I own the plot bunny, not Power Rangers. Thank yous go out to: Ghostwriter and shadowrieko003.
Seven: Youth (post "Thunder Struck II")
It had been a week since their final victory over Mesogog. The five Rangers were trying to adjust back into normal lives… although 'normal' was a relative term. After all the five of them had found it normal to be saving the world on a regular basis for most of the school year, and they knew for most that was not normal. It was lunchtime, and Kira and Trent were eating together. Conner was with his soccer teammates while Ethan & Angela were off at a table of two.
Most of the kids were laughing and eating; some boys were pulling pranks while some girls were getting in some juicy gossip. Kira shook her head despairingly.
"And I used to believe Conner and Ethan were immature."
Trent grinned at her, completely oblivious to the effect it had on her. "All of us used to be immature, Kira. Before we were Rangers, anyway."
"Knowing the fate of the world is on your shoulders can do that to a person," Kira sighed. Then she frowned pensively. "Yeah but Dr. O. sometimes seems… oh, I don't know, wiser than all the other teachers although some of them are like triple his age."
"Hard to believe he's only twenty-six," Trent agreed just before biting into his pear. Kira pressed on, "Yeah, so shouldn't the other teachers be more worldly than Dr. O.?"
Trent suppressed a smile. "Dr. O. knows about other planets and has visited a few. Hard to get more worldly than that."
"Poor guy," Kira mused. "He never had a normal youth. At least we got the first three years of high school to be normal teenagers; Dr. O. was getting mixed up with the Power barely a month into high school."
Trent continued to eat his pear. Between bites he shrugged, "I've never heard him complain. Although I guess being a living legend to legends has to be… something at times."
"Something?" Kira echoed with a wicked smile. She told herself Trent's ensuing blush came from the topic of conversation rather than from her smile. Trent stammered out, "Well, I don't know Dr. O. that well. It could be embarrassment, awkwardness, sheepishness, wishing to be a 'normal' Ranger… but I know for sure that there were times I wished I had never gone through that portal for reasons not connected to the whole being-evil and my dad's alter ego being our arch villain deal."
"Conner tried to quit once," Kira remembered. "Ethan wasn't happy about it at all. Looking back, I think Dr. O. knew that Conner would come back. I mean, being a Power Ranger is one of those destiny things, and I think Dr. O. knew that Conner needed to learn that for himself."
Trent nibbled the last edible bits off his pear.
"Mm. I wasn't there so I wouldn't know."
Kira smiled ruefully. "Dr. O. has the same problem; he once told me that he didn't know Billy and Kim had once switched brains until the tenth anniversary party about eighteen months ago now."
"Switched brains?"
Kira laughed at Trent's stunned face.
"I didn't ask- partially because I didn't want to know but mostly because Dr. O. looked so put out because he had never heard that story until that point."
"So… anything I should know about then?" Trent asked teasingly. "Ethan ever talk you into a similar situation?"
Kira shuddered. "No, thank goodness. I got kidnapped by Mesogog once… and so did Dr. O., that's how come he became the Black Dino Ranger. And of course Conner tried to quit… mm, nothing too weird beyond that."
"You got kidnapped! I'm going to kill Dad!" Trent raged. "Did anything happen to you?"
Kira fought back a blush at Trent's protective instincts coming to the fore because of her. Keeping her voice wry she replied, "No, and don't blame your dad for what Mesogog did."
Trent sighed, calming down. After all, it was kind of obvious that no lasting harm had happened to Kira due to her capture. "You're right; he had as much control over his situation as I did over mine- that is to say, none at all."
Kira reached across the table and squeezed Trent's wrist. The contact made both of their breaths hitch. She assured him, "It all worked out in the end, though. So stop worrying about it."
Trent gazed into Kira's sincere, stunning eyes.
"I can't. We're not young anymore, not really."
Kira smiled sadly. "I know."
