I would like to thank everyone who is supporting me with this fic, it's bee a little hard to get motivated but when i look and see just how many people actually read this i get back into my mojo and i get a whole chapter done. So thank you and here is chapter 4.
Being on the run was about as fun as it sounded, when he had left Angel Grove with Justin three weeks earlier he hadn't really thought about the implications of taking the young teenager with him, all he had thought of was having Justin with him all the time by his side and no longer being alone. It hadn't taken much effort to take the boy with him at all, Justin rode on his back with a single backpack holding enough clothes to do him over for a week which Zen-Aku made sure the boy got washed every two days in the dead of night when he snuck into the towns they stopped by on their journey.
But at the same time he knew the rangers would find out what he had done and probably would send a few of them after him and the young boy so they could take their friend back. He didn't tell Justin any of this mainly because he didn't want the boy to worry about him and the situation he had unintentionally put him in by asking him to take him along on his travels, he knew that Justin had only thought about living with him and not that the rangers would probably be pissed at him for doing so. Another reason he refused to tell Justin that the rangers would be hunting them was that he really couldn't allow the young boy lose his hope and awe of the young heroes because in all truth they hadn't really done anything wrong in sending him away: only done their jobs as the Power Rangers.
One thing he as a wolf org loved about having Justin with him was that he had someone who he could curl up with at night and take silent support from when his loneliness got to be a bit too much to handle, and slowly he could feel the dark hole that he had carried around since he and Merrick had been split healing and being filled with the love and companionship that Justin was happily giving him every day they traveled. The young boy had changed since they had begun traveling; he had become more inquisitive of all the places he'd been asking more questions to what his old life as a part of Merrick had been like even asking what the wolf warrior himself had been like in personality.
Zen-Aku himself had found himself telling his young mate more and more about his old life even promising the young boy to take him to the place where Merrick rested in eternal slumber sealing his fate to walk these lands forever when he was a little bit bigger and could handle the long journey. The two of them had planned many journeys of the light of a warming campfire during the dead of the nights they had sent together and despite seeing these lands change and evolve before his eyes for the last three millennium the org found himself getting more and more excited about the idea of these trips as he realized just how different his experiences would be when he was Justin as his child like optimism would rub off on him and change his past experiences into something beautiful.
The two of them were currently heading for Ocean Bluff because Justin wanted to see the beautiful forests that surrounded the marina town and in his words watch the moon rise across the water from the cliff sides with him. It was such a childlike or couple thing to do that Zen-Aku had at first laughed when Just asked him but at the same time he didn't have the heart to say no to his young companion and before he could stop himself he had picked Justin up and started off in the direction towards the quaint town that Zen-Aku found he liked quite much.
From all his memories of the small town all he could remember was bright moon lit nights and lush forests which he had ran through in freedom that he rarely felt anymore, that had been ten years ago and he just hoped not too much had changed in the beautiful town, because when he had spoken of Ocean Bluff to Justin the young boys late one night before they had made up their minds of where they were headed he had watched as his brown eyes had widened in awe at the beauty he spoke of and he wanted to let Justin see that place and experience it for himself rather than listening to his stories night after night of what he had missed out, he had already told him of the Romans and the Greeks and the times he had missed from merely not being born yet he wanted to give this to him.
It was a hot day and Justin was walking next to him happily in the steamy jungle as the continued on their way to the ocean town babbling about how he would have loved to see Rocky and Adam's face one last time just to say goodbye face to face and that he was going to have to send them a letter when they did reach their destination. He understood that Justin missed his friends-especially those two-so he just agreed and allowed the young boy to ramble on and on about the adventures the three of them had gotten up to while he had still lived in Angel Grove only faintly interested.
Sometimes it surprised him with just how much patience he had gained when he was with Justin, only a few months ago before he had met the boy he probably would have already snapped at any one else to shut up and that he didn't care, but with Justin he just couldn't bring himself to do that, it didn't feel right and when he did snap at the boy he felt so guilty that on most occasions he would apologize only minutes after he had done so just so that Justin didn't get mad at him. He didn't know if it was because Justin was constantly reminding him that he actually truly loved him and that he wanted to spend his life with him but the bond between the two of them refused to let the wolf org drive the boy away and that was something Zen-Aku was completely grateful for: because he didn't know what would happen to him if Justin suddenly was no longer by his side.
The wolf org was startled out of his inner thought when Justin was stopped in his train of conversation by a violent cough that made the wolf org's hackles rise at the horrible sound that was coming from the young boy next to him. Stopping and crouching down in front of Justin who was covering his mouth with one hand and the other arm wrapped around his waist for support whining slightly at the terrible sound that Justin was making. "Pup?" he inquired anxiously.
Justin coughed for another minute or so before he broke off gasping for air and giving him a delicate and comforting smile and bought the hand that had once been wrapped around his waist up to pat the side of his muzzle to sooth away the fear and anxiety that was no doubt welling up in the wolf org in front of him. "Don't worry Aku" he said affectionate and leant forward to press a small feather light kiss on his forehead "It was just a little cough I'm okay" he said before he stepped around him and kept walking only to stop and give him a cheeky grin "You coming?"
Now Zen-Aku doesn't pretend to really know the first thing about the human body except how to crush the life from it, if he was asked the different ways he knew how to kill a human he would be perfectly capable of answering that question but the truth of the matter he had no idea if Justin really was okay or if he was getting sick or not and that scared him more than he wanted to admit, but he didn't show any of that to his companion and instead pushed himself to his feet and followed after the bubbly brunette who once again rambling on and on about something trivial and the org was sure wasn't actually that important. But to Zen-Aku the importance of what the younger boy was talking about didn't matter, it was more the fact that it was Justin's voice talking to him instead of the echoing and empty but strangely alive sounds of the jungle around him instead making him feel lonely and empty. No just hearing the young boy's voice beside him rambling on and on was enough for the warrior org who had put up with silence for too long so as Justin droned on and on the wolf org forgot about the hackling cough that had just wracked the younger boy's frame only moments ago and focused on Justin instead.
Ignoring the first signs of sickness often lead to the illness being worse, or at least that was what Zen-Aku had figured as he watched Justin heave breath into his lungs after another hackling cough had just passed through his body. Two hours ago they had set up camp for the night and on hour ago Justin had begun coughing again much to his fear stating it was nothing but a tickle in his throat, but what Justin forgot was that he had excellent hearing and whenever the boy coughed he could hear the sloshing and slugging sounds that ran through his body with each heave and cough that ran through him and he knew well that it wasn't a simple cough that Justin was ailed with. But he didn't have the heart to tell Justin that and let the young boy convince both himself and try to convince the wolf org that he was fine.
"Pup" he called over the fire with a small wooden bowl filled with a broth he hoped would help the boy get better even if it was a long shot "You need to eat something" he said and he watched Justin move over to sit next to him and eat the broth slowly almost as if he was afraid if he ate too much or too fast that it would all come.
The boy begun to shake just after his first few spoonful's and without thinking about it Zen-Aku pulled the young boy onto his lap and nuzzled the top of his head trying to convey comfort and keep the boy warm at the same time even though the boy felt like a mini sun in his lap with how warm he felt. "Thank you" Justin whispered his voice sounding clogged up and rough which grated on his ears unlike Justin's normal voice which sounded like a melody he would write a song too.
Grunting and tightening his grip on the boy the org nudged the hand that Justin held the bowl in lightly "Eat" he commanded softly no malice or anger found in his tone, he didn't want to scare the boy and yet at the same time he knew that Justin didn't want him to pity him which is why he kept silent instead and watched the boy eat slowly.
By the time Justin was finished with his bowl Zen-Aku was sure that more than half of the food the boy had eaten had been stone cold with just the amount of time it had taken him to eat it, but that wasn't what was worrying the org at all: it was Justin himself. For the last ten minutes he had been swaying in his lap and had seemed dizzier than a normal person with a cold should be and he was burning even hotter than before. When the boy sagged against him weightlessly his breathing coming out harsh and labored the org knew that the boy needed help and he needed it soon and he formulated a plan in his head which made his internal wolf howl in loss.
"How about a song?" he said pulling out his flute and bringing it to his lips and begun to play his ode to the Zeo Green knowing that it would lull Justin into a rest almost immediately.
As he played he heard Justin trying to hum along like he normally did but it almost broke his heart when he heard the broken voice making him fall silent and instead blocked out the sick sound and focused on his song letting it flow from him easily until Justin was dead asleep in his arms with a mixture of relaxation thanks to the song and the comfort that Zen-Aku had given him and the sickness which had exhausted his body to its limits. When he felt Justin collapse fully in his arms the wolf warrior org put away his flute and heaved the boy up into his arms so he could run easily and then with one last glance to the jungle around then he shot off back the way he came at full speed: heading back to Angel grove and the only ones he would trust to take care of his pup: he was going back to the rangers.
Thoughts?