The timeline for this would be in between the fics 'With a little help from my friends' and 'I try'.

Just A Conversation
By Dany
PG-13

Summary: Set right after the episode 'Samurai's Journey'.
Cam and Hunter are talking. Not much plot; just as the title implies.

There was a spot off to the left of the holographic waterfall-entrance to the Wind Academy. It was Cam's special place, his refuge for when he wanted to do some undisturbed thinking – or when he just wanted to get away from them all.

Its location was perfect for it: naturally concealed by tall bushes and pine trees, the path was only visible to those who knew where to look for it. After only a few yards it led to a small, quiet side pond, complete with colorful waterlilies and soft, mossy grass to lounge around on.

Hunter knew he would find him there, sensed his presence even before he had pushed aside the last tree branch and stepped into the small clearing.

Cam was sitting under a tree, legs stretched out, back against the trunk. He was dangling the Samurai amulet before him, turning it slowly. He seemed fascinated by it.

Hunter took another step forward and Cam turned his head and smiled. The Crimson Ranger returned it as he sat down next to his boyfriend. The new black leather training uniform with the green trim looked great on the brand-new Green Samurai Ranger, and Hunter made a mental note to tell him that someday; right now he opted for a different compliment.

"You know, you should smile more often. It looks good on you," he said with a wink.

The edges of Cam's almond eyes crinkled even more. "I have a good reason to."

"Yeah, I can see." Hunter pointed to the amulet. "Playing with your new toy?"

Cam nodded. "I really do feel like a kid who's just been handed a new favorite plaything."

"But adult Cam now has one more piece of equipment he needs to fix and maintain," Hunter said, referring to the Samurai Chopper that had come with the whole 'Green Ranger' packet.

Cam was still grinning. "That's ok. Believe me, I don't mind."

The samurai slipped the amulet back around his neck. "Earlier on, when I morphed for the first time, the feeling was…amazing! No, more than that. I felt so powerful, so invincible…" Cam shook his head at the memory, a dreamy look on his face. "I can't even describe it."

"You don't have to," Hunter replied. "I know it." The Crimson Ranger plucked a few blades of grass from the earth and started to toy with them. "I remember the first time I morphed. I was completely unprepared for it and actually almost got sick from the surge of the transformation."

Cam remembered when the two Thunder Ninjas had told their background story to Sensei, Cam and the others after they had agreed to join the team. When Lothor and his goons attacked the Thunder Academy, head sensei Omino had apparently had just enough time to thrust the Thunder morphers into his students' untrained hands. Blake's words were still in Cam's mind. 'Sensei barely managed to tell us where the Zords were hidden and how to activate the morphers before he was captured.'

Now Cam was watching Hunter's face while the Thunder Ranger continued to talk. "Blake actually tore off his helmet, and he had this totally confused look on his face! But I must have looked the same way. We stared at each other like complete idiots." Hunter chuckled. "The humble beginnings of the Thunder Power Rangers."

Cam joined the chuckle. "I can picture that. But don't worry, the beginning of the Wind Power Rangers wasn't very glamorous, either."

"It took us a while just to get used to the powers and the weapons. Not to mention the Zords." Hunter made a face. "Now that part took weeks to figure out. Not like there were any instruction manuals in the glove compartment."

"Yes, I could tell," Cam replied dryly, but with a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm still fixing the parts you trashed before we ever even met you."

"You should have seen the mess we made when we first tried to combine the two."

"Good thing I didn't. I probably would have torn out my hair."

The two rangers grinned at each other and sat in companionable silence for a while until Cam resumed to speak. "Would it sound really pompous if I told you that I feel so damn special now that I have this?" he said, fingering the amulet again.

"No," the Thunder Ranger inclined his head towards Cam's morpher. "But in that matter I'm afraid I have to tell you something."

A glimmer of worry came into Cam's eyes. "What?"

Hunter reached out and gently traced Cam's jaw line with one finger. "You've always been special, even before you had the powers." When he saw the samurai's slightly embarrassed look, he couldn't help himself. "At least to me you are," he added and had to grin at the way Cam's cheeks turned a nice shade of pink.

Above them, several birds suddenly took flight from a tree branch. Hunter looked up, thus missing most of Cam's mumbled reply. He caught enough, but didn't trust his ears with it. "Say what?" he asked softly.

The samurai met his eyes steadily. "You're special to me, too," he repeated.

Hunter's eyebrows rose slightly in mock surprise. "Really? When did that happen?"

Now Cam's look turned into a half-hearted frown. "Don't mess with me. You know you are, otherwise I wouldn't have let you…you know..." With a shrug, he let the sentence trail off.

"What?" Hunter pressed. "Let me kiss you?"

"Well…yes."

A few weeks ago, Blake and Hunter had moved into Ninja Ops' guest room after Cam had urged them to when he found out they could barely pay the rent anymore for their run-down apartment in town. Before the move Cam and Hunter had only shared a few shy kisses; after the move the kissing had increased, but Cam was still confused about his feelings of undeniable attraction to the Crimson Ranger. It was the first time that he had been drawn to another man, after all.

Now that man was looking at him and suddenly moved closer. "Show me," he said with the corners of his mouth turning upwards.

"What?" Cam replied automatically, even though he knew.

Hunter was daring him to kiss him.

Up until now the Thunder Ninja had always been the one to initiate their make-out sessions. He clearly wanted to turn the tables now.

And why not? The thought was in Cam's mind before he was even aware of it. Nevertheless he hesitated. "I don't think you…"

The Crimson Ranger's face was inching closer…

"…need any…"

and closer. Cam's eyes were flickering to Hunter's mouth.

"…proof." Hunter was way too close now, and Cam could see every single striation in those sapphire-blue eyes.

There was no way Cam could not kiss him; those lips were simply too inviting, and before any rational thoughts against it could enter his mind, Cam surged forward and pressed his lips onto Hunter's.

Warm, soft, and very willing Hunter received him and their mouths seemed to literally meld together. The Thunder Ninja's hand went to the side of Cam's neck, caressing his skin, and in response Cam's fingers dug into the leather of the blond man's uniform.

They were as close to an actual embrace as they had ever been, but stopped just short of it.

The tip of Hunter's tongue flickered out, gliding along the inside of Cam's upper lip, and the temperature between them instantly increased several degrees.

Suddenly, without warning, a thought wormed its way into Cam's mind: since the Bradleys had moved in, Cam had seen Hunter with his shirt off once or twice; it was close quarters and there was only one bathroom at Ninja Ops after all.

But now he really wondered how this smooth, bare skin would feel under his hands.

Maybe one day…soon…But right now he was tempted, so tempted to just open his mouth and let his tongue join the game Hunter was playing with his lips.

Then suddenly, an all-too-familiar noise resounded from Hunter's morpher: the double-beep of the alarm. The very sound they least wanted to hear right now.

"You've got to be kidding," Hunter mumbled.

"Impeccable timing," Cam agreed as they reluctantly pulled apart.

Hunter answered the call, and they listened pensively as CyberCam informed them about the monster attack at the outskirts of town that just showed up on the computer's scanners.

The blond man shrugged. "Well, looks like you're getting your chance to morph again sooner than you thought."

Cam's answer was a half-grin as they scrambled to their feet.

Hunter gave him a cocky side-glance. "Don't believe for a minute that this is finished yet," he said with a grin as he readied himself for morphing. "Only postponed."

Cam held his gaze with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Practice room later on tonight?"

Hunter's trademark crooked grin was out in full force. "I'll be there."

A part of Cam, the part that wasn't sure whether he was still only experimenting with Hunter, was horrified at the bold suggestion he had just made, but another, inexorably growing part of him, was suddenly looking very forward to sunset.

They stood next to each other.

"Ready for a round of Kelzak bowling?"

"Anytime."

"Thunder Storm…" "Samurai Storm…" "RANGER FORM!"

The Crimson Ranger's now helmeted head turned towards Cam. "Let's make this quick. We have a more important date to keep."

The Green Samurai Ranger nodded and had his visor been up, Hunter would have seen him smile before they both streaked out of the clearing.

THE END