Disclaimer: Power Rangers does not belong to me.
A/N: THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the reviews! They're like candy to read! Rest assured for all the readers of "Season of Love" who are begging for Blake and Tori to works things out. All I will say is just remember how big I am on the concept of destiny. ;-) But first I need to hook some other couples up. So without further delay, here's Ch. 9, and please let me know what you think of this pairing.
Chapter 9: Common Ground
The thought of Kelly made Cam's Watanabe's blood boil. The perky, petite redhead rubbed Cam the wrong way in every direction possible, from her brash demeanor to her cocky self-assuredness. Cam had more patience teaching foolhardy, beginner ninjas basic kung fu than he had dealing with Kelly Halloway. Yet here he was in the car with Kapri, driving to the devil's liar itself since Dustin the dodo head hadn't remembered to bring Marah's birthday present.
"Kapri?' called Cam to his cousin who had fallen asleep in the passenger seat. "Kapri?" Cam shouted louder this time with more desperation. He was hoping to have her go up to Kelly's apartment to get the gift so that he could avoid having another stormy fight with the Storm Chargers owners.
"Prada? Half-price?" mumered Kapri out loud as she continued to doze. When Cam shook Kapri, her snoring only became even louder.
"Thanks for the help, Cuz," muttered Cam, once he realized he was going to have to get the gift due to Kapri's immovable state of slumber. "This is not going to pretty," Cam thought crossly to himself. "Especially considering it is Kelly."
As Cam got out of the car, he didn't notice Kapri peak out from under her eyelids and give a sly smile in his direction.
Cam begrudgingly walked around the side of Storm Chargers to an outside staircase that led to the apartment above the shop where Kelly and Dustin lived. Giving a resentful sigh, Cam rapped on the door curtly and rang the doorbell.
"Come on, Kelly," complained Cam after the sixth ring. "I know you see me through the peephole."
"And why should I open the door for you?" yelled Kelly tauntingly.
"I came here for Dustin. You think I'd actually want to go anywhere near you with a ten foot pole," grumbled Cam. "Dustin forgot Marah's birthday gift when he went to surprise her with dinner; the doofus."
"Well there's something we agree on," said Kelly contemptuously as she opened the door.
"That just warms my heart," began Cam sarcastically when his cheeks heated up involuntarily upon beholding Kelly in her pajamas. She wore a form-fitting black tank top that accentuated her chest and complimented her fiery, long locks. "She has good taste in color too," thought Cam to himself, eyeing Kelly's short, green boxers. "Wait, did I just think something NICE about Kelly? I must be loosing it."
"Are you looking for something?" asked Kelly curtly, not flattered at all that Cam was checking out her form. "Or are you just looking at me?"
"Why would I do that?" fired back Cam hotly as he blushed hard. "There's nothing special to see."
"Let me show you where Dustin's room is," said Kelly spinning around angrily. "The sooner you get the gift, the sooner you can get out of here, and I can get back to actually enjoying my evening."
As Cam followed her down the hall, he felt his eyes helplessly pan over the back of her slender body. "Ok, she's beautiful," thought Cam begrudgingly to himself. "Beautiful, but a bitch."
Cam noticed as he passed through the apartment the unusually pristine carpets and dust-free furniture. "For a girl who spends all her time around dirt bikes, your apartment is awfully clean," commented Cam snidely.
"My parents raised me that way," said Kelly tightly.
"Well aren't you Daddy's little girl," responded Cam sarcastically.
"My dad died when I was nine," said Kelly sharply, whirling around to face Cam.
"I am so sorry," said Cam genuinely, thinking of his own loss. "I had no idea."
"As if a self-centered guy like you would actually understand, let alone care," shot back Kelly.
"No really, I get how difficult it is," said Cam sympathetically. "My mom died when I was a kid."
"It was so hard," mused Kelly out loud. "My mom never got over my dad's death. I always felt like I had to watch out for her."
"I'm the same way with my dad," replied Cam softly. "Real protective. Loosing a parent makes you grow up really fast."
"I know," agreed Kelly. "Storm Chargers was my dad's shop. I took it over as soon as I became legal at 18."
"I never heard that story," replied Cam, impressed. "That took a lot of responsibility."
"And we both know how important that quality is to you," teased Kelly. Laughing, they both smiled at each other warmly until they realized at the same instance they were actually enjoying each other's company.
"Did we just have a moment?" asked Kelly disgustedly.
"Oh trust me, I'm none to happy about it either!" retorted Cam defensively. "Just please show me where Dustin's room is."
Entering Dustin's room, Cam went over to the nightstand where the former Yellow Ninja Ranger had said Marah's gift would be. "Just great," groaned Cam to himself. "Not only did Dustin forget to bring the present to dinner, he even forgot where he put it in his own room!"
Cam began to tear through Dustin's pigpen of a bedroom, yet the former Samurai Ranger's mind was somewhere else… or on someone else. Cam had always thought of Kelly as a sloppy shop owner whose interest in extreme sports was superficial. Now Cam realized her management of Storm Chargers was her way to honor her dad, and the former Samurai Ranger respected her responsibility and initiative immensely.
"Have I misjudged Kelly?" Cam wondered to himself puzzled.
Yet the big mystery 10 minutes later for Cam was where in Dustin's room he could find Marah's gift. "I'm running out of time," thought Cam to himself worriedly as he noticed three missed calls on his cell phone from Dustin. Cam knew he needed help fast, but he really didn't want to humiliate himself by asking for assistance from THAT person.
From her living room couch, Kelly could see Cam walking down the hallway toward her like he was going to the slaughter. "He looks so adorable when he's upset," Kelly chuckled to herself at Cam's precious pout. "Wait? Did I just think that Cam was CUTE? I've GOT to get more sleep these days!"
"I need help," muttered Cam, the last word barely audible.
Cam was asking her for help! Kelly's heart soared with vindictiveness at her prophecy come true from that day they first argued in Storm Chargers. "I couldn't hear you," cooed Kelly with insincere sweetness. "Could you please speak up?"
"HELP!" yelled Cam resentfully. "I need your help! I can't find the gift, and Dustin's calling me like crazy to get back with it."
"Oh, so the proud Cam Watanabe has come off his high horse and now needs help," mocked Kelly in a vicious tone.
"I knew you'd be difficult about this!" responded Cam angrily. He was about to storm out of the living when he noticed what Kelly had been watching on TV.
"You're watching the Discover Channel documentary on the tomb of Emperor Qin," remarked Cam intrigued. "I love ancient Chinese art."
"Me too!" exclaimed Kelly instantly. "I took a class on Asian art at Blue Bay Harbor Community College last summer."
"Have you seen the Korean pottery exhibit at the museum yet?" they both asked at the same time, causing each other to laugh.
"Well I better get back to looking for the gift," grinned Cam, running his hand through his layered, black hair.
"He's kinda got a sexy smile," mused Kelly to herself, admiring Cam's muscular arms and broad physique as he walked away. "And we're a lot alike. A lot a like, except that he's an asshole."
Yet Cam really had seemed sincere when she told him about her father, and Kelly had never met another person into Asian art. Perhaps that's why she found herself unconsciously walking toward Dustin's room where she saw Cam bent over a pile of muddy, dirk bike clothes. "Not a bad view at all," thought Kelly to herself coyly, admiring the back side of Cam.
"Are you looking for something?" asked Cam curtly, repeating Kelly's line earlier when she had caught him examining her. "Or are you just looking at me?"
"Yeah, in fact I was," replied Kelly flirtatiously. "You know, I won't tell people you're not perfect."
"Huh?" asked a confused Cam looking down at his body, thinking the comment was directed at his physique. Kelly laughed.
"That you asked for help, silly!" grinned Kelly. A smile slowly spread across Cam's face to match Kelly's. The Storm Chargers manager entered Dustin's room to aid Cam in the search for Marah's gift.
"Can you actually believe Dustin has a girlfriend they way he forgets things all the time?" mused Cam as he held up a plate with a greening tuna sandwich stuck to it.
"Unfortunately yes," laughed Kelly. "He was late all the time even when he started working at Storm Chargers four years ago, but I still managed to have a crush on him."
"You had a crush on Dustin?" asked Cam incredulously, shocked at the slight twinge of jealousy he felt.
"Hey, he's a cutie," responded Kelly, smiling slightly at Cam's envious expression. "But I usually like guys who less laid-back and more assertive. Like I am."
"You can say that again," replied Cam. They both laughed.
"You know everyone thought you had a crush on Tori for awhile," said Kelly nonchalantly, watching for Cam's reaction out of the corner of her eye.
"That's ridiculous!" exclaimed Cam sourly. Kelly looked at him with a half-smile and raised eyebrows. "Ok maybe not," continued Cam. "She's gorgeous obviously."
"So blondes are your type?" asked Kelly, surprised at the hint of disappointment in her voice.
"Not usually," replied Cam, not looking at Kelly. "Actually I like red-heads." Smiling, Cam glanced over at Kelly's whose bright, red cheeks now matched her fiery hair.
"Tori's a great friend," continued Com. "But in a girlfriend, I look for someone with a more outwardly passionate personality."
"Someone like me!" chirped Kelly teasingly.
"That could one way of looking at it," laughed Cam amused. The two resumed rummaging through Dustin's room of the gift, genuinely enjoying getting to know one another.
"Doesn't Dustin ever do laundry?" wondered Cam out loud, accidentally hitting Kelly with a dirty sweatshirt.
"Oh you asked for it!" cried Kelly playfully, teasingly tossing a t-shirt at Cam. She screeched as Cam ran after her, pelting her with socks. Kelly tried to run across Dustin's bed – situated in the center of his room – but tripped and fell flat across the mattress. Rolling over on her back, she shrieked when Cam leaned over and began trying to stuff the socks into her face.
Cam finally stopped, resting his arms on the mattress on either side of Kelly. With his head just above her face, Kelly could fully appreciate his sweet smile and sparkling eyes.
"I'd better get going," said Cam slowly, a deep blush spreading across his face. He paused for moment. "Thanks Kelly. For your help," added Cam, grinning shyly.
No one was more surprised than Kelly herself when she leaned up off the mattress and pressed her lips hard against Cam's in a heated kiss. Drawing back slowly, Kelly bashfully bit her lower lip and tried to ignore her racing heart.
Cam's eyes meanwhile had widened in disbelief…. but also desire. Both looking directly into each other's eyes, their heads gradually moved toward one another until the pair had met again in a passionate lip lock.
At that moment, Kapri burst through Dustin's doorway. "Well, well, well," said Kapri, highly amused. "I guess you two have managed to find common ground after all."
Cam gave his cousin a look that would have buried her alive. "Kapri, if you tell anybody about this," growled Cam, "I will let Hunter know that it was you who accidentally turned all his white clothes pink in the wash."
"Ok, I can keep a secret," smiled Kapri, putting a finger over her lips.
"Sure you can," Cam and Kelly each thought to themselves.
"Anyway, Dustin wants to know if you've found the gift," continued Kapri. "We should be getting back to the Academy in either case."
"I'll see you sometime later Kelly," said Cam, clearing his throat loudly and dashing for the door. "Sorry for imposing on you tonight."
Seeing Cam following her out of her apartment, Kapri smiled slyly as she reached inside the front, left pocket of her jacket to make sure the small jewelry box that contained Marah's gift was still there.