Power Rangers Fan Fiction ❯ Bitter ❯ Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 

 

“Are you okay?” The look on Adam's face as the door opened to the two disheveled women and Shippou was immediately one of murder; he may have been “the soft-spoken one” but he was well-trained from a young age in various forms of martial arts… and his wife looked like she'd been through a small hurricane.

 

“Adam, I'm fine,” Tanya hurried to reassure, wincing as she tried to tame her wild hair. “It's not as bad as it looks; I didn't even get a scratch.”

 

“Aisha did,” Rocky seethed, his easy-going attitude now buried under a layer of rage toward whatever had harmed his wife. “What the hell happened?”

 

Shippou looked up to see most of the rest of the group gathering in the living room; it looked like some were working on cooking lunch, others had just gotten out of the shower. He did a quick scan, counting heads and breathing a sigh of relief when he realized everybody was there.

 

“We have to talk.”

 

The fun-loving Shippou the friends had met seemed to have been pushed to the wayside by whatever had happened - whatever had gone after the girls. The group looked to Jason and Tommy, who were exchanging looks, and only relaxed when they nodded agreement. “Let's all sit down.”

 

It was quiet enough to hear a pin drop on the expensive carpet as everybody found a place to sit; Shippou found himself wondering if this was what it was like in the Command Center when the Rangers had been preparing for attacks.

 

“What happened?” Rocky repeated himself, finally unable to control himself any longer. “'Sha and T go for a walk and come back looking like they were attacked!”

 

“We were,” Aisha responded grimly, placing a placating hand on her husband's arm. “But we're fine! Shippou saved us - not that we really needed it,” she felt required to add, “and he chased away the demon that came after us.”

 

“Demon,” Jason repeated softly. He turned to look at Shippou. “Like you? Or that thing you guys were fighting yesterday?”

 

Shippou shook his head. “No, a bird demon. One obviously working for Kouga.”

 

“It disconcerts me that we are dealing with creatures that have never seemed to pursue us before. Perhaps it is because I've been on Aquitar, but surely my friends would have said something.”

 

“Wouldn't they have come after us before?”

 

“Why now?”

 

“I was never even a Ranger!”

 

Billy's comment seemed to open up a can of worms for Shippou, who was now facing several angry adults wondering what had happened to change their lives so thoroughly.

 

He only wished he had a better answer.

 

“I don't know.”

 

Shippou's flat answer actually shocked the Rangers into silence. Whether it was speaking with Zordon or his successor, Dimitra… Dulcea or Ninjor when it came to their ninja powers… or Shippou and Kim regarding their situations now, everybody seemed to have an answer for them.

 

It was disconcerting to be left with nothing.

 

“Well, that's not entirely true,” Shippou admitted. He was hard-pressed to hide his smirk as the group visibly relaxed. “I have a good guess… but it sounds really stupid. I think it was just a matter of you guys being in the right places at the right time. Or in the wrong place right now,” he added wryly.

 

Hayley tilted her head. “I don't understand.”

 

Shippou shrugged. “Until now, all you guys were probably far away from Miami, right?” He was met with a chorus of nodding heads. “Demons are all around the world, and each area has its own generals and Lords and leaders and stuff. Sure, Sesshoumaru is kind of the big dog around the world, and Kouga is powerful because of the jewel shards. But I bet the demons near you guys just want to be left alone… or aren't willing to challenge your power for whatever reward Kouga's offering.”

 

Tommy staring at his fists clenched over his knees. Could it really be that simple?

 

“Why does this Kouga want us?” Trini asked. “I'm sure it has to do something with being a Ranger… Jason, didn't you say-”

 

“Yeah, that crocodile demon called us `colored brats,'” Jason said.

 

A smirk lifted the corner of Tanya's mouth. “We were called `yellow brats' today.”

 

“It's your auras, we think,” Shippou interjected. “You were Power Rangers, and the Power never really leaves you… from what Kim says. It's hard to tell with her,” he mused, suddenly distracted by this new train of thought. “Her aura is pink… but that's a common priestess color to begin with, so I wonder if that's how Sesshoumaru knew...” He trailed off, thinking a bit before being alerted to his digression by Zack's tapping foot.

 

“Sorry,” Shippou said with a smile. “Anyway… you guys aren't normal humans. You guys have a lot of power visible in your auras; it's probably why you were chosen in the first place. You probably had a small amount of power anyway, but the zeo-thingies and power coins and stuff helped you harness it and made it stronger. That power's still with you - you just can't access it without help.”

 

Hayley's eyes widened. “So this Kouga demon wants to try and harness it somehow? I can see how that would be dangerous… but what could he do with the power? And how would he get it?”

 

“Well, a lot of us have histories with being turned evil,” Jason hypothesized, eyeing Tommy discretely.

 

From the way the longest-serving Ranger tensed, Jason could only assume Tommy was thinking along the same lines. But he was surprised when Tommy's voice muttered, “He tried to…” He had to swallow. “Zedd nearly stripped Kim of her powers, remember? Of her life force, because that's what the ninja powers were connected to. She could have died.” His voice almost cracked on the end of the sentence, but nobody was willing to bring it up.

 

Silence fell over the group. None of the possibilities looked good.

 

Shippou shifted, feeling as though he was intruding as the Rangers recalled the various instances they were turned against their friends and loved ones. Sadly, it wasn't a short list.

 

“Anyway,” he said, to draw their attention. “I don't know what Kouga could do. I don't know what he plans to do… or how he plans to do it. We have some recon looking into it. Hell, for all we know, he could be looking at you as bait… Kim would go the distance to keep you guys safe. But until we find out, you guys need to be careful. When you go out, make sure you have whatever will help you morph. Let us know where you're going… I'll make sure you have our cell numbers.” Shippou removed his phone from his pocket and rattled off a few numbers, giving the Rangers a couple people to call should the need arise, and gathering phone numbers for the group.

 

Almost on cue, Shippou's phone rang: Kim, but he hadn't expected a call from her so early today. Maybe just checking in with how her friends were settling in?

 

“I have to get going, guys,” Shippou said. “Have fun… but be careful.” He grinned. “You guys are Rangers, so act like it.”

 

“Aw, man!”

 

Shippou turned to stare at Zack in confusion. “What?”

 

“It's just… it was supposed to be a vacation, ya know? And we come down and find ourselves in a whole lot of trouble all over again.” Zack shot a mock-glare at Tommy. “Then again, I guess you've proof positive that ex-Rangers never really leave the Ranger-danger days behind.”

 

Tommy shrugged, face suspiciously blank - it was rare for him not to rise to a dig at his on-going Ranger days. Standing behind Tommy, Jason shrugged at Zack; if Tommy was going to brood like usual, they'd have to let him get it out of his system.

 

Shippou noted the byplay between the guys carefully before drawing their attention back. “You guys can still have loads of fun,” Shippou said. “It sure doesn't stop us from having a blast. Well, usually. We just… we're ready to blast back, if necessary.” He grinned at Jason. “Just think of it like your Ranger days!”

 

The fox demon wandered over to the door, dipping into a fun little bow to Hayley, who stood by it, before letting himself out. He paused halfway through the doorway, just long enough to shout over his shoulder, “Hey! At least it'll probably give you some time with Kim … right?”

 

 

OoO**OoO**OoO

 

 

As she reached speeds far beyond the legal limit, whipping her motorcycle around vehicles in a way that she knew she would bitch anybody out for were she behind the wheel of her car, Kimberly was unaware of the pain shooting up her injured arm. All that existed were the other cars, the road in front of her…

 

And the thoughts she just could not outrun.

 

`Attacked! Just walking down the beach! Kouga means business… but why? What the hell? There's no way to harness the power that they have! Hell, most of it is dormant… except for the Zeo Rangers; I hear they never lost the Power. There's the Ninja powers, I guess, but there's still no way to siphon that energy like Zedd did mine, unless-'

 

Kimberly was jerked from her musings by the car in front of her slamming on his brakes. She swerved to the right, creatively cursing out the man's lack of driving skills and receiving a single-fingered salute for her efforts. She snorted.

 

A slight trickling sensation by her wrist informed Kim that her arm had begun bleeding again. `Damn demonic power.' Not for the first time - nor the last, she expected - she wished for the days of magic spandex and giant robots.

 

Kouga may have been lightning fast and stronger than dozens of men, but even he couldn't survive a squishing from a skyscraper-sized metal Tyrannosaurus.

 

She giggled helplessly at the mental image.

 

`If only life were that easy!' And things were just going to get harder, Kimberly was sure. If their enemies were targeting the Rangers like Shippou had said, she was going to stretch herself thin; hunting leads for the remaining jewel shards and protecting the ones they had took up a decent chunk of her time, and she was loathe to give up the few luxuries she afforded herself - like her weekly sojourn to the various malls across South Florida.

 

She'd beat a sense of fashion besides “practical” into Sango if it killed her, she swore.

 

Then again, there was no reason for her to forgo her shopping trips. Aisha and Trini had always gone with her; both were married (it still rankled she had missed the weddings - `Damn Sesshoumaru!') and she'd bet the guys would tag along, now that they were aware of the myriad dangers they faced.

 

What was she worried about? They were Rangers. They had dealt with intergalactic beings bent on enslaving the world while simultaneously juggling martial arts, clubs of all sorts, organizing and taking part in charity events, and passing algebra!

 

`But they've never dealt with demons.' These weren't creatures looking to conquer a planet. They weren't monsters that looked like they'd stepped out of the latest B-movie flick on the Sci-Fi channel, taking orders from crazy people from the moon. These demons - Kouga's allies - were bloodthirsty, hungry for the taste of human flesh. Many were clever and thought up their own schemes. They wanted nothing more than to wipe out the “inferior” species and experience the joy of the hunt without fearing retribution from Generals like Sesshoumaru and slayers like Sango, or even human-lovers like InuYasha and Shippou.

 

Kimberly's belief still stood: the Rangers could take care of themselves, but they didn't kill unless absolutely backed into a corner.

 

`Well… that's not gonna happen on my watch.'

 

 

OoO**OoO**OoO

 

 

Sango sighed, stretching out cramped muscles as she stepped out of the shower. “No rest for the weary,” she murmured as she snagged a towel to wipe the condensation off the mirror.

 

After a several-hour-long session trailing one of Kouga's known operatives, she'd come home to find Miroku amusedly watching Kimberly pace a trail into their new carpeting. Kim had gotten a phone call from Kagome; the priestess wanted Kimberly to take her part of the jewel and keep it safe. Kouga's lackeys had been talking about going after the young woman for a while now - the wolf had been enamored of her pre-incarnation, and seemed to have similar, somewhat-obsessive feelings for this version of the soul.

 

Kagome was scared and even though she had InuYasha, she didn't want another reason for the wolf leader to come after her.

 

Kimberly couldn't deny her friend the chance to keep her unborn child safe - but she didn't want to take on the responsibility of keeping the jewel shards purified, much less secure from Kouga, especially when she spent so much time in the field.

 

So that had been a “fun” hour-long discussion over the various pros and cons. In the end, Kimberly had decided to take the shards - provided Miroku help her keep them secure. That settled, Kimberly called Shippou to update him… only to find out that her friends had been attacked on the beach.

 

That opened up a whole new slew of problems. Kimberly was taking on the shards and now they had to set up a system to protect her friends from harm. They had to figure out just what Kouga was planning on doing with the ex-Rangers if he managed to get his claws into them.

 

And they were being forced to recognize that the battle between the factions of demons had just undergone a very important transformation: Kouga was making moves in public. At the very least, he was making offers that had less-important demons flouting Sesshoumaru's edicts against displaying demon powers in front of uninvolved humans.

 

Sesshoumaru would not be amused. They weren't, either; it meant extra work trying to keep things on the down-low while still trying to protect innocent people.

 

Sango sighed. One step forward, six steps back. And now as one of the few remaining descendents of the original slayers who protected the jewel, she believed the burden fell to her to shoulders.

 

`Damn!'

 

Kimberly had gone to take care of a few things; they had finally agreed to go out that night for a bit of fun. Nothing like pushing troubles to the wayside for a couple hours to help them relax - and better focus in the long-run.

 

Sango spun and slumped against the counter.

 

On top of everything else, nobody had heard from Kohaku since he'd left on his information-gathering excursion to Japan. Sango hadn't wanted to bring it up with Kimberly so obviously overwhelmed by everything happening at once; her friend hadn't mentioned it, but she was clearly still upset about having to face Tommy not once but twice already… and it appeared they'd be spending a decent amount of time with the ex-Rangers in the coming days.

 

But Kohaku hovered in the back of Sango's mind. The young man was a decent enough slayer, though he was gentle, and Sango had no doubts he was smart enough to make his way to their ancestral home without too much trouble.

 

Still, she'd feel better if he'd call!

 

“Sango?” Miroku knocked tentatively on the door, bringing her out of her whirlwind of thoughts.

 

“Yeah?” She tightened the towel around her body. They'd finally moved in together, and had even taken the step to sleeping together… but she was still somewhat uncomfortable with him seeing her naked. Kim thought it was silly of her but who was she to judge? “Come on in,” she invited once she was satisfied that she was properly covered.

 

Miroku's smile seemed to falter when he realized the love of his life was more-or-less decent. Still, he let it slide, putting the cover down and taking a seat on the toilet as he watched her dry and style her hair.

 

“Are you alright?”

 

Sango froze for a moment, arm at an awkward angle as she tried to detangle the hairs at the nape of her neck. She forced a smile after a moment. “I'll be okay.”

 

Miroku frowned. “I didn't ask if you would be okay. I asked if you are alright. As in now.”

 

“I'm worried.”

 

She didn't have to elaborate. “I know,” Miroku acknowledged. “He'll call as soon as he can, you know.” He stood and removed her hairbrush from her hand, trailing his fingers up her bare arms to knead her shoulders. “You're tense.”

 

She let out a contented sigh and dropped her head backward, reveling in the light massage. “I know. And you're right. But that doesn't stop me worrying.”

 

“Of course it doesn't.” He kissed the sensitive spot where her neck met her right shoulder. “You're his sister. I'd be concerned if you weren't worried.”

 

“And poor Kimberly,” Sango went on as Miroku slipped his arms around her, caressing her sides in an almost ticklish sensation.

 

“She's a nervous wreck,” Miroku noted. “I've never really seen her like that before.” His hands began to slip under the towel. “It's only going to get worse before it gets better, I think.”

 

Sango moaned appreciatively as one hand cupped a breast, squeezing just right… She'd begun to lose the thread of their conversation as his hands had begun to wander.

 

Miroku grinned, recognizing this fact.

 

“Why don't we,” he whispered softly, running his other hand lightly up and down her stomach, “take a little time to ourselves for now. I don't think we'll get much of it in the near future.”

 

She spun and silenced him with a kiss.

 

 

OoO**OoO**OoO

 

 

“I won't let him hurt you.”

 

Kagome turned around, smiling softly at her husband. They'd married young, and she hadn't dated much in school - she was too busy focusing on her schoolwork. She'd had her share of suitors, but nobody had called to her like InuYasha did.

 

After only three months of knowing each other, she'd packed up and moved around the world with him. She'd reconnected with friends from another life (that had been an interesting discussion) and had inadvertently turned the underground world of demons upside-down by unleashing a powerful force upon the world.

 

Now, it was all she could do to waddle up the stairs to their small shrine, where pieces of the sacred jewel lay behind a small barrier.

 

“I know.”

 

She turned back to stare at the shards pensively, her smile slipping. She felt more than heard InuYasha come up behind her. “I swear I won't let anybody hurt you. My bastard of a brother included,” InuYasha said as he wrapped his arms around her, resting his hands on her stomach.

 

Kagome slipped her hands over his and squeezed. “I know,” she repeated. “I trust you.”

 

“Then why have the wench come get the shards?”

 

She sighed. “I'd just feel safer if they were with her,” she admitted. “And… I-I'm afraid of hurting the baby. He or she is part-demon… and I have to use a lot of power to keep them pure. I don't want to accidentally purify the baby.”

 

InuYasha nodded in agreement before resting his chin on the top of her head. “I guess that makes sense. I don't like it, though.”

 

“Neither does Sesshoumaru.”

 

InuYasha scowled. Of course Sesshoumaru didn't like it. He was of the opinion that Sesshoumaru didn't like anything. “He'll just have to deal with it. But why her?”

 

“What other priestesses do we know and trust?” Kagome asked logically. InuYasha let out a frustrated noise.

 

“She ain't gonna be focused; not with her friends around. That's all I need is more late-night phone calls begging me to come save her sorry ass.”

 

“Oh, I don't know,” Kagome said softly, “I think having them around will force her to be even more on her guard. Plus she'll have her friends to keep her safe.”

 

“Keh!”

 

Kagome smiled at his irritated outburst. “You just don't want her to have them because she's around Kouga and his pack so much.”

 

“Yeah, so? I don't want to chase these things all around the world again. Been there, done that. You turned the t-shirt I woulda gotten into rags.”

 

Kagome's eyes welled with tears. “Well excuse me for living!”

 

“That ain't what I meant!” The jewel's re-shattering was a sore spot with his wife and InuYasha cursed having brought it up at all. He was about to change the subject when the doorbell rang.

 

Repeatedly.

 

InuYasha's ears flattened and he cursed. “That girl knows that thing fucks with my ears!”

 

Kagome had to bite back a laugh. Of course she did. That's why Kimberly did it. Kim couldn't fight her station - not with Sesshoumaru having saved her, and especially not when she knew what Sesshoumaru and even InuYasha (given the right impetus) could do to her and her friends.

 

So she retaliated in different ways.

 

Kagome pulled out of InuYasha's grasp, turned him by the shoulders and pushed him to the door. “Go bring her up here.” When he hesitated, she patted him on the butt, smiling. “Or I'll have to go down and then back up all those stairs…”

 

He got a move on, glaring at her nonetheless. `Sneaky wench.'

 

Minutes later, Kim sauntered up the stairs, a smirk on her face.

 

“Do I even want to know what has you so happy?”

 

Kim shook her head. “Probably better if you don't. Let's get a move on; I have things to do and people to see.”

 

Kagome smiled. “Okay. Let's see if we can't combine our powers to merge them into one large piece.” Kimberly pulled out the few shards she carried around. “It'll be easier to keep an eye on `em that way.”

 

“And easier for Kouga to get his hands on them,” Kim muttered rebelliously. She bit her tongue when Kagome shot her an apologetic look. “No, `Gome, I understand why you're doing this and it makes sense.” She forced a small smile. “It doesn't mean I have to like it, though.”

 

Kagome tilted her head from side to side, humming. “I can understand that.”

 

“Let's do this. We'll merge `em and see if we can't get a small barrier around it. No reason for me to go advertising what I'll have around my neck.”

 

 

OoO**OoO**OoO

 

 

Despite Zack's concerns, Shippou had been more than happy to point them in the direction of a fun time that night when they asked for suggestions.

 

“Just keep your morpher-things on you. You don't know when you'll need them,” Shippou said. “Hey, why don't I give you guys a ride to a great club-restaurant-like place? A lot of my human friends love it there.”

 

Aisha, Rocky, Trini, Jason and Zack had all jumped at the opportunity. Billy and Hayley elected to stay behind and go to sleep early; Tanya had chosen to avoid the crowds - she had already dealt with a mob for autographs that day and wanted to have a quiet night on the beach with Adam.

 

“You guys have enough for a taxi for the trip back?” Shippou asked as he pulled up. “It's easier to drop you off here than find a parking space. If you guys can't catch a cab, call me and I'll come pick you up. Traffic's a bitch here though, so give me some warning.”

 

“You're not coming with?” Rocky asked, a bit disappointed.

 

“I can't stand the music - too loud,” Shippou elaborated. “Most demons avoid clubs and the like because of the lights and smells and noises. It's overwhelming.”

 

“So that's why you suggested we go here,” Jason pointed out dryly. Shippou grinned, unrepentant, as he sped off.

 

“Now this is what I'm talkin' about!” Zack proclaimed, waving happily at Shippou as the demon drove off into the night. “Ladies, music and letting the liquor flow!” Music poured onto the street from the building as they made their way to the line to get in. The place and the street out front was packed.

 

The group made some small talk while waiting, enjoying the humid breeze coming off the ocean. Finally slipping into the building after acknowledging that they'd just relax near the bar rather than wait for an actual table, Aisha and Trini immediately started shaking their hips to the beat. Being early in the evening, it wasn't nearly as hard as they expected to find a group heading out ahead of the crush of people.

 

“It'll be fine,” Zack claimed. “They'll just think the table's still taken!”

 

Tommy rolled his eyes but didn't feel like standing around any longer. With a shrug, he slipped into the booth and took a look around. The place was adorned with a mural of undersea life and beach-life; knick-knacks of fish and mermaids and boaters cluttered the walls. The two sides of the building were raised up - one had an actual restaurant set-up; the other side, where they were sitting, had a bar and a mass of stools, tables and booths. In the center was an already-packed dance floor and Tommy cringed at the thought of wading into the mass of people.

 

He wasn't the best dancer in the world and didn't quite feel like advertising that fact.

 

He was drawn by the flash of flesh as a waitress jumped up onto the platform that served as the DJ booth and began gyrating to the music. Apparently this was a common phenomenon- everybody on the dance floor simply cheered before going back to their respective partners.

 

Jason took drink orders before heading to the bar; Tommy watched Aisha drag Rocky out to the dance floor with a look of commiseration for his friend. Zack followed a few feet behind, eyes scanning the crowd for a gorgeous Miami woman to dance with, completely in his element as the music throbbed.

 

Tommy rubbed his temple, waiting for his body to adjust to the club-like atmosphere. `No wonder Shippou said demons couldn't stand the music. If they have the hearing he was talking about, his head would probably explode here.'

 

Jason was almost knocked into Tommy as he bent over to pass the first few drinks along. Heading back, Jason grabbed the pitcher of beer with a nod of thanks, snagging plastic cups with his free hand.

 

His mouth moved, obviously trying to tell Tommy something, but was completely drowned out by the cheers of the women on the dance floor as the next song started.

 

I never really knew that she could dance like this
She makes a man wants to speak Spanish
Como se llama, bonita,

mi casa, su casa

Oh baby when you talk like that
You make a woman go mad
So be wise and keep on
Reading the signs of my body

“Damn, I hate this song,” Tommy muttered.

 

Jason laughed. “Good thing we have plenty of ways to drown your hatred for the music.”

 

Slipping onto the plastic bench, Jason slung his arm around his wife. “I got us some appetizers,” he said.

 

“Good idea,” Trini complimented. “Keep the alcohol from rushing to our heads.”

 

Tommy nodded, eyes skimming the crowd for Rocky. His red-clad friend would be glad to know food was on the way. It was hard to find him, despite the red-head's height, and Tommy found himself narrowing his eyes to try and make out faces through the smoke.

 

A flash of blonde-streaked auburn hair caught his eye almost like a billboard and his heart found its way to his throat. “Hey-”

 

Trini looked up at her friend's choked comment. Seeing that Tommy wasn't about to finish the statement, she followed his wide-eyed gaze to the dance floor.

 

 

OoO**OoO**OoO

 

 

Music pulsed, lights flickered and smoke turned the normally ocean-scented breeze into a filmy haze.

 

And Kimberly loved every second of it.

 

She laughed along with the crowd as the next song began, backing into Sango as her friend began to let her inhibitions slide. Miroku grinned lecherously as the two began to dance back-to-back, having fun giving him quite the show.

I'm on tonight
You know my hips don't lie
And I'm starting to feel it's right
All the attraction, the tension
Don't you see baby, this is perfection

 

Kim loved it when they could let loose a little bit. Sango'd been really upset about not hearing from her younger brother; she couldn't fault the slayer, Kim was worried too. But they needed to relax - hell, as far as she was concerned, Kim needed a night of stiff drinks and good music.

 

If only that nagging tingle in the back of her head would go away. There were no demons here. It was pretty much a demon-free zone; the scents and sounds did a lot to keep them at bay. Besides, if any were nearby, it wouldn't be a tickle on her aura. She'd feel it; her hackles would be up.

 

Miroku would feel it, too. They were fine. Kimberly convinced herself she was looking too deeply into it. The tingle was probably the great feeling of alcohol dampening her worries; she hadn't felt it in a long time!

Hey Girl, I can see your body moving
And it's driving me crazy
And I didn't have the slightest idea
Until I saw you dancing

And when you walk up on the dance floor
Nobody cannot ignore

the way you move your body, girl
And everything so unexpected

the way you right and left it
So you can keep on shaking it

Finally moving away from Sango, Kim dipped and spun, swinging her hair behind her and dipping low to the ground. Forced to give up competitive gymnastics by the irascible demon lord, she'd learned rather quickly that she'd have no problem staying in shape - fighting and running kept her on her toes much like back in her Ranger days.

 

Kim rose and spun again, arms in the air. Closing her eyes for a moment, she swung her arms back - and inadvertently dug one into a person's side.

 

“Oh, I'm sorry!” she turned to apologize to her unintended victim before gasping. “Rocky?”

 

“Kim?” Beside him, a dark-skinned woman turned.

 

“'Sha?”

 

Aisha squealed and launched herself at her long-time friend. “Hey girl! What're you doin' here?”

 

Seeing Kim was semi-speechless (a rare occurrence that seemed to be happening more often, much to her displeasure), Sango stepped in. “Probably the same thing you are,” she said with a smile. “Taking a night off!”

 

Kim's eyes drifted back to Rocky, who'd turned his head to the bar area. She followed his gaze curiously - and her eyes met with a chocolate-eyed stare.

 

Tommy looked as surprised as she felt.

I'm on tonight
You know my hips don't lie
And I am starting to feel you boy
Come on let's go, real slow
Don't you see baby, asi es perfecto

Oh I know I'm on tonight

My hips don't lie
And I'm starting to feel it's right
All the attraction, the tension
Don't you see baby, this is perfection

“Oh damn it, Shippou,” Kim muttered mutinously, shooting a dark look at Miroku, who at least had the grace to cringe.

Fucking set-ups.

 

 

OoO**OoO**OoO

 

 

Trini stared at Kim from the table. As the Ranger-turned-demon-slayer danced and laughed with Zack, her eyes continuously flickered to where Tommy sat at the bar nursing a drink - and trying to hide his own interested looks, especially when Kim swiveled to face the other direction. Trini smothered a laugh.

 

“Do you believe in soul-mates?”

 

Trini looked up at the woman, Kim's friend...

 

“Sorry, I'm Sango. You're Trini, right?”

 

Trini nodded with a smile and held out her hand. They shook, introduced themselves and easily fell into friendly chatter, recognizing the role each had played in Kimberly's life. They'd been speaking for about half an hour when Sango brought up her original question.

 

“Do you believe in soul-mates?”

 

Trini smiled. “I think… maybe? I don't know. I do believe there's a person out there for everybody, but I don't know if it's on the same realm as soul mates.”

 

Sango smiled. “I know what you mean.” Her eyes traveled to where Tommy sat silently… and followed his line of sight to where Kimberly danced with Aisha and Zack. “I didn't, at first,” she added.

 

Trini looked intrigued and Sango continued. “Reincarnation and stuff, either. I thought it was stuff that only happens in sappy romance novels. It's all really weird until it happens to you. I never believed in soul mates until I found out I have one of my own. Apparently, the gods or powers that be or whatever decided that I belong with Miroku - no matter who we are or where or when we are. We're always meant to be together. And I thought it was stupid and corny, and still do sometimes. But then I see him,” she motioned to Tommy, “and I wonder if that's why Kim was always so… squeal-y around Miroku and me when we first got together. I wonder if we looked like that.”

 

Trini's eyes lit up. “Kimberly's always been easily excited but you should have seen her the first time she saw Tommy. She couldn't take her eyes off him. I'd never really believed in love at first sight but for them…”

 

She trailed off and Sango nodded. “Kim's afraid he's still mad at her,” she confided.

 

“I'm sure he might be,” Trini acknowledged. “But he's probably more confused than anything. For almost a decade he's thought she abandoned him, maybe even cheated. Now, though-”

 

“He has to come to terms with the fact that the letter was a lie,” Sango finished Trini's thought easily. “I don't know him at all… except for Kim's stories, I mean. If anything, knowing the truth was probably a blow to his pride.”

 

Trini nodded, Jason agreeing silently as he sat next to her.

 

Sango stared at the dark-haired man at the bar, wondering if Kagome's suggestion was all that reasonable.

 

Hey, Kagome was happily married, right? So she'd know a thing or two about romance.

 

“Maybe he just needs a push in the right direction?” Sango got up the nerve to suggest. This wasn't her area of expertise in any way, shape or form… but she felt like she owed it to the former Ranger to fix what Sesshoumaru had callously smashed so many years ago.

 

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Aisha said under her breath, slipping into the seat next to Sango, having given up dancing and obviously having heard the last bit of the conversation.

 

 

OoO**OoO**OoO

 

 

Just an hour later, Tommy was wondering how he'd fallen for their trap so easily.

 

The Ranger men had learned quickly that the women in a pack were formidable. Like most women, they didn't seem to need to talk to plan things. Rocky had often been heard saying that women were really telepathic, and they just talked aloud to give the illusion that they weren't.

 

While Tommy discounted the theory entirely, he had to give Rocky a bit of a break - living by that theory, Rocky was never caught off-guard by his wife's scheming ways.

 

Which meant that more than likely, Rocky was in on it, too. All of them were, come to think of it. It wouldn't have been such a smooth system if everybody hadn't been conspiring against him, he thought.

 

Of course, as he bent his head and buried his face in auburn hair he'd only seen in his dreams for the past ten years, he couldn't bring himself to be too upset.

 

Watch my life,
Pass me by,
In the rear view mirror
Pictures frozen in time
Are becoming clearer
I don't wanna waste another day
Stuck in the shadow of my mistakes

 

Oh, it had started innocently enough. Aisha had asked him to dance, and he'd had just the right number of drinks to have forgotten his previous wariness of the dance floor. Jason had partnered Kimberly while Trini and Rocky sat out. Those two had begun dancing the next song; Rocky partnered a somewhat-reluctant Sango in a move that had Tommy confused. Trini had easily coaxed Kim's guy friend - what was his name? Miroku? - onto the dance floor; the two had fun dancing and discussing philosophy (once she had proven to him that she could incapacitate him in two moves or less - he kept his hands from wandering without fail after the first attempt).

 

Cause I want you,
And I feel you,
Crawling underneath my skin
Like a hunger,
Like a burning,
To find a place I've never been

The song had changed again and so had the partners. It seemed like the Rangers and Kim's two friends were switching on and off each song.

 

Occasionally he'd catch a glimpse of a smirk or hear a chuckle from behind him.

 

Something was up.

 

Now I'm broken,
And I'm faded,
I'm half the man I thought I would be.
But you can have what's left of me

 

It wasn't until a slow song focusing on regrets and mistakes came along that he found himself without a partner - as Kim found herself, as well. On top of everything, a veritable wall of friends danced between them and their table. Either they'd have to shove their way through and be rude… or they'd have to dance.

 

They'd eyed each other warily. Some emotion played in Kimberly's eyes, and if it had been ten years ago, Tommy swore he would have known exactly what she was thinking.

 

Of course, a decade will do that to even people who'd been the closest of friends.

 

I've been dying inside,

little by little.

Nowhere to go,

I'm goin' outta my mind

An endless circle

 

Tommy, not wanting to cause a scene, went with the second scenario and grabbed her hand - only, of course, after squashing the voice in the back of his head that shouted how she'd broken his heart, tap-danced on his pride and left him high and dry; she'd lied to him and hadn't trusted that he could help her when she needed it most.

 

Now Kimberly was entwined in his embrace. The two had begun dancing almost like strangers. Halfway through the song, they were nearly as close as they'd often gotten as teenagers.

 

God, he missed those days.

 

Fallin' faster

barely breathing

Give me somethin to believe in

Tell me it's not all in my head

 

`Such an appropriate song,' Tommy thought vaguely. He'd heard the teenage girls in his class listening to it before the bell rang - it'd often conjured up thoughts of Kim.

 

He blew out a huff of air, ruffling Kim's bangs as the song came to a close. There was nothing he wanted more than to stay there, clutching her to him, reveling in closeness he'd never appreciated as much in anybody else, clothed or otherwise…

 

And yet that voice in the back of his head told him to step back, to let go.

 

He could do that. After all, they'd made a little headway. They hadn't really spoken, but their relationship hadn't been one that required a whole lot of words to begin with. A glance at Kim's face as she pulled away found similar thoughts reflected in her eyes.

 

Grinning at the result of his friends' planning, he slipped his arm around Kim's shoulder and guided her to the table - where everybody had retreated to, mission accomplished. They were greeted with cat-calls and smiles but retaliated in turn, falling into an easy circle of friends and acquaintances as Miroku and Sango grew more familiar with the group.

 

From across the room, ocean-colored eyes narrowed on the men and women laughing and chatting.

 

The humans - stupid as they were - had let down their guard, cocky in their belief that demons wouldn't make a move in such a crowded location.

 

Kouga grinned, a fang slipping down over his lower lip. It was time to remind the Big Dog's hunters why they should fear him.

 

 

 

Disclaimers:

Anything from Power Rangers (and their affiliates) belongs to Saban and Disney. I don't have permission to use and abuse them as I plan on doing.

 

I don't own InuYasha and Company either. The “real” InuYasha belongs to the genius of Rumiko Takahashi (and Viz and all those other companies involved).

 

“Hips Don't Lie” belongs to Shakira (with a nod toward Wyclef Jean) and Epic Records.

 

“What's Left Of Me” is property of Nick Lachey and Jive Records.