Disclaimer: Still don't own 'em. Although it'd be kind of cool to own 'em... not sure what I'd do with 'em...

RESTLESS WARRIORS

By Etcetera Kit

Chapter Eight: Hidden Love

Kira stood in the center of her apartment, trying to determine if she had forgotten anything or if there was something else she needed to do. She had gone over to Hayley's earlier that day and explained where she was going and why. Hayley, after hearing who was asking them to do this and the bare bones story, immediately gave her time off, assuring her that she would have her job back when the mission was over. Upon arriving back at her apartment, she had rounded up whatever camping gear she had—not much—and threw together a small duffel bag of things, after calling a classmate to get the notes for her while she was away.

There was not anything else she could think of to do or people she needed to call. Well, she really should have called Doctor O, Conner and Ethan… but Hayley would probably pass the message on to them, since Conner and Ethan always hung out at the café when they were in town. And Trent… well, she didn't really care if Trent knew or not. It wasn't like he kept in particularly good contact with them anyways. Dr. Mercer and Elsa were still around and she saw them sometimes, but… she strongly suspected that Trent's suddenly departure for another state had to do with the fact that his father and Elsa had gotten married. But he hadn't had to be so abrupt and rude about things.

She smiled to herself thinking about Conner and Ethan. Those two had become closer to her than she had ever thought possible. When becoming rangers, the three of them were about as different as possible and even throughout their time as rangers, they tended to stay with their own group of friends, spending time together only at the cybercafé. But now, when miles separated them and not just personal preferences, they called each other more often, made weekend trips to visit, wanted all the news from the others. She now viewed them as her lovable surrogate older brothers. Both of them were extremely protective of her and there were times that it drove her crazy, but in the end, they always came through when it really counted. It was now hard to imagine life without them.

The phone rang. Frowning, she went over to the phone in the kitchen and glanced at the caller ID. Groaning, she picked up the phone.

"What Conner?" she growled.

"Hey Kira!" he said cheerfully, ignoring her tone. "I need help with my math problems."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm heading out the door. Call Ethan."

"I tried, but he wasn't picking up. I think he's out with Angela, if you know what I mean."

She did know what Conner meant, that was the sad part. His voyeuristic mind surfaced almost all the time. Perhaps that was part of the reason he and Krista had not stayed together once they left for college. "Look, Conner, I want to help you, but I can't right now. I'm really in a hurry." She tried to emphasis 'in a hurry' so he'd get the point.

There was silence on the other line. "What's up?" he asked. Then, "Are you trying to get rid of me? I came to see you at the cybercafé!"

"You always come to see me at the café! And do not pull that whiney helpless little boy thing on me right now! I have to go and I am not in the mood for it."

"No, Kira, seriously, what's going on? Don't hang up!"

His voice sounded so hurt and pleading that she didn't hang up the phone like she was going to. Of course, all the times she hung up on him, he called back two minutes later and gave rambling apologies into the answering machine until she caved and picked up the phone. "I have to go out of town for a few days."

"You have a gig?"

"No. Look, me and some of the other yellow rangers have a mission things that we need to go on. Dustin showed us a scroll of destiny that mapped out what was going to happen."

"What's a scroll of destiny?"

"A scroll that the ninjas wrote thousands of years ago predicting stuff." She paused. "You do remember when we met the ninja rangers?"

"Of course! Wow," Conner stated. "Who all is going?"

She smiled, knowing that he at least remembered who all the previous rangers were. They had watched the archives a lot in high school for pure entertainment value. "Maya and Kelsey Winslow, Taylor Earhardt and Dustin Brooks."

"Watch out for Dustin," Conner said in a serious tone. "I don't want to see you have another nasty breakup."

If it had been anyone other than Conner, Kira would have been appalled. But since it was Conner and he normally said the first thing that came to mind, it was excusable. "Conner!" she said in a warning tone of voice.

"Hey, I've talked to the guy. He's something straight out of 'Dude, Where's My Car?'"

Kira rolled her eyes. "I'll be careful. If I need help, I'll come screaming for you." She didn't add that she thought Dustin acted exactly like Conner—the only difference was the sports that they preferred. "And besides, I don't think I'm the one that he's having impure thoughts about."

"You better," Conner replied fervently. "Besides, nothing can happen to you. You still owe me a slot-car race." There was a pause. "Who do you think he likes anyways?"

"Like I know. I'm not his psychologist." She silently cursed the day she let Conner and Ethan slot-car race on her computer. It had only led to ongoing slot-car race wars and contests that always ended up with 'the best two out of three' and escalating from there. "I will owe you a slot-car race everyday for the rest of my life if you and Ethan keep it up," she snapped.

"Aw, come on! We're not that bad," he protested.

"Yes you are." She paused. "But I really need to get going, Conner. I'm supposed to be in Mariner Bay at noon and I'm already late. Call Ethan later and get him to help you with the math homework."

"All right," he said softly. "Be careful."

"I will," she promised, knowing that on some strange level, Conner really did care about her. In fact, he would probably do anything she asked him to within reason.

"Bye, Kira."

"Bye, Conner."

She put the phone back in its cradle and picked up her duffel bag and purse. She thought briefly to the scholarship she had been offered to NYU where she could have majored in music. It would have been enough in and of itself to launch her career. But no… she had stayed in California and Reefside even and gone to community college because Trent had wanted her to. Trent had wanted her to be close to him… Goddammit! She kicked at the leg of the kitchen table and left her apartment, heading for her car.

Trini had better be right about this living noble dreams stuff.


Taylor sighed as she steered her rental car into the parking lot of the military base in Berkley. She could have just called Zumwalt and Baker on her cell phone and been done with the whole thing, but she didn't know what paperwork she needed to fill out or even if she would be able to stay in the military after this. Her one-year hiatus for no apparent reason had put a shadow over her remaining military career. Never mind the fact that she had been a Power Ranger for that year and saving the world from orgs and pollution. She had left active duty and stayed in the inactive reserves for that year, but no one had expected her to come back.

Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car and walked into the base. One of the privates was hanging around the lobby. She assumed he was the clerk assigned to help her, after she had called the base to let them know she would be coming. He saluted smartly.

"Captain Earhardt," he said. "Private Davis."

She saluted back and nodded at him. "Davis."

"If you'll follow me, I have all the paperwork waiting for you."

If this was resignation papers or discharge papers, she was going to be seriously pissed, since she hadn't talked to Baker or Zumwalt yet. She followed him down a hallway and into a conference room that probably saw a lot of the drill instructors comparing notes on the newest cadets. To her surprise, Ginger Baker was sitting at the conference table. Generally, she liked Baker—she was levelheaded and fair, something that most leaders with power were not. However, she was in business mode and that was not good.

Baker looked up at her and motioned for her to sit down, skipping the normal formalities. This was not a good sign either. "Earhardt," she started. "Davis here informs me that you have to take a leave of absence for an undetermined length of time."

Taylor nodded. "That's right." She didn't bother to wonder what Baker was doing here at all, since she could have come in on one of a dozen flights yesterday or piloted herself over here, since she did have a plane. She probably had other business and someone knew she was Taylor's superior officer and had informed her of her impending arrival.

"Earhardt," Baker said with a sigh, leaning forward on the table. "We let you join the inactive reserves for a year when you still had not completed your service time." She paused. "It's not entirely comforting to have an officer around who randomly disappears for undetermined lengths of time."

"Yes," Taylor replied, knowing where this was headed.

"I need reliable officers," Baker continued. "You have a responsibility to your county and your fellow soldiers, especially those that are directly under your command."

"I know."

Baker leaned back in her chair. "I know you've heard this before. I would like a solid reason for your leave of absence this time. I don't want to hear about you taking care of a grandmother who doesn't exist."

Taylor inwardly paused and tried not to wince. She should have known that Baker, if not Zumwalt would start asking these questions. "I don't have a solid reason." Baker opened her mouth to speak, but Taylor continued quickly. "It's not that I don't want to tell you. It's just that it's kind of personal and you probably would not believe me."

"Earhardt, if we don't have a good reason for this leave of absence, then we will be forced to end your service time early and it would come up as a dishonorable discharge." Baker paused and shook her head. "I don't want that to happen to someone like you, who actually knows what she's doing and who could do well around here."

She froze. There was no way she could tell Baker what she'd been up to—a secret ninja academy with a scroll of destiny along with her talking to a dead person and being put in charge of a slightly ridiculous mission with three bright bubbly women and one airhead of a man? Baker was a firm skeptic—like she had been this time two days ago. She would not believe that and she certainly would not believe she had been a Power Ranger for that year of absence. Baker would just not believe her if she told the truth.

"I can't," she replied, trying to make her voice firm and steady, but failing. Her voice came out as nothing more than a whisper and it shook.

Baker sighed and shook her head. "Then I have no choice but to discharge you." She pushed forward a stack of papers. "Sign here," she said, pointing to a line with her pen.

Taylor tried not to shake as she signed the papers, knowing she was sealing her fate. It would be difficult for her to get a job after this—people would look it up and realize why she left the military. What was she going to do for a job now? She wasn't even sure that she had the money to keep going for the rest of the month. Who was she going to be able to turn to now?

"Goodbye, Captain," Baker said softly, saluting.

Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she saluted back and left the room as quickly as she could without running. God, why did she have to listen to Maya and get involved in this in the first place? Then she realized, before she had been a ranger, she would have ignored that letter completely. Hanging around with people like Cole and Princess Shayla and even Merrick had taught her to not always follow the smoothest course.

Out in the parking lot, she slumped against her rental car. This was great. She needed to find a computer with internet and check her bank account, she needed to call someone… but who? Suddenly, a name came floating to her like a godsend—Eric. She needed to call Eric. He would know what to do about this. He had been in the Marines. She might be in the Air Force, was in the Air Force, but Eric would know what to do.

Fumbling around her purse, she pulled out her cell phone and turned it on. There were two new voice mail messages. Well, she might as well listen to those since she had no job and currently was going nowhere except the funny farm. The first message was from Cole, wanting to know what was going on and why she wanted to know about those other rangers. The second message sent her tumbling into a whirl of emotions.

"Hey, Taylor—it's Eric. I know we haven't talked in a while, but the Silver Guardians need a new squad leader and I was wondering if you wanted the job. We interviewed a couple of dumb-asses… I know that you still have a service term to complete, but I'd be willing to hold the job until that was complete… I just want someone who knows what they're doing in that job… Just call me back when you get this. I'll talk to you soon."

She didn't know whether to cry or start screaming. A strangled noise came out of the back of her throat and she hit the speed dial for Eric at work. Why she had his work number on her phone and in speed dial still escaped her. Could she work with him? Hell, she'd put up with anything at this point in time to know she had a job.

"Myers," came his familiar voice over the phone.

"It's Taylor," she said quickly. "Um… can I have the job right away?"


Kelsey gave Maya a sidelong look as she pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex in Mariner Bay. She had been quiet the whole time they had been driving to Mariner Bay—just staring at the dashboard of the car. Kelsey wanted to know what was so interesting about it. Sure, the car was dirty and needed a bath and the last time Joel had seen the car he had written 'test dirt, do not wash' in the dirt on the side, but it wasn't that bad. It probably had nothing to do with the dirty car and more about what happened last night around that fire. She had to admit, it had her puzzled too.

For her, the Pegasus had always represented flight and reaching for the stars. She had never been one to want to fly. Almost all kids went through a phase where they wanted to fly. She had skipped that phase and gone straight to wanting a pony. Maybe that's where it came in—it was releasing part of her inner child. Well, flying horses always seemed like they were ready for a fight, ready for a challenge. She did like challenges and liked proving people wrong. That was part of the reason she ended up doing extreme sports—not skateboarding or surfing, but mountain-climbing and skiing and marathons and triathlons and things of that ilk. Of course, in the long run, it had her working at a rock gym with no other real job prospects, but she was content. It worked for her.

It also made her wonder what the others' animal spirits had been. For some reason, she was sure that Maya already knew. But still… it made her wonder if the others' animal spirits had made as little sense as hers had.

Oh well, she got out of the car and Maya followed her up to her apartment. The apartment was in a state of organized chaos. She also had several phone messages. Dropping her bag on the counter, she pressed the play button as she told Maya to make herself at home. The first one was from Ryan, asking her if she wanted to come bowling with him, Dana and Carter that weekend. The next three were from various people on Mirinoi—Kendrix, sounding frantic and wanting to know if Maya was all right, Kai, with the same sentiment as Kendrix and Leo and Mike, alternating between who got the phone and got to yell. That last message also sounded like someone else was in the background, adding things to say. This was something—it was not cheap to call interplanetary. Normally, people sent wires.

She turned to Maya. The Galaxy Ranger looked guilty, her cheeks pink. "Did you not contact them when you got here?" she asked.

Maya shook her head. "I didn't have enough money to," she said in a small voice.

Kelsey stared at her in disbelief. She had come to Earth with barely enough money to get her here and had spent it all. She thought for a moment. She had called her on a pay phone, probably costing more than necessary. She had also sent Taylor a same-day letter—which was not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. Where had she slept the first two nights she had been on Earth? She fought the urge to start a lecture.

"Why didn't you ask Kendrix or Mike or someone to loan you the money?" she asked instead. Maya looked even more uncomfortable.

"I had enough to get me here and to Blue Bay Harbor," she said defensively. "I hadn't planned on some of the other expenses. Besides, if I had told the others that I didn't think I had enough money, they would have fussed and delayed me getting her and insisted on coming!" she ended, almost wailing.

"Why didn't you want them to come?" Kelsey was confused. If she had been on another planet and Carter or Dana or one of the others volunteered to go with her to another planet, she would have been only too happy to have them accompany her.

Maya sank down onto the couch. "It's complicated. I knew that this had been assigned to the yellow rangers. I didn't want them to worry about me." She paused. "I've been through worse. I just didn't know enough about this to know if I wanted them involved."

Kelsey nodded. "All right. We've got some time before the others get here. We can go down to the NASADA building and you can call them." Messages from other planets had to be sent from a special location, but could be received on any normal phone. "I'll take care of it," she added.

"I can't let you do that."

"Maya! Listen to their messages again. They're worried about you—especially that Mike fellow." And it was true. Kelsey had never personally met Mike, but she had heard about him and knew who he was. The man had sounded frantic on the message and had obviously not wanted to give the phone to his younger brother, Leo.

Maya smiled ruefully. "He worries a lot."

"Is he… special to you?" Kelsey asked, searching for a delicate way to phrase the question. Maya's smile grew wider and goofier.

"In a way," she answered evasively.

"What kind of an answer is that?" she cried in response. This was the exact kind of conversation she would have had with Dana. The Pink Lightspeed Ranger had always had a way of answering questions that seemed evasive to her, but obvious to anyone else. Kelsey had always been amused at the obvious crush she had on Carter, while he remained oblivious to anything. Men… it had taken her a while to admit that she liked Ryan, but all he wanted was friendship. That would be a strange family, if she and Ryan were together and Dana and Carter were together. That would make her and Carter something like in-laws since Ryan and Dana were siblings.

"Mike has his own world and I have mine." Maya shrugged. "It can't really be reconciled." She paused. "People always said that Leo and I would have made a cute couple, but his heart belongs to Kendrix."

Kelsey shook her head, fighting a smile. "Look, let's get the camping gear loaded up and then we can buzz down to the NASADA building before the others get here."

She quickly packed her things and pulled her camping gear out of the hall closet. She really did have a lot of that kind of junk—hazard of wanting to go mountain-climbing on the weekends. Soon enough, the car was packed and they were heading towards a part of town that housed places like Lightspeed and NASADA.

"If you had one month to live, what would you do?"

Kelsey almost started at the question. What kind of a question was that? "I don't know," she replied. "Climb Mount Everest?"

Maya shook her head. "I mean really. What would you do?"

"I can't really say. I guess it would have to happen before I decided."

"I'd tell Mike how I really felt."

She fell silent after that. Kelsey didn't know what to make of the question or what Maya had said she would do. Did that mean she didn't like Mike or she did? Not that Kelsey could make a judgment call since she didn't know Mike. From what she could glean, he seemed a lot more responsible and organized than his younger brother.

Oh well, she still had to figure out what she felt guilty about.

To Be Continued...


Author's Note: Ever had that feeling that you've been writing too much BS for class and you need to wash your brain out by writing something purely recreational? If you have, I empathize. At any rate, I've finally turned on the review e-mail alerts! So, this shall be the last reviewer responses I shall do for this story. I will respond to all of you via e-mail from now on. Yah! --EK (These are responses for people who reviewed chapter 7 and everyone gets a smiley!)

Aria Fox- I'm not sure how I feel about Tori/Dustin either. :) I will say that this story is far from over and that initial appearances may be deceiving. I'm more of a Cam/Tori fan myself, but Dustin is in this story... lol. I can't tell you if Eric will make an appearance in this story-- that would spoil things to come. I'm glad that you're enjoying the story and thanks for your kind words!

Funky In Fishnet- Astonishing, eh? :) I'm glad you liked (?) some of the most recent developments. As I have said before, this fic is far from over and things are not always as they seem.

miz greenleaf- If you catch anymore typo-s, drop me an e-mail and let me know whereabouts in the chapter it 'tis so I can fix it. That would be awesome. Thanks for your kind words-- I'm glad you like the story. The yellow rangers are my faves too-- and this is such an explosive dynamic that I couldn't resist writing it. :)

Warstock-Leonhart- Thanks! I'm glad that you're back to read yet another one of my literary endeavors. Thanks for your kind words-- and the plug for e-mail alerts. :)

Weesta- Kelsey isn't too key right now, but I promise, she'll get her development and come in full force in coming chapters! :) And as to Tori/Dustin... I've been getting that a lot. :) I'm glad you like the realistic spin on things. (It just wouldn't make any sense for working people to take off and not worry about their jobs!) But thanks for all your kind words!

To EVERYONE- I'm glad that people appreciate the tidbit about Taylor being a samurai. I've been on a ninja classification tear recently (due to a ficlet I wrote on the subject... more indirectly on the subject...) and how that classification works. To me, Taylor is much more of a samurai than Thunder or any of the other elements. (For the full dissertation on that, e-mail me!)