Poison

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Power Rangers, Ninja Storm, and I'm not making any money from this fic

Replies to reviews:

star: Well, you will find out what happens to Dustin... Unfortunately, not in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing

garnetred: In a good way or a bad way, with Faye and Cally? I'm glad you find the fic interesting . I have wondered a bit about the plots, especially with the vampires in Roses and Thorns. Thanks for reviewing, and it does help

Jorgitosbabe: To see the pics, click on the homepage link on my profile, then go to Photos. Also, if you want to see mini profiles on the original rangers, go to the articles section, and it should be there. (This goes for anyone else reading this fic who wants to see the photos and/or profiles). Well, at least you think this fic is original... Thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad you liked it

BlueAngel07: I'm glad you liked it, and thanks for reviewing

CamFan4Ever: You don't have anything to say about them? o.o That's kind of worrying... Who does Peter remind you of? Yeah, I noticed you updated Hand in Hand . It's great! and I'm glad you think this fic is original. Thanks for reviewing, and here's the next chapter

Author's Note: Ok... Right at the last part of this chapter, I might be pushing the limits as to what an original character is allowed to do. o.o You have been warned

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Cam followed Lia into a small hut. The woman seemed to still be bothered by Riana's appearance and words. She had remained silent throughout the rest of the time.

Cam was even more bothered because the sense of belonging had returned. He supposed that was only natural if he was dreaming, but it definitely didn't seem like a normal dream, and that worried Cam quite a bit. It wasn't like he didn't know that other worlds really existed - the Forest of Feelings was proof of that. But if this place was another world, then why was the green samurai ranger entering it through his dreams? Was there a weakness in whatever barrier kept the different realms separate?

Could this have anything to do with why I've been feeling so worn out lately? Cam wondered. He didn't think that the two things were linked... But they could be.

Cam pulled himself out of his thoughts, and looked around the hut Lia had led him to.

The inside of the hut was lovely, with woven draperies covering the windows, creating a dim, comfortable atmosphere. There was a woven carpet under Cam's feet, and delicately carved furniture was placed neatly around. There was a door in the opposite wall, presumably leading to another part of the hut.

Cam's eyes finally fell on the occupant of the hut, and he blinked with surprise. This was Lia's father?

The person inside the room looked a little bit like Lia, but more like the pictures of catboys, or nekos, that Cam had looked at when he was younger. He had brownish-yellow furry skin with longish red hair and cat-like ears. He also had a tail and wore no shirt.

"Father, I brought Cameron back here," Lia said, walking over to the neko.

The neko looked carefully at Cam, but spoke to Lia, "Good. We don't really want him running around on his own, especially considering what's going on right now. Did you have any problems bringing him here?"

Lia hesitated for a long moment, then answered, "No."

"Why don't you go and see if the Elder Woman needs any help?" It was an obvious dismissal, and Lia took it as such. She fled from the hut, leaving Cam suddenly feeling lost and left alone.

"My daughter gets very overexcited sometimes," the neko observed in a flat, unemotional voice. His eyes seemed to pierce right through the green samurai ranger, looking directly into Cam's soul. His body didn't look old, but, looking into the neko's eyes, Cam could see that he was worn out.

As if reading the ranger's thoughts, the neko said, "I am getting old, Cameron. Too old for this continual battling. Of the originals, only I and the Elder Woman are left. The others have all moved let go, too tired to carry on."

The original what? Cam wondered. His heart started to beat faster as the neko stepped nearer to him. The green samurai ranger felt a sudden urge to run screaming from the hut, but he didn't. For some reason, he felt as if he couldn't move.

"It is soon going to be time for the legacy to be passed on," the neko continued. "For the power to choose new bearers." The neko paused, then said, "I know that you are from another world, but you also belong to this one."

Cam felt really confused, but he felt the dream-world slipping out of his grasp. He struggled to hold onto it, but it fled away from him.

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Blake and Hunter were racing round the track, first one being in the lead and then the other.

The two thunder rangers finished their race, and got off their bikes.

"I need to take a shower and get to Storm Chargers, bro," Blake commented. "I'll catch you later." The navy thunder ranger walked off.

Hunter felt a little surprised, but then he caught sight of the person heading towards him, and wished that he could think of a good excuse to leave.

Lila picked her way gingerly across the track, thinking that she really should have put walking shoes on. Then again, she hadn't actually planned to come to the race track that day. Her feet had apparently decided to walk there of their own accord, so Lila had just decided to let them take charge.

"Hello, Lila," Hunter said softly. The mark from where he had hit her may have faded some time ago, but the memory of it still lay between them, as did the tension of too much emotion kept below the surface.

"Can we talk?" the silver silk ranger asked softly. Not demanding or pleading, just a simple question.

Hunter looked steadily at Lila. "What is there to talk about?"

Lila squirmed a little inside, wondering if she had done the right thing, coming here. Her heart ached, and all she really wanted was to be close to Hunter. She hadn't been sleeping well, and it showed in the dark circles under her eyes which stood out against her pale skin which refused to tan.

"Hunter, I think we need to talk about... us," Lila answered finally.

"You said you'd give me time," Hunter responded. His face was unreadable.

"I've already apologised," Lila said, a note of desperation creeping into her voice. "Isn't that enough?"

"You tell me." Hunter turned his attention to removing the pads he was wearing for protection. He half-expected Lila to leave, but the silver silk ranger remained where she was.

Lila bit her lip, considering, and tried to put herself in Hunter's shoes. No, not literally. The crimson thunder ranger clearly didn't keep up with the latest fashions. Lila wouldn't be caught dead wearing his boots.

I really need Faye here, Lila thought to herself. The orange light ranger had taken on the role of peacemaker for the group. She was the one who most understood other people's feelings, and wasn't afraid to bully them into making the right decision. Of course, she was also not very good when it came to a battle.

How would I feel if the situation was reversed? Lila wondered. If I felt betrayed by Hunter...

I'd probably find it difficult to forgive him.

Much as she wished otherwise, Lila knew, deep down inside, that she couldn't blame the crimson thunder ranger for feeling the way he did - hurt and betrayed. She and her brother had been willing to destroy the other Power Rangers, and that wasn't acceptable.

At least Lothor's not likely to kill our parents, Lila thought numbly. He seems to need them for something.

Hunter turned back to Lila, and raised his eyebrow. "You're still here?"

Lila took a deep breath, and plunged in with the question she felt she needed to ask: "Is there any hope for us at all?"

Hunter hesitated for a long moment. He considered the question of their relationship important, and knew that Lila did as well. It wasn't the sort of thing that could be worked out immediately. Hunter would always be wondering if he had made the right decision or not.

"I don't know," the crimson thunder ranger answered at last. "I'd like there to be... But I don't know if it's possible."

Lila nodded slowly. Really, that was the best she could hope for. "I'd better get going. There's a sale on, and I don't want to miss it." She turned to go.

"Hey, if you wait for me to take a quick shower, I'll drive you there," Hunter offered before he really thought about it.

Lila turned back with a small smile. "All right," she said. "Thanks."

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In Storm Chargers, Blake sneaked up behind Tori, and put his hands over the blue wind ranger's eyes. "Guess who?" he murmured.

"Um... Blake," Tori laughed.

The navy thunder ranger laughed lightly, and moved round to peck Tori on the lips.

"Blake, do you know where Dustin is?" Kelly asked, making her way towards Blake and Tori. "He didn't show up for work this morning, and Tori doesn't know where he is."

"That doesn't sound like him," Blake commented with a frown. "Dustin might be late... But, if he's not going to turn up, he always lets you know, unless there's no way he can get in contact."

Blake and Tori exchanged worried glances. The blue wind ranger knew what Blake wasn't saying. The only time Dustin didn't call to let Kelly know that he wasn't going to be in was if he was on Power Ranger business... And Blake and Tori knew that he definitely wasn't.

Kelly frowned. "That's true," she admitted. "You, Hunter, and Dustin seem to always disappear at exactly the same time. Do you know where he was last night?"

"Where who was last night?" David asked from behind them.

The white light ranger and the orange light ranger had come into Storm Chargers while the others were talking. Faye's expression showed concern, but David just looked confused.

"Dustin," Tori answered.

David's face cleared. "Oh, didn't he go back with Cally?"

"Oh, yeah," Blake nodded. "Could he have decided to stay the night round yours, and overslept?"

Faye frowned slightly. "That probably isn't likely," she replied. "I mean the oversleeping. He could have stayed the night... No one was up when David and I got back in. But Cally had horse riding on quite early this morning, followed by gymnastics. She definitely wouldn't have missed them, and she probably would have woken up Dustin."

"Why don't you try ringing her?" David suggested. "She could have finished by now."

Blake noticed how David didn't actually offer to ring Cally himself. The navy thunder ranger wondered if that was because of the fight the brother and sister had had when David had been recruited by Lothor.

Faye nodded. She took out her mobile, dialled a number, and pressed it to her ear.

"I'd better go and see to the customers," Kelly said. "Let me know if you get hold of Dustin. Blake, come and help me in a moment when you've found out what's going on with Dustin."

The navy thunder ranger nodded, and Kelly moved to the counter and the waiting customers.

After a few moments, Faye cancelled the call, a worried expression on her face. "There's no answer," she said.

"Try again in a little while," Blake suggested. "She might not have heard it ring."

At just that moment, their communicators went off.

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Cally was getting changed out of her leotard. She had persuaded the instructor to let her stay later to get some extra workout in. She had been in the club for a while now, so the instructor knew that she could be trusted to lock up properly.

The violet light ranger left the changing room, and made her way through the now dark, deafeningly silent gym.

Cally almost banged into one of the bars, but she managed to swerve to the side in time, and catch herself before she fell.

Cally froze, her ears straining. She'd been certain that she'd just heard someone walking quietly in the gym. She held herself still, her heart pounding in her chest.

It must have been my imagination, Cally decided after a few moments, having heard no other sounds. I'm just feeling unusually jumpy at the moment.

The violet light ranger started walking again. The exit wasn't that far away, and no one was likely to have entered a deserted building.

Suddenly, an arm snaked around Cally's neck. The violet light ranger was jerked violently off her feet and against a suited chest. The arm around her neck tightened, and Cally choked as grey spots danced before her eyes.

Cally brought her foot back as hard as she could, and was rewarded with a low grunt. The pressure on her throat eased, and Cally twisted away. She banged her hip into the bar she had just avoided, and bit back a yelp.

Cally's attacker swung towards the sound, and his gloved fist caught Cally in the shoulder, sending her crashing into the bars.

Cally winced as pain shot through her arm and side, and couldn't stop a soft groan from escaping her. She really hoped that her arm wasn't broken, but it was probably bruised at the very least.

"Who are you?" the violet light ranger demanded. She groped her way towards the far wall, and felt her way along until she found the light switch. She flicked it.

Cally's attacker was a Power Ranger. A black one.

The violet light ranger stared in shock. A part of her knew that she should call for backup, or at least morph, but she was too surprised to do so. There was another power ranger? Where had this one come from?

The black power ranger seemed to flinch slightly at the sudden light. But he quickly dove towards Cally again.

The violet light ranger did a sideways flip, vaulting over a set of bars, and let out a soft gasp as the pain from her injuries got fiercer. She couldn't last much longer. She was almost certain that her arm was broken, and her hip felt severely bruised. She also thought that she might have cracked a few ribs.

The black power ranger quickly followed suit, though did a forwards flip instead.

The two were facing each other, Cally breathing a little heavily, but the black ranger seemed to be fine. Of course, he hadn't been sent crashing into a set of heavy metal bars.

At just that moment, Cally's mobile phone rang.

Cally took her attention off the black ranger for a split second, but that was enough.

The black power ranger executed executed a flying kick at the violet light ranger. His foot caught her full in the chest, sending her slamming into the wall.

Who is he? Cally wondered, struggling to her feet. Why does it seem like he's trying to kill me?

The black power ranger aimed a punch at Cally. The violet light ranger blocked it, but did so with her bad arm. She cried out as she felt the bone snap, and staggered back.

The black power ranger slammed his fist into Cally's hip, then kicked her. The violet light ranger felt pain shoot through her ribs, and was powerless to stop the black ranger from throwing her into the set of bars she had jumped over.

Cally's head cracked sickeningly against the metal, and the whole world exploded in red which then faded to black.

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