddess shook her head, "No she is not. I sent her on a journey to protect the universe from an evil wanting to take it over and rule it with an iron fist."

Cresana who recovered from her initial shock, her face grew warped with worry and tried her best to keep a lid on her temper.

"Why would you send her out on her own like that? That's like someone covering themselves with bloody meat and jumping into a shark tank because somebody dared them to."

The goddess turned to the Pallierian, "Do not fret, my child, I have not sent your cousin, young Temura out to slaughter. I've entrusted her with artifacts that have been in my care for centuries. She will not be alone as there are others like her who also shoulder the burden of protecting the universe as well. And she has proven herself in combat earlier against the beast who attacked Tempurnia while searching for at least one of those artifacts."

Cresana and Halbin's jaws dropped at what she said. Nefia found their expressions slightly amusing and chuckled quietly.

"You're kidding right? Temura's harmless she wouldn't even hit a fly, given if the thing landed right on her nose. She's too humble and sweet to get mad and pound someone into red sauce."

The otherworldly being confusedly cocked an eyebrow at the term. "Red sauce?"

"Blood, Lady Nefia," Cresana replied to the goddess.

Nefia hummed in understanding then spoke once more, "I assure you I did not jest when I said that. Temura isn't as harmless as you make her out to be. She did come out of the battle victorious, but the monster she fought had one last trick up his sleeve and sent her through a mysterious portal to some unknown location that is not on Tempurnia."

Both Tempurnian and Pallierian blanched at her explanation and were about to protest until the goddess continued speaking.

"I did say she was alive and safe, yes. Wherever she has landed, she has made friends I assure you of this. I assume she is in good hands for the most part."

Uncle and niece let the words sink in for awhile. Cresana, being more overprotective of Temura than Halbin was worried if something might happen to her, but smiled to herself inside feeling proud that her younger cousin can finally fend for herself and not rely on the Pallierian anymore.

'So, you toughened up some huh, Temi? I'm proud of you little sis you did good. I would've given you a pat on the back if I hid somewhere and watched you kick the crap out of that monster.'

Snapping out of her thoughts the blonde turned her head to the deity, curiosity in her eyes as she began to voice her question. "Do you know where Temura's been transported off to?"

"I cannot say for certain, but based on my connection with The Great Fox, it appears to be a colony of some sort floating through the expanse of space. The inhabitants there are supposedly looking for a new world or so I have heard. I do not know where Temura is on that colony, but she is well for the most part."

Habin rubbed his chin in thought, "A colony floating through space. How remarkably ingenious."

"So that's where she is," the Pallierian quietly said to herself.

They could only hope she would be okay on her journey.

*Back on Terra Venture*

Leo and Temura had made it to the sleeping quarters to meet the rest of the team. He told her the one on the left was where he, his brother Mike, Kai and their friend Damon were staying in, and the room on the right belonged to the girls. Damon had been off somewhere fixing something since he was one of the mechanics on Terra Venture, Kendrix, Maya and Mike were meeting with Leo for a jog in the Forest Dome.

"You wanna go for a jog?" he asked her.

Temura having been caught off guard by the question answered with a meek "Huh?"

The Red Ranger quietly chuckled to himself at her expense. Even at moments like this, he couldn't help but find how cute she looked even when confused.

"Let me rephrase that: Do you want to meet the others at the Forest Dome?"

"Oh of course, Leo," she replied finally getting what he meant.

With that Leo led her to the Dome and sure enough the Tempurnian met Mike, Kendrix and Maya. Upon seeing the two Mike waved them over.

"Hey, little bro what took you so long?" The older Corbett brother joked then looked over to the Orange Ranger possibly as the reason for the younger to be late.

"Leo who's this?"

Leo introduced them to each other, "Temura, this is my big brother Mike, Kendrix and Maya. Guys, this is Temura."

The Rangers greeted the newest Ranger and in turn she greeted them back. Leo then turned to Maya and explained how Temura was similar to her as they both came from different planets. Soon they asked the Tempurnian what her planet was like, if it was similar to Earth/Mirinoi in a way. She explained the similarities of Tempurnia to the former two as all three had life living on them, had moons, but in the latter's case there were five. The two biggest Palliere and Yallis were habitable as well as having rings along with their parent planet.

"I don't think you'll like Tempurnia," Temura said with soft, slightly sad eyes. "Your bodies wouldn't be able to grow accustomed to the conditions of areas being too hot and too cold. You wouldn't survive for long."

"I would've loved to see what Tempurnia looked like from the surface," Kendrix commented.

'I'm sure you and everyone else would, Kendrix,' the Tempurnian thought sadly as she would've loved it if her Ranger friends could visit sometime. Not wanting to dwell on the matter any further, Temura instead kept her chin up looked back to her new friends and allies. She immediately got a headstart on her new team and ran just a bit in front of them.

A/N: I'm sorry if I might have shortened this but I didn't want to have a chapter that's long and has been dragged on too much. I'll probably continue the scene in the Forest Dome with Temura and most of the Rangers sometime this weekend or later next week, and possibly turn my attention to some other stories I've been trying to write.