Chapter 3

Tommy Oliver smiled as he left the bathroom. It had been a good day teaching the extra-curricular class for AGH at Ernie's, and tomorrow was the one-year anniversary dance celebrating Ernie's return.

He still couldn't believe it had been a year since Ernie camehome and bought the Juice Bar back. Then again he couldn't believe a lot of things. The first being that he was 25. Sometimes it seemed like only yesterday that he was fighting Rita and her monsters. But then he would look around and see all the changes in their life, and he knew that it really had been nine years since he moved to Angel Grove.

Almost every member of the team that he worked with directly was living in Angel Grove, except for Justin and Kim. Justin was 16 now, and attended Texas A & M. He had left Angel Grove not long after their replacements went to space. As for Kim, according to Coach Schmidt she was still in Florida, although no one had heard from her since Murathist Island, not even her mother had seen her since the Christmas that she had come to visit from France.

He co-owned the Kemosabi Dojo with Rocky, Zach, Rocky, and Adam, and loved his work. He had done the racing circuit for a few years, saving the money to open the dojo, and put some away for the future. He and Jason also taught an extra-curricular class for Angel Grove High at the Juice Bar. Outside of work, he and Kat had been dating since their senior year, and he was planning on proposing during Christmas.

Jason was still dating Emily, and shared an apartment with Billy. He looked much as he had in high school, just more mature. He, like Tommy, loved his work, and could usually be found at the dojo.

Zach had returned from the peace conference two years after they graduated. He had started daring Angela the year after, and had worked at the dojo for a little more than a year until Kat returned from England, then they had opened the Crane Dance Studio together, where he taught modern dance full time. Physically he hadn't changed much since high school either. He was still tall and lean, which made him such a great dancer. He had grown a few inches taller, but not much. Other than that, he was about the same, still the fun-loving guy from the old days, but he was also serious when need be.

Billy had returned from Aquitar when he was 23. Living on the other planet had been good for him, he was no longer the skinny boy he had been in high school, he had filled out and grown up. He and Cestria had broken up, in the end they weren't able to work around the fact that they were from different planets. He had learned a lot while there and when he returned he was accepted to the University of California, and graduated within a year with two degrees. He was working for the government, but other than that he wasn't allowed to talk about his job. He and Trini had started daring while they were both attending U of C. They were deliriously happy, and were one of those couples that you just wanted to point at and say 'ahh'.

Trini had returned with Zach, and got her degree at U of C in teaching. She taught English at AGH, taking over for Mrs. Applebee. She also taught a weekend class at the dojo for advanced students. She had changed a bit at the conference, mostly in her style and mannerisms. She had cut her hair so it ended just past her shoulder blades, and tended to wear it up in a french twist.

Rocky was one of the owners who was actually involved in the day to day teaching at the dojo. He, like Jase and Tommy, loved his work. He hadn't changed much since high school, still could eat someone out of house and home, and still loved to make them laugh. He and Zach were a sight to see. He was engaged to Aisha for the past six months, and they were having the wedding the week before Christmas. Aisha was working at the Stone Canyon Zoo, doing research with the large cats. Physically she had changed, yet hadn't. She was a little taller, but for the most part she had changed in the same way Trini had, in her mannerisms and ideals.

Adam was working as a stuntman out of LA, whenever they needed him on set he would commute there. He and Tanya had been the first to marry in the group, and had been married for two years. They were expecting their first child in four months. Tanya was working at the local radio station as a DJ, even though technically they didn't need to work. They had invested well in the stock market, and were millionaires, but they never told anyone they had money, a good part of it was given to foundations.

Kat had come back a year and a half ago, not long after she and Tommy had moved in together. She and Zach had founded the Crane Studio within six months, and was happily enjoying work. They had named the studio after Kim, they had been having the hardest time thinking of an original name, when Aisha mentioned that she had dreamed about Phaedos, setting off an explanation about everything for those who had not been there. After hearing about Kim's sprit animal, they had both decided they wanted to name the studio after her. She taught ballet and ballroom dance at the studio, and ran the business end.

Sighing softly Tommy shook himself out of the walk down memory lane. He had to meet Jase and the others in twenty minutes, they were going to Ernie's to have dinner and help Ern finish any last minute details for the party.