Roses and Thorns

Chapter Thirty-Four

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Power Rangers, Ninja Storm, and I'm not making any money from this fic

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Author's Note: Whew! Final chapter! Possibly the first multi-chapter fan fiction story I've ever completed. At this moment, I'd like to thank everyone who's read and reviewed this story. Your support has been great, especially at the times when I've just felt like giving up completely on this fic and deleting it. Also, Ericka, thanks for all your help with suggesting things to me, and also putting my characters through the Mary Sue Litmus test.

Thanks so much everyone! You're all really great! -Hugs everyone-

On with the final chapter!

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Cally's eyes flickered open, and she looked around, blinking.

That was odd. What was she doing at home, in her bed? She'd passed out in that forest, hadn't she?

Cally thought hard, but could remember nothing past demorphing because she had virtually no energy left. Something had happened while she was fighting David, but she had no idea what. Her mind was a complete blank after that point.

Cally felt sick, and her head was pounding like someone was banging on the inside of it with a hammer. She knew that she should probably get up, but she really didn't feel up to it.

Where are David and Faye? Cally wondered. If Faye was in the house, then the violet light ranger would probably hear her moving around, unless, of course, she was just as exhausted as Cally.

With a soft groan, Cally pushed herself up. She felt awful, but she didn't want to lie around in bed all day. Maybe she would feel better once she had something to eat or drink? Even though that was one of the last things she really felt like doing.

When she had finally managed to force her protesting body into a more or less standing position, Cally had a shower.

The warm water cascading over the violet light ranger did wonders for her aching body. Cally closed her eyes and lifted her head, feeling the water run down her face and body, cleansing her skin.

Finally, and with some reluctance, Cally stepped out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around herself, and then set about drying her hair. Then, she got dressed, and went downstairs to make some coffee.

While she was making a cup of coffee, the doorbell rang.

Oh, no, Cally thought silently. Of all the times for someone to call round... The violet light ranger half-considered just leaving the door, pretending that she wasn't in.

The doorbell continued ringing, and the sound knifed through Cally's head, making it feel even worse. She fought down waves of nausea.

Guess I'd better go and answer it, Cally thought to herself. It was obvious that whoever was ringing the doorbell wasn't going to go away.

Cally switched the kettle off, walked to the front door, and opened it.

Dustin was standing there.

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Faye's eyes fluttered open, and she stared around the small room she was in with confusion.

Where was she? Certainly not at home. She'd recognise the house she shared with Cally.

The room looked vaguely familiar to the orange light ranger, but it wasn't until she blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes that she finally realised where she was.

The rec. room in NinjaOps!

Faye began to panic. Where was Cally? What had happened to her friend after the tentacled monster had appeared? Had she been hurt badly?

Faye had a vague recollection of energy being drawn out of her, and then collapsing. But she had no idea how she had then ended up in NinjaOps. Someone must have brought her here, but who? Cally? Blake?

It hadn't been Lila, because the silver silk ranger was lying on another mattress. She had been asleep, but, as Faye watched her, she stirred and sat up, then put a hand to her head, probably feeling the same twinges of the same headache that had been there when Faye had woken up, but had quickly faded.

Lila glanced over at Faye, and tried to smile, but it was quite a poor attempt. "Do you know where we are?" she asked softly.

Faye nodded slowly. "We're in NinjaOps," she answered. "You know, the headquarters of the other Power Rangers? I'm guessing we were brought here, because we were originally at my house."

Lila nodded, then glanced around the rec. room. "Is everyone else in the other room?" she wanted to know.

"I don't know," Faye replied. "I would assume so... This is the room where Cally was while Cam and I were watching her dreams."

Lila looked down at that reminder. "I'm sorry about that," she mumbled. "Peter and I weren't trying to hurt her permanently... Just put her out of commission for a while."

"I know," Faye responded with a smile. "I'm pretty sure that Cally doesn't hold anything against you or your brother." The orange light ranger stood up, ignoring the momentary feeling of dizziness. "Come on. Let's go and see if the others are actually in the other room.

Hunter, Cam, Blake, David, Peter, Dustin, Shane, and Tori, as well as Shane, were all in the main room of NinjaOps, meaning that space was quite tight. David, Cam, and Peter looked up as Faye and Lila entered, but the others were all deep in conversation, and didn't seem to notice the entrance of the two female Power Rangers.

Faye smiled brightly at David, and waved to him. The white light ranger looked away, but not before Faye caught the glimpse of guilt in his eyes.

Faye walked over to the green samurai ranger, aware of the fact that Lila was trailing after her. "Hi," she smiled.

"Hey," Cam responded. "How are you feeling? Any after effects?"

"After effects to what?" Lila wanted to know, blinking a little.

"He's talking about when Cally went all catalyst and pulled all of the energy out of us," Blake told Lila and Faye as the other Power Rangers realised that they were.

Oh, wow, Faye thought to herself. So Cal does have that ability. I thought that she might, after what happened when she was meditating. But I never thought that it would develop as fast as that Out loud, Faye asked the navy thunder ranger, "Did you collapse as well?"

"For a while," Blake answered. "I got woken up when Cally's morpher went off."

"Did everything go according to plan?" Lila questioned her brother.

"You had a plan?" That was Shane. "We thought that you'd really joined forces with David to destroy us."

"That was sort of the idea."

Neither Hunter or Dustin looked very happy, each for slightly different reasons.

"What is the matter?" Sensei asked the crimson thunder ranger and the yellow wind ranger, but he had probably already at least guessed the reason or reasons.

"I think I know why Dustin's upset." David spoke in a soft tone, scuffing his foot and finding the ground very interesting to look at. "It's because Cally, Faye, and I are the light Power Rangers... Isn't it?" David looked up at Dustin as he said that.

"I'm not that shallow," Dustin protested. His voice wasn't warm, but it wasn't really cold, either.

David lifted his shoulders in a light shrug, then turned to Faye. "I took Cally home," he said. "Blake told me where you and she live."

"Do you remember anything of what happened?" Faye wanted to know, feeling glad that David hadn't said that Cally was hurt seriously or anything like that. She had probably just needed quite a bit of rest.

"Bits and pieces," David answered. "The only thing I remember with any true clarity is walking out of that cave and leaving you and Cally behind."

"Sensei, how many different ninja academies are there?" Tori asked.

"Not as many as you might think," the guinea pig told the blue wind ranger. "But also more than you might think."

"Sensei, that makes no sense," Shane said.

"It's probably on a need to know basis," Hunter muttered.

It's kind of crowded in here, Cam thought, looking around at all of the other Power Rangers in NinjaOps. We might need to try and find a bigger base, or, at the very least, have really important meetings in a bigger place.

"Dustin, I think that you should go and talk to Cally," Faye said to the yellow wind ranger, suddenly thinking of that. "I think that if you two talk, then it'll clear the air between you guys." And maybe Cally won't be as quick to let herself be killed, the orange light ranger added silently to herself.

"But..." Dustin began. He looked at Tori for help.

"Dustin, it's a decision that you have to make for yourself," Tori told the yellow wind ranger, not unkindly. "Personally, I think that maybe you should at least try talking to her... See if she really is sorry for what she did. You don't have to commit yourself to anything, just hear her out and see what she has to say."

"I think Tor's right," Shane put in. "It looks like we'll be working with the light Power Rangers and the silk Power Rangers, so we need to try and clear the air with any problems."

"Don't you just love being talked about as though you're not there?" Peter asked Faye.

The orange light ranger giggled a little, and then looked at David, who wasn't looking at her. His eyes were fastened on the ground, and Faye got the feeling that he wasn't feeling very happy, which she felt wasn't very surprising. She knew that she should talk to him about it, but she didn't want to force him to air out his problems in front of all of the other Power Rangers. It wouldn't be fair.

"All right," Dustin sighed. "I guess you're right. I'll go talk to Cally." He then looked at Faye. "But I'm not promising to forgive her, or even take her back."

Faye nodded. "I know," she said.

Dustin left.

"Lila, can I talk to you?" Hunter asked the silver silk ranger, his voice cool.

"Um, yeah, sure," Lila responded. She and Hunter also left NinjaOps.

"I think we need to talk," Faye said to David. She took the white light ranger's arm, and gently steered him outside.

"Tor?" Blake asked softly, tentatively. The blue wind ranger hadn't really spoken to him since the spell had been broken on her and the others, and he didn't want her mad at him or upset with him. "Do you want to talk?"

"Sure," Tori sighed.

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As soon as Tori and Blake got outside NinjaOps. Blake turned to Tori. "Tor, I'm sorry about what happened," he said. "The plan that Peter came up with depended on you, Hunter, Shane, and Dustin believing that I was really dead."

"I guess I can understand that," Tori admitted. "But, Blake, it ripped me apart inside when I thought that you were dead. I didn't realise it could hurt that much..." Tori's voice trailed off, and she shrugged, her eyes filled with pain.

"Oh, Tori, I'm so sorry," Blake gently enfolded the blue wind ranger in his arms, relieved when she didn't try to push him away. "If there'd been any chance at all to spare you that pain..." Blake knew that Hunter must have gone through something very similar to what Tori had felt, but when he tried talking to his brother about it, the crimson thunder ranger had just shrugged it off. He'd never really been able to be open about his true feelings.

Tori rested her head on Blake's shoulder, happy to just be with him. She was more happy than she could say to find that the navy thunder ranger was alive and well. She had been so terrified when she had thought he had lost him forever.

I wonder if Cally felt like that when Dustin broke up with her?

Tori frowned a little, and shook her head slightly to clear that thought away. Not that she was really being selfish... But, right now, she just wanted to think about this moment with Blake, and nothing else.

"I love you," Blake whispered in Tori's ear.

"I love you too," the blue wind ranger responded, raising her head. Their lips met in a gentle kiss which quickly grew in passion.

And, soon, neither worried about anything else.

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Hunter led Lila quite a way from NinjaOps before he turned to her. He wanted to be angry with her for deceiving him like she had... But he was more upset than mad, and he had no idea why. Maybe because he felt that the silver silk ranger had betrayed him.

Before the crimson thunder ranger could say anything, Lila spoke. "Hunter, I'm sorry for keeping my identity as a Power Ranger secret from you," she said. "And I'm really sorry that Peter and I attacked you and the others... But I swear that I never guessed that you were the crimson thunder ranger until you told me."

Looking into the silver silk ranger's eyes, Hunter could see that Lila was sincere. "What about your parents?" he asked.

Peter must have told him why we were helping Lothor while I was out, Lila realised. Out loud, she answered, "Peter and I got the impression that... Lothor needs the energy from the other ninjas, for some reason or another. I believe that our parents will be safe, at least for the moment... But Lothor will stop at nothing to make us pay for joining your side."

"Have you really, truly, joined our side?" Hunter's expression was unreadable.

Lila looked down, and nodded. "Even though it's hard for you to believe," she muttered. Not that she could blame Hunter. Why should he trust her and her brother at all?

"Lila, look at me."

Lila looked up, and met the crimson thunder ranger's steady gaze. Hunter looked tired, but not really angry at her, more resigned. She trembled a little. Sadness was much harder to deal with than anger. And she had the feeling that she wasn't going to like what the crimson thunder ranger was about to say.

"Lila..." Hunter began. Then, he stopped, and slowly shook his head. "This is kind of hard to say... And I don't want you to take it the wrong way."

He's going to break up with me, Lila realised, feeling cold.

You had already broken up, when you told him that you were the silver silk ranger, the cold, unfeeling part of Lila responded.

"Lila, I want you to know that I care about you a great deal," Hunter was saying. "That's never going to change... But I feel like you betrayed me, and that's hard to deal with." He paused, then continued, "I don't think we should see each other any more. In a dating way, I mean. I need time to work out how I really feel, and that could take a while."

Lila felt her heart break into a million pieces, but she tried to smile, though it was likely a poor attempt. "Just friends... Right?"

Hunter hesitated. "For the time being," he replied at last. "It's not like I'm planning on seeing any other people or anything. I just need time."

Lila nodded slowly. "I understand," she whispered. "And I can wait."

Just friends, and nothing more.

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Faye came to a halt when she and David were in the forest.

The white light ranger glanced around. "We've come quite a ways from NinjaOps," he said flatly.

"I didn't want to run into any of the others," Faye responded. "I guess today must be a day for deep, meaningful conversations or something."

David laughed a little, like Faye had caught him by surprise or something. He seemed rather on edge.

"David, what's wrong?" Faye looked worriedly at her boyfriend.

"A lot of things," David sighed. "But I guess the core of it lies in what I did... Faye, I should never have walked out on you and Cal, or given you an ultimatum. I don't even know why I did. I would never have abandoned my own sister and girlfriend before, and why should that just suddenly change when you two needed me most?"

The orange light ranger frowned a little. "What about Cally two-timing Dustin?" she asked.

"It was one kiss," David argued. "Sure, it was a pretty bad mistake to make... But it's not like everyone's perfect. I don't even know why I kept on treating her so badly after we left Blue Bay Harbour. It was like I was out of control."

Faye blinked at that. "Do you think that Lothor's attempt to control you started quite early on?" she asked.

"Maybe after he captured the other ninja schools," David answered. Then, the white light ranger shook his head. "What do you mean, attempt? Lothor did succeed... And I couldn't stop him."

And that's where the real problem lies, Faye thought to herself. David feels guilty, like he should have been able to fight the control. Out loud, the orange light ranger said, "David, I don't think anyone would have been able to fight the control. It would have been so well done that you would have believed that the thoughts were your own."

"I guess you're right," David said with a sigh. "But, Faye, that doesn't make me feel any less guilty about it."

"I know," Faye replied. "But maybe in time you will be able to." And maybe Cally will be able to as well with time, the orange light ranger added silently.

"Faye, there's something I should tell you," David said slowly. "When Cally was fighting me... She was fighting like she actually had something to lose."

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"Do you want to come in?" Cally asked after a few moments. I am such a bad hostess, she thought to herself.

Dustin nodded. "We can't really talk while I'm standing on the doorstep." His tone was mild, not scolding.

"Sorry," Cally muttered. She stepped back so that Dustin could walk into the house, then shut the door gently. "Can I get you a drink or anything?"

"Water would be fine," Dustin answered, moving into the living room and sprawling out on the sofa.

"Sure," Cally responded. She walked into the kitchen and poured a glass of water out, then finished making her cup of coffee. She then carried both into the living room, and set the glass of water in front of Dustin before seating herself in the chair opposite him.

What's he doing here? Cally wondered. Did Faye tell him to come here?

"I think we need to talk," Dustin said after taking a few sips of his water. Then, he made a slight face. "Well, Faye thinks we need to talk... And I sort of agree with her."

Cally bit her lip slightly. "Dustin, I can't tell you how sorry I am about what I did," she said. "I'm not expecting you to forgive me, because I don't think I deserve forgiveness... I don't even have a reason for what I did. But I've been regretting it for ages, ever since we broke up."

"Enough to try and kill yourself?" Dustin gestured towards the violet light ranger's wrists.

Cally looked down at her wrists, then shrugged. "I didn't want to live anymore," she said. It didn't matter who had told him of her attempted suicide. While she had been fighting David, she had realised that she didn't want to die, and so she had not taken the chances that she would ordinarily have.

"You tried to kill yourself because I broke up with you." Dustin's face, for once, was completely unreadable.

Cally made a slight face. "Yeah, it seems odd, I know," she replied. "It's not like I'm someone obsessed with you, not able to let go or anything, but..." Cally shrugged. "I didn't want to live without you... Because I love you, and I never realised how much I loved you until I lost you." The violet light ranger looked down, embarrassed at her own words.

"Do you still want to kill yourself?" Dustin asked after a moment.

Still looking down, Cally slowly shook her head.

"Good. Because I forgive you, and I want to start over." Dustin hardly knew why he was saying those words. He hadn't intended to forgive the violet light ranger... But he still loved her, very deeply.

Cally raised her head, her eyes wide with shock. "What did you say?" she asked incredulously.

Instead of repeating what he'd just said, the yellow wind ranger leaned forward, and brushed his lips against hers. It started off as a gentle kiss, but he soon deepened it.

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Wow, it's over! Finally!

Was it a bit rushed? It seemed to be, at least to me... How were the scenes between the different characters? Realistic or not?

Anyways, I have some plans for a sequel to this. (CamFan4Ever, you know some of it .) Would anyone like to see the sequel?

Read and review, please!