I Try
By Dany
PG-13

Hunter was gone.

Not physically, but he might as well have been.

Cam was sitting in front of his computer console in Ninja Ops, staring at the screen, but seeing nothing.

True, they still fought Lothor's kelzaks and monsters side by side, and the Crimson Ranger still came by Ninja Ops to train, but he never lingered after the sparring sessions anymore.

About a month ago Hunter had graduated from Blue Bay High School, and he and Blake had moved back to Blue Bay Harbor not long after that. After living at Ninja Ops for a little over six months, the brothers were financially back on their feet and able to afford renting a furnished apartment in town. It wasn't anything grand, and it wasn't in the best part of town, but it was better than where they had been living before.

They were extremely grateful to Sensei and Cam for letting them stay at Ninja Ops, and were downright apologetic about leaving, but Sensei had understood.

'As for me...'

Cam took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Hunter had told Sensei all kinds of reasons why they were moving back into the city. 'Need to be back on our own, need to be closer to Storm Chargers, now that we are working there full-time', etc.

But only he and Cam knew the other reason. Cam sighed as the memories once again flooded his mind...

The practice room downstairs at Ninja Ops was illuminated only by one fat candle. The two of them on the padded mat, still dressed in their jeans, but with their bare chests pressed so tightly together that not even a nail file would have fit in between.

They were oblivious to the chill in the room, the heat of their bodies making the air around them feel more like July than October.

Hunter's lips were moving down Cam's throat, over his collarbone and onto his chest. When he found the nipple, he latched on, and Cam could not stifle the moan that escaped his throat as Hunter's lips and tongue teased him mercilessly. Automatically, Cam's hand went into the blond hair, holding Hunter's head in place. Another playful nip sent a wave of pleasure down Cam's spine, and he felt his body reacting almost instantly. And the way Hunter was draped over him, he must have felt it as well. In the flickering candle light, Hunter's sapphire eyes were glazed with passion as he looked up at Cam, searching his face for...permission. Then those lips went back to Cam's chest, slowly trailing lower, over his stomach, lower...

And then it happened again. Cam felt himself tense, and what had felt so right just a moment ago now once again turned to awkwardness. "Hunter, no, wait, I..."

Hunter stopped immediately, as he always did, but his shoulders sagged as he moved off him.

'Shit!' Cam thought when he saw the disappointment in Hunter's eyes. The blond man ran a frustrated hand through his hair and sat back on his heels. Cam couldn't bear to look at him. Hunter had been so patient with him since the Thunder Rangers had moved into Ninja Ops, and Cam and Hunter had gotten to know each other - and the practice room at night - much, much better. Aware of the fact that this was Cam's first relationship with another man, Hunter never hurried him, or tried to make him do anything he didn't want to do, but the Thunders had been living here for almost six months, and Cam and Hunter had met in the practice room so many times after dark...

'What's wrong with me?' Cam almost said out loud. He was so confused, his body contradicting his mind every time Hunter touched him. He loved kissing and hugging Hunter, but anything beyond that...simply scared him.

"Cam," Hunter's voice was cutting through his thoughts. "You are giving me too many mixed signals." The dejected tone of voice made Cam wince.

"I don't know how...I'm not sure what to do around you, Cam."

"I'm sorry," Cam whispered, staring into the candle light. Hunter was right, of course.

"Look, I know this is new for you, but, Christ, I don't know how much longer I..."

Hunter let his voice trail off. Cam watched out of the corner of his eye as the thunder ninja reached for his T-shirt and pulled it back over his head.

Suddenly Hunter's palm was on his cheek. Cam looked into his boyfriend's eyes. There was no anger there, just...resignation. And that made Cam feel like crap.

"I think you need some more time to think about this," Hunter said quietly. "You know I'm not going to rush you. When you're ready, you know where to find me."

A quick, chaste kiss to his lips, then Cam was alone on the mat, and the chill October air in the room finally registered.

Cam shivered.

Memories...

Cam could not sit still anymore. He looked at his computer screen and sighed. "Not like I'm getting any work done, anyways."

He shuffled into the kitchen to get himself a bottle of water. But while he leaned against the refrigerator, sipping, his eyes traveled around the little area.

And the images came again...

The three of them in here, working together to prepare a chicken stir-fry. Not long after they had moved in, Cam realized that the Bradley brothers' cooking skills did not extend much further than 'Open can, heat in microwave.'

So he had offered them some free lessons on the condition that they clean up the mess afterwards. Not long after that, either one of them, sometimes both, had always been willing to help Cam with the dinner preparations.

And it had been fun. Not just fixing dinner, but actually having company to eat with.

Sensei had enjoyed the friendly bantering around the dinner table, too. Sometimes he even joined in, letting them make fun of his guinea pig food when Blake tried to 'spice it up a bit' with hot sauce.

He also missed the occasional late-night chats he had with Hunter, whom he sometimes found in the kitchen following up on a snack attack.

'Hey, this smells odd. What did you fry up?"

"Fish sticks."

"You are having...fish-stick sandwiches???"

"Yeah, you want one? There are a few sticks left over."

"This is so weird that I'm actually gonna try it. Hand one over."

"It's an acquired taste, but you get used to it."

"What ever made you think of cooking up something like that?"

"It's cheaper than lunchmeat."

Cam hadn't been able to argue with that logic. Thinking of that conversation, Cam suddenly felt himself become hungry. For fish sticks.

Shaking his head, he walked back into the control room, passing the low command table where Blake and Hunter had always sat while doing their homework or studying.

'Or, in one case, where Hunter had almost died three months ago...'

Cam shuddered at the recollection.

The entire Power Ranger team had been up against one of the toughest monsters Lothor had ever sent. The creature was not only huge and ugly, it apparently also had had the ability to shoot very powerful energy beams.

Hunter and Blake had fought side by side against the few kelzaks the monster had brought along, when suddenly the creature had launched a beam directly at the Thunder Rangers. Hunter had seen it coming and threw himself in front of his brother. The beam caught him, but instead of flinging him backwards, it had latched onto him and pulled him several feet into the air. The Crimson Ranger's cries resonated in the air as the monster greedily sucked his elemental energy out of him.

The team ganged up on the creature, renewing their attacks with desperate ferocity, and after a minute, they succeeded in beating it down enough to release its grip on Hunter.

The Thunder Ranger had fallen to the ground like a sack of flour, demorphing in the process. Cam was by his side instantly, but Hunter was unconscious. The rest of the gang defeated the monster and rushed towards their fallen comrade. Cam could see the fear in Blake's eyes. "Cam..."

"He's breathing, but we have to get him back to Ninja Ops immediately." Cam had responded, trying not to let his own anxiety show. He had called CyberCam for an emergency teleport that landed them in Ninja Ops with Hunter on top of the command table, still completely unresponsive. Cam ran to get his medical scanner.

"That freak has drained him of almost all of his elemental energy," he said grimly, looking at the scan results. "A minute longer, and..." he left the sentence unfinished.

"Can you do anything for him, Cam?" Blake asked anxiously. The Navy Ranger was cradling his brother's head in the crook of his arm.

Cam searched his mind frantically. Just don't panic! He was no trained medic, and this was a very serious situation.

"Dude, we've got to, like, take him to a hospital, or something." Dustin said. The yellow Ranger looked ready to freak out, and Shane and Tori didn't look much better.

"And do what, Dustin?" Cam snapped. "It's not like we can just walk into an emergency room and ask the doctors if we could borrow one of their defibrillators to 'recharge our friend here'..." Recharge!

"Of course!" Cam locked eyes with Blake. "He needs to start recharging his elemental energies immediately, because otherwise he won't be able to come out of unconsciousness. For that we need to jump-start his regenerative system somehow, and the only one who can give him this boost is you, Blake."

Blake blinked only for a moment before he understood. He gently put his brother's head down onto the table and moved around until he was kneeling beside him. "What do I do?"

Cam wished he was as sure as he sounded. "Concentrate on your energy, then jolt him, but not too much."

Blake took Hunter's hands into his own. "But how many times, and how do I know when to stop?" Blake looked downright frightened.

Cam shook his head helplessly, almost choking on his own worries. "I don't know."

Blake turned his head, looking at his brother with a mixture of fear and determination. Then he closed his eyes and tightened his grip on Hunter's hands. A second later Hunter's body was jolted violently as the surge of energy from Blake transferred into his body. Cam monitored Hunter's reaction via his scanner.

After another shock, Cam spoke up. "His heartbeat is increasing and his vital signs are getting more stable." He put a hand on the Navy Ranger's shoulder. "This might be enough for now, Blake." The relief in Cam's voice was evident.

Blake released his brother's hands and sat back heavily. Tori was at his side immediately, putting an arm around him. "You ok, Blake?"

Blake looked pale. "Yeah, just kinda drained myself now."

Cam knew it was much harder for the Thunder Ninjas than for the Winds to use their elemental powers in their unmorphed state. Blake had every reason to feel weak.

Cam took up Blake's earlier position at the head of the table, cradling Hunter's head. After a moment, the Crimson Ranger stirred, his eyes fluttering halfway open.

Dustin and Shane let out happy yelps, and even Cam had a hard time keeping his elation in check as he helped Hunter into a sitting position. Thanks to all the spirits!

"Wh...what's going on?" the Thunder Ranger slurred weakly.

Cam grinned down on him. "Well, let's just say you had us worried there for a while."

Hunter's gaze went to Blake. "Bro...?"

"I'm all right, man." Weak as he was, Blake was still grinning from ear to ear.

Cam was looking back and forth between the two Bradleys. "I think you both could use some major rest now. Do you think you can get up, Hunter?"

But his question was met with silence. Hunter's head had fallen onto Cam's shoulder, fast asleep. "Guess that answers that question," Cam mumbled to no one in particular.

Shane helped Cam carry Hunter into the guestroom. There they laid him out onto the bed. "He'll probably be sleeping for the rest of the day and night." Cam announced to the rest of the gang.

Tori tucked in Blake, and a little while later the Winds left Ninja Ops, promising to be back first thing tomorrow morning.

Cam knew he needed get some rest himself, but the events of the day had him wired beyond any hope of sleep. He found himself checking on Hunter (and Blake) so often that after a few hours he simply gave up the pretense, took off his shoes and climbed into bed next to the Crimson Ranger. 'Just for precautionary measures'.

When Blake awoke some time later, he found Cam curled up next to Hunter with his hand placed on the Thunder's chest, as if to monitor his heart beat even in his sleep.

With a knowing grin, the Navy Ranger turned around and went back to sleep.

Decisions...

He had never told Hunter this, but what had happened to the Crimson Ranger that day had scared the living daylights out of Cam.

'There are times when I really wish I could just turn off my brain,' Cam thought miserably as he stood in the control room, still gazing down onto the table while his senses slowly returned to the present. "The only entire night Hunter and I ever spent together, and he'll never remember it," he mumbled to himself.

"What did you say, son?" Sensei looked up from his spot next to the pagoda in his habitat.

"Oh, nothing, Dad," Cam replied quickly. He returned to his computer console, but he knew that he wouldn't get any work done. Way too distracted.

Besides, he had more important things to take care of.

Cam had spent a mostly sleepless night yesterday thinking about the future. His future, and especially Hunter's part in it. He missed Hunter. Missed him more than he had thought possible. Cam still couldn't believe he had just let him leave. He remembered watching Tori's van retreat into the woods, carrying the Bradleys and all their meager possessions back into town. And he vividly remembered how his heart had ached at that sight. The night before the move they had met in the practice room, but Hunter had been reserved, not going any further than gentle, caring kisses, and for once it was Cam who found himself longing for more, but he had not followed up on it, blaming it instead on 'last evening' emotions. Now he knew better, and every night since then he had paid the price for it, a price that included dreaming about azure eyes, a wickedly sexy smile, and incredibly sensual lips.

With a determined effort, Cam wrenched his thoughts away from the memory of those dreams, and back into reality.

Last night, he had had a revelation: Cam Watanabe, ever the introvert, up till now completely comfortable with being alone, actually craving his solitude at times (what had Hunter called it? 'Only Child' Syndrome), now found himself utterly lonely.

But he was going to do something about that.

Casting a side glance at his father, Cam reached into the top drawer of his desk, withdrew a CD, and quickly slipped it into the pocket of his windbreaker. Time to go...

It had taken a lot of tossing and turning last night, but he had at last come to a decision, and it had surprised him just how much better he felt after his mind was made up. Now to follow up on that decision meant taking a trip into town. He was more than ready.

"Dad, I'm going to run some errands in the city," he called out, careful to sound casual about it. "Do you need anything?"

Sensei had declined, and Cam had to remind himself to walk, not run, up the stairs and out of Ninja Ops.

Once he arrived in Blue Bay Harbor, he went straight to his first destination, an inconspicuous-looking gray brick building. He entered without hesitation, and when he left it again two hours later, he carried a folded sheet of paper in his hand.

'So much for part one,' he smiled, rubbing the crook of his left arm absentmindedly, where the cotton wad was still taped over the tiny puncture mark. 'Now on to part two.'

TO BE CONTINUED...