Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Guess who's back in town? LOL. Yes, it's me, Froggie Lover, and I'm back with a new buttload of stories for you people to read! Plus, a few new chapters of the ones I've already put up! Great, huh? grins Anyway, thanks to some cool new muses, freaky dreams, and about half the season of Ninja Storm on tape, I've managed to come up with new stories and posters without any connection to the internet world besides occassional visits to my cousin's computer! Cool, right? Besides that, I would like to comment that I had no prior idea Hunter & Blake's last names were not Trejo. (I learned this not too long ago after a much-needed visit to Power Ranger Central.) So, since it is highly noticeable, I ask that you please excuse that minor error. Well, actually, it's not minor, but hey...Also, when I wrote this story, I had not seen the last parts of "Return of Thunder" so I had absolutely no clue as to how Hunter and Blake became Thunder Rangers, so that's wrong as well. Let's just say that this story is a, uh, different theory as to what happened in that case. hears muses chuckling in the background; looks at them What? Hey, you come up with something better! Good for nothing muses...It's not like they ever help me any...slowly turns back to reader Heh heh. Well, onto the disclaimer! (July 2004)
Disclaimer: I do not own a single character in this story except for three. Those would be Alexandra Jung, Nikko, and King Kutar of Chronite (he shows up later in the story.) Kutar is the older of the three characters, and has shown up in unpublished parts of my huge crossover story, Hidden History, and an unpublished Backstreet sci-fi fic. This is technically his official debut into my PR universe, so when you see him, celebrate! Or don't 'cause he plays an evil guy. shrugs Ah well. Read on, explorers!
Tall, Blonde, and Broody
by Froggie Lover
Chapter One: "The Storm"
Hunter Trejo fell back into a defensive stance after finishing his kata. His blonde hair stuck to his forehead with sweat from his workout. He walked over to a corner of the training room and grabbed a towel from his gym bag. He wiped away the sweat the covered his face and took a look around the room.
Hunter's adopted brother, Blake, was sparring with Shane Clarke on the mats. Tori Hanson and Dustin Brooks were practicing moves in another corner. Cameron Watanabe--more often called Cam--was practicing a kata as Hunter had been.
He shook his head and wiped down his toned arms and chest, which seemed to be doused in sweat. He threw on a burgundy shirt and headed out of the training room.
"Yo, Hunter, wait up!" called Shane's voice.
Hunter turned around to see Blake and Shane catching up with him. "What's up, guys?" he asked after they got closer.
"We're gonna go to the skate park later, wanna come? There's this huge competition going on, and Shane here thinks he can win it," Blake said.
Behind the calm facade, Hunter mentally rolled his eyes. He wasn't exactly into group outings, and this would certainly turn out to be a big one. "Nah. I think I'm going to go down to the track or something. I'm kind of wiped."
"Oh, come on, dude. It'll be fun," Shane pleaded. "Besides, skater chics are hot, and there's going to be tons of them there."
"Is that all you guys think about?" Tori called from across the room. "Skating, motocross, and girls?"
Blake grinned. "Hey, we think about kicking Lothor's butt too, ya know."
Tori rolled her eyes and continued running through moves with Dustin.
Shane turned back to Hunter. "So, are you in or what, man?"
"I think I'm gonna sit this one out," Hunter said. "I'm not really in the mood for loud, screaming skaters. Even if there are going to be hot chics there."
"All right, suit yourself, dude," Shane replied, walking back over to the training mats. Blake quickly followed him and they began sparring again.
Hunter sighed and continued out to the main room of Ninja Ops. He saw Sensei, who was stuck in the embodiment of a guinea pig, absorbed in a long scroll. He smirked a bit, recalling his first impression of Sensei. The idea that Sensei could have done such a murderous act like killing his adoptive parents was a silly notion now, but at the time it was all Hunter believed in.
He continued through the room and bounded up the curving stairway that led up to the real world. He left Ninja Ops and took the quickest path through the forest outside.
Blake and Hunter's van was parked at the edge of the woods near Shane, Tori, and Dustin's. Hunter left it there for Blake to use later, and walked back to Blue Bay Harbor. The unused plains turned into suburban neighborhoods, which soon became the downtown area of Blue Bay. He walked through the maze of streets to the apartment that he and Blake shared.
Once inside the rather dreary apartment, Hunter set his gym bag down by the dining room table and took a quick shower. After he was done, he went into his room and turned on the stereo; he let the CD player load, not caring what was in the tray. It turned out to be an alternative rock mix that seemed to be in heavy rotation in the player. Hunter shook his head and slipped into a pair of black jeans, then pulled on a gray long-sleeved shirt and put a burgundy tee-shirt with a silver dragon screen print over that.
As an electric guitar rift sounded from the stereo, Hunter sat down on his bed and fell back against the pillows. His mind swam with thoughts, so many that he wasn't sure what to think about and what to ignore. This happened to him quite often, it seemed. Whenever he had the slightest time to think, a million and one thoughts swarmed into his head like buzzing bees on a warm spring day. It was irksome, to say the least. So, he was constantly thinking, not conversing much with his teammates. Most of them called him anti-social or just plain old broody, but he didn't mind nor really heed it. He just kept thinking.
Today, his thoughts were focused on what Shane had said in the training room. Hunter would've gladly gone to the skating competition, had his mind not suddenly become overloaded with thoughts again. The idea of all the "chics" that would be there was quite enticing, but for some reason his mind decided to think instead of do.
He wandered off from the conversation and to the subject of women. Hunter had never actually had a girlfriend or even dated-Lothor had not given he and Blake any time for that. Though, he did fall in love-just once though. He never got the opportunity to tell the girl how he'd felt because he was in Lothor's service. Not only had he been afraid, but he had felt unworthy of her as well. She had seemed perfect in every which way. She was the only person at the Thunder Ninja Academy to ever beat Hunter in a match in their class.
For the first time in a while, Hunter shut off his thoughts. He didn't want to think of the way the situation had ended. It hurt still even to think about it. He sighed and stood up from the bed. He felt his arm twinge as it always had since his last day at the Thunder Ninja Academy. Silently he pulled on a pair of shoes and left the apartment.
Clouds were gathering in the sky, making only four o'clock seem like six. The wind was blowing slightly, but not enough to change the humidity or heat. They were short gusts of wind that barely moved the leaves on the trees. The street was relatively empty, with a few people walking down it here and there, each on their own way with their own business. Hunter walked towards the Sports Strip, a popular street in the center of Blue Bay for the sport fanatics that lived there. The streets became crowded but still nowhere near a pedestrian traffic jam.
When he reached the Sports Strip, he headed towards Storm Chargers Bike Shop, which was on the opposite end of the street from the Skate Park. He went into Storm Chargers and saw that Kelly, the owner of the shop, was bustling about the main room, fixing things up and straightening posters and displays.
She looked up and smiled. "Hey Hunter," she said. "Why aren't you at the skating competition with Shane and them? That's where Dustin is, if you're wondering. I gave him the rest of the day off."
"Actually, I wasn't wondering, but it's good to know," Hunter said while sitting down on a couch in the corner.
Kelly sat down on another couch and took a good look around the shop. "So, why are you here then? Asking for a job?"
Hunter laughed. "No. I was actually wondering if you had a spare bike that I could use temporarily. Blake has the van, and I don't feel like attempting the fray of screaming and cheering skaters right now."
"Oh, okay. You think you can sponge off of me just because you're a good rider," Kelly laughed. "But, really, yeah I have a couple spare bikes. They're probably not up to your high standards, oh Mighty One."
He shook his head. "Trust me, it doesn't matter. As long as it runs and won't die on me mid-track, I'm okay with it."
Kelly nodded. "All right. You can use the backup van to take it down to the track. And, please, please return it all in at least okay condition."
"Hey, I'm careful. I don't total bikes, unlike a certain employee of yours," Hunter said. He got up and followed Kelly into the storage room.
There were two spare bikes. One was a little older and kind of ratty, but the other was a little unstable at the helm, so Hunter picked the older one. As it turned out, it ran better anyway. He took the bike out to the spare van at the back of Storm Chargers, quickly thanked Kelly, and drove off to the motocross track.
The drive didn't take long, but the van was kind of rickety. Hunter felt thankful just to get to the track without the poor vehicle blowing up with him in it. He pulled the bike out and leaned it against the van. There was a spare gear set in a gym bag in the bag, and it seemed all right to use, so Hunter put it on and headed out onto the track.
He got some bad looks from some of the guys out there, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was ride. So, after about an hour of riding, countless runs around the track, and one almost-wreck, Hunter stopped and loaded the bike back in the van.
After taking off his helmet, Hunter noticed the temperature had dropped dramatically. The wind was almost fierce and had a terrible chill. He shivered for the first time since leaving the service of Lothor.
"Strange," he muttered. "It almost never gets cold in Blue Bay Harbor."
Dark clouds were gathering the sky. They were huge, low clouds. Ominous might be the better word. Hunter shook his head and put the gear back in the van, then drove back to Storm Chargers. Wordlessly, he gave the bike back to Kelly, and then walked home.
Blake still wasn't home when Hunter opened the door. He sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. For the next two hours or so he watched ESPN until his brother returned.
When Blake finally came back Tori was with him.
"Hey Hunter, have fun at the track?" Blake asked.
Hunter shrugged. "I guess. There's something very strange going on with the weather, though. Have you noticed it?"
"Yeah, you know what, I have," Tori said. "It suddenly got very cold, and those clouds don't look friendly."
Blake nodded. "You can tell they're not rain clouds, though. They're too low to the ground for that. Plus, rain clouds don't get that dark I don't think."
"All right…cold wind and dark clouds," Hunter concluded. "So, to me that sounds like snow. But snow in Blue Bay Harbor? That's not very possible."
Tori frowned. "It happened when Choobo created that island, remember? Blue Bay Harbor was freezing and had snow while we were on the island."
"That was different," Blake said. "Now, there's no sign of a monster, Lothor, or one of his goons. How are we to know that it's him?"
"Who else could it be?" Hunter replied. "It rarely snows in California. Besides, who else could use a snowstorm to their advantage like you know Lothor could?"
A grimace crossed Blake's face. "You're right, actually. We should ask Sensei about it."
"My thoughts exactly."
Hunter stood up and walked over to them. In a flash of crimson, navy, and blue light, the three disappeared from the apartment.
Dustin and Shane were already at Ninja Ops when in teleported Hunter, Blake, and Tori. Cam was at the computer hard at work.
"I take it you guys noticed the weird weather too," Hunter said, sitting down at the table in the center of the room.
Shane was pacing the width of the room. "Yeah. It's a wonder why you guys didn't get here sooner. You should've noticed it as you were leaving the Skate Park. Or track, as the case may be."
"Blake has to make a debate of everything," Tori laughed.
Even though Shane had asked the question, he took no heed of the answer. He continued pacing, muttering to himself and continually glancing at Cam.
Cam seemed under no pressure as he typed away at the computer. Hunter had always been amazed at how he could work under such conditions. Before Cam had become the Green Samurai Ranger, the other Rangers had incessantly demanded things of him during battle. Now, of course, Sensei was the one that got to push the big red button, even in his guinea pig form.
Dustin laughed. "Shane, dude, chill out. Everything's going to be okay once Cam finishes his computer work and finds out what Lothor's gone and done this time." He turned to Hunter. "So, Broody Guy, have you thought about our current situation, or do you just act like you're thinking so you don't have to listen to us?"
Hunter sighed, rolling his eyes. Dustin's statement was a perfect example of the misunderstanding that passed between the teammates. "I've been thinking about our current situation since I felt the wind chill after I was finishing up at the track. And, no, I don't use the thinking look as an excuse to tune you out."
Cam turned around in his chair, strangely smiling as if he had a joke on the tip of his tongue. Of course, he usually did. "But you'd like to if you could. Shane can be obnoxious at times. Dustin's even worse."
"Not to mention Blake," Hunter laughed. "He's more annoying than either of the two. Well, him put with Tori, that is."
Shane stopped pacing to smile. "Oh yeah. Tori and Blake, together, are way more annoying than either me or Dustin."
"Hey!" Tori exclaimed. She picked up a blue throw pillow and tossed it at Shane. She picked up a yellow one and threw it at Hunter. "I resent that!"
Blake threw a red pillow at his brother. "So do I!"
Sensei, who stood by the computer watching the fray, smiled. "All right, let's not get into a pillow fight. But, I can tell you that Blake's annoying as a lovesick puppy. Remember, I had to go to the movies with him."
Blake and Tori's faces turned a shade of red deeper than Hunter's shirt, as the others laughed mercilessly around them.
Suddenly, a loud beep sounded from Cam's computer. Sensei's face scrunched with worry as he read the screen. Cam immediately began typing furiously on the keyboard. The rest of the room was dead silent. The only sound in Ninja Ops was Cam's fingers hitting the keys.
After a long silence, Cam slowly turned back around. He rubbed his temples and glanced at each of his friends. "This isn't good."
"What isn't good? What's going on?" Shane asked anxiously.
Hunter frowned. He didn't like the sound of Cam's voice. It wasn't the kind of voice where he would find something bad, but know a way to fix it. It was the tone where something was really bad, but there was no immediate solution.
"We have Minnesota in Blue Bay Harbor in under three hours," Cam said flatly. He sighed and continued rubbing his temples to keep from going insane.
Dustin raised an eyebrow. "Minnesota, really? Are you sure? 'Cause, you know, it could be, like, Alaska-type stuff, dude."
Cam was quick to glare at Dustin. The latter immediately silenced.
"Has it really snowed that much since we left?" Hunter asked. He bit his lip.
"There's roughly a foot of snow on the ground right now, and it's still snowing," Cam replied. He shook his head.
"Damn!" Dustin, Shane, Blake, and Hunter exclaimed at once.
Sensei looked surprised to hear them all curse, especially at the same time. But, then again, the action was believable.
Tori shook her head. "The only question is what this leads back to. Who did this? Or what, even?"
"Can't say there's an easy answer to that, Tor," Cam said. "The only thing I can say about the source of the snow is that there's a bunch of heavy clouds hanging over the entire city, but no where else in the nearby area. It's weird."
Shane continued pacing. His mind was jumping into three million different directions, his thoughts going this way and that. It was hard to think. "Do you think…" he started, unsure of really what to say. "Do you think that Lothor might have anything do with this? I mean, I know, we're always quick to blame him, but who else is there?"
"Lothor's the only one who actually cares about our existence, so it's reasonable to believe that he's behind this," Cam replied. "And unless my father's got any more enemies up his sleeve, I don't think Lothor would or could do this."
Sensei quietly laughed. "Any other enemies I would've told you about already, Cameron. Besides, this could fit into Lothor's Master Plan. If, indeed, he had the ability to do such a thing."
Cam sighed. "I'll keep working to find the source of this thing, in the meantime, you guys should go home and see if you don't get stuck in the snow."
The other Rangers nodded and teleported out of Ninja Ops.
Later that day, Hunter was walking as best he could through Blue Bay Park. His sneakers were soaked which then caused his socks to be drenched, but still on he trekked. All he wore to keep himself warm was a black fleece pullover with burgundy trim. It wasn't much, but it was the best he could do with what he had. No Southern Californian was really prepared for snow. Especially if they had lived their entire lives in the state.
Regardless if he was prepared for it or not, Hunter continued walking through the snow. He needed time to think, and being around his friends always clouded the thought process, even during dead silence.
In the quiet calm of the park, Hunter's senses were sharpened. All he heard was the quiet crunch of snow beneath his sneakers and soft howl of wind whenever it picked up speed. Snow covered the trees around him, creating a large white blanket over the entire area. The only thing he felt was the cold tinge of melted snow on his feet and the glacial air around him.
He sat down on a bench, giving his tired feet a moment's rest. After clearing some of the snow off of it, he was more or less comfortable.
Suddenly, in the distance, he heard the sound of softly crunching snow. Footsteps! Something, or someone, was there with him. Or worse yet, following him. Hunter reached for his Thunder Morpher, prepared to fight for his life.
"Is that you, Trejo?" an icy voice asked. "It has to be. Only you'd be crazy enough to be out here during a snowstorm."
Hunter froze. He knew that voice. He hadn't heard it in years on end…No; it was impossible. He must've been imagining things. He had to be.
The footsteps came closer. "Oh yeah, definitely you, Trejo. Only you would be sitting out here in nothing but a pullover. I guess it must've been pretty cold on Lothor's ship, huh?" the voice said.
Slowly, he turned to see the face he almost dreaded to see. A cold grin was on her lips, and her black hair moved with the wind. "Alexandra," he muttered.
"Ah, you have a better memory than you're given credit for," she laughed. "Of course, I'm not one to be forgotten. You said it so yourself."
Alexandra Jung was the woman who stood in front of Hunter. She was the one who he fell in love with at the Thunder Ninja Academy. All of the memories of his last day at the academy came flooding back to him; all of them were unwelcome. He watched her for a long moment, not finding any words to say. She was an Asian woman, standing about five three, with a perfect complexion and midnight eyes. Her lips were full, and they always held a cold smile, never betraying any real emotion. She was so much like him, yet so different. She was unreachable by any mortal means, set apart from the rest of humanity. That's part of the reason that Hunter fell so hard for her.
"So, I see you've still got that staring problem," Alexandra said, waking Hunter from his reverie. She sat down next to him on the bench. "It figures you'd be out here, even in the snow. Thinking again, huh?"
Hunter nodded. He couldn't find any words to say. Seeing her was shock enough. Speaking to her would've killed him.
Alexandra laughed. "Oh come on, Trejo. I know you haven't lost your voice. Say something so I know that you're not dead from the cold."
He stumbled on the right words to say. Without thinking, he blurted out, "What are you doing here? Working for Lothor? 'Cause it's kind of funny that you show up not long after this whole crazy weather thing starts."
She sent a glare in his direction, then returned her gaze to the sky. "Well, when you talk, you say only what's important, eh Trejo?" She smiled ? a real smile ? slightly. "First off, I've been in Blue Bay Harbor for a while now, you've just been too busy to notice me. I've seen you on the Sports Strip, hanging out with Blake and some other kids. Second, there's no way in hell I would ever work for Lothor. I saw what it did to you two nutcases. I don't want to even begin to imagine what would happen to me if I worked for him."
Hunter felt a blush rise to his cheeks. The heat was a dire contrast with the bitter cold. "You'd think I would've noticed you in town by now."
"Eh, it's okay. You know me, Trejo. I like to stay away from the crowds," she replied, giving him a gentle nudge in the shoulder.
He involuntarily winced. A small wave of pain went from his shoulder to his upper arm, where the muscle was still tender, even after at least three years had passed. He didn't say anything about it. He wasn't sure what she would think. "So, what made you come to Blue Bay? There's not really anything interesting here."
Alexandra looked back at him, her grin in place. "Oh yes, there is."
Hunter looked confused. "What?"
"You." She grabbed both sides of his face and pulled his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. It sent a fire through his body despite the harsh chill. He whimpered slightly when she pulled away, letting go of him. Even though her touch was gone, the fire still coursed through his veins. He licked his lips, savoring the remnants of the kiss.
Alexandra stood up; the grin was replaced with another genuine smile. "See ya round, Trejo." And then, as quickly as she came, she was gone.
Hunter shook his head. None of it made sense. Then again, his life rarely made sense. He got up and started the long trek home.
Blake looked up from the TV as the door to the apartment opened. Tori shifted slightly in his arms, but didn't acknowledge the sound.
Hunter walked into the apartment. His clothes were soaked to the bone, but he didn't show any signs of being cold. His face was blank and paler than usual. Blake frowned. This wasn't good.
"Hey Hunter. What happened to you?" he asked.
His brother looked up, but didn't seem to recognize him. "I saw her," he said simply. He leaned against a wall and tried to control his breathing. Tears threatened to fall from his ice blue eyes, but he fought them as best he could.
Tori turned off the TV, and noticed Hunter. "Whoa, what car ran you over?"
"Not a car, a person," Blake muttered. "Alexandra."
"Who's she?" Tori asked. She sat up and glanced between Hunter and Blake.
Hunter looked at his brother's girlfriend. "That's a good question. You'd think that I would know the answer. But, ya know what, I don't. I guess I used to, but certainly not anymore. Oh no, not me, not Hunter Trejo, the brooding one of the group. Ask someone else."
Blake looked surprised. "I can't believe you saw her, dude. Are you sure that it wasn't a dream or something? You're prone to that, you know."
"If it was a dream, I wouldn't have come in the front door," Hunter said. He sighed, starting towards his room. He moved with great lethargy, almost as if he wanted to be somewhere else.
As he walked away, Tori looked at Blake. "Who is this Alexandra chic?"
Blake didn't seem happy to hear her name. "She was this girl that Hunter sort of fell in love with at the academy. He ended up getting his ass kicked for so much as trying to tell her how he felt, but I think he still loves her."
Tori grinned. "Hunter in love? Wow. There's something I'd pay money to see."
"Get your bills ready, 'cause you might see it soon."