Author's Note: I am going to see Rise of the Guardians tomorrow and will update Little Samurai tomorrow night. This chapter might interest you Hunter/Aliyah fans out there.
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended in the making of this series. I simply own my OCs and anything that is unrecognizable from the show. Power Rangers belongs to Saban... although Mystic Force was created by Disney. Enjoy.
Shout Outs: Big thank you too: Taeniaea, Dueling God and Twilight Dark Angel for adding this story and/or me to their alerts. Appreciate it mate.
Warning: Rated T for safety.
Mystic Force: Against All Odds
Summary: "I didn't ask for this," "I know, but this is your destiny... this is our families legacy... and our time is now!" After the fall of the Lightning Academy and the arrival of the darkness, Rebecca learns that the prophecy has begun and Aliyah is now in great danger.
"I didn't ask for any of this!"
"I know you didn't," Tyler nodded. "But this is your destiny. It is our family's legacy..."
"That's easy for you to say," Aliyah snipped. "You're not the one getting your ass kicked every day!"
Tyler scowled. "Do you think I enjoy sitting behind and watching you get your ass handed to you on a silver plate?" he asked. "Do you think I enjoy seeing you come home covered in bruises and sometimes supporting broken bones? Because let me tell you something, Aliyah, it's not all fun and games sitting behind!"
Aliyah glared at her brother. She had no idea why she was so mad at him, taking her anger and frustration out on Tyler was not going to solve problems between her and Rebecca, but the fact that Tyler seemed to so quick to jump to her destiny was starting to grate her nerves. "I get that it must be difficult," she agreed. "But you and Rebecca keep bringing up my destiny, yet both of you refuse to tell me anything!"
"Ali, it's the guardian's intention to protect the prophesized child,"
"By letting them run blindly into battle?"
Tyler sighed. She had a point. He couldn't fault her for that one.
"All I want to know, Ty, is what exactly am I capable of doing?"
"I wish I could tell you," Tyler nodded. "Honestly I do..."
"But?"
"As the head guardian it is down to Rebecca to make the decision on whether you should know or not,"
Aliyah groaned and flopped backwards onto the sofa bed. "So basically you are telling me that I will never know..." she said, staring at the ceiling.
"I'm telling you to be patient,"
"I'm not known for my patience!"
"We all know that," Tyler muttered. "Look, Ali, trust me when I say that when the times comes you will know what is expected of you. You will not need me or Rebecca there by your side, guiding you the short distance to the finish line, you will know exactly what to do and you will cross the line alone."
Aliyah glared at the ceiling. That was the best he could come up with? Seriously? That was not the answer she was looking for. Swinging her legs off of the sofa bed, Aliyah stood and threw a dark look in her brother's direction. "You're no help," she said. "You once promised me that you would tell me everything if Rebecca refused, and now you won't tell me a single thing! My entire life has been a lie, and even now, those I am supposed to trust can't even find it within themselves to be honest with me!"
Tyler was silent.
"If you can't trust me with the truth," Aliyah said crossing the room to the double oak doors. She pushed them open and turned to look at her brother from over her shoulder. "Then why in the world should I trust you?"
When Tyler didn't respond, Aliyah turned on her heel and walked out.
~*Against All Odds*~
Rebecca sighed as she handed Madison a blindfold. "Trust is the key to all Ranger teams," she said. "In order to truly trust each other, you must be willing to put your safety in the hands of the team."
"Like Aliyah did with you?" Vida asked.
"There has not been one Ranger team that Aliyah has trusted," Rebecca answered. "She has one or two Rangers that she trusts but never a whole team."
"So is she coming back?"
Rebecca hesitated and, ignoring the question, turned back to Maddie. "Ready, Madison?" she asked.
Xander and Nick exchanged looks while Vida glowered at the Black ranger. She hated being ignored and now she understood vaguely what Aliyah meant when she said she had issues with her sister; Rebecca wasn't being exactly open and honest about various things that were going on, she kept a lot of things to herself, and that was annoying in its own right.
"I think so," Maddie confirmed.
"OK, now, slowly fall forward," Rebecca instructed. "The team will catch you."
Maddie nodded. It wasn't difficult to see that she was nervous, but who could blame her? If this was Aliyah then there was no chance that she would even considering falling forward, by would she trust others when they couldn't even trust her?
Rebecca smiled as Nick and Xander braced Maddie's shoulders and pushed back up onto her feet.
"Oh, there's a good boy, Fireheart," Claire cooed as she passed. The dragon was bundled up in a white blanket, and the blonde was carrying a large bottle of milk.
The rangers cooed as they run off after the blonde, completely forgetting about the exercise that was currently underway.
Maddie, not knowing her team-mates had abandoned her, fell backwards hitting ground with a thud.
Rebecca winced. She now understood why Aliyah didn't trust people. They always let you down.
~*Against All Odds*~
Aliyah growled and glowered at Hunter as he walked towards her with Shane and Dustin. He was grinning from ear to ear, and she had sudden urge to slap it from his face.
"What are you doing here?" she seethed as he came closer.
"Last I checked I was free to come and go as I pleased," Hunter answered.
"And you just so happened to choose today," Aliyah nodded, her tone dripping with sarcasm. She was already in a foul mood.
Hunter shrugged. "Didn't know you were here," he answered.
"Bullshit!" Aliyah snapped.
"Not everything is about you, you know?"
Aliyah felt her fists shake in anger. Was this Cam's idea of a joke? Because if it was, it wasn't funny. Bringing Hunter here when she was feeling was a set up for murder.
"Why are you here, Hunter?"
"Well, Aliyah," Hunter replied. "I got a call from your 'brother' saying that they needed help in calming you down. And, looking back on past experiences, you always seemed to relax after you'd blown of steam, the only problem you seem to be hitting is a road block; no one, other than myself, is, I guess you could say, stupid enough to go against you when you're like this."
"You got that one right!" Aliyah hissed.
Hunter smirked. He always did enjoy seeing her like this; you could guarantee a fun-filled afternoon when Aliyah was fired up.
"We'll catch you later, Hunter," Shane said dragging Dustin away. They had class to teach.
"Try not to break him, Ali," Dustin called.
"I make no promises," Aliyah shouted back, her glowering gaze never leaving the tall blonde in front of her. While she would never admit it out loud she was glad he was here, at least now she'd stand a chance of blowing off some steam.
~*Against All Odds*~
"The Crystal ball said that the dark magic was right around here," Rebecca said, looking around the deserted clearing.
"Well there is nothing here," said Xander, stating the obvious. "Could the Crystal ball be wrong?"
Rebecca shrugged. "There is a possibility," she nodded. "But I've got a strange feeling about this."
"Me too," Nick agreed. "It's quiet out here..."
"A little too quiet," Chip nodded with a bright grin. "Sorry, I always wanted to say that!"
Rebecca smiled and simply shook her head.
"I get the feeling..." said Vida as she pressed onwards with her friends, missing the freaky golden warrior that popped out from behind a tree as they passed. "... Like we're being watched!" the Pink ranger finished as she turned to face the newcomer.
"Who goes there?" the Warrior asked. "What brings you children into these dangerous woods?"
Rebecca looked offended.
"Give us a second and we'll show you," said Nick.
The others nodded and raced forward to fight. The new warrior matched their moves with complete and flawless ease, deflecting each blow with no effort at all. Gaining the upper hand, the new warrior swung his leg at the six Mystic Rangers causing them to back away in response.
"Ready?" Rebecca asked reaching for her morpher.
"Ready!"
"Wait!"
The Rangers paused as Udonna arrived behind them.
"Watch out," Nick told her. "He's evil!"
"No he's not," Udonna smiled stepping through her rangers. "He's an old friend!"
The rangers frowned and turned back to the warrior. Flickers of gold surrounded his body and the armour he wore disappeared, leaving behind the remains of a young and handsome man.
"Udonna," he said.
"Calindor," Udonna smiled. "You haven't aged a day."
"I'll explain later," Calindor nodded looking over Udonna's shoulders at the six rangers.
Udonna nodded and motioned to each of them. "These are six of the Mystic Rangers," she explained. "We are missing one, but I am sure you will get to meet her very soon."
"The forest will forever be in your debt," Calindor said, bowing to them.
Maddie stepped out from behind her sister. "Who is this guy?" she asked her mentor.
"A great warrior," Udonna answered turning to the man beside her, she opened her arms and embraced him.
"And an old friend," Calindor answered.
Rebecca furrowed her brow at the blonde man before her. There was something off about this whole situation, she could feel it.
"Do you remember this guy?" Xander asked leaning closer to the Black ranger.
"No," Rebecca shook her head. "But I've got a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. So keep your distance, OK?"
The other's nodded before moving forward and introducing themselves. What better way to keep your enemies close than to learn more about them? Isn't that how the saying went? Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer?
~*Against All Odds*~
After returning to Rootcore, Rebecca immediately dismissed herself to her bedroom. She had research to do on Calindor; something wasn't quite right with the way they had found him. If the Crystal Ball had picked up Dark Magic in the forest, why had they found someone who was supposedly on their side?
"That is not Ryan's child," Calindor said, watching as the Black ranger retreated. "Not Little Rebecca?"
"Yes, it is," Udonna nodded. "She has grown into a beautiful young woman, wouldn't you agree?"
"Very much so," Calindor nodded. "But what of her father?"
"He died eighteen years ago," Udonna answered. "He and Jade left Rebecca and her sister alone in a world that they do not understand. They were brought back to the Lightning Academy where they stayed until their training ended. Rebecca's sister, Aliyah, she's very short-tempered but no one can blame her when you consider what is being asked of her."
Calindor looked puzzled.
"She is the Chosen One, Calindor," Udonna informed him. "Aliyah Logan is the Chosen One. The one we have been waiting for..."
"So it is true that the Lightning Academy has failed?"
Vida frowned. "The Lightning Academy has fallen, yes," she nodded. "But it didn't fail -"
"Excuse me," Calindor apologized. "But the Lightning Academy was created to protect the gate and stop it from ever rising. If the gate has in fact breached the surface world and darkness as seeped through, then it very clearly shows that the Lightning Ninja's were not as powerful as Jade Hartford claimed them to be!"
"Am I glad Aliyah is not here," Chip muttered. His friends nodded in agreement.
"There is a creepy creature attacking people at the plaza," Claire announced from the Crystal ball.
"Let's go!" Nick said leading his team around Udonna and Calindor.
"Fight with honour," the latter called after them.
"Ready?" Nick asked.
"Ready!"
"Magical Source! Mystic Force!"
~*Against All Odds*~
Aliyah lay flat on her back on the green just north of the Wind Academy training grounds. She and Hunter had been sparring, arguing, fighting, shouting, physically abusing, verbally abusing and just pushing every button they could just to piss the other off in order to help her blow off steam. The session had ended after she had thrown her training Sais at him, thankfully he had ducked or she would have taken his head off.
"Whoever said your aim gets worse the angrier you get, lied," Hunter puffed, collapsing to his knees and flopping down onto his stomach. "Feeling better?"
"Shush,"
Hunter frowned and looked Aliyah. Her eyes were closed and she seemed to be concentrating on something. "What's up?"
"The definition of 'shush' means to be quiet," Aliyah told him without opening her eyes. "You'd think a Head teacher of a Ninja Academy would know this."
Hunter scowled and rolled over onto his back to stare at the sky. "Fine. Tell me when you're ready to talk!" he said.
Aliyah didn't respond, and Hunter was fine with that. While he had intentionally been here to help her calm down, he was curious as to why she needed to calm down in the first place. Who had pissed her off? And more importantly: how badly injured were they? Did they need medical attention? Because he knew from firsthand experience what Aliyah was like once worked into a frenzy.
"What is trust?"
Hunter gave a start and rolled his head to the side so he was staring at his companion. "What?" he blinked in confusion.
"How do you know if you can really trust someone?" Aliyah asked. "Or if you are just trying to convince yourself that you trust them?"
"Trust is the belief that someone has your best interest at heart," Hunter answered, turning his attention back to the sky. "It's defined as reliance on the integrity, strength, ability and surety of a person or thing. It's confidence. You can emotionally love someone, but not trust them. You can also trust them, but not emotionally love them. They wouldn't do something to hurt you for the fun of it, or for selfish gain. You rely on them."
Aliyah frowned. "How do you earn it?" she asked.
"You earn a person's trust by consistently proving yourself to them. You show them that you will not use them or take advantage of them. You will not abuse their love or their generosity. You will think of them before acting."
"They failed,"
"Who?"
"They failed me. They abused my trust... my love... I loved them with my whole being. They promised that they would always be there, and then one day they weren't."
Having pushed herself into a sitting position, Aliyah curled her arms around her knees and hugged them close to her chest. Tears were falling from her eyes, and soaking into her hoodie. "She promised me that she'd always be there... that she would never leave! I trusted her and she betrayed me! She left me... for six years she made me think that she was dead and she was alive and well."
"Ali...?" Hunter inquired, startled by her sudden burst of emotion. He was so used to Aliyah being all rough and tough, he had never seen her cry before.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Aliyah gave a startled jump as her morpher jingled from her pocket. She pulled out the cellphone and snapped it open, wiping her tear-stained cheeks on the back of her sleeve. "What's up?"
"Ali, there is trouble in Briarwood. Meet us at the Rock Porium, we'll fill you in!"
"I'm on my way!" Aliyah nodded. She snapped the phone shut and pushed herself up. "Thanks for the workout, Thunder Boy, but I gotta go!"
Jumping to his feet, Hunter grabbed her wrist and held her back. "Not before you tell me who 'she' and 'they' are!" he said gripping her wrist firmly as she twisted to get away from him. "Tell me, Ali, you don't just break down for no reason. Tell me who betrayed you!"
"My parents and sister," Aliyah snapped. "I trusted them! And they betrayed my trust! You happy?"
Hunter stared at her; his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. If he hadn't annoyed her, like he usually did, she would have found it comical. Instead she wrenched her wrist free of his grip, turned on her heel and stormed back towards the school.
Hunter sighed. He had finally managed to calm her down only to piss her off again.
Great work, Thunder Boy He scolded.
~*Against All Odds*~
"So let me get this straight," said Aliyah as she sat on the stage in front of her friends. "There is a weird jester trampling around Briarwood, a freaky, yet handsome dude at Rootcore and Rebecca is off playing good student while you guys are here doing what exactly?"
"Working out a plan," said Vida.
"And what exactly have you been doing?" Nick asked. "Quality time with your boyfriend?"
"Actually, I've been ripping heads off of unexpected Ninja students and Thunder Ninja's," Aliyah snapped. "I can add a Red Mystic to list if you wish!"
Nick narrowed his eyes as Maddie quickly got between them. "OK, guys, we really need to figure out a plan to stop Jester," she said, "but we need each other alive in order to do so."
"So any ideas on what we can do?" Nick asked.
"That symbol on the ground," Maddie said. "I know I've seen it before!"
Movement caught Aliyah's gaze, pulling it away from Maddie's face and to her shoulder. She bit back a laugh as her eyes widened, and she could see Chip and Vida exchange looks outside of the corner of her eye, Xander too had spotted it and was grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"It must have something to do with the dark seal..." Maddie trailed off. "What?"
"It seems your Prince has arrived," Xander said, leaning close to her shoulder.
Glancing down, Maddie flicked the frog off of her with a scream.
Aliyah and Vida crackled with laughter.
"Still afraid of frogs, Madz?" Aliyah asked, feeling loads better.
"Ever since you and V put one down my dress when we were kids, yes!" said Maddie, pulling a face.
"That was a long time ago," Vida defended.
The frog croaked and jumped at the rangers earning startled screams from each of them and weird looks from the other customers.
"Where is it?" Xander asked.
"It's over here!" Chip called as Nick squeezed Maddie's shoulders as he passed, the Blue ranger was freaking out, jumping wildly up and down as her friends raced around her trying to locate the slimy creature that was causing so much distress.
~*Against All Odds*~
Rebecca shivered as she felt the temperature within Rootcore dropped to below zero, and her senses sky rocketed as she realized that something was terribly wrong. Pushing away her text book, the Black ranger rose to her feet and quickly made her way back down to the main operations room, she expected to find Claire taking care of Fireheart, while Udonna caught up with an old friend, what she didn't expect was to walk in on a battle between Imperious and Udonna.
"You cannot over power me without your Snow staff," Imperious said as his dark energy pushed Udonna back, weakening her with every step.
Claire, who had taken refugee under a table, spotted her cousin and made a quick beeline towards her.
"Claire, go to your room and lock the door," Rebecca instructed. "Do not come out until either Udonna, myself or one of the rangers comes looking for you, alright?"
Claire nodded and quickly hurried up into the higher points of the tree.
"Magi Staff! Wall of Darkness!"
A ripple of dark magic flourished between Udonna and Imperious cutting off all and further attacks.
Imperious growled and waved his fan at the Black ranger, but the attack hit the step on which she had once stood as Rebecca melted into the surrounding shadows and quickly made her way towards her aunt.
"Ninja!" Imperious hissed. "You always were a pain, Udonna, but putting your faith and trust in a Ninja? That's something I never thought I would see. We should never have trusted them with our magic, it was only a matter of time before they grew stronger than we could control!"
"Hey, Mummy," Rebecca yelled from the upper branches of Rootcore. "It's you who can't be trusted with Magic. It is you Udonna trusted the most, it was you who betrayed us, so say anything bad against the Ninja code and we'll be sending you back to the Underworld in a match box!"
Imperious laughed. "You really think I'm afraid of a silly little girl?" he asked, waving his fan at her again, only to snarl as she Ninja-streaked away.
"You may not be afraid of me," Rebecca nodded, appearing behind Imperious and aiming a kick at his head. "But I know there is one 'silly little girl' out there that drills the terror into your core. You may not show or even believe in fear, Imperious, but I know that you fear Aliyah, I mean who wouldn't? She's not exactly the happiest of people!"
"Foolish girl!" Imperious said as he whipped around. He caught Rebecca's foot, twisted it until Rebecca screamed in intense pain, and then jabbed her in stomach with the sharp tip of his finger. The Black ranger dropped like a stone, her ankle swelling incredibly fast as black ink seemed to ooze from her stomach.
Udonna gasped and stepped forward. "Rebecca!" she cried.
"Freeze!" Imperious said, waving his fan at his old friend. A blue shield surrounded her, trapping her inside. "Foolish witches! You really thought you could stop me? In a few hours you will both be gone, then I'll find that bumbling servant girl and use her to lure the other rangers into my trap, but first..." he stepped towards the Xenotome, "to put an end to a thorn in my side. Without the Xenotome the Rangers will be helpless."
He reached out to touch the book only to be repelled and shocked in return. There was a protection spell around it, the same protection spell that Rebecca had used on Aliyah to protect her from the darkness.
~*Against All Odds*~
With the frog forgotten, Nick, Aliyah, Vida, Maddie, Chip and Xander raced around the corner from the Rock Porium until they came about the reason behind the screams of innocent bystanders.
"Woah," Aliyah said setting her sights on the creature for the first time. "You guys weren't kidding when you said he was freaky. Who is this guy?"
"They call me Jester," the monster answered. "Jester the Pester..."
"Jester the Pester?" Aliyah repeated with a grin. "Ha! Well, Jester the Pester, I hope you've said your final goodbyes, because this is the last trick you'll ever pull!"
"Please," the monster scoffed. "What can you do?"
Aliyah shook her head. "The way I'm feeling now," she retorted. "I can do anything from maim you to seriously bludgeon you with my fists. It is your choice."
"It doesn't matter," Jester shrugged. "As soon as my symbol is finished; the circle will be complete, and there is nothing you will be able to do to stop me!"
"You think so, do you?"
"I know so," Jester nodded.
Aliyah smirked. "Maddie, you want to do the honours?" she asked her friend.
"Gladly," Maddie smiled. "Magi Staff! Tidal Wave!"
She waved her wand through the air as a wave of water washed over Jester and wiping the graffitied symbol off of the ground.
"What do you have to say now?" Aliyah asked.
Jester cried in despair.
"Figured out what he was trying to do yet, Madz?" Xander asked.
"Yes, I knew I had seen that symbol somewhere before," Maddie nodded. "The symbols create a dark seal. It's the same one we've seen Koragg use."
"Well it's not gonna happen," said Aliyah.
"But when the symbol is complete, all the humans will be gone!" said Jester. "Try and stop me!"
He fired a blue beam at them, knocking them off of their feet.
"What a joke," he laughed.
"Today just got better," Aliyah sneered as she got back to her feet. She reached for her Magi Staff and transformed it into a sabre. "This guy's going down!"
"Right behind you!" Maddie said following Aliyah towards Jester.
While Aliyah flipped over Jester, missing his punch, Maddie was not so lucky and flew backwards from the impact. Spinning her sabre between her hands, Aliyah aimed a punch to Jester. She caught him in the stomach and sent him stumbling away, before ducking under his sharp claws as Maddie picked herself up from the ground and returned.
Jester fought off the two rangers, knocking them off of their feet, and aiming his claws at each of them as they demorphed, however, before he could attack, he was attacked himself - well, not attacked but scared out of his wits by the frog that had been at the Rock Porium.
"Hey, Madz, I think your prince might be a little possessive," Aliyah joked as Jester fretted about the slimy creature on him. He finally made a grab for the tiny creature, throwing it at the ground. The frog hit the sidewalk with a splat and remained unmoving. "Hey! That's cruelty to animals!"
Jester merely laughed.
"Keep laughing, freak," Aliyah yelled. "Let's see you laugh when your head's been ripped from your shoulders!"
She jumped back to her feet, morphed and raced at Jester the other rangers in tow.
~*Against All Odds*~
"Thank you," Maddie said. The frog was now sitting safely in the palm of her hand. "You saved me... us... I could kiss you!"
She leaned forward and pressed her lips to the back of the creature. Instantly a bright golden light emitted from the rubbery lips of the small creature, the light expanded, blinding Jester and giving Aliyah the opening she had been looking for. She pulled Saba from her hip and fired brightly coloured energy beams at the monster. Jester yelled out as he fell to his knees - injured.
Meanwhile the other rangers' attention was drawn to the blinding golden light which had fully engulfed the frog and transformed him into a man. The man had short and spiky brown hair, brown eyes, copper coloured skin and was dressed in clothes that could only have belonged in the magical world.
"My Lady," he said holding his hand out to Maddie. The Blue ranger took it, slightly dazed. "Thanks. You broke the curse."
"I did?" Maddie asked.
The new comer nodded as the other rangers joined their team-mate.
"Hidiacs!" Jester yelled.
The undead foot soldiers appeared in an instant.
"Oh, target practice!" Aliyah said, fingering the sharp tip of her Sais. "These guys are going to be a lot better than Hunter was..."
"I'm not even going to ask," Chip said, shaking his head.
"Good choice!" Aliyah nodded. She rolled her Sais between her fingers, pulled back her arm and threw it as hard as she could at the undead, the only problem was the Sais did not soar, in fact it wasn't even in her hand. "Huh?" Aliyah frowned looking around.
The new comer stood behind her. Sais in hand.
"Hey!"
"Allow me," he said, handing back the offending weapon and pushing his way through the rangers. He held out a small device, pressed a button on the flat surface and called out, "Solar Cell Morpher! Magical Source! Mystic Force!" he punched a tiny hole into the card he carried with him, before morphing. "Power of the Sun! Solaris Knight!"
~*Against All Odds*~
Imperious rejoiced as he finally broke through the protection spell surrounding the Xenotome. "It's mine!" he laughed leaning forward to scoop up the book. Before he could even breath in the scent from the old pages, he was blasted backwards by a stream of bright white flame.
He hit the table as the barrier surrounding Udonna disappeared. She fell to her knees.
"Udonna," the rangers said rushing to their Mentor's side.
"Rebecca!" Aliyah said rushing to her sister's aid. She fell to her knees and rolled the Black Ranger onto her back as blood mixed with black ooze dripped from the wound in her stomach.
"We meet again, Calindor!" Daggeron yelled from the doorway. He was stood alongside Aliyah who had her Magi staff in hand and was glaring at the dark wizard.
"Daggeron!" Udonna gasped in surprise.
"I am now called Imperious," the dark wizard replied.
Daggeron pulled a fighting stance, ready to defend if need-be.
Imperious shook his head. "This is not the place!" he said. "We will meet again and next time I will finish you all for good!"
A purple seal appeared above him. It descended and when it reached the ground, Imperious had gone.
Udonna sighed, turned to Daggeron and embraced him tightly.
"Hey, i'm all for happy reunions," Aliyah called. "But do you think you can rejoice after we've saved Rebecca?"
~*Against All Odds*~
With Rebecca sleeping comfortably, and a full confirmation that she was going to be fine, Aliyah saw it safe enough to return to Blue Bay Harbour. She packed a few of her clothes and personal belongings and left Rootcore for the Wind Ninja Academy; she had already received permission off of Sensei to stay there until she found a more suitable place in Briarwood, or until she made up with Rebecca.
Entering the Great Hall of the Ninja School, Aliyah was surprised to find Hunter still there.
"I'd thought you'd have left by now," she said dropping her backpack onto the floor at her feet. "What are you still doing here?"
"I wanted to make sure you were OK,"
Aliyah stared at him. "Did I kick you in the head?" she asked.
"Yeah, you did," Hunter nodded. "But not enough for me to completely change my personality. I still don't like you!"
"Good, let's keep it that way!"
Hunter rolled his eyes. "I'm serious, Ali," he said. "You freaked me out earlier. I've never seen you cry before."
"And you're never gonna see it again," Aliyah said, angry with herself for losing control in front of him.
"Hey, i'm not going to hold it against you,"
That is what they all say Aliyah reminded herself. "What do you want, Hunter?" she sighed in aggravation.
"A full explanation as to what is going on with you would be nice."
"To tell you that would mean that I would have to trust and like you," Aliyah pointed out. "Which, in both cases, I don't!"
Hunter sighed. "Ali, I know we're not friends -"
"Wow that only took you four years to figure out!"
"- but I am trying to help!" Hunter continued, ignoring her interruption. "Please let someone help you! You don't have to be alone."
"I choose to be alone!"
"Why?"
"Because it's safer that way!"
Hunter frowned. What did that mean?
"How is it -?"
"There is a less chance of being hurt when you are alone," Aliyah said. "I choose to be alone because i'm tired of being hurt all of the time."
Silence.
Not an awkward silence that one would assume to follow a confession like Aliyah's; but a comfortable silence like the ones that occurred when an understanding is passed between friends.
"Do you think that Lothor attacked the respective academies because of me?" Aliyah asked, breaking the silence and taking Hunter by surprise.
"Huh?"
"The prophecy," Aliyah said. "It stated that when Wind, Thunder and Lightning were in harmony all it would take is once choice from me to decide the fate of the world. Do you think that Lothor attacked the academies because of me?"
"That would indicate that he knew about you," said Hunter. "He made no indication to me or Blake that he wanted you for any intense purposes. You were just a thorn, if not the biggest and most annoying thorn, in his side."
Aliyah smirked. "I'm glad to have caused the biggest annoyance," she said.
"I bet you are," Hunter said, shaking his head. "What exactly does the Prophecy say?"
Aliyah pushed herself up and removed a folded up piece of parchment from inside her hoodie pocket. She unfolded it as Hunter pushed himself up beside her. Once ready, Aliyah handed the scroll to Hunter, and allowed him to read her destiny for himself. Maybe he'd make heads or tails of it because she had no clue.
The one with the power to vanquish the darkness will be born.
When two planets burn as one over a sky of dancing light.
Then when the time comes a new evil will arise,
And the guardians will be called upon again.
With the harmony of Wind, Thunder and Lightning
One choice will be all it takes,
To decide the destruction or survival of the world.
"Wow," Hunter said after he had finished. "Intense. And you can really do this?"
"Apparently," Aliyah shrugged.
"And Rebecca believes you can?"
Aliyah sighed. "She believes in the prophecy," she answered. "Not necessarily the fact that I can do it. She believes that because it is written down on paper that I will succeed."
"Well, for what it is worth," Hunter said. "I think - no - I know you can do it!"
"You do?" Aliyah asked, startled.
"Yeah," Hunter nodded. "It takes real courage to stand up and fight; we all did it because we had too... you did it not because you had to or because you were born to do it, you stood up against Lothor and Mesogog because you could. You declared war against Lothor. Some say you were foolish, I said you were brave... OK, so I may have agreed that you were a little foolish."
Aliyah chuckled. She couldn't help it. She had been foolish during her time as a Ninja Ranger... but she had been foolish as a Dino Ranger, and undoubtedly she had been foolish as a Mystic Ranger, but her foolishness is what pushed her through the final battles, it was through her foolishness that she was sitting her and actually having this conversation. She hadn't been brave or courageous.
"I was foolish," she said. "It was my distinct belief that I could fight myself out of any situation that got me to where I am today."
"You're a fighter," Hunter confirmed. "You're a strong warrior, Ali, with or without a prophecy you are powerful!"
Aliyah smiled faintly and glanced at him from over her shoulder. "Thanks, Hunter," she nodded.
"Yeah, don't get used to it,"
"I wouldn't dream of it!"
They both smirked. They may not have been the best of friends but they both knew, in times of desperate need, they could count on one another to be there. After all, Hunter was the only other person, other than Rebecca and Tyler, who knew about the prophecy. Did that mean she trusted him?
Don't be stupid! She didn't trust anyone... right?
Copyrighted ©
Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx
Chapter updated Tuesday, December 18, 2012 at 6:00am