A Smaller Perspective
There were distinct advantages to being small. For one thing, he had rather come to enjoy bouncing off the Rangers without warning. It was amusing to watch them startle and have to fight the urge to shout at him. There were advantages to being a sensei, as well.
Some things however, did not change with forms. The need for fresh air was strong today, especially in the wake of the Wind Rangers' problems. He left Ops quietly, leaving Tori to coax the source of the matter from Shane. He passed Hunter and Cameron on their way back, Blake moving ahead to give them some privacy. He looked away politely when the Crimson Ranger started to tease his son's ear. There were also some things a father did not need to know.
Miko would have laughed if she saw them. Then she would have proceeded to tease him about Greens and Reds, and how well they worked together. When they worked together at all, at least. She always found their Color Bonding amusing for some reason he could not understand.
He sighed to himself. The ache had never faded from her death, and never would. That was the downside to Color Bonding. He missed her deeply, even more so than his fallen teammates.
He hopped up the last step, heading into the woods outside of where the Wind Ninja Academy had once stood. It was always best to commune with the Wind Spirits from a tall tree, and his favorite way. There was just something about being up off the ground that comforted him. But then, such is the way of all Air Ninjas.
It was hard work to climb his favorite tree, but well worth it when he finally settled back into the bark. His 'Thinking Tree', as Kiya had called it. Back when Kiya was still Kiya, when Scott still lived, and the team was still a team. Long before Miko entered his life.
It hurt sometimes, watching Shane in the uniform he once wore. They were very much alike, he and Shane. So determined to be strong and courageous, to be the best possible leader. Driven to protect their teammates.
"Let Shane succeed where I have failed." he murmured. A light breeze stirred his whiskers, trying to reassure him. He smiled a bit at the gesture, as best he could smile in this form. The Spirits always tried to comfort him when his mind drifted this way.
The Rangers deserved to know, Cameron and the Thunders most of all. The boys should know that they each wore their parents' legacy. That Quinn had always insisted her boys would take their place, and had always been proud of them. That Miko had known, long before he had understood, who had received her Samurai Amulet. But it still hurt so much to think of them, let alone share the tale of how he failed each and every one of his teammates.
If he had been a better leader, Vincent would never have fallen in battle. It had been his decision to allow him to fight alone against a powerful monster, while the rest of the team fought elsewhere. He had assumed that because the Lightning powers were solitary, unlike the rest of them, that he would be able to over power the creature on his own. In that respect he had been right, but only with a blast from the full power of the Lightning Storm Cannon, infused with the very lifeforce of its welder. Vincent had died in battle as a hero, and with him went the power of the Gold Lightning Ranger.
He should have known something was wrong with Scott long ago. It was only when the other lay on his deathbed that the sudden faltering in battle, the tired smiles he gave after a workout, made sense. His lack of attention had made him miss his friend's heart condition, and the Blue Wind Ranger had passed silently into the night.
With the loss of Scott, Kiya was swift to follow. The Heart of the Storm Rangers had always teasingly called his Color Bond his own heart, and the true Kiya had died with Scott. His brother had screamed his grief to the skies, and he had been at a loss to comfort him. If he had done more, noticed sooner, then perhaps Kiya's mind would not have turned to the dark magic. He would never forget his brother's words as he caught him with Miko's Amulet: 'I don't care anymore! I'll do whatever it takes to bring My Heart back to me, with or without your approval!'
He should have expected Lothor to come after Derek and Quinn. Kiya had begun to hate them after Scott's death, claiming they taunted him with their own happiness when he'd lost his. The Thunder Rangers were very happily in love, and even the knowledge that Quinn would never bear children had not managed to separate them. Instead they'd brought their boys into their lives, loving both as much as any of their own flesh and blood would have been. He should have prepared for Lothor to attack them. Yet he hadn't, and his best friends had paid the price.
Omino had made no secret of the fact that he blamed him as well. The Thunder Rangers had called him their friend, and as such so had he until the day of their memorial. Omino had claimed that he had never been their friend, or he would have been there when they needed him. That had been the start of the 'rivalry' between the Wind and Thunder Academies, who had always been great allies before. He and Miko had also wanted to adopt the boys, knowing that Quinn would want to know that they were well-cared for, but Omino had beaten to it and promptly refused to allow them to so much as visit.
In retrospect, he supposed it was just as well. His son would never have found Hunter the way he had if they had been raised as brothers. Whether he liked to admit it or not, they were good for each other. Miko and Quinn's bond had apparently strengthened as they passed it down to their sons.
Grief had consumed him after the loss of his team, and only Miko had kept him going. She never judged him for his shortcomings, and forgave him when he could not forgive himself. She was his savior in so many ways. When cancer took her life from him as well, a gaping hole had been left in his heart. Cameron was all he had left of her now, and for so long the only thing he had left to protect.
Quinn had always sworn that the Green Samurai Ranger should have been a member of their team, when Miko was so easily one even without her amulet. While Miko had never quite told them what her power entailed and they had never fought alongside her to know, he had a feeling that it was she guided their son. She had always told him after the amulet had been taken by the young man they'd met so long ago that she would be the one to teach him all he would need to know. The glint in her eyes as she'd said it made him wonder even to this day, just what power the Samurai held.
He was suddenly aware of the urgent whisper of the Wind Spirits, warning him to stay quiet. ~Someone comes~ they breathed. ~Let them speak. Do not disturb them.~
He obeyed, knowing that the Spirits would only request his silence if it was important. He inched further back into his tree for caution's sake, peering down at the forest floor below him. The wait was not long, and he was only mildly surprised to see Shane approaching. The Wind Spirits protected all of their chosen, after all.
"I know you're here!" Shane called out. "They told me where you're hiding!"
He blinked. It was not him Shane was speaking to, or the Spirits would not have asked for his silence. He could not help but wonder who 'they' were as well. Did Shane hear the Wind Spirits? His time in his students' bodies had told him that they held great Power he had yet to see them use, but he had also yet to discover whether or not they were aware of this themselves.
Shane leaned against a tree, letting his head fall back as he closed his eyes. "Don't do this." His voice was on the verge of cracking. "I don't blame you, okay? I know it's not your fault all this happened!"
Silence answered him.
"Please don't do this to me." His distress was becoming more apparent as he spoke. "You're all I've got now. I know it wasn't supposed to turn out like this. You just wanted to tell your mom. I *know* that. But...you're the only good thing that came out of this mess. Don't keep me from you." he pleaded.
He watched as Dustin slowly drifted up from the ground behind Shane. The Yellow Ranger was coated in dirt, apparently having hidden in the earth for quite awhile. He looked miserable. "You mean that?" he asked quietly.
Shane spun, swiftly grabbing the other boy into a tight hug. "Yeah." he told him hoarsely. "Don't do that again, okay? I need you now more than ever."
"I won't. I promise."
Once he was certain they were distracted with one another, he quickly headed back to Ninja Ops. His Rangers deserved their privacy, after all. He could only wish them better luck than his own had had. "Watch over them, my friends." he murmured. "Protect our children."
A light wind ruffled his fur in answer.
There were distinct advantages to being small. For one thing, he had rather come to enjoy bouncing off the Rangers without warning. It was amusing to watch them startle and have to fight the urge to shout at him. There were advantages to being a sensei, as well.
Some things however, did not change with forms. The need for fresh air was strong today, especially in the wake of the Wind Rangers' problems. He left Ops quietly, leaving Tori to coax the source of the matter from Shane. He passed Hunter and Cameron on their way back, Blake moving ahead to give them some privacy. He looked away politely when the Crimson Ranger started to tease his son's ear. There were also some things a father did not need to know.
Miko would have laughed if she saw them. Then she would have proceeded to tease him about Greens and Reds, and how well they worked together. When they worked together at all, at least. She always found their Color Bonding amusing for some reason he could not understand.
He sighed to himself. The ache had never faded from her death, and never would. That was the downside to Color Bonding. He missed her deeply, even more so than his fallen teammates.
He hopped up the last step, heading into the woods outside of where the Wind Ninja Academy had once stood. It was always best to commune with the Wind Spirits from a tall tree, and his favorite way. There was just something about being up off the ground that comforted him. But then, such is the way of all Air Ninjas.
It was hard work to climb his favorite tree, but well worth it when he finally settled back into the bark. His 'Thinking Tree', as Kiya had called it. Back when Kiya was still Kiya, when Scott still lived, and the team was still a team. Long before Miko entered his life.
It hurt sometimes, watching Shane in the uniform he once wore. They were very much alike, he and Shane. So determined to be strong and courageous, to be the best possible leader. Driven to protect their teammates.
"Let Shane succeed where I have failed." he murmured. A light breeze stirred his whiskers, trying to reassure him. He smiled a bit at the gesture, as best he could smile in this form. The Spirits always tried to comfort him when his mind drifted this way.
The Rangers deserved to know, Cameron and the Thunders most of all. The boys should know that they each wore their parents' legacy. That Quinn had always insisted her boys would take their place, and had always been proud of them. That Miko had known, long before he had understood, who had received her Samurai Amulet. But it still hurt so much to think of them, let alone share the tale of how he failed each and every one of his teammates.
If he had been a better leader, Vincent would never have fallen in battle. It had been his decision to allow him to fight alone against a powerful monster, while the rest of the team fought elsewhere. He had assumed that because the Lightning powers were solitary, unlike the rest of them, that he would be able to over power the creature on his own. In that respect he had been right, but only with a blast from the full power of the Lightning Storm Cannon, infused with the very lifeforce of its welder. Vincent had died in battle as a hero, and with him went the power of the Gold Lightning Ranger.
He should have known something was wrong with Scott long ago. It was only when the other lay on his deathbed that the sudden faltering in battle, the tired smiles he gave after a workout, made sense. His lack of attention had made him miss his friend's heart condition, and the Blue Wind Ranger had passed silently into the night.
With the loss of Scott, Kiya was swift to follow. The Heart of the Storm Rangers had always teasingly called his Color Bond his own heart, and the true Kiya had died with Scott. His brother had screamed his grief to the skies, and he had been at a loss to comfort him. If he had done more, noticed sooner, then perhaps Kiya's mind would not have turned to the dark magic. He would never forget his brother's words as he caught him with Miko's Amulet: 'I don't care anymore! I'll do whatever it takes to bring My Heart back to me, with or without your approval!'
He should have expected Lothor to come after Derek and Quinn. Kiya had begun to hate them after Scott's death, claiming they taunted him with their own happiness when he'd lost his. The Thunder Rangers were very happily in love, and even the knowledge that Quinn would never bear children had not managed to separate them. Instead they'd brought their boys into their lives, loving both as much as any of their own flesh and blood would have been. He should have prepared for Lothor to attack them. Yet he hadn't, and his best friends had paid the price.
Omino had made no secret of the fact that he blamed him as well. The Thunder Rangers had called him their friend, and as such so had he until the day of their memorial. Omino had claimed that he had never been their friend, or he would have been there when they needed him. That had been the start of the 'rivalry' between the Wind and Thunder Academies, who had always been great allies before. He and Miko had also wanted to adopt the boys, knowing that Quinn would want to know that they were well-cared for, but Omino had beaten to it and promptly refused to allow them to so much as visit.
In retrospect, he supposed it was just as well. His son would never have found Hunter the way he had if they had been raised as brothers. Whether he liked to admit it or not, they were good for each other. Miko and Quinn's bond had apparently strengthened as they passed it down to their sons.
Grief had consumed him after the loss of his team, and only Miko had kept him going. She never judged him for his shortcomings, and forgave him when he could not forgive himself. She was his savior in so many ways. When cancer took her life from him as well, a gaping hole had been left in his heart. Cameron was all he had left of her now, and for so long the only thing he had left to protect.
Quinn had always sworn that the Green Samurai Ranger should have been a member of their team, when Miko was so easily one even without her amulet. While Miko had never quite told them what her power entailed and they had never fought alongside her to know, he had a feeling that it was she guided their son. She had always told him after the amulet had been taken by the young man they'd met so long ago that she would be the one to teach him all he would need to know. The glint in her eyes as she'd said it made him wonder even to this day, just what power the Samurai held.
He was suddenly aware of the urgent whisper of the Wind Spirits, warning him to stay quiet. ~Someone comes~ they breathed. ~Let them speak. Do not disturb them.~
He obeyed, knowing that the Spirits would only request his silence if it was important. He inched further back into his tree for caution's sake, peering down at the forest floor below him. The wait was not long, and he was only mildly surprised to see Shane approaching. The Wind Spirits protected all of their chosen, after all.
"I know you're here!" Shane called out. "They told me where you're hiding!"
He blinked. It was not him Shane was speaking to, or the Spirits would not have asked for his silence. He could not help but wonder who 'they' were as well. Did Shane hear the Wind Spirits? His time in his students' bodies had told him that they held great Power he had yet to see them use, but he had also yet to discover whether or not they were aware of this themselves.
Shane leaned against a tree, letting his head fall back as he closed his eyes. "Don't do this." His voice was on the verge of cracking. "I don't blame you, okay? I know it's not your fault all this happened!"
Silence answered him.
"Please don't do this to me." His distress was becoming more apparent as he spoke. "You're all I've got now. I know it wasn't supposed to turn out like this. You just wanted to tell your mom. I *know* that. But...you're the only good thing that came out of this mess. Don't keep me from you." he pleaded.
He watched as Dustin slowly drifted up from the ground behind Shane. The Yellow Ranger was coated in dirt, apparently having hidden in the earth for quite awhile. He looked miserable. "You mean that?" he asked quietly.
Shane spun, swiftly grabbing the other boy into a tight hug. "Yeah." he told him hoarsely. "Don't do that again, okay? I need you now more than ever."
"I won't. I promise."
Once he was certain they were distracted with one another, he quickly headed back to Ninja Ops. His Rangers deserved their privacy, after all. He could only wish them better luck than his own had had. "Watch over them, my friends." he murmured. "Protect our children."
A light wind ruffled his fur in answer.