Is Love For Real?

Chapter Nine - Remembering

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

Author's Note: Just to warn you... Don't get too used to me updating this regularly. Sometimes I can go for months without updating a fic, especially if I lose interest in it. So far, that hasn't happened, but if a fic starts going on too long, I start to get bored... Which is why reviews are so great . Good or bad, at least I know that some people are reading my fics and are being affected by them

Replies to reviews:

mysterious-muse: Glad you liked it . I'd be a bit worried if it wasn't getting good

BloriConra 4ever: Well, you're half right. Dustin can't start the tests until he remembers why he is in the spirit world, so I suppose remembering could be classified as a test

CamFan4Ever: COOKIES! Thankees! -Shares them out with her muses-

YellowCrimsonforever: Yay, a new reviewer! Glad you like it

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Blake, Shane, and Tori arrived at the entrance to the Cavern of Lost Souls.

Once there, Shane looked around. "Dude, what is it we're supposed to be looking for?"

"Anything out of the ordinary, perhaps?" Tori suggested. "Like Cam said, if Dustin's in the spirit world, his body probably won't be, just his soul. We need to get to his body before Lothor and his minions work out that how badly we've been weakened. I'm actually surprised that they haven't discovered Hunter's death yet."

"I'm not really that surprised," Shane replied. "Cam's great with technology. After all, he spends the majority of his time staring at the computer screen. I'll bet that he'll have worked out a way of keeping Hunter's condition from Lothor and his goons."

Blake was hollow-eyed. Finding out that Hunter wasn't dead or alive hadn't made the navy thunder ranger feel much better. "I don't see why we can't just leave Dustin's body here," he muttered.

"Blake, Dustin's our friend," Shane told the navy thunder ranger. "We can't just leave him here."

"He's your friend, too," Tori added.

Blake stared at the blue wind ranger for a long moment, then looked away. "What makes you say that?" he demanded.

Tori shrugged. "It's the truth," she answered. "I think that, much as you'd like to, you can't bring yourself to hate Dustin, despite what he did to your brother. You like him too much."

"How well you know me," Blake murmured. "But if Hunter dies, Dustin will pay."

Shane slowly shook his head. "Dude, I know Dustin," he told Blake. "If Hunter dies, Dustin won't defend himself against you. He'll be too eaten up inside by the guilt he's feeling deep inside."

For a moment, Tori allowed her mind to drift to thoughts that had nothing to do with the situation they were facing now. Hm, Shane and Cam seem to be getting quite close to each other, she thought to herself. Could they be...? Nah. I don't think either of them lean in that direction.

Tori suddenly realised that Blake had been saying something to her. She looked sheepishly at the navy thunder ranger. "Sorry, what were you just saying?"

Blake flashed a quick grin, the first smile he had given since Hunter's apparent death. "Been thinking of something more important than me?" he teased gently.

Tori returned the smile, thinking, I can't really say what I was just thinking. It wouldn't be fair to Shane and would probably embarrass him. Still... He and Cam have been acting rather strangely around each other lately.

"Blake was just saying that we should probably go into the Cavern of Lost Souls," Shane explained. "I'll go first."

Neither Tori nor Blake argued with that. Shane was technically their leader, after all. The rest of the group looked up to him. Except possibly for Hunter, who spent most of his time constantly arguing with and undermining Shane. Of course, Blake would always do what Hunter said because they were brothers. They'd been together since way before the thunder rangers and the wind rangers had finally teamed up.

As they made their way towards the entrance to the Cavern of Lost Souls, Tori reached to take Blake's hand. She was a little surprised but pleased when the navy thunder ranger laced his fingers through hers and gently squeezed her hand.

Shane walked right up to the entrance, and then stopped.

Tori blinked. "Shane, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I can't get through." Shane spoke with gritted teeth, and Tori guessed that he was just barely holding his anger in check. "There seems to be some kind of invisible force field blocking the entrance."

Blake frowned a little. "Let me try," he said, releasing Tori's hand and moving over to the entrance to the cavern.

"I don't see what you can do," Shane commented, moving out of Blake's way. "But you're welcome to try."

Tori watched as the navy thunder ranger ran his fingers over the gap. It seemed like there was definitely a resistance there, as the blue wind ranger saw Blake try to push against something that didn't seem to be there at all.

At last, Blake dropped his hand, and moved back, his shoulders slumped with defeat. "It doesn't seem to be possible to get through," he mumbled.

"I guess only one person is allowed to enter the Cavern of Lost Souls in this kind of situation," Shane commented. The red wind ranger walked over to Blake, and placed his hand comfortingly on his shoulder.

Blake lowered his head, and Tori wondered if he was about to cry. "But what if Dustin fails?" The words sounded choked, as though Blake was trying his hardest to hold back tears and barely succeeding.

"He won't fail," Shane tried to reassure Blake. "Dustin will fight his hardest for Hunter's life. He'll fight just as hard as you would. As Hunter would if you were in the same condition." Shane shot Tori a look which clearly asked her to come over and help him with Blake.

Tori walked over to the navy thunder ranger, and hugged him gently. "It's all right to cry," she told him. "There's no shame in it. Shane and I are both here for you. We understand what you're going through."

Blake suddenly clutched at Tori, weeping like a brokenhearted child.

The blue wind ranger held her boyfriend close, feeling tears pricking at her own eyes.

Shane spoke into his communicator:

"Cam, the entrance to the Cavern of Lost Souls appears to be blocked off in some way."

"I suppose you'd like me to try and find a way of getting rid of whatever's blocking the entrance?" Cam asked dryly.

"Yeah, that would be great, Cam," Shane answered. "Tori, Blake, and I'll stay here. Let us know when you've managed to free the entrance."

"Will do."

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Dustin was just walking aimlessly. He wasn't sure exactly where it was he was going. He was just following his feet.

"Have you remembered why you're here yet?" Alessa wanted to know.

The yellow wind ranger looked down at the white cat he held in his arms. "No, not yet," he admitted. "Sorry."

Alessa yawned, and rubbed her nose with a paw. "I don't know why you're apologising to me," she commented. "I'm not really bothered if you don't manage to get out of here in time."

Dustin blinked. "Why?" he asked. "You said that if I stay here too long, it will disrupt the balance between the living and the dead."

"It will," Alasse agreed. "But the spirit world has its own way of dealing with that. Like I said earlier, you'll be transformed into a wraith if you stay here for too long, so the balance won't be upset permanently."

"Is there any way of staying here longer without turning into a wraith?" Dustin wanted to know. I need more time! he thought to himself. I can't even remember what it is I'm supposed to be doing here! It has to be important... But I just can't figure it out.

Alessa shook her head from side to side. "No," she answered. "That would be impossible. Even if someone did find a way, it would upset the balance between the living and the dead too much and everything would change."

"Oh." Dustin glanced around. "Everything looks the same," he noted. "Why isn't there any variety here?"

Alessa blinked. "Spirits rarely need variety," she answered. "It's not entirely necessary."

"Do you have any idea what my purpose here is?" Dustin asked the cat.

"No, I do not," Alessa replied. "And, to be totally honest, I don't particularly care. I've decided to travel along with you. For now. But I may change my mind at some point and leave you alone."

"You're not very nice," Dustin muttered.

Alessa blinked again. "I'm a cat," she said as if that explained everything.

"Do you hunt?" Dustin wanted to know.

"Of course I do." Alessa stretched, kneading Dustin's arm a little. A soft purr came from her body as she settled more comfortably into Dustin's arms.

"You know, I've never actually had a pet before," Dustin commented.

"I'm not a pet," Alessa told Dustin.

"I know," Dustin replied. "But you're the closest I've ever come to actually having a pet of my own. Admittedly, though, I've never been particularly fond of cats. I always thought that I would much prefer a dog."

Alessa growled at the mention of the word 'dog'. "Don't mention that word to me!" she snapped angrily.

Dustin blinked. "Why not?" he asked cluelessly.

"Cats and dogs don't get along very well," Alessa answered. "Actually, we don't get along at all

Dustin laughed. "I'm really going to have to tell Hunter about you..." he began. Then, he stopped dead.

Alessa dug her claws into Dustin's arm to keep her perch, but the yellow wind ranger didn't even notice the pain. "That's it!" he exclaimed. "I've realised now what I'm doing here!"

Alessa tilted her head to the side. "Why are you here?" she demanded.

"To rescue my friend," Dustin explained. He almost said boyfriend, but stopped himself when he wondered how in the world he would explain that to Alessa. "He's trapped between the living and the dead."

Alessa merely blinked. "Oh, so that's what you're doing here."

"Do you know how I can get my friend back?" Dustin asked.

"Yes, I do," Alessa replied. "You have to complete a certain number of tests."

"Tests?" Dustin frowned. "What kind of tests?" Dustin had never been particularly good at tests.

Alessa shrugged, an action which looked extremely weird on a cat. "That depends," she answered.

"Depends on what?"

"On the situation and on the personality of you and your friend, of course," Alessa replied. "Come on. You'll have to follow me." And she leaped out of Dustin's arms and bounded away.

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