Author's Note: Welcome to the third installment in the "Blues" collection, which takes place about a week after "Thunder Strangers, Part III" and right before "Nowhere to Grow." This time we're getting a new perspective on the Tori/Blake dynamic... from none other than Dustin. © August 2003
Thanks: A whopping "Thanks" to my friend Holly, whose persistence and ideas helped get the creative juices flowing after I all but gave up on this mini-series.
Part Three: Intervention
"I'm worried."
I glance down at my fearless leader, trying not to lose my grip on the iron bar. I pull my body high enough to touch my chin against the cold metal, and then slowly let myself hang from the elevated bar. "About?"
"Tori."
Right... Tori. Like there's been anything else on his mind the past couple days. Ever since that mess in the Mountain of Lost Ninjas, Lothor's been real quiet. The lag's left us nothing much to do in the Ranger department, so we've filled our time working out or catching up on schoolwork.
Well, except Tori. I don't know what she's been up to. We haven't seen much of her.
I drop from the bar, and stretch out my arms. "She's only ten minutes late for training. She'll get here when she gets here."
Shane folds his arms, and I get the sudden feeling that patiently waiting for our teammate isn't in his game plan. "Haven't you noticed how down she's been?"
Of course I noticed. How could someone not notice your most reliable friend turning into the team's biggest flake? She's late to practice, she's distracted, she's short-tempered...
But she has her reasons. "She'll snap out of it," I assure him. "Tori's a trooper; she always finds her smile again."
He's not buying it. "She took this Blake thing really hard. I think she needs to talk to someone."
Uh oh... I really don't like where this is going. "When Tori wants to talk about it, she'll talk about it. She knows we're here for her."
He shakes his head. "That's not good enough, Dustin. We need to be proactive this time. We've been lucky so far that Lothor hasn't tried anything, but we have to be at our strongest when he starts up again."
Shane's got a point, but he can't fool me. He's got less practical reasons for wanting Tori to cheer up. We both do. Tori has always been the group's emotional rudder. When she's dark and moody, we're all grumpy.
"So what should we do?"
Shane's face hardens, and instinct makes me brace myself. "I think you should talk to her."
Whoa... I know I didn't hear that right! "Me? Dude, what happened to 'we need to be proactive'? Notice the plural??"
"The last time I got involved in Tori's love life, she ate me alive! I'm taking a step back on this one."
I give him my very best "pissed-off" glare. That whole Dill thing was peanuts compared to the Megazord-sized mess Blake left behind. "But you're the leader! Building team morale is your job!"
I see a dark smile curve Shane's lips. "This is what we leaders call 'delegating responsibility.'"
Oh no... you're not putting this on my shoulders that easily! "But... what about Cam? Or Sensei?"
He glances over his shoulder to make sure the coast is clear. "Cam's a smart guy, but trust me, he's missing some critical people skills. And Tori doesn't need a lecture, or words of wisdom. She just needs a friend."
I start rubbing my forehead. I can feel a headache coming on just at the thought of confronting Miss Hansen. "I am so not qualified for this."
Shane lays a hand on my shoulder. "Dustin, trust me... you'll do just fine."
It turns out finding Tori wasn't as tough as I expected. As soon as I step out of Ninja Ops there she is, standing in the shallow pool where the waterfall collects.
Correction... she's standing on the pool, letting the water carry her.
I can see the fierce concentration on her face from here. Her eyes are squeezed shut and her lips tremble as she manifests complete control over her element.
She's never been this good before. How long's she been out here?
"Hey T-" I cry out, before my hands fly to my mouth to catch myself. Stupid! If I break her concentration and she falls into the water, I'm done!
Incredibly, she doesn't seem to react. The water beneath her feet begins to swirl, building momentum like a whirlpool. Then, out of nowhere, a geyser erupts from the water, sending a wet wall into the air.
I fall back in surprise, landing flat on my butt and staring wide-eyed at the spectacle. What's she doing?
Then, it's over. The water calms and falls back into the pool as if nothing happened. And standing in the center of it all, not a drop of water on her, is Tori.
I take in her rigid stance and cold stare... and I grimace. This isn't the Tori Hansen I know. The perky blonde with the million-dollar smile that I grew up with.
For the first time, I'm mad at the Thunder Rangers. I mean really mad. Yeah, I was miffed when Blake and Hunter dissed me behind my back, and I'll admit, that whole lying thing totally sucked. But I could deal, you know?
This... this is inexcusable. And my fingers are crossed that it can be fixed. For Tori's sake, and for theirs.
"Hey Tor," I greet, mustering a half-smile. Her unfocused blue eyes turn my way, but the frown doesn't go away. "Uh... how's it going?"
"It's going," she answers, and walks over the rippling water to the shore. She pauses at the edge, and turns her back to me, staring at the water tumbling down the cliff.
She doesn't say anything else, but I can tell what's on her mind. I'm not quite as dense as everyone thinks I am. I know this is the spot where Blake pretended to be unconscious. He laid on this very sand, just waiting for Tori to reveal the secret of Ninja Ops.
Her jaw is tight as she finally turns around. "So what's on the program today? Ten-mile jog? Forest drills? Another holographic training ground?"
I stare at her face... or at least, the cool mask she's showing to the world. She's so... closed, she's almost like another person.
I hate seeing her like this, and it makes all tact just disappear.
"Tor... please stop this."
Her eyes grow wide with surprise; at least that mask is finally cracking. "Stop what?"
I know she knows exactly what I mean. But if she wants me to spell it out for her, then F-I-N-E! "Stop blaming yourself. What happened with the Thunders isn't your fault."
Those cool blue eyes narrow into angry slits. It's a rare thing to be on the receiving end of one of Tori's most lethal glares. I try my best to hold her gaze... I'm not backing down, or taking what I said back.
The glare softens, and I catch a passing glint of gloom. Her voice is unusually soft as she finally decides to really talk to me. "How is it not my fault? I'm the one that brought Blake to Ninja Ops. I practically rolled out the red carpet. If anything had happened to Sensei..."
Whoa, enough of the "What if" spiral! Nothing good ever came of people dwelling on things that never happened. "But nothing did happen to Sensei. He's fine, Cam's fine, and we're all a-okay. No harm, no foul."
"No!" she snaps. I back off at the bite in her tone, but she manages to get a hold of whatever it is that made her lash out. "It's not that simple, Dustin. I let Lothor's goon trick me, and my mistake could've killed Sensei and Cam. I was a gullible idiot, and I'm not going to be manipulated again."
The strain in her voice, the intensity in her eyes... it's just so damned wrong I can't stomach it! "Don't do this to yourself! If you just have to play the Blame Game, then at least look at the whole picture! It easily could've been me. I would've brought both Blake and Hunter right into Ninja Ops if I thought they needed Cam's help. Heck, I'm the one that introduced you two anyway!"
She shakes her head forcefully, rejecting my argument. "Dustin, you didn't fully trust them. Neither did Shane. You guys tried to warn me that Blake and Hunter were hiding something. If I had half a brain I would've seen Blake for what he is!"
I blink in open shock. What exactly is she implying? "Tori... what do you think he is?"
Her fist clenches. "Lying, manipulative, cold-hearted-"
I cut her off before she starts screaming words I've never heard her say. "You're not exactly wrong, but you're still not being fair. It's not like Blake is one of Lothor's space-freaks... Lothor tricked him and Hunter. We don't know yet what the Thunders are really like! Jeez, if you thought some stranger killed your mom and dad, what would you do to get back at him?"
Her mouth opens for a sharp reply, but no words come out. Instead she stares at me, thrown off by my challenge.
"I don't know about you, but if somebody hurt my parents, I'd hunt him down." My tone is dark and threatening, just like my thoughts as I try to visualize just what I am capable of doing if I had to. "And you know what? I might even lie to a totally innocent person I barely know, just to get my hands on the lowlife that hurt my family."
She folds her arms tightly, almost as if she'd gotten a chill. "I... don't know what I'd do," she admitted, turning her face to the sky. "But I should've been more careful. I could've brought him to the hospital... hell, Cam even told me to do that!"
I set my hands on her shoulders. Here we go again, playing the Blame Game. "Tori, you acted on instinct. You saw a person injured, and you recognized the only way to save him. Do you honestly think a hospital would've even known how to help him?"
She shrugged vaguely in response.
"Trust me, you did the right thing. You're always willing to help someone who's hurt. That's just the way you are." I touch her chin with my fingers, raising her face to meet my reassuring grin. "And that's just the way you should be. Got it?"
It takes her a while to respond. Her lips purse and eyes blink furiously, trying to fight back the moisture I see collecting at the edges. But finally, she nods. And I think she means it.
"Good." I take a step back, meaning to give Tori some space, when she catches my hand. Surprised, I stare into her misty eyes... but more importantly, I see the beginning of a grin pull the edges of her lips.
It's not the perky smile I'm used to, but I'll definitely take it!
"Thanks," she murmurs.
My smile widens as I throw my arm over her shoulder. "Anytime."
We head back toward Ninja Ops, and we're only half an hour late for practice. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself. Maybe I should look into becoming a therapist when I grow up...
"Dustin?"
"Yeah?"
"When did you get so smart?"
I glance down at Tori, my eyebrow quirking at the curiosity burning in her eyes. "Ouch!" I declare, theatrically pounding my free hand to my chest. "Jeez, Tor, I'm not completely brain-dead!"
She starts to laugh at my antics, and the sound is just music to my ears. It's the first time she's laughed since our last mission, and it strikes me as I realize how much I missed it.