CHAPTER TWO

Leo dreamed.

He dreamed of being carried from his wrecked vehicle and taken through the jungle.

He dreamed of familiar voices.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"He's cracked three ribs and he's going to have to go easy on his leg for the next few days."

"What was he thinking doing that? It could have been suicide."

"That's my little brother for you. He never does things halfway."

"I hope he's okay."

"He's a big boy Kendrix. He can take care of himself."

"Yeah but-"

"No buts about it."

"It's okay, we know how you feel."

Kendrix? Was she there? He always liked her.

"I like Kendrix," he mumbled, "She's pretty." He felt his bearers stop momentarily before resuming their pace. He suddenly realised he had to say something. "Serpentera-destroyed," he managed to get out, "Andros-." It became too much for him and he dreamed of darkness once again.

"I like Kendrix," the unconscious Leo mumbled while being carried by Mike and Damon, "She's pretty." The two stopped at that announcement and turned around to grin at Kendrix who was blushing as pink as her power suit.

"Typical Leo," smirked Kai, who was taking up the rear, "Even in the middle of a bloody civil war and while being unconscious to boot, he can always break the gravity of the situation." While Leo and Kendrix were not exactly a couple per se, there was however a pool between the guys on how long it would take for them to hook up. With that little statement from their comatose pal, Kai just took the lead.

"Serpentera-destroyed," stammered Leo in his delirium, "Andros-." It was too much for their friend and he fell back into complete unconsciousness once again. The team continued their journey through the dense jungle.

"Soooo," said Kai sardonically to the still blushing Kendrix.

"Shut up Kai," said Kendrix, trying to force the blush away.

"'I like Kendrix, she's pretty.'" Kai did pretty good impression of Leo while he was unconscious.

"Shut up!"

"Well at least we have some good news Mike," said Damon, ignoring the playful sibling banter going on behind him.

"Yeah," responded Mike, "Serpentera destroyed, that's... huge." He had heard many stories from those who remembered the bloody reign of that savage sky beast from his time on Earth. And to top it off, his baby brother had a hand in its demise.

"It doesn't really do us much good however," said Damon realistically, "There's still a war going on here."

"Just don't mention Maya around him for a bit," said Mike, "He could be a little unstable at first, let's not unhinge him completely."

Leo awoke. The light was stabbing into his eyes like thousands of tiny knives digging further into his brain. His shirt was off but his chest was not uncovered. An arrangement of bandages covered his torso, hiding an ugly, purple bruise that had formed on his upper body. A cool, soothing sensation was felt on his forehead. When he noticed water dripping down his head, he realised that someone was applying a wet cloth to his head. Nothing had ever felt quite so wonderful.

His vision started to come back into focus and he saw, above his head, a floating pair of glasses. That was weird. Glasses don't float. Do they? His vision suddenly cleared completely and he saw the most beautiful thing in existence.

"Hello," said Kendrix, that radiant smile beaming across her face.

"Hi," gasped Leo, his throat parched.

"Here," she said offering him a cup of that precious liquid. He gulped it down in a second and immediately spluttered as it went down the wrong way. The discomfort he felt, however, was well worth the sound of her laugh. "Are you okay?" she asked gently.

"Yeah I'm fine-,"

WHAM!

She punched him right in the face.

And it hurt.

It really hurt.

"Ow," he complained, rubbing his face in pain. There was definitely going to be a bruise. "What was that for?" he demanded.

"How could you leave like that?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes, magnified by her glasses.

"Well I-," he stammered.

"I had to hear it from Karone," she hissed, "How come she was worth your time and I-we weren't? I was scared the whole time. Not knowing when you were coming back, if you were coming back!"

"None of you were supposed to know I was going," he said, "It was a Red Ranger only mission. I knew you guys would try to stop me."

"A war started when you were gone!" she whispered.

"I know and I'm sorry," he apologised, "What do you want from me?"

Suddenly she was hugging him and crying at the same time, she was trembling in his arms.

"Karone t-told me about Serpentera," she wept softly, "I was so scared. I-I couldn't sleep for thinking of you. I was so scared."

"It's okay," he said, "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." He suddenly realised that their faces were just millimetres apart. All it would take is for him to move slightly forward and... Could he?

He did.