And here it is, fresh for the New Year! A new installment of the JF series featuring your favorite panther and eagle! :D Hope you guys like it!

Disclaimer: Just like last year, I STILL don't own Power Rangers or Disney! Working on it, though!

Author's Note: Thisis set after "Blind Leading the Blind" and before "Pushed to the Edge."

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Power Rangers Jungle Fury: WHEN BLUE TURNS GREEN

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It had been a few weeks since RJ left for his 'fishing trip' and left Casey in charge and the rush stayed with the red tiger as he took his role as leader very seriously. While RJ was out on a grocery run to replenish some much needed supplies, the lunch rush was coming in full force on this Wednesday afternoon and the young employee was busy assigning jobs to his co-workers.

"Okay, guys. The lunch rush is here and we need to pull together. Theo, you handle the sauce and the dough. Lily you're on topping detail while I run the register. Fran, we need you to go out there and take the customers' orders." Casey ordered sounding like a true leader.

"You got it, boss." Lily saluted with a giggle before preparing the toppings.

"At your service, Case." Fran smiled as she adjusted her glasses and grabbed her notepad. She walked out of the kitchen past Theo not noticing the sour expression he had.

"Yeah." Theo replied sullenly.

He plopped a couple of ripe tomatoes into the blender and set it to puree. All the while, thoughts of the day he saw RJ in his highwaters and fly fishing gear crept into his mind. When the pizza chef mentioned he'd be out of town for a few days, Theo naturally figured he'd be put in charge. He had proven to be efficient in his tasks, but he lacked something. But what? And what did Casey have that RJ found to be superior?

"What's Casey got that I haven't got?" The height-challenged ranger grumbled in his mind. That question has plagued him to this day and showed no sign of being answered anytime soon. "It just isn't fair."

As he poured the blended sauce into one of the white plastic containers, RJ walked in with one of the boxes full of supplies he'd purchased. He saw Fran gathering orders like it was old hat to her and was pleased to see things running like clockwork in the kitchen.

"I'm back." He cheerfully announced as he set the box on one of the tables. "So, how's everything going here?"

"Smooth sailing, RJ." Lily reported as she placed pepperoni slices on a pizza.

As RJ began to remove the groceries from the box, Fran walked in with a handful of orders and nearly bumped into her boss. Okay, she did. This is Fran we're talking about. As she collided with RJ's back, her glasses became misaligned on her face.

"Oh, sorry, boss. I didn't see you there." She chuckled as she adjusted her glasses.

RJ just flashed his trademark smile and chuckled. It just wasn't a day at JKP without Fran bumping into someone.

"No worries. Is everything okay on the home front?" RJ asked with his usual swagger.

"Couldn't be better. Oh, by the way, I need two RJ Specials at table 4, pronto." Fran announced before going back out.

"Now this is what I like to see, things running ship-shape and my employees working together like a well-oiled machine. What more could a boss like me ask for?" He asked as he placed the item in the refrigerator.

During this exchange, Theo was suspiciously silent. He did respect RJ as his Pai Zhuq master, that hadn't changed. But there were times he questioned his mental faculties, like when he made Theo juggle oranges as his training exercise to regain his confidence. Usually, those incidents start to make sense, once they marinade. But this time, he couldn't piece together why the pizza chef made Casey the leader of their heroic group instead of him.

"I had the most experience; I've been at Pai Zhuq longer. Casey's just a cub!" He thought as he helped Lily with the order Fran gave them.

Lily watched as Theo swirled the aromatic sauce onto the flattened dough, more importantly, she watched his face. Yes, he had a tendency to be serious when he worked, but this wasn't a 'serious' face. The fair cheetah could detect a touch of malice in the way he prepared the pizzas and knew something was eating away at the jaguar. He was stealthy in his moves, but not his emotions.

As the customers enjoyed their lunch, a pair of familiar, and hungry, faces strolled in.

"Yikes, this place is packed more than usual. Maybe we should pitch the idea of them putting in a VIP section." Keenan joked as he looked for an available table.

Gwen smiled and looked at her brother. It wasn't a half bad idea. If JKP kept getting popular like this, they just might have to.

"That might not be such a bad idea. But they would have to knock down a couple of walls to do so...if they went with it, that is." Gwen pointed out. "Still, more space would do this place some good. I feel like an anchovy still in the can." She thought as she found what she was looking for. "Hey, I think I found an empty table." Gwen said as she nudged her brother.

"Great! Let's grab it before we end up eating off the floor." The eagle whispered to his sister.

As they took their seats, they look up to see Fran taking orders from a nearby table. The twosome waved to their four-eyed friend making her smile and wave back. As the spectacled waitress made her way back to the kitchen, she alerted her boss who had changed into his master chef uniform.

"Oh, boss." She chimed in with a sing-song voice. "Look who's here."

She motioned for her employer to come to the swinging door and she opened it so both she and RJ could look out to the lunchtime crowd. As RJ scanned the faces eating his creations and drinking various sodas, his jade eyes fell on his friends. Keenan smiled and waved and Gwen gave him a flirty wink and grin. Seeing them, especially Gwen, made him want this lunch rush to go off without a hitch.

"Okay, dudes and dudettes; lend an ear." He started after ducking his head back into the kitchen. "Gwen and Keenan are right outside." He announced with a grin.

Everyone, including Theo smiled at the news. It was always great to have their friends stop in to eat.

"Awesome! We really need to get it into gear, guys." Casey chimed in as he took charge. As he did, he failed to notice that the smile the blue ranger sported a minute ago had fallen.

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Meanwhile, at Dai Shi's lair, the black Lion Lord continues his harsh training under the tutelage of the Sky Overlord, Carnisoar. Camille skulks behind one of the ornate pillars and watches her master closely. She made it perfectly clear that she didn't approve of such harsh treatment of her beloved, but alas, she was powerless to stop it.

"How can that pompous cockatoo possibly call this assault training? He's using Dai Shi as his personal whipping boy!" She thought with concern.

She was brought out of her musing when she hears the anguished cries of her master being thrown into the pillar she was hiding behind. Seeing him struggle to rise to his feet was too much for her to bear.

"Pathetic! How did you ever become Dai Shi?" He asked maliciously as he prepared to strike his student while he was down. But those plans were foiled by Camille standing by her man...and in front of him.

"I can't take this anymore. This has to stop before he destroys Dai Shi!" She thought. She'd lay down his life for her master.

"You're going too far, Carnisoar! This isn't training; this is an attack!" Camille lashed out at her lord's teacher.

Dai Shi had regained his footing and was leaning against the pillar. Shaking the cobwebs from his head, he pushed the loyal chameleon aside.

"Mind your tongue, Camille! This is something I have to do!" The dark lion ordered.

"You're-you're taking his side?" She mused.

Camille couldn't believe her ears. How can someone as strong as Dai Shi bend to the will of an outsider? She didn't care if he was an overlord or not; he had no right to treat the man she loved in such a cruel manner.

"I will not mind my tongue! Don't you think he's going overboard with this training?" She asked confused.

Carnisoar, whose eyes began to glow with anger towards Camille, walked to the pair. He pushes Camille aside to speak to her alone.

"How dare you interrupt our training sessions, you worthless reptile! To defeat the Power Rangers, he must grow in strength! If he cannot endure this caliber of training, everything will be for naught! The Rangers won't take it easy on him and neither will I!" The sky overlord bellowed.

"He's right, Camille. If I can't take Master Carnisoar's training, I can't hope to stand up to the rangers'attacks."

Camille glowered. She knew her master was right, but that didn't mean she had to agree to his methods of achieving his ends.

"Fine." She said backing off.

Before he resumed his training with Dai Shi, Carnisoar took the opportunity to remind Camille of her own shortcomings.

"You could stand some extra training yourself. I've heard of your defeats to the black ranger. Shameful.

The chameleon gnashed her teeth and balled her hands into tight fists. It was bad enough for Dai Shi to berate her about her failure against the black panther. But to have a being who's been dead since the last beast war come in and point it out, that was the last straw.

"You leave her out of this! And I don't recall asking for your input. I have a plan for defeating the panther ranger, and thankfully, it doesn't involve you." Camille shot back. "I'd love to see you get off your molting tail feathers and do something besides criticize everything I do." She thought bitterly.

"I'll believe that when I see it." The Sky overlord scoffed before returning to his student. "Now, let us continue, Dai Shi. You still have a long way to go."

"Yes, Master."

As the two resumed their training, Camille slunk back into the shadows.

"I'll show all of you what I'm capable of. I'll bring you the head of the black ranger to prove myself worthy." She thought as she left the throne room.

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Back at the pizza parlor...

Fran was making her way to Gwen and Keenan's table to take their order.

"Hey, guys. What are-"

Fran's sentence was cut short when she felt a hand gently grab her shoulder. She looked up to find the smiling face of her boss.

"I've got this one, Fran. Why don't you help the others in the kitchen?" RJ suggested.

The pigtailed waitress looked at her boss and knew what was on his mind. He wanted a little alone time with his girl. Smiling, she took the hint.

"Gotcha. Um, see you later, guys." Fran said as she left giggling.

"Hey, RJ. I see business is booming." Gwen observed.

"I'll say. Our Kitty Pride Pizza is selling like hotcakes. Everyone's going crazy for it." RJ with a grin and a sway. "So, how's your day going?"

"Hectic, but otherwise, it's going good. We examined some puppies that were rescued from a puppy mill. I hate those places!" Keenan growled. Hurting animals was one thing, but to do it for profit was something that put him over the edge. "The owners of the mill were arrested and thankfully all the puppies are recovering well. They'll be put up for adoption in a few weeks."

"That's great, dudes. Oh, and don't let Lily hear you mention puppies. She just might try to take them all home." The pizza master chuckled. "So, what can I get for you two?"

"I'll take a slice of Kitty Pride." Gwen ordered.

"Same here." Keenan agreed.

"Two slices of Kitty Pride for my favorite customers. Coming right up."

RJ walked to the kitchen to relay the latest order to his employees.

"Two slices of Kitty Pride for Gwen and Keenan." RJ announced.

"On it, RJ. Hey, Theo, make sure they have drinks." Casey ordered.

"Okay." The blue ranger replied stoically.

Before Theo could go to the fridge, Lily stopped him for a moment.

"Theo, is something bothering you?" Lily asked sincerely.

Theo looked into Lily's blue eyes and saw the concern in them. He didn't want to talk about what was gnawing at him inside...not yet. He didn't want to worry his closest friend.

"I'm fine, Lil." He lied.

He hated lying to Lily, but he had to do something to escape the awkward situation he was almost roped into. He walked to the fridge and grabbed to cans of soda for his veterinary friends. After he left the confines of the kitchen, Casey turned to bespectacled waitresss and whispered to her.

"Is it just me or does Theo seem a bit...off to you?"

"Yeah, and for Theo, that's a major red flag." Fran whispered back as she placed the paw-shaped kiwi slices onto the pizza.

"Whoa, hang on dudes. I want to add something special to this one." RJ grinned.

"Like what?" Lily asked curiously.

She knew RJ had a knack for adding things on the fly and she wanted to see what he was up to this time. RJ took a few kiwi slices and cut them into some special shapes to add to half of the pizza. When the girls saw what the shapes were, they gave the same review...

"Awwww!"

"Now, it's perfect." RJ grinned as he placed it in the brick oven.

After the pizza had finished baking, RJ came out with a tray and two plates each with a slice of the newest craze. But one slice was pleasantly different from the other.

"For my favorite customers. For you, Keenan." He said placing a normal slice of Kitty Pride pizza with the kitten paw slices in front of him.

"Looks great, man. Thanks." Keenan said inhaling the savory aroma.

Then he turned his attention to Gwen and the black ranger thought she saw him blush a bit.

"And for the lovely lady..."

He presented her with her slice, but instead of the kitten paws, the kiwi slices were in the shape of hearts. When Gwen laid eyes on the romantic gesture, she was moved.

"Awwww. How cute, RJ." Gwen cooed.

"I thought you might like that." RJ replied.

"I do. This is really sweet of you."

Gwen looked up into the Pai Zhuq master's green eyes and saw the unmistakable twinkle in them; the same twinkle she noticed when she first met him. They say the eyes were the windows to the soul and his were no exception. RJ slowly leaned his head down and just as their lips were finally about to meet...the bothersome beeping of Gwen and Keenan's morphers interrupted the potential liplock causing the three at the table to groan in annoyance.

"Uhhhhhhhhh! Not now!!!!" Keenan Gwen and RJ all had the same sentiment. All of their faces betrayed their disappointment.

"This reeks! I was just about to sink my teeth into this pizza!" Keenan complained.

"I was just about to sink my teeth into something else." Gwen thought begrudgingly as she rolled her eyes. "Duty calls, bro. We have to book." Gwen said with regret in her voice.

"Man!" Keenan said as he and his sister rose from the table, leaving their lunch behind.

The siblings and RJ all ran back into the kitchen and followed the Pai Zhuq cubs upstairs to the loft leaving a bewildered Fran downstairs to mind the shop.

"We're going on break, Fran. Keep an eye on things for us?" Theo shouted as he ran up the stairs.

"Thanks!" Lily called down before the four-eyed girl could protest.

"Sure. No problem. Glad I could help." Fran sulked. "Just what do those guys do up there? And what are Keenan and Gwen doing up there?" She thought.

Fran let out a heaving sigh as she was, once again, left holding the bag. She didn't mind helping her friends; she just wish they would let her in on their little secret. At least then she wouldn't feel so bummed about being left out.

As the five rangers arrived in the loft with RJ in tow, they turned their attention to the quintet of tv screens and they see Camille in her normal clothes standing in the middle of the quarry.

"She just doesn't know when to quit." The red tiger observed.

"She's persistent; I'll give her that." RJ added as he took a seat in his green chair.

Lily took a good look at the screen and immediately noticed something.

"She's at the quarry...alone? Something's not right." He cheetah quipped.

As the siblings gathered around RJ's chair, Camille made her intentions known.

"This is a message for the Black Ranger! I'm calling you out! I challenge you to a one-on-one battle! Come to the quarry and come alone!" Camille shouted as she threw down the gauntlet.

Keenan and Gwen looked at each other in disbelief. Camille challenging anyone to a one-on-one battle just wasn't her style.

"I don't trust her as far as I can throw her. It has to be an ambush." Keenan mused out loud.

"I think so, too. But I'm going anyway..."

She had more to say but she was stopped by RJ standing in front of her. His 6'1" frame towered over her 5'7" stature as he gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

"You shouldn't go out there alone, Gwen." RJ pleaded quietly.

Gwen just chuckled and put her hands on his.

"I wasn't planning to. If I know you guys as well as I think I do, one of you is gonna suggest tailing me in case that lizard tries something." Gwen thought.

"RJ's right. We're gonna shadow you while you battle Camille. She's gonna try something, that much is certain, but we'll be there to block it." Casey replied.

Gwen just smirked. True to form, Casey steps up and proves why he was chosen as leader. She doesn't notice Theo's sullen reaction to his statement.

"How did I know?" She thought. She looks into RJ's jade eyes and smiles sincerely. "See? They got my back."

"So, why are we still here?" Lily asked impatiently.

"You're right. Let's go!"

Casey, Lily, Theo and Keenan grabs vines and swing out through the portal above the viewing area. Gwen reaches for one when she feels RJ's hand grip her wrist. She felt her body being pulled into a hug and pressed against his lean body tightly. Her free hand went to stroke his hair as she enjoyed the embrace.

"RJ, don't worry so much. You act like you're never gonna see me again. I'll be fine." Gwen said trying to convince the tall master.

For a few minutes, RJ didn't answer. He just held on to Gwen as if he wanted his body to memorize every sultry curve of hers.

"Just-just be careful, Gwen." RJ whispered.

Shivers went down her spine as his voice caressed her ear. She didn't want to be let go, but she was challenged and she wasn't about to back out of it.

"I will." She answered just as softly.

RJ reluctantly let go of the black ranger and stepped back. He had this nagging feeling something bad was going to happen and he didn't want to worry anybody by putting it out there. They couple softly smiled at each other before Gwen swings out of the loft.

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End of Chapter One

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And so begins a new story! Camille's grudge is getting bigger and you KNOW she isn't alone. Just what sort of monster will the rangers have to contend with this time? Read, Review and pass it on! :) I'm working on the next chapter as we speak. HAPPY 2009!!!! :D