Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers.

Chapter 25 – Changing Spirits

No one knew what to make of Kira and Connor's latest predicament, least of all Tommy and Kim. The two parents sat down and in their shock began petting Kira when she came to lay next to them, laying her head in her mom's lap. Kim did a double take when she realized it was her daughter and not Jefferson whom she was petting and buried her face in her hands.

"We have got to figure out how to turn them back." Kim muttered.

"We've never heard of anything like this in Pai Zhuq." Master Phant explained. "We thought this could have to do with the Ninjetti and were hoping you'd know someone to call."

"The only one we know is Dulcea." Said Tommy. "We could contact her-"

"Dulcea!" Kim cried.

"What about her?" Tommy asked.

"She can turn into her Animal Spirit!" Kim said again, feeling quite happy. "Remember? She changed into an owl right before us. That's normal for her, so maybe this is just their powers developing more and they just have to learn how to control it."

"And once they do they can turn into their animal form at will like Dulcea." Tommy concluded, also feeling hopeful at this possibility.

"That could be it." A voice said from the doorway. Everyone turned to towards the voice and the person's identity had Theo jumping up.

"Lily!" He cried, rushing to his best friend's side. "God I've missed you! It's been months! How are you? Are you alright? Is he treating you alright?"

"Easy Theo." Lily said with a laugh. "I'm fine, Dai Shi's still in Jarrod's body so yes he's treating me fine. And I've missed you too. We haven't gone this long without seeing each other since we met as kids." She mumbled the last bit and gave him another hug.

"So you think you know what's going on with them?" Theo asked when they pulled apart.

"You mind introducing us first?" Tommy called from the couch.

"Oh yeah, this is Lily, my best friend and another Pai Shuq student. Her mate is kind of being possessed by Dai Shi, so she hasn't been around for awhile. Lil this is Tommy and Kimberly, Kira's parents." Theo introduced. "Oh, and the kid riding Connor's back," He pointed to where Connor the lion was indeed giving Eric a ride. "Is Eric, her little brother."

"Hi." Lily greeted.

"Alright now that introductions are over, what do you know about all this?" Kim asked.

"It's just a guess right now, I'd need them to confirm something first to see if I'm right."

"Ok, what things?" Tommy asked as Kira raised her head and Connor stopped walking and laid down, allowing Eric to climb off him.

"Kira, Connor…this is because of your bond isn't it? You might not know why, or how exactly, but you know it's because of your bond don't you?" The two nodded and the entire room sighed, though for different reasons. "Then yes, I think I know what's wrong with them." Lily addressed Tommy and Kim earning another sigh from the two parents as they realized this wasn't just new powers manifesting themselves. Given what it was, they almost wished for the trip to Phaedos.

"I don't think Eric should hear this." Said Tommy. "I'll take him home." Kim nodded, agreeing that the impressionable almost four year old shouldn't hear this and also knowing that Tommy being out of the room by no means meant he wouldn't be a part of this conversation. Once Tommy had teleported out, Kim turned her attention back to Lily who began to explain.

"Theo do you remember those first few days at Pai Zhuq? After Jarrod and I bonded?" She began with a question.

"Yeah, you went a bit crazy. And you and Jarrod were kind of at odds." He said knowing that if she asked specifically about after she bonded with Jarrod then she wanted an answer related to that. "I just chalked it up to you two not knowing each other."

"That's essentially true, but a little more then that. You see, I was only seventeen when we bonded, Jarrod was twenty-two." She explained for the others' benefit. "I didn't want to accept the bond. I wasn't ready, but my Animal Spirit was so we were at odds with each other. She began to take over, like Jarrod's Lion began to take over him, though a lot faster then I've noticed happened to you and Connor. The reason for this," Here she paused, just imagining the reaction of those present to what she had to say. "The reason it happened faster is because at seventeen I was physically mature." Kira dropped her head down and covered her eyes with her paws, clearly embarrassed by where this was going. "I know this isn't what you want to hear, but you need to."

"So the bond was pushing you to have sex?" Kim asked, deciding that being completely candid right now was the best plan of attack.

"It was pushing us to complete the bond, which in the case of true mates is when they become one in mind, heart, soul and body. The first three happen instantly when true mates bond, and if both mates are old enough, the last one is supposed to happen immediately as well. I was fighting it. I didn't want to be with Jarrod like that, not after I'd just met him. Jarrod didn't either, but he'd been at Pai Zhuq long enough to know that it's futile to fight a true mate bond, so he didn't fight it. Because I was fighting it, my Animal Spirit began to take over, I became more and more like a cheetah until the bond was complete."

"So that's what's happening to them? They're stuck like this until they have sex?!" Kim cried. "No. No, Kira's not physically mature, she's still a child!" This earned a growl from her daughter who hated being called a kid. She didn't like it when she was ten, and she definitely didn't like it at fourteen.

"Not exactly." Lily amended. "It's…similar…but because she's still young and they've been mates for years it's more like a warning."

"A warning?" Kim asked, her question coming directly from Tommy who was pacing the house having sat Eric in front of The Magic School Bus to be able to concentrate on the conversation.

"Kira's growing up, and fast." Lily said. "I've been watching the battles and the difference in Kira from when I met her last summer to now is pretty big, she's nearing her physical maturity."

"Awesome." Kim muttered sarcastically, this comment being from both her and Tommy.

"Not long after Jarrod and I bonded, one of the female Masters talked to me in-depth about mates, and she told me about a bonded couple who were at Pai Zhuq not long ago who's situation was very similar to Kira and Connor's, with one of the mates, the female as well, being a kid when they bonded." Kira and Connor let out their felines' equivalent of a meow and Kim translated, knowing what they were thinking, for it was exactly what she was thinking.

"What happened to them?"

"The exact same thing that's happening to Kira and Connor." Lily responded, pausing for a moment to allow that to sink in. "As the younger mate reached her physical maturity, their Animal Spirits began to take over. No one knows exactly why, though it's assumed it's to ensure the completion of the bond when she finally does reach her maturity. Just like my Spirit took over when I fought the bond, their Spirits took over to ensure they couldn't fight the bond when the time came. It just happened over a period of time because with a young mate everything with the bond happens slowly. At least that's what I was told. Is that right?" She addressed Kira and Connor who nodded. The bond certainly took things slowly, ensuring they had time to get used to everything, even if they weren't exactly sure what everything was. "As far as I've been told, your Animal Spirits will stay in control until either you accept that the bond will be completed when the time comes, or until it is completed."

"Which brings me back to them being stuck like this until they have sex." Kim said darkly, though Connor was glad to see that her anger wasn't directed at him, but at the situation her daughter found herself in.

"I know the mates you speak of." Master Finn spoke up. "They were in RJ's year at Pai Zhuq. But I never heard of them taking on an animal form."

"Yeah, that's the thing I can't explain." Lily admitted. "My only guess is that it has something to do with them being Ninjetti, for, and correct me if I'm wrong Masters, but Pai Zhuq don't have the ability to take on animal forms." None of the Masters corrected her and Kim nodded.

"Ninjetti do have that ability." She said. "So I guess the Ninjetti in them makes them become animals when their Spirits completely take over."

"And that brings us back to how we reverse this." Casey said.

"If you'd been listening you'd know they're stuck like that until they complete the bond." Said Dom. "Though how a cheetah and lion are gonna have sex I don't know-ow!" He cried, having had two heavy paws swipe at him, though thankfully without claws.

"And if you'd been listening you'd know Lily also said they could also change back once they accept that it's going to happen when the time's right." Theo added with a snicker.

"Right…" Dom mumbled, swearing he'd have paw shaped bruises in a few minutes.

"Ok, so there's nothing that can be done at the moment, right?" Kim asked looking worn and drawn out. "They have to accept it so they have to work it out between themselves, there's nothing we can do right?"

"Pretty much." Lily said.

"Ok, then I'm going home." Kim bent down to her daughter's level and ran a hand over her head in a comforting gesture she often did, though she cringed when Kira began purring. "Let's hope you're not like this long enough for me to have to get used to that." She muttered. "Your dad's going crazy. He's about a second away from calling your uncles and having them help lock you in a tower with no door." Connor didn't even growl at the thought of his mate being taken from him for he knew that while Tommy would certainly be upset, he also knew Kim was exaggerating. "I'm going to calm him down. You get them to call if you need anything ok?" In answer Kira licked her mother's check, finding that the feline's sign of affection felt completely natural while in this form. "Ok, gross. Don't do that again." Kim said, though it had the effect of alleviating a bit of her tension. With a final hug, and an affectionate pat to the head for Connor, Kim stood and teleported out.

"Kira can I have a word in private?" Lily asked once the younger girl's mother was gone, having waited knowing Kim would never have allowed a private word at a time like this. "Preferably before Dai Shi realizes I'm gone and comes for me." Kira nodded and stood, leading Lily down the hall into her room where the elder Cheetah closed the door, sitting on the bed beside Kira.

"As you've probably guessed there's more that I didn't tell the others. I didn't feel that they needed to know, but you can tell who you want, and I know Connor will hear what we say." She stared. Kira merely cocked her head. "You haven't started your period have you?" Her next words surprised Kira who's head shot up and morphed into as confused an expression as a cheetah could get. "Yes it's important. You see, when we reach a deeper level with our Animals Spirits, they change our biology a bit. We gain qualities our Spirits possess, for us cheetahs that could mean obvious signs from cat eyes, sharper teeth, and running far faster then humans should be able to. But it also changes us inside." Again Kira looked confused as to where she was going with this. "Look I'm just gonna say it. Cheetah's don't have periods like humans do. When they're fertile they go into heat, which basically sends out signals to the males and there's lots of sex until either the heat cycle is over, or the female conceives. They're fertile several times a year, but not every month like us humans. Except, as we are human but with a slightly changed biology, we get the best, or worst, depending which was you look at it, of both worlds."

"Lily, Dai Shi knows you're gone!" Theo called from the main room before she could continued.

"Shit." Lily muttered. "Alright I'm coming. Head him off I'll be there soon!" She yelled before turning back to Kira, speaking quickly. "Long story short, you're not going to have periods, you're going to go into heat, that's the biological change the Cheetah makes, but because you're still human it's gonna happen every month. And yes, when it happens you and your mate will be having sex a fair bit every month. As time goes on the frequency with which…the urge comes upon you will be less, but for the first while, count on it being a fair bit of sex. And last thing…don't fight him." Lily looked into Kira's eyes, imploring her to listen to her now if she took nothing else away from this talk. "That's something I've never told anyone else. Jarrod and I completed our bond, not because I gave in, but because he took me. The Lion snapped, said that no one was going to stand between him and his mate when she was in heat; not even his mate. You may accept in theory that the bond will be completed when it's time, but when that time finally comes, you may not really be ready, you may say no. And Connor's Lion may not take you fighting him too well. And not just the first time, but every time you go into heat." Kira's expression was blank and she sat unmoving as Lily leaned over and gave her a hug. "I know it's a lot to take in, believe me I know. And unfortunately I have to go before Dai Shi destroys the city in an attempt to get me back. We'll talk again though. Hopefully this will all be over soon and then we'll have time for a proper chat." Lily then ran out of the room as well as the loft, bypassing the lion sitting by RJ's chair with barely a wave. When she was gone Kira and Connor did not move from their positions for awhile, both thinking on what they'd been told. Finally though, Kira made her way out of her room and into the main part of the loft, joining Connor though sitting apart in awkwardness they hadn't felt between them in long time.

"So…" Connor was the first to break the silence, though didn't know where to go from there.

"Yeah…" Kira added, just as articulately.

"Fuck this is so messed up!" Connor jumped up and began pacing, letting loose various growls as he spoke through their bond. "Like seriously! Our Animal Spirits are taking over and we're stuck like this until we accept that in what is obviously the near future we're gonna have sex! We have no say it, no choice, and then we learn that it's not just gonna be a one time thing but every month? Then to top it all off if you put up even the slightest resistance, Simba will take over and I'll rape you! How messed up is that?! We're supposedly true mates, and because we're us we're also bonded by The Great Power, in all its infinite wisdom. Well The Great Power can go fuck itself cause this is too much!"

"I know. I don't like it anymore then you do." Kira said, though she refrained from pacing. "But what can we do about it? Like you said we don't have a choice in the matter. Nala and Simba will make us if we don't do it on our own."

"I notice those two are mysteriously silent." Connor growled referring to their Animal Spirits who hadn't said a word through all of this and were refusing to speak with them now. "Cowards." He goaded, and he felt Simba become alert at his words. "They're hiding from us cause they don't want to argue, or own up to anything. Cowards." He said again, knowing that if that one word was enough to gain Simba's attention, the rest would be enough to incite his anger, and he was right.

"We are not cowards." Simba growled. "We simply have nothing to say."

"Why?" Kira asked. "How could you have nothing to say about all this?"

"Your Cheetah friend explained it all." Nala answered.

"So you're really going to force us to have sex. You'd really make me rape her just because she didn't want to have sex?!" Connor addressed Simba on that last bit.

"I will not be denied my mate once she is grown and especially when she is in heat." He answered simply.

"I can't believe you. Everyone should have the right to say no and not have it forced on them." Connor growled.

"You do not have the option of saying no either, Connor." Nala said.

"Yeah, but if I say no he'll just take control and make me do it anyways. If Kira says no he'll still take over and still make me do it, even if it's completely against her will."

"Do not discount my will." Nala chided. "I can take control of her just as Simba can of you."

"Yeah and that makes it so much better." Connor's sarcasm was lost on no one.

"But we can fight them off." Kira said, re-joining the conversation. "It's possible to fight them off. Dad did it with mom."

"Your dad was fighting the Evil Green Ranger, not his Falcon Spirit, and if you remember, he may have fought him off but he was still too late. The damage had been done." Kira conceded his point that her dad may not have been the best example, but she did not back down on her point that they could fight them off.

"It's not just their wills that matter, ours do to, and if we're really and truly against something, they shouldn't be able to force us."

" 'Shouldn't' being the key word there, not 'wouldn't'." Connor growled. "But you're right. We can fight them."

"If it is a fight you want, then it is a fight you shall get." Simba growled right back. "But do not hold out much hope that you shall win, for you shall find that it is not just us that shall compel you to do as we want." He said no more and he and Nala retreated back inside, ending any communication and not allowing another to begin. When they were gone both Kira and Connor collapsed beside each other, emotionally drained by everything that had happened today. The two fell asleep curled up next to each other right in the middle of the loft, which is how the Rangers, and the Masters, found them upon their return.

-C/K-

Kira and Connor slept until the following morning, obviously having needed the sleep. When they did wake it was to discover the loft full of people, the Masters not having gone home, and breakfast being prepared.

"Oh good, you're up." RJ said. "Here, breakfast." He placed two bowls of half cooked meat in front of them earning un-amused looks. "Don't look at me like that." RJ scolded. "Until you work through your issues you don't have opposable thumbs. You're also a cheetah and a lion, not humans at the moment and there's some very different diets there." Again RJ was met with un-amused looks, but in the end neither of them could argue with him, for once they'd smelled the food they couldn't deny it smelled good. With a shrug and deciding just to go with it Kira and Connor dug in, steadfastly ignoring their teammates' stifled snickers. Afterwards, the pressing topic of being down a Ranger was brought up, but the Masters had the solution.

"We shall join you in battle." Said Master Swoop. The Rangers shared a look, wondering if they'd heard correctly. They didn't doubt their Masters' skills, but they didn't have the protection being a Ranger brought, a protection that was often necessary for survival, and so they told them as much.

"But you shall help us become Rangers." Said Master Finn.

"Dad…" RJ started interrupting him then and there. "Over time I might be able to have Morphers made but-"

"We don't need Morphers." Finn waved his son off.

"Then how are you going to become Rangers?" Dom asked.

"You three are going to help us." Master Phant directed to Theo, Casey and Kira, the latter of whom cocked her head as if to asked how she could help anyone while in this form.

"You can call on our Animal Spirits, if you infuse them with your Ranger energy they can become Rangers."

"And as they are our Spirits, we shall be able to control them." Kira let out a meow drawing her Master's attention, and made a show of looking down at herself, hoping he'd understand, thankfully he did.

"Yes, you'll still be able to call on your Animal Spirit, and mine." Said Master Phant. "The Spirits are inside you, your physical appearance does not matter." Kira nodded and calmed down some, glad that they had a plan, and hoping that it would work. They had a chance to test their plan later that day. When the alarms blared, the Rangers ran out of the loft closely followed by the Masters who wanted to be close by in case their plan failed. Thankfully, the TVs automatically turned on when the alarms went off allowing for Connor and Kira to watch the battle. The Rangers fought un-morphed for awhile until the Rin Shi were dealt with and the monster, with the Spirit of the Boar, got fed up.

"Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!" The Rangers morphed and Kira waited for Casey and Theo to call on their Masters Spirits. She didn't have to wait long.

"Calling on the Spirit of the Shark!" Casey cried, and seconds later the Shark materialized before transforming into a Ranger.

"Calling on the Spirit of the Bat!" Theo called out, seeing the Bat appear before it too transformed into a Ranger. It being her turn, Kira closed her eyes and tapped in to link she and Master Phant shared as Master & student and called on the Spirit of the Elephant, willing it to join the others. It took slightly longer as Kira still had the nagging feeling that she wouldn't be able to accomplish anything while in this form, but eventually the Elephant appeared, its Ranger form joining the others. The three new Rangers had a look much like their Jungle Master Mode, the majority of their suits being white with accents in their Ranger colour, in this case being Blue, though lighter then Theo's, Black and Green.

"With the Spirit of the Shark! Jungle Fury Shark Ranger!"

"With the Spirit of the Bat! Jungle Fury Bat Ranger!"

"With the Spirit of the Elephant! Jungle Fury Elephant Ranger!" The three called out in their Masters' voices.

"No!" Camille yelled. "Why are there always more Rangers?!" Kira and Connor sniggered, inwardly for apparently cheetahs and lions couldn't snigger, and watched as the seven Rangers trounced the Boar. When the monster grew big and the Zords were called on, Kira and Connor turned their attention away from the battle, knowing the Boar didn't stand a chance.

"Alright." Kira addressed Connor. "We've got to work this out between us. I'm not sitting out of another battle because we're being stubborn."

"Stubborn?!" Connor cried. "You do realize this isn't just us refusing to say sorry or something? We only get out of this if we basically swear to have sex."

"And what are we so afraid of?" Kira asked. Connor sent her an incredulous look Kira sighed before elaborating. "Look, I'm not trying to say this isn't a big deal and who cares? But we always knew it was going to happen at some point. And I know that like me. you've figured that it would be sooner rather then later."

"But not when we didn't have a choice! Not when you're

fourteen! God, Kira I'm turning twenty-two next week, do you know how big a difference that is in our ages? Maybe in like twenty years when we're middle-aged a seven and a half year difference won't seem so big, but right now it's huge! Don't kill me, but when I look at you I see a kid. Yes, a kid who's my mate, but still a kid. And you'll forgive me if I don't want to have sex with a kid!"

"I'm not a kid." She growled, but otherwise let it go. "Yes I'm fourteen, and yes that's still pretty young, but it's not so young I'm still a child. In case you've forgotten mom got pregnant with me when she was fourteen, a few months from her fifteenth birthday, just like I am."

"That doesn't exactly make me feel any differently."

"But you do feel differently." She said. "At least you're starting too. You've noticed that I'm growing up, that I'm less and less like a kid everyday. Or maybe you haven't noticed and it's Simba that's noticed and is forcing that realization on you. Either way, you've still noticed."

"It's still wrong…" He grumbled.

"Maybe. And maybe it's just all in your mind. A few hundred years ago fourteen was perfectly acceptable to be married and having kids." Connor shot her a look with narrowed eyes.

"What? It was!" She defended. "All I'm saying is fourteen isn't as young as you seem to think it is, especially since this is me we're talking about. And since it's been made pretty clear that Simba and Nala aren't gonna give us a choice,"

"We should just accept it and I let go and start seeing you for the women you're becoming instead of the child I remember you to be?" He asked rhetorically.

"Yeah. Pretty much." Connor groaned and ran his paw over his mane, reminiscent of how he would run his hand through this hair when anxious or upset.

"At least try." Kira pleaded. "I don't want to be a cheetah any longer."

"How can you just accept this? How can you not be terrified, or…or think this is wrong?"

"Ok I'm gonna pretend you didn't just ask some stupid questions. I can accept this because I've had a whole lifetime of just accepting things. I'm not terrified because I'm me, Connor. I grew up having some of the most evil villains ever to live wanting to kill me. The thought of sex after that, at worst, makes me uncomfortable. And there's a lot in this universe that I think is wrong, but having sex with my mate isn't one of them, not now that I'm more or less grown up. If this had happened when we'd first met it'd be different, but I'm not ten anymore, Connor, and no matter what my numerical age is, however close to ten it may be, biologically I'm apparently almost fully grown." Connor said nothing but Kira could tell that when she put it like that, even he had to see her reasoning.

"You may have a point." He admitted after a moment.

"So can we agree that this isn't the end of the world and move on?" Connor hated it when Kira was right, especially at times like this when he still felt very strongly about something, but knew deep down that she was right.

"Fine." He Grumbled. "We can move on." With a laugh Kira launched herself at Connor, tumbling them backwards with her pining him to the ground. They both felt it when the power shimmered over them, and it wasn't long before they were staring into their human faces once more. While as animals this position had been nothing but playful, after the recent discussion they both became hyper aware that Kira was lying on top of Connor and they stared unmoving for a moment, their expressions having gone from playful to serious and uncertain. On a whim, Kira leaned down and gently pressed her lips to his finding it not at all unpleasant, especially as a shock they now recognized came from their Animal Spirits ran through them. Kira pulled away after a moment and looked down at him, uncertain what his reaction would be, especially after their talk from about thirty seconds ago. Connor himself didn't exactly know what to think. He'd never thought of what it would be like to kiss Kira, the thought had never even entered his mind, but now that it had happened…he found he liked it. It was like a door had been opened that finally allowed him to see her as something besides a kid. His feelings weren't suddenly changed or anything, but whatever barrier stopped him from seeing her in any other way was gone. Connor was brought out of his thoughts as he felt Kira pull away. Through their bond he could tell that she had taken his silence as rejection when it had been far from that. So in response he reached up and pulled her down to him, capturing her lips in another kiss. Kira briefly became aware of what Connor's thoughts had been but she found she didn't really care anymore and let herself get lost in the kiss. It didn't last very long, nor was it anything that would lead to something more, but it was quite perfect as far as they were concerned.

"Well…" Kira murmured after a moment.

"Yeah…" After laying there for a moment longer, Kira got off Connor and the two stood, and not a moment too soon for the Rangers chose that moment to arrive back at the loft.

"Hey!" Theo cried upon seeing them. "You're human again!"

"Awesome!" The others agreed with him.

"Yeah…" Kira and Connor muttered, still not taking their eyes off each other. "Awesome…"

A/N - I feel many of you will be disappointed that there won't be another trip to Phaedos. That's naturally where it was headed, until Lily showed up, but the whole purpose of this was the development of their bond as mates, not necessarily anything to do with the Ninjetti, though as stated them turning into their animals is a by product of them being Ninjetti.

I hope this chapter made sense. It really gives you an idea of where their relationship is headed in terms of their bond as mates and what it brings. It also gives you warning as to at least one chapter to come. Yes, there will be a chapter when Kira reaches physical maturity.

Also they've finally kissed! I must say I'm quite happy about that. Granted although I say 'finally' it really couldn't, and wouldn't, have happened before now. She's young, yes, but as she said she's not a kid anymore. As I'm writing I have to keep reminding myself that she's the same age Kim was at the start of The Winged Lord and Lady. It seems different cause starting that fic they were in high school and I could picture the show and how the actors most certainly weren't the ages they were playing, while with Kira we've seen her since she was a baby, and even I'm finding it hard at time to remember that she isn't that baby, or the ten-year-old, she was before. But, we'll all get over it!

Review please!