Okay, this chapter is a bit longer than usual but I just couldn't stop writing… I've decided to delay Paul's 'reasons' until the next chapter because this one is so long.

I've made a trailer for this fic for which I will put a link on my profile soon so keep an eye out for that.

Thank you to sky's girl forever and sporty-mia09 for their reviews. Please review this chapter for me guys, otherwise I'll probably just hide in a corner and cry…

Hope you like this chapter!

Walking this way and that…Dustin really didn't have any clue which direction he was taking. North was south; east was west…nothing made sense.

The mist was still thick and it still tried to fill is heart with the same desperate fear and pain. But it couldn't affect him anymore. Dustin was determined to get out. By any means possible.

He could see the concrete of the city beneath his feet. The occasional wall and lamppost told him he was in the centre of the city. He kept on walking through the mist, hoping that his ninja instinct would lead him in the right direction…

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Paul Brookes quietly opened the door. He felt sick when he saw Dustin on the bed, linked to too many wires and tubes for Paul's liking. His attention was then drawn to the mass of blonde hair on Dustin's arm. He walked around to the other side of the room and saw that it was Hunter, asleep at Dustin's side, his hand still clutching the still hand of his boyfriend.

Not wanting to risk waking him up, Paul returned to the other side of the room. He placed the envelope he was holding on the empty chair. Then, with one last look at his son, he pulled his heavy bag further up his shoulder and left the room.

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His instinct told him he was getting closer. He could feel something on his hand, as if someone was holding it…and the more he went in one particular direction, the stronger the feeling got.

Dustin kept walking, the sense of familiarity washing over him more and more with each step he took. When he felt the presence was strong enough, he tried to squeeze whatever it was that was holding his hand…

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The sound of the door closing had woken Hunter from his light slumber. Assuming that it was just one of the hospital staff he prepared to go back to sleep again, like Tori had instructed.

But then he felt something…a sort of twitch…only it wasn't him. He looked down at Dustin's still hand.

"It can't be…" the thunder ninja thought to himself. Simply to satisfy his curiosity, he squeezed Dustin's hand hard…

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Dustin almost cried out with relief when he felt his hand being squeezed. When he realised he had reached the spot he had started off in, he looked down. He knew now that the force holding his hand was another hand. It felt so real that Dustin thought he could almost see it.

Taking a deep breath, he squeezed the hand as hard as he could…

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Hunter almost fell off his chair from shock when he felt his hand being squeezed back.

"Dustin?!" he cried. The brunette's eyelids seemed to shiver slightly.

"Dustin! Can you hear me?"

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Dustin felt his vision blurring. At first he thought this was a good thing…but then his chest and head began to ache terribly. He struggled for breathe, his lungs felt on fire…

Summoning all the strength he could find, Dustin squeezed the hand one last time before his vision went completely black…

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Hunter's joy at feeling his hand being squeezed quickly turned to panic when Dustin's heart monitor went flat. The single, constant note made Hunter feel like his own heart had stopped.

Snapping out of his trance, he raced to the door, hauled it open and almost collided with Dustin's mother. When she heard the monitor she went a deathly pale.

"Someone help! Please!" Hunter called to the hospital staff. The female doctor who had been treating Dustin looked up, saw Hunter's eyes and raced past him into the room.

"He's in VF…can I have a crash trolley in here please!" she called to the nurses. They wheeled in a trolley with a large machine on top of it. As soon as she had put protective pads on Dustin's chest she grabbed the paddles of the machine.

"Charging at 360…all clear? …SHOCKING!" the force made Dustin's chest lift before falling lifelessly onto the bed again. Kerry Brookes was silently weeping as she watched the staff fight to bring her son back. Hunter put a comforting arm around her shoulders, as much to reassure himself as her.

"Charging again at 360…all clear? …SHOCKING!" The same process was repeated again as Hunter and Kerry watched on, the woman sobbing quietly in Hunter's arms. Tears were building in Hunter's eyes but he wouldn't let them fall. If he did, it would be like giving up…and he couldn't give up. He couldn't believe it was over.

I can't lose him…not now…

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Paul Brookes looked up at the monitor. The red light flashed and he groaned in frustration. 'Delay'. He wasn't going anywhere within the next hour.

He looked around and saw a bench by the window, secluded from the other passengers. He dropped his heavy bag on one side and then sat on the side closest to the window. Looking out onto the runway he could see people boarding the various planes, heading to different destinations all over the world. The sooner he could get on his own plane the better. He wanted to get away for a while. He had told Kerry it was a holiday but he was really trying to escape. He'd told her he'd be back when he felt better, in his mind he was saying that he'd be back when he had forgotten everything that happened. "See you soon…" he'd said to her, "goodbye…" he had whispered…

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Tori pushed open the double doors, Blake walking behind her. She was carrying a small plastic bag filled with various snacks and bottles of water. They had come to make sure Hunter was doing okay…but when they heard shouts coming from Dustin's room the neutral looks on their faces were replaced with looks of horror and fear. Tori dropped the bag and ran forwards, Blake on her heels.

"What's going on? What's happening?" she cried as she ran into the room. She looked at Kerry who was sobbing into Hunter's chest. When she looked up at her friend she was confused to find a look of fear but also determination.

The sound of the machine being used drew her attention to the bed. The female doctor she recognized from before was doing chest compressions on Dustin. There was also a senior nurse with her looking very worried. Behind the nurse stood an older looking male doctor, most likely a consultant.

"What's happening?" Blake asked the doctor urgently.

"His heart has suddenly stopped beating; we're trying to get it working again," she said in a breathless voice as she continued manual chest compressions.

"How long has he been like this?" the navy ranger asked.

"About twenty minutes," the senior nurse answered. The defeat in his voice was evident. The consultant looked at his watch.

"Dr Forde, he's been like this for over twenty minutes now, all attempts to revive him have failed, he was previously in a coma as well…I think we should stop."

"No!" Tori and Kerry cried. The consultant turned to them, his face only betraying a slight hint of sympathy.

"I'm sorry, but we have done all we can." He nodded at the senior nurse, who disconnected the tubes from Dustin's throat, taking away the equipment that was helping him to breathe.

"He's not gone yet," Hunter said firmly and everyone turned to look at him. Blake nodded with a hint of a smile.

"I know he's not gone yet," Hunter insisted and turned to the female doctor, "Please just one more…" he finished, gesturing to the crash trolley. The consultant looked at his colleague and shook his head but she looked Hunter straight in the eye and reached her decision.

"Charging one more time at 360…"

"Dr Forde…we have already taken out the breathing apparatus…" the consultant said in a warning tone.

"Just one more time!" She insisted and looked at the consultant. He reluctantly nodded and she continued.

"Okay…charging at 360…all clear? …SHOCKING!" The impact of the paddles seemed to shock them all as they waited anxiously. Seconds felt like months as the senior nurse slowly turned to the heart monitor.

"…nothing." Tears began to spill down Tori's face as Blake took her in his arms. Kerry felt her heart breaking into pieces. Hunter, however, wore a small smile on his face.

"…wait…" the senior nurse's voice drew their attention again, "………unbelievable!" Tori cried out with relief as she heard the strong and steady beat of a pulse on the monitor.

"He has a pulse…" the doctor breathed. The consultant said nothing, he was speechless.

"And not only that…" the senior nurse said with a smile. He was looking intently at Dustin and the doctor immediately looked down at her patient. A smile slowly spread across her face.

"Hello Dustin." She said confidently.

Kerry cried out in shock, still clinging to Hunter like a lifeline. It was now that Hunter let the tears spill down his cheeks, the smile on his face undeniable.

"Can you just cough really hard for me Dustin, while we get these tubes out?" the senior nurse asked. They all heard a strong cough and the senior nurse removed what was left of the breathing apparatus.

"Okay Dustin I just need to ask you a few questions…do you know exactly who you are?"

"Right now I reckon I'm the luckiest guy in the world…" came the reply, earning grins around the room.

"Do you know where you are?"

"I'm in hospital."

"And how many fingers am I holding up?"

"One…hey!" the earth ninja exclaimed when he saw the rude gesture. Laughter spread around the room. One laugh in particular Dustin recognized.

"Hunter?" Everyone looked at the blonde thunder ninja. The doctor smiled at him and made space for him to come forward.

"Hey stranger." He said softly when he reached the bed. Dustin smiled weakly at him and Hunter almost cried out with relief when he saw the beautiful chocolate brown eyes he had missed so much.

"I missed you." Dustin said weakly but the smile stayed on his face.

Blake cleared his throat and gestured for the others to follow him out and leave the pair alone for a little while.

"How are you feeling?" Hunter asked his boyfriend softly.

"I little light headed but apart from that I barely feel anything, the painkillers are working pretty well." Hunter grinned and Dustin let out a small laugh. He tried to sit up slightly; Hunter was just about to stop him –

"I'm okay…trust me." After a slight hesitation Hunter moved back and watched in amazement as Dustin sat up on his own, without flinching. It was almost as if he had never been injured. Dustin's eyes quickly searched the room.

"What's wrong?" Hunter asked. He followed Dustin's eyes and saw they had stopped on an envelope sitting on the other chair. Dustin glanced at Hunter, silently asking him to pick it up. Hunter walked around the bed, picked it up and offered it to Dustin. The yellow ranger shook his head.

"You read it…I already know what it says…" Hunter looked at him curiously and Dustin shook his head again, "Don't ask…" he sighed.

The crimson ranger opened the envelope and began to read the letter. Seeing who it was from he scowled and was about to drop it.

"Please read it Hunter, it doesn't excuse his behaviour I know…but I guess it sort of explains it…kinda…I don't know, you just need to read it."

Hunter read the letter from top to bottom. Once the expression of shock was on his face it never left it. He looked at Dustin and the brunette nodded, a heart broken expression on his face. Hunter put the letter on the bed and wrapped his arms around Dustin. The earth ninja relaxed into his boyfriend's embrace until there was a knock and someone entered the room. Dustin smiled as his mum practically ran to the bed and wrapped her arms around the pair of them. He quickly turned serious when he remembered the letter.

"Mum, where's Dad?" Her face quickly fell and she looked away from them.

"Mum…I need to know where he is…now!" Hunter was slightly shocked by the urgency in Dustin's voice.

"…at the airport…he's going to New York." Dustin looked at Hunter and the blonde nodded.

"Sorry Kerry but we have to go."

"Go?" Kerry looked bewildered, "But you've only just woken up, the doctor's haven't even discharged you yet…"

"I'm fine Mum, trust me, I really need to go." Dustin pleaded with her. Kerry was about to protest until their eyes met. After about half a minute she shut her eyes and nodded. Hunter got up and went to his bag. He pulled out a set of clothes and handed them to Dustin.

"But I look awful in crimson…" Dustin whined. Hunter smiled as he led Kerry out of the room. Once outside the door they almost collided with the doctor.

"Oh hello, how is he? I was just about to update his meds…"

"No!" Hunter gasped and then saw her confused expression, "Err…that is…" Kerry stepped forwards with astonishing confidence.

"Actually before you do that doctor I was wondering if I could have a quick word with you about the treatment Dustin is going to receive now that he's awake, is there somewhere we could talk in private?"

"Err, yes, we can use my office at the end of the hall…" Kerry followed the doctor down the hall, only looking back once to wink at Hunter. The thunder ninja grinned at her and waited for Dustin to come out.

After another minute Dustin emerged from the room. Hunter looked at his boyfriend's appearance and smirked.

"What?" asked Dustin rather defensively.

"You look good in dark colours," replied Hunter, earning a blush from his boyfriend.

Returning to the task at hand they surveyed the area and when the hallway was clear they ran towards the exit.

"Mr Brookes!" Dustin heard the senior nurse call but he kept running. They reached the exit, burst through the doors and were greeted by the sight of Tori's van…with Tori in the driver's seat waiting for them! She laughed at their confused expressions and gestured for them to get in.

"I saw Dustin's hasty dressing routine through the ground floor window," Dustin blushed when he remebered he hadn't drawn the curtains, "…I don't know where you guys are going but I'm guessing it's important?" Dustin smiled and thanked whoever was listening that he had a best friend like Tori.

"Our place…and step on it, I'll explain on the way."

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As soon as the van pulled up Dustin charged into the apartment building. Once he reached the apartment he shared with Hunter he grabbed the nearest bag and started stuffing clothes and necessary items inside. He tore through one of the kitchen draws and eventually found his passport. Hunter watched with wide eyed confusion.

"What do you need that for?"

"I can't explain right now, just trust me okay? I'm only doing this because I have to." Those were the only words the earth ninja said and he zipped up the bag, slung it over his shoulder and left the apartment, Hunter on his heels.

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The blue van screeched loudly as it pulled up outside the airport entrance. Dustin and Hunter raced inside, followed by Tori once she had locked the van (in an illegal parking spot but she had already decided Hunter was going to pay the fine).

They ran through the main terminal up to the information desk.

"Excuse me, what time does flight 367C to New York leave?" The attendant looked rather surprised by the sudden question but then checked her computer.

"Flight 367C…left two minutes ago." Dustin let out a sigh and a quick growl of frustration. He looked away for a minute before turning back the attendant.

"Ok then, one ticket on the next flight to New York please." Tori and Hunter looked at each other in shock. The attendant looked rather surprised herself.

"And your…err…luggage…sir?" Dustin gave her an irritated look and gestured to his bag.

"Just this, I'll take it on the plane with me." He handed over his passport and after the attendant checked it she gave him the ticket.

"Dustin what are you doing?" Hunter asked him in a worried tone. The yellow ranger sighed and looked at him sadly.

"I have to go after him…and I have to go alone, this is something I have to be able to do myself." Hunter looked devastated and Dustin felt his heart breaking seeing the man he loved like this.

"But I just got you back, now you're leaving again?" Dustin nodded firmly. He turned to Tori and gave his best friend a warm hug.

"I'll see you soon okay? Be careful." She told him quietly and he nodded into her shoulder. When she released him he turned back to Hunter.

"Hunter, I'll wait for you in the van." Tori said softly before walking away. The pair were left alone. The silence was thick. Both knew they had so much to say but neither knew how to say the words.

"…I'm sorry…" Dustin said barely above a whisper. Hunter looked at him for a moment, then stepped forward and gently placed his lips on Dustin's. Dustin melted into the kiss. He had almost forgotten what Hunter's lips felt like. When Hunter pulled away Dustin missed the warm feeling.

"Promise me you'll be careful, that you'll look after yourself and...don't anything…goof-ish." Dustin felt a grin quickly spread across his face.

"Goof-ish?"

"Goof-ish." Hunter nodded with a smirk. Dustin pressed a quick kiss on Hunter's lips.

"I have to go…but I will come back…soon…I promise." He said with a small smile but his eyes betrayed his fear. His reassurances did nothing to reassure Hunter and as Dustin walked away Hunter couldn't help but feel worried for his boyfriend.

As a thought crossed his mind as he watched Dustin's back fade into the crowd. Hunter still had the letter in his pocket. Taking it out and looking at it again he knew that it would be a while before Dustin came back.

A small smile slowly appeared on the crimson ranger's face.

Dustin had told him not to follow him. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to help him…

How is Paul going to react when he sees that Dustin has followed him? And what exactly was said in that letter? Plus, how are the others going to react when they find out Dustin has suddenly left for New York? Chapter 11 coming soon! Please review!