Disclaimer: Don't own 'em. Sometimes I wish I did. I don't own Starbucks either. I wish I owned them everyday.
RESTLESS WARRIORS
By Etcetera Kit
Chapter Seven: Deep Within Us
Taylor slowly opened her eyes and tried to focus on her surroundings. She knew exactly where she was and why she was there. It was an instinct that the military had ground into her from her first day of boot camp to her last combat assignment. One had to be alert, even when sleeping. Therefore, the two little teenagers late night gossiping had woken her up and she had not been happy about it. Teenagers… hell, she wasn't even sure if Kira and Dustin still were teenagers, although they weren't more than a year or two past it.
Ninja Ops was still dark. She glanced at her watch and the glow-in-the-dark hands pointed to 6:30. That was normally when she got up to go running. She had to be at the base by eight to attend to paperwork and drill instructor training. Yes, she was training to be a drill instructor and it probably would not surprise any of the halfwits around here.
She crept out of her blankets in the semi-darkness, put on her t-shirt from last night and some running pants, folded up her blankets and was out of that room before anyone began to stir. That was another talent the military drove into her—how to be quiet when dressing and getting out of bed so that you did not wake up everyone around you.
Once outside of the school building, she looked around the grounds. There was lots of room here to run, so it wasn't necessary to find that portal again and head back into the woods. It made her wonder what the huge secret was about these ninja academies—secrets that forced them to cloak their schools and hide who they were from the world. She also wondered how people like Dustin got into these schools and others, like many of the newbies she drilled in the Air Force, didn't. She could think of much more qualified and disciplined people who would welcome the life that these ninjas led. How did they choose the people to come here?
Well, she would not have been chosen to come here, that was for sure. In fact, she didn't even think she matched up with their elemental method of sorting people. From what she had heard in limited conversations with Cam and Dustin, the element she matched up the most with was air, just because she had always wanted to fly. But that was the only thing. She didn't dream or want the breeze on her face. She just wanted to fly. It had been a childhood dream to get away from a chaotic family. Being amongst the clouds had always been the solution. She had never liked her crazy family that was stuck in a rut with their ways. There was a reason that she hadn't talked to them in years.
She fell into an easy stride near a practice field. It was empty this early in the morning, although it had been strategically placed to have the morning sun and the shadow of the mountain in the afternoon. Mist rose of the grass and lazy streams of fog encircled the mountain. It was a great location to have any sort of school. She passed a place littered with stone benches and a winding path. That had to be the gardens. She took a detour and entered the place, stepping onto the path. It was another whole world in here. Outside, the school reeked of discipline and honor. Here, there was a peaceful, meditative vibe that made one feel relaxed and calm. What was going on?
"You're up early."
Taylor swung around to find Cam entering the garden behind her. At least, she was pretty sure that this one was Cam. She had been introduced to all of the teachers and most of them had been rangers, but she still had some trouble keeping them apart. Yes, he was Cam—the Asian one whose father ran this place who actually had a brain. He was wearing loose black pants and shirt—the shirt trimmed in green—along with black flip-flops.
"Yeah," she replied. "Habit."
Cam nodded. "Join the club." He paused and gave her a scrutinizing look. "Do you always look so pensive when you go running?"
"No," she retorted. "I just have a lot on my mind."
"I'm sure you do." He folded his hands behind his back and strolled leisurely over to a group of lavender flowers near the entrance. "Lavender by the gate of a garden," he said softly. "For luck," he added looking up to her.
Great, she was surrounded by superstitious ninjas that believed flowers and herbs protected them from anything. "You actually believe that garbage," she muttered.
Cam looked nonplussed, probably from years of putting up with Dustin. "Do not underestimate the power and protection of ancient rituals and spirits," he intoned.
Taylor gave him a level stare. "I don't believe that flowers give luck."
He shrugged. "No one said that flowers give luck."
"You just did."
"Ninjas believe in honor and tradition," he replied simply. "We honor the old ways simply because they have existed for thousands of years. Time is a powerful thing."
All right, so he had a point. Her mind went back to what Trini had told her last night. She had to reach out to others while striking the balance between that connection and the desire to be free. She was also the sphinx. She recognized a picture of the thing, but had no idea what a sphinx did in mythology or why it was so important. How did it connect to her? Might as well ask Cam since he seemed determine to bother her.
"What's a sphinx?"
He raised an eyebrow. "A sphinx is a mythical creature. It generally looks like-"
"I know what it looks like," she interrupted. "What does it do?"
"It tells riddles," he explained. "People who come across a sphinx have to answer the riddle correctly or perish where they stand. Sphinxes usually have the face of a beautiful woman, but can become fierce killers in the blink of an eye."
That told her more than she did know, but it didn't explain how that creature related to her. It was hopeless trying to talk to Cam. He didn't know what had happened at that fire and there was no way he could tell her anything about what it meant. He didn't know her. None of these people did. A sudden sense of loneliness settled over her. She would have given anything to have someone around who knew her halfway decently. Alyssa, Cole, Danny… hell, even Max or Merrick would be better than no one. She'd even take Eric if that was her only option.
Eric… God, she wished she knew what their relationship was. Off and on bedmates seemed to be the answer. They had dinner once in a while, tended to have sex a little more often, talked about work and that was it. They weren't dating, but they couldn't claim to be nothing more than friends. Why was she thinking about this? He drove her nuts! Eric was the one person that could make her angry enough to hit him. Then again, he was also the only person whose kisses made her feel like agreeing to anything. Goddamn him and this whole yellow ranger mission and those damn ancient ninjas who wrote that damn scroll… damn, damn, damn…
Cam was giving her a strange look. Taylor inwardly seethed that he had been watching her internal war. "Do you bring new students here to sort them?" she asked, as a random question to get the focus off of her.
"No," he replied. "There is no major source of water here."
"I was thinking," she started. "I don't really fit into any of the categories here. I guess that's why I never found this place and became a student." Great. Now she was babbling incoherently to Cam, who would probably tell Dustin she was crazy and he would pass it on to the others and the leadership thing Trini had told her about would be out the window before anyone could say 'frying pan.' Frying pan? Huh? Now she was going crazy.
"You don't," Cam agreed. "But that's because you're a samurai."
With that, he walked out of the garden and Taylor was left staring after him, wondering just what he meant by that.
Kelsey tried to stifle a yawn as she sat down at the breakfast table. Cam had come down there at some point, woken everyone up and claimed that breakfast was ready upstairs. She was wearing her clothing from the day before, not having planned on staying the night. Kira was in the same boat. Taylor had fresh clothes just because she already had to pack to get here in the first place. Dustin was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Maya for that matter.
Well, Dustin was probably still asleep and Maya had probably already eaten and was outside doing God only knows what. This was going to be interesting if nothing else. She smiled at Kira who nodded back. Taylor seemed to be ignoring the world, so she just sat down at the table and began to serve herself.
Last night had been one of the oddest experiences she had yet. Trini's words to her came floating back clearly. Guilt and shame do not belong in your wardrobe of feelings… wear pride, self-respect and love. Pitch 'should've', 'could've', 'would've' and 'what if only'. It made her wonder what she felt guilty about, what she regretted so much that Trini needed to tell her of it. Her animal spirit made even less sense. She didn't really see how she connected with the Pegasus at all. Perhaps it was one of those things that would be made clear in time.
And what did she need to do when she got back to Mariner Bay? Get all her camping gear together and call the park to get them a camp site. And just who in the world was going to pay for all this? She wasn't exactly rolling in extra money and would have even less saved up when she told her boss she had to use all the vacation time she had. Maya definitely did not have a lot of money. Kira and Dustin were both starving college students. And she didn't imagine Taylor was rolling in money, even after a life in the military.
Cam walked into the room, closely followed by his father. Kelsey stared at him. Had he changed clothes since he came to wake them? She hadn't been that long in getting out of bed. He was just wearing street clothes now, although jeans and a green t-shirt seemed a little odd on him. Kanoi smiled and bowed to all of them.
"Where is Dustin?" Kanoi asked.
"Probably still asleep," Taylor muttered as she stabbed at her scrambled eggs savagely.
"She probably right," Cam said oblivious to the edge in Taylor's voice. "I'll go find him," he volunteered and disappeared out of the dining room.
"Breakfast?" Kira asked the remaining ninja.
"Thank you, no," Kanoi replied. "I have already dined." He paused. "I had told you that the Wind Ninja Academy would offer any resources it had to in order to help with your mission. We intend to honor that promise."
The three women turned to him in interest. Kelsey wondered what he was getting at—it would be ironic if he offered them the money they needed to finance this trip.
"In that light, the academy will fund food and supplies you will need while away." He paused. "There is a school credit card that all the teachers can use. I will have Cam give Dustin a copy and any charges will be billed directly to the academy." He paused, his eyes twinkling. "And I shall know if you put extraneous charges on it."
Kelsey smiled. Kira nodded in approval. Taylor didn't reply—her features just clouded. Kelsey imagined that she didn't feel Dustin was responsible enough to hold something like that and keep it safe. Of course, all of them were having some trouble dealing with this—it was kind of sudden. However, if there was one thing she had learned from being a ranger, it was that life had a funny way of handing you just what you needed at that moment in time. Being a ranger had been about so much more that herself… it was time that all of them relearned that lesson.
Dustin appeared in the room, dragging himself to the table. He was wearing a simple kimono, similar to what Cam had on yesterday, only it was trimmed in yellow rather than green. He also looked like the living dead. She and Kira exchanged a glance. Was this how he normally acted in the morning? She'd be willing to put bets on it.
"Good morning, Dustin," Kanoi greeted him and quickly relayed what he had told them. Dustin nodded, bleary eyed.
"What's wrong?" she whispered to him as he sat down next to her.
"I just talked to Kelly, man," he replied, his voice hoarse. "She's not happy that I have to take off for an undetermined length of time." He paused at her blank look. "She's my boss at Storm Chargers, the place where I work. I might not have a job there when this is over."
"But you'll still have a job here?"
"Yeah, but it's not enough. I was saving up money to go to college, but if I lose my job at Storm Chargers then I'm screwed." He stopped suddenly and just stared at the plates of food like they were something foreign.
Kelsey just laid a reassuring hand on his arm. All of them would be in that boat before the day was up.
Dustin slowly folded a pair of pajama pants and stuffed them into his duffel bag. This packing thing was taking more deliberation than he had originally thought. He wasn't sure what he would need or even how long they would be there. He was already uneasy since the camping trip tables had turned on him. When he would go camping with the others during their ranger days or even just with Shane and Tori, he was not the one in his own tent. That had always been Tori and she didn't seem to mind the isolation. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of being in the woods in a tent by himself with all those spooky noises.
He was just glad that Sensei had been so understanding about his taking off like this. He supposed that it had to do with the fact that he was a ninja and the ninjas wrote that scroll of destiny. He at least had a job there when he got back. Storm Chargers was another story. Kelly really couldn't afford to let him take off for who knows how long. She needed the help. Now that he thought about it, he realized what must have bugged her most was how vague he had been and how he had no answers. She had not exactly fired him, but she had not exactly told him his job would still be available when he got back. He supposed that was better than nothing, but it didn't help his financial situation any.
He had moved out of his parents' house, since they refused to support him if he wasn't going to college. He just wasn't ready for college yet. So he had gotten a rather dingy apartment in a part of Blue Bay Harbor that was approaching 'other side of the railroad tracks.' He worked at Storm Chargers, the academy and raced on the weekends, hoping to supplement his income with winnings. It was not a good situation. But still, he had a small nest egg in a savings account, paid his rent and utilities on time and had corrected his punctuality problem so he showed up to work on time and reduced his risk of being fired. He had improved, but not enough to take a set back like this.
Looking around his bedroom and shuffling through the contents of his duffel bag, he tried to think of anything else he would need. Depending on how long this took, more deodorant, but he wasn't going to worry about that until he needed to. His eyes flicked to the top drawer of his dresser. That was where he kept his morpher. Hayley had examined their morphers and told them that Lothor's energy drain left enough power for one last battle. In other words, the morphers were dead. He went to the drawer anyways and lifted his morpher out. It was stupid and hopeless, but he liked to believe that just maybe it still had power. He stuffed it into the bottom of his duffel bag, for luck if nothing else.
He went out into the small kitchen-dining room of the apartment. On the table was the envelope with the month's rent money and utility checks. His landlord was a retired lady in her sixties who took the rent on the first Monday of the month. He also had checks for the utilities. Everything else was directly taken from his checking account. If he had no extra expenses this month (like car repairs) then he had enough in his checking account to cover it. Beyond this month, he was screwed.
Picking up his duffel bag and a bundle of sleeping bags, he turned out all the lights in the apartment, pocketed the envelope and locked up the place. He headed to the parking lot and began to load the stuff in his car before he went to find Mrs. Devine and give her the money. He was just lucky she liked him.
"Dustin!"
He turned from where he had been dumping sleeping bags into the back seat of his car to see Tori jumping out of her van and running towards him. A smile broke over his face as he recalled his conversation with Kira last night.
"Hey, Tori!" he replied.
"So you guys are going camping?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and trying to hide her smile.
"Yeah," he said, running a hand through his hair. "It seemed like the best idea."
"How do you feel about all this?"
It was such a simple question—one he did not have an answer for. He didn't know how he felt about this, since almost all of the decisions had been out of his hands. And then there was that scroll of destiny. Ever since he had been the scroll of destiny that proclaimed he and Shane and Tori would be Power Rangers, he had learned not to doubt the ancient ninjas.
He believed in destiny, but he did not believe one had to follow that path. This path seemed different however. It was like someone begging him to stop the world from coming to utter destruction. The fate of the Earth had been put into his hands once more and he had no idea what they were going to do. Did any of them have the faintest idea on where to start looking for this or how to stop it? They needed to know just what these demons were planning to do. He knew they wanted to destroy the gates between the realms, but how were they going to accomplish that?
"I don't know," he finally told Tori. "I don't have much choice though."
"There's always a choice," she said softly.
Dustin sighed. He was not crazy about this mission—believe it or not, he actually had things that might have taken precedence over it. But, he felt strongly that he was needed for this, no matter how strange his role might be. He settled his gaze on Tori. For the first time, he fully appreciated how attractive she was. She wasn't pretty in the conventional sense, but once one got to know her, one began to appreciate the way she looked. Her blonde hair always looked so soft and silky and her blue eyes always sparkled with laughter and radiated outward her inner light. Light freckles dotted her nose… she was pretty. He had known her practically his entire life and had not paid much attention to her when girls became more than cooties and mud pie targets on the playground.
"Tori, how long have you known me?"
She gave him a questioning look. "Since third grade."
"Then trust me on this."
"But Dustin, your job, your life… you could lose everything!"
"I know. I've thought about all this and, if I can be back before the end of the month, then I might be all right."
"You might be all right? Waldo Dustin Brooks-"
"Victoria Elizabeth Hanson," he retorted, cutting her off. "I know that you and Shane don't like to think so, but I have grown up and I can take care of myself without you two telling me what I need to do!" He hated it when they assumed that he was nothing more that a goof and a doofus and an airhead and a flake… and he wasn't even sure what other words they used to describe him. Hadn't he tried in the last two and a half years since they had been rangers to put his life together and try to make something of himself?
"I'm sorry," Tori whispered, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I didn't mean that you haven't thought this through." She stepped closer to him, closing the distance between them. He could smell that body splash she used—he had been sprayed with it enough times. "Just be careful. And if you ever need a place to crash, you know where I live."
Her hands went up to his face, her fingers stroking his jaw. He felt confused. What was Tori doing? Not that he didn't enjoy it, but wasn't she dating Blake? Without warning, she pressed her lips to his. He was startled for a moment, but soon relaxed and took over the kiss. Her hands fell to his shoulders, as he wrapped one arm around her waist and cradled her face with his other hand. Heat and electricity ran through him. Granted, the number of girlfriends he had had could be counted on one hand, but there was something here he had never felt before. He probed her sealed lips with his tongue, causing her to open her mouth as he finally explored the mouth that he had dreamt of for so long. She tasted good. There were remnants of a Jolly Rancher and flavored water, but there was something else there that could only be defined as Tori. He wanted to surrender to the aching heat that enveloped him. She finally broke the kiss gently.
"Be careful," she repeated and backed away from him, going back to her van and leaving without another word.
Now he was more confused than ever, but tried to put it on the back burner as he threw his duffel bag into the car and went to find Mrs. Devine. Him and Tori? Would that relationship ever work out? He didn't know.To Be Continued...
Author's Note: Thanks for all the great reviews guys! I'm not going to do reviewer responses for this chapter-- much boring reading to get done for class in a relatively short amount of time. (I should really turn on the e-mail review things, huh? I could just reply in e-mail and it would make things so much easier, but I persist in doing things the hard way. Oh well.) But once more, thanks for all the awesome comments! --EK
