Disclaimer; No I do not own Power Rangers.

A/N: I meant to have the explination of Dustin's ability to 'read' people in this chapter, but it didn't work out. Instead, you get Winds meet the Thunders.

It wasn't often that Raven actually deigned to fight the Rangers. She wasn't stupid, she knew that even using the dark powers her father taught her, there was little she could do against three morphed Rangers. When she did fight them, she always had a monster and Kelzacks to back her up. Still, there was something to be said about facing her opponents one on one and testing her strength against theirs. Today, her assignment was to hold the Rangers in the quarry until the Thunders got there, so she indulged herself and set the Kelzacks on the Blue and Yellow Rangers while she went up against the Red Ranger on her own.
It was glorifying in a way that fighting anyone except her father never was. He met her every move, blocked her attacks, counter attacked perfectly, and when she produced her sword, he proved to be an even better opponent. As she blocked an overhand swing, she smirked at him, "You fight well."

"I've had a lot of practice," Shane replied, pulling back and launching a second attack.

"If you want, I could speak to my father," Raven said, feinting to the left. "Lothor is always looking for warriors who can handle themselves in a fight."

"Sorry," Shane said with a grunt, "I won't fight for a conqueror."

"But you'll fight for a murdering, child stealing dark ninja," Raven said.

"Sensei isn't like that," Shane said, "he would only fight if there were no other way to protect Earth."

"So he says," Raven taunted. "As loudly as possible, no doubt, to drown out the screams of his victims."

Shane huffed a laugh as he blocked a chest strike, "Somehow, I don't think Lothor would call himself a victim."

"Maybe not," Raven said as she broke off and backed up a step, "but what would you call an eight year old sold to a pleasure slave trainer, especially a trainer who liked to make sure that pretty, little children never grew up?"

"Perhaps you should look a little closer to home for the source of that one," Shane replied.

A faint hint of ozone reached Raven and she caught a flash of yellow in the corner of her eye, it was time. "Maybe you should talk to someone else who knows what your Sensei is capable of," Raven said as she backed away, lowering her sword. "How does it go? Oh yes, 'if it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's more than likely a duck.'" She smirked as she passed out of reach and watched as the sky opened up around the Rangers. "Have fun!" She called, meaning it for the Thunders, but keeping her tone light enough that the Winds might think she was mocking them. Before she'd gone three more steps, she was caught up in a teleportation beam and on her way back to the ship.

xxXXxx

Shane often wondered about his insanity, usually when he had fallen for one of Dustin's schemes, but every time he fought Angel's alter ego, he felt himself lose just a little bit more of himself. Still, he learned something every time they fought in close contact, and today, he learned that Raven was a skilled swordswoman. Sword fighting was Shane's favorite part of being a Ninja, truth be told. There was something clean about fighting an opponent with a sword, an honesty that most forms lacked, especially when you went up against someone who really knew what they were doing. Raven, lithe, supple Raven, who was shorter than Dustin was, knew what she was doing.

Still, Shane kept waiting for her monster to show up, even as she spat her poison about the Sensei. Raven never fought without a monster as back up, usually some unholy mesh of raven and angel that would have caused him to question his faith if he'd had any to begin with. When she finally began to disengage from the fight, he took the moment of breathing space to collect his team, finding them similarly left by their opponents.

Then, the air seemed to hum around him, his hair stood on end and a faint touch of ozone slid through the filter of his helmet. His chest constricted, as if his air was blocked, and tightness settled all over him, making him feel like he should curl up in a ball. Before he could process exactly what all the sensations were, lightning struck the ground, and the backlash shoved him away. A second, third, too many strikes to count lashed the ground around Shane and the Winds, missing them by inches, still close enough that they couldn't miss the aftermath.

When they could no longer keep their feet, they appeared. Red and Blue Darkened to an extent that they hovered on the brink of black; the symbols of the Thunder Academy emblazoned on their chests. "Who are they?" Dustin asked as he lay on the ground, not quite ready to stand. There was a pain filled yet detached quality to his voice that made Shane worry for his friend. Dustin only had that tone of voice when he was seriously concussed.

"They're Thunders," Tori muttered. Her voice was sharp, if pain filled, and she was making a move to actually stand. Reassured that Tori was mobile, if not unhurt, Shane found it a little easier to stand as the two Rangers approached, their feet in an eerie but surprising unison.

"I see you've heard of us," Dark Red announced, "then you know why we're here."

"I know you've been brainwashed," Shane replied, as he stood between his recovering teammates and the threat. "I know you think Sensei Watanabe has somehow caused you irreparable harm. I know that you persist in accepting Lothor's delusions, even though a part of you, that which makes you a true ninja, knows that Lothor's actions are without honor." He took a deep breath, "I can only hope that when the time comes you will remember the true strength of a ninja lies in personal honor, not vengeance or glory."

" Lothor's delusions," Dark Blue said incredulously.

Dark Red laughed bitterly, "I would have said it was the reverse."

"If Lothor's the good guy," Dustin said, his hand coming to rest on Shane's shoulder, his voice even more detached than before, but less pained. "Then why does he need to use spells to ensure loyalty?"

Instead of answers, the Thunders unleashed the lightning yet again.