Finished! complete thank you for reading and following. Now for my fans i have a proposal: what do you all think of me carrying this into a sequel base around Zen-Aku and Merrick-who may or may into be totally infatuated with a certain red ranger-I am not say this will happen cayuse i wanted to run it pass all of you. Please read this chapter and tell me what you think of my idea it would be much appreciated.
Two years, that was how long it took for Zen-Aku to crawl back to the beautiful forest town that had been his home, where he had met the human he had come to love as his 'soul mate' the place he had run from and abandoned that very boy. When Justin had gotten sick he hadn't had any idea what to do which was why he had run away leaving his most treasures possession in the hands of the only other human he could ever trust and now…he was forgotten-a memory. The young boy he had loved had grown up all by himself and had become the next blue ranger and that was something he hadn't been able to share with him no matter how hard he wished or wanted it to be true.
While he had been running all over the country side traveling and seeing how the world was evolving from the time he had last visited-he really liked Europe: had a lot of forests to hide in like Romania-the young boy he had once run away with had been getting bigger, older and stronger until he was a hero in his own right and had the suit to prove it. The rangers had evolved once again from when he had last been in the beautiful town, they no longer held the power of the Zeo crystal and the Machine Empire had fallen in a final fight that had drained the rangers of their powers once more, but now new Rangers had been created this time with the power of Turbo.
What shocked him even more was that the older rangers including the green and red from the old teams who had been the most dedicated out of all of them had passed their own powers on and were living normal lives now. The red ranger who he had finally figured out was named Tommy was racing with his uncles racing team but was pursuing a college degree, the pink ranger was dancing off somewhere in Europe, and the yellow ranger had gone into the bigger city for music. The two rangers he had liked or tolerated the most had been the hardest to track down but when he had found them he had been pleasantly surprised by what he found. The blue ranger who had been forced to pass his powers to Justin earlier than his fellow teammates had passed their own powers on because of a serious back injury was busy taking a Business degree at college while Adam the green ranger who he had trusted the most was busy with his Stunt school and also attending college.
When he had heard that the old blue ranger who had cared for his Justin as brother had been injured enough to take him out of action he had been suddenly reminded that the rangers for all their powers and fighting proneness were human just as much as anyone else was which of course had driven him further away from the small city where the only human he would ever love lived. He had returned after the Turbo rangers had lost their own powers two months prior to check in on the young boy who would be nearing the human age of fourteen, not quite and adult but most defiantly a child, he was going to see if the young boy wanted to go away with him once more, he wanted to show the boy Merrick who he himself hadn't been able to visit in the last two years.
But when he had arrived he had been shocked to see just how much the other boy had grown up, his hair now cut short and spiky, his once innocent brown eyes a little shadowed but sparkled with a happiness that made Zen-Aku's heart ache just that little more than he had felt than the time when he had left the boy in the care of the other rangers in the first place. Being a ranger had changed the boy, it made him more aware, stronger inside and when he had followed him home to the wolf org had been able to see how much staying in Angel Grove had bought the young hero closer to his father who adored the young boy as his whole body. It hurt him to admit but the boy he had once loved was gone, his Justin, the one who had stared at him in awe when he told his stories had grown up and was gone.
Deciding to say goodbye to the two forever the wolf org made himself ready to travel to Merrick's resting place so he could visit his still slumbering other half for a short time before moving on once more, but before he could he needed to see one place before he did leave Angel Grove for the last time: The grove. The beautiful cove where he had hid for two years was as beautiful as he remembered and made him sigh just looking around the enchanting forest that had once been his home and hiding place, he had such fond memories there, ranging from when he had met the wild fox cubs that had lived alongside him all the way to the times he had spent with Justin just speaking and telling him things that he had done and seen.
When his gaze fell on the Crystal Lake that he had shared his first kiss with Justin in he heard himself let out a small whine, so many nights he hadn't slumbered because his memory would return to that afternoon when he had held Justin against him armored body and kissed him with all the care and love he could find in his heart, it was a memory he loved and hated at the same time, because while it had marked the beginning of their short love affair in which the young boy had somehow taken everything he was and made it his own it was also the beginning of the end for the two of them which made the memory bittersweet.
Growling low in his throat the wolf org took one glance around his old home to print it into his memory before turning around to lock gazes with the amused brown eyes of the old green ranger, the very one he had wrote and ode too only two years ago-he had a new favorite song to play but the Green Zeo ode would always have a place in his heart-who didn't seem at all angry that he had returned to place he had run away from so long ago.
"So you're back" he said drily arching an eyebrow at the much taller warrior in front of him, "If you're here for Justin you're probably going to have a bit of trouble there"
The wolf org cocked his head which made him look so much like his wolf cousins that it took everything bit of control and restraint that Adam had not to crack up laughing, he wasn't stupid he knew that this creature could rip him apart without blinking, hell he probably could have done that when he had been morphed with the power flowing through his body. "Oh really and why's that?" the wolf creature asked his voice just as raspy and intimidating as Adam remembered it.
Zen-Aku watched as the green rangers shifted from foot to foot a nervous gesture he couldn't pull apart "For most of the year after you left him in my care Justin was a mess" he said slowly making the wolf org sigh in irritation when would he get to the point "But then he began to forget"
The warrior froze and looked at Adam in total shock, was he lying? There was just no way that Justin could have forgotten their time together so quickly, he knew that the younger a person was the easier they forgot things but he hadn't thought that the young boy would forget so easily considering the fact that he was twelve at the time "You're lying" he snarled making Adam swallow nervously "He couldn't have"
"I think he might have blocked it out to forget about it, you were a big part of him" he said slowly making the wolf org calm down enough for him to gain total control of the anger that was threatening to take over him.
Closing his eyes against the pain the green ranger had unknowingly inflicted on him the eternal warrior nodded and then huffed a sigh: he understood-he didn't like it-Justin was a human and a young one at that, he couldn't just keep the emotional wreck that the loss of their relationship probably would give him and then survive on top of that, maybe it would be best to leave Justin and never look back. "Is he happy" was all he asked knowing that the green ranger would tell him the truth.
A moment passed and Adam smiled warmly "Yes…it took time but he's found who he is now" he finished off smiling sadly at the wolf warrior "I know he loved you, I can see it in his eyes sometimes but…he's moved on" he whispered not wanting to anger the larger figure any more than he guessed he already was.
"Then I shall leave him to his happy life" Zen-Aku said his voice sad but holding a touch of fondness for the young ranger which shocked the green ranger "Remember this green Zeo" he said as he wandered in the direction of the cave he had once slept in-he still had something he wanted to collected before he left the city "All I wanted was for Justin to be happy"
Then in one large leapt the wolf org was gone from sight leaving a shocked and slightly confused Adam in his wake. Grabbing the things he had left behind Zen-Aku paused when he saw the silver wolf charm he had created for Justin but had left here for when they returned on their travels, quickly making up his mind the large wolf org grabbed it and hurried out the opening just as the sun was setting, he might not be able to be with Justin but he could leave something for the boy to remember him with, even if it was just something as small as a charm. He knew it was stupid for him to go back to the boy but he was hoping not to get caught.
Which was why he was now standing in the boy's bedroom placing a small wooden box on the boy's beside table, nodding happily the wolf org was about to leave when he heard the bed room door open and thinking quickly he jumped into the shadows where he hide cursing silently that there was only enough shadows to hide his features but not hide him completely. This was proven when Justin walked through the door and then froze when he spotted the figure in the corner of his room making him slip into a battle ready position without even thinking about it. "Who are you!" he demanded
"I mean you no harm" Zen-Aku growled his heart swelling when he saw how much Justin had grown, it was like looking at a different person, but he could still tell: it was his Justin. "I came to return a gift from the past" he said motioning to the wooden box that the Turbo ranger looked at for a long moment before he carefully picked it up.
Zen-Aku watched as Justin gasped when he spotted the wolf charm dangling from a ball bearing chain lying innocently on the wood interior; it was simple but had a beautiful blue gem where the wolf's eye would be: in his eyes it was beautiful. "Who's was this?" he whispered softly making Zen-Aku smile sadly, Adam was right he really didn't remember him or anything about the two of their adventure.
"It was mine, I wish to give it to you" he said making Justin look up and give him a questioning look, the same one the org remembered from two years ago "As a thank you for protecting us as the blue ranger" he said turning away to walk away, the need to get away from the boy he had loved overwhelming him almost completely.
Justin looked down at the chain and smiled happily it felt right that he had it, almost like it was meant to be his "Thank you" he whispered making the shadowed stranger stop before he reached his window which Justin guessed he used to get inside in the first place.
Zen-Aku smiled and then looked at the now darkening sky "Just remember pup…to live your life to the fullest" he said before he leapt out running away, he had taken a risk calling Justin pup but it had just flipped out before he could stop it.
Back in the house Justin blinked in confusion, why was he just called pup? Why did it feel right, he had no answered to these questions, shaking his head Justin smiled down at the necklace and then put around his head with a warm smile, maybe one day he would meet the creature who gave this to him and he could thank him face to face, if that day ever came he was looking forward to it.
In the slowly darkening moon light the wolf org turned and gave Angel Grove one last final look knowing that it would indeed be the final time he laid eyes on the beautiful forest city, a place that had been his home and the place where he had found the one he loved more so than his own existence. After turning away from the small town Zen-Aku pulled his flute out and begun to play his wolf song as he set off in a new direction, there was a new city he wished to visit: Turtle Cove, it was fairly new so he would probably take a few detours but in the new few years he was going to end up there, maybe he could make it his home: who knew maybe he would find what he was really looking for there?
Finished: Sad ending I know but Zen-Aku was alone in Wild Force and Justin doesn't go so I had to split them up.