Variations Of SPD
Chapter 5: Arrival of Ninjor
By: Pink-Green-White-4ever
Last Revised: September 22, 2005
Summary: Ninjor's arrival sparks a major controversy as we learn a bit more about the new bad guy. Plus several Syd/Sky moments and a little Bridge/Z and Jack/Allison to tide you all over.
Rating: M, for adult-themed situations.
Disclaimer: I don't own PR, Disney does
AN: I know, I know, you guys didn't like Anna much --grins at BV-- but she will serve another purpose in this story, perhaps a more sinister one.
"Love the heart that hurts you, but never hurt the heart that loves you." -- Vipin Sharma --
"She will be fine, young Dragon," Ninjor assured Brian as the two stood guard over Sydney who was sleeping in the infirmary. After the battle with the Tengas, the team had come back to the Academy and Sydney had yet again been placed in the infirmary. Will a little magical help from Brian and Ninjor, her injuries had been healed and now she merely slept.
"I've put a wedge between her and Sky."
Ninjor nodded. "You both have issues to deal with. And deal with them we will. For now, come with me. Commander Cruger wishes to speak with me, and your sister's young man would like a few moments with her."
Brian looked over his shoulder and saw Sky standing in the doorway. "He hurt her too."
Again, the Master Ninja nodded. "Yes, you both have. But like the spirit that is at the heart of her, Sydney will once again rise to the occasion. Come on."
When Brian got to the door, he set his face in a hard expression and looked up at Sky. "Look, you don't like me, and obviously, I don't like you, but she's important to both of us. Truce, for now?"
Sky looked deep in thought for a moment before he nodded, letting Ninjor escort Brian out of the room. Moving slowly, Sky approached Syd's bed where she slept comfortably. He sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his. "Why is it we always end up like this, with you in this bed instead of me? I'm so sorry, Syd, I shouldn't have ignored you. I guess, I was so excited Anna was here, and someone was paying attention to me, that I lost my head. Which is stupid, because it's not like you weren't paying attention to me, you were just looking out for your brother. I guess it's hard for me to admit it, but I don't like it when someone else gets your undivided attention."
The former Blue Ranger smiled when he felt her hand flex in his. "Hey there, sleeping beauty," he whispered as her eyes opened.
"Doth my eyes deceive me, or is that Prince Charming sitting with me?" she teased.
"How do you feel?"
"Rested, and ready to get out of this damn bed. I feel like I spend more time in here than I do in my own room."
Sky nodded. "Kat said as soon as you woke up you could get up and go home."
Sydney sat up, stretching her muscles as she went, immediately seeking the warmth of Sky's arms. "I'm sorry I upset you," she told him softly.
"I'm sorry I hurt your feelings," he said back, kissing the top of her head even as he wrapped his arms around her. "Ready to go home?"
"You bet."
"There you are," Anna smiled, walking into the simulator room. Sky stopped the program and turned to face her. He'd been doing a lot of thinking since he'd left Syd with Kat so their feline advisor could run some tests on the former Pink Ranger. "I've been looking everywhere for you."
"You found me."
Anna recognized the tone of voice he was using. Feeling defensive all of a sudden, she folded her arms across her chest. "What's gotten into you? I thought you were happy to have me back at S.P.D. and yet, now you're giving me the cold shoulder."
Sky shook his head. "Anna, look. I am happy you're here, I've missed your friendship, especially after what happened with Dru last year."
Anna nodded, having heard about Dru's turning traitor. "Ok."
"Look, I've changed a lot in the last three years since you left. I'm in love with Sydney, and one day, I plan on marrying her."
The brunette looked slightly shocked. The Schuyler Tate she knew had always made S.P.D. and being Red Ranger his life, this Schuyler wasn't like that. "Oh?"
"Whatever there is between you and me, I won't let it jeopardize what's between me and Syd. I was hurt that she was spending so much time with her brother, and I used you being back to hurt her, but I know I was wrong. We're just friends, and it's going to stay that way."
"I see."
Sky nodded and then turned and strode out of the room, leaving Anna staring at the walls, never seeing the vindictive and insane smile that crossed her face. "You just upset me Schuyler; you'll find that's a dangerous thing to do."
Jack and Bridge looked up from their video game when the front door opened and Sky led Syd into the house. "Welcome home," Jack smiled at his friends. "How'd the tests go?"
"Long. Kat says I'm fine though. Commander Cruger wants to meet with the five of us tomorrow morning," Syd told him as she and Sky settled in a chair together, Sky in the chair and Syd in his lap.
Jack and Bridge grinned at the couple, watching the way Sky wrapped his arms around Syd's waist. It was nice to see them back to normal instead of at each other's throats or ignoring one another.
"So what's on the agenda for tonight?" Jack asked, turning back to the game.
"Z said to wait until she got home. Apparently she's got a surprise for us."
Bridge grinned, Jack chuckled and Syd shrugged her shoulders. "All I want right now is a nap," the former Pink Ranger yawned. Kat had kept her for several hours after she'd woken up earlier that afternoon so that tests could be run on her condition.
"Come on, Sleepy Head, I'll take a nap with you," Sky nudged her from his lap.
The pair waved at their housemates and climbed out of the chair and up the stairs, each heading for the respective room to change.
Sky changed out of his uniform quickly, throwing on a ribbed, white tank top that hugged his torso and showed off his muscular arms and a pair of baggy blue shorts. Instead of walking across the hallway, he went through the bathroom that joined their rooms into Syd's room.
He smiled when he walked into his girlfriend's room and saw her bent over, pulling on a pair of pink sweat pants over a very tiny navy blue thong. She also had on a white cami tank and her hair was pulled back into a long braid down the middle of her back.
"Nice thong," Sky teased. Syd turned slightly and stuck her tongue out at him.
"It should look nice, you picked it out for me and I know you know better than to give me something ugly," Sydney teased back.
"Come on let's get our nap in before Z gets home."
The pair climbed under Sydney's covers and settled down. Sky turned the stereo on using the remote on the bedside table, letting the soft jazz float through the room, lulling them into quietness.
"Sky?"
"Hmm?"
Sydney leaned back so that she could look up at him. "Will you tell me now about what you told Anna?"
Sky sighed, mildly irritated. He'd told Syd that he and Anna had had a long talk about his relationship with Sydney, but he hadn't really told her the details. Sky had told her that he'd told Anna that they'd remain friends, but that he had no romantic feelings toward her anymore.
"Why?"
Syd smiled softly. "Because, the woman whose heart you hold wants to know. Indulge me."
The man in blue couldn't argue with her reasoning. "I told her that I was in love with you, that I plan on marrying you and that I missed her friendship, but I'm not going to put our relationship before the one I have with you."
Again, Sydney smiled. "You learned from the Dru incident, didn't you?"
Sky nodded and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry I was such an ass to you the last couple of days."
Sydney giggled. "You're a guy; I've come to expect that from your gender."
Sky mock glared at her before letting the smile he was trying to hold back, creep onto his face. "Get some sleep."
Nodding, Syd snuggled close to him, resting her head under his chin. Sky tightened his grip on her, drifting into a world of dreams, one where those dreams were about Syd.
"Where are they?" Z asked Jack as she and Bridge carried the pizzas and sub sandwiches into the kitchen from her car, which was parked in the side drive.
"Upstairs napping. Syd was pretty tired when they got back here."
"Then go wake 'em up," Z commanded the former Red Ranger. Jack made it to the stairs when she yelled, "NICELY!"
Quickly, the young man in red shorts and a white t-shirt bounded up the stairs and stopped at the door to Syd's room, hoping they were in it instead of in Sky's.
He knocked and then slowly opened the door, not sure what he'd find. The former Pink and Blue Rangers were curled together, their backs to Syd's door. Sky had his arms wrapped around Syd's waist and Jack could see their legs twined together under the light pink sheets Syd had on her bed.
Grinning, he tip toed over to Sky's side of the bed. Shaking Sky's shoulder lightly, Jack attempted to rouse his housemate.
"What?" came Sky's sleep filled voice.
"Z's home. She brought dinner and she said you two need to get up and come downstairs."
Sky rolled slightly to look up at Jack, who could see the big grin on his friend's face. "Let me get Syd up and we'll be down in a few." Jack chuckled and left his friend to wake the blonde beauty.
Sky moved his hand up from her waist, caressing her cheek softly. When his girlfriend didn't move, he switched tactics. Carefully moving her braid, Sky's lips began to caress the back of her neck. As he kissed and nipped a little hard each time, he felt Syd start to wake up. Finally, Sky latched onto her neck and sucked, hard.
"SKY!" she screeched, realizing her was trying to give her a hickey. "Would you stop? How am I supposed to explain a hickey to Commander Cruger?"
Syd found herself uttering a groan as he switched tactics once more and began to caress her neck in such a way that she was slowly becoming aroused. "Ready to eat?"
Grinning, Syd rolled over to face him. "That depends, what exactly am I gonna eat?"
Sky gave her a look. "Sydney, your mind's in the gutter. Jack said Z's home, and she brought dinner."
"For food, I'll get up. I'm starved!" she chirped, rolling away from him and off the bed. Sky shook his head at her and got up to follow her down to the kitchen.
"FOOD!" Syd screeched as she thumped down the last few steps into the kitchen.
Jack and Bridge laughed at her while Z shook her head, handing Sydney a plate and then one to Sky, who was right behind her. "Subs and pizza," Z told the pair. "And then we're all heading into the living room to watch a movie."
"What'd you rent?" Sky asked as he grabbed the sub that had his name on it and a pop.
"We've got a couple of old ones. I'll tell ya when we get settled," Z smiled at him, before linking her arm through Bridge's to walk with him to the living room. Jack shrugged his shoulders, grabbed his food, and followed them.
Syd and Sky were behind them by a few moments, the pair settling down on the floor between the couch and the coffee table. Bridge and Z were sitting cross legged on the couch, and Jack was in one of the recliners.
"Alright, we have, Top Gun with Tom Cruise, Pretty Woman with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and Independence Day and Men In Black with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones."
The boys howled with laughter, having seen all of the movies but Pretty Woman. "You do realize that those movies are nearly half a century old, right?" Sky asked.
"True, but don't down the classics. So, what'll it be?"
"Anything but the Will Smith movies," Syd laughed, biting into a piece of pizza. "Didn't we spend enough time facing wickedly evil aliens?"
"Syd's got a point. I vote for Top Gun," Jack put in.
"That's makes two of us," Sky laughed, he and Jack high fiving one another.
Z looked at Syd. "That's two votes for Pretty Woman. Bridge, you're the tie breaker."
The Green Ranger's eyes widened when all four of his friends looked at him expectantly. "Well...um...I suppose I could choose, what I mean is, I choose, no, um..."
"BRIDGE!" the four of them shouted.
Looking slightly embarrassed, Bridge shrugged. "Pretty Woman?"
The girls smirked while the boys looked at Bridge like he'd grown a second head. "What? It's a love story! I'm in the mood for something happy."
"Like we don't get enough mush with Sky and Syd or you and Z," Jack muttered.
Sky looked offended for a second before he grinned. "What about you and the very pretty Allison?"
Jack opened his mouth to retort but shut it quickly. "Fine. Point taken."
Z shook her head and hit play on the DVD player before they sat back to enjoy.
Z had to laugh. She and Sydney were the only two still awake, the boys having conked out during the movie. Jack was sprawled over the recliner, snoring just loud enough to drown out the sound of the movie.
Bridge was asleep on the couch, his body wrapped comfortably around Z's, his head on her shoulder and arms around her waist. And then Z looked down at Syd and Sky. The two of them had moved the coffee table so they could stretch out on the floor, and now Syd was laying there watching the last few scenes of the movie while Sky lay next to her, his head pillowed on her chest. Z watched as Syd's fingers drifted through Sky's brown locks unconsciously, and noticed every so often the former Pink Ranger would twirl a few particularly long strands around her finger.
"They're pathetic," Z laughed softly, catching Syd's attention.
"At least they shut up about the movie being sappy," Syd grinned.
"Sky seemed to be having impure thoughts about you during some of those scenes," Z pointed out, smiling as Syd nodded slightly, trying not to disturb her boyfriend. "Ready for bed?"
"Yeah, but what about Jack?"
Z giggled and made a gesture. Sydney was surprised to see Allison come through the doorway to the foyer. "Alley, what are you doing here?"
Allison grinned as she walked across the living room and sat down on the armrest of the chair Jack was sleeping in. "Z said to come over when I got off duty. I have tomorrow off, and I figured since Jack does too, we'd spend the day doing something. Guess I missed all the fun."
Syd merely smiled while Z moved to sit up, struggling to do so as Bridge's arms were wrapped around her tightly. "There's still some pizza left and there's a sandwich in the fridge for you if you're hungry."
"Let me get Jack off to bed first and then I'll eat."
"I think we need to get all three of them off to bed and then have a gossip fest in the kitchen," Syd suggested, causing the others to laugh.
"Well?" Commander Cruger asked, striding into the Command Center. Kat, Boom and Ninjor were standing around the center table, looking wary.
"There's no way around it, Commander. If what Ninjor says is true, if he's really coming here, then they're gonna need to go and retrieve their new powers. The S.P.D. engineered powers won't have an effect on him," Kat told him seriously.
"And what of the A Squad's active Rangers?"
"If we awaken the power in the five of them, they vary well may be able to team up with your other team, and defeat him, but it will all come down to them coming to me, to them seeking the power the way their predecessors did," Ninjor told him.
Cruger nodded. "I guess this means I'll be fighting alongside Brian for the remained of this."
"I can upgrade Shadow Ranger's capabilities, but to make the teams even, yes Sir, you may have to morph again."
"Then we'll send them on their way tomorrow after they've been briefed."
Allison smiled. She couldn't help it. This was the first time she'd ever spent the night in a guy's room, let alone a guy's bed. After she had eaten and she, Z and Syd had giggled and gossiped, Jack had come downstairs and tugged her up with him to his room, before he'd collapsed on his bed, asleep.
Now here she was, lying next to him, curled against him, while he slept. His arm was wound tightly around her waist, his face nuzzled into her hair.
"Are you ever gonna go to sleep?" his sleepy voice asked.
She grinned. "I'm enjoying the moment."
Jack brought his head up and smiled. "New to you too, huh? The only girl I've ever slept in the same bed with was Z, but she's like my little sister."
Allison nodded and leaned over to kiss him before settling down to go to sleep. "I love you, Jack."
As Allison's eyes shut, Jack's went wide. Smiling, he kissed her cheek. "I love you too, Allison."
"What's wrong?" Bridge groggily asked, sitting up to stare at Z.
"I can't sleep," she whispered. In reality, she'd gotten too use to sneaking in to watch him sleep the last few weeks.
"Climb in," Bridge grinned, lifting the covers and allowing her to slide in next to him. "Better?"
Z nodded and snuggled into his arms, sighing when his hands caressed her back where her tank top didn't cover the skin. "Bridge?"
"Love you, Z."
"Love you too," she murmured, drifting off.
"Syd!" Sky cried out, sitting straight up, sweaty and alarmed. He looked around Sydney's room, but saw no sign of her. Terrified, he tossed the covers back and headed toward their bathroom, where he heard the shower running.
Carefully, Sky opened the door and went in, seeing Syd behind the glass door of the shower, her head stuck under the spray. Sighing, he peeled off his boxers and made his way over, slowly opening the door.
"Don't you know it's rude to join someone in the shower without asking," Sydney told him, not once turning around to face him as she rinsed the soap out of her eyes.
"Sorry," he murmured but still moved forward, wrapping his arms around her.
Syd wiggled around to face him, tossing her head back to get her hair out of her face as she looked up at him. "Hi."
"Hi," he smiled at her.
"You ok?"
Sky nodded. "Had a bad dream, you weren't there, scared the crap out of me."
Sydney's face scrunched up. "I'm sorry, baby, I needed a shower," she whispered, winding her arms around him and snuggling her head against his shoulder.
Sky bent his head down, his lips seeking out the skin of her shoulder and neck, which he kissed and nipped softly. "Are you done in here?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Cause I'm gonna wash the sweat off me and then I want you to come to bed."
Syd grinned at him and stepped back. She turned and grabbed her bath gel and her poof, pouring the rose smelling pink gel onto it before turning back to Sky and running the poof over his chest. Syd was delighted when his eyes darkened and he grabbed her around the waist, pulling her closer.
For several minutes, she scrubbed him – his chest, his arms, his neck, and his back – before she stepped back and let him rinse off. Once he was free of soap, the pair stepped out of the shower onto the bathmat and began to dry each other off.
Sky slipped his boxers back on while Sydney quickly braided her hair and then slipped one of his old t-shirts on before they moved back to her room and laid down, snuggling together in bed.
"Sydney," he murmured. "I need you."
Syd smiled. "You've got me," she whispered. For the next hour or so, they loved each other passionately, and when they were finished, they fell asleep in one another's arms.
"I love you, Sky."
"I love you, Syd."