Is Love For Real?

Chapter Thirteen - Water

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

Replies to reviews:

YellowCrimsonforever: Well, here's the next chapter, so you didn't have to wait really long . Thanks for reviewing

BlueAngel07: Thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad you liked it

garnetred: Yup, he passed his first test . Thanks for reviewing

CamFan4Ever: Glad you liked it, even though it was rushed . Sorry about Apollo. He's a dark angel - turned evil by what he's been through

RedFox: I'd be happy to come and help!

DarkAngel: Me too

DarkCat: -Nods-

Me: Well, you can't all go! I won't be left with any muses left at all, apart from Apollo

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Hunter stared out of the cave at his friends and his brother, and wished that he could touch them. That he could speak to them, tell them that he was all right. That everything would be all right.

Even if he wasn't sure of that himself.

I wish you could see me, Blake, the crimson thunder ranger thought to himself. I wish that you wouldn't cry. I wish that you could see that I'm not dead yet.

"You should not watch them if it pains you so much, Son."

The crimson thunder ranger wasn't surprised to see his parents standing behind him. As spirits, his parents had to leave continually. Hunter didn't know where they went, and he somehow got the feeling that he wouldn't want to know. Because he wasn't a true spirit, he didn't have to keep on leaving. Yet.

He could just stay, and watch the misery of his friends.

"I don't want to leave them alone," Hunter replied. "I know that they can't see me... But I still feel better, being able to see them. Knowing that there's a chance I'll be able to return to them."

"We worry about you, Hunter," his mother said. "It is bad for you to stay here and watch your friends while they grieve for your death."

I wonder how Dustin's doing? Hunter thought to himself, ignoring his mother's words. I wonder if I would know straight away if Dustin fails, or not? Probably, it would take a while for the effects to occur. But I don't think that Dustin will fail. I know that he'll succeed. He won't fail me. I love and trust him.

Hunter sighed, watching his brother carefully. Blake had almost heard him just after his apparent 'death', the crimson thunder ranger was sure of it. But did that mean that his brother would be able to hear him? Hunter didn't even know why Blake had almost heard him. There must have been a specific factor involved when he had been trying. Something which had almost enabled him to reach through to his brother.

Hunter sighed, coming to a decision, and called Blake's name.

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Blake stood staring over the cliff, watching the waves crash against the shore. He felt tired, and his eyes were gritty. All he wanted to do was stay at home, curled up, and cry his eyes out because of his brother's death.

Instead, he was out at the Cavern of Lost Souls, chasing after a fool's errand just because Cam thought that there could be a chance that Hunter was still alive.

I'd know if Hunter was still alive, Blake told himself. We were always close, even before our parents were murdered by Lothor. All through our lives, Hunter's always been there for me... But I wasn't there when it really mattered.

"You ok?" Tori asked from behind the navy thunder ranger.

Blake started to snap at the blue wind ranger, then closed his eyes. Yelling at Tori wouldn't bring his brother back, and it would serve no purpose other than to alienate his girlfriend and hurt her feelings.

"No, I'm not," Blake mumbled. "Hunter's dead, and I couldn't even save him."

"You don't know that for sure," Tori told Blake, her tone insistent. She had to make him listen to her.

Blake just sighed, and stared at the sea again.

"Listen to me." Tori took Blake's arm and pulled him round, forcing the navy thunder ranger to look at her. "I know that you're feeling really frustrated and hurt, and so are we all. But if there is a way to bring Hunter back... Are you really going to refuse to help out?"

Blake regarded his girlfriend carefully for a few moments. Then, he slid his arms around the blue wind ranger, and held her tightly, burying his face in her hair, needing to be close to her at that moment. "I'm afraid to hope," he whispered. "I don't want to hope, and then have it snatched away again."

"But if you refuse to hope, then you're just going to be really miserable," Tori insisted. "The despair will eat at you inside."

"I guess you're right," Blake admitted. "But it's going to be hard to forgive Dustin for causing my brother's death... All right, spirit state."

"Well, it technically wasn't Dustin's fault," Tori answered. "Hunter made the decision to take the blaster shot for him... I see your point, though. But if Dustin is able to get Hunter back, will you forgive him?"

"I guess so," Blake sighed.

Blake.

The navy thunder ranger's head shot up at the voice that had just intruded on his awareness, and looked around in confusion.

Tori blinked. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Someone just called my name," Blake responded, looking around for the source. Shane was talking into his morpher, so it couldn't have been him.

"I didn't hear anything," Tori frowned.

Blake.

No way, the navy thunder ranger thought as, against everything he knew to be true, he allowed his eyes to track towards the entrance to the Cavern of Lost Souls.

There, defying all the known laws of life and death, stood Hunter, just inside the cave mouth. His eyes were fastened on his brother, and his lips were parted slightly, as though he had just spoken, which he obviously had. He was glowing with a soft white light, but, otherwise, looked fine.

Slowly, Blake raised his hand in a salute to the crimson thunder ranger.

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Dustin blinked as the world stopped swirling around him, but saw, immediately, that he wasn't in the place he was before. He was now in a forest similar to the one the secret entrance to NinjaOps was hidden in.

Alessa just sat washing herself. She was probably used to the continual changing of scenery in this world. She was, after all, a native to it.

"What do I do now?" Dustin asked the white cat.

Alessa looked up at the yellow wind ranger, and yawned. "Why ask me? These are your tests, after all."

Dustin frowned. He wondered, yet again, why Alessa had decided to come with him to help him in his tests. There had to be a reason other than the one she had given him... But what could it possibly be? It probably wouldn't do any good to ask her. The last time he had tried, she had refused to tell him.

Before Dustin could say anything, his ears caught the sound of rushing water - a stream. And, much fainter, a voice calling for help. A voice which the yellow wind ranger recognised as belonging to Shane.

Dustin scrambled to his feet, and hurried off in the direction of the sound of water, barely aware of Alessa coming with him, keeping close to his heels.

The red wind ranger was in a glittering stream, clinging to a rock almost in the middle. He was obviously getting dragged by the current, and Dustin could tell that he couldn't hold on for much longer. The red wind ranger was tiring.

"Hold on, Shane!" Dustin yelled. He looked at the stream, and saw that he probably wouldn't be able to reach his friend, even if he stretched out as far as he could. He would need something long, which wouldn't break very easily. Possibly a stick.

No sooner had that thought occurred to him, then Dustin felt a hand lightly touch his arm. "Here," a female voice said. "You can use this."

Dustin looked up into a grave, catlike face. For a moment, he stood frozen. Then, he lay on the ground, on his stomach, and stretched the stick out as far as he could. "Shane, grab on!" he yelled over the sound of the water. "I'll pull you to shore."

The red wind ranger grabbed the stick on the second try. Dustin nearly lost Shane when the stick was almost ripped out of his hands, but pale hands closed on the stick around his, and the yellow wind ranger hung on grimly as, inch by painful inch, he dragged the red wind ranger out of the water.

As soon as Shane was safely on the shore, Dustin looked around.

The girl was gone.

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Read and review, please!

I know... It's quite rushed, isn't it? Sorry. The final test (not the next one, but the one after) will probably be longer