I don't own PRNS or any of the characters, nor do I make any money from this work of fiction.
Pairings: Hunter/Cam (hey, at least they've met…), Blake/Tori (they've met too…)
Summary: The aftermath of the fight. Sensei Omino makes a decision so offbeat that it's worthy of Sensei Watanabe, and no one's really happy about it. The Winds, Cam, and the Thunders are formally introduced, and sparks fly in all the wrong ways.
Notes: Okay, so I'm sorry about the long delay between chapters. I originally intended to post this story within a year, and to keep it under thirty chapters. Neither of those looks like it's going to happen. I had rough outlines for chapters fourteen through twenty-eight when I lost eight chapters to a malfunctioning flash drive. I then went through a period where I lost inspiration altogether and didn't want to do the rewrite. But I don't like not finishing what I've started, and I owe it to you all to keep going with this story, since you've been so supportive. So it may take a little while as I do the rewrites, but just have some faith in me—I swear I won't let this story go unfinished!
As for this chapter: I told you it wouldn't be that easy…it's not going to be a pretty situation between the Winds and Thunders, and that'll make working together hard. But they'll hopefully (maybe) get over it and pull together (sometime soon-ish).
The Choices We Make
Chapter Fourteen: In the Aftermath
The gong sounded and Cam walked away from the mats and away from the crowd. He'd lasted the full hour.
Dustin, Tori, and Shane made to follow, but quickly lost sight of their headmaster as the crowd began to stir. In the ensuing whirlwind of murmurs, exclamations, and shock, no one noticed Hunter quietly leave the field and follow Cam out.
As soon as Hunter spotted Watanabe just walking away, he had to follow. He didn't know why, but he gave into the instinct, knowing that Blake would be fine for a few minutes.
He waited until they were out of sight and by the dorms to speak.
"It shows that you're a pathetic wannabe," he said, as Watanabe turned around. "No real ninja would walk away from a match like that."
"If I'm not a real ninja, why should I follow ninja protocol?" retorted Cam, irritated. What now?
"You just went through a fight to prove that you were one of us," scoffed Hunter.
"No," corrected Cam condescendingly, "I went through that fight to prove that I'm capable of being headmaster of the Wind Academy, regardless of the fact that I'm not a ninja. I don't need to belong to the group, especially when that group includes people like you and your partner."
"Not needing to belong isn't the same thing as not wanting to belong," Hunter told him smugly, as he closed the gap between them. From the barely-noticeable stiffening of Watanabe's already rigid posture, he had hit a sore point.
"How about this? I don't need, nor do I want to be talking to you right now," Cam snapped. "It's your own fault that I'm here anyway; you intervened in our battle with Lothor." He added mockingly, "What kind of ninja rushes headfirst into battle without thinking about the consequences?"
Hunter growled and shoved him against the wall. "You don't know anything about it," he snapped. "Don't judge me."
"Because you've been so open-minded so far," retorted Cam, seemingly nonplussed by Hunter's harsh grip on his shoulders. "If you get to tell me that I'm a pathetic wannabe, then I've got no qualms about telling you that you're a bullheaded, egocentric jerk. What's wrong with you? Lothor has messed up everyone's life. Getting angry about it isn't going to help anything." He crossed his arms despite his position and added, "Now get your hands off me."
Hunter tightened his grip painfully. "Lothor killed my parents," he hissed, getting in Watanabe's face. "So you don't get to criticize me on how I fucking deal with it, got that? You don't know anything about it."
That did it. Cam reversed their positions in a surprising show of strength, and the Crimson Ranger's back hit the wall hard. "I told you to get your hands off me," Cam snapped, as blue eyes glared angrily at him. "I'm tired. I'm irritated. And I have nothing to prove to your academy or to you. Get over yourself."
"I don't have to listen to some rookie whose sensei was stupid enough to put him in charge of a ninja academy," said Hunter, unimpressed.
It took all of Cam's effort to not punch him. "First of all, he's not my sensei, he's my father," he enunciated, "My father, who Lothor happened to put in a coma. So yeah, I know a thing or two about it." He shoved Hunter back when he tried to get free.
"And second," he added, letting his anger leak through his voice, "If you ever call my father stupid again I'll show you just how much of a rookie I am, just like I showed your partner. And I won't drag it out for an hour."
He pushed Hunter away and walked off, not looking back. Hunter's eyes narrowed and he had just opened his mouth when Sensei Omino's voice sounded in his head.
Hunter, Blake, if you would come see me in twenty minutes, he requested.
Hunter scowled and turned back the way he had come. Twenty minutes would be just enough to patch Blake up before having to go meet Sensei.
Cam could barely make it back to his room, but he forced himself to keep going. Fighting Blake and then his partner had taken its toll on him. He made it as far as the couch in the living area and collapsed, breathing heavily. Peeling off his bracers, his eyes widened as he took in the state of his hands. He had known they would be injured, but he hadn't expected actual burns.
At that moment the door swung open and Tori hurried in, followed by Shane and Dustin.
"Dude, congratulations!" cheered Dustin. "You totally kicked butt!"
"Yeah, that was some pretty cool stuff, Cam," added Shane, a new kind of respect in his eyes. Even though he'd had faith in Cam, there had still been lingering doubt as well. But Cam had done it. He'd gone head-to-head with a Thunder Ranger, and he'd lasted an hour.
"Shouldn't we be like, celebrating?" wondered Dustin.
"…Yeah," murmured Cam, distracted. Now his thoughts were wandering to the future. Would Sensei Omino stay true to their arrangement? How was he going to explain his choice in Wind Rangers? Would the Thunder Rangers forever remain hostile?
"Cam, your hands!" exclaimed Tori, spotting them. "What happened?!"
"They're just first-degree burns," Cam told her, rousing himself to reality.
"From when you caught that lightning, right?" asked Shane. "That was totally sick, Cam."
"…I think that was a compliment. Right?" asked Cam dryly, glancing at Tori.
She smiled at him. "Definitely," she assured him. "I'll get the first aid kit and be right back."
He must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew he was on the couch, blanket tossed over him and hands bandaged up. He must have been completely out of it for Tori to bandage his hands without waking him. A glance at the clock showed that he'd only been asleep for an hour. As much as he wanted to roll over and continue napping, he had to get back to the Wind Academy, which meant that he had to settle matters with Sensei Omino.
He put his bracers and his mask back on and found Tori, Shane, and Dustin in the other room. "We should go see Sensei Omino," he told them.
"Think he'll keep his end of the deal?" asked Shane, studying him.
Cam sighed. After everything he'd just been through? He sure hoped so.
"Bro…you okay?" asked Blake tentatively. Hunter hadn't spoken a single word to him since the fight ended. Instead he'd followed as Watanabe had walked off, and had returned looking angry. Now he just looked broody. Blake wanted to know what had been said between them—he had no doubt that Hunter had initiated some kind of confrontation. Whatever interim headmaster had said or done to Hunter, it'd had a profound effect on his brother.
"I'm…fine," muttered Hunter at last, breaking out of his trance. He continued bandaging Blake up like he'd never stopped in the first place.
Of course, Hunter wasn't fine, and Blake knew it, but he also knew when to push and when to let things slide.
"Sensei Omino wants to see us," he reminded his brother, as he pulled on his shirt and jacket.
"…Yeah," said Hunter, after a moment. "Let's go."
Both of them were still in a kind of stupor, still surprised that Blake had been held off by a non-ninja for an hour, and even pinned down at the end. Of course, they both knew that he would have won if the fight had continued, but…it took some serious power to fend off a Ranger, morphed or not, for a whole sixty minutes. Who was this guy?
Cam and the Winds reached the main building and headed for Sensei Omino's office. Cam knocked, and moments later Sensei Omino called, "You may enter."
The four of them walked in to see two ninjas standing in the office with Sensei Omino. It only took Cam seconds to figure out that they were the the Thunder Rangers, both without the face masks. It made sense, they seemed inseparable. His attention turned to his former opponent, a dark-haired, dark-eyed male who appeared discontented and restless. The Crimson Ranger, who had forced a second confrontation, was a blue-eyed, blond male whose face was set into a displeased scowl. Obviously they had just gotten some unwanted news.
He switched his focus to Sensei Omino and bowed.
"If you would remove your masks," Sensei Omino told them. "I will make proper introductions."
Cam obeyed, the others following his lead. Tori handed him his glasses and Cam shot her a slight smile in thanks as he put them back on.
"These are my pupils, the Thunder Rangers. Blake Bradley was your opponent this day, the Navy Ranger. Hunter Bradley is the Crimson Ranger," introduced Sensei Omino. "They are brothers."
They were brothers? Cam pondered that as he scrutinized the two of them. Well, that explained their closeness. Adopted, most likely. He made a mental note to look them up later.
"Hunter, Blake, this is the interim head teacher of the Wind Academy, Cameron Watanabe, and his companions, Shane Clarke, Tori Hanson, and Dustin Brooks," finished Sensei Omino.
They bowed to each other, although tension was obviously thick in the air. Sensei Omino appeared to ignore it as he continued with, "Cameron, you have proven yourself worthy in the eyes of the Thunder Academy, and thus we formally accept your offer of alliance."
"Thank you for your partnership. I hope that both Academies will be able to claim victory over the enemy," replied Cam, reciting the formal words automatically. He resisted the urge to sigh in relief. He hadn't messed it up.
"I have decided that Hunter and Blake will accompany you to Blue Bay Harbor," said Sensei Omino. "They will leave tomorrow and, after establishing residence in the town, will meet you at the Wind Academy on a regular basis of your choosing."
Oh. No wonder those two looked so unhappy. They probably didn't want to spend any more time in Cam's company than Cam wanted to spend in theirs.
"Once you have chosen the Wind rangers, they will work as one unified team," continued Sensei Omino, although his gaze lingered momentarily on Shane, Tori, and Dustin. "And thus is our alliance."
"Thank you," repeated Cam, a little surprised but taking what he could get. He couldn't negotiate these terms if he wanted to keep the alliance. And if keeping the Thunder Academy as an ally meant working with two surly, arrogant Power Rangers…well, he'd make do. "My associates and I will leave tonight to make preparations at the Wind Academy."
"Hunter and Blake know how to contact the Thunder Academy should you need to do so in the future," said Sensei Omino. "It has been an honor to meet you, Cameron. You will make your father very proud, this I can see. If you would excuse us, however, I would like to speak with Hunter and Blake privately."
"Of course," replied Cam, "Thank you for everything, Sensei Omino." He bowed again before he and the others left.
"They're bros?" wondered Dustin, as they headed back to their rooms.
"It explains why they're so tight," Shane speculated. "Doesn't explain why they're jerks, though."
Cam thought about divulging the information he'd gained during his fight with Hunter, about the Bradley's parents, but decided against it. It wasn't his place to say.
"Maybe they won't be so bad once we get to know them?" suggested Tori, inwardly flushing at the idea. The Navy Ranger had been kind of cute, actually…still rude, but cute. "After all, we're going to have to work together."
"For all of our sakes, I hope so," murmured Cam. "Tomorrow is already going to be insanely difficult."
"…You have to make the announcement tomorrow, don't you," realized Shane. "About us. About the Wind morphers." He wasn't stupid enough to think that everyone was going to welcome them with open arms.
Cam sighed, seeing the worried looks on their faces. "I won't lie to you, this won't be easy," he warned them. "The sensei aren't going to be happy, but they're my problem, not yours. The students, however…be on your guard. By making you Rangers, I've made you targets for more than just Lothor."
They all remembered the attempt to steal the Wind morphers.
"We'll be careful," promised Tori. "Come on. We should get back to the Academy before it gets too late."
They gathered their belongings and streaked back to the Academy. Tori, Dustin, and Shane left immediately to make it home before their parents worried, and Cam headed into Ops, into the small room he'd been sleeping in since the night Lothor had first attacked. Usually the small space discomfited him—he wasn't claustrophobic, but that room would make anyone feel suffocated—but tonight he was so weary that he had barely hit his pillow before he was sound asleep. He needed his rest, though. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and he had expected no less since the minute he'd handed out the Wind morphers. Dropping a rock in a pond created ripples, after all, aftershocks—consequences.
Well, forget dropping rocks. By comparison, Cam had just launched a boulder into a mud puddle.
"You want us to stay in Blue Bay Harbor," said Hunter flatly, unable to believe it. "You want us to leave our lives here and live in Blue Bay Harbor?"
"When I gave you the Power, I warned you that sacrifices must be made," Sensei Omino told him. "Your life will be here when you return."
"You want us to work with what—their Wind Rangers? They don't even have Wind Rangers," protested Blake.
"They will by tomorrow morning. Cameron was given an ultimatum by the Wind Academy," Sensei Omino replied. "You did not disable him within the time limit, Blake. He won fairly, and I must abide by our agreement. The Thunder Academy and the Wind Academy are now allied."
"But why do we have to go there?" asked Blake.
Sensei Omino leveled them with a stern gaze. "Lest you forget, you made the choice to intervene in their battle," he reminded them yet again. "Every action has a consequence. You must accept the results of your actions."
Before anymore could be said, there was a knock on the door. Sensei Omino admitted the Wind Academy delegates.
"If you would remove your masks," Sensei Omino told them, "I will make proper introductions."
Hunter didn't care about the other three. His eyes immediately locked onto the headmaster that had pissed him off. Cameron Watanabe. Why was he so…different? There weren't a lot of people around that stood up to him like that.
The water ninja, the girl, handed him a pair of glasses and his whole look changed from 'ninja' to 'scholar' in the blink of an eye. Somehow it seemed more…normal. Hunter could picture Watanabe as an academic much easier than he could picture him as a fighter.
Formal introductions were made, but Hunter barely paid attention. He was still wound up over being ordered to drop everything and move to Blue Bay Harbor, however temporarily. If he had known that this would be their punishment for going after Lothor…well, he still would have done it, but he would have waited for Sensei Omino's approval before leaving. Maybe.
While the three Wind ninjas seemed rightfully surprised at Sensei Omino's decision to ship him and Blake off, their interim headmaster hid it better and accepted the terms with an ease Hunter hadn't been expecting. Then again, he probably had to take what he could get. There would be no way to get out of this arrangement without one of the Academies being offended. Damn politics.
The four Winds left and Sensei Omino turned to him and Blake.
"You will do your best to cooperate and work as a team," he told them seriously. It wasn't a request. "This alliance may be a key to victory against Lothor. Keep an open mind, and an open heart. I know the two of you will represent the Thunder Academy at its best. Please be careful. You know how to contact "
"Yeah, we just can't live here," muttered Hunter.
Sensei Omino shot him a look and he relented. "Sorry, Sensei," he apologized, bowing. "We'll…try." It was all he could promise, and that promise was shaky at best.
Blake bowed as well and the two of them left.
"We'll be about as welcomed at the Wind Academy as they were here," muttered Hunter in warning, as they headed for their rooms.
Blake considered this, and after a moment he just shrugged. "You and me against the world, bro," he replied, "So what else is new?"
Okay, so I have written the last chapter and this one a total of three times. The first time I wrote "The Match," I decided to have Hunter fight Cam. Then I decided that it was too predictable and decided to have Blake fight Cam, so I rewrote the chapter. But then I realized that a Cam-Hunter fight was too good of a plotline to pass up no matter how predictable, so I added in the second confrontation, in yet another rewrite. Since I had already written a few more chapters after the first time I wrote the fight scene, I had to go back and change everything to fit, so forgive any discrepancies you see. They should be few in number and minor in conflict. Also, I HATE writing fight scenes. And I wrote three of them for the sake of a better story. So be kind, people.