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CHANGING THE STARS
By Etcetera Kit
Trains move quickly to the
journey's end
Destinations are where we begin again
Ships go
sailing far across the sea
Trusting starlight to get where they
need to be
Chapter Nine: Searching Starlight I
Billy let out a long breath as he shouldered his bag and the knapsack of supplies. The ship had an autopilot that would take it back to Aquitar, as leaving it in the woods would undoubtedly cause problems. The autopilot would take off in ten minutes. He double-checked his bags to make sure he hadn't left something. Setting his face in a grimace, he turned from the ship and headed into the woods.
There were a lot of smaller cities clustered around Angel Grove, along with acres of wooded land. He had seen three kids and was convinced that he would find them. For the Aquitarians, that was enough. For the people he had left behind on Earth, nothing was reason enough. There were people in Angel Grove that he could see—his father, for instance. But a part of him was not ready to face the past. He had spent the past nine years on another planet for that very fact.
But he had built a new family on Aquitar. Aurico had become his closest friend, exchanging wisdom, a chess game, a glass of mead… He had seemed to understand that Billy needed to distance himself from the ranger situation on Earth before he could make a rational sense of what had happened to him. Cestria had started out as his lover, but soon became another close friend. She knew so much about him, being the one to come to Earth and take him to Aquitar. He owed her his life, his sanity… there was nothing he could say or do to repay what she had done for him.
He pulled a tracking device from his knapsack and turned it on. The humming and beeping assured him that the device was in working order. This particular tracker was like many on Aquitar, but specialized to track life forces. He had fine tuned this one himself to track human life forces. No one was around him in the woods.
The breeze blew quickly, pushing his longish hair from his forehead. That was coming from the south.
Of the radiant southern sun…
The snippet came back to him. He was not sure where he had heard it before, but it seemed apt. The sun was high in the clear blue sky, shining through the trees in a way that he hadn't seen in nine years. The sun rose and set on Aquitar as it did here, but the planet was mostly water, causing a glare. Most of the Aquitarians lived in underwater cities, so they could be protected from the sun and swim as they pleased.
Starting down an unknown path, he let out a long breath, remembering too much. Aurico had come back from a Red Ranger mission to Earth's moon. Most of the names and teams were foreign to him. He had left Earth before Divatox captured Zordon, before Zordon was destroyed to save the Earth. But there were two amongst the ten that participated who he remembered… remembered them all too well. The crushing disappointment when he realized that he could not wield the gold powers… the sickening feeling when he saw those two together again, the close friends as they had been before, working in tandem as though nothing had changed…
But he knew differently.
Everything had changed.
He had been the one left behind, while the others continued forward. Circumstances had conspired against him. Graduating from high school early so that he couldn't interact with the others in their normal social setting, giving his Zeo crystal to Tanya and then being unable to hold the gold power… that all ended with him going to Aquitar. Now, he was not so sure that Cestria had loved him, as she had known he needed to leave. She was wise… far wiser than he would ever be.
Well, Aurico had told him what happened after he left Earth. The others had graduated from high school, passing on their ranger powers and doing different things. Some went to school, others went to a career. Not that it really mattered. None of them had tried to contact him once he left for Aquitar. There was really nothing left to say or do. He had grown up and apart from them. Besides, he wasn't sure that high school was the best thing in the world to be reminiscing about constantly. But it was his only point of reference on Earth… and being a Power Ranger tends to tie people together more effectively than any fleeting high school friendship or clique.
The woods were peaceful. The birds chirped as he stomped through the brush. He seemed to spend a lot of time in forests, but that particular scenery never appealed to him. He had always preferred the ocean, but not water for the longest time.
And then there were his dreams…
Trini had been alive in them. That scared him. Most people didn't know it, but he had gone to her funeral, come to Earth… He had stood in the back of the church, watching as the friends and family filed past the open coffin. No one recognized him with his long hair and goatee. At least no one from high school would expect him to look so unkempt. He had forced himself to walk past the coffin, to gaze at her one last time. Apparently she hadn't suffered any head injuries, because she looked much as he remembered… except older and all the more beautiful. He hadn't stayed for the burial or the reception.
He hadn't harbored any illusions that a high school crush would blossom after so many years, but her funeral had marked how unspoken words haunted him.
For all I should have said and didn't say…
For all I should have done and didn't do…
For all I should have thought and didn't think…
It didn't matter if he had a stupid high school crush, because nothing could be spoken now. After she left for Geneva, letters and e-mails had dwindled to nothing and he lost contact with his childhood best friend. Sure, he had other friends, people who were just as important, but nothing could replace the girl who, in second grade, beat up the class bullies that had stolen his glasses.
Trini… moonlight… a tiger…
If any of that made sense, he probably wouldn't be wandering through the woods. A voice had asked him if he could awaken the moonlight. Gods, he hoped he found what he was looking for and hoped that he'd get some answers soon.
His tracker began to beep. Each beep meant that there was a life signal close. The closer to got, the louder and more frequent the beep would become. He kept forward, the tinny noise getting shriller. Good, that meant that he was close to finding someone.
But the closer he got, he didn't see anyone. There should have been people all around him, but he didn't see anyone. What was going on? Had his tracker been damaged? He had repaired it before getting on the ship—it should have been working. What was happening to him now that he couldn't identify?
Tori let out a long breath, leaning against the tree branch. She was not sure what compelled her to take Dustin's watch shift, especially since she had homework to do and was no longer on the official rotation. But Dustin had said that he needed to "train" Ethan, which probably meant that they were going to the library to play video games. A part of her hoped that Cam would find them and lay down the law. Another part of her wouldn't wish that on anyone.
There were some other students on watch. At least one of them was a member of the academy guard—the official security for the school. One of them was on duty at all times and stopped people who didn't know the password. She had been a teacher and was kept informed of password changes. Mostly, they didn't bother teachers unless something felt off. The guard member on duty was usually the person running around the woods on horseback, since the horses were their exclusive domain.
She really needed to be working on her paper. The students and the guard could handle this shift. No one seemed to be forthcoming. Besides, Sensei had always maintained that they needed to attend to their schoolwork as carefully as their ninja studies.
"Sensei!"
Snapping to attention at the formal teacher's title, she glanced to the student that had called. He pointed to a lone traveler through the woods. Tori frowned. He had longish, sandy blonde hair that was in a ponytail and a goatee. He was wearing blue jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt. Some type of scanner was out and he had a knapsack on his back with a bag slung over his shoulder. Something about him was vaguely familiar…
Tori motioned to the student that she'd handle it. She jumped from the tree, landing lightly on the ground. The man looked from his scanner to her, one eyebrow arching.
"I knew this thing wasn't broken," he muttered.
His blue-gray eyes studied her for a moment, comprehending and remembering. He shut off his scanner, the beeping going away. Tori closed her eyes for a minute, studying him. There was something about ninjas, like singing to like. Generally, a ninja master could sense the ninja spirit in another and tell what element they sang to. This guy was definitely a ninja, but he didn't sing to air, earth or water. And he wasn't the fire ninja…
"Are you the moonlight ninja?" she asked.
"I don't know about 'ninja', but moonlight, yes." He paused. "You're Tori, aren't you?"
"Yes." She stared at him for a moment. "Who are you?"
That caused a split second's confusion in his eyes. "Cranston," he replied finally. "William Cranston. Cestria called me Will, others have called me Billy." He shrugged. "I'll pretty much answer to anything except, 'hey you.'"
She wanted to ask who Cestria was, but kept the question in check. He had just gotten here—on foot from the looks of things. He didn't strike her as a 'William' or 'Will.' In fact, the name 'Billy' seemed to most natural to him. He looked a lot like her more free-spirited professors—intelligent and highly educated, but kind of absent-minded at the same time. Billy… the puerile name fit him perfectly. It didn't demean him—in fact, it gave him character. Almost like having an Uncle Timmy…
"Billy, then," she said. He looked a little startled. "You've found the Wind Ninja Academy." She motioned down the rough path. "The building isn't far from here."
"Ninja academy?"
She nodded, heading down the path. He followed her, putting the scanner in his shoulder bag. It made her wonder where he had been. "So," she asked slowly. "Where are you from?"
"Angel Grove."
"Oh. That's not too far from here."
"I know."
She had a feeling that he hadn't been living in Angel Grove prior to this meeting, but he wasn't offering any information. God, she wished Ethan were here—he was the one that had all the information on previous ranger teams. He might be able to shed a little light on the elusive Mr. Cranston who was from Angel Grove. The lake and waterfall came into sight. Billy was looking around, like he was drinking in his surroundings.
"The portal's just in front of the waterfall?"
"We have to swim?"
"Not exactly."
He looked, well, not overly enthused about the idea of water, but that he'd do what he had to. Indifferent… that how he looked to the concept of water or swimming. She held out a hand to him. Eyes narrowing, he took her hand, then his eyes widened in surprise. Tori knew the feeling—she had felt that the first time someone helped her over the lake.
In a few moments, they were standing on the bluff.
"I've been here before," he said softly.
"In dreams?" she asked.
"Yes… the practice field, except it was night."
"Listen, Billy," she said as they stood on the bluff, watching an air class go through their katas below. "You're a ninja now. You're welcome here at any time and all our resources are here for your use."
"That'd be nice," he said, a smile tugging at his lips. "Especially since I don't have a place on Earth to stay."
So he'd been off planet. That made a little more sense. But which planet? There were very few that were open for Earth colonists and the screening procedures were tough. Most people didn't meet the requirements. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained.
"Which planet?"
"Aquitar."
Her heart froze. No one got onto Aquitar from any other planet. They welcomed visitors, but no one stayed there very long. She didn't know anything about him, but that said something about his relationship with the Aquitarians.
"Tori!"
Ethan jumped down from a tree and jogged towards them. His eyes landed on Billy and lit up. "Billy Cranston! Oh my God! This is an honor!" Ethan paused as he began pumping his hand. "The original Blue Ranger on Earth!" He paused again. "Sky will so want to meet you! They have these crazy ranger history classes at SPD."
Everyone was spared from explaining Sky, when the Blue Ranger from the future, himself, appeared, strolling along the bluff, and a bundle of firewood under one arm. His reaction was much the same as Ethan's, but more subdued and respectful. Billy, for his part, looked a little embarrassed at the attention, but also a bit pleased.
Tori frowned. What had happened to him?
Rain pattered softly on the roof. Distant rolls of thunder rumbled the building, but he had yet to see any lightening. Billy let out a long breath, slowly taking things out of his bags. Kanoi—the head teacher around here—had given him a guest room. His new quarters happened to be next door to the room that Sky was inhabiting. However, Sky was not in his room nor was he anywhere else that Billy could fathom. In fact, he didn't know where the three "kids" were. No one had been in the library or the kitchen and he highly doubted that they would be outside in the rain. Well… they might.
He didn't have a lot of clothing or, at least, clothing that would blend in on Earth. All he had brought with him fit in one dresser drawer. His laptop and other equipment, he set on a small table, although he wasn't sure how he'd power it, since all the power was in the bathroom. He supposed he could go into town and get some extension cords or just set up camp in the library. He had called his banks earlier to check his accounts—he had saved up a couple thousand dollars his last year on Earth. He'd be solvent enough to get established on Earth. First thing was to go down to the local DPS and renew his driver's license.
But he needed a permanent address to do that…
With a frustrated growl, he sank down onto his bed. He raked his hands through his hair. The few personal items from his shoulder bag were spread on the comforter. Letters and pictures spilled out of a rubber band. The few mementoes—gag gifts—were clustered together. Reaching out, he picked up a tiny rubber dinosaur—a triceratops. Kim had done that their freshman year of high school and had gone through several bags at the dollar store, looking for just the right figures. There was a unicorn that, when one put it in the fridge, turned from pink to purple. The small wolf stuffed animal had been another dollar store venture, but, this time, from Aisha. It never failed to amaze him how obsessed they had been with their ranger powers.
And no one ever guessed…
There were times when he wondered why their parents never suspected anything. The excuse of 'oh, I'm going to so-and-so's house to study' must have worn through. Their parents had to have cross-checked at some point in time. Either their parents had trusted them too much to mind or they had all figured out that they were Power Rangers. It almost made him want to go to Angel Grove and talk with his father. Then again, his father thought he was abroad.
He put down the rubber triceratops and picked up the fan. It was yellow paper and rather cheap—a party favor mothers bought for little kids. He had gotten it for Trini's ninth birthday party in third grade—the only boy at the party. For whatever weird reason, it had reminded him of Trini—and there was probably some deeply embedded socio-cultural racist reason for it, but he had stopped trying to analyze himself a long time ago. Trini had given him the fan and that was all that mattered.
"You are so dead!"
The shouted statement was punctuated by a splattering noise and a shriek. Dropping the fan, he stood up and went to the doors to his balcony. He pulled back the screens and the noise of the rain intensified. It was raining straight down, so he could open the doors and nothing inside would get wet.
Tori was standing in the middle of the practice field, soaked and muddy, looking like she was about to fend off another attack.
"Ethan!" she called. "Stop hiding!"
Everything was still for a few moments while Tori looked around before Ethan, literally, appeared out of nowhere and pelted her with a mud cake. She sputtered indignantly, before retaliating with a mud cake of her own. It missed Ethan by a few inches. "You throw like a girl!" he taunted, backing away.
"You are a girl!" Tori retorted.
"You are so going down like that dude from Detonation Man!"
Billy didn't hear the rest of the conversation—he shut the screens again, his gaze turning to the collection of items on the bed. The locket stood out amongst the cheap claptrap from parties. Cestria had given him that locket, but she hadn't put pictures in it. She had said he needed to put the people closest to his heart in it. He had spent so much time on Aquitar and distanced himself… well, Aurico and Cestria were close to him.
He smiled remembering the Spring Solstice on Aquitar. It was a yearly celebration—the largest on the planet, akin to Christmas on Earth. Cestria had pressed the locket in his hand, the silver, iridescent metal shining under the afternoon sun. Aquitarians had been flipping out of the water in elaborate formations, a smattering of applause following each stunt. In the evening, banquet tables were placed on the docks and people ate and drank until the sun came up. There was usually a fireworks display to go with dinner—something they had picked up from Earth that amused them.
Sitting on a dock that night, shivering from the cool night air, he had just enjoyed being with Cestria. She never forced him to speak. That had been the popular method—when he had still been on Earth—for others to find out what was wrong. Cestria just let the silence be, knowing he would talk when he was ready. Some things, he would never be ready to talk about. She knew that, respected that…
William… you love more than life itself, but you also hate to the bitter end. Let go of that hatred, that anger… it can only free your spirit…
Her words… she had truly known him better than he knew himself.
With a frustrated sigh, he reached into his bag, pulling out a crumpled and half-empty pack of Marlboros. He had never been much of a smoker—a bad habit he had picked up on Aquitar, but it seemed regulated to stress. Cigarettes were one of the few Earth imports that Aquitarians allowed, but also asked people to smoke is designated areas only. He didn't have a lighter—the one thing he had left behind.
Leaving his room and walking downstairs, he ran into no one. That suited him right now. The fountain in the entrance area burbled happily as rain continued to spatter on the roof. Dim blue light from the clouds filled the area. He looked towards the front doors—one was propped open and a lone figure stood on the porch, watching the mud fight.
"Got a light?"
Sky looked startled at being addressed, but reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter. Billy motioned to the cigarettes. "You mind?" The other man shook his head. He extracted one stick from the pack. Balancing it between his lips, he cupped the flame and lit it.
"Smoke a lot?"
He gave Sky an appraising look, tossing his lighter back to him. "It's a nervous habit."
Another shriek from Tori found both of them turning towards the field. Ethan and Tori were covered in mud, but looked like the best of friends, having the time of their lives. Sky looked a little depressed at the sight. "Not going out there?"
"I don't like mud."
Billy knew that, once, he had that kind of friendship and knew what Sky was feeling.
To be continued...
Author's Note: Continued thanks to all my reviewers and readers... and remember, "Be orderly and regular in your life so that you may be violent and original in your work."
