Once again I'm sorry for the late update, I've been so busy with training that I've not had a chance to do anything. Plus, getting up at 5am sucks.
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 4: Heart of Blue
"So, what do you think is inside the scroll?" Dax asked eagerly, recovering from his disappointment quickly.
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Ari opened it gently.
"Uh, maybe you should give that to the genius of the team?" Will suggested, but was ignored as she set it down on the table and rolled it open.
"Huh..." Ari tilted her head as she found a strange drawing on the scroll. "That's different," she commented.
"Anyone know what it is?" Andrew asked as they all gathered around.
"It's a helicopter!" Ronny told them, and Mack, Will and Dax began to argue with her as Rose and Ari rolled their eyes. Shaking her head, Ari started to move the scroll, folding it over in places to create a new picture. As she did, the others fell silent, their argument forgotten.
"That should make more sense," Ari glanced over her shoulder with a grin.
"A sword?" Will frowned as he looked over the Gold Ranger's shoulder.
"It's Neptune's Sword," Andrew clarified. "That's about all I know about it. We're going to have to do some more research...unless..." they all looked at Rose expectantly. She looked up from the scroll, and gave them a confused look.
"What makes you think I know any..." Rose trailed off as she smiled, unable to keep up the façade. "Ok, the Sword of Neptune belonged to the God of the Sea, and it's actually made up of three scrolls, not just this one," she explained.
"And the search for the scrolls begins," Ari sighed. "One day I'll help recover something that isn't a scroll," she complained.
1-2-3-4-5
"Well you know what that means. You owe me dinner for the week," Xander's smirk was evident as Ari finished telling him all that had happened over the last few days. Other than a few texts to tell him that she was ok, Ari hadn't explained anything that had occurred since she had arrived in San Angeles. Sitting on the end of her bed with her legs pulled in close, Ari spoke to her boyfriend softly.
"Yeah..." Ari sighed.
"I know that tone. Who's upset you?" Xander's amused tone was gone, and had been replaced with the protective voice that only emerged when Ari was upset or hurt. Ari hesitated to say anything, but just sighed again, knowing that she had never been able to keep anything from her best friend.
"It's one of the guys, Will...he's just been a jerk. Couldn't handle that he's part of a team. He nearly got Ronny killed, and didn't think anything of it," Ari explained softly. "And not just that, it's like he's got a problem with me too," she mumbled, thinking about how Will had treated her since they met.
"Maybe he's not used to your level of weird," Xander commented.
"Hey!" Ari exclaimed, and heard him laugh on the other end. "You're the weird one," she mumbled.
"Compared to you, I'm perfectly normal," Ari scoffed at this thought. "Try talking to him. If he still has a problem with you, I'll sort him out," she then smiled at Xander's suggestion.
"You're such a dork," Ari giggled when she heard him sigh. "I miss you," she admitted as her laughter faded.
"What, the mighty Gold Ranger is admitting her feelings?" Xander teased her, making Ari roll her eyes. "I miss you too. Do you plan on coming back to Briarwood any time soon?" he asked her.
"I gotta go back for some of my stuff soon, so in a few days I guess," Ari then looked up as there was a knock at her door, and Rose peeked inside. "I gotta go, I'll talk to you tonight," as he said goodbye, Ari hung up and shoved her phone into her pocket.
"Everything ok?" Rose asked as Ari got off her bed and walked over to the door.
"Everything's fine," Ari smiled, and they made their way out of the mansion to go into town. "Why'd you ask me to go with you to the library?" she asked the question that had been on her mind since breakfast. "I woulda thought you'd go with Mack," Ari couldn't resist commenting as she looked innocent.
"W-what?" Rose looked at her sharply, startled as they left the grounds of the mansion. "Wh-why would I ask Mack?" she stammered, her face going red.
"No reason," Ari shrugged, walking ahead so Rose wouldn't see her grin.
"I asked you because I thought you could help me," Rose caught up with her, still blushing furiously as Ari giggled. "You're smarter than you let on," she commented. Ari just shrugged at the Pink Ranger.
"I was tutored by a genius when I was 15. I'm not that smart," Ari felt herself going red as the young genius watched her. "I mean I only graduated early because my Sensei insisted on it. You're the smart one here Rose," she smiled at the Pink Ranger.
"That doesn't mean you're not smart," Rose smiled back at her, and Ari found her smile growing as they walked towards the library.
"You know Rose, you're pretty cool," Ari linked arms with her, and Rose laughed as she was pulled along by the taller girl.
1-2-3-4-5
After a day of no luck, the Rangers were taking it easy. Dax had disappeared out on a date with a mysterious girl he had saved in town – much to Ari's exasperation – and Ronny and Mack were playing a game of pool. Rose was curled up on the sofa reading a large book on robotics, and Will was watching Ronny and Mack play.
"Man, I hope Spencer hurries up with the HoverTek Cycle," Will commented as Ronny potted another ball and smirked victoriously at Mack. "It's gonna be unreal," he grinned with excitement.
"And it will be unreal once it's ready, so have patience," Spencer told him sternly as he walked in with Ari. Will grinned at the man as Ari sat down, watching Ronny dominate against Mack.
"You up for a game when Ronny's done wiping the floor with Mack?" Will looked at Ari in surprise at her offer. It was the first time she had spoken to him since the fiasco in Atlantis, not that he had minded too much.
"She's not wiping the floor with me!" Mack protested as Ronny smirked. The Yellow Ranger proceeded to pot the black ball, and look up at Mack with a smug look. "Anymore..." he muttered, passing Ari his cue as she jumped up, laughing. Will shook his head as he took the cue from Ronny, getting up as Ari reset the table.
"So I guess you're talking to me again," Will's voice was quiet as Ari let him go first.
"You're my team-mate Will, I kinda need to be able to communicate with you," she replied in as quiet a voice so that nobody else heard. "And I'd like to know what your problem with me is," she added, and Will looked up at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Who said I have a problem with you?" he asked curiously, moving out of the way so Ari could take her turn.
"Me," she answered as she hit the white and watched it move along the table. "Considering you've treated me differently from the others since we met," she commented, stepping back.
"Because you're different," Ari blinked, and turned to him.
"What the hell do you mean by that?" she demanded, and the others looked around quickly as they heard her.
"You say you've done this before, you claim to know what you're doing. You don't let me do things my way," Will faced her.
"Your way?" Ari repeated, finding herself getting more and more infuriated with him. Tears were stinging at her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "Your way nearly got Ronny killed, remember?" she snapped, and Will hesitated, looking around at the Yellow Ranger, who avoided his gaze.
"I've learned my lesson about being part of the team," Will turned back to Ari, his face burning.
"Then why are you still treating me like a kid?" Ari asked him.
"Because you act like one!" Will yelled as he snapped. "You act like a kid one minute, then the next you're acting like a big hero!" he accused her. Ari just watched, her expression unreadable. "You act like this is one big game to you," he stated, and flinched as Ari slammed the cue down and walked off.
"You really have a lot to learn about teamwork," Mack shook his head as he went after Ari. Will just sighed, and as he turned, he found Andrew watching him with an unimpressed frown.
Finding Ari sitting on the steps by the front of the mansion, Mack approached her softly. Her head lifted, but she didn't look around.
"Hey Mack," she greeted in a quiet voice.
"You alright?" he took a seat beside her, looking up at the dark sky.
"Well, I'm not crying, so I guess I've grown a little more than I thought," Ari spoke wryly.
"Will doesn't know what he's talking about," Mack told her gently.
"I get where he's coming from," Ari admitted, shaking her head. She didn't look up from her hands, which were clasped over her knees. "I've done this so many times now, I'm as bad as Doctor O, my science teacher in Reefside. He was a Power Ranger, one of the first," she explained, remembering that Mack didn't know about the past teams. "I've dealt with evil Ninjas getting revenge on the Ninja Academies, mutant dinosaurs trying to turn the world back to the Jurassic Age, and magical monsters trying to fill the world with purely dark magic. I'm used to fighting evil, I'm used to suffering because of it. This is how I cope," she mumbled as her hands tightened.
"Honestly Ari, I think you're awesome," she finally looked up in surprise at Mack's words. "You're a veteran Ranger, and you've still got this really upbeat attitude in life, even though you've been recruited again," he grinned at her. "You don't let the evil get to you," he pointed out.
"You know, you're different too," Ari told him as she found herself starting to smile again. "Normally I have problems with Red Rangers. Shane thought I was too young to be a Ranger, Connor thought that because I was two years younger and in the same class as him, that I wouldn't really understand the work in school. Nick, well, that was different I guess. We just clashed cause we were dealing with a lot of stuff and had to train together a lot," she mused. "It's a good different. You're a great leader Mack," she told him brightly.
"Thanks," Mack couldn't help but laugh. When they heard footsteps, they looked up to see Dax approaching, looking thoroughly smitten.
"Good date?" Ari grinned at him.
"Perfect," the Blue Ranger sighed blissfully, walking past and inside. Ari and Mack looked at each other, and began to laugh.
1-2-3-4-5
A few days passed with no luck on finding the scrolls, but the Rangers didn't give. They exhausted the library in San Angeles, with Rose and Ari spending almost all of their time there.
When it became obvious that they weren't going to be able to find anything there, the pair returned to base, and stood with Will and Andrew as they used the computer to search. Will and Ari hadn't spoken since Will's outburst, and every time he attempted to, she would walk off or start talking to someone else. While she knew she couldn't keep it up, Ari was still hurt by his comments and needed some time.
"Found the two missing scrolls?" they looked around as Mack and Ronny slid down the poles and walked over.
"Not yet. I'm working on it," Andrew replied, shaking his head.
"Anyone seen Dax?" Rose smirked, before they heard a cry and a loud thud behind them. Looking around, they saw Dax on the ground by the poles, having fallen of.
"You're supposed to use the pole," Ronny giggled as they all started to laugh.
"Sorry I was...I was thinking about someone and uh...forgot to use the pole," Dax admitted, laughing lightly as well.
"Forgot? Never mind," Ronny continued to laugh as he walked over. "Any luck searching for more info on the Sword of Neptune?" she asked the Blue Ranger.
"No I uh...was I supposed to do research?" he looked blankly at them.
"Are you alright Dax? It seems like your mind's been a little preoccupied lately," Ronny and Mack exchanged smirks as Mack spoke to Dax. The Blue Ranger just shrugged as he lifted a sandwich and started eating.
"It's love. I've seen it happen before," Will smirked, putting his hands on Rose's shoulders. "A woman's got him under a spell," he accused.
"No way!" Dax denied, looking incredulous at the idea. "I'm not under any spell!" he told them.
"Uh, you sure about that?" Ari giggled, pointing to the sandwich in his hand. Dax frowned, and looked at it, only to find that he had bitten it into the shape of a heart. As the others started to laugh, he quickly bit into it to get rid of the shape.
"Sir, while returning from the mechanic's lab, I received this email," Spencer called to Andrew as he hurried over, handing over the message.
"Is it about my HoverTek Cycle?" Will asked curiously as Andrew read through the message. Spencer sighed, frowning at him.
"The words 'patience is a virtue' are lost on your generation," he told the impatient young man. Will rolled his eyes.
"It seems the other two scrolls were in the International Museum of Antiquities," Andrew summed up the email in his hands.
"As in past tense?" Ari frowned, not liking the sounds of that.
"About two years ago, they were believed to have been stolen by Lady Penelope Easterbrook-Smythe," he explained, and Will's eyes widened as he became excited.
"The Grey Manx?!" he demanded. "Her heists are legendary! I've tried for years to recover artifacts that were allegedly stolen from museums!" Will explained as they all looked at him blankly. "Never been able to catch her with a thing," he breathed.
"Then where would someone like her keep these scrolls?" Rose frowned.
"I imagine that like most ladies, she would keep her most precious possessions close to her," Spencer spoke up, looking thoughtful. "I believe she lives close by," he commented.
"Let's go!" Mack called, but as they ran to leave, the computer began to beep.
"Master Dax!" they stopped as Spencer called out to him. "Your young lady...again," he muttered as Dax smiled dreamily at the young woman on the screen.
"That's the third time this week. Looks like it's serious," Ari giggled.
"Guys, we have to go," Mack reminded them. "Dax, you can talk to her later," he told the young stunt man, whose smile faded as he remembered that they had a mission.
"Of course I can..we've got work to do...let's go," Dax grumbled. "Guys, I'll just be a couple of minutes," he insisted. Mack sighed, and nodded.
"Alright, five minutes. Meet us there," the Red Ranger agreed. Dax beamed brightly and bounced back over to the computer, and the doors of the lift shut.
"Famous last words," Ari commented with a smirk.
1-2-3-4-5
It had been almost an hour by the time that Dax rode up on his ATV. Rose, Ronny, Mack and Ari were waiting by the jeep, and Will had disappeared inside.
"A couple of minutes?" Mack repeated as Dax pulled up in front of him.
"Surprise, surprise. We didn't think you were going to make it," Ronny smirked.
"I had my suspicions that you'd be leaving just as we got back," Ari spoke up with a smirk of her own.
"I even thought you were going to do something dumb like bring her along," Mack teased, and Dax laughed as he pulled off his helmet and hung it from the handlebars of the ATV.
"Hey, come on guys, I thought you knew me better than that!" he laughed as he pulled off his gloves. When they just watched him, his smile faded and he shrugged. "I dropped her off around the corner," he admitted. "But I told her to stay there!" he added as they all shook their heads.
"You guys really don't seem to grasp that this stuff is supposed to be kept secret. I mean as we speak Will is robbing some rich lady thief," Ari muttered.
"Speaking of, he's not out yet," Rose reminded them, and a few minutes later Will landed on the ground behind them lightly.
"You guys waiting for someone?" he asked innocently, playing with one of his gadgets.
"How did you...?" Ronny trailed off as he waved the gadget in his hand.
"Ta-da!" he opened his jacket to reveal the two scrolls. "Sword of Neptune Volumes 2 and 3!" he announced.
"Freeze!" their laughter was cut short when two security guards ran up to them.
"There are six of us, and only two of them. We're Power Rangers, let's do something!" Dax yelled at his friends.
"Ok, yeah, you really don't understand that it's supposed to be a secret," Ari put a hand to her face. However, the two guards didn't really react to Dax's declaration, but instead walked towards Will.
"Hand it over. You took something that didn't belong to you," he held out his hand.
"Yeah, I'm afraid we can't do that," Ari stepped between the two, looking up at the intimidating guard. "You don't seem to understand who we work for," she told him, trying to buy time so she could remember the spell to make them forget.
"Evidently, you don't know who we work for," the guard told her. "Now move," he growled.
"They work for me," the two guards jumped as an older woman approached them.
"Lady Penelope!"
"Enough. I'll take it from here. Dismissed," she waved the guards off. They looked a little confused, before walking off. "Time to end your suffering," the woman smiled. Confused, the Rangers other than Ari fell into fighting stances. "Box an old lady, would we?" she sounded amused at this. "Then lets do it," she held up her fists, and when they looked started, she began to laugh. She then peeled off a mask, to reveal Spencer.
"Spencer!" Mack began to laugh.
"Better get those back to the mansion for safe keeping," he gestured to the scrolls as Will stared at him.
"But Spencer..." Rose giggled.
"The disguise? Well, Mr Hartford thought you might need a little help," Spencer explained. "Now you get back with those scrolls. I'll only slow you down," he added, and began to stumble away.
"You look good in those heels!" Ari called after him, and they all started to laugh as he turned to scowl at her.
1-2-3-4-5
As the group raced back to the mansion to get the scrolls to safety, they were suddenly blasted from behind. They skidded to a stop, and a monster landed in front of them. Removing their helmets and running forward, the team faced him.
"Give me the scrolls!" he demanded.
"'Fraid not, metal-head!" Mack yelled. "Let's lock him up!" the others nodded. "Ready?"
"Ready!"
"OVERDRIVE, ACCELERATE!" they morphed and ran to fight the monster. He was fast, and easily dodged their moves, knocking each to the ground.
"Take this!" he blasted Mack back, before facing Rose and Ronny. When he dodged them, Ari caught him with a kick to the back of the head. He spun around and blasted her into Will, and the pair crashed to the ground.
"You ok?" Will asked as he looked up at the Gold Ranger. She nodded and pushed herself up, helping him to his feet as Rose and Ronny were blasted into some barrels nearby.
"Weird...I had an easy time beating this guy earlier! He must have taken his vitamins!" Dax gulped as he was tossed aside. The others ran at the monster again, only to be blasted off their feet. "Hey!" Dax yelled, earning the monster's attention as he called on his sword.
"Dax!" they looked up to see Mira running towards the battle. "Be careful!" she pleaded
"Get back Mira!" Dax ran towards her, but the monster got there first. "Mira!" he yelled, running towards them, but stopped as the monster tightened his grip on Mira and made her cry out.
"Toss me the scrolls if you want to save her!" he threatened. "And no interference from you," seeing Ari light up an energy-ball, the monster blasted her. The green light hit her in the chest, and she cried out as she was slammed into a crate, demorphing and lying still.
"Ari!" Rose ran over to the girl, who groaned as Rose moved her.
"We don't have a choice...Will, give me those scrolls," Dax pleaded with the Black Ranger, who growled and marched over to Dax.
"Here," Will thrust them into Dax's hand with a snarl.
"Sorry guys," Dax sighed, approaching the monster slowly. He placed the scrolls in the monster's hand, who then threw Mira into the air with a laugh. "No!" he cried out as Mira screamed. A golden blur suddenly shot by, catching Mira midair before landing. Ari set her down, before falling to her knees with a whimper. "Mira!" Dax ran over to them. With a laugh, the monster disappeared with the scrolls.
"Ari, you ok?" the others ran over to the Gold Ranger.
"I've had better days," she growled.
"I'm sorry..." Mira whispered.
"Man, foiled by love," Will shook his head, and Dax lowered his head.
"She shouldn't have been here," Ari pushed herself to her feet. "She shouldn't have known who he is" she staggered away, and Dax watched guiltily as she left the battlefield.
1-2-3-4-5
"Miss Ari, are you ok?" Spencer approached Ari as she sat in the base, a hand to her chest. Dax was with Mira, and the others were searching for the monster.
"Mack told me to come back, I can't fight like this," Ari sighed as she watched the screen. "What I said to Dax was wrong too," she added.
"I understand where you are coming from," Spencer sat down beside the girl. "By knowing of your identity, by knowing of this mission, it puts them on the radar," he mused.
"It puts people at risk. Like my family. Like Xander..." Ari's fists clenched as she remembered when one of Lothor's monsters had kidnapped Xander as he found out who she was. "Spencer, I can't put them at risk again," she looked up at him desperately.
"With some work, I have managed to keep you out of the media," Spencer told her. "There have been rumours circulating, that with the last few teams, the Gold Ranger has been the same each time," Ari felt herself go cold.
"If they found out it was me, everyone would figure it out. From my time in Blue Bay Harbour, and Reefside. Then they'd figure out who the others are too," she realised. "Thanks Spencer. I never even thought about that," Ari leaned back, and winced as the pain returned. "I hope Dax will be ok," Ari murmured. "He really likes Mira, but she's a distraction right now. He'll be too busy worrying that she'll get hurt to keep going on this mission. Am I right to say that?" Ari looked at Spencer curiously.
"I...well," Spencer looked surprised that she would ask his opinion on the matter. "I believe that while you are right, matters of the heart are not quite so easy to manage," he answered. Ari sighed.
"That's like something that Sensei would say," she complained.
"I am sure you will figure it out yourself, Miss Ari," Spencer smiled at the confused girl. When the computer beeped, they looked up to see that the monster had returned, and Mack, Ronny, Will and Rose were facing him.
"They need my help," Ari pushed herself up, and winced as her chest protested. "I've never let this stuff hold me back, and I'm not going to start now," she spoke with determination. Spencer shielded his eyes as she began to glow again. "Whoops, I keep forgetting about that," Ari couldn't help but laugh, before realising that the pain was fading. "What...oh dude! I can heal!" she she realised, jumping about as the glow faded and the pain was gone.
"Perhaps you should use this new found energy in the battle against that thing?" Spencer suggested as he got to his feet, brushing himself off.
"You're right! Thanks Spencer!" Ari laughed, running off to help her friends.
1-2-3-4-5
"Give me the third scroll!" the monster demanded as he faced the four.
"Never!"
"Where's Dax?" Mack asked Will, realising that they were still down a Blue Ranger.
"Three guesses. First two, don't count," Will rolled his eyes.
"Mira..." Mack growled, furious that Dax hadn't listened to their words.
"There's still four of us! Let's get him!" Rose called to her friends.
"Five!" Ari corrected as she landed beside them, morphed as well.
"Ari? What are you doing?" Mack ran up to her. "I told you to stay at the mansion if you're still injured," he told her, irritated that she wasn't listening to him either.
"I'm not still injured!" Ari told him brightly. "It turns out that my glowing thing, it's not just a boost to my sun powers. I can also heal myself," she laughed.
"Really? That's so cool!" Ronny grinned as she stood beside her as well. The five then turned to the monster, and began to fight him, determined to get the other two scrolls back. Ari ducked the monster's punch, and kicked him, before jumping back to avoid his next hit, and the others swung their own attacks, but he continued to dodge. Before long, a group of Chillers appeared, and ran at them as well.
"Oh come on, now you bring in these losers?" Ari complained, turning to the frozen footsoldiers. She caught the attack of one and flipped it, before kicking another backwards into three others. She followed, and kicked them to the ground, but more took their place.
"There's too many of them!" Mack groaned as they were all overwhelmed.
"I have an idea!" Will called out, and dodged another attack. "Spencer, is my HoverTek Cycle ready for action?" he asked hopefully into his tracker.
"I'll hook you up sir," Spencer replied, and the roar of an engine sounded nearby. A black and pink motorcycle sped into view, and Will leapt on. He skidded to a stop, and revved the engine.
"HoverTek Cycle, punch it!" Will cheered loudly as he then sped towards the Chillers. They fired blasts of ice at him, but he easily dodged all of their attacks. Flying through the air, Will bounced off a car, and fired lasers at the footsoldiers. He dominated the battle at first, before the Chillers froze the ground, and Will lost control. He was blasted into the air, and managed to regain control, switching it to it's Hover Mode. Flying through the air, Will finished off the Chillers.
"Dude...I want one!" Ari laughed from the ground. They turned back to the monster, and continued to fight him off, but without Dax, they were slowly being overwhelmed. Ronny cried out as she was tossed to the ground, and the monster swung at her again, only for Will to intercept and knock him away.
"Still no Dax?" he groaned.
"I don't know how much more we can take," Mack groaned as they were tossed to the ground again. When someone approached slowly, they looked around to see Mira, only she looked very different.
"He's absorbed the power of the first two scrolls. Five of you could never stop him," she mocked.
"I knew Dax was too good for her!" Ronny growled as they pushed themselves up.
"Hey, I'm the Ninja here!" Ari yelled when she saw the woman's attire.
"I'm back!" Dax finally arrived on the scene. "And I'm ready to rock!" he faced Miratrix and her monster companion.
"Give it up Rangers. Thanks to Dax, we now have the three Scrolls," Miratrix held up the scroll with a wide smirk. She then walked away, and the monster blasted the Rangers, but Dax avoided it.
"Drive Vortex!" he hit the monster, and the others blasted him in quick succession.
"Let's pick this lock's pockets!" Mack turned up the power of his blaster. "Send him back where he belongs," he called to his friends as they did the same. "Fire!" they blasted the monster, and destroyed him.
"I could use a little help here Master," Miratrix's smile was gone as she touched the blue stone around her neck. Seals appeared and stuck to the fallen monster, who reformed and grew, towering over them.
"You're no problem for me now!" the monster announced.
"Nothing a few good Zords can't solve," Dax retorted, calling on the DriveMax Zords.
"Control Console Drivers on their way," Andrew's voice picked up from their morphers. Their packs fell from the sky, and the Rangers caught them, before leaping up into their Zords and forming the Megazord. Instantly calling on their sabre, the Rangers ran at the monster, who easily slammed them back.
"Ok, that was stronger than expected," Ari groaned.
"Now stop fooling around and finish this!" Miratrix roared from the ground, holding up the scroll in her hand. "With the sword's power of Neptune!" she declared, but nothing happened.
"What's going on?" Mack frowned as the DriveMax Megazord got back up. Miratrix looked just as confused as she tried again, but nothing happened the second time either. She opened it, and she grew angry as she found that it was a picture of Dax.
"Dax, you tricked me?!" Miratrix screeched up at him.
"And you me," Dax replied calmly, but there was hurt in his voice. Spencer ran into view, breathing heavily as he held the real scroll in his hand.
"I pray I'm not too late!" the man tossed it up to the Megazord, and they caught it.
"Thanks again Spencer," Dax grinned. Harnessing the scroll's power, the Megazord began to glow golden, and their sabre did the same. They struck the monster as he ran at them, and severed the two scrolls from his possession. They landed by Spencer's feet, and the man lifted them with a smile.
"Give them back," Miratrix snarled angrily as she approached him.
"You guys finish this loser off, I'll take care of her," Ari told them, leaping from the Megazord and landing between Spencer and Miratrix. "Ok, let's see how much of a Ninja wannabe you are," she fell into a fighting stance as Miratrix looked alarmed. Her face twisted into a scowl, and the two rushed at each other, fighting with fast and powerful moves as Spence watched with wide eyes, holding onto the scrolls tightly.
"I didn't expect a Ninja to be part of that team of losers," Miratrix commented as she dodged Ari's kick. The Gold Ranger flipped backwards to avoid the retaliation, and raised her arms to block a punch. She jumped back again, her eyes wide as she recognised the moves that her opponent was demonstrating.
"You're a Moon Ninja..." she realised. Miratrix smirked back, and kicked out again.
"And you're a Sun Ninja. Poetic, isn't it? But the difference is, I realised just how foolish the Academies are, and I gained the power that they rejected," she taunted, and kicked out again. However, Ari dodged it and dropped down, sweeping Miratrix's feet out from under her.
"Maybe you should have stayed. You might have learned something," Ari grinned as she stood over the fallen Ninja. Miratrix scowled as she got back to her feet.
"This isn't over. We will meet again, Rangers," Miratrix declared as the Megazord destroyed her monster, and she disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
1-2-3-4-5
"Hey Dax," the Blue Ranger looked up as Ari sat down beside him. He had been sitting in silence, staring at the scroll in his hands. "I'm sorry about Mira. And for being so harsh about her before," she apologised, looking guilty.
"It's ok," Dax managed a small smile. "I just feel so stupid for falling for it," he admitted, and looked at Ari as she put a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Spencer told me that matters of the heart are not so easily managed," she told him with a smile. "You figured her out in the end. That's what matters. You're a great guy Dax, you'll find someone who deserves you," Ari squeezed his shoulder and smiled. Dax found himself smiling back as he blushed. "Now come on, let's get those three scrolls together so we can work out the next piece to this puzzle," she told him with a bright smile as she got to her feet.
"Sure," Dax grinned back, and got to his feet as Ari went to join the others. He watched her leave, and sighed, smiling at her words as they rang in his head. He walked out to join the others, and they all smiled sympathetically at him.
"I'm sorry for doubting you Dax," Will put his arm around Dax. "I guess we all are," he added. They nodded in agreement, and he smiled softly.
"Hey, uh, if it weren't for you guys keeping my eyes open, I might never have figured her out," he admitted.
"What gave her away?" Ronny asked him, curious as to how he had caught on to her scheming.
"For one, the only time I saw that monster, was when she was around," Dax shrugged.
"That's not much to go on," Rose frowned.
"But then she let it slip that she knew we were looking for the jewels? I never told her," Dax admitted, and they all nodded. "I'm sorry guys, I never meant to get sidetracked like that," he apologised.
"I can't blame you," Will smirked. "She was hot!" he laughed, and Mack nodded as the three girls rolled their eyes. Dax started to laugh. "Evil, but hot," Will corrected himself.
"Thanks," Dax smiled. "Now lets check out this sword!" he held out the scroll in his hand, and they all gathered around the small table, and Rose put the three scrolls together. They began to glow, and transformed into a sword. She lifted it, and found a small hole where the Jewel had been.
"The Jewel's gone! Now what?" she wondered. The sword began to glow, and blue sparks flew from it. It flew from her hands, and impaled itself in the map of the climbing wall.
"Anyone been to St. Lucia in the Caribbean?" Will asked as he approached the map, grinning widely.
So I'm leaving tonight to go on holiday for a week, so nothing is gonna be written until I get back. Sorry about that!
Hope you enjoyed this chapter anyway!
Please review!
