Author's Note: The following scene is written by fellow Winter Yuy. Thanks for the help here!
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Rekino walked into Jungle Karma Pizza looking around until she spotted her target. She was thankful it had been raining that day since the restaurant wasn't that busy and it gave her an excuse to wear a long coat to hide her attire. Adjusting the bag over her shoulder, she made her way to the brown headed male. RJ was behind the counter checking out a customer when she appeared. She gave him a sweet smile that she knew he probably wasn't fooled by.
"That's scary," the Wolf Master chucked. "What do you want?"
"Oh, just a teeny tiny favor. Can you come with me to the loft?"
She knew he thought it was suspicious, but he nodded in agreement. Calling to Fran to watch the counter, the two martial artists went upstairs to the area the Jungle Fury Rangers trained and took respite. RJ stayed in the doorway as Rekino went towards the training area. She opened the bag and spun around as weapons started flying all over the place.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Something," Rekino smirked devilishly at him. She dropped the bag and undid her jacket to reveal herself. "I've had some strange dreams lately and they all point to you. So, I want to see if you're serious."
RJ was a little taken aback. The petite kunoichi was dressed in a dark brown gi with orange accents and arm, leg, and hand guards. A wide black sash was wrapped around her waist. She was dressed in almost complete ninja battle gear except for the tabi footwear; she was wearing some sort of black eastern style shoes.
He knew what she wanted.
"I won't fight you."
"Afraid you'll hurt me? Let me be the first one to tell you that shit is funny," Rekino adjusted her arm guards. "It's dishonorable to deny my challenge. How much honor do you have, Robert James? Or are you a fake?"
The Wolf Master was with her in almost an instant. He started stretching his arms. That didn't take much.
"Let me start this out by saying I don't give a fuck if you study kung fu. Josephine studies Iron Body Kung Fu and she hasn't bested me yet. Second, I may not look it but I can kick with a thousand pounds of pressure per square inch and can cause you to go into cardiac arrest with one hammerfist to the chest."
The Purple Ranger rolled his eyes, "You talk a lot. Don't go crying to your brother when I whoop you around this loft."
"The enemy has taken a big interest in you," she dropped into a fighting stance. "So I need to know if you got what it takes, Master RJ."
Arms and legs were flying around in a frenzy. Neither seemed to be able to get a hit on the other. Several minutes passed before Rekino slammed her palm onto RJ's thigh, squeezing the pressure point there. He took a step back as Rekino elbowed him in the chest. As RJ recoiled he hooked his arm into Rekino's bent one, throwing her across the room. The kunoichi skidded across the floor before she jumped up.
Clearing the distance quickly, Rekino used her right hand to deliver an open palm strike to his right shoulder. The bones cracked just as she used the same right arm to elbow him in the chin. She spun gracefully and kicked him in his right side since his body was moving towards the left. RJ rolled to the left before standing. He winced as he popped his right arm back into place.
"You do kick like a mule."
He's stronger than I gave him credit for. Rekino thought as she watched him swing his right arm around. But I'm a kunoichi. She reached behind her back and gripped the metal stars before throwing them at him expertly. He kicked several of them away just as Rekino ran at him, kicking him again with more power than before, but he was quick to dodge. She spun on her foot and kicked low with her left leg. RJ winced as it connected with his leg. He delivered a powerful punch to her left cheek.
Time passed slowly yet quick for the two martial artists before the doors to the loft flew open. Ryo, Rowen, James, Tommy, Jillian, Kat, Jason, JJ, Alpha, Billy, Minh, Zack, Adam, Aisha, Dustin, Hana, and Master Finn appeared in the room. Jillian cried out at the two as did Ryo. The two warriors rolled across the floor before stopping with Rekino on top. She punched just as RJ moved his head and her fist left a hole in the ground. RJ grasped one of the kunai on the ground and swiped it at her face. Rekino rolled off of him, getting to her feet. Her hand was pressed on her neck. Aisha, Minh and Tanya gasped at the sight.
"Oh my god," Adam muttered.
"Aye yi yi yi yi!" Alpha exclaimed in shock.
"Jason, get JJ downstairs," Kat told her husband, "and tell one of the workers to make him a pizza."
Jason didn't need to be asked twice. He picked up his son and escorted him downstairs to keep him from witnessing this fight.
Hana could see the blood, "That's enough!"
Both of them were in bad shape. Blood was running down RJ's arm as well as his lips. Rekino's left eye was starting to hurt black. She also had a cut across her cheek. Jillian ran down the steps followed by Tommy and Minh before RJ yelled for her to stop. Master Finn tightened his fists. Billy and Zack managed to grab Minh before she could go any further.
"This is a warriors battle. Don't interfere."
RJ lept at Rekino just as she undid the bun on her head. Her braid fell down her back just as she dodged. The blades attached at the end cut RJ's chest, but not too deeply.
"I've seen that trick," James said.
"So did I," Adam glanced at the warrior.
RJ grabbed Rekino by the lapels of her outfit and slammed her body into the wall with immense force. The Guardian of the armor of fire took in a sharp breath before she kneed him in his ribs that had been cracked earlier. He protested with a shout in pain just as Rekino head butted him in the nose, causing it to bleed. He returned the favor with a headbutt of his own. Rekino's arms shot up between his so he would lose the grip he had on her clothes. She hammerfisted him in the collar bone, breaking it.
"Oh, please, no," Kat muttered.
"Stop!" Jillian shouted. She turned to look at Tommy. "Daddy, make them stop. This isn't fair!" The young woman whipped her head around as RJ screamed.
Rekino had him against the wall. The blades at the end of her braid were sunk into RJ's left thigh. She grabbed his throat and snarled.
"The only fair fight is the one you lose!" She shouted.
Tommy put a hand on Jillian's shoulder to hold his daughter back, "She's right, Jill. An enemy won't fight fair or show mercy."
"I need to know if you can do it!" Rekino's amethyst eyes were almost glowing with power as the tip of her nose was touching RJ's. "If you don't do what you have to do then they win. Your friends and girlfriend will fucking die! Do you get it?!"
RJ was gasping for air. Her grip was probably tighter than any he had felt. With the right side of his collar bone broken he couldn't move his arm. His cracked ribs were also making it hard for him to breathe. He knew that Rekino also wasn't in the best of shape. He could see the wound on her neck was still bleeding.
"You…" He was trying to tell her to stop so her wound could be tended to. He honestly hadn't meant to aim at her neck.
"No you," she was gasping for air now, "you have to realize that my friends and family are here too, goddammit. I won't risk their lives because you are a pussy. I will do what I have to do for them and humanity, but you can't let the enemy get to you."
That's when she passed out as RJ's body crumbled to the floor. Ryo jumped over the railing and ran to his sister with Hana right behind him. Everyone else ran down the stairs towards the duo.
Ryo dipped down on his knees as he skidded across the floor. He grabbed Rekino's body, "Sis. Oh shit, her neck is bleeding pretty bad."
RJ cried out when Tommy pulled the blades out of his leg. Jillian was cradling her boyfriend's face in her hands. Rowen turned to Hana.
"Heal them!"
Hana looked around the room until she saw a spot with heavy sunlight beaming through the windows, "Bring them over there!"
Ryo effortlessly picked up his sister's unconscious body as Tommy and Jillian helped RJ to his knees. Hana called her armor as she quickly got to work on healing the two. The Wolf Master insisted the Wildfire Guardian be healed first. When it was done, Hana dismissed her armor going back to her knee length green sundress.
Master Finn knelt next to his son, "You let her bait you into a fight? No master should let that happen."
RJ rubbed the back of his head, "She's just as good as any master, dad."
"I'm only mad you got me in the neck," a voice floated in the room. "Lucky shot, asshole."
"Rekino!" Ryo chastised his sister. "You could have died. Have you lost your damn mind?"
"Kunoichi, remember?" She sat up, popping her neck.
Dustin let out a chuckle, "I'm a ninja, too, but you're just a little extreme."
"Not a ninja like me," Rekino looked at Dustin before looking at RJ. "I know you're a master, but you can't let sentimentality stop you. If you have to burn a city to destroy evil then you burn it."
RJ glared at her, "I wouldn't kill innocents."
"The lives of the few outweigh the many," Rekino stood up. She was surrounded by Hana, Ryo, and Rowen. She extended her hand to RJ. "I guess that's where I differ from everyone else."
RJ took the help and got to his feet. That's when he felt a piece of folded paper in his hand. He raised an eyebrow before unfolding it, "Holy pepperoni! That's a lot of money…for me?!'
"Ten thousand dollars," Rekino said proudly. "My adoptive parents own several chain restaurants and they've decided to give you a little investment. I know it's hard because I worked for them my whole life until I moved to Japan. Call it a gift since I stabbed you and shit."
"Wow. I…I don't know what to say," RJ blushed out of embarrassment. He smiled at the Guardian. "I can't take this."
"No takes backsies or I'll stab you again," Rekino pointed at him. "I'm serious. Food and labor costs are a bitch and high as hell. Let this help you."
The Wolf Master wrapped his arm around the much shorter girl. Rekino protested, but patted him on the back before pushing him away.
"That's enough of that shit," she brushed off her gi. "I'm fucking hungry. I'm going to get food."
"What the hell was that about?" Aisha asked as the Wildfire guardian left the loft.
"Aye yi yi yi yi!" Alpha exclaimed, "That was one intense fight."
"That robot looks familiar," RJ stated.
"RJ," Adam introduced the robot assistant to the Wolf master, "I'd like for you to meet Alpha 9. He's a good friend to us and helped all the rangers through the Bandora Protocol event."
"It is good to see you are doing good after what happened," Alpha told the Wolf Master.
"It's good to meet you at last, robot dude," RJ replied.
"I think the others might be wondering what happened upstairs," Rowen spoke up, "Nice to meet you by the way, Alpha."
"I'll let you meet the rest of the Jungle Fury rangers shortly," RJ told Alpha.
"That sounds like a plan, RJ," Alpha replied.
"In the meantime, I think you should stay here," Billy suggested.
"Let's go," Ryo told the others.
-Through-Dangerous-Times-
Lily perked up as Rekino walked into the dining room and a bunch of others following suit within a few minutes later.
"Is JJ okay?" Kat asked.
"He's just fine," Fran answered as she placed his kid sized pepperoni pizza on his table, "and I just got his pizza ready for him to eat and Jason's Cheesy Cheetah Supreme will be there momentarily."
"What was that all about?" Lily asked.
Casey looked to see RJ as he was answering the Cheetah Master, "It's quite a long story."
"Rekino challenged RJ to a fight," Hana answered.
"What?" Casey perked up in surprise.
"That's what the yelling was all about," Dominic stated in surprise.
"The challenge was kinda intense," Jason stated, "which was why Kat told me to get JJ downstairs."
"You left out an important detail," Rekino told Hana.
"The restaurant is now ten thousand dollars richer thanks to Rekino," RJ announced.
"Really?!" Lily exclaimed in surprise.
"That's awesome!" Fran added.
-Through-Dangerous-Times-
"So, do you understand the plan?" Kartras asked as Kelly knelt to her as did Keith, Geneva and Nathan.
"I sure do, Mistress," Kelly nodded, "Break the rangers by hurting one of their own, and I have one in mind already."
"I am certain that you do," Kartras nodded in delight.
"I know about both the Ninja Storm Rangers and the Jungle Fury Rangers," Kelly explained, "as I have dated both the Yellow Ninja Storm Ranger and the Jungle Fury Wolf Ranger at different times, but the Wolf Ranger doesn't know my real identity. He knows me as my alias Tiffany Coldiron."
"And your point is?" Keith asked.
"Between those two guys," Kelly answered, "the Wolf Master will be my target as I will use him to break the Power Rangers. Dustin is a great fighter, but he is more or less goofy. RJ on the other hand is a great fighter, and he's stronger than his brothers."
She paused before continuing, "Yes, I know RJ and Dustin are brothers as well as Conner and Eric. I used my magicks to figure that out."
"Interesting," Geneva quipped.
"I have been wanting to hurt RJ for some time now," Kelly said, "but I also wanted to hurt Dustin too, the same goes for Tori. I would say Shane as well, but he is dead. From what I understand, he was killed by Radical Ninjas. Anyway, by hurting the Wolf Ranger, that will be the proper way I can hurt the Yellow Ninja Storm Ranger as well."
"I like your plan," Kartras stated, "We shall get some Rinshi ready and you will capture the Wolf Ranger, and hurt him once you have him captured."
"That I shall, Mistress," Kelly smirked, "that I shall."
Author's Note 2: I know this chapter is shorter than usual, but I was wanting to prepare for the most challenging part of this two part story arc in this story, which you will see as the next several chapters come along. I might have to change this rating to M with the way things are going cause things are about to become intense.
Author's Note 3: Normally fans wouldn't see Kelly Halloway as the type of girl to become ally turned villain, betraying the rangers of her season being Ninja Storm. I was compelled to create this plot bunny after reading some Doctor Who fanfiction written by SilverWolf7 where Rose Tyler was portrayed in a negative light as the Doctor and even Jackie see her for who she truly is, while on the actual series Rose wasn't exactly that way (I don't like Rose anymore, so it doesn't really matter how I felt before). That's where that concept came from. On an unrelated note, SilverWolf7 also inspired me to create my own Doctor Who drabble called "Alternatives", which is worth reading.