A/N: The Rangers have some of their issues shown, and it's not pretty. Approach with caution, as there are some things that are going to feel very uncomfortable.
Episode 4: MVP Part 2: Freaking Me Out
"Yesterday a monster attack in Terrace View Park was stopped by a new team of Power Rangers, which their leader called the Shuriken Rangers." The reporter stated on the evening news of the town's local Cadence Cable News station. "It's been little over a year since the last monster threat appeared, but there has never been an attack anywhere in Canada before."
Joe was only half-listening to the television that his parents were on the couch watching while he kept his eye on the clock. Only two minutes more and he could take his evening smoke.
"…and with more uplifting news, Kal Walker from Cadence U's hockey team has just been scouted out by-" A crack rang out, and the television was put on mute a moment too late. The only sound left in the room was that of Joe's heavy breathing, his knuckles white from clenching his fists too hard.
Joe's parents hesitated at getting near him, as they didn't want to crowd him and he didn't like being touched.
"Maybe-maybe you should go take that smoke now." His father, Cori, said and got an incredulous look from his partner. Cori shrugged, looking out of his depth.
It did get through Joe's clouded mind, though his thoughts were still fueled by anger and hatred. He stiffly got out of his seat at the island in the kitchen, and made his way to the front door without a word after retrieving his lighter that he'd thrown at the wall.
He slammed the door shut, winced, and his fingers shook as he pulled the pack of cigarettes from his pocket. His vision started to blur, his throat constricting and the water gathering in his mouth was the only warning he got before he buckled over and heaved.
He coughed and kept his grip on the doorknob as his stomach churned. Joe put his other hand on his knee to keep himself standing, but he didn't very much feel like taking a smoke anymore.
Damn the break, Joe gritted his teeth, and damn him-I should have done more than just break Kal's fucking nose.
As little as Ann cared about her surroundings, even she couldn't deny certain bodily functions, and eating happened to be one of them. So after taking in how her cupboard only had several bowls of instant noodles left, she sighed and made her way to the supermarket two blocks away.
There was still enough of the sun in the sky to keep the streetlamps from turning on, but even so there weren't many people out as it got slowly darker. How many of them were aware that the monsters were back, that peace was only going to last as long as a lull?
When Ann got to the market, she grabbed a dozen of the noodle cups and made a side stop at the feminine care products aisle before heading to the check-out counter. There was only one person in front of her, but that didn't matter when a woman behind her spoke up.
"Vivian Taylor?" Ann flinched; no one called her Vivian anymore. Her family certainly didn't want to, didn't even want to say 'Viv'. She craned her neck and saw an older woman, who looked shocked to see her. "It is you. Why, I haven't seen you around the country club anymore-it's like you just vanished off the face of the earth."
Ann's lips tightened. "I like my privacy."
The woman nodded, but there was something incredibly patronizing in her expression. "Yes, I would imagine so. It's been what, two years since you m-"
"It wasn't like that!" Ann didn't know who was more surprised by her outburst-the other woman, or herself. She berated herself anyway-what poor control, you don't deserve to say that- and Ann left her groceries on the check-out counter.
She ignored the woman calling after her, and Ann could imagine her parents phoning her to tell her off for how she acted, how unbecoming it was, that she should have gotten better by now like Mavis had. Well, Mavis wasn't the one whose life was ruined.
For a moment, Ann thought of going back, but shook her head and kept walking until she got back to her apartment.
Foxglove looked over the four tubes, his expression carefully masked but on the inside he was immensely pleased. The humans were only frozen for a little while by Frost Blast, but the chill and the terror of being encased in ice wrung from them a rather lucrative amount of fear.
Badgerill was also looking at the tubes, a smirk on his face that Foxglove immediately doused. "Don't become too complacent. The Rangers weren't there today, but don't think they won't show up next time."
Badgerill snorted, but the heat of his glare was dampened by how tired he was. "They can try, but this weakling's not as weak as I thought!"
Foxglove let out a quiet scoff. Arrogant fool, he thought and gathered up the tubes before making his way to the transfer room. Going through the increasingly familiar motions of getting the transport ready was shaken when he opened the connection, and Foxglove was stunned when a face that wasn't Hemlock's appeared on screen, but a different face- a female one.
All he could see was her expression, but that was enough to displease him. The forehead and mouth area were smooth and white like an egg-shell, but very glossy and the top of her head was adorned with a gold crown. Her face was flawless, or at least Foxglove knew that's what her opinion would be, but in reality her eyes and nose tarnished that, for stretching across her face vertically was a ghastly looking bit of blue reptilian skin, and her eyes glowed a cold neon blue.
On seeing Foxglove, she lifted a fan to cover her mouth with a dainty laugh; her fan resembled a fanged, mouth, its maw opened wide, and the material being razor sharp, metal arrows.
"Well, well, Fox, it's been a while..." The woman tittered.
"Celadine…your highness." Foxglove restrained a burning retort about her using his nickname, and added the honorific quickly. He bowed his head for a moment, on the outside showing deference, but on the inside it was done to hide the anger in his eyes which his mask didn't cover. "I didn't expect you to answer-but I did hear about me being named heir; does that mean you've been demoted to answering my calls?"
Foxglove reveled in Celadine lowering her fan to reveal her angry, twisted mouth morphing into a snarl. She obviously didn't miss the barb, shabbily hidden as it was. "Watch your tongue, brat!" Celadine hissed sharply. "Hemlock's job is still intact, and my position is unmovable; I'm just doing this as a favor for him."
"Really? I would've thought you were above such things?" Foxglove asked sardonically.
"I am but I'll ask you not to speak to me in such a way." Celadine scowled. "I am still the queen, and I'll not be talked to in that tone by some upstart bastard who thinks he can steal the throne from my future babies!"
Foxglove growled at her haughty attitude. If this were anyone else, he would not be lowered to such a base reaction, but he hated his 'step-mother' just that much. "If you wish to see me 'dethroned', you're gonna need to actually produce a child from that barren field of yours, your highness." Foxglove finished with a mockingly respectful tone.
Celadine looked about ready to get angry again, but then she smiled and fanned her face in a coy manner, though really it was to distract Foxglove from seeing the smug glint in her eyes. "That's why I am doing this favor for Hemlock, since he's making me a fertility potion. I have a long, pleasurable night of passion planned with my husband," she turned to give him a snide side smile, hitching up her shoulder with a laugh, "and I want it to be profitable after all, if I want to 'dethrone you' as you said."
She then tapped her fan against her chin. "I've also managed to heighten the odds, if you will…" The queen became giggly, and seemed to wiggle in place, thoroughly starting to disturb Foxglove and made him wish he could just cut the connection. "A beauty treatment that will make my husband unable to keep his hands off me. And with that fertility potion and your father's relentless plowing of my field-"
Foxglove turned and covered his mouth with his hand, fighting back the bile that threatened to spew out. 'Wretched witch!'
"-I'll have a child in no time, and it's all thanks to you." Celadine finished by pointing her fan at him for emphasis. The giggling she did at his obvious discomfort only fueled his disgust and anger.
"Me? What in the name of Dark Spector have I done to help you out?" Foxglove demanded. It was a name he'd picked up in this world, and it stuck with him.
"Why, for your recent shipments of fear energy of course! You've done such a good job, and sent so much. So I was able to nick a little for my own use." Celadine said in a patronizing tone, and then caressed her face in loving manner. "Then I was able to take twenty years off myself, and really that's helped me a lot."
Foxglove bristled in outrage and disbelief. The sheer nerve of this woman… "That fear is for the kingdom's energy crisis; I doubt my father intended it to be wasted on you for beauty products!" Foxglove snapped, his tone growing in volume.
"I am the kingdom, and my not having an heir is a crisis!" Celadine retorted. "And I'm not stupid; I only used a bit-it's not like I took the whole shipment. After all..." She turned her head in a statuesque-like pose. "Why paint the peacock?"
Foxglove quietly groaned in disgusted disbelief.
Celadine ignored his disrespectful noises and continued on like he hadn't said anything. "So, I hope your next shipment is just as big. After all, it takes a routine to look this good!" she laughed as Foxglove slammed his fist down on the transporter button and the transmission faded out.
Foxglove let out a howl of rage and pulled out his hammer; pressing down on the handle button to make the shuriken spin and swung it like he could smash it against the cause of all his anger, a bolt of yellow lightning scorched the wall. "That despicable, imperious, shrewish, vain hag!" Foxglove hissed. "I hope she fails, and I hope she's all withered and dry inside so that I will become the ruler, and when I do-the first act I'll perform as king is seeing her banished!"
When he finally calmed down and the anger clouding his mind faded away, Foxglove glanced at his mallet with a grim smile; at least he knew it was working properly.
For Zara, she usually slept in when she didn't have any shifts, but on this Tuesday morning she found it odd that she was being called into work. She pulled on her black and white uniform and after a quick breakfast she hurried out to meet her bus.
Her parents weren't home, her mother was at work at the hospital while her father was still searching for a job, so Zara hoped she got enough tips to help them pay the rent. It was the least she could do, and she liked being a waitress.
Buildings that slowly became familiar to her passed in a blur on the bus ride to the diner's block. It was quite a cozy little place called Seeley Café that served all-day breakfast and Zara smiled as she smelled the eggs and bacon from the kitchen. Her stomach rumbled despite being full.
She peered around the bustling inside, and Kay motioned her to the manager's office. Zara nodded and briskly made her way over to the corner, careful to stay out of the other waiters' way. She only knocked once before being let in and Manager Lin gestured to the seat in front of his desk.
"So, is this about my hours? Do you need more help now that it's summer?" Zara asked.
"That is part of the reason, yes." Lin replied, his tone careful. He cleared his throat. "In fact, we'll be putting up help wanted signs-and so will other places."
Zara furrowed her brow. She reached onto the desk and grabbed one of the pens. "That's nice; kids should get more job experience."
Lin nodded seriously. "Yes, kids do a lot these days." He paused for a moment, his eyes glancing to the side before he looked at Zara firmly. "In fact, children in particular come around during the summer." Zara froze, her brain finally registering just what was wrong. "People like bringing their kids here and, how do I put this gently? You…after that incident two weeks ago I thought you were trying to keep your temper in check, but you can't keep making the other waiters take your tables just when a child is there."
Zara's hands wrung the pen under the cover the desk edge, but it was clear from her blank expression that this was not sitting well with her. Slowly, the unnerving lack of emotion was wiped clean as she stiffened up, smiling as though nothing was wrong. "I understand, and I thank you for hiring me in the first place. I'll see myself out."
Lin opened his mouth, but the words were caught in his throat as Zara all but skipped out of the room. His eyes were locked onto her hands, where ink was staining her fingers and he furrowed his brow as he looked over his desk. His lips pressed tightly together; the pen Zara had been toying with was snapped in half and lying on the seat, ink spilling over the edge and dripping onto the floor.
He gazed after Zara, and he was relieved that he'd made the right decision in firing her. She really needs some help.
The sound of a car driving into the parking lot of her parents' mechanic shop was nothing new, especially during the summer as people wanted their cars in top shape for any long distance travel. Before, Lila would have ignored it and went right back to reading her magazine, but she'd agreed to help her parents out today as she didn't have work and already they were busy with two other cars that had been dropped off.
Dog-earing the page she was on, Lila set the book down and got up to go meet the three women who were in a red convertible. Just a little bit, Lila relaxed. "Hello, are you here for a tune up?"
A woman with hair the same shade of red as her car held out the keys and a piece of paper to Lila, her expression stiff. "Yes. Don't scratch my car, and call that number when it's finished." Her eyes shifted to her car again, her brows knitting together.
A brunette snickered as a blonde looked over a map. "Don't worry about her; she's just uptight about her precious baby."
The redhead scowled at her. "My 'rents said that this was the last car they would let me get; I'm not gonna total another one!"
Lila tensed back up again. Rich out of towners would be her first thought, but the voice… Lila narrowed her eyes slightly at the redhead, giving her a more considering look before she glanced down at the license plate-Alberta…now I remember her from Meadow Lane, Lila felt a rush of anger as she recognized each of them from her old university-no, don't think about that place.
The blonde finally looked up from the map, her brows furrowing when she saw Lila. "Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?"
Lila gritted her teeth, but forced herself to relax. As long as she didn't draw attention to herself, she could get to leave faster. "No, I don't know you." She kept her voice steady-Don't show them that you're lying.
The blonde shrugged and the redhead went back to her car. The brunette though narrowed her eyes, and Lila felt a chill run down her spine as the other woman's eyes widened in recognition.
"It is you!" she laughed, a harsh and loud sound that caught the other two women's attention. She grinned and looked over at them. "It's Lila Haze."
Lila couldn't stop the flinch. Her name was spoken in the same venomous tone she'd heard this woman call her a tramp. Like…like she was still nothing but a… Lila narrowed her eyes when the redhead frowned, but the blonde blinked and gasped.
"So this is where you went!" she smirked at her.
The redhead sniffed. "On second thought, I don't want my car checked out here. You might lie about the state of my car too."
Lila shook, her shoulders shaking and she threw the keys onto the ground at the woman's feet. "Then take your damn business elsewhere!" she spun on her heel, storming back to the garage as she closed her eyes and scrunched her nose, but all she could see was her old dorm room door defaced and covered with slurs, taunts ringing in her ears.
"Honey? What's wrong?" Her mother asked as Lila came inside, but the Ranger only shook her head.
"I can't help you anymore today. I-I have to go." Lila winced, hating how her voice choked and she rushed inside their home, her thoughts muddled and self-loathing, but the one that stayed with her was-
I'm still so weak…
When Kit's first day of summer school was over, she couldn't help but let out a sigh before smiling and gave a small fist bump. I did it! One day down just, she paused as she realized there would be still almost a month left. Well, still got one day of catch-up done, that's all that matters.
And it left her the rest of the afternoon until therapy at three to try and come up with an idea on how to approach the other Rangers. She found them all to be intimidating in vastly different ways, and her shyness only made things worse. I guess that's what being alone for so many months does…Kit sighed, though her attention was caught by the sound of the front door opening behind her and she stepped to the side, allowing a group of teenagers around her age to go by.
A boy at the back of the group stopped, and looked at her curiously. "I don't think I've seen you around here before."
"I'm new." Kit muttered. "I moved here not too long ago and need to take a catch-up."
"Ah," the boy nodded, his friends stopping to glance back, "from Asia, right?"
Kit froze. "You did not just say that to me." She said quietly.
The boy looked confused. "What? East Asia? I mean, you look like you're from there-"
"Dude! Shut the hell up!" One of his friends snapped, while another added, "You can't just go around saying shit like that!"
The boy looked offended and confused, which only made Kit's insides churn and clench her fists. "What are you talk-" he stopped, his eyes growing wide as it finally dawned on him what he'd said. His face paled, stricken and regretful as looked at Kit. "I-I'm sorry about that I-"
Kit couldn't stand it. Without a look back, she bolted from the scene. Her heart raced, insides queasy and all she wanted to do was throw up. She wished she could be stronger, have the last word instead of hear some platitude an ignorant teenager said only to cover his ass.
But she wasn't. How could she lead a team if she couldn't even stand up for herself? Where was the fire she had the first time those monsters attacked? Why couldn't she be strong like that all the time….strong like she used to be before…
Kit sighed wearily, her sprint slowing to a crawl as she got closer to her house-she still hadn't gotten used to calling it her home yet. Surprise flashed across her face though when she got inside, and found her father was not hiding away in his command room. "Dad?"
From his seat at the kitchen table, Wakahisa closed the laptop he was typing on, presenting her with his undivided attention. "How was your day?"
He sounded stilted and awkward, the words more practiced than genuine, but it still made Kit appreciate he was trying. "It was…" she trailed off. For how often her father wasn't around when she grew up, he'd gotten pretty decent at reading her and sniffing out any lies she tried to tell. She couldn't even say 'I'm okay' without him regarding her suspiciously.
Kit contemplated leaving out the incident at the end of the school day, but her heart leapt into her throat. More than anything, she wanted to know how he'd react, if he cared-about her. "I'm…doing well. My," she coughed nervously, "stay in the hospital only put me back a few months. Though at the end of the day, one of the boys in the summer program assumed that just because I'm Japanese that I'm-I-I'm," her fist clenched the hem of her shirt tightly, "that I'm from Asia."
Wakahisa stared at her blankly, his expression giving away nothing. "I see." He said, and slowly he got to his feet. "And who will I be talking to your principal about?"
Kit blinked. "You…want to report it?"
Wakahisa frowned. "If this matters to you, then it matters to me."
This…was surprising, but Kit felt unsure. "I don't know who it was," she admitted, "but at least let me deal with it first. It's nice that you want to help, and I do appreciate your concern."
Her father frowned even more deeply. His eyes lowered, expression turning downcast. "You don't have to be so formal." He said, and Kit stiffened. "It was never my intention to make you feel as though you were a guest, rather than my daughter."
"We…both have a lot to learn, I suppose." Kit said wryly.
Wakahisa's lips quirked up, but it wasn't quite a smile. "Yes, we do." His eyes turned back to his laptop. "You may deal with your ignorant classmate, but do not hesitate to tell me if you feel you need help."
Kit didn't keep the smile back, bittersweet as it was. "I will. As a leader it is my duty to set a good example and take responsibility for myself." She added the last part hoping for approval, but her father didn't glance at her. Their moment was over.
Kit's shoulders slumped. Two steps back again, huh?
When three p.m. rolled around, May was pleasantly surprised to find that all five of her patients had brought in an item. There was wear and tear to each toy, making her smile a little bit more that none of them had opted to just buy something and lie about it.
"So, who would like to share something about their toy?" she questioned, but much like most of their sessions so far, everyone was extremely reluctant to talk. They eyed each other warily, sending cursory glances at one another's toy. May sighed and glanced at the clock.
"Why do keep doing that?" Lila demanded, her jaw having been clenched since she came in, her fingers keeping a tight grip on her plastic dragon.
May frowned. "Doing what?"
"Glancing at the clock." Lila muttered. "Do you want to be here or not?"
"Do you?" May asked, but Lila didn't say anything, so she pressed on, "I'm not pushing you to talk, but is it so much too at least give a little?"
The Rangers all glanced at their toys, unsure about telling her anything, or saying something personal and only to get it thrown back at them. They might have to work as a team, but they all knew they weren't a team.
Still, that's what this was all about, wasn't it? To get better, to be able to heal?
And so keeping a smile on her face, Zara jumped right in. "Well, I got this when I was thirteen," she held up the animatronic puppy, "isn't it cute?"
"It is." May agreed, her gaze sweeping over the other Rangers. "Does anyone have something they'd like to add?"
Zara's smile froze.
"Where did you get it from?" Kit asked quietly.
The white ranger's form relaxed. "At a carnival. It-it was fun." She stumbled, but quickly smiled.
There was silence, and Ann slouched further into herself. "I…" she hesitated, but her expression remained flat, "I used to play with this truck. It-it made me hap-haaapy." Her voice went weird, going higher and grimaced immediately. Her eyes darted around, shifting uncomfortably in her seat.
"Well, it's nice to see you took this seriously." May said serenely. "Anyone else? It's okay, nothing will leave this room."
Lila's shoulders tensed, her expression aggressive. "When I was young, I played with this in the sandbox a lot." she gritted her teeth, as though she was silently challenging them to say anything.
Joe would have snapped back, but for the moment he wanted nothing to cloud the memory he had of his train. "This," he shifted the pink and black train, "was the first gift I got from my parents."
"That's so sweet." Kit said softly. She flushed when Joe looked at her, and fiddled with her mecha toy. "I got this from my dad. He…wasn't around much, so it means a lot to me."
May smiled sadly. "You're all doing well. Is there something else you all would like to say?" No one replied, and the woman sighed. "Alright, just feel free to jump in whenever you're ready."
For the rest of the session, it was painfully obvious that their willingness to talk to each other was over. Especially if none of them wanted to be the first to get into why they decided to do these therapy sessions. And so when their time was up, May only tiredly told them to be there for their Friday session.
She stared unblinking as the five of them not-so-subtly sprinted for the door.
"Those have got to be the most draining thirty minutes of my life." Joe muttered as he fished his cigarette pack from his pocket, train tucked under his other arm.
Lila scowled at him. "If you have to do that, stand down wind so we don't have to smell you."
Joe snorted. "No one's keeping you here, princess."
Kit glanced between the two of them, worry clear on her face. She saw Ann was staring off into space, while Zara was picking dirt from her puppy, so she cleared her throat as she approached her two most volatile teammates. "T-there's no reason to…" she trailed off weakly as Lila and Joe both scowled at her, the 'stay out of this' going unsaid, "fight." She finished with a squeak.
Lila narrowed her eyes at Kit, critically taking the time to give her a once over, her expression unimpressed. "You need to grow a spine, fast."
Kit grimaced.
Joe scowled at Lila. "She's just a kid, lay off."
"And she's our leader." Lila snapped. "She can't afford to be soft-the world will chew her up and spit her out before even our fourth mission."
"I-I'm not soft." Kit muttered, but neither Joe nor Lila seemed to have heard her-or they were ignoring her in favor of glaring at each other.
"She had a strong backbone the first time, always a chance it ain't a fluke." Joe retorted, but Lila scoffed.
"I know her type. She won't stand a chance when things get real," she said, something bitter in her eyes, "no matter what- she's going to be seen as weak."
Kit's gaze lowered. The words stung deeply; this was her team, how much would she need to prove herself before they wouldn't be ashamed of her?
"Rangers." Kit froze as Wakahisa's voice rang out through their communicators, his tone multiplied by the fact they were all together. "Another monster sighting has been reported. I will teleport you in for the debriefing."
Kit felt an increasingly familiar tug in her gut, and it was the only other warning received before Kit's head pounded and she blinked, still reeling from the fact they were so instantaneously transported to the command center.
Wakahisa glanced over them, his eyes settling on Joe's hand. "You can smoke later, put that away." He said flatly, not waiting for a response as he turned around and brought up a map on the computer screen.
Joe scowled at Wakahisa, but sullenly shoved his cigarette pack into his pocket. He crossed his arms. "So what's running around this time? Is it going to be in our backyard again?"
"No, I've pinpointed that this one has appeared at Lake Ontario." Wakahisa replied. "I've been fine tuning my computer to track these energy surges, though there have been some…glitches."
"So there was an attack before this and you didn't catch it." Ann said bluntly.
Wakahisa paused, and nodded sharply. "It was my mistake, but I will continue to do better."
"Did anyone die?" Zara asked worriedly, and Kit felt her heart seize.
"No, just came out of it very cold." The man replied. "Though before I send you on your way, there is a matter we must discus briefly. The zords."
"Are you serious?" Lila asked incredulously. "Now is not the time!"
"If we don't talk about this now none of you will stay once you're finished with the mission." Wakahisa replied shortly. His seriousness in the face of this kept them from talking back, as they just wanted this to go by faster. And they couldn't exactly argue that he wasn't right. "I have found out how to make a zord, yet I didn't have enough time to calibrate it to anything for yours."
Kit bit her lip, but as she looked down at her mecha, she remembered what he'd told her before. "Then use my toy for mine." He jerked his head over at her, but she held the toy up insistently. "I wouldn't want it to be anything else."
"Count me in, I love this little dog." Zara chimed, though her smile was strained as she held the puppy out.
Ann frowned, but didn't say anything as she carelessly tossed her truck at Wakahisa, who scrambled to catch it. He glanced at Lila and Joe, both of whom were reluctant to part with their childhood memories.
Well, it could be this, or something I have no interest in preserving. Lila thought, and sighed as she stiffly held out her dragon. Immediately she pulled back like she was burned when Wakahisa grabbed the toy.
"Guess I'd rather have this than anything else too." Joe muttered as he handed the man his train.
Wakahisa placed the items onto the console, and fetched Zara and Kit's. "I'll get to work on them. They should be ready soon enough." He paused as his finger hovered over the teleporter button, the next words as awkward as the first time, "Good luck."
A clear, blue sky was the first thing Kit saw at the beach, the next being the sand dunes, and the third being the grainy sand under her flats. Which started to feel uncomfortable as it spilled into her shoes. "O-okay then, everyone." Kit tapped her communicator, summoning her shurato and its shuriken, the others following suit. "It's morphing time-Shuriken Force, Ninja Source!"
The call rang out, and all five shurikens began to spin, glowing and holographic images of the suits appeared. They fazed into existence over their bodies, followed by the helmet, and finally the gold sash across their shoulders.
"Stay together everyone; we don't want a repeat of our last mission." Kit said.
"Don't you mean our only mission?" Lila grumbled.
Kit winced, but didn't reply as she led them over the sand dunes. They followed her because she was the Red Ranger, but she didn't want that to be the only reason. "We-we need to start working outside of missions." She began, keeping an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. "I was thinking we could get together and try to find out more about each other."
"Isn't that what the therapy is for?" Joe questioned. "Why mess with a good thing?"
Kit ducked down. "That can't be all there is to this."
"If you're trying to suggest we become friends, then you're wasting your time." Ann said emotionlessly. "We are in this to stop a threat, not pretend we like each other."
"I don't wanna pretend though!" Zara whined. "I wanna like you gals and guy; you're all so interesting and I think we could be great friends!"
Kit perked up at that, but even the cheery words weren't enough for her to completely ignore the borderline maniacal edge to the tone. "Well, I'm glad at least one of you likes the idea."
Joe crossed his arms and leaned away from Zara, the incident at the park still fresh in his mind. "Not sure I wanna be friends with the Joker. Next thing you know she'll be quoting his lines from that movie."
Lila stared at Joe. "You can't see it, but I'm rolling my eyes."
"I know that reference!" Zara chirped, hopping along the sand. "See, we're getting along already!"
Joe and Lila scowled uselessly at each other through their helmets, while Ann was only wishing she could be back in her apartment than deal with this.
Kit though would take enthusiasm over somberness any day though, even if she was weirded out by Zara too. "We're going to be great friends, you'll see." She said as Zara gave a thumbs-up that the other three didn't return.
Screams rang out, and Joe and Lila were all too glad that they didn't have to listen to Kit trying to give a 'why can't we be friends' pep talk anymore. Kit tried to call them back as they ran past her, but ignored her in favor of completing the mission.
Joe reached the beach first, civilians running around in a desperate attempt to get away. He saw a woman fall down on the sand, her beach blanket tangling up in her legs. He felt unease wash over him, but he knew with Lila so close he had to keep up his image. "Let me help you," he knelt down beside the woman, who started at the sound of his voice given his attire, "but I don't understand how a pretty lady such as yourself is at a beach all alone."
The woman blushed as she helped him untangle her legs. "Thank you." She said and smiled at him before rushing off with the other civilians.
Lila had watched the exchange silently, but her disgust was visible even with her face obscured. "Unbelievable." She muttered. "You're such a man."
Joe frowned, having never heard the word spat with such venom before. "You got a problem with everyone, don't you, princess?"
"Don't need to explain myself to you, perve." Lila growled.
Joe was about to snap back, but his head jerked up as a loud cackling cut through the air. He didn't bother with glaring at Lila as he ran towards the sound, and stopped dead when he found the monster finish freezing up a teenager. "Hey, freezer burn, over here!"
Frost Blast looked up at the shout, blinking when he saw something that did not immediately connect. "Oooh, did you get the short straw, pinkie pie?"
"Did you?" Joe shot back. "It would explain why you look like a walking disaster."
"That hurt, pink boy!" Frost Blast whined. "Can't you take a joke? Why so serious?"
Joe rolled his eyes. Just great, what's his fear-terrible puns? "Yeah, that's really what it is." He said dryly.
"Or you're just a wretched human being." Lila retorted as she sprinted up beside him, shurato at the ready.
Frost Blast perked up when he heard her voice. "Oh, true blue! I'll have so many puns for you!"
"Shut up!" Lila snapped, but Frost Blast only cackled, hands beginning to frost over.
"Looks like I got a spoilsport, so why don't you chill out!" he jerked up his hands, ice zapping out.
Lila and Joe ducked down, but a severely startled Kit jerked back when the ice zapped Ann in the chest.
"Ann!" Kit knelt by her side, while Zara uselessly tried to break off the ice spreading over the yellow ranger, who only stared down at it, her hidden expression resigned and unsurprised.
"Of course, Lila got hit the last time, so it's my turn now." She said, her tone unconcerned and it put Kit on edge. "Just go, it'll probably wear off-if not, I'll just get frost bite. Either way it doesn't matter."
"That's no way to talk, you can beat this!" Zara exclaimed, but Ann didn't bother moving. Zara tensed, and began shaking her, but Ann only rolled listlessly.
"This is extremely disturbing." Kit murmured. She stopped Zara from trying to 'help' Ann anymore, and with one final worried glance at her downed teammate, she pulled Zara with her and took out her sword, gathering her resolve as she pointed the blade at the monster. "Undo all of this, right now!"
Frost Blast just laughed at her. "You can whine and cry until you're red in the face, but I'm never gonna stop having my fun!"
"Then we'll just have to stop you!" Kit retorted. "Rangers, get him!"
"Finally, an order I can get behind!" Lila yelled and charged at the monster. Frost Blast ducked back, but she blocked the punch he sent her way, though she grunted when his knee came up into her stomach and flung her into the air, sending her flying over-head.
"Who wants to get their spandex-covered backsides handed to them next?" Frost Blast taunted.
Joe shot forward, slashing his sword at the creature, only for Frost Blast to sidestep the swing and wrapped his arms around Joe's waist. Joe's eyes widened, his gut churning and he started struggling, wildly slashing behind him but in his panic the arcs didn't connect at all. "Get your hands off me!"
Frost Blast though just held on tighter. The Ranger was scared, and it felt great. He didn't even have to use his fearamins! "If I knew it would be this easy, I would have jumped you first, rosy."
Joe's stomach dropped. N-no-"Let me go!"
Kit's grip tightened on her sword, her heart thudding in her chest. She hadn't heard Joe sound so scared, that he could get scared… her eyes narrowed. "Leave him alone!" she ran at Frost Blast, sword raised, but was unable to strike when without warning he tossed Joe at her, knocking them both into the sand.
Zara gasped, and she frowned at the creature as it laughed at her teammates. She rushed him, not even bothering with the sword as she reeled her fist back. "That wasn't very nice!" Frost Blast turned around just in time to catch Zara's fist slamming into his face.
He stumbled back, hands clutching his face as spider-web cracks began to appear. "No, no, no! It can't be over, I won't let it be over!" he shrieked, ice blasting out from his hands at Zara, who flew back from the force of the hit.
"Oh no!" she tried to pry the ice forming on her chest off, but it spread to her fingers. She didn't let it stop her though from getting back up, clenching her fists just as the ice sealed them in that state. Her suit protected her, but she could still feel the chill through the cloth. "I'm not out yet!"
Frost Blast avoided another cheap shot, and grabbed her frozen fists. "Why won't you stay down!?"
Over in the sand, Joe scrambled off of Kit and didn't help her as she held out her hand. Kit sighed and got back to her feet shakily. "We can talk about this later, but right now we need to finish the monster off."
Joe nodded tightly, not trusting himself to speak. Especially not after Kit saw how freaked he'd gotten. He followed Kit over to Lila, who was grumbling and dusting the sand from her person. She looked up at their approach, but behind them saw Zara locked in a stalemate with Frost Blast.
"What the hell happened?" Lila demanded.
"Zara's distracting him, but she won't stay unfrozen for much longer." Kit brandished her shurato to emphasize her next point. "We need to attack together. He's weakened and we can end this right now. Will you listen to me?"
Lila glanced at Joe, who nodded. She sighed. "Fine, want us to do the rainbow thing again?"
"No fancy moves this time." Kit said seriously. "Zara gets out of the way, and all three of us charge him. Understood?"
"Simple, but very effective." Lila mused.
"That's the idea." Kit said quietly, but she was glad that they weren't questioning it. "Now, get into position." She turned around, crouching into a half-sprint pose, and both Joe and Lila took the same stance on both sides of her. "One, two-Zara, move!"
Zara's head shot up, and she saw the three blurs of her teammates coming at them. Frost Blast's head jerked up at the shout, and the white ranger pulled her hands back, ducking out of the way. He turned around, but his eyes widened when three blades were suddenly in his view, arcing down and all three slashed him down the chest.
Kit held her breath, watching as Frost Blast iced over before breaking apart, the ensuing light causing a blinding flash. She shook her head, wincing as the remaining crystal shards were glinting in the sun.
"It's gone!" Zara shouted, and Kit looked up to find that the Ranger no longer had ice covering her.
"Ann!" Kit said suddenly, and she rushed over the sand dune, relief coursing through her as she saw that the yellow ranger didn't have frost on her either. "You're okay!" she helped Ann to her feet, and the other woman frowned behind her mask.
"Why are you so happy that I'm okay?"
Kit started, surprise crossing her hidden face. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm your leader; it's my job to be concerned about you all."
Ann looked away. "So it's not real worry then-just a job. Figures." She muttered.
"What? No, of course it's real!" Kit replied, but Ann turned away.
"Wakahisa, the mission is done."
"Dad-" Kit started, but gritted her teeth as she felt the pull in her gut, and found herself back in the command room. She looked up when Ann's suit powered down, but before she could say anything the yellow ranger left.
Kit frowned, her gaze going to the other three. Joe held himself stiffly, and didn't even bother to power down before storming out. Kit only saw the calculating glare Lila sent her way as she de-powered, and similarly left without a word.
Zara beamed and swept Kit into her arms, powering down but not even fazed by the fact the suit no longer gave her a strength boost. "So glad to be working with you! Don't worry about the others, they're just being moody!" she giggled and placed Kit back on her feet.
The Red Ranger blinked as Zara pranced out of the room, reeling from the casual affection. "I…I think I might be in for a bigger challenge than I thought."
Wakahisa sighed. "Being a leader isn't easy. You'll do fine."
Kit flushed, smiling. She hoped that was true, because she wanted to do right by her team. They deserved a strong leader, and…and maybe someday she could be that leader.