We are going to stop doing the disclaimer because it is on every chapter already and I think you all know who owns the Power Rangers anyway. If you don't, look at the other chapters.
Authors' note: TIC: This was a fun chapter to write because I got to play around with Marah and Kapri, too very underappreciated characters. Also, any chance to add depth to characters that never seemed to have is always a treat. The NS arc of this fic is coming to a close with the next chapter so enjoy it while you can. TM: Please leave feedback and predictions of what is going to happen next. I personally like reading the comments on the fic. On with the fic.
Chapter 7: Kith and Kin
"This should be an easy fix. It won't take long."
Ethan wiped his sweaty brow on his shirt sleeve. He was laid out on his back underneath the main computer console in Ninja Ops. His stomach churned as he tinkered away at the panel, having not yet recovered from the sight he saw outside of the base. Lying down while trying to concentrate on such delicate equipment wasn't really helping the matter. The taste of vomit was still lingered on his breath.
The other prisoner continued to sit silently in the corner. He had woken soon after Ethan returned and was freed as well. The way he surveyed the room weighed heavily on the Wind Rangers' minds. They each checked on him from time to time, never once letting him go unnoticed. He didn't seem so oblivious like Ethan or the other two, Shane noted. They all seemed naive to a point. This one, on the other hand, carried himself much better. He was always eyeing his surroundings as if ready to spring forward at any moment.
"What's his deal?" Shane leaned down near Ethan's side and whispered as he gestured towards Trent.
Ethan gazed up for a moment before grabbing a screwdriver and continuing his work. "Oh, Trent's a... little bit different than the rest of us," he hesitated. "He's a bit high strung. I don't think it's anything to be too concerned with."
Shane's eye twitched, searching for something a little more concrete.
"Um..." Ethan began to trail off. "He's an artist. You know the type. Very eccentric, always looking for the next big inspiration."
Shane tensed up, becoming more and more displeased with his decision to release these boys. "Right..."
"Anyway," Ethan closed up the panel and screwed it secure in place. "That should do it."
Trent was a caged animal. He stood up, causing the Winds to flinch. They let up after he showed no signs of aggression. "Ethan, when are we going to get out of here? It looks highly doubtful that this is the time where the rift happened. Let's go."
Ethan pulled a familiar device out from his pocket, brandishing it defiantly before his partner. "All I have is the actual time travel component. Conner was holding onto the part that actually explained the proper history to us. Without all four of us together with both of them, we aren't leaving."
"Well that's a problem, isn't it?" Trent looked over Ethan's shoulder. Shane had been working at the newly repaired computer and had just swiveled around in his chair. "If the Thunder's have your friends then there isn't much that you can do about it. Thank you for fixing the computer Ethan. We really appreciate the help but we can't in good conscious risk either of you out there."
"What!" Trent's blood boiled as he held his wrist up, ready to morph. Ethan looked around unsure of exactly what to do. The Wind Rangers were nice for the most part but he still didn't even have a handle on his powers. What did Trent say when he morphed? Something about Drago power? What was that? It didn't sound like any dinosaur he had ever heard of. As fate would have it that didn't matter because before he could piece anything together Dustin and Tori were on top of him.
"White Ranger, Dino Power, HA!" Trent crashed down with sword drawn.
"Ninja Storm, Ranger Form, HA!" Red light flashed as the blade was met with another. "Damnit! He was holding out. This one's a ranger too."
Ethan's head hit the floor and he blacked out. Trent cursed Ethan's foolhardiness.
-----
"Shane Clarke, Dustin Brooks and Tori Hanson were the only three ninja students left after Lothor arrived and captured the Wind Ninja Academy, the last of all the secret ninja schools. Fate would have it that the three slacker ninja student who tried so hard to get to class on time were stopped once again by an elderly couple with a flat tire. That proved to be their saving grace." Jen's muffled robotic voice continued to play through the message. Conner and Kira listened intently, looking to pick up any clues. Their captors had left them alone for the night.
"After a brief feud with the only two remaining Thunder Ninjas, Blake and Hunter Bradley, the five students teamed up and formed the Ninja Storm Power Rangers team. Along with the son of the Wind Academy's sensei, Cameron Watanabe, the Green Samurai Ranger, the team eventually defeated Lothor and restored their school's honor."
"Just like I guessed," Kira mentioned. "Their suits are all so similar. I'm not surprised that they're supposed to all be working together."
Conner nodded in agreement but something else was clearly at the forefront of his mind. "This Lothor guy sounds important," he mused.
"Yeah," Kira nodded. "But it's strange."
"What?"
"Based on what I see, most villains tend to team up with Zordon yet even in our time I haven't even heard of Lothor. What could he be doing here that Blake and Hunter haven't even mentioned him?"
The duo continued to discuss the inconsistencies between the two timelines and possible ways to escape. Not far off a pair of glowing eyes examined the scene. It was just as he feared. These outsiders could ruin everything. Lothor had gone so soft on him. He had no choice but to abandon that fool. Zurgane's thrill for battle could not be easily contained. He didn't care for the foolish rivalry between the two ninja academies. They were just children whose squabbling didn't matter. He hoped that no one would actually win. The longer he could enjoy the battle, the better. If getting rid of these two would further quench his thirst for blood, then so be it.
-----
"Where's Marah?"
Lothor maneuvered himself carefully in the kitchen chair. One leg had a bit of a tilt to it and no one had quite gotten around to fixing it. Kapri could see the worried look in her uncle's eyes. How was this the same man that only weeks ago had such a fiery passion to destroy the entire universe? Now he seemed like a concerned parent, tending after his sickly child. Thump. Thump. Thump. His knee banged under the table anxiously. "Kapri," he begged again. "Where is your sister?"
She exhaled slowly. Staling wouldn't work any longer. "Okay uncle, I'll tell you. But you have to promise not to be mad."
"The only thing I can promise is that I will be mad UNTIL you tell me so you had better start talking."
Kapri wrung her hands. "Okay, Marah and I were talking about the ranger problem. You know, the whole 'kick punch kick punch you killed my family' thing. Which, by the way, I really think that the next time Chuubo goes for groceries he should pick up some moisturizer because ever since you've been so concerned with your brother your skin has gotten kind of..."
"KAPRI!"
"Right, anyway, the two groups seem to really only hate each other. We thought that if we could isolate one of them and get them to understand what's really going on we could put this whole thing to a rest. So, we drew straws and Marah got the short one. Well, they were both short but she forgot to ask me what mine looked like so..."
"Oh no," Lothor's head dropped into his hands. "She didn't."
"She did." Kapri cringed and braced herself as his hands slammed down on the table. Chuubo screamed momentarily from the other room before gulping and cautiously changing sensei's cool washcloth again
The short leg was the least of the chair's problems as Lothor hurled it into the wall, splintering it into jagged pieces.
"That damned, foolhardy girl! My nephew is gone and my brother could be next. I don't want to lose my niece as well!" The rage quelled as the large man collapsed to his knees. Many years ago he had tried to steal the Samurai Star amulet from his brother. He had traversed the galaxy and seen and done many unspeakable evils. But behind all of that, behind the power he held as Lothor, he was still Kiya, he was still human. His heart still ached for those that meant so much to him.
-----
"Where's Waldo? There's Waldo!"
The words still echoed in Dustin's head. Kouta had moved to Blue Bay Harbor just a month prior to joining the Wind Ninja Academy alongside Dustin. They were both placed in the earth branch based on their placement tests. Being a transfer student to martial arts was one thing. Being Japanese in California while being a transfer student to martial arts made you stick out.
"You're just a regular student? You're Japanese. Show us some kung fu, Slanty." One of the other earth students, Chase, got in Kouta's face on the first day. Dustin watched nearby looking more and more concerned as the boy poked and prodded. How someone with such a lack of manners got into the academy in the first place was still a mystery to him but clearly the selection process left a lot to be desired.
"Leave him alone. Not every oriental person knows martial arts," Dustin paced between the two. "You shouldn't believe every stereotype you hear Chase. But wait, that's not really your name now is it?" Dustin had glanced at the student roster in one of the proctor's hands just for the heck of it but now he was glad that he did. "You're Charles Jablonski. That's Polish right? I guess I should take back what I said about stereotypes. Because you're clearly an idiot."
Chase stared at Dustin for a moment, glanced at Kouta and then back to Dustin. "Whatever." He walked away. Dustin followed him with his eyes before turning around and flashing a smile as he patted the boy on his shoulders.
"Hey, I'm Dustin. Sorry about that. I guess not all of us rookies can be as smart and respectful as one would hope. What's your name?"
The boy paused, clinging to the little courage he could find. "I'm Kouta."
"Nice to meet you Kouta. Great name. I'm Waldo, I mean, Dustin. Well, my real name is Waldo but I hate it so everyone calls me Dustin."
From that point on Dustin trained with Kouta, slowly bringing the boy out of his shell. Whenever they practiced katas, Kouta's newfound habit would grow. "Where's Waldo? There's Waldo." Whenever they studied the principles of the wind and earth for a big test it was, "Where's Waldo? There's Waldo." Or just when one of them wanted to spar it was, "Where's Waldo? There's Waldo." Even as Kouta's skills grew much quicker than Dustin's both men still made time for one another. Dustin was proud to be one of the attackers when Kouta demonstrated his skills before the rest of academy during the ritual that recognized him as an elite ninja. Kouta's success was Dustin's success.
"Dustin, are these scanners working? You're supposed to be out on patrol but it says you still haven't left the grounds."
Dustin's gaze never moved off of the spot in front of him but he heard the words in the back of his mind. He absently fumbled with the morpher. "Yeah Shane, they're fine. Ethan's adjustments worked. I'm on my way now."
"Okay. Just be quick about it. Shane out."
He liked to think that on the day of the attack Kouta was the first one ready to defend his colleges. He would have been the first to fall, to die with honor. If only. Dustin had found Kouta's body right away while Tori and Shane surveyed the rest of the area, looking for any survivors but finding none. Dustin saw no wounds on Kouta's chest. It was spotless. No one ever could get a solid shot in on Kouta. Dustin could personally attest for that. But when he held his friend close, he felt the one thing he had feared as the explanation for his death. Three pincher-shaped shuriken were lodged into Kouta's back. A calling card of the Thunder Ninja Academy if there ever was one. They had attacked him from behind in as dishonorable of an action as possible.
Dustin kept them. Dried blood and all, they rested in his pocket. One each for the enemy. He would return the favor one day. The other bodies of his fallen comrades still riddled the open area around the academy's ruins. Burying them all would take too much time. But Dustin made sure that Kouta was properly taken care of. Beneath this tree Dustin returned Kouta to the earth. "Let your strength become my strength, brother. Be with me always." He kissed his fingertips and placed them to the ground, saying a silent prayer before returning to his feet and stalking his way through the battlefield.
-----
Marah had already managed to get herself turned around. Once you got passed the main section of the city and into the park the scenery took a dramatic shift. It was supposed to go from cloudy and grey to a much more lush and green backdrop. The problem being that with Zordon's forces having leveled most of the area everything was a murky brown. According to her memory or when they had first arrived she should be looking for a hill that had a steep, 100-foot drop-off. Over the years this area had become the unspoken cut off point between the wind and thunder academies. The thunders had a much higher elevation, feeling that they were closer to the sky where they could draw off the clouds that produced the power of their namesake.
In comparison, the winds liked to be closer to the ground. Water naturally flowed downward and so did the trade winds and eroded earth. It seemed to encapsulate their very ideal elements to be lower. But if you asked the thunders, that was more a symbol for their hierarchy among the ninja schools than anything else.
Marah ran her hands along the sides of her pale, cream dress before twisting a lock of her brunette hair with her left index finger. Her other hand clutched a map of the area in a death grip. It wasn't as useful as she had hoped. She knew that no general maps of the area actually had markings of the hidden academies existing.
"Well, they wouldn't be very hidden if they did." she murmured to no one in particular. Marah followed the nearby stream downhill. "I only need to find one ranger. It doesn't matter which one. Maybe this will lead me to the winds. They seemed a bit more pleasant to deal with anyway."
"Good call."
Marah spun around in fright.
"Well," the voice continued. "At least you were right about the stream leading you towards the winds. I'm not so sure about us being all that pleasant."
The man brushed back his unruly tuft of hair. Marah noted the yellow markings on his uniform. "Hi, um, you're Dustin, right?" she forced out a smile as her only defense.
"Yeah I'm Dustin. Yellow Wind Ranger. I'm the guy that has complete mastery over the earth. Dirt, trees, grass, even the soil beneath you, belongs to me. Hypothetically speaking, I could turn it into quick sand and have it would swallow you up in a matter of minutes. Again, hypothetically speaking. So please tell me why you're trespassing here lady."
"I came to talk to you about your sensei," Marah stuttered, trying to hold her ground.
"There's not much to say. My sensei is dead. I thank you kindly not speak of him." Dustin marched closer to the strange girl. Who was she anyway and what gave her the right to act so brazenly? He grabbed her arm, squeezing harder than need be.
"Did you see the body?" her voice grew sterner.
"What? No, I didn't see the body. But there were hundreds of us anyway so... no, it doesn't matter. I don't have time for games. Explain who you are now! Are you working for them? Did the thunders put you up to this? Tell me now girl."
The coolness of the palm from her free hand cracked against the side of his face producing a painful warmth as a small line of blood trickled down the side of his mouth. His head snapped back but she immediately bit it off.
"Your sensei is alive!" she spit out. "My uncle, your sensei's brother, has been caring for him for the last few weeks while you idiots have been trying to tear each other apart. He is barely clinging onto life as it is. Now I know both sides lost a lot but you didn't lose everything. However, you will if you don't put this stupid feud behind you."
Dustin held back as he gazed at the girl. This fire that she just let loose was intoxicating. He questioned her. "Your uncle is caring for my sensei? Where is he?"
"I can take you to him."
He released her arm and waved his hand before her. "Then by all means, lead the way."
-----
His eyes held onto the other man through the steel bars. Conner refused to take his eyes off of Blake. "You know, as mad as I am right now, I don't really blame you."
Kira peered up from her sitting position. She had been hugging her legs on the floor with her face buried deep in between her knees. This was going to be interesting.
The Navy Thunder Ranger stood up from his chair, arms crossed, as he moved not more than two feet away from Conner, the cool metal the only barrier between them. "This I gotta hear."
Conner smirked. "I have a brother of my own. Eric. In fact, we're twins. People are surprised to hear that he's actually more hotheaded than I am. We're always looking out for each other, me more than him because he loves to rush into things. He's a lot like Hunter in that way. You always stand back and let him take the lead, right?"
Blake exhaled as he shook his head in frustration. "Yes Conner, do you have a point?"
His smile widened even more. "Absolutely. This is what I'm trying to say. You and your brother want what's best for each other. You've lost everyone else. What else is there to cling to but each other? I get that. We both want what is best for our family. So I'm just confused."
"About what?"
"About why you can't burry your damned pride and let us go. You can't even prove that the Wind Rangers did that!" Conner gestured outside. "If you help us, we might be able to bring everyone that you love and care about back." He grabbed the bars. His voice dropped. Kira's mouth gaped open as she saw the tears in Conner's eyes. "In the world I came from I had to abandon many of my good friends and my brother. I left them to die. There is no turning back for me. We have nothing to go back to. I feel for you Blake, really, I do. But I refuse to let your damned feud come between me and a better world for everyone."
Blake paused and held his head down.
"Now please," Conner sternly added, "for me, you, Eric and Hunter... let us out."
-----
"Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!" Zurgane cursed to himself over and over again as he paced on top of a bluff overlooking the Wind Ranger Academy's territory. Things had been going so smoothly until these new kids arrived. Blake and Hunter were great warriors but their hearts were soft. It was only a matter of time until Conner and Kira won them over. He would have to act. Maybe if he could bring the battle to the thunders they would question everyone again. Something had to be done.
A flash of movement caught the corner of Zurgane's eye. He peered carefully over the side and saw one of the Wind Rangers; yes it was Dustin he noted, walking with a female. It wasn't Tori unless she had suddenly taken to wearing dresses. No, it was someone else. "Marah," he controlled his voice but slammed his fist against a nearby tree. Why was one of Lothor's weak willed nieces talking to a ranger?
A gentle hissing sound began as decompressed air shot out the sides of Zurgane's head. It looked like the results of a man with a cigarette sticking out of every opening in his face. His mask parted, revealing a tiny ant-like creature sitting inside. Tiny clamps were released as it exited the vessel, the face closing back in on itself.
"I can personally follow those two while my body handles the other Wind Rangers. I'll be damned if I let that peaceful time line become a reality." He presses a few buttons on the tiny console in front of him and the body started marching closer towards the Wind Ranger Academy while his actual form began to fly in the opposite direction, following Dustin and Marah who edged closer and closer to the outskirts of town where Lothor was still tending to sensei.
-----
"...the uprising was quickly quelled and those responsible were executed. That's all for your six o'clock news. I'm Curtis Taylor for ZNN news, signing off."
Chuubo turned the television off with disgust.
"Hey Chuubo," Kapri carefully walked into the room and sat next to the large green alien on the sofa, her arms holding fast against her shoulders. She edged closer to him. "How are doing? I thought uncle had you watching his brother?"
"He did," the creature sighed. "But he clearly wanted to be with him. He's so worried about Marah. We all are."
Kapri nodded. "Chuubo? Can I tell you something?"
This time he moved nearer to her. "Of course."
"I'm scared Chuubo."
He placed his arm around her shoulder in a friendly gesture. "Can I tell you something Kapri?" He didn't wait for her to force out an answer. "I'm scared too."
Kapri fought through the tears and smiled. "This isn't exactly what I signed up for when the idea of a fun summer with my uncle came up, you know?" She grinned. "'Why not help him conquer a few planets?' mom said. 'It'd be a great learning experience.' dad said. Now I feel so powerless. My little sister is so much better than me for going out there. I don't want to lose her, I just couldn't live with myself if that..."
The crack of wood on wood sent them both to their feet. The singsong voice of Marah hummed in the air. "I'm back! Chuubo! Kapri! Hey! Kapri? What's wrong?" Her typical mischievous grin filled out the girl's face. "You're crying. Were you worried about me?" She poked her sister's ribs who slapped the hand away quickly and dabbed the corners of her eyes with her dress.
"I was not crying. Marah? Marah who? I wasn't worried. But, um," her voice lowered and she blushed. "I'm glad you're back."
"I'm not alone..." the melodious tone continued.
"MARAH!" Lothor's voice bellowed as he stalked into the room. "I can not believe you would leave like that. I don't know whether I should hug you or vaporize you!"
Her hands shot up defensively. "Hold on uncle before you do anything crazy. I think I have the solution to this whole mess."
"You do?" he questioned. "What could you possibly have?"
"Me." A stern voice declared as Dustin paced into the room. "She brought me here. According to Marah, my sensei is alive and I want to see him. You're her uncle? His brother, I assume? Take me to him. Your niece slapped me so I'm not particularly in the best of moods." Lothor nodded and ushered the Yellow Wind Ranger forward.
To be continued...
