Disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable characters mentioned in this non-profit Non-copyright infringement..-ing fic. If I did...Hunter and Dustin would be in my closet.
Author's Note: You know the insp. So I don't have to repeat. I'm liking this little ficlet I have going here XD modest? But this chapter way longer than the previous two, so smile! This one, I was actually going to have the opposite going on but I was like NO! only because I wanted to write out the last blurb...I had written that blurb way before I even thought of this chapter.....I liked it, I had to use it....I totally hope you like it. Lemme know what you think?. enjoi
"Cotton candy, colorful lights and a walk in the park," Blake listed as he unlocked the door to their apartment, "smooth bro" he complimented, pushing the door open and walking in, "You gotta show me your moves sometime" he said sarcastically, mocking the time his brother had said that same thing to him.
"It's not like that bro" Hunter defended as he shut the door and elbowed his brother's shoulder as he walked to his room.
"Yeah right!" Blake called down the hall after his brother then he shook his head with a small smile.
***
"Oh, here!" Dustin grinned and pulled out a clear plastic bag from his pocket, resting at the bottom was a soft chunk of pink cotton. "I save it for you"
"Gee...Thanks Dustin" Tori took the offered bag and smiled, "Where did you guys go?"
"Well, we couldn't go to the carnival so we just walked around and talked" he shortly as he sat down on the yellow pillow.
"Really?" She asked, the cotton gift forgotten in favor of trying to pry the juicy details from her friend.
"Really. Hey, what'd you do?"
"Me and Blake? We caught a movie"
***
"Honest, how do I look?" Hunter asked as he briskly walked past his brother to get a glass of water. The navy ninja was looking at him approach from his left and when the blonde pasted him his head remained to the left.
"Did you brush your hair?" Blake asked as he turned his head.
"Yeah—" he cut off to take a drink from his cup as he pinched his fitted black tee and pulled it away from his body then it fell from his fingers.
"Oh...you look the same bro" he shrugged and crossed his arms; he knew Hunter was going to be nervous; he was doing his pre-nervous thing. The thunder ninja would ask how he looked then down like five glasses of water, yep, he was on his third glass now. "So, nervous about your date?" He asked as he came and leaned against the counter.
"No, I'm..." His brother smirked and set his fifth glass down in the sink, "Screw you Blake" The crimson thunder gave his brother's ribs a light punch before he walked to the front door.
"When and where bro?"
"I'm taking your truck"
"Hey!" The navy protest sounded just after the front door slammed and his brother's rapid foot steps moved down the stairs.
***
"Where're we going man?"
"And ruin the surprise? No way bro" Hunter smiled, keeping his fingers tight together over Dustin's blinking eyes. The earth ninja wore a huge grin as he held his hands out in front of him; he wasn't doing it because he was worried he would run into something, he knew the ninja guiding him wouldn't let him. He was doing it so in the event he grabbed something he could identify it then possibly find out where they were. The crimson ninja was distracted by the fluttering eyelashes against his fingers and Dustin's finger tips brushed against a tree trunk.
"Hey Hunter...if bringing me to the creepy forest by Ops is your idea of a 'surprise'...it's kinda for the birds" he made a face as his hands came to the thunder ninja's wrists and pulled his hands from his face.
"Wait a second—"
"Dude!" Dustin's face completely lit up, and the bright lights shinning on him had nothing to do with it either. "Dude...I—Hunter!" He let one of the crimson wrists go then pulled him in to the carnival.
***
"I told you! I told you and—and you were like 'No way bro' ha!" Dustin poked Hunter's chest with every other word. The earth ninja challenged the thunder to a game and since his balloon was the first to pop he was the victor. "Here" He said, looking at the small yellow bear he had won before handing it over to his friend.
"No way, you won it, it's yours" Hunter pushed the prize back to its owner.
"I'm giving it to you" He held it out again and the blonde shook his head. Really, what was he going to do with a stuffed bear? Dustin caught him off guard when he tugged on the collar of his shirt and stuffed the bear inside.
"Dustin—"
"Ah! You gotta keep it now dude!" He said as he pointed to the lump that was the animal under the printed crimson bird.
"Okay, you win bro" He conceded as he pulled the innocent bear out of his shirt.
"Oh, Can we go on a ride?"
"Yeah sure"
"Sweet!" He bit his lip as they walked around; looking at all the different types of rides they could go on, "That one!" The pointed to an uneven circular plat formed ride, spherical cars spun with insane speed while the platform spun counter clockwise in the opposite direction, 'The Cyclone'. "Dude—Dude, first one to blow chunks totally loses" he said as he eagerly griped the railings that formed the beginning of the line and patting his friends chest.
"You're kidding right?" Hunter asked with sloped brows as a couple came off the ride looking like they were going to hurl. Personally, he didn't enjoy throwing up three chili dogs and a corndog.
"Yeah, dude, I'm kidding," Dustin laughed and walked with Hunter to yet another food stand for another pink cotton candy. "Let's go on that one"
"Thank you," Hunter stuffed the change in his pocket then turned around to look at the ride the earth ninja was pointing at, the ferris wheel. "Alright, here"
"Thanks dude" he took the cotton and began eating it as they got in line for the ride.
***
The suspended bench rocked forward when Dustin's weight leaned to look down on the rest of the carnival but when a rough tug on the back of his shirt brought back in his seat and he made a face. "Hey! What was that for?"
"I don't want you falling out on me" He said as he draped his arm across the back of their seat and looked ahead at the lights coming from Blue Bay City.
"Thins is sort of nice y'know" Dustin commented after a while as he leaned his head back against the crimson clad arm so he could look up at the pink sprayed sky.
"...yeah, it kinda is" Hunter agreed, allowing his head to roll back and look up to the sky as well. The seat swayed a bit when they set up at the very top of the ferris wheel and the thunder ninja looked down to the bear in his hand with a soft sigh.
"You okay Hunter?" The earth ninja turned his head on his friends arm and he watched him for an answer.
"Just thinking"
"Really? About what?" His small string of questions made the thunder ninja spring a small smile and look over to him.
"Don't worry about me bro, you're supposed to be having fun, remember?" He brought his hand to Dustin's head and ruffled his hair.
"Hey!" The earth ninja laughed and patted his hair down, even though it didn't look any different. "Thanks man, it's been totally fun"
"Anytime bro"
The wheel started rotating again, now letting passengers off, a short while later. Dustin smiled as he peaked over the edge of their bench and looked at the ground and the people getting on the ride. When they got to the bottom the ride conductor lifted the bar that secured them and just as Hunter was getting up from his seat the bar came back down. The earth ninja's hands flew to the bar and he tugged on it, the look on the ride operator's face told the thunder that he had no idea what was going on. People that had queued up for the ride were screaming, running from the area, other people that surrounded followed and soon the whole area was barren save for the man trying to get them out and the screaming people locked in the ride.
"Dude, get outta here!" Dustin tried to get the man to leave because he knew Lothor was behind this but he refused and continued to try and work them out.
"J-j-just g-gimme a s-sec" the man was nervous, he was most likely concerned about losing his job or something. "There!" The bar gave and released its lock on the two. Hunter sprang from his spot first to get a better look at the wheel. Save for the screaming people yelling over the edge and the goon at the top of the wheel, everything was in order. The goon had strings attaching to the bars below his feet and his arms were outstretched, threatening to drop two girls from their place at over one hundred feet in the air.
"Thanks man," he got up and pushed the man down the ramp and out of the line, "You gotta get help!"
"Right!" The jumpsuit wearing worker nodded and ran off.
"Who's ugly?" He asked, coming to Hunter's side and craning his neck to get a look at the threat.
"No clue, let's take him down though"
"Got it dude. Ninja storm—"
"Thunder storm—"
"Ranger form ha!" Crimson and yellow streaked and crossed at the goon, sparks exploded causing the goon to fall to the floor.
"That was easy"
"A bit too easy?" The two rangers stood in an offensive stance, waiting for the goon to get to his feet. "Dude…" The wind ranger stood up straight and his stand suggested he was going to approach the goon. "He's weak..."
"Why would Lothor send us a weakling?"
"No clue…" A crimson glove snatched the yellow forearm before he could go over to the weak opponent.
"What are you doing?"
"I-"
"Who are you?" he asked as he took a step forward.
"Kohlohtron" The black, grey and white alien got to his feet and staggered back but the yellow ranger was there to catch him. As soon as his gloves came in contact with the goon he started losing his color. The crimson ranger watched as his friend became black and white, it took him less then half a second to push him away from the goon and he looked back to see a yellow cloud of dust hang in the air. Crimson gloves went to make a grab for it but the now yellow and gold alien snatched it first.
"Dustin?" He turned to the earth ninja and shook his shoulder but he was unresponsive. "What did you do to him?" he asked as he got to his feet in front of his fallen teammate, his only answer was a shrill laugh that echoed through the carnival grounds. The bright alien stomped his foot on the floor and the ground shook, the crimson ninja held out his hands to steady himself but the ground continued to shake and he fell to the ground.
"Nothing! I'll take my prize now" a string reached over him and it wrapped around the wind rangers waist. The goon was just about to haul him away but a sword sliced his string, a soft stream of gold trickled from the dismembered ends. "What was that for?!"
"You're not taking him any where freak" The thunder ninja stood over his friend with his ninja sword in a firm grip.
"Then I'll have to get you out of the way first"
"You're welcome to try" The goon laughed and then he heard an echoing laugh behind him, now there was two. Strings erupted from every direction of the goon and attacked the crimson thunder from all sides, calling for help would have been a good idea a long time ago. A sharp pain shot up his leg and he looked down to see a turning crimson string wrapped around his ankle. "Get off!" he sliced the string but another pulled the ninja sword from his hand and he reached for his thunder staff but strings held his right hand. He reached for it with his left but was bound again; the two twin goons wrapped stings all around his body and the next thing he knew he was flying through the air. His back slammed into the steel beams that held the wheel together and he landed on the metal platform.
"Bye-bye ranger!" The crimson thunder got up just in time to see the two yellow goons form one then he and the yellow ranger vanished.
***
"You What?!" Shane was close to choking the thunder ninja but Blake stood in front of him with his hands on his shoulders.
Hunter was breathing hard through his teeth, pacing back and forth, when Shane repeated himself, despite the look Blake was giving, an audible crack echoed in the otherwise silent Ops when Hunter slammed his fist into the rock wall, "I lost him okay!"