A/U 1: This is based on mykkila09's "Someday" series, and she has given me permission to write this. You need to read that series first. In this AU story, one Ranger is so gutted by breaking Kimberly's trust that he relinquishes his spot, then turns to a pair of unlikely sources to try to help get his friendship back.

A/U 2: Nothing is mine.

Chapter 4: Murianthias Part I

March 1997

Angel Grove, CA

By this point, it was the Monday of spring break. Now, the difficult part had begun. The part where Adam would have to walk on thin ice all week. In a way this was much more difficult than knowing someone hated your guts and just to stay away from him or her.

Adam knew that Kim was back in town by now; the spirits of the Ninjetti were very, very strong and as such, he knew when Kim had arrived and that Tommy and Aisha, expectedly, had gone to the airport to pick her up.

He had thought about following them in his own car, which had been given to him by his parents for his 18th birthday not long ago (yes, Adam was now legal driving age), but he decided against it for now. It would be best, in his opinion, if he kept his distance for the moment.

He could feel Adrian nod his assent in his mind, too.

However, he knew he wouldn't be able to avoid Kim forever. Tommy had warned him of such not long ago. He wasn't going to be able to be a hermit forever.

Especially with the championship coming up for the shelter. Kim would almost certainly be there for that, mainly to support Tommy and to help keep Justin in the shelter.

And he knew he'd have to show his face especially since he believed Billy wasn't half the man he thought Billy was.

He could feel the trio heading for the park, and he knew the others would be there at some point too. The trick was going to be entertaining himself, but finding a way to keep his distance.

Quickly, he grabbed a basketball and headed out, hoping that he could find a way to get some exercise without being seen too much.

30 minutes later

For a while, he'd been able to shoot some hoops in peace, but after a while that peace had been rudely disturbed.

The voices were loud and he knew them anywhere, and he didn't like what he heard.

Dissension in the group abounded. Where there was once togetherness, there was infighting, disagreements and generally stuff you'd see from people whose friendships had gone south.

Fortunately, he saw some trees near where he was shooting, so he ducked inside the cover and decided to simply listen to what was going on.

He groaned when he saw what the commotion was about.

It was Jason and Kimberly. The former big brother and little sister.

"I was there first, Kim," Jason said. "I'm not sure you have any right to this Frisbee considering I beat you to the spot."

Adam groaned inwardly. Jason had said the wrong thing. Beyond the wrong thing.

"You may have been to this Frisbee first, but were you there for ME first when I needed you? No, you weren't," Kimberly snapped, and ran off in tears, leaving Jason shell shocked.

Though he wasn't in a terrible position, and didn't have to play the part of peacekeeper, the words still stung Adam like poison.

For all he knew, Adam thought, she could have been talking not just to Jason, but with the entire group, it seemed, sans a few people.

Even him still, to an extent, so he decided to keep his distance.

Was it really not that long ago that Adam and the others had claimed their Ninjetti powers and had beaten Ivan Ooze?

He knew Kim was angry, and had every right to be, but never in his wildest dreams did he ever think she'd go off on Jason like that. The two of them had literally grown up together, and now the trust between the two of them was in shambles.

And it was only Monday of spring break. There was still the entire week left to go. If this was the way it was starting off, then Adam knew this week could be a straight living hell for everyone associated with the Rangers.

He was shaken out of his reverie when he saw David behind him, nudging his shoulder.

Adam was surprised to see Tommy's brother, but he was glad to see him nonetheless.

"Hey, I only saw you just now as I was getting away from the group's infighting. It's ridiculous," David said. "You don't need to be listening to this."

"Unfortunately, I can't be a hermit either. I know Kim will read me the riot act soon enough, so I at least need to know what's going on."

"She will when Tommy's around just to keep the act, but I can read her body language. When your name comes up, she's awfully quiet and not playing her cards too much," David said. "Tell you what, I think it's time you just go home. I think you've done enough here, gotten the gist of what's going on."

"Yeah, unfortunately I think I have to agree with that. Probably should leave now before I get noticed," Adam said as he waved to David and headed home.

It was a good thing he did head home right at that moment. As he was leaving the park area, he could hear tensions continue to mount and arguments abound, further fracturing the group he was once proud to be part of.

It was a shame, but he knew that this once tight family that had been splintered most likely would never be the same again. He thought about going to the Youth Center but no, he thought, that was a really bad idea. They all would just end up there anyway and the fighting would continue. He didn't want to see any more of that so the best thing was to head home.

One day later

Angel Grove, CA

Adam could see the hopes and dreams of the shelter staying open fading fast as Rocky lay on his side, howling in pain.

Clearly, he had not been concentrating while he was trying to perform a move. That had been costly, both for him and his team. Now, Tommy and Adam would need someone else to step in.

At that very moment, the Rangers communicators went off...for something.

"Go," Adam deadpanned. "I'll get him to the hospital. We've been fractured as a team but Rocky and I have been close since childhood. Go, do your job."

The four Rangers remaining, Kat, Tanya, David and Tommy, nodded as they found a secluded spot and teleported out. Meanwhile, Adam and the man who was coaching the team of three tended to Rocky until an ambulance could arrive.

As the ambulance rolled in, Adam suddenly was struck by what Dulcea had said not long ago.

"The Ape has been a valuable member of your team, but as they say, what goes around comes around."

"What do you mean by that?" Adam had said.

"You'll have to see for yourself, but I can tell you that something is about to happen with him that will cause him to look at his life and say, 'where did I go wrong?'"

Adam shivered in fright, with very good reason.

Rocky and he had been close since birth; had been going to school together since elementary school right up until this point. The whole snafu with Kimberly had driven somewhat of a wedge between him and Rocky, but he still considered Rocky somewhat like family.

Was this injury that Rocky had suffered a version of karma, so to speak? That what went around really did come back around?

Adam, being the type of man that he was, never wanted to see anyone get hurt let alone his best friend from childhood. But he had to admit that what Dulcea had said to him not long ago had some merit. Rocky had committed a cardinal sin (and he had too, he admitted it) of putting Rangering before being a friend.

Now, perhaps Rocky was paying the ultimate price, just as Dulcea had suggested he might.

As Adam rode to the hospital with Rocky, he pondered how cruel life could be. When the three Stone Canyon teens had been brought into the fold by Zordon, it was like they WERE part of the family even though it would take a bit before they put on the spandex.

Now, within the space of a little over two years, things had drastically changed. There was friction that was rarely seen not just amongst the Rangers themselves, but the Stone Canyon threesome itself. That would have, not long ago, been considered unfathomable.

But it was here, it was now, and as Adam was about to see, it was about to get worse.

Much worse.

One day later

Adam knew something was wrong the second he didn't find himself in his room.

One minute he was meditating in his room, as he did every morning before he started his day, the next he was not in his room. And he recognized his surroundings immediately.

Phaedos. He wasn't at Dulcea's temple but he knew he was close.

If he was on Phaedos something had to be horribly wrong.

It also, without question, must have meant his moment of truth was at hand. He'd done a lot of work to try to rebuild the trust within his team and particularly his two leaders.

Now, that work was going to be put to the ultimate test.

"Good, I found you," a familiar voice said. Adam looked up to see Dulcea standing above him. "We don't have much time. The moment you have been waiting for is upon you. Come, and I will explain."

The two made it to the temple not long after, where Dulcea bade him sit in front of the fire pit which had given him his Ninjetti powers. At that moment, Dulcea called up an image of a woman Adam had never seen before.

"Who...is that?" Adam asked.

"This is Divatox, known as the Pirate Queen," Dulcea said. "Long ago, she too held this power. But that's another story for another time. She intends to marry Maligore, a demon creature of immense power."

Dulcea showed Adam another image, this one of Maligore, which made Adam nearly gag on his spit. That guy was ugly.

"So what's the problem?" Adam asked.

"She had to get two human sacrifices to be able to unleash Maligore," Dulcea said. "These two humans have been turned against your friends."

Adam saw the first image and groaned. Zack certainly wasn't going to like this. One of the captives they'd attained was Zack's former flame Angela. Adam knew of her briefly too.

"And unfortunately, Angela is the least of our worries. Lerigot, who possesses powers that can reverse spells probably can bring Angela back," Dulcea said, as she called up the second image. Adam's heart sank instantly.

"Oh God, they've got Kim..." Adam breathed out.

"Unfortunately, the Crane is about to be turned against the Rangers and it is going to be very bad," Dulcea said.

"You're saying the power of this Maligore can turn someone evil? Like what's happened to Tommy before?" Adam said.

"Yes, but worse. Much worse. Maligore can feed off what has happened to her, and it will not help that Katherine is on this journey," Dulcea said.

"I am afraid that in the state she is in, with everything that has happened to her, it will be very difficult to bring her out of this spell. The Turbo Rangers are very powerful and so is Lerigot, but only Tommy of that team is Ninjetti and the Great Power will be the only thing that can bring her out of this spell."

"Wait, then who is the Blue Ranger?" Adam said. "Rocky was supposed to get those powers but obviously he hurt his back."

Dulcea then called up another image. Adam gasped.

"Justin..." he softly breathed out.

"Justin was hiding under the bed when the Rangers were called to go save Lerigot from Divatox when he got to Earth and so Rocky had little choice but to give Justin his Turbo Morpher," Dulcea said.

"That may actually play to our advantage somewhat," Adam said. "Kim came home to support us to help Justin so she won't hold as much acrimony towards him," Adam said. "But that still leaves Kat. And she's likely to do something stupid which will hurt our chances to get Kim back."

"That is why you are here," Dulcea said. "Of all those who held the Great Power, you are the key to bringing our Crane out of this spell. You are in by far the best position out of all of them. Aisha could help but she was called to the animal shelter for business."

"So it's up to me, huh?" Adam said. "Well, you did say this moment was coming. You'll come with me like I requested right? To smooth things over?"

"Indeed I will. We are going to be in a dream state, so my aging won't be effected. We must go now," Dulcea said.

"I am the Frog, courageous in spirit!" Adam summoned; immediately he was transformed into his Ninja mode. With that, he and Dulcea vanished.

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