Disclaimer: I do not own the franchise, but I do own this team.

*Italic indicates thought

' ' indicates Zach using sign language

Episode X: Worth Fighting For

Chapter One: Cowards Fights

A/N: hey people! Here's the next chapter! Please, please, please review!

"It is only the great hearted who can be true friends. The mean and cowardly can never know what true friendship means." -Charles Kingsley

Kyle sighed as he tore the 'Hi my name is Comic Nerd' sticker off his locker. The irony of the situation is, that I would have done this exact same thing a few months ago. Yeah, the irony of the situation wasn't lost on him. He knew who had done it too.

"Hey Comic Geek," Victor sneered.

Kyle rolled his eyes and turned around. "Speak of the devil."

"Did you like our little present?"

"Oh yeah. Real original. A plus." He grabbed his bag and tried to leave, but Victor pushed him back into the wall of lockers.

"Hey, I don't like the way you're talking to me."

"Well I don't like you putting stuff on my locker."

Victor glared and tried to punch him. Kyle anticipated the attack and ducked out of the way. Victor's fist hit the locker with a sickening smack.

"Ah!" He held his injured wrist with his good hand. "You little-" He jumped at Kyle who dodged to the side, letting Victor's foot fly past him. Victor glared daggers and tried to punch him again. Kyle blocked his fist and landed a few quick punches on his ribs. He pushed Victor away.

"You forgot to add something to that tag. I'm also a black belt." He grabbed his red school bag and headed to class. Victor growled.

"Gah!" he shouted, running at Kyle. The red ranger dropped his bag and kicked one of his legs out. Victor flipped over and landed on his back. Kyle crouched down and held a flat hand at his throat.

"Attacking an enemy when his back is turned." He shook his head condescendingly. "Coward's way of fighting. If you ever want to fight man-to-man, meet me face-to-face'" He turned from his former friend and went to class.

"That was pretty amazing," Pablo said out of his hiding place, falling in step next to Kyle.

"That was nothing. I was just trying to get out of there."

"You're pretty good at the whole 'Karate Kid' thing. You know?"

Kyle smiled. "Aren't you worried Victor will turn on you if he sees you with me?"

"No. I mean. I don't really...run with him anymore. If you know what I mean."

"I do. What happened?"

"He...he's changed. All he does is pick on people. About a month ago he started taking karate lessons and he's been using me as a practice dummy."

"What?! That's not right. Martial arts is to be used for defense."

"Yeah well should tell him that."

"Maybe someone should," Kyle muttered. He felt his ring get hot. Man! "Hey, I gotta go."

"Go where? It's the middle of the day."

"Uh...important...thing..."

"Right. A thing."

Kyle dropped his bag and ran down the hall. He pounded down the stairs and out a side door.

"Hey!" Miley shouted, running next to him.

"Zach coming?"

"He's already there."

"What?"

"The attack's at the museum he's at today."

"We'll we'd better get there before he gets killed."

"That would be preferred!"

-OLYMPIC FORCE-

Zach was pretty sure his field trip wasn't supposed to go like this. It had started out normal, like everyday. He had been observing a statue that had been made in honor of his dad, next thing he knew a giant bird was pinning him down. Well, it wasn't a bird exactly.

It had bird legs, but the torso up was a woman. She wore black feathers like a dress over her torso, and had dark hair and black eyes. She grinned. "Mmm. A delicious demigod, ready for tasting."

Think not! Zach brought his legs up to his chest and kicked the bird lady off. She squacked as she stumbled away from him. A quick glance around let Zach know his fellow classmates had run off.

"OLYMPIC FORCE, POWERS OF THE GODS UNLEASHED!"

"Powers of Poseideon, Lord of the sea!"

He attacked the bird lady with his spear, jabbing it in her direction. She jumped to the side, avoiding injury. Zach stabbed his spear towards her again. She grabbed jumped again and grabbed the shaft. Zach twisted his spear and pulled it. The monster let go and he fell onto his back. In another second she pounced on him, pinning him to the ground.

He cried out in pain as her claws dug into his arm. She produced a thin, black dagger out of a camouflaged sheath and held it above him. Zach grabbed the hilt of his sword and unsheathed it, elbowing the bird-lady in the face. She stumbled off him. Zach got to his feet swinging his sword.

-Olympic Force-

Kyle sent know what to expect, but he be he saw the half-human/half-bird monster he decided it wasn't that. "What is that?"

"A harpy. Half-bird/half-human creature."

"Are they dangerous?"

"Besides the fact they have a taste for human flesh and there's one chasing people?"

"Never mind."

"OLYMPIC FORCE, POWERS OF THE GODS UNLEASHED!"

"Powers of Zeus, Lord of the sky!"

"Powers of Aphrodite, goddess of love!"

The harpy turned her attention to them. "Mmm," she said in a silky voice. "Demigod meat."

Kyle ran at her with his spear. She blocked him with a dagger that had appeared in her hands. She knocked his spear away and lunged at him. Kyle raised his shield. Miley attacked form the side, swinging her spear. The harpy avoided her blow and stabbed her knife into Miley's shoulder.

The pink ranger yelled in pain. The harpy twisted the dagger. Kyle threw his spear at her. It scratched the side of her face, causing her to hiss at him. Kyle drew his sword and jumped at her. She pulled the dagger out of Miley and jumped back. The pink ranger de-morphed and fell. Kyle ran over to her.

"Are you ok?"

"Kyle..." Miley proped herself up. "Look out!"

Kyle saw the harpy coming towards them. He raised his shield instinctively and felt something hit it. He lowered it and saw a golden arrow stocking out. He looked over and saw Zach standing in a broken window. He nocked another arrow and aimed for the harpy. It scratched her arm and hit a tree.

"I'll be back," she hissed at them, before disappearing through a red crack.

Zach lowered his arms. Kyle was glad to see him. "Zach, look out!" he shouted uselessly. A harpy had snuck up behind him and stabbed him. The blue ranger de-morphed and fell to the ground three feet below , with a sickening crunch! Kyle ran at the monster as she jumped down next to the fallen ranger. Kyle swung his sword at her. She ran away and jumped into a red crack, sneering.

Kyle de-morphed and ran to Zach's aid. He paled at the sight of the dagger sticking out between his shoulder blades. Kyle wanted to pull it out, but knew he couldn't. Miley heaved herself to her feet and pulled her pink scarf from around her neck, pressing it against her shoulder to stop the bleeding. "Is he-"

"He's alive," Kyle said pulling an unconscious Zach to his feet. He held his friend up. "That's good enough for now."

Miley nodded. "I'd say so."

"We need to get to the dojo," Kyle said. "Before ether of you bleeds to death."

-Olympic Force-

When they got to the dojo Sensei Chiro in his office. Kyle continued on to the secret dojo while Miley went to get Sensei.

"Miley!" he exclaimed upon seeing her. "What-"

"Zach!" she interrupted. "Zach needs help."

He followed her the secret dojo. He found Kyle setting Zach down gently on his front, a knife sticking out of his back. Chiron grabbed medical supplies and a mystery water bottle from the cabinet. In one swift motion he pulled the knife from Zach's back. He then held gauze to the wound to stem the bleeding. "Go check on Miley," he said to Kyle, nodding at a faint looking Miley.

Kyle got up and guided her over to the statue of Apollo and sat her in front of it. "Here," he said sitting next to her. "Maybe sitting here will help."

She smiled. "Its just a statue, Kye."

He shrugged. "If you say so."

She looked over at where Sensei was helping Zach. "Is he going to be ok?"

"Who Zach? Yeah. I mean, he doesn't let deafness stop him. Something as small as a stab wound certainly won't."

"He is strong..." Miley whispered.

Kyle gave her a sly smile. "Is that a tone of longing I detect?"

"What?!" she asked blushing. "What're you talking about?"

"He feels the same way you know."

Miley rolled her eyes. "Like you would know."

"I do. I see it in his eyes."

Miley sighed. "Its not that simple Kyle. It never is."

Kyle decided to let the conversation drop. "If you say so."

Sensei finished bandaging Zach and moved in to Miley. He moved her hand and found the bleeding from her wound was already stopped. Kyle saw Zach stirring and went over to him. "You ok?" he asked helping the blue ranger sit up.

"Mmm..." Zach moaned. 'Head...hurts.'

"Can you focus enough to make it through the day?"

'I'm gonna have to,' Zach signed. He looked over at Miley. 'Is she ok?'

Kyle nodded. "Better than you, but she wasn't the one who fell out a window."

'Stupid deaf ears. I should've been able to tell she was behind me.'

"Nothing you could've done," Kyle said shaking his head.

Zach nodded. 'I know, but still.'

Sensei finished wrapping Miley's shoulder and she slipped her shirt and jacket on, thankful she had started wearing tabletopunder her clothes for times like this. She saw Kyle help Zach to his feet and put his shirt on. The red ranger handed him his sweater to clover the blood stain.

"We need to get back," Miley said.

Kyle nodded. "Will you two be ok?"

Zach nodded. 'I'll be fine. So long as no one slaps me on the back.'

"Me too," Miley said. "I'll just avoid moving my arm."

"After school you three should rest. That includes you Kyle."

Kyle nodded. "Yes Sensei. Ready?" He asked the other two.

They nodded and left the dojo; Zach Yves heading for the museum where his teachers were undoubtedly trying to round up all the students, while Kyle and Miley headed back to the school.