Though Hunter, Cam and Blake quickly returned to sleep the interruption was enough to break the stillness of Dustin and Shane's meditation. With her counterparts awake, Tori remained wakeful too. They didn't speak, it wasn't necessary. They shared companionable silence for a time. Though he was not proficient in mind speech, it was easy for Dustin to pick up on the feelings of his teammates. Both were slightly shocked by the turn of events with Hunter and Cam; they approved, for sure, but they didn't seem to get the full impact of what had just happened.

But Dustin had been able to pick up on the deep emotions of the encounter. He didn't think Shane or Tori had any idea just how profound Hunter's action was – for Hunter to, in his moment of greatest physical weakness, turn to Cam and not to Blake…it was really quite astonishing. Dustin had been able to pick up on Blake's reaction too; unlike the Winds, Blake had not been surprised by either Hunter or Cam's actions. Blake knew better than anyone how hard it was for Hunter to allow anyone close to his heart, and he wholly approved of Cam being the one Hunter decided to let in.

Dustin nodded to himself. There was something very right about the situation – balanced. As he extended his senses to encompass the whole team in the room he could feel it even more; they were balanced, and back on track.

Dustin turned to look at Tori. She had picked up on his feelings, and a wave of concern crossed her mind. Dustin knew he couldn't hear her thoughts the way Shane could, so he softly spoke aloud. "What's wrong, Tor?"

Tori sat up slowly so she wouldn't disturb Blake. Her left hand rested tenderly on his left arm. "We're all here. We're all safe." She looked over significantly at the bed where Hunter and Cam were sleeping. "Some of us are even better than we were before this whole thing started." Both Shane and Dustin smiled at her. "We've been very lucky, but not all of the teams have had such good fortune."

Shane nodded in agreement as Tori continued speaking. "I've been thinking about Adam." she said softly.

"You think we can help." Shane stated.

Tori nodded. "I think we can…together."

Dustin knew in an instant why Tori hesitated. Although the other ninjas in the room were sleeping peacefully and in no danger, Tori was loathe to leave them alone.

"Then you should do what you can…" said a familiar voice from the doorway. "I will remain here with the others."

Shane turned to look over his shoulder. "Sensei!" Kanoi nodded in acknowledgement.

Tori eased away from Blake's side and off of the bed. Shane turned completely and Dustin followed him out of the small space between the two beds. Together the three converged upon their sensei.

"My friends, I am so proud of you." Kanoi looked at each of them in turn. Dustin was shocked to realize that Kanoi was addressing them as equals. It was kind of unnerving. "Though well begun, your work here is not finished for the night. I will stay and keep watch."

"Thank you, Sensei." Tori answered in a low, emotional whisper as she stepped forward into his embrace. Shane and Dustin stepped forward as well, and they all soaked in the familiar calming presence of their mentor.

With renewed purpose, Tori released Kanoi and headed toward the door. Shane followed close behind. Dustin made it as far as the door before he was compelled to look back into the room, drawn by the intense emotions of Kanoi. Kanoi had walked around the far side of the bed where Cam and Hunter lay. Dustin watched as he laid his hands on their heads with great tenderness; it looked to Dustin like he was giving them a blessing. Even in his sleep, Cam seemed to be aware of his father's approval, and relaxed even more into Hunter's form. Dustin blinked back tears as Kanoi raised his head and acknowledged him with a look. Dustin smiled warmly. Yes, it is well begun.

Dustin caught up with Tori and Shane who were holding the elevator for him. Tori had asked for directions to the burn unit; it was a short ride away. Dustin found the burn unit to be cold and uninviting, and at first, he couldn't put his finger on exactly why. As they traveled down the corridor, he picked up discomfort from Tori and Shane as well. It was then that he realized what was bothering him – this ward of the hospital was much more cut off from the natural elements than the others. The burn unit was rigidly sterile. There were no windows to open to allow in fresh air – unpurified air carried too many germs. There were no plants or flowers – the smallest grain of dirt could produce a deadly infection. Dustin understood the reasons behind it, but he just couldn't see how anyone could heal in a place like this.

Together the three Wind Ninjas stood at the hallway window of Adam's room. Rocky was seated in a chair with his back to them. His right arm lay on the bed, and his right hand loosely encircled Adam's right leg. It was hard to tell if he was sleeping or not. Aisha had curled up in Rocky's lap and appeared to be sleeping soundly. But the figure that had captured all of their attention was Adam himself. All of them were distressed by the overwhelming seriousness of his injury; none of them realized he had been damaged to such a great degree. Tori in particular seemed affected by his bandaged form.

The light in the room was low, but it only served to highlight the intense white of the bandages covering all of Adam's left side. From the crown of his head to his waist where a sheet lightly lay across him, the bandages marked the trail of destruction the explosion of Mesogog's lab had wreaked upon his body. And they all knew without seeing that the bandages continued down his leg and across his back. Adam's chest rose and fell in a mechanically rhythmic pattern, assisted by the respirator he was attached to. Dustin could feel Tori's confidence wavering and he stepped in to bolster her immediately.

Placing his hand on the back of her neck, Dustin leaned in to whisper intensely, "We can help him, Tor. We'll do it together like you said. I know we can help him." Dustin sent Tori a wave of confidence and support to reinforce his words. He could feel her straighten in resolve under his hand. Tori turned slightly to look at him over her shoulder, and nodded to indicate she was ready. She led the way into Adam's room.

Rocky looked up immediately upon their entrance; he hadn't been sleeping after all. He didn't get up to greet them; he didn't want to disturb Aisha. But his grin was welcome enough. It seemed funny to Dustin – he and Rocky had never actually met, but he felt such a strong connection to him. Dustin knew Rocky was the one who was responsible for physically freeing him from Mesogog's lab and he was so grateful to him for that.

"Dustin!" Rocky held out the arm he'd been using to cradle Aisha, and Dustin grasped his hand warmly. Rocky didn't release his hand immediately. Instead he asked, "You okay?"

"Thanks to you." Dustin responded. He looked around the room. "Thanks to all of you."

Aisha stirred when Rocky moved. She sleepily looked up at the Wind ninjas who were gathered in the room. "Hey guys…everything okay?"

Shane answered her, "Yes." but he was distracted by Tori's movement toward the bed. All eyes were on the Water ninja as she gently took up Adam's hand in her own. He stirred a little at her touch. Without letting go of his hand, Tori looked back over her shoulder to look at Rocky and Aisha.

"You made a promise to us, "she said to Rocky. "You promised you'd bring Dustin back to us…and you did." She turned her gaze back toward Adam. "Now it's time for us to return the favor."

Aisha was now fully awake. She slid her legs off of Rocky's lap and stood up, allowing him to stand as well. Dustin could feel how tightly Rocky was trying to control his emotional reaction to what it was Tori was saying. He didn't dare to hope, yet he could not prevent the leap his heart took in his chest. He hadn't released his grasp on Adam's leg, and Dustin was sure Adam was feeling Rocky's rising hope as well.

"What are you saying, Tori?" Rocky demanded.

Tori met Rocky's gaze steadily. "I'm saying we can help Adam. Heal him." Rocky sucked in a lungful of air and Aisha clutched at his hand. It was too much to believe. Tori looked around the room and her nose wrinkled with distaste. "But we can't do it here."

Dustin was not surprised that Tori had picked up on the lack of connection to their elements. But it did surprise him that Aisha seemed to understand as well.

"You can't connect with your elements here, can you ?" she asked.

"We can," Tori corrected, "but everything's so sterile and recycled. It's not the best place."

"But I don't think taking him outside's a good idea, Tor." Shane interjected. Dustin seemed inclined to agree. Though he wouldn't mind getting some mud on his hands, it was probably not the best thing for Adam.

"I know where we can go!" Aisha added excitedly. "There's an atrium. I was there earlier today with Tommy, Jason and Kim. It's as close as we can get without actually going outside."

Tori's eyes were lit with delight. "That will be perfect!"

While the others were talking, Adam had come to full consciousness. Rocky was the one who noticed. He could feel more than the Black Ninjetti focus on the conversation, his pain was increasing as well.

"Guys!" Rocky called to gather the attention of those in the room. "If we're going to do this, let's do it fast. The pain's going to build pretty fast."

Everyone looked at Adam, but it was Tori who spoke; she was still holding his hand. "Adam, we're going to take you out of this room. Shane, Dustin and I…we're going to help you."

Adam squeezed her hand in response. The faintest ghost of a smile flitted across the undamaged side of his face. Thanks.

"Okay…how're we going to manage this? You know we're pretty much going to have to kidnap him to get him off of this floor." Aisha began.

"I can take care of the nurses." Dustin assured him. "We can walk right by them, they won't think twice about it."

Aisha raised an eyebrow, but took Dustin at his word. Rocky had been staring concernedly at the machinery attached to his injured friend. Rocky had enough EMT experience to unhook all of the tubes and needles, but the I.V. and heart monitor weren't the problem. Adam knew just what he was thinking as the respirator compressed his lungs and air was expelled from his chest.

Shane stepped up to the bed next to where Tori was standing. He laid his right hand on Adam's chest and was surrounded by the steady red glow of his power. "Don't worry, Adam. I can do your breathing for you." Their eyes met and Adam nodded his assent. Rocky began to unhook the equipment from Adam, freeing him from their entanglement, so they could bring him to the atrium. He saved the respirator for last. Rocky looked at Shane. "Ready?" Shane nodded.

Rocky placed his left hand on Adam's shoulder. "Ready?" Adam nodded as well.

The sucking sound the tube produced when Rocky pulled it from Adam's throat made Dustin wince. And the wet, choking cough forced from Adam's chest concerned them all, but then Shane's light encompassed Adam as well, and his breathing eased.

Their next hurdle to overcome was immediately apparent. How were they going to transport Adam? His injuries were such that he needed to remain in a prone position or his pain would be much worse. None of them saw the point in increasing his pain just to hasten their trip downstairs. Again, Shane stepped in.

Keeping his hand on Adam's chest, Shane stepped toward his head. He indicated that Rocky should take the spot he'd vacated. "I can wrap Adam in a cushion of Air. Rocky, you can pick him up without aggravating any of the burns. You'll really be guiding him more than carrying him." Rocky immediately understood what Shane intended, and was happy to have something physical to do. Shane slid a pocket of Air under Adam, as Rocky drew Adam's right arm around his shoulder. Tori loosely wrapped the sheet from the bed around him in an attempt to preserve his modesty. Rocky was able to keep Adam relatively prone, and as Shane suggested, guided more than carried him out. Shane walked right beside Rocky, maintaining a hold on Adam and controlling his breathing.

While the Red ninjas were preparing to move Adam, Dustin and Aisha were making preparations of their own. Dustin explained as they stood in the doorway. "All we need to do is project a feeling of "everything's fine" or "nothing unusual happening here" at the nurses. We could walk past them doing back flips and they wouldn't notice."

"Have you done this before?" Aisha asked.

"Nope." Dustin answered grinning. "But doesn't it sound like it'll work?" Aisha had to laugh at his enthusiasm. She was amazed how good it felt to laugh and be doing something for Adam. Shuffling feet in the doorway behind them indicated that the others were ready to move. Tori dashed ahead to grab the elevator. Aisha walked ahead of the group projecting "normalcy" and Dustin did the same from behind. No one stopped them or even looked their way. The rest of the trip to the atrium was blessedly uneventful.

Because it was the spot she'd been in before, Aisha guided the group to the small clearing where Tommy and Jason had sparred earlier in the day. Dustin settled himself on the grass. Rocky and Shane gently guided Adam onto the ground with his head resting on Dustin's knees. Adam's face was etched with pain, and Dustin did what he could to ease it. The others could see he was instantly surrounded by a steady, yellow light. By connecting himself to Adam's pain, Dustin felt it too; but Dustin in turn connected himself to the ground beneath him, and the earth beyond. Adam's pain, though intense when trapped within the confines of his small body dwindled into nothingness when encompassed by the vast body of the Earth herself. Adam relaxed completely; seeing that eased Rocky's tension as well.

Shane and Dustin were both glowing with the power of their elements. Even the ground itself gave off a slightly yellow glow as Dustin passed Adam's pain on to it. Rocky and Aisha, who had settled on the ground near Adam's feet, watched Tori with anticipation. But she was not ready to take her place yet. She had walked slightly away from where the group had gathered and looked intently at the panels of glass nearly four stories above their heads. The sound of the rain falling on the windows had a soothing and gentle sound, but rain outside was not what Tori needed – she needed it inside.

Again, Shane took the initiative. Focusing a tight blast of air, Shane put tremendous pressure on one of the ceiling panels. With a loud "pop" the vacuum seal around the window gave out and the glass came free. As Shane guided the unbroken window back down to the ground, Tori stood beneath the opening and welcomed the rain. She raised her hands above her head and tipped her head back letting the rain fall on her face. Suddenly she was encased in a brilliant blue light, and the raindrops reflected the color. Now the drops of water that were falling from the sky were changed to pure energy before they reached her. When Tori turned to walk back to the group, the motes of blue light and rain followed her like a comet's trail.

Tori looked utterly serene as she knelt by Adam's bandaged left side. Assisted by Dustin, Adam was detached and feeling no pain. Shane continued to control Adam's breathing. They were ready to begin.

Tori began to peel back the bandages covering Adam's face. Aisha's heart lurched in her chest as she saw his burns exposed for the first time. Blisters covered blisters, and there was no patch of skin on his left side that hadn't been exposed to the explosion. The blackened edges of the worst burns gave way to the oozing wounds of the damaged tissue below. Aisha's view of the burns was mercifully short as Tori waved a hand slowly above Adam's brow. The water that she had gathered from the rain coalesced on Adam's damaged skin, and before their eyes, Adam started to heal.

The job was not without effort; if the intensity of the yellow light surrounding Dustin was any indication, Adam's pain had increased tenfold. They both had to feel it before Dustin could get rid of it, and they were both clearly struggling. Rocky and Shane were both providing their physical strength to the effort, helping to maintain Adam's functions even as Tori continued to do her work. For her part, Aisha poured out her amazement, confidence and support into Tori. The Water ninja was clearly on untested ground, and Aisha did everything in her power to let the younger girl know how fantastic her efforts were.

Time passed in excruciating slow motion. But every gain Tori made increased Aisha's confidence that her efforts would be met with success. Under Tori's gentle hands, Adam's burned and melted flesh returned to its former state – whole and unbroken. Tori spent a particular amount of time on the skin around Adam's eyes, and that's when Aisha realized that Tori was doing much more than healing the burns on the surface; she was healing Adam internally as well. Tori had shifted her position until she was kneeling over Adam's chest. With her left hand she traced Adam's undamaged right eye, while with her right she tried to match the injured one on the left. Aisha moved from where she was seated next to Rocky so she could be closer to Tori. She laid her right hand on Tori's back, hoping that a physical connection would help Tori feel her emotions more clearly. With all the force she had to muster, Aisha bolstered Tori's flagging confidence.

Once she had healed the flesh on Adam's head and face, Tori was able to move more quickly. Success built on success and her own confidence was backed up by Aisha's. Adam's neck, shoulder and back were healed in rapid succession. Tori paused a bit longer on his chest; again, Aisha understood that Tori had some internal healing to do. Adam's lungs had been seared by the intensity of the explosion – burned from the inside out. Smoke inhalation created its own damage as well. Aisha could feel Tori pushing to return Adam's lungs to their previous elasticity, and when she was ready, she spoke for the first time since they had begun.

"Shane."

The Red Wind Ninja looked up in response.

"Let him breathe on his own."

Rocky looked over at Tori alarmed, but Aisha soothed him. They would lose nothing for Adam to try; worse case scenario, Shane would be right there to pick up his breathing for him again. Tori looked over at Adam who was semi-conscious supported by Dustin. But breathing was an automatic reflex; he didn't have to be thinking about it in order to do it. "Let him go, Shane." Tori repeated. "He can do it."

Shane withdrew his hand from Adam's chest though the light of his elemental power still surrounded him. For a long, frozen moment nothing happened. Then Adam startled them all by barking a loud cough. Shane reached out, but then Adam's chest rose and fell on its own. Again and again, his chest rose and fell. They all shared elated glances, then Tori got back to work.

The work continued even faster now. Tori applied her water element to healing Adam's burns. She was so focused and clinical that she wasn't embarrassed at all when she had to twitch the sheet aside to have access to his hip and leg. Slowly, methodically Tori made her way down the length of Adam's body, leaving a trail of healing power in her wake.

Then, there was nothing left to do. Tori blinked and looked around at the others. "I think that's it."

They all looked around at each other, then down at Adam. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully. He was totally burn free. Tori had even managed to restore some hair to his head, though he'd need something like a crew cut to even out the look on the other side.

Rocky was shaking his head in wonder and disbelief. Aisha had slid her arms around Tori in a grateful hug. Rocky's hands were shaking as he pulled Adam into a seated position against his chest. He couldn't stop staring at Adam's unburned arm and back. Tears filled his eyes. He was moved almost beyond words; English had escaped him entirely. "Podemos nunca agradecerle bastante. Usted es mi héroe."

Tori smiled. She had no idea what Rocky said, but she got the meaning entirely. Taking a deep breath, Tori promptly collapsed forward.

"Whoa! Tori!" Shane intercepted Tori as she fell. Aisha helped from her side to keep the Water ninja upright.

"'m okay…" she mumbled. "Took a little more out of me than I thought."

"Give her to me." stated Dustin as he opened his arms. He shifted so he was no longer kneeling, but seated with his legs crossed. Then, holding Tori against his chest, Dustin fell back onto the grassy ground below. He stretched out his free hand to have more surface are contact with the ground beneath him; once again he was encased in a brilliant yellow glow. Tori sighed in relief.

"Shane," Dustin mumbled from the ground. "Get Adam back to bed. I'll stay with Tor. We'll wait for you here."

Shane didn't argue. He understood that Dustin had the best connection with his element, and moving either him or Tori would be pointless. Together Rocky and Shane got Adam to his feet. Aisha swiftly wrapped the sheet around him in a toga style before Rocky picked him up. Shane totally understood that Rocky needed to be the one to help Adam, but he wasn't so sure that he could make it back to the burn unit. Rocky was at the end of his strength, and he was just about to give out. Shane did what he could, supporting Adam with a cushion of air in the same way he had on the way down; at least that way he could support most of Adam's weight, but Rocky would still be holding him.

With no incident, they returned to the burn ward. Not because Adam needed it, but simply because it was the bed that had been assigned to him. Rocky settled Adam on the bed and stepped back. Aisha stepped in to rearrange the sheet and blankets to her satisfaction. While she was busy, Rocky turned to Shane. Neither one of them were heart types like Dustin or Aisha, but the expression on Rocky's face was easy to read. Rocky pulled Shane into a fierce embrace.

"Thank you." Rocky choked out.

Shane returned his hug just as intently. "They're okay. Both of them are okay. We did good."

Aisha joined the pair of Red Rangers and encased them in an embrace of her own. "We did very good. Thank you, Shane."

They stood like that for a moment longer. Then Shane broke away to return to his teammates. As he left the room the sound of muffled sobbing reached his ears. He knew exactly how they felt.

TBC
Translation:

"Podemos nunca agradecerle bastante. Usted es mi héroe."

"We can never thank you enough. You are my hero."

This chapter is dedicated to all of those Adam fans who have been waiting so long for something to happen. :-)