Author's Note: HA! Guess what?! I made it to the second chapter! Whoo-hoo! [does a weird dance] Ahem. Anyway, this chapter is the official PR debut of King Kutar of Chronite! Everyone, give him a warm welcome! [crickets can be heard chirping in the background] Okay, okay, I get it. You only cheer on the heroes...Have fun, guys. I happen to be very proud of this chapter, and I hope you guys like it too.

Disclaimer: See Chapter One for the disclaimer fun! Heh, it rhymes, see? Heh heh. [stares] Nevermind.

Tall, Blonde, and Broody
by Froggie Lover

Chapter Two: "All the More Broody"

"He's been doing this all week," Cam muttered. He looked at Sensei. "Father, can't you make him just go home? I've got work to do, and he's a distraction."

Sensei smiled. "It is good to see that Hunter is enthusiastic about his training. Let him continue, Cameron."

Across the room, Hunter was running through yet another kata. His mind was somewhere else, but at least he was doing something other than sitting around. For almost two weeks, he had been practically hiding out in Ninja Ops, never walking above ground. The only time he left was by teleporting to and from his apartment. If nothing else, he was avoiding another chance meeting with Alexandra.

The other Rangers had their concerns, but for the most part didn't bother him. Training a lot wasn't a bad thing, though it was starting to get the point where it wasn't good, either.

As Hunter finished his kata, Cam looked over, a frown across his face. Hunter started into another routine. Cam sighed and stood up from his seat. He walked over to Hunter and grabbed his arm to stop him from continuing.

"Go home, Hunter," he said. "You need to do something other than train. Be normal, if just for this once. I need to keep my sanity."

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "What does your sanity have to do with my training?"

Cam again sighed. "Think about it. I can't concentrate with you training. And when I can't concentrate, I lose my sanity. So, yes, go home and do something other than train. Sit down and think a while; that's what you normally do."

"Fine, I'll go home. But don't expect me to do anything else," Hunter said, gathering his stuff and wiping down his face.

"That's all I'm asking." Cam sat back down at the computer and went back to work. He didn't even notice it when Hunter teleported out of Ninja Ops.

Hunter landed inside the living room of the apartment. He put his gym bag down on he floor and sat down on the couch. Blake was out, probably at the track running some laps or at the Skate Park watching Shane fall on his ass. Hunter sighed, suddenly feeling guilty for hiding out like a witless coward. He just…couldn't face Alexandra. It took his mind a long time to even register the fact that he had even seen her that day.

"You're an idiot," he muttered to himself.

Suddenly, the front door opened and Blake came inside. He was wearing a big navy blue coat over his clothes. The two had broken down and gotten themselves coats so they wouldn't die of pneumonia. It was a result of the snowstorm that wouldn't let up.

"The track is awesome with all that snow, bro," Blake said, grinning. "You should've been there. I raced Dustin, and my bike slid on one of the tight turns, and I totally wiped out." He sat down next to Hunter. "Needless to say Dustin beat me in that one."

Hunter laughed as best he could. "That sounds great, man. I'm just sorry that I missed all the fun. It's just--"

"Yeah, you were training," Blake muttered. "I think I know the real reason why you've been training so hard lately. You're avoiding her."

"What?" Hunter stared at him. It was the truth, but he wasn't about to admit to it.

Blake sighed. "You're avoiding Alexandra. That's why you've been training so hard. You're making sure that there's absolutely no chance that you'll see her."

Hunter started to object, but shut his mouth just as quickly. He let Blake win this one.

"See!" Blake shook his head, laughing just slightly. "Man, you know what I think? I think you should just get up and go find her. Talk to her, dude. You know that you've been dying to find out what she thought about what happened that day. Besides, you seriously cannot deny the fact that you actually wanted to see her again."

"Maybe just to have some answers, but that's it." Hunter looked away.

Blake rolled his eyes. "You're lying." He paused, and then a big grin lit up his face. "You're still in love with her, aren't you?"

Hunter quickly looked back, shock engraved into his handsome features. "What…are you nuts, Blake? Me still in love with her? After all the crap I went through just to try and tell her that I…No, man, not likely."

"Is that so? 'Cause I say, just from that reaction alone, that you're still in love with her, you're just afraid of admitting it."

"And with good reason."

"Ah ha!"

"Damn it."

Blake was grinning victoriously. "Now, here's what you do, Hunter. You go find Alexandra, you tell her what happened that day, you tell her how you feel, and then you walk away and leave it on her conscience."

Hunter raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Blake shrugged. "Dramatic effect."

"Right."

Hunter remembered the quiet of Blue Bay Park. He liked the silence, but today it was eerie. He was bundled up in a burgundy ski jacket; while not quite stylish, it was warm. He wore two layers of black sweatpants and a pair of baggy jeans over that, and big, heavy boots that gave away his presence with each step. He wasn't used to wearing that much clothing at one time, but it kept him from getting frostbitten or contracting a bad case of pneumonia, like Dustin almost had.

"Looking for me, Trejo?"

He turned to see Alexandra. She was dressed warmly, but she wasn't a mass of layers and bulk like Hunter. She always seemed to be different from everyone else. "Am I that easy to read?" he replied.

Alexandra nodded. "Seemingly. Come on, Hunter, let's find a place to sit down."

Hunter agreed and started following her. He was a bit surprised. She had never actually used his first name before when speaking to him. He half-smiled at the thought. He liked the way it sounded coming from her lips, the same lips that had kissed him almost two weeks ago.

They ended up at the same bench that they had met at before. It's a sign, Hunter thought. Resting their feet on the seat, Alexandra sat awfully close to him. He didn't really mind the closeness, though.

"So, why'd you come out here in the freezing cold to talk to me about? Certainly not to inquire about the weather or try to show me around Blue Bay Harbor," Alexandra said after a long moment of silence.

Hunter shook his head. "You never were one for small talk, AJ." He took in a deep breath. "I wanted to ask you about that last day at the academy. You know, that day that you're domineering boyfriend decided to kick my ass."

Alexandra was silent.

He sighed. "See, on that day, I was going to tell you something that had taken me almost our entire time at the academy to figure out." He looked square at her. Not even the beauty of the snowy park could distract him from his purpose. "I had fallen in love with you. It took me that long to realize that I was…am in love with you."

She raised an eyebrow. "You mean to say that, at the academy, you ended up being in love with me, and three years of time apart and getting beat up by my ex hasn't changed that?"

"That's more or less the case."

Slowly, Alexandra reached a hand out to gingerly touch his arm. She was dimly aware of the tiny electric shocks being sent through her arm and into her whole body from the simple touch. Then, she remembered the face that had given Hunter the scar that she knew lie under the layers of clothing. No honorable ninja should ever sink that low. "Hunter…" she started, unsure of what to say to him. What could she say?

Hunter held up a hand. "Don't, Alex. You have no obligations towards me. I don't want to hold you anywhere you don't want to be. That would hurt worse than getting stabbed."

Alexandra shook her head. Damn it, he was closing up again. She hated when he did that! He'd done it at the academy too. Whenever they would get into a nice conversation, if it got too deep or emotional for his tastes, he always either changed the subject or pulled away and closed himself in a little protective shell that no one could break. Today, "no one" excluded Alexandra Jung. She was determined to make him talk for once.

"Trejo, don't you dare interrupt me," she said. "And, if you hadn't been so rude, I would've told you that I was never proud of or smiled at what Nikko did. No ninja, samurai, or any type of warrior should ever sink that low. I was actually hurt when I saw some of the healers carrying you off to the main building. I had known even then that Nikko was behind it; he never did like you." She laughed a little, then sobered again. "I broke up with him that night. There was no way in all hell that I could be with someone who had just intentionally and maliciously stabbed one of my best friends. That would've been a violation of human protocol."

Hunter was amazed, but silent.

She smiled. She knew that he was fazed by what she said, even if he refused to show recognition. She reached up and softly traced his cheekbone with her thumb. Gazing deeply into his eyes, she continued to trace his jawline and lips. Hunter showed no sign of resistance. He sighed contentedly. This was comfortable.

He gently took her hand in his, holding it and slowly pulling her closer. Some outside force controlled his actions. Without warning, he wrapped an arm around her waist and covered her lips with his. Fire and electricity coursed through his veins like blood. Heat rushed from his head to his toes.

The kiss went on for an eternity it seemed. Neither wanted it to end, but they had to breathe. For a long time they just sat there, staring intently into each other's eyes.

Hunter's communicator beeped from underneath his coat. He muttered a curse underneath his breath and gave Alexandra an apologetic look.

"You're still a Ranger?" she asked.

"Yeah, only I'm working against Lothor now." Hunter sighed and held her close. "I really don't want to answer it."

She lightly nudged him. "Go. We'll meet here later. Kicking Lothor's ass is a little more important than me."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is. Now go."

"Fine."

Hunter stood up reluctantly. He pulled back his many layers of clothing to reveal his morpher. He softly kissed Alexandra again before teleporting to Ninja Ops.

Everyone looked up as Hunter appeared in Ninja Ops. Shane, who stood in front of him, arms crossed and a foot tapping on the floor, greeted him.

"We've been trying to get you here for the past ten minutes, and now you decide to show up?" Shane asked.

Hunter looked around the room, trying to think of an answer, even though he knew it was a rhetorical question. Only Blake looked sympathetic. "I--"

"You're late! That's what you are!" Shane screamed. He paused and seemingly calmed down. "Oh my God…I'm acting like my dad."

Dustin couldn't contain his laughter. Shane turned, once more royally pissed.

"So, why are you late?" Cam asked from his seat at the computer.

Hunter shrugged and took a seat at the table. "I was out at the park, trying to avoid you guys because I knew that it'd be loud if I ran into any of you."

Blake coughed.

Cam looked at Blake. "He's lying isn't he?"

The younger Trejo nodded. Tori grinned. Hunter was tempted to smack the grin off her face and punch Blake precisely in the nose. Dustin laughed. Shane was still confused. Sensei just watched with curiosity.

"The thinking excuse is bull," Blake said. "He was out with a girl, if he listened to my advice, which I hope he did."

"I did," Hunter muttered.

Disbelieving gazes affixed themselves to Hunter.

"A girl?" Dustin asked.

"What girl? Who, even?" Shane wondered.

Hunter glared at Blake. The latter just shrugged and motioned for Hunter to answer the questions set before him. "They await you, oh Brooding One," he seemed to say.

"Yes, a girl, guys." Hunter shot a glance at Dustin, who gave him a sheepish grin. "And as to who, she's this girl who Blake and I knew back at the Thunder Academy."

Sensei furrowed his eyebrows in disapproval. Having been the headmaster at a Wind Ninja Academy (the Thunder Ninja Academies' rival), he criticized any interaction between the Thunder Rangers and their former classmates. He still thought it unsafe because the other students might be in league with Lothor.

"Are you sure that your friend is trustworthy, Hunter?" Sensei asked. "After all, she was a student at the Thunder Ninja Academy, and may have contact with Lothor. It would be especially dangerous if she knew that you were a Ranger."

Hunter winced. He had forgotten that the academies were still enemies, even if he and Blake were on good terms with Dustin, Shane, and Tori. "She wouldn't work for Lothor," he assured. "Alexandra isn't dumb enough to get herself caught in something like that. If anything, she's on our side." He smiled as remembered Alexandra's words to make him go to Ninja Ops.

"Sensei, Alexandra practically hates Lothor. The only reason she might not is because she doesn't believe in hating anyone, unless they really got on her bad side," Blake explained. "I didn't know her that well at the academy, but I know that that's how she'd feel."

The unnatural guinea pig was unconvinced. "I still feel that it would not safe to have any further contact with her." He looked at Hunter. "You must tell this girl that you can no longer see her, Hunter. I am sorry, but it's for safety."

Hunter's heart sank. He had just found her again, and already they were facing obstacles. He tried to explain to Sensei that Alexandra wouldn't do something like work for Lothor, but the guinea pig wasn't hearing it.

Blake set a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder, but nothing could ease the pain. It was plain and simple: Hunter was going to lose the woman he loved…twice.

Alexandra paced. She was waiting for Hunter with growing impatience. What the hell could be so important that he'd stay there that long? Surely it wasn't about a monster or the weather. It was easy to see the answer on either of those.

"Why, if it isn't one of the academy brats," a deep, sinister voice said from behind her.

The Asian woman turned surprised. She recognized the visitor as one of Lothor's lackeys: General Zurgane. Rolling her eyes, she answered, "And what do you want?"

Zurgane laughed. "Funny you should ask."

All she saw was a black, metal fist flying at her.

A couple Kelzacks appeared to get Alexandra's limp body. One of them was admiring the onyx and silver amulet she wore. Zurgane ripped it off from her neck and dropped it in the snow. It worked as well as a ransom note. In a flash, they disappeared from the scene.

With reluctance, Hunter left Ninja Ops. The crimson sparks of the teleportation slowly faded from his body ominously. He wasn't going to like this, not at all. He looked around, only to find that Alexandra wasn't there. His eyes could see far from his vantagepoint, and she still was nowhere to be found. Confused, he sat down at the bench. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a glitter of silver in the snow.

He got up and investigated. Kneeling down, he picked up the onyx and silver amulet that hung on a beautiful decorative silver chain. Inscribed in the onyx were the Japanese characters meaning life, eternity, and love. On the back, etched in silver, were three more symbols in the same language for peace, beauty, and prosperity.

Hunter knew this necklace. It represented the blessings that had been given to the Jung family centuries ago. He cursed. It was the same one that Alexandra had worn every day that he knew her. Why would it be on the ground? The answer hit him with such a force that he fell to his knees. Silent tears streamed down his cheeks, freezing in the frigid air. He pressed the necklace to his chest, to his heart. The pain of realization rocked him.

Lothor had her. The son-of-a-bitch had the one of the few people that Hunter had allowed himself to grow close to. Justice would be served this time, without a doubt.

Cam frowned as the computer let out a beep. He began furiously typing only to find his frown deepening. He muttered a few curses in Mandarin and turned to the other Rangers. "Well, break time's over. Zurgane just made an appearance on Earth then ran off. With what, I can't tell you. Ten bucks says it's a human life form."

"Where?" Shane asked, jumping up. He had a bad feeling.

"The park," Cam was quick to reply. Then it hit him. "Hunter!"

Blake was already gone. He arrived at the park to see a small shape in the distance. He ran to the spot and discovered that it was Hunter, on his knees in the snow. Blake wasn't sure what to do. He had never seen his brother like this.

"Hunter?" he asked cautiously.

He didn't look up. "They have her."

Blake didn't need an explanation. He set a hand on Hunter's shoulder. "Come on, bro. Let's head back to Ninja Ops and get together a plan. We'll get her back."

It took a great amount of effort for Hunter to get up. With the necklace clutched in his hand, they teleported back to Ninja Ops.

The other Rangers were relieved to see the streaks of navy and crimson appear in Ninja Ops. Their relief was then replaced with worry as they saw Hunter after the crimson had faded. Dried tears stained his cheeks, and his blue eyes were unusually sad.

"Well, at least we know that Zurgane didn't take you, Hunter, since you're here," Cam said with a slight laugh.

"Yeah," Hunter muttered. It was all he could do to sit down at the table and resist the urge to burst into another fit of tears. "If Lothor wanted to hit us from the inside so bad, he should've just taken one of us."

Sensei was surprised. "What happened, Hunter?"

Hunter looked up as if he didn't hear Sensei. His eyes shone with unshed tears. He wouldn't break down in front of his friends. So many times he had been the strong one, so many times he had been the one to push someone on. He wasn't going to be the one who needed the words of encouragement. "Zurgane kidnapped Alexandra." The words stung.

"Who's this Alexandra chick anyway?" Dustin asked. "I think I missed that part of the conversation, 'cause I'm totally lost."

The blonde babe was quick to glare at Dustin. Then, he looked at Blake, asking him to answer Dustin's question. He wasn't in the right frame of mind to think more about Alexandra than he had to.

Blake got the message. "You did miss it, D," he said to Dustin. "Alexandra was the girl that Hunter and I were friends with back at the Thunder Academy. And Hunter met her again a couple weeks ago, and I think they ended up being a little more than friends."

"Oh."

Shane held up his hands. "Whoa, wait a minute. So, you're saying that Lothor captured this chick, right?"

Hunter glumly nodded.

"Hmm…" Shane paced the width of the room. "And he probably did it because he knew that she was an in to the team -- a weakness."

"That sounds like Lothor," Blake said. "He'd use whatever means he could to get to his enemies. The more it hurts them, the better."

Sensei nodded. "Indeed. I just never knew that he'd use love against someone. Even Lothor has a heart, no matter how small it may be."

"He may have a heart, but he doesn't have any honor," Hunter said. Never once did he take his eyes off the table. He didn't want anyone to see the tears that he knew shone in his eyes.

"I'll remember that," Sensei replied. He looked at Hunter. He felt guilt and sympathy at the same time. Regardless, neither feeling would change the situation. Neither would anger.

"What are we going to do?" Tori asked. "We can't just sit here and wait for an answer from Lothor. We don't even know what he might do to her, especially since she's Hunter's girlfriend."

Hunter narrowed his eyes at the table. His mind was trying to think of something else, trying to stray from the subject of just what Lothor might do to Alexandra. It hurt to even think that she was in his ugly clutches, her life hanging in the balance, only living because of his decisions, depending on such an evil. It hurt and sickened at the same time. Hunter clutched his stomach and swallowed down the bile rising in his throat.

Cam stood up from the computer, seeing Hunter's discomfort. "All right, everyone just go home. Let's just sleep on this, and hope one of us comes up with an intelligent idea."

Everyone but Hunter nodded.

Lothor stood up from his throne as Zurgane entered. "So, I take it you were successful in retrieving her? Because if you weren't--"

"It is no worry, Lothor," Zurgane said. "We have the girl."

"Ah, good. Bring her in."

The black and gold robot made a motion to the Kelzacks behind him. They entered the room, laboring to keep Alexandra within their grasps. Lothor grinned. He remembered her from the Thunder Ninja Academy without a doubt.

"Well, I see you've decided to join my side now, Miss Jung," he said.

Alexandra struggled against the Kelzacks, only to be held back by one holding a long, red blade against her throat. It was a warning. "I am not on your side, Lothor. Nor will I ever be. I've seen what you do to people."

Lothor laughed. "You're just a little biased, then, to those Thunder Rangers. Hunter in particular, one might guess."

She froze. "So that's what this is about? Getting revenge?"

"Revenge is such a…strong word. What I want to accomplish is so much more than that. Those two betrayed me. I could've beaten those pesky Wind Rangers if Blake and Hunter hadn't joined their side. And do you know what made them choose good over evil?"

The question was rhetorical.

"Love. Those idiots went over to the good side because of love. Blake just had to fall for that stupid Blue Ranger…So, now, I'm using that same force which they used to betray me, against them. Hence why you're here, Alexandra is it?"

She growled a yes.

Two women entered the room. They couldn't have been any older than Alexandra was, though they held the air of three-year-olds. They were bickering over something.

"Uncle, how come we can't send a monster to Earth so the Rangers can fight? I'm bored," one of them said. She was shorter with brown hair done in a crazy hairstyle.

Lothor rolled his eyes. "Alexandra, you must excuse my nieces' rudeness." He indicated to the two women. "This is Marah and Kapri."

They waved.

"Who's she?" Kapri asked.

"Just a captive that we're going to use against the Thunder Rangers," Lothor replied, turning back towards Alexandra. "Now--"

"Uncle!" Marah exclaimed. "How come we can't send a monster to Earth?"

Lothor sighed. "Because that's not part of the master plan right now."

Marah and Kapri stomped out of the room. Lothor shook his head and redirected his attention to the prisoner.

"Anyway, do you have any questions?"

Alexandra thought carefully. She came up with the only thing that wouldn't get her killed. "You wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that there's three feet of snow in Blue Bay Harbor, would you?"

Lothor laughed. "I thought you would ask. In fact, I do. A friend of mine cast the spell for me. King Kutar of Chronite is his name. He's quite good, too. I might just make him a general in my armies."

"I work alone, Lothor. You know that," a voice said from one of the corridors.

Alexandra heard quiet footsteps coming into the room, and then she saw the speaker. He was a taller man with blonde hair darkened with age. He held a sinister grin on his lips. She tried to hide her surprise as she almost recognized him…she just couldn't place where.

"Besides, I'm trying to keep up a cover, remember? The Alliance Council would be royally pissed if they found out I was a general in one of your armies," he continued.

"This is true." Lothor nodded. "Kutar, this is Alexandra Jung, a former Thunder Ninja Academy student and a pawn in one of my latest plans."

Kutar smirked. "This is Hunter's lover?"

"Indeed."

The Chronitian nodded with approval. The Ranger has taste, he thought. "She's human, correct?"

Lothor shrugged. "I'm guessing."

"Hmm…She looks a little more Eltarian to me."

"Well, all humans are half-Eltarian, my friend."

Kutar agreed. "Whatever the case, I'm sure your plan will work. By the way, what do you plan to do with the Thunder Rangers once you've captured them?"

"Anything I can think of at the moment. It'll be totally random," Lothor replied.

With a slight nod, Kutar gave one more glance at Alexandra and left the room. Alexandra watched him walk away. Even his walk was familiar. If only she could place it.