Disclaimer: I don't own the characters; they belong to Saban. Luna Oliveira is the original creation of SuperSentai199. This story is being written by their request!

Ten Years Ago…

"Say goodbye, I'll be okay. I will wait for you 'cause true love will never fade. When it's real, you can feel it. And I know that you know that I will keep on waitin' faithfully. Patiently, for you."

The singer paused, frowning. "Why can't I remember the rest of those lyrics?" she wondered aloud.

Schuyler Tate didn't look up from the holochess board. "I don't know, but I'm pretty sure I've got that part memorized by now." He bit his lip as he hovered a hand over the piece he wanted to move….then shook his head and his fingers drifted to another one.

"You sure you wanna do that?" Luna Oliveira questioned him, a smile playing on her lips. She eyed his pile of captured pieces on the floating screen on her side of the board. "Risky."

Sky wagged a finger at her without taking his eyes off the board. "You're being distracting, Lu."

Luna rolled her eyes, leaning back in her chair. She started twisting one of her sea green highlights in her hair. "That's because you've been staring at the board for the last five minutes." She leaned forward again, her blue eyes sparkling. "If it were me-"

"It's not," Sky cut her off, a hint of annoyance flashing in his green eyes. He ran a hand through his spiky blonde hair, a sure sign he was getting flustered.

Luna grinned. Right where I want him. "My dad says this is a mental game," she told him casually, crossing her arms over her holographic jacket. "Like, okay, for example," she spoke up, pointing a finger toward the board. "This piece, here?" she said, watching the piece levitate a few centimeters off the board. "Could go here," Luna continued, floating it a few spaces away. "Or," she added, "maybe here," she said thoughtfully, sliding it over the opposite direction. With a flick of her fingers, the piece dropped back into its' original position. "Either way," she said with a satisfied grin, "This match is mine, Sky."

Just to provoke him, she lifted another piece and floated it toward Sky's nose, only to be met by an invisible barrier inches from his face. She knocked the piece against it a couple times, giving him a joking pout.

Sky raised an eyebrow with a grin. "Two can play that game, Luna," he reminded her. He sighed. "Fine." He moved the piece she'd been playing with. "This one's yours."

"Thank you!" Luna said, satisfied. Her final piece floated up, knocked Sky's piece to the ground, and flew back into her hand with a thock. She held up two fingers. "Victory."

"Yeah, yeah." He was smiling when he said it, though. The two of them had been friends long enough that Luna knew that even though he sounded annoyed with her, he wasn't. At least, not as much as he was letting on.

He checked his watch, stretching. "I should be getting home," he told her. "Your dad'll be home soon."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "And?" she prompted. "Sky, you've known my dad since we were six. I'm pretty sure you stayed the night a few times when you were a kid and we've been to a million sleepovers with kids in our class. My dad's not gonna care if you're here past-" she glanced at the clock on the wall behind him, "-ten-fifteen at night."

Sky stood up, tugging down his blue button down over his waist. "Yeah, well, your dad told my mom today that he got an EXCEPTIONAL on his firearms qual this afternoon, so…"

"Yep, you're right," Luna said wryly. "He's gonna shoot you for playing chess with me. It's not like we're dating or anything."

Sky raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, and thank goodness for that."

Luna stood up. "What's that supposed to mean?" she demanded, eyes narrowing.

Sky held up a hand. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I meant it….Lu, you're like my sister. I-" He broke off when he realized that she was laughing at him. He shook his head. "Not funny."

Luna gave him a small shove. She held her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart. "A little funny," she pointed out. Then, she yawned. "Okay, so I guess it's a little late." The two of them walked toward the entryway, Luna taking a seat on the stairs as Sky pulled his red and black jacket off the hooks.

Sky tugged on his jacket and turned to her in the doorway. "You wanna come jogging with me tomorrow morning?"

Her tone was flat. "No."

Sky laughed. "Fine. Still coming with Syd and Bridge and I to the movie tomorrow?"

Luna shrugged. "I mean I dunno. My dad might think we're dating. Should I sit next to Syd?"

"You're not gonna let that go, are you?"

She shot him a grin. "Nope! 'Night, Sky!"

"See you tomorrow," Sky replied, closing the door behind him. Luna stared at the back of the door for a moment, listening for his footfalls to hit the driveway, and then she got up and headed upstairs. Her father might be upset if she left the holochess game out, but she was crashing hard. I'll get up early tomorrow and put it away, Luna decided. Upstairs, she went through her evening routine, brushing her hair and teeth, changing into pajamas.

Luna stared at herself in the mirror. My dad might think we're dating. Would that be so bad? Luna thought about Sky. He was cute, and funny. He had amazing eyes. Sky would drop everything, Luna knew, if a friend needed him. She'd done it for him when his father had died in the line of duty; Sky had returned the favor when Luna's mother had passed away from cancer just a few short months ago. He was an amazing friend.

She spit out the toothpaste and leaned against the sink. "But what if that's all he wants to be?" she whispered to her reflection. Lu, you're like my sister.

Luna crawled into bed thinking of that sentence as she drifted off to sleep.

Her head had just hit the pillow, or so it seemed, when there was a loud bang downstairs. It took Luna a moment to register the sound, another to wake fully. She could hear footfalls coming up the stairs, saw a shadow pass by her bedroom door. She swung her feet out of bed and padded over to the doorway, poking her head through the crack between it and the hall.

Dad. Hector Oliveira had just come out of the bedroom he now slept in alone down the hall, and she pressed herself against the wall of her room as he passed by. His dark eyes were laser focused; his brow furrowed. And Luna had seen his blaster pistol in his hip holster. When he was home, it was always locked away in the side table downstairs.

What's going on?

Luna came out of her room again and tiptoed down the stairs, thankful that the banister was a solid wall instead of slats. She could hear her father in the kitchen, on the phone.

"…don't know. There was a note waiting for me on the car when I got out. I came straight home….No, she's in bed."

He sounded scared. And that scared Luna.

"Yeah. Maybe get Drew or Carson to do a drive by through the neighborhood?...Yeah, thanks, Cruger, I appreciate it."

Cruger. Her dad was on the phone with his boss, his commanding officer, Anubis Cruger. Her dad had told her once the guys all called him 'Doggie' behind his back, because he was a Sirian. Her thoughts raced, listening to her dad's side of the phone call. A note…drive by…

"Luna?"

She'd been so deep in thought that she almost jumped off the stairs when her father said her name. Hector was standing at the bottom of the steps, looking up at her with concern. "Hi, Papa," she said in a small voice.

"What are you doing up?" Hector asked her softly. She could still hear the edge in his voice, even though he was trying to hide it.

"You woke me up."

He ran a hand through his dark hair. "I'm sorry, baby," he apologized. "I didn't mean to." He offered her a hand, pulling her to her feet. "Come on, let's get you back to bed. You've got school in the morning."

"Dad….is everything okay? I-I heard you on the phone-"

"It's fine," Hector said. Luna didn't believe him for a second. "Just a little trouble at the office."

Luna bit her lip. "Right."

Just then, the door downstairs burst open, falling forward on its' hinges and onto the stairs. Luna screamed as an alien stepped on the door, cracking the wood underneath his black boots. It had to turn sideways to get its' large red and silver batlike wings through the door. It caught sight of Hector and Luna on the stairs.

"Officer Oliveira," it rumbled, three eyes focused squarely on Hector. "My boss has a message for you."

"Luna go!" Hector shoved Luna ahead of him on the stairs, pulling his blaster and firing a barrage of shots at the intruder, sending the alien staggering back out onto the porch. He followed his daughter up the stairs, chasing her into her bedroom and slamming the door behind him. Hector stood in the door, breathing heavily.

Luna was crouched on the opposite side of the bed. "Daddy, what was that?" she burst out, breathing hard. "That's more than a problem at work!"

"He works for a guy Space Patrol Delta has been after for years," Hector explained quietly, a little too calmly for Luna's liking. "Apparently we're getting too close to finding him, he had to send his minion to send a message. Luna, baby, you gotta go. Out your window, you can get down the tree in the back. SPD's sending a squad car. Find them and stay with them. You'll be safe."

"No way, I'm not leaving you!"

Hector grabbed her by the shoulders. "Yes, you are." He drew her into a hug. "It'll be okay. I'm right behind you."

In her father's arms, Luna was first to see the door burst open, and the alien bat was there, his eyes glowing in the darkness of the room. "You're not going anywhere," it informed them. "The Emperor sends his regards." It drew a blaster from somewhere on its' body and aimed at Hector Oliveira's back.

"No!" Luna pulled hard with everything she had, twisting her father so that she was between the bat and him. Something seared across her shoulder and she screamed in pain.

"Luna!" Hector cried out as his daughter sagged in his arms. She was still breathing, but he could see an angry laser burn across her right shoulder, her pajama top smoking from the graze. Hector helped her to the floor, glaring murderously at the bat, who took a step forward, advancing on the Oliveiras.

Hector reached for his blaster.

Luna saw a burst of light before finally falling unconscious.

Someone was talking. Luna couldn't make out all the words, it sounded like everybody was underwater. Her whole body hurt. She was lying against something cool to the touch, but she didn't want to open her eyes.

"If we hadn't gotten there when we did…"

"She saw him. He knows it. He won't let up until he's eliminated the witness."

"You're her legal guardian, per Hector and Alanna's request, Commander. What are you going to do?"

A voice she recognized. "I know a place we can keep her safe." The voice was low, with just a hint of a growl. Carefully, Luna opened one eye to see the imposing figure of Anubis Cruger standing above her. "Doggie?" she whispered, wincing. The sound of her own voice was loud.

The tall Sirian looked down at her, and she saw the confusion and the distaste in his long face over the use of the nickname. "Luna."

"Where's my dad?" Luna asked him. The other two people in the room came into focus. One was Jess Carson, her friend Bridge's father, and the other was a woman, Amanda Drew, the mother of the group's other friend, Sydney. Both of the humans were looking at her sadly. She looked at Cruger. "D-Commander Cruger," she said, using his title this time. "My dad. He-we were attacked at home by this bat thing, and he…is he okay?"

He didn't answer, but he didn't have to. Luna could see it on his face. Tears welled in her eyes and she turned her face into the pillow, sending fresh pain rolling through her back and shoulder.

"I wanna see her!"

Sky's friend Sydney Drew, a petite blonde with bright green eyes, stepped in front of him. "The doctor said nobody but Commander Cruger and the other two officers could be in there with her."

"But I'm her-"

"We all are," Bridge Carson reminded him. "My dad said maybe after they're done talking to her, then we could go in."

In his heart, Sky knew they were right. But he wasn't really thinking with that right now. He took a step forward.

Sydney reached down with her left hand and grabbed ahold of the black, metal chair arm in the waiting room, then thrust her hand out, catching Sky in the chest. It was like running into a wall. Sky bounced back, looking down at Syd's hand, now a dull, metallic black. "Sky, ease up," Bridge told him quietly. He had one of his hands in the air, aimed down the hall at Luna's room. "She's hurt, but she's okay," he said, his hand making a slow pass in front of him. "But if you don't calm down, they'll kick us out, and then we won't get to see her."

"Sit," Syd commanded.

Sky glared at her, but finally sank into one of the chairs. The moment was short-lived, however, as Cruger, Carson, and Drew came into the waiting room. "I wanna see her," Sky burst out.

"She's sleeping," Cruger told him.

"You told her about her dad," Bridge guessed, sensing the mood in the room. His father placed a heavy hand on his son's shoulder, and Bridge leaned into his father.

"Did she say who did this?" Sky demanded.

The three SPD officers exchanged glances. "She did. But we can't comment on an active investigation, Sky," Drew said. "That wouldn't be safe for you, or for Luna."

"What if he comes back for her?" Sky asked, clenching a fist. 'Cause I know what I'd do…

The three teenagers caught the look that passed between the adults in the room. "You think that could happen, don't you." It wasn't a question. Sky could see it on their faces.

"It's definitely a possibility," Cruger replied. "Which is why Luna will go into protective custody until we can catch him."

Sky blinked. "Protecti-what?" She's leaving? "She's leaving?" he asked aloud.

Amanda Drew nodded. "It's safest for her if she's somewhere he can't find her, until we can find him first." Her tone made it evident that it was going to be a top priority.

"Where?"

"We can't tell you that, Sky," Jess Carson said patiently. "It's protective custody for a reason."

"But I-" Sky could feel it in the room. He wasn't going to win this one. He looked at Bridge, and Syd, who looked as upset as he was. "She can come back someday, right?"

"Absolutely," Cruger responded. "After the criminal that did this is in containment."

"Except you don't know when that would be."

Cruger shook his head. "When it's safe."

Fine, Sky thought. But when will that be? When am I ever gonna see her again?