Fooling Me
Division IX: Listen to the Rain
By EclipseKlutz
A/N: This is my Easter present to all of you faithful reviewers, but be forewarned: temporary character death, and violence present in this chapter…
~~*~~
The transparent surface beneath his feet seemed to split open, and the next thing he knew he was falling downwards in a spiraling darkness that didn't seem to have an ending anywhere nearby. His heart was pounding at an abnormally fast pace, his head became light leaving him with a giddy feeling, and he was dizzy… so shaky that he could hardly register the ironic fact that the only light anywhere near him was radiating from Kit.
And then it stopped. His feet hit ground, then buckled beneath his weight and he collapsed to all fours, using the palms of his hands to block his fall. As soon as Dustin's vision stopped swimming around, he tried to take in his surroundings despite the slightly faded color.
It was a playground of some sort, an old red building standing in the distance overlooking the blacktop; its windows cracked, its lights off, and one of the double doors leading inside ajar. A lone slide stood by a basketball net, the actual netting hanging to the side partially detached from the wire. A few swings stood nearby, the chains rusted to the point where Dustin doubted they'd be safe to use, but despite this two young girls sat on one of them—one dark-haired, the other with longer and locks a few shades lighter; neither was facing them, but Dustin got the sense that the two were discussing something they either weren't supposed to know, or a private secret.
Climbing to his feet and turning around to demand of Kit where they were, the question was on the tip of his tongue when he noted in pity that she looked a bit paler then normal if it was possible, and her eyes wide in either fear or shock. But still, curiosity killed the cat…
"What the heck is going on?" Dustin asked her after a moment.
Kit flinched slightly, "I was trying to show you what they were talking about, but messed up and went a bit too far down our walk of memory lane. Skipping forward takes a bit more work, so while I try to regain what ghostly powers I just lost, you get to watch some clips from my life. Honestly though, I'd prefer if you didn't…"
"Why?"
"It's not the 'once upon a time' story with a happy ending, and I don't want to be here… damn magick, always has its little drawbacks."
"Oh."
…Answers revived it.
He turned away from her in time to see a teenager with a football-player's build approach the girls from behind, his posture bent over menacingly, and Dustin was sure the evil glint in his eyes he'd seen in so many villains. A branch broke beneath his feet as he walked towards them, ruining his stealthy approach and the dark-haired girl screamed in terror, the screech cut off as the blonde one slapped her hand over the girl's mouth and whispered, "Sh."
Though unwilling to, the dark-haired girl silenced and stepped back, utter terror etched across her expression. The blonde one Dustin was beginning to see a bit of Kit in seemed to be mentally measuring the distance from where she stood to the woods surrounding the school, but panic was taking over her senses making it hard for her to focus on this.
Finally she gave up this effort and pointedly made eye contact with the teenager before her, as though trying to intimidate him into leaving. This attempt also failed as the football-player took another step forward, drawing a knife from his pocket.
"I'll make this quick if you don't squeal," he snarled, as though this statement was supposed to be comforting.
The younger version of Kit stared at him blankly for a moment as though she wasn't planning on things going the way he seemed to be hoping. Finally she stated simply, "No."
Behind him, Dustin heard Kit let out a small hiss and could practically hear her turn away from the scene playing out before them. Already torn between stepping in or not, though already knowing he couldn't change the past through someone's memories, he turned away as well and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
She clenched her eyes shut, trying to ignore him as she slowly counted down in a mere whisper, "Five… four… three… two… one."
Just as Kit uttered the "one" a scream of pain and fear of what was to come echoed behind them and Dustin tried to spin around to see what had happened—an action that was cut off as Kit hurled them back into the spiraling darkness they'd occupied in their last trip through her memories.
He had enough to time to contemplate over what might have happened though by the time his feet collided with the earth a second time, this time in a hotel…
~~*~~
"The part where I kill you."
To both, the words were a cliché; used by just about every single want-to-be bad guy that tried to take over the world or in the least annihilate them from existence. This, though, was small comfort.
"Okay," Hunter said casually after moments or two hesitation, "And who are you exactly? It's always nice to know the person who kills you."
Tori giggled slightly, having been about to say something along similar lines. But the child before the two didn't seem so amused.
"I am the destroyer, the bringer of the apocalypse, the one who has vowed to Lothor to bring the Power Rangers to their knees at any cost. I am Arjaunt," the child announced, his voice filled with pride and arrogance that seemed to be completely outranked.
"L-Lothor?" Tori repeated the name, glancing over at Hunter. Strange visions passed through her mind, battles all different waging between two teams as both fought for what they believed to the greater good…
She was too focused on these images then the child before them who had seemed to double in size, and grow metallic armor across his flesh. His eyes pulsed dangerously in a red shade close enough to that of blood to be unnerving, and his thin mouth was twisted in a cruel smirk, revealing sharp rows of canines that also seemed to be constructed of some sort of metal.
But Hunter noticed both the creature's transformation and the way Tori's eyes glazed over slightly—like they had been back in the restroom for a few brief seconds—as though in realization. As though she knew…
He didn't have time to mentally curse this problem though, as Arjaunt chose the soonest possible moment to lash out with metal fist, and to reveal the small spikes that stuck out from his knuckles. Hunter only narrowly dodged this, and thrust himself at Arjaunt as the creature threw a punch in Tori's direction, knocking it off balance and as an added bonus snapping the blue Wind Ranger back to reality.
She quickly climbed to her feet and kicked it dead in the stomach, but she was the one to stumble back and hop around for a few moments clutching her foot, "Okay, bad plan."
"A good one could help," Hunter pointed out dryly as Arjaunt tossed his fist at him once more, and it collided with his shoulder, the claw-like part tearing through his shirt and straight into his skin.
Hunter grunted in pain, trying to turn away but failing miserably as Arjaunt swept downwards, slashing through his torso and stomach. Any further scrapes though were prevented as Tori jumped onto the creature's back in a desperate attempt to draw Arjaunt's attention from the Crimson Ranger. This idea worked a little too well.
Surprised, Arjaunt stumbled backwards, in the process loosing his footing and tumbling to the ground. On reflex, Tori leapt out of harms way just as he collided with the tiled floor of the once way too happy fast food diner filled with still oblivious bystanders.
Hastily making her way over to Hunter before Arjaunt could get back to his feet, she pulled one of his arms around her shoulders, slipped her own arm around his waist and allowed him to use her as support as the two exited the restaurant in a hurry.
"Where's the keys?" Tori demanded of the half-conscious Hunter as she shoved him into the passenger seat of his jeep.
"Pocket," he told her after a moment of blunt confusion, then afterwards used the arm he could move without much pain to dig it out for her and drop it into the palm of her outstretched hand.
Slamming the door shut and climbing behind the wheel just as Arjaunt came stumbling out of the diner not very far behind them, she stuck the keys in their slot and set life to the engine; pushing the aged vehicle to it's limit. And with one fearful glance over her shoulder at the creature she pressed down hard on the gas pedal and sped to safety… wherever that may be.
~~*~~
He couldn't say he was ready for the collision this time, but it was a bit more graceful then his previous exit from this warp that put a new spin on the phrase 'a walk down memory lane'.
Kit made every effort to prevent him from toppling over by grabbing his arm and supporting him with surprising strength for someone so frail.
"Pay attention," she hissed just as… she walked down the stairs of the hotel into the lobby, a black backpack he vaguely recognized from her arrival slung over her right shoulder.
This version of Kit seemed slightly afraid as she crossed through a long winding hallway and then up another set of stairs, whether it was from the fear of being recognized or something else Dustin was unsure.
They followed her to a broom closet on the second floor, where she seated herself on the ground and began to pull various mechanisms from her backpack. After what felt like hours she stuck the contraption she'd created in the closet and climbed shakily to her feet.
That Kit left, but the one beside him closed her eyes and shook her head as though she regretted performing whatever it was she had just done.
Suddenly the building shook as an explosion erupted from the closet, its fire quickly spreading down the halls. Screams of children and adults alike echoed around them, as people that had yet to be affected by the blast dashed towards the nearest exit trying desperately to save themselves.
Dustin watched the chaos and confusion in silence, safe from the harm these people were suffering as he tried to contemplate why Kit would do such a thing… then the answer showed itself.
Tori ran down the hall towards them, then right past them as she searched for the source of the explosion. She turned toward the broom closet just as another fiery blast erupted from it, engulfing her in its flames.
"TORI!" Dustin cried trying to run to his friend's aid, but Kit held him back.
"It's over, y-you can't change it," she told him somberly, glancing around at the fiery hell that surrounded them. "And it's not all…"
"What is this?" Dustin demanded, tears sliding down his face as he stared at the place where Tori had been standing just a moment earlier.
Kit flinched slightly at the hateful look filling his eyes, and looking away as to avoid his gaze she told him quietly, "It's the world Dust is from… it's the world he's trying to change."
Grabbing her shoulders he asked her, his voice swimming with strong emotions of panic, pain, and remorse, "Have you already done this? Is she dead?"
"Yes… and… and I don't know," Kit answered honestly. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry…"
He closed his eyes, taking in deep shuddering breaths as he tried to take in the loss of Tori. After several cruelly drawn out minutes passed he stated, "You told me that's not all…"
"It's not but," She allowed her voice to trail off there, not willing to continue that phrase as it would most likely end up admitting all of her buried emotions.
"Then show me. I want to know."
Kit paused, her expression for the first time showing her true feelings on anything. And now it was pure pain… and regret. "Alright, but… but you don't have to."
"I want to," He told her simply, "Now show me."
She frowned, and they had returned to the tunnel once more. This time when they landed it was on the floor of the Ninja Opts computer room that Cam loved so much.
The other version of Kit was already standing there, leaning against a wall humming a mourning tune to herself as she played cats cradle with a small portion of the long rope looped around her arm.
Cam walked in seconds after their own arrival, a cup of steaming tea clutched tightly in his right hand as he seated himself in front of his computer. Completely oblivious to Kit's presence, he began to type codes into it, trying to decode the scroll of Kit's that they'd finally found.
Bored of waiting for him to notice her, Kit approached quietly from behind, pulling a dagger from a sheath on her belt as she went. Holding it behind her back, she stationed herself behind him, staring at the screen of his computer.
Swallowing, almost as though she was surprised he had yet to notice her and because of that what she was about to do was worse, she glanced up at the ceiling and mouthed a few words. Then, in one swift moment she looped the rope around his torso, pinning the shocked computer genius to the chair. He glanced up at her just in time to watch her drag out the dagger and swipe it quickly across his neck.
"Sorry, cous," she mumbled as his body went limp. Just to make certain he wouldn't awake ever again, she shoved the blade into his throat, where it lodged itself in his air pipe, clogging it with blood that soon dribbled out of the corners of his mouth.
Shoving the corpse out of the chair, she quickly assumed his position and scrolled over what potential damage he'd done.
Dustin turned away then, deciding he'd seen enough of this particular scene. But one question was tugging at his mind, one he wanted answered, "Why?"
"I… it's been so long I don't even know," Kit informed him, wiping at her face quickly before the tear was noticeable. "It looks even more brutal when you watch it…"
"I don't want to see the rest," Dustin stated after a moment of trying to decipher why she'd said that last part. "Tell me what happened."
Kit looked toward the floor before she listed it off, making a point of avoiding his eyes and the expressions they possessed, "After Tori's death, Hunter went on a rampage trying to find her murderer… trying to find me. He killed seven innocents, and then afterwards he killed himself. I tracked down Lothor with the help of my friends in that one chat room, and he… I won, but with a cost. Uncle, or Sensei, died at his hands. After that I went to you for help, but Shane had figured the whole thing out by then and tried to kill me… he almost did, hell I was going to let him, but you stopped him. Instead, you two had me sent to a mental hospital for the criminally insane. You visited all the time, finally one day I told you to come back and kill me. I refused to die at anyone else's hands, hell if I were alive I still would. You did it, you went back in time and you killed me, but I'd already placed the bomb. I was late though, an unscheduled traffic jam that didn't happen last time and there were no murders so Tori may still be alive… anyways, Shane committed suicide after you went back in time. Now Blake's after his revenge as well."
Dustin stared at her for a long minute, before he finally managed to inquire, no matter how cruel the question, "Why'd I help you?"
"The only good memory I have," she told him simply, tilting her head to the side as she thought over that. "Yeah… that's about right; if you want me to, I guess I can show you."
He didn't respond at first, and merely glanced at Cam's body sprawled out across the ground, "Did this happen too?"
Kit shook her head, "Not this time around."
"Then show me, I mean, why not?"
~~*~~
The motel room was cramped, but not so much that there wasn't enough room for two humans, their luggage, a twin bed and a padlocked door.
Hunter resided on the bed, laying above the crisp gray blanket that covered it as Tori sat beside him with a set of antibiotics handy nearby, some of which she was applying carefully to the wounds across his chest and arms.
"This may sting a bit," she informed him as she poured a few clear drops of liquid from a white bottle onto an old shirt she'd dug out of Hunter's bag.
"It's alright," He responded, the words coming out choked, as all the other medication she'd applied to his cuts and scrapes had stung a bit more then a little.
She nodded, and dabbed it gently against the open tissue of his shoulder. As she drew back the improvised version of a cloth to add more of the fluid to it she inquired, "Where's Sensei?"
He glanced at her, his thoughts instantly jumbled and frantic. Did she know? How could she, this early on? If she knew… how long had she? Should he lie again? But something firmly told him no, a little voice piping up in the back of his head, but no matter how small it's opinion was valid.
"With Lothor."
Tori nodded, as though she didn't care much beyond that point. Unraveling some bandages she commanded, "You'll need to sit up for a moment."
Using his arms as support beam, and a bit of Tori's help, he managed with some pain to pull himself into a mock version of a sitting position. Tori didn't talk as she wound the bandages around his shoulder and torso, and only when she was done did she bring up the key question, "How long will we be running away from everything?"
And to that, he had no answer; whether lie or truth neither may fulfill their purpose. "I don't know."
She nodded, and pulling a few strands of blonde hair behind her ears Tori's next question was maybe a bit more of a statement, "And how long will we be lying to each other?"
~~*~~
A/N: I may be feeling a bit nice today, but not enough to continue. I'm aiming for 90 reviews now… think you guys can try that? *begging* Grounding may prevent updates for a little bit, but oh well…
Veronica: Aw… thanks, your review left me feeling all happy and stuff (the "you so rock" part mostly), inspiration to post this as quick as possible!
CamFan4Ever: Don't kill me! It was one scene; other than that he's still alive, don't worry!
Monkay-Pooh: Thanks!
Golden Arrow: "I did wanted to tell you that I think that the way the last few chapters have been a little confusing makes sense. It kind of shows just who confused the present day rangers are." Thank you! That's how I was trying to do it, and I thought I'd failed… Thanks lots for proving I haven't…
Hope you all had a great Easter, now start reviewing! C'mon, can't be that hard to push a little button and type a few good words. ^-^