Dark Into Light

Canon. Takes place Megaforce-era–ish.

NS/slight-DT/Megaforce. | After they defeated Lothor, the three Wind Rangers could not have been closer. But in the midst of an ongoing battle with a clan of dark ninjas, the death of a dear friend causes their friendship to fray and then irreparably snap—to the point when one of their number is banished from the Wind Academy...forever.

Tori/Blake.

(when you see that green light, move)

cycles

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She found Kala slouched against a tree in the forests ringing Blue Bay Harbor and brandishes her favorite finger in the general direction of the storm sensei.

"What've you done to her?"

Kala's hand strokes its way across Kodiak's sleek silver fur, and she says enigmatically, "A little tweak over here. A little nudge over there."

"You're a half-assed bitch, Kala, you know that?" Kylee grunts.

Kala seems to be enjoying herself way too much. "I'm surprised, Kylee, it took you this long to find me. You're getting a bit rusty, aren't you? Associating with these pathetically incompetent wind ninjas and whatnot." And here, Kodiak bares his yellow fangs in agreement and glares at the Japanese water ninja.

"Yeah, about that," Kylee hisses, "why'd you even bother calling me?" She sharpens her intense stare before directing it toward the supremely unconcerned fire ninja: "You know I've severed all ties with you already."

"But you came anyway, didn't you...isn't that what matters?" says Kala in a disgustingly honeyed tone. "Now if you don't want to get locked up like that fucking Yellow what-team-are-they-on-this-year Ranger currently is, listen to me."

"I've listened to you too many times," Kylee says, and she starts to back away until her back thumps against a furry mass of hot flesh and bones that's Kodiak the gray wolf—"Fuck you, Kala!"

"Oh, I wouldn't run if I were you," the fire ninja grins with a manic light dancing in her blue eyes, "if you value your pretty head. Then again, your head's pretty much fucking worthless, but all the same, I think you'd rather keep it attached to your neck—I would."

Kylee grinds her teeth together and curses herself for her stupidity.

"Now, while Tori is dealing with those wind and thunder ninjas," says Kala darkly over a pair of steepled fingers, "I want you to attend to that blue...whale guy on the current Ranger team."

"It's not a whale, Kala, it's a shark."

"Shark, whale, what's the difference? Both animals are retarded either way."

"Wait a moment, why are you going after these water-based Rangers—?"

"Ask me no questions, Kylee, and I'll tell you no lies." She smiles. "Go on, now. Oh, and Kylee," she adds, "if you tell anyone about this—mark my words, I will know—tell anything, for that matter—the day you babble will be the day Kodiak has his next feast."

Kodiak growls unhelpfully behind the water ninja, who snarls with equal venom, "You're a monster, Kala. You're a fucking monster. What do you have to gain from this?"

"Plenty of things," the fire ninja says unconcernedly, "now off you go."

And Kodiak shoves Kylee out of the clearing.

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Gia's ready to go insane in this tiny hellhole of a prison before she figures out that her going insane probably what her captor wants.

.

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"Hey, Tori, are you okay?" Dustin asks. "You seem kinda down. If I say so myself." He flashes her a winning smile.

Tori doesn't smile back: "So, Dustin, care to show me your new students? I'd absolutely love to meet them."

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"Hey, Kira—what're you packing up for?" Conner's voice rolls across the parking lot.

Kira doesn't turn around, busy with her luggage.

"Tori."

"Hasn't she been banished to Alaska or something?"

Kira turns around, scratching the back of her neck unconcernedly. "Well, I guess...she got un-banished?"

"Oh?"

"Yeah. She invited me to visit."

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"Hey, Tori," Dustin calls again for what must have been the fifth time that hour, "you wanna go ride some motocross?"

Tori picks an invisible speck of dust off her uniform. "No."

"...Do you want to surf with me?"

"You don't know how to surf," Tori baldly states.

Dustin despairs.

"Well, do you want to do anything?"

"...Nothing that concerns you," she says nastily, her eyes narrowing into dangerous blue slits.

Dustin glances up and inadvertently takes his first good look at her eyes. "Tor—?"

Her fist comes out of nowhere and slams into the back of his neck.

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"Get me out of here!" Gia shouts in a demented voice at the wall.

The wall, unfortunately, decides it did not want to respond to her loud demand.

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Noah throws his hands up in exasperation after the third hour of fruitless searching—"Is she even in the city?"

Troy opens his mouth to respond, but someone beats him to it.

"No," a high voice says behind him, and the four remaining Megaforce Rangers whirl around to face a tiny, angry-looking Asian girl who points at Noah, "We need to talk. Alone."

Noah blinks. "Um..."

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"Come with me," the pretty Japanese girl says, beckoning him with an agitated flap of her hand.

Noah eyes her warily, noting that Troy and Jake and Christina all both staring warning daggers into his back. "Who are you?"

"Listen, if you don't want to be captured by a fucking madwoman with a gray wolf, then you're going to come with me right now and not ask any questions." Her right hand closes around the Blue Ranger's upper arm in a vice-like grip.

"Whyoooohshit!"

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Kylee felt bad for not warning the poor boy before about the vertiginous effects of ninja streaking, but it wasn't as if she was going to stick around and let his Ranger friends get all buddy-buddy with her and stick a knife in her back.

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"Where's Dustin?" Shane asks.

"Out with Tori," Hunter says back.

Shane doesn't inquire into the situation any further.

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"We're lost," Conner grumbles.

"Why thank you, Captain effing Obvious," Ethan says sarcastically while staring out at the vast expanse of farmland in front of them.

Kira pounds on the back of the driver's seat while simultaneously whining, "Dr. O, you said we'd be there an hour ago!"

Tommy winces and looks back down at the map.

"Oh," he says meekly after about five minutes of intense perusing, "I should have made a right turn fifteen miles back."

Kira tries very hard not to cry in frustration.

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Tori dumps an unconscious Dustin in the cell next to Gia's and leaves promptly after that.

Gia raps her knuckles against the bars. "Are you going to wake up, or am I going to have to wait another two eons for you to wake up?"

Dustin only lets out a sleepy grunt.

The Yellow Megaforce Ranger snorts and leans back against the wall:

"Ninety-nine bottles of beer on the wall, ninety-nine bottles of beer..."

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Callie makes it a point to avoid her mother as much as possible, but she doesn't really have to work for it, because her mother never steps within a ten-foot radius of where the young water ninja is standing anyhow.

This in itself should probably hurt Callie emotionally, no matter how many walls she had thrown up to protect herself against that particular feeling over the years, but she doesn't even feel angry, or mad—all she feels is empty. And she yearns to be filled once more.

.

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"Why are you even talking to her?" Caleb nastily asks, his brown eyes narrowing into furious slits. "Why do you even trust her? I don't get it, Kala, Kylee's already shown that she wants nothing to do with you."

Kala snarls at him, slamming the heel of her left hand against the dark wooden table, as the other is preoccupied with rubbing something in her lap—"I have my reasons, Caleb. Kylee'll carry through with this, I know."

The brown-eyed ice ninja remains unconvinced.

"Trust me," Kala says quietly. "Since when have I ever been wrong, anyway?" She raises her right arm and dangles a scuffed bronze pendant with some intricate designs carved on both sides in front of his face. Caleb's eyes fixate greedily onto it.

"What's that?"

"Never you mind. Now shut up."

He looks sulky. "And?"

Kala fondles the pendant. "We wait."