Identity Crisis
by Brooke

Tommy raised his head a she heard voices outside his cell. The next thing he knew, the door had opened and two familiar figures were walking into his cell. The door closed behind them, and they walked over to him. Not entirely sure that the two were who Tommy thought they were, he said nothing. However, when they stood in front of him, they removed their masks. Tommy instantly recognized Kris and Rocky as his saviors.

"What took you guys so long?" he joked.

"Oh, you're welcome," Kris replied. Though her tone was sarcastic, she was grinning from ear to ear as she released Tommy from the ties that bound him.

"How did you guys get past the guards?" Tommy asked.

"Let's just say that we're the ones asking the questions around here," Kris joked. After Tommy's arms had been released and had rested at his side for a second, a stinging sensation overtook them, making him rub his arms briskly.

"Are you OK?" Rocky asked.

"I'll be fine," Tommy replied confidently.

Just then, the door to the cell opened again and a female guard walked in. She stopped in surprise as she took in Kris, Rocky and the now-free Tommy.

"What's going on?" she asked nervously, poising her back foot so that she could make a fast exit if the need arose.

"Leelah, it's OK," Tommy assured her. "These are some of my friends."

"You know her?" Rocky asked. He and Kris had dropped down into defensive poses at Leelah's first appearance.

"Yeah. It's OK, she's nice," Tommy replied, making Rocky and Kris stand up straighter again and relax, although not entirely.

"Tommy, what's happening?" Leelah asked.

"Leelah, my friends and I are taking Myagi and Kakana back to their village," Tommy explained.

"But I can't let you! If I let you go and Naro, our king, finds out, I'll be executed," Leelah protested. The others were shocked at the violence that was committed for such a simple and forgivable act in this compound.

"Leelah, come with us," Kris said before she had thought it through. Too late to go back on it now, she thought wryly.

"Where?" Leelah asked.

"Back to the village. Leelah, we can take you someplace where you'll be able to live however you want to. Back home, we all fight against violence and evil," Tommy said. Kris refrained from pointing out that she didn't fight against violence and evil as the others did.

"That sounds wonderful," Leelah admitted. "But no. I can't go."

"Why not?" Tommy pressed.

"Because...because this is where I grew up. And if I get caught, I'll be killed," Leelah replied.

"We won't let you get caught," Rocky said firmly, stepping in. "Look, if this isn't what you want to be a part of, then maybe you should leave to find something you want to be a part of."

"But-"

"There's no buts, Leelah," Tommy said gently, making up for Rocky's harshness. "If you want to come with us and fight for good instead of evil, then you're welcome to come. Otherwise, we'll have to take you with us involuntarily. We can't allow ourselves to be caught. The lives of Myagi and Kakana depend on it." Leelah was silent as she thought about it.

"OK, I'll come with you, but I'll need to gather up my things," she said finally. "It won't take long."

"Good. Now, where are our reinforcements?" Kris said, looking around. Suddenly, there was a pair of thuds that sounded like two bodies hitting the ground.

"Somebody call for a rescue?" came Tanya's cheerful voice as she unlocked the cell door and swung it wide open. She and the others started to walk in. When Tanya, who was in front, saw Leelah, she stopped dead in her tracks, causing the others to bump into her back and she stumbled forwards. Adam caught her arm and helped her steady herself. She smiled at him in thanks.

"Guys, it's OK," Tommy said before the others could say anything. "This is Leelah. Leelah, this is Jason, Adam, Tanya and Kat. They're the rest of my friends who'll help you out of here."

"She's coming with us?" Kat asked.

"She's not like the others," Kris insisted. "She doesn't want to fight for evil anymore." The others accepted this, although they were doubtful at first.

Rocky and Kris released the bodies of Myagi and Kakana from the wall. Jason and Rocky draped the bodies of Myagi and Kakana over their backs, respectively, then they all started for the door. Leelah insisted on going first with Jason and Rocky next, then Kris and Tommy, and finally Kat and Tanya.

Outside, they were given strange stares as they emerged with two limp bodies and a prisoner, but no one contested them. They walked to a small building that was lined with lockers. Each locker was about half a meter by half a meter, and a meter deep. On each locker, the name of a soldier was engraved into the wood. They were set up alphabetically. The ten people, all of them somewhere in their teens, wandered along the narrow passageways between each shelf of lockers until they reached one marked, "Leelah Tyro." Leelah opened it and reached inside, pulling out a sheath and a long sword, and whip and sketched of her family that she had drawn along with blank pieces of paper and pencils. On one of the blank pages, she quickly wrote a note to her family, saying that she had left The Evil empire for a better place, and not to come looking for her. She signed it, "Love, Lee", then stuck in in her locker, which had no lock on it. Apparently, there was some honour among the soldiers of The Evil when it came to personal possessions. Then she turned to the others.

"Let's get going. The shift change will be happening now, and we'll be able to get outside if we lie a little," she said. She closed the locker, picked up her things and put them into a pouch that she had retrieved from her locker, then slung the pouch over her neck, put an arm through it and led the way out of the large building.

Outside, there were many guards walking to and from their posts. They had almost made it to the door when Kris was grabbed by the arm and pulled aside. She gasped and kicked her attacker in the stomach.

"Hey, what was that for?" he demanded. It was then that Kris realized that it was the guard she had been supposed to meet. "What happened to you last night? I thought we had a date."

"We did, and I'm so sorry, but I got stuck in training exercises all night," Kris replied quickly, glancing back at her friends. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to go catch up. We've got prisoners to interrogate."

"OK, but meet me tonight, same place," the guard said before walking away.

"Yeah right," Kris muttered, running to catch up with her friends.

At the doorway, they managed to get through without being questioned by anyone. They probably think that we're going to execute them, Kris thought, referring to Myagi, Kakana and Tommy. Tommy was the only one of them all who stood out like a sore thumb, though, because of his red shirt and blue jeans. The others had been forced to keep their own shoes.

Outside the compound, they all kept walking until they were safely hidden by the dense foliage of the jungle before breaking into a dead run. They heard shouts behind them as the guards on the wall saw them making a break for it. The next thing they knew, knives were being thrown at them, and since there were soldiers close enough, they were cracking their whips, trying to find purchase.

"We'll have to hide them somewhere and fight," Jason muttered to Rocky, who was running alongside him, indicating Myagi. Rocky, who had Kakana on his back, nodded. They dove behind some bushes, hid the bodies then crawled away from the cache and jumped up into the fray. Tommy, Adam, Kat, Kris, Tanya and Leelah had already begun to engage The Evil's minions. There were twice as many soldiers as there were conscious teenagers, but they weren't worried. Leelah, Rocky and Kris all had experience fighting the soldiers, more so than the others. However, Rocky's arm was still wounded, Tommy still hadn't regained the full use of his arms and Kris was asthmatic, so it was hard for her to fight for an extended period of time without having to take a breather or two. That left Jason, Adam, Tanya and Kat as those who weren't on the "disabled list," so to speak.

The soldiers began to attack. Three of them went after Leelah, knowing that she had had the same training as them and would be the hardest to take out. Tommy got stuck with three also, as did Adam and Jason. That left two each for Rocky, Kris, Kat and Tanya.

Kris, Kat and Tanya were each able to dispose of their attackers since they had underestimated the three women.

Rocky thought that he would have no difficulty disposing of his attackers, but he underestimated them. One of them pulled out a whip and cracked it across Rocky's injured arm. The wound split open and started to bleed again, bringing great pain to Rocky, who grimaced and clutched his arm in agony. Suddenly, a knife flew through the air past the noses of his attackers and embedded itself in the tree, its handle wavering. Rocky followed its path back to his sister, who stood there with another knife ready to be launched. Rocky took the distraction to the soldiers as the opportunity to run, take their power stones from them and back away as they vanished into thin air, along with their stones. Rocky still gripped his arm, but said nothing to his sister. Then they both went to help their friends.

Tommy was having some difficulty with his three attackers because his arms were responding, although sluggishly. He had disposed of one of the attackers by grabbing his power stone, but the other two managed to grab each of his arms while a fourth, who had broken off its attack on Adam, started to punch Tommy in the stomach. Kat did a flying side kick and knocked the one that was punching Tommy off its feet and grabbed the black power stone before she could react, then went after the other two. Tommy took one out while Kat took care of the other one.

"Thanks," he said simply.

"Anytime. Now let's finish off the rest of these clowns," Kat replied. They two grinned at one another and went off to help their friends.

Jason had managed to down two of the three attackers that had come after him, and was circling with another attacker, this one female. Suddenly, Kris sneaked up behind the female soldier, reached around and grabbed the power stone. The guard never had time to react. She disappeared into a puff of dust, then the dust vanished as well. Kris watched as the power stone evaporated into thin air, then checked to make sure Jason was OK. He was, so they both nodded at one another, then broke off in separate directions.

Rocky went to help Adam, seeing that his friend had been surrounded. Rocky got a running start and charged through the soldiers, shoulder first, football-style.

"Nice entrance," Adam joked as the three fell to the ground. The two friends collected the power stones, then wiped their hands on their respective pants and the stones themselves disappeared in much the same manner as the bodies did.

That left Leelah, who was having the most trouble because they had all been taught the same skills. Whenever she punched, they blocked and returned the punch, which she blocked. In other words, they were at a stalemate. From out of nowhere, a whip landed a blow on the arm of one of the guards, yanking her off her feet. The next blow from the same whip dislodged the power stone. Both were turned to atoms. Leelah and the last two guards turned to see Tommy, Jason, Rocky, Adam, Kat, Tanya and Kris standing there with whips, knives and ropes in their hands, looking rather intimidating. Realizing that the rest of their mini-army was gone, the two guards made a quick retreat.

"We'd better get out of here before they send more guards," Tommy said. The others nodded. Jason and Rocky went to pick up Myagi and Kakana's bodies, then they all started running as fast as they could towards the clearing where they had left their packs hidden.

Chapter Eleven

On The Road Again

Once the teens agreed that they had a sufficient amount of distance between them and the compound, they stopped running and went at a more leisurely pace. A few minutes into their walk, they actually stopped to rest. Myagi and Kakana were laid down gently on the ground as the teens all rested for a few minutes in the blessedly peaceful jungle.

Kris was sitting beside her brother on a log.

"I'm glad we managed to get through that without having to kill too many people," she said. "By the way, nice going. I love the way you just barreled into those soldiers."

"Thanks," Rocky said. "It was nothing really."

"Oh come on," Kris kidded, nudging her brother with her shoulder. "You know, you should be on the football team." She was about to say more when she felt something wet seeping through her "borrowed" jacket. She touched it cautiously and her fingers turned red. Kris gasped and looked at her brother. "Rocky, your arm! You're hurt again."

"It's nothing, really," Rocky insisted as Kris tore the arm of his jacket away to reveal his wound, which was now much deeper and uglier than it had been initially. It was very red from the whip, as well.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Kris demanded as she tied the torn sleeve around the wound. It became saturated quickly, so she tore off her own sleeve and tied it over the first sleeve. "There, that should do it."

"Thanks, sis," Rocky said. "Ever think about becoming a nurse?" The question was rhetorical; Kris couldn't stand the sight of internal organs. Heck, she could barely stand watching somebody get their ears pierced. She had two holes in either ear, mind you, but she hadn't had to watch that get done.

"We should get going. We have to get back to our packs and tents before nightfall," Tommy broke in, standing up abruptly. The others followed suit. Jason picked up Myagi's body, and Adam took Kakana's since nobody would allow Rocky to tax his arm further. Rocky rolled his eyes at their over-protectiveness, but was secretly glad because his arm really hurt.

The walked for another hour before reaching the clearing. Leelah walked at the back, keeping an eye out for enemy forces. Fortunately, none came after them. They retrieved their packs in short order after locating the hiding place around the sandy patch. Then they found the clearing a few miles ahead and quickly set up the tents and a fire pit.

Leelah and Kris made up a soup from some of the dried vegetable and meat while the others set up the tents around the fire pit.

"Come and get it!" Kris called, grinning. There was a veritable stampede as everyone sat around the fire pit with their own small dishes and spoons while Leelah spooned out the soup to everyone. Then they sat down to eat. There was a big batch of soup, but it was all gone by the time that they were finished.

"Good meal, Leelah," Rocky said, setting down his dish after having his third helping of the soup. Leelah smiled.

"I'm glad you like it. I was one of the assistant chefs at the compound, so you had to be good. Otherwise, you were dinner," she replied That provoked a laugh from everyone.

"How are we going to do night watch tonight?" Tanya asked, sobering up first. It was decided that Rocky and Adam would take first watch, Kris and Jason would be second and Tommy and Kat would be third. Since there were only three tents and eight people (plus two bodies), there would have to be three people in one of the tents.

During first watch, Myagi and Kakana's bodies were placed in a tent along with Kris. In the second tent slept Tanya, Leelah and Kat. It was cramped, but not overly so. In the last tent slept Jason and Tommy.

During second watch, Myagi and Kakana's bodies stayed in the same tent but Rocky replaced Kris. In the second tent, things stayed the same and in the third time, Adam replaced Jason.

During third watch, the first tent stayed the same as second watch. In the second tent, Leelah, Kris and Tanya slept there and the third tent stayed the same as the second watch.

~*~

"Good thing. I don't think I'm in any shape to fight," Rocky muttered as he packed up his tent, trying to use his right arm sparingly. Kris noticed this and came over to him, having heard his last comment.

"You're not in any shape to carry your pack, never mind fight," she told him firmly, swatting him away from the tent he was packing up and taking over his duties.

"Kris, you're over-reacting," he told her. "I can do this fine on my own."

"Oh you can, can you? I'd like to see you try," she said, standing back and crossing her arms across her chest. Determined to show her up, Rocky moved back over and started to fold up the tent again. He needed to use his right arm, though, since he was right-handed. When he tried to pick up one corner of the admittedly light fabric that the tent was made up off, white-hot pain shot up and down his right arm, making him let out a small cry and squeeze his eyes shut, gripping his arm. The makeshift bandages were soaked with dry, brown blood. Kris knelt beside her brother, who was on one knee, and ripped off her other sleeve, tying it around the wound after removing the other stained pieces of cloth.

"Rocky, I'm sorry," she murmured as she tied the bandage. "I shouldn't have let you try that."

"It's not your fault I'm stubborn," Rocky said through gritted teeth. Kris grinned weakly. By now, the others had surrounded them in concern. "I'm OK." Rocky got to his feet. Kris removed her jacket, revealing her white tank top underneath, and tied it around Rocky's neck and arm, forming a sling.

"That'll remind you not to use your arm," she said, flashing him a smile. Rocky returned it readily.

"It should," he agreed.

They all finished packing, then they finished off the food in one of the three remaining packs, then continued on their way towards Fujikara.

They stopped at around noon by the planet's time to eat something in order to keep their strength up. Then they continued on, not wanting to waste a second for the lives of Myagi and Kakana probably depended on their speed.

"I'm exhausted," Kris said quietly to her brother. The two of them were walking at the back of the group; Tommy and Jason were leading them all. "We're going too fast."

"I know, but we cannot afford to spare any time. Remember, our lives depend on it," Rocky reminded her. He sounded strangely like his alter ego then, and it triggered something in Kris's mind.

"I realize that, but this body does not have the same capabilities as mine does," she reminded him, referring to Kris's body but speaking as Kakana. "I'm afraid to push it any further than this."

"Then don't. We don't want to lose you, either of you. Not after everything that we've been through already to save ourselves," Rocky said. Kris looked at him, and through Kris's green eyes Rocky could almost see Kakana looking back out at him, or rather at Myagi. There was a sudden connection between then that neither had experienced before, and suddenly both knew that everything was going to turn out alright for both of their consciousness.

"It's only fair that those who didn't take watch last night should do so tonight," Kris had pointed out, stifling a yawn.

So, first watch belonged to Tanya and Leelah, who got to wake up Adam and Kris for second watch. They in turn had the pleasure of waking Rocky and Jason.

Nothing eventful happened during the night. But then, it's not like anybody was complaining about it, either. As a matter of fact, they were glad to have the rest since several of them were either recuperating or carrying two bodies the entire way. Rocky's arm would take a long time to heal.

"You know, you might need to get stitches when we get back to Earth," Kris said to her brother as they walked side-by-side the next morning. Rocky shook his head vehemently.

"Forget it. I'm not getting stitches," he said firmly. "I've never liked hospitals, and I'm not about to start going just to get some little cut stitched up."

"Why do you hate hospitals so much?" Kris asked quietly.

"I hate them because of what they represent. I know that they help a lot of people get better and everything, but I also know that a lot of people die there. And to me, after the fire and when nobody knew where you were, you died there," he added softly.

"I had no idea," Kris said. "I'm sorry. I won't bring it up again."

"It's not your fault," Rocky insisted. "How could you have known? I've never told anyone before."

"In that case, neither will I," Kris promised. Rocky smiled down at her gratefully.

"Thanks," he replied. Then they kept on walking in silence.

Nobody spoke until it was time to stop for lunch, and even then they were all silent. This is weird, Kris thought as she chewed on a piece of dried fruit. They're never this quiet. It has to be the presence of the bodies. She grinned to herself. Yeah, that would do it for just about any group.

After lunch, they all packed up their things and started back towards the village. Kris was still having trouble keeping up, and therefore she often lagged behind with the others having to wait to catch up to her. The last time it happened, Kris was thoroughly aggravated, and the others were as well, although they tried not to show it.

"Look, we're losing a lot of time this way. Why don't you all just keep going, and I'll catch up to you when you guys find a campsite and settle in?" she suggested.

"We won't leave you behind, Kris," Rocky said firmly.

"I hate to say this, but Kris is right. We're losing a lot of ground," Tommy said gently. Rocky whirled on him angrily.

"Are you nuts? Maybe we should leave you here!" he exclaimed. Tommy took a step backwards and held up his hands in a non-threatening gesture while Kris moved to stand beside her brother and put a hand on his uninjured arm.

"Rocky, take it easy," she said. "I said it first anyhow."

"I'm sorry," Rocky said with a sigh. "I guess I've been just a little over-protective since you came back."

"You don't have to apologize," Tanya told him. "You have a good reason."

"Look, I'm not having trouble keeping up, but we should have someone to watch your backs. I'll stay behind with Kris," Leelah volunteered suddenly. Everybody turned to look at her.

"Thanks, Leelah," Kris said. Leelah simply smiled in reply.

"We'll see you guys up ahead, I guess," Tommy said, getting back on topic.

"OK. See you later," Kris said with a smile. Then Tommy, Jason with Myagi, Adam with Kakana, Tanya and Kat started off with Kris and Leelah in the back of the throng. For the first little while, Rocky kept glancing back over his shoulder in concern, but as they continued their trek Kris and Leelah were lost behind hills, foliage and trees.

"I don't remember the going being this rough when we were coming here," Adam said as he had to push his way past some bushes without letting go of Kakana's body.

"That's because we were all on an adrenaline rush," Kat replied, ducking a low-hanging branch.

"Do you think that Kris and Leelah are OK?" Rocky asked, glancing back over his shoulder. "Maybe I should go see if they're alright." He stopped and started to turn around, but Adam used his one free hand to grab his friend by his good shoulder and stop him.

"They'll be fine," Adam assured Rocky gently. "If anybody can take care of themselves, it's Kris and Leelah." Rocky had to concede that point to Adam since he did have a point, but he still couldn't completely overcome the feeling of anxiety that hung over him like a black storm cloud.

Intermission

Down on Earth, the parents of Tommy Oliver, Jason Lee Scott, Adam Park, Rocky and Kris DeSantos, Tanya Sloan and Kat Hillard were gathered in Mr. Henry Caplan's office regarding their sons and daughters, who hadn't been in school for ten days. Mr. Caplan was becoming concerned; these were his best students. None of them had ever missed classes like this before without good reason.

But Mr. Caplan wasn't the only worried person in the room. None of the parents had seen their teens for an entire two weeks. None of them had packed any of their things up, everything was just as they had left it the Friday before they all disappeared.

"When was the last time you all saw your children?" Mr. Caplan asked.

"Friday morning. Kat went to school like she always did, but she never returned," Mrs. Hillard said, her voice trembling. She gripped her husband's hand for support. There were nods all around the room at the comment.

"That was when I saw Tommy last as well," Mr. Oliver agreed.

"We need to do something!" Mr. Park declared.

"I agree," Mrs. DeSantos said. "We should call the police and tell them about this."

"Before we get the police involved, we should go look for them ourselves," argued Mrs. Sloan reasonably.

"But where should we look?" asked Mr. Scott.

"Tommy's uncle owns a cabin in a remote area of Angel Grove," Mrs. Oliver offered. "We'll go check there."

"I'll go check Rocky's apartment. He was sharing it with Kristina before they disappeared," Mrs. DeSantos said.

"I'll go with you," Mrs. Park said. Rocky and Adam had been best friends for so long that the boys were almost like brothers to one another.

"I'll ask around at the dojo where Tommy, Jason and Rocky work out," Mr. Scott said.

"And I'll go ask Adam's kung fu instructor if he's seen any sign of Adam," Mr. Park said.

"The rest of you should go home in case they come back," Mr. Caplan advised. The adults stood up, shook hands and offered one another words of support, then left in search of their children.

~*~

"We can't put off calling the police any longer," Mr. Hillard said. This time, no one disagreed with him. Mr. Caplan lifted the receiver, dialed and was connected with the Angel Grove Police Station. He explained everything, and was told that there was a pair off officers on their way to the school. Mr. Caplan thanked the operator, then replaced the received and informed the worried parents that the police were coming to interview them.

When the police arrived, they immediately set to work asking questions to the parents about the last known whereabouts of their children and so on.

"Have any of your children ever had a problem with drugs or alcohol?" one officer asked, pen poised over her notebook.

"Never!" Mrs. Park said. There were nods to echo the sentiment.

"Have any of them ever tried to run away before?" the officer asked while her partner sat back and watched. There was more shaking of heads.

"Did any of you notice strange behavior in the week or so before they disappeared?" the other officer asked suddenly.

"No, I didn't," Mr. Scott said. Everybody else either shrugged, or said and did nothing.

"Has anything happened in their lives, or yours, that could have affected them? A divorce, for example? Or anything along those lines?" the male officer asked. The parents looked at one another with blank stares on their faces.

"I guess all we can do is set up a search," the woman said to her partner, closing her notebook and putting in her pocket. Turning to the parents, she said, "We're going to need pictures of your children. As recent as you can get."

All of the parents pulled out their wallets and handed a picture to the officer. The teens would have been embarrassed to know that their parents still carried their pictures in their wallets, and the parents would have been embarrassed to admit it to them. They handed them to the officer, who accepted them and put them inside his notebook.

"Thank you. This will be extremely helpful," he said. There was nothing more to say, so the parents got up and left without another word. The police went next and left in their cruiser, headed back towards the station where they would create posters to hang around the city and distribute throughout Angel Grove. That left Mr. Caplan alone in his office. What the devil happened to those kids? he wondered. Where could they have gone? It's not like them to do anything like this. He didn't let his mind even consider the answers to his own questions.

Chapter Twelve

The Return

That night, Tommy and the others broke camp and then waited for Kris and Leelah. Rocky almost wore a rut in the ground because of his constant pacing. He wouldn't even eat, which Adam deemed serious. He had tried to coax Rocky into at least having some of the leftover soup from last night, but Rocky had flat-out refused. Adam sighed and gave up, choosing to sit by the fire and absorb its warmth.

Suddenly, a pair of black-clad figures emerged from the bushes silently, startling the group. They all stood up, placing themselves in front of the bodies of Myagi and Kakana. Rocky and Jason had unsheathed their knives and were pointing them with dead-eye aim at the figures, who were obviously startled and stood stock-still, raising their hands over their heads.

"Step over to the fire," Tommy ordered, brandishing a whip. He gestured with the butt of it towards the open flames that crackled and illuminated the dark opening between trees trunks. The two figures moved reluctantly over to stand beside the flame.

"Is this how you always treat your guests?" came a familiar voice from one of the figures as they both moved across the opening.

"And I thought that we were brought up to be paranoid," said the other figure in a dry tone. Immediately thereafter, the knives were sheathed and the whip was reattached to a belt as they recognized the owners of the voices.

"You guys scared us half to death!" Kat exclaimed, going over to stand with Kris and Leelah.

"We scared you guys? You weren't the ones who were greeted with knives and whips when coming into supposedly friendly territory!" Kris retorted, grinning though her tone was harsh.

"Sorry about that," Tommy said apologetically.

"Don't be sorry. I'm glad that you're alert enough to react the way you did," Kris replied. She and Leelah settled in, then were offered some of the food from one of the remaining packs.

"We're going to have to cut back on our meals," Tanya commented, doing an inventory of the remaining five packs. "We don't have a lot of anything left, except the bread and cheese."

"We can fill up our canteens at the stream. We're sure to hit it tomorrow," Kris tossed in.

"That'll help, but we need more food," Tanya told her.

"I think I can help there," Leelah said. "There are some berry bushes in this area. The fruit's good enough for us to eat. They're actually pretty good, too."

"I think I remember those bushes," Rocky said. "The berries are about the size of your thumbnail, round, they're so red they're almost purple and they're incredibly sweet, right?"

"Yep, those are them," Leelah agreed, smiling.

"Then let's go find them!" Kris said, standing up enthusiastically. Everybody grinned at her, then mimicked her movements. They all moved off into the bushes and started looking. They were in teams in two or three; Leelah, Tommy and Kat were one group, Kris and Jason were a second group, leaving Rocky, Tanya and Adam as a third.

Suddenly, there was a small yelp from somewhere amongst the bushes that brought panic into everyone's hearts.

"Kris!" Rocky shouted, going towards where the yelp, and coincidentally Kris was. The sound of laughter drifted towards everyone's ears. However, this did not alleviate Rocky's fears. He kept crashing trough the bushes until he found his sister, standing beside a berry bush, holding her right hand. Wedged in her index finger of her right hand was a dull object that didn't reflect the moonlight at all. Underneath the object, a thin trail of liquid glistened in the moonlight, reflecting the rays from the planet's natural satellite.

"Kris! What happened? Are you alright?" Rocky asked, rushing up to his sister's side. Kris looked up and over at him, confused.

"Of course I'm alright. Why?" she asked.

"I heard you scream, and I didn't know what to think," Rocky explained. Kris's left hand flew up to her mouth.

"Oh gosh! Rocky, I'm sorry! I had forgotten that these bushes had thorns, and I got one lodged in my finger," she told him, grimacing and holding up her hand as evidence. Rocky relaxed visibly, and turned away as Kris yanked at the thorn until it popped free of her hand. She threw it to the ground as more blood trickled from the wound.

"Oh that's just lovely," she muttered, staring at the cut in her finger. Rocky ripped a piece of the jacket from his makeshift sling and handed to it Kris, who wrapped it around the cut to guard against infection.

Rocky went back to his berry bush, while Kris did the same. Together, the entire group collected more berries than the eight of them could ever hope to eat before reaching the village, but that was a good thing since it would still take them at least seven days to reach the village.

"Well, at least we know we won't go hungry," Adam joked as they all sat around the fire that was still burning brightly thanks to the kindling Jason had thought to bring back from the search.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm beat," Kris said around a yawn. Everybody turned to stare at her.

"Kris, it's only eight o'clock," Kat pointed out.

"You're telling me that this whole thing hasn't been physically and emotionally draining for all of you, too?" Kris retorted. There was a collective silence.

"Kris, one. Rangers and Leelah, zero," came Rocky's voice through the darkness. That provoked a chuckle from everyone.

"I'll take that as a yes," Kris said, grinning. Just then she yawned again, which made everyone except the two who were on watch, Rocky and herself, turn in.

That night, nothing happened. In the morning, it was business as usual. Everybody ate a light breakfast, packed up and headed off towards the village. From then on, the days seemed to meld together since everything stayed bascially the same. The only thing that changed was the scenery. Jason kept carrying Myagi while Adam kept carrying Kakana, and Kris and Leelah lagged behind the rest of the group.

Finally, on the twentieth day of their long, hard rescue mission, Kris suddenly felt everything begin to become familiar once more. She ran up to her brother, who was leading them.

"Can you feel it?" she asked.

"It's not just me?" Rocky replied. There was an identical twinkle in their eyes. Rocky turned around without stopping to call to the others, "Come on everybody! We're almost back home!" There was a collective cheer from everybody. The packs were light; almost empty in fact. However, the bodies of Myagi and Kakana weren't getting any lighter, and Rocky's arm still hadn't healed. Though she kept her thoughts to herself, Kris was beginning to become worried that Rocky might have picked up an infection in the jungle, and that was what was preventing Rocky's wound from sealing completely. I sure hope that's not the case, she thought to herself with a small frown. We don't know anything about the medical care on this planet. For all we know, it's as crude as the Middle Ages. The thought made her shudder, even in the hot, humid jungle atmosphere.

"Are you OK?" Jason's voice from behind her startled her. Kris turned and saw Jason walking behind her, looking concerned.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just some things on my mind," Kris replied. "But that must be better than having a body on your back."

"It's not the greatest feeling," Jason admitted.

"Do you want me to take him? I'm sure I could," Kris offered.

"No, it's OK," Jason assured her, shifting Myagi's weight around to a more comfortable position. "We're almost to the village anyhow."

"If you say so," Kris answered with a shrug.

They walked for a little while longer without saying anything. It was mostly due to anticipation and relief at finally having neared the village once more.

"How much further?" Kris asked her brother, falling into step beside him. She was filled with a sense of excitement and felt as though she would break into a run sometime soon.

"It can't be that far," Rocky replied, keeping his eyes straight ahead. They said nothing more. The brother and sister felt drawn towards the village by some unseeable force that had wrapped them in its grip, and wouldn't let them go until they had arrived at their destination.

"What's with them?" Kat asked, hurrying to keep up with Rocky and Kris. She and Tommy were walking side by side, and all the others were having trouble keeping the siblings in sight, they were moving so quickly.

"I don't know," Tommy told her honestly.

Rocky and Kris had broken into a jog, though their conscious mind had not played any part in the action. Instead it seemed as though the only thing that existed was them, the village and the drive to get there. The jungle, the other teens, the packs on their backs, everything else seemed to disappear.

Suddenly, the forest thinned out, and then the tree line receded as Rocky and Kris burst out into the clearing where the village was located. The others weren't far behind them. There were shouts and exclamations as the inhabitants noticed that they had returned, then came running out of their huts to greet the exhausted teens. Mr. Lumo was the first to approach them.

"Father! We succeeded!" Kris called, loudly and gleefully.

"I can see," Mr. Lumo said, smiling. "Quickly now, bring them inside." He led the way to a hut on the far side of the clearing was. There, the bodies of Myagi and Kakana were laid down gently on a pair of beds made from grass and the local equivalent of canvas. Blankets were draped over them, and the blinds were drawn as four young women came from the shadows and began to tend to the bodies. The teens and Mr. Lumo left the hut, and closed the door gently behind them.

Suddenly, there were more shouts, although these were anything but friendly. They all whirled to find that several young men and women, obviously trained in Mokora, had surrounded Leelah and were apparently trying to attack and subdue her.

"Wait!" Rocky cried, running towards them with Kris and the others in tow. Mr. Lumo went with them, although he was skeptical of the actions of his daughter and son.

"Myagi, what are you doing?" he cried.

"Father, she's not evil," Rocky protested as his father grabbed his arm and held him still.

"Have you been brainwashed by The Evil?" Mr. Lumo demanded. "She is one of them."

"No father, she isn't," Kris argued softly. "She was born one of them, yes. But that doesn't mean that her heart was always in it. She is good." That made Mr. Lumo stop and stare at Leelah, who was still surrounded although the attackers were less sure of themselves after hearing Kris's explanation. Mr. Lumo released Rocky then.

"Mr. Lumo, it's true," Tommy said, stepping forwards. "We brought Leelah with us. She helped me escape from The Evil, and even destroyed some of her own people."

"They are my people by birthright only," Leelah tossed in, walking cautiously to stand with the teens. "I have never truly felt that I belonged with them. Their beliefs never took to me well."

"I am sorry that you were treated in this manner," Mr. Lumo said, dismissing the warriors with a wave of his hand. Apparently, the youth of this planet, or at least this village, knew when their elder's were right because they dispersed immediately, murmuring apologies to Leelah as they left.

"It's not your fault I look this way," Leelah said.

She and the others were taken to a large hut that resembled a cabin more than a hut. Inside, they found long tables with benches on either side of the wooden tables. It was apparently a dining hall for the entire village, and it could probably double as a meeting hall when the weather was bad. Mr. Lumo went off, but returned a few minutes later with several assistants. All were carrying trays filled with food, beverages, plates and utensils that were placed in front of the deprived teens, who dug in eagerly without having to be told.

During the meal, the only reasons for the conversation was things like, "Please pass the-" and the name of the food or required article was at the end. Then there was a "Thanks", and silence once more. The clanking of the metal cutlery against the dishes filled the dining hall, and made it seem fuller than it actually was.

~*~

"Tell me everything," the historian said, holding a wooden pen and a tablet of paper. Rocky took a deep breath and proceeded to tell the historian everything that had happened in great detail, with corrections and additions from Kris and the others until the historian had filled an uncountable number of pages with information.

At the end of their tale, the teens sat back, unsure of what was going to happen next. The historian stood up, thanked the teens profusely for the information and for returning successfully, then left the hut. Rocky was watching him go when he noticed someone he had been thinking about since his arrival on the planet.

"I'm going to go out for a walk," he said vaguely, getting up and leaving. The others either figured that he wanted to be alone, or thought that he was going to his hut to sleep. Which it actually was Rocky didn't know. His concentration was focused solely on the person in front of him.

"Lashai!" he called softly, not wanting to disturb the still silence that had fallen over the village and twilight. Lashai turned at the call of her name, and waited for Rocky to catch up to her. "Hi," he said softly.

"Hi," she replied, equally as quiet.

"Lashai, what's wrong?" Rocky asked upon seeing Lashai's unsmiling face.

"It's nothing, really," Lashai tried to tell him, but Rocky wasn't buying it.

"Lashai, you know you can tell me anything," he told her as they stood in the centre of the clearing, oblivious to anything that was happening around them.

"I know," she said quietly, starting to move towards the edge of the clearing that seemed vaguely familiar to Rocky, though he didn't really know why at the moment.

"Are you going to tell me what's bothering you?" Rocky asked once they were clear of ears that were unworthy of hearing their private conversation. Lashai turned to face him, and Rocky was stunned to find tears in her brown eyes, though they hadn't yet spilled onto her face.

"I don't know who you are right know," she said to him. Though she tried to keep her voice firm, it was obvious that Lashai was on the verge of cracking. "I know that Myagi's consciousness is in your body, but you're not Myagi. It's hard, not knowing whether I'm talking to Rocky or...or to the one to whom I'm engaged."

Rocky lowered himself onto a log, then helped Lashai sit down beside him. "Lashai, I know that this whole thing has been hard on you, but it will all be over soon, I promise." Rocky paused and took one of Lashai's hands in his own. "That's kind of what I came out here to talk to you about."

"What do you mean?" Lashai asked.

"Lashai, I need to know how you'd feel if...if we weren't able to rejoin Myagi's consciousness with his body. I need to know if you'd want me to stay here, or leave and go back to Earth," Rocky replied. Lashai was stunned.

"What are you saying? Is Myagi, the Myagi I knew, dead?" she asked, barely able to get the words out.

"No, not at all," Rocky assured her quickly. "I'm just asking you what you would want in case it happened. Would you want me to stay, even though I'm not Myagi but I have his mind in mine?"

"I don't care whose body your mind is in. You're still the one I fell in love with, and no matter what you look like I know that you're heart will always be beating with mine," Lashai told him, blushing in time with Rocky at her own words. They were both suddenly glad that darkness was beginning to fall. Rocky exhaled loudly.

"I'm glad to hear you say that," he confessed. "To be honest, I don't think I could have lived without you at my side."

"You'll never have to," Lashai assured him. Rocky smiled down at her and pulled her close to him.

"I know," he said.

~*~

"Are you alright?" Kat asked, coming to stand beside Kris at the window. Kris was startled from her own thoughts, and leaned on the open window ledge.

"I have a feeling that, no matter what happens, everything will be fine for everyone," she replied. Kris watched the others in the middle of her father's hut, talking about their experience and recounting every detail of their fights. As she glanced over her shoulder, she saw Rocky and Lashai sharing a kiss that wasn't meant for anyone else's eyes, so she shut the curtains and went to join the others.

Chapter Thirteen

Personality Quandary

That night, quarters were cramped since there was an extra person that came back from the journey to The Evil's base. So, Kris, Tanya, Kat and Leelah all got to sleep in one hut while Tommy, Adam, Jason and Rocky were crammed into another. Despite the relatively small size of the huts, and despite the fact that they were only designed for one person, and having four inside one of them seemed cramped, there was enough room for everybody to be able to stretch out on the floor or on the bed and not bump into anyone else. Once more, Kris had offered to give up her bed, but once more Tanya, Kat and now Leelah refused to let her. Instead, they took extra bedding donated from neighbours and used it as cover against the cool, jungle night air. The same was happening in Rocky's hut. Rocky had been forced to take the bed, Jason was on the floor to the right of the bed, Adam to the left and Tommy was situated a few feet away from the door, under a window. At night, the windows on the huts were closed tightly with wooden shutters that would not allow anything larger than a dust molecule inside. This helped to keep insects and other, larger predators, from invading the huts while the occupants slept.

It was an uneasy sleep for Kris. She was too busy worrying about what would happen if they were unable to transfer Kakana's consciousness from her body. I feel a strong tie to this planet, but if push came to shove would I really stay behind? she wondered to herself as she lay on her back with her hands folded under her head. My parents, my friends, my school, they're all back on Earth. But there are so many people here who care about me, too. How would Lashai feel if I left her, never to return? And Rahshi, what would he do? And my father? Kris groaned softly into the darkness. I've got so much on both planets, how am I ever going to decide?

"Kris?" said a soft voice from the darkness. Kris sat bolt upright, startled.

"Who's there?" she demanded quietly so as not to wake the others. The voice sounded familiar, but through her disorientation Kris couldn't place it.

"It's Rocky," came the reply.

"Rocky?" Kris said. She quickly got out of bed, threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt, then opened the door and went outside to find her brother, standing in the moonlight outside the hut. "What are you doing here?"

"I...I couldn't sleep," he said, somewhat sheepish. They started to walk away. Kris closed the door to the hut behind her, then caught up with her brother.

"Me either," Kris admitted. "I'm worried. What will happen if we can't transfer Myagi and Kakana's minds from our bodies?"

"I don't know. I was going over the options, but there doesn't seem to be many," Rocky told her.

"I know what you mean," Kris said. "Even though they aren't really our people, we already have so many ties to this planet. We couldn't just leave here with the minds of two of their people in our heads, could we?" The question brought a silence over the siblings as they wandered without a destination.

"I know that we have families on both worlds, and it would be unfair to one no matter which planet we stay on," Rocky said slowly.

"So we're stuck in the middle," Kris concluded. Then she grinned faintly. "Maybe we can let mom and the others get visiting rights to come see us here."

"You'd stay here instead of on Earth?" Rocky asked, surprised.

"I didn't say that," Kris protested. "And if push does come to shove, I'd probably go back to Earth. Wouldn't you?"

"Probably," was all Rocky said in response.

They walked for a little while longer before they both felt that they would finally be able to sleep. Rocky walked Kris to her hut, then went to his own. Both siblings got into their beds without disturbing the others and fell into a much-needed and welcome slumber.

~*~

"How are Myagi and Kakana doing?" Tommy asked as a young girl dressed solely in white walked by. Her face was grim as she responded.

"They haven't regained consciousness yet," she told him. "But I'm sure they will soon."

"I see," Tommy replied softly. The entire table in the dining hall had heard the news, and a silence fell over them as they continued to eat, although their appetites had suddenly disappeared.

After she had eaten all her stomach would take, Kris got up without an explanation and left the dining hall. Tanya started to go after her, but Rocky stopped the dark-skinned teen.

"Don't. I think she wants to be alone," he said. Tanya glanced at Kris's back as it shrank in size, then sat back down on the bench.

Outside, Kris wandered along the edge of the clearing, although she really had no idea where she was headed. She heard voices and shouts, and was drawn to them. The voices and shouts grew louder as she approached. They sounded vaguely familiar, although whether they were familiar to Kris or Kakana, Kris couldn't tell just then.

However, as she came upon the source of the voices, it was clear that it was a familiar sound to Kakana. There was a bunch of people, from about 5 years of age to 25, standing around in black uniforms, cinched at the waist with belts of various colours. In front of them all stood three tall people, two women and one man, dressed in the same black uniforms with amber-coloured belts around their waists. They were talking their students, but Kris couldn't quite make out the words, so she decided to go in closer. As she moved forwards, memories that weren't hers started making appearances in her head. Kris saw Kakana and Myagi going through movements that looked both vicious and graceful at the same time. Aside from seeing these things, Kris also heard voices that sounded like a foreign language, although it was nothing she had ever heard before.

She stood off to one side and watched as the class teachers dismissed their students, who walked off talking quietly to themselves. Kris made no move to approach the teachers as they too walked away, presumably to their own huts. Instead, Kris went to Kakana's hut as though drawn by some unknown force.

Inside, she moved over to a chest and opened the lid. In the chest there was a uniform identical to those worn by the students and teachers Kris had just seen. Sitting on top of the uniform was a belt that was an indescribable blue. It stood out brightly against the black material, yet it wasn't an extremely bright colour. I'd say cobalt, Kris thought. She lifted the belt and uniform from the chest, closing the wooden lid and placing the uniform on top. Without any serious conscious thought, Kris started to take off her own clothing, substituting it for the uniform.

When she was done, she tied the blue belt around her waist.

~*~

He came upon on a small area where three adults, two female and one male, were standing in black uniforms with amber belts around their waists. There were a bunch of people who were apparently students, dressed in the same black uniforms, although their belt colours varied. Rocky guessed that this was the planet's equivalent of a martial arts style.

Once the students had been dismissed, Rocky had started walking again. This time, he arrived at Myagi's hut without really knowing how or why. He went inside and walked over to a wooden chest, and opened it. Inside he found a familiar black uniform and a blue belt sitting on top. Then he proceeded to put the uniform on, tying it at the waist with the blue belt. Why does this seem so familiar? he wondered It must be one of Myagi's memories.

Rocky went outside, and found Kris coming towards his hut, dressed in the same manner as he. Wordlessly, they went outside the clearing the village occupied, found a small clearing and began to go through some simple warmups, letting their memories, or rather imposed memories, guide them. They did several moves, growing more difficult as they progressed.

Afterwards, both were covered with a sheen of sweat from a workout unlike any other.

"I don't think I've ever moved like that before," Kris said breathlessly as she wiped her brow on her sleeve.

"Me either," Rocky admitted. "I wonder if I'll remember all of that once we get back to Earth."

"If we get back to Earth," Kris reminded him.

"We will get back," Rocky assured her. "I promise you that. Hvae I ever broken a promise to you before?"

"No," Kris said. "But this is so different than anything else we've ever encountered."

"I know, but you shouldn't worry," Rocky told her. "We've got people looking out for us on both planets."

Kris sighed. "If you say so."

"I do," Rocky said, making them both smile a little. "Listen, I'm going to go have a shower, if I can find a shower anyway. But if you want to talk, come by my hut whenever, OK?"

Kris smiled wider and nodded. "I will. But I think I'll be OK. Right now, I'm going for a walk. I think I need to be alone for a while."

"OK, but don't go too far away from the village," Rocky warned.

"You worry too much," Kris chided.

"When I didn't worry, I lost you," Rocky said seriously. "I'm not taking that chance again."

"You want to tie my wrist to a tree or something so you can track me?" Kris asked sarcastically. Seeing her brother's downcast expression, Kris repented immediately. "Rocky, I'm sorry. I know how hard the fire was on you. But that was then. This is now. I'll be OK."

"I know," Rocky said with a knowing smile. There, the brother and sister split up to go in different directions.

"And tell me if you can find a shower, ok?!" Kris shouted after him. Rocky grinned at her and waved, which Kris took as an affirmative response.

Kris wandered along the outskirts of the village, not really headed anywhere but letting her thoughts run rampant through her head. This is all so weird, she thought. First, I get taken over by some evil being from another planet. Then I find out my brother is a Zeo Ranger. Then Rocky and I get taken over by two minds from another planet that need us to rescue their bodies. So we go to the planet, rescue their bodies, bring them back to the village and now I'm wandering around the in woods of a jungle in a foreign martial arts uniform that isn't even mine at a level that I haven't achieved, bascially talking to myself! Kris sighed and let out a small giggle. Maybe I'm going crazy.

"Kris, is that you?" came a voice that startled Kris badly.

"Who's there?" she demanded nervously, knowing full well that if anybody decided to test her abilities as a blue belt in whatever martial arts this was, she would be in serious trouble.

"It's me, Rahshi," he replied, coming out into the open.

"Oh. Hi," Kris said simply.

"Am I bothering you? If I am, I'll go," Rahshi said, turning to leave.

"No, wait!" Kris called before she knew what she was doing. Rahshi stopped in midstride. "I though I wanted to be alone, but I was wrong. I could actually use some company right now."

"Did you go to a class?" Rahshi asked, indicating her uniform.

"Um, not exactly. I'm not the most athletically-inclined person you'll ever meet," Kris admitted.

"You don't need to be athletic to be good at Mokora," Rahshi told her.

"I know, but the truth is, I don't like doing these kinds of things," Kris said.

"How come? I bet you'd be good at it," Rahshi said.

"To be honest, I'm afraid of making a fool out of myself in front of strange people," Kris told him. "I don't even like to talk in front of a class of my friends."

"That's all normal," Rahshi said. For some reason, Kris had been expecting a different answer.

"Is Kakana good at Mokora?" Kris asked without thinking.

"Yes, she was," Rahshi said, his voice becoming distant.

I'm doing really well today, Kris thought, mentally smacking herself upside the head. "Rahshi, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"

"It's not your fault," Rahshi broke in smoothly. "Kakana will be restored back to normal soon, and you'll be able to get rid of her mind."

"It's not like it's an inconvenience," Kris pointed out. "Actually, it's kind of interesting. Having more than one outlook on things."

"I can only imagine," Rahshi told her.

"Do you know how long until we can begin the transfer?"

"Nobody really knows. Myagi and Kakana won't regain consciousness until their minds are returned to them, obviously. But they still have wounds from their...stay, with The Evil at their headquarters. We need them at full strength before we can even think about transferring their minds back to their bodies."

"It's that dangerous?"

"The process itself isn't, but the energy required is incredible. At least, that's what I was told. You have to understand, this hasn't happened to anybody before in our history."

The comment drew a silence over them both as they walked through the jungle. I just get all the breaks, don't I? Kris thought to herself. Anybody want to trade lives? I'm perfectly willing. But with the way my luck has been going, I'd probably get stuck in a body worse than this. Well, at least I know that won't happen.

"It just figures that this would happen to me, too," Kris mumbled to herself, not really realizing that she was speaking out loud.

"What are you talking about?" Rahshi asked her. Kris looked over at him, realizing that she was trapped now.

"It just isn't fair," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Why did this happen to me, and not one of my friends? Or somebody rom another town or something. Why me?"

"Maybe, when Myagi and Kakana sent their powers to your planet, they had sensed your strength," Rahshi suggested. Kris let a small laugh escape her lips.

"I'm sorry, but I can't believe that they would sense me all that distance away. I'm nothing special. Just an ordinary teenager. At least, that's what I want to be. An ordinary teenager with an ordinary life. I didn't ask for any of this to happen. Sure, I wanted to explore the galaxy, but not like this!" she said.

"But-" Rahshi started to say, but Kris wasn't done yet.

"So here I am, stuck on some alien planet with a meager chance of getting back to the place I grew up in, and even if I do get back I might be stuck with somebody's mind in my head for the rest of my life! You have malicious people on your world, you know that? I mean, why would they send their power to another planet when they could simply have transferred it to another person in your village?"

"The Evil could have found the power in our village, or could have intercepted it," Rahshi said reasonably, which angered Kris further. She knew that she didn't mean what she was saying, but she couldn't stop herself now. She needed to vent everything that was pent up inside, and the nearest target was unfortunately Rahshi.

"Then how come they didn't intercept it between here and Earth? Why?!" Kris demanded, her voice rising. Rahshi sat down on a fallen log and pulled Kris down beside him.

"Kris, you're over-reacting," he told her gently, placing a hand on one of hers. "Myagi and Kakana were only trying to do what was best at the time. They couldn't have known the repercussions of their actions. All they knew was that if The Evil got a hold of their powers, they would become invincible. They couldn't allow that to happen since it would mean the destruction of everyone here. So they had to send their powers to Earth. They knew that the people who received them would find a way back here, and you did. It was a good thing that you and your brother were the ones who got the power. Others would have abused it, or ignored it. But you both came looking for answers, and to see if you could help."

Kris couldn't argue with that. She, Rocky and the others had come looking for answers, and they had come to see if they could help. Kris's anger fell away from her rapidly as she listened to Rahshi's smooth, even voice.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly once he had finished. "I shouldn't have blown up at you like that, but all of this, in combination with sleep deprivation, has left me really drained and confused."

"It's not your fault, Kris," Rahshi assured her. "It's not anybody's fault, really. All that matters is that you came to help people, and you have."

"I just feel so guilty now," Kris confessed. "So selfish. I wasn't thinking about anybody else back there. I bet you'll be glad to have the real Kakana back so you can get rid of me, huh?"

"It doesn't matter whose body her mind is in. I know that Kakana is with you always, and I know that she speaks her mind through you, so she's always with me."

Kris paused. "We should probably get back to the village." She and Rahshi stood up together.

"You're right," he agreed. "They should be almost ready to start the transfer."

As they started to walk back towards the village, Rahshi timidly took Kris's left hand in his right one. Kris glanced at him from the corner of her eye, startled at the gesture, but said nothing as they walked into the clearing and towards the hut where the bodies of Myagi and Kakana were lying, waiting for their minds to be returned to them to make them whole once more.

Chapter Fourteen

The Restoration

As Kris and Rahshi neared Mr. Lumo's hut, they saw him, Rocky and the others running towards the hut where the bodies of Myagi and Kakana were, resting and recuperating.

"What's going on?" Kris demanded as she and Rahshi caught up with Rocky.

"We think that Myagi and Kakana's condition is worsening," Rocky replied.

"Will we be able to execute the transfer?" Kris asked, fear and panic running through her.

"It all depends on if they can be stabilized," Rocky told her grimly. Kris didn't voice any of the thoughts that came into her head at that point, but her emotions were clear on her face. I don't know what gods watch over this planet, she thought, but if you're listening, please let Myagi and Kakana get through this alright. None of us can afford to lose them, not after everything we've gone through to keep them safe. Kris only hoped that her prayers would be answered in short order.

Mr. Lumo, Kris and Rocky were the first ones through the door to the infirmary, and were greeted by nurses in a frenzy to keep their two patients alive.

"I'm sorry, but you can't be in here now," one of the older nurses said firmly, ushering them all back towards the door.

"But that's my son and daughter!" Mr. Lumo protested.

"I'm sorry, but your presence will only make things more difficult," the nurse told them. She had backed them out the door, and now shut it tightly.

"That went well," Kris remarked dryly, trying to conceal her worry and fear behind her humourous nature. It didn't go over too well with the others, who ignored her.

"Come on, come sit down," Rahshi said, taking Kris's arm gently. Kris pulled her arm away.

"I'm OK," she told him. Rahshi said nothing, but knew that the shock would settle in shortly so he stood by her side, waiting the inevitable.

"I can't believe they won't let us in!" Kris fumed quietly so as not to disturb the others. "We have a right to be there. Those are bascially our bodies laying in there! How dare they kick us out?!"

"You would probably just have been in the way in there," Rahshi told her.

"Instead they kick us out like we're urchins off the streets instead of the people who have the minds of those two people in our heads! And they tell us that we can't be in there? What if they're like this because they need to be close to us now? What if they die in there because that nurse was too stupid to realize that we should have been in there?" By now, Kris's anger had dissolved into full-fledged worry and fear. Her voice trembled as she trailed off, leaving the question up in the air. Rahshi retook her arm and steered Kris around the side of the hut where they could be alone, at least for now. Kris had tears in her eyes as she sat down next to Kakana's betrothed.

"You don't need to worry, Kris," Rahshi assured her. "They're doing everything they can to save them. They'll be OK, you'll see."

"I..." Kris trailed off, her voice cracking and the emotional barricade she had built up around her tears burst. The wet, salty liquid fell down her face and dripped onto the grass as she let all her emotions finally run rampant in her head.

"It's OK," Rahshi said soothingly, putting an arm around Kris's shoulders. Kris continued to sob and shudder as all her worries and fears came to the surface in a flood of emotion.

Much more time elapsed than either Kris or Rahshi realized as they sat together against the hut. Suddenly, everything was silent. Kris noticed it first.

"Something's gone wrong," she whispered. She and Rahshi went to rejoin the others, who were standing around with one of the nurses.

"...We don't have much time. We have to rejoin them now, or risk losing Myagi and Kakana forever," the nurse was saying.

"Whatever it is we have to do, we'll do it," Rocky said, speaking for himself as well as his sister. The nurse nodded.

"Good. We'll need the historian to execute the ceremony," she said. Mr. Lumo took off at a run without a word. The nurse went back inside while Tommy, Kat, Jason, Rocky, Lashai, Adam, Tanya, Leelah, Kris and Rahshi stood around in silence, waiting for Mr. Lumo and the historian to return. It didn't take long.

They both came at a run for the infirmary with the historian carrying a text book that was fairly think, and presumably fairly heavy as well.

"We must do this as quickly as possible," the historian said, rushing into the infirmary with Mr. Lumo, then the others, close behind him. Rocky and Kris stood beside Myagi and Kakana's beds, respectively, and held the hands of the unconscious siblings, who were propped up against some pillows. The historian placed his book on a nearby table, then closed his eyes and began to chant. Everybody else in the room followed suit, although slightly uncertain of what to expect. Then the historian began to chant in a low tone, in the native language of the planet.

Suddenly, Kris and Rocky weren't in the infirmary anymore. They were standing in a dark void.

"Where are we?" Kris asked nervously, moving to stand beside her brother.

"I don't know," Rocky said honestly, looking around. Kris gasped as she saw two people standing several feet away from them. Rocky tensed, whirled and brought his hands up in a defensive gesture, setting himself in front of Kris without really realizing it.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"I am Myagi, and this is my sister, Kakana," the male said, stepping forwards. At the sound of the names, Rocky relaxed visibly and let his arms fall to his sides.

"I'm Rocky, and this is my sister, Kris," he said, gesturing at Kris with his arm. Kris stepped forwards now and stood beside her brother instead of behind him. The two sets of siblings looked at one another for a moment, and it was then that Kris and Rocky realized that Myagi and Kakana looked kind of like them.

Myagi was fairly tall with brown hair cropped close to his scalp, not unusual for the males on this planet, and hazel eyes.

Kakana had long, straight dark blonde, almost brown hair. She had pulled half of it up and had braided it. The rest of it fell down her back in waves of gold and bronze. Her eyes were green, though they could have easily been mistaken for hazel on some days.

This is too weird, Kris thought as an invisible shudder ran down her spine.

"Do you know where we are?" she asked Myagi and Kakana.

"I'm not quite sure," Kakana replied. "But I think that this is some kind of trance."

"That makes sense," Kris said. "The historian probably induced this. This more than likely isn't even real."

"Why are we here?" Rocky asked, not really understanding any of what was happening to him at the moment.

"If this is what I...we think it is, then we're probably supposed to have Myagi and Kakana's minds separated from ours and put back into their bodies," Kris told him.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Rocky wondered. "There's nothing here." Kris was at a loss for words.

"The simplest and most obvious answer is usually the right one," Myagi said finally.

"That being...?" Kris prodded impatiently.

"Maybe all we have to do is touch," Myagi said, not at all bothered by Kris's lack of patience.

"The physical contact might be enough to execute the transfer in this realm," Kakana added. Rocky and Kris looked at one another, then gave an identical shrug.

"It can't hurt," Kris said, moving towards Kakana while Rocky advanced towards Myagi. Without really knowing exactly what they were doing or if it would work, the two girls took each other's hands at the same time that the two guys took each other's hands.

The result was almost instantaneous.

The four were engulfed in a white glow that, had anybody else been looking at them, would have been positively blinding. The four had closed their eyes as soon as they had connected with one another, becoming unconscious.

Out in the real world, the historian, Mr. Lumo, Leelah, Lashai, Rahshi, Tommy, Jason, Adam, Tanya and Kat had opened their eyes once the historian had finished chanting. They saw that Kris and Rocky had closed their eyes, but were still standing upright, their backs straight, clasping Myagi and Kakana's hands, respectively. What was even more shocking was that the bodies of Myagi and Kakana were clasping Rocky and Kris's hands back!

"What's going on?" Adam asked as he and the others watched the four intently.

"Only they know for sure," the historian said. "We can only guess."

"Are they going to be OK?" Kat wondered.

Now, the historian remained silent, which didn't prove to lift the spirits and hopes of the teens, or Mr. Lumo.

~*~

What's happening? Kakana asked herself, unable to voice the thoughts.

Please let this work, Rocky prayed. I can't afford to lose Kris, not again.

I wonder if we're going to pull through? Myagi thought bluntly. He kept it to himself, though he didn't really have a choice in that matter.

Suddenly, the world that the four of them had known for only a short time faded from existence, and they no longer had control over their own thoughts or movements.

~*~

Now, before the eyes of the ten people gathered around the four cots, Kris and Rocky's free hands drifted up from the cots, searching for something. Their hands brushed and started to drift apart, but when the touch registered in each of their minds, their hands flew back and gripped each other in an iron grip. Then their arms fell limply in the space between the cots. Now, all four were connected in a strange kind of chain.

"I wonder what brought that on?" Tanya murmured, not taking her eyes from the four teens in front of her. Nobody answered her, but then Tanya hadn't really expected a response.

~*~

Suddenly, Kakana moaned, Kris's right leg twitched, Rocky's eyelids fluttered and the fingers on Myagi's free left hand tensed, then relaxed, all simultaneously.

Adam jumped, Mr. Lumo let out a small cry of relief and Jason remained silent until he recovered from the shock.

"Guys, they're awake!" he called out to the others. Seconds later, Tommy, Leelah, Lashai, Rahshi, Tommy, Tanya and Kat came rushing into the infirmary to stand alongside their friends and Mr. Lumo.

"Kakana, can you hear me?" Mr. Lumo asked, his quiet voice betraying his anxiety.

"Father?" Kakana said with a soft moan. A smile split Mr. Lumo's face.

"Kakana, you've been brought back to me," he said, gripping his daughter's hand as if it were a lifeline. Kakana's eyes opened slowly.

"Father," she said again, though this time it was a statement, not a question. Mr. Lumo hugged his daughter tightly, then moved over to Myagi's side.

Myagi was just opening his eyes, and his father's face was the first thing he saw.

"Father, is it really you?" he asked. Mr. Lumo could only nod as he was too chocked up to get any words out. Instead, he hugged his son as tightly as he had his daughter.

"Rocky, Rocky wake up," Adam said quietly so as not to disturb the reunion that was happened by the other bed.

"Huh?" came the reply, followed by a sharp groan as Rocky tried to lift his head. "Did we do it? Are they OK?"

"Myagi and Kakana are awake and fine," Adam assured him. Rocky smiled faintly to himself and started to relax again, but then he almost sat bolt upright.

"Where's Kris?" he demanded through the pounding headache that followed the abrupt movement.

"I'm right here, you don't need to shout," Kris replied archly. Rocky looked down at his right hand and found it tightly gripping Kris's left one. He let out an audible sigh of relief and laid back down, albeit more gently than he had gotten up.

"All of you, listen to me," the historian said. Kakana, Kris, Rocky and Myagi turned to look at the historian, who was standing at the foot of Kris's cot. "I need all of you to tell me who you are."

The four exchanged confused glances for a brief moment.

"I am Myagi Lumo, son of Yanso Lumo and Solah Quan," Myagi said.

"I am Kakana Lumo, daughter of Yanso Lumo and Solah Quan," Kakana said.

"I'm Rocky DeSantos, son of my parents back on Earth," Rocky said.

"I'm Kristina DeSantos, but call me Kristina and you're endangering your life," Kris said with a small grin. "I'm Rocky's sister, meaning we've got the same biological parents."

Apparently this satisfied the historian because he smiled, nodded and said nothing more. Then, the others moved in and swarmed the two exhausted teenagers, asking about a hundred questions, most of which consisted of, "Are you OK?"

"We're fine, really! Just a little tired," Kris said, laughing at the inquiry.

"Tired? Try exhausted!" Rocky corrected.

"Oh excuse me!" Kris retorted with a grin. "I didn't know we were telepathic. You know how I feel now, huh?"

"Yes, The Great Rock-o knows all, sees all," Rocky said in a low voice, closing his eyes and pretending to meditate. That provoked a laugh from the others.

"Seriously, are you feeling all right?" Jason asked Kris quietly as the others started a conversation with Rocky. Kris, who had been basking in he happiness from her friends, started and turned to face Jason.

"Yeah, I'm alright," she answered. "Wiped, but alright. But don't worry. I think everything's going to be OK from now on."

Chapter Fifteen

The Awakening

Rocky, Kris, Myagi and Kakana had been awake for almost an hour when a pair of nurses chased the others out of the infirmary, claiming that the four needed their rest. The ten friends and relatives left, though promising to return as soon as they could.

Kris chuckled as their friends were fairly pushed out of the infirmary and the door closed behind them. She laid back down against the pillows and stared up at the ceiling.

"Is everything OK, Kris?" Rocky asked her quietly. Myagi and Kakana were both asleep, and he didn't want to disturb them.

"I'm fine," Kris assured her brother. "I'm just glad that everything turned out alright for everyone."

"So am I," Rocky agreed.

"I just can't help wondering what would have happened if we'd failed?" Kris continued. "Where would we have stayed?"

"Kris, you've got to stop thinking like that. You'll only make yourself feel worse. It didn't happen, so you shouldn't worry about it anymore," Rocky told her. Kris smiled to herself.

"I guess you're right," she conceded. "And quite frankly, I'm glad we're going home soon. It's a great planet, but I wouldn't want to live here." She and Rocky both chuckled, then fell into their own dreamless sleep.

"This has been an incredible few weeks," Jason said as he and the others walked towards the huge fire pit where some people had already started to gather and begin to build up the fire.

"I can't believe it's been a few weeks!" exclaimed Kat. "We've been gone for so long. Our parents must be so worried about us."

"How are we going to tell them where we've been?" Adam asked. That brought the conversation to a halt.

"We'd better make sure that, whatever one of us tells them, we all tell them. If they get together to talk about any of this and discover that we gave different answers..." Tommy said, trailing off.

"We'll have to make sure we get our story straight, then," Tanya agreed.

They made it to the fire pit, then sat down around it together while they watched the kindling slowly start to burn up, which lit the rest of the wood up. Soon a full-fledged bonfire was going.

They all ate something, then left to go back and visit Rocky and the others in the infirmary.

There, they found the others with trays in their laps, full of food.

"I see you're being treated well," Adam joked. Rocky looked up and grinned at his friend. Kris waved a fork in their direction.

"Come on in, join the party," Rocky said, gesturing for them to have a seat around the cots. They friends sat either on chairs or on the floor with the exception of Lashai, Rahshi, Adam and Jason; then sat on the edge of Myagi's, Kakana's, Rocky's and Kris's cots, respectively.

"How are you guys feeling?" Tanya asked.

"Pretty good," Rocky replied.

"They're all being so nice," Kris added. "The hospitals in California could learn from these people.

"There's an understatement!" Rocky declared with a grin. Everyone from Earth laughed.

In the meantime, the natives from the planet were talking quietly amongst themselves.

"When do you think we'll be heading home?" Kris asked.

"Now that we're done what we came here to do, I guess we can go home whenever we want," Adam replied.

"You won't leave before our coupling, will you?" Kakana broke in.

"We want you all to be there since none of this could have happened without your help," Myagi added. The others looked at one another in surprise.

"Of course we'll be there," Kris said. "We wouldn't miss it." But even as she spoke Kris said the dubious look on Leelah's face. "Leelah, what's wrong?"

Leelah looked startled.

"I'm just not sure that the others would want me there," she explained. "Because of where I'm from."

"It doesn't matter how they feel. It'll be our day, and if we want you there then the others will just have to accept that," Kakana said firmly.

"Besides, they'll probably want to thank you. After all, you helped Tommy and his friends escape with our bodies," Myagi pointed out. Leelah smiled.

"I suppose," she admitted. "And thanks." Kakana and Myagi smiled back in response.

"So when's the big day?" Tanya asked.

"As soon as we're well again," Myagi replied promptly.

"The nurses said we should be able to leave by tomorrow afternoon. We're thinking about the following day," Kakana added.

"Is that enough time to prepare?" Kat asked before she could stop herself.

"It's more than enough," Kakana told her.

"The coupling isn't very elaborate," Rahshi said.

"That's right," Lashai agreed. "The historian says a few words, joins us under the sun of our planet, then we get to attend a huge feast prepared by the village chefs on our behalf."

"Sounds impressive," Tanya said.

"I suppose it is. It may not have that much fanfare involved, but it's tradition," Kakana said with a shrug.

It was then that several nurses came and shooed the teens from the hut, telling them that their friends needed their rest if they were to recuperate anytime soon. Everyone got up, promising to return in the morning.

"Not too early! We all know what Rocky's sleeping patterns are like," Kris called after her friends, causing everybody to laugh.

Jason was the last one to get up, and the last one to leave. Kris noticed this, but said nothing as she watched him leave. He glanced back in the doorway, and caught Kris's eye. Both turned slightly red, and looked away. When Kris looked up again, Jason had gone with the others.

Kakana had noticed the exchange between the two, although she was the only one who did. If Rocky and Myagi had noticed, they said nothing.

"You like him, don't you?" Kakana said in a low voice to Kris. Kris jumped slightly, not realizing that she had been staring at the door for several moments. She turned to face Kakana.

"Is it that obvious?" she asked with a sheepish smile on her face. Kakana nodded.

"Yep. And unless I miss my guess, I'd say that he's rather fond of you, too," she said with a grin spreading across her face. Kris looked from Kakana to the door, then back at Kakana. Her smile had widened considerably.

"Me and Jason, huh? Nah, couldn't happen," she said.

"Why not?" Kakana asked.

"He's just my friend," Kris explained. "And I wouldn't want to ruin it."

"If you say so," Kakana said. "But I still think it's a possibility." With that, Kakana laid down in her bed to sleep. Kris did the same, noticing that her brother and Myagi had already fallen asleep. But Kris was restless. She didn't want to sleep, not just yet anyway. Could Jason really be interested in me? she wondered as she laid on her back in her cot. No way. What would he see in me? He's probably looking for someone who's more active in the martial arts or something. But still...if someone from another planet thinks that he's interested in me, maybe I've just been blind this whole time. I don't know. I'll worry about in the morning. With that, Kris rolled onto her left side and fell asleep not soon after the thought rolled through her head.

~*~

"It's so weird not having her around," Tanya said as she laid on the floor in her makeshift bed.

"I know what you mean," Kat agreed. "It's so...quiet."

Leelah's soft laughter floated from the darkness.

"I'm sure she'd be flattered to hear that," she said, and you could hear the grin in her voice. This caused the other two girls to laugh as well.

"I won't tell if you won't," Tanya said.

"Me either," Kat agreed.

"I think we should all go to sleep before we get ourselves into more trouble," Leelah advised.

"You're right. 'Night everyone," Tanya said.

"'Night Tanya, 'night Leelah," Kat said.

"Goodnight Tanya, Kat," said Leelah. Then a silence fell over the three young women as sleep overcame them.

~*~

"It is sort of quiet, isn't it?" Tommy said thoughtfully.

"Nothing wrong with quiet," Jason grumbled from the other side of Myagi's cot. It was apparent that he had been near sleep when Adam had first spoken out.

"Sorry, Jason," Adam said apologetically.

"Just don't let it happen again," came Jason's good-natured voice. There was a rustle as he rolled onto his other side and looked out the window. Outside, he could see the stars that hung over the planet. They looked similar to those over Earth, but there were some differences. Billy had once pointed out several of the constellations to Jason, and some of it had even stuck. However, try as he might, Jason couldn't find any of them now. Oh well, he thought, closing his eyes. I'm not an astronomer. Jason let his mind wander for a while before settling on another topic.

In his mind he saw Kris's face pop up from out of nowhere. I wonder how she's doing? Jason thought. She seemed all right. I'm glad that they're all going to recover soon. He lapsed for a second. I wonder why she was watching me earlier? Not that I minded, but still... A thought struck Jason at that moment. Could she be interested in me? Jason mentally hesitated for a moment. No, it's a long shot. She's probably looking for someone a little less active; someone who isn't a Power Ranger, who has to run off at inconveniant times. Jason mentally cursed his powers, even though deep down he was truly grateful he had been chosen to protect the Earth. With that, Jason closed his eyes, and sleep overcame him not soon after.

~*~

Kris woke up to the sound of the voices of her friends. She opened her eyes and looked over at the window where they were all standing, talking quietly. Myagi and Kakana were with them. Kris rubbed the sleep from her eyes, yawned then wandered over to the window.

"This a private discussion, or can any exhausted heroine join in?" she asked with a small smile.

"Hey Kris, how are you feeling?" Tanya asked.

"Not bad, considering everything I've been through in the past few weeks," Kris replied. She shook her head and grinned ruefully. "I can't believe how long we've been away."

"I know. It's so unreal sometimes," Kat agreed.

"At least we'll be going home tomorrow," Adam piped in. There were nods around the group.

"Have we figured out what we're going to tell our parents?" asked Kris. "They'll want to know where we've been all this time, and I don't think they'd believe us if we told them the truth." There was a silence as everybody took some serious time out to think.

"We could tell them that we had to go see a friend in another town because it was an emergency," Tommy offered.

"We could also tell them we were abducted by aliens," Kris said. The comment brought chuckles from the group that was standing at the window.

"Seriously, though. We could say that we..." Tanya trailed off, unable to really think of anything.

"Hang on a minute," said Kris suddenly. Everyone turned to look at her, but she hardly noticed. "We could say that we were kidnaped, but managed to escape. Our folks'll take us to the police right after. If we give the coppers a totally bogus description, they'll never find anyone guilty, and we'll be scot-free."

"It's not a bad idea," Tommy said with a touch of admiration in his voice.

"And if the coppers do pick anyone up, we can always tell them that the person they picked up wasn't the one who kidnapped us. Eventually, they'll call off the search and consider the case unresolved," Adam added.

"That sounds like a plan," Tanya said, smiling, a gesture that was echoed on the faces of the others.

"Mornin'," Rocky said, coming over to stand with the group. "What's going on?"

"We just figured out how to explain our disappearance off the face of the Earth," Tommy told him.

"Literally!" Kris exclaimed. Quickly, she filled her brother in on the newly-concocted plan. By the time she was finished, Rocky was grinning.

"Let me guess; Kris came up with that one, right?" he asked. Kris nodded, smiling.

"Guilty, as charged," she admitted.

"The trick will be telling it with a straight face," Rocky joked.

Just then, Myagi and Kakana came wandering out of the infirmary, looking fully refreshed and in good health, all things considered. They were greeted warmly by the teens from Earth, and the natives of the planet.

"Are you looking forward to today?" Tanya asked Kakana.

"Very much so," Kakana replied. "We've all been looking forward to this day for a long time now."

"And we'd like to thank you again for helping to make this day possible," added Myagi from behind his sister.

"You don't need to thank us," Tommy said.

"It's in our nature," Jason agreed.

"So when does the ceremony get underway?" Kat asked, changing the subject slightly.

"At exactly noon, when the sun is directly overhead, ready to bless us," Kakana replied. Kris, who had never been exactly religious (although she wore the gold and sapphire cross she had been given when she had been confirmed at the age of eleven), was taken slightly aback at Kakana's words. Different culture, different beliefs, Kris reminded herself, reaching up to toy with the necklace that wasn't there. She had taken it off just before they had come to Fujikara, not wanting to lose it on some alien planet.

"Shouldn't you be getting ready?" Adam wondered. "It's getting close to noon. You've only got about an hour or so to prepare."

"It should be plenty of time," Myagi assured him, but Kakana was frowning.

"Plenty of time for you, maybe," she argued. "But I still have several things to do."

"Like what?" Myagi challenged.

"Wash up, wash my hair, get dressed, that sort of thing," Kakana replied. "Don't tell me you're not going to wash up for this occasion."

"Of course I am," Myagi told his sister bluntly. "I was just going to wait until a later time."

"Like five minutes before the ceremony?" Kakana retorted.

"There's nothing wrong with procrastinating a little!" Myagi informed her. The siblings glared at each other, then shook their heads and laughed at their minor argument.

"I'll see you later," Kakana said, heading off towards the well. Kris, Tanya, Kat, Leelah and Lashai went with her while the guys stayed behind and watched them go.

At the well, Kakana lifted a bucket full of water from the depths of the well, then took a strip of cloth from a rack beside the well and dipped in the cool water. She proceeded to wash her entire body using only the strip of cloth. To wash her hair, Kakana leaned backwards over the bucket full of water and lowered her head until her entire mane of dark blonde hair was submerged. She used a type of soapy concoction, rinsed her hair and discarded the dirty water. Then Lashai repeated the same steps.

After both teens were washed and clean, they went to Kakana's hut to get dressed.

Both put on long, flowing azure gowns that brushed the ground as they walked. Kris stood behind Kakana, who was sitting at her desk, and carefully drew all of Kakana's hair into an elegant French braid. Then she stood behind Lashai and did the same thing. Tanya and Kat had collected wild flowers to place in the girls' hair. The two girls took one look in the long mirror in Kakana's hit and smiled.

"You both look absolutely stunning," Kris said, smiling also.

"Thanks for everything you've done for all of us," Kakana said. "It couldn't have been easy, risking everything for perfect strangers."

"You weren't really strangers, at least not to Rocky and me," Kris said. "You did have your consciousness in my head for a time."

"That's true," Kakana conceeded. Kris checked her watch at that point.

"It's almost noon!" she cried.

"We'd better get going. We don't want to be late," Lashai said. She and Kakana went out the door in barefoot with the other teens right behind them, on their way to the happiest moments of their lives.

Chapter Sixteen

Rejoined

In the centre of the clearing, people were already beginning to gather to witness the joining of Myagi to Lashai and Kakana to Rahshi. An aisle had been outlined in delicate white and light pink blossoms, about seven metres long. The gathered witnesses were standing inside the boundaries created by the blossoms on the ground. It was obvious that this sort of thing didn't happen much, but when it did it was something to be remembered.

Myagi, Rahshi, Tommy, Jason, Adam and Rocky arrived before Kris and the others did. Myagi and Rahshi were dressed in deep blue suits that were loose on their bodies. They were also barefoot, as were the guests. As a matter of fact, the only ones who wore shoes were the teens from Earth.

"Nervous?" Adam asked Rahshi.

"Not nervous, excited," Rahshi corrected with a grin. "And maybe just a tad nervous." Adam wasn't quite sure how to reply, so he said nothing at all, leaving a silence between them that was far from uncomfortable.

Suddenly, the murmuring of the gathered crowd vanished as everybody turned to watch as the girls approached with Kakana and Lashai in the lead, the others behind them. Kakana and Lashai met up with Rahshi and Myagi, respectively, at the head of the aisle. They linked arms and began a slow walk down the aisle as the teens from Earth and the ones from the planet that weren't being joined mingled with their male friends.

At the foot of the aisle, the historian stood with a weathered old book in his hands. As the two couples approached him, the historian opened up his book and began to chant in a foreign language. Probably the native language, Tommy thought.

When Myagi, Lashai, Kakana and Rahshi were standing before him, the historian started to say a ceremonial address that none of the group from Earth actually understood, but they got the gist of it.

~*~

"That's it?" Kris whispered to her brother. "I was expecting something a little more elaborate."

"So was I, but who are we to question their traditions?" Rocky whispered back. Kris only shrugged and led the way over to the foursome to congratulate them.

"I'm so happy for you guys," she said once she was withing a reasonable distance. They all turned to face their approaching friends.

"Thank you," Kakana said, her face flushed as were those of the others that had been involved in the ceremony.

"You all look incredible together," Kat added, taking in the two couples who stood side by side. The four of them looked at one another, and their smiled widened, although Kris hadn't thought that physically possible.

Suddenly, a thought occurred to Kris that brought her spirits crashing back down to the planet's surface, though she tried not to let it show. Apparently, she had failed for Jason turned to her and asked her what was wrong.

"I was just thinking that we have to leave here soon," Kris explained. "I mean, I love Earth and would never consider leaving it, but this planet is so nice."

"I know what you mean," Jason told her. "But we need to go back as soon as we can. Our parents are probably worried sick about us." Kris had to conceed that point to him, and said nothing more on the subject. But the thoughts hadn't occured only to her, she soon found out.

About an hour after the end of the ceremony, all the teens were sitting around in a shady part of the jungle just outside the village. The four that had taken part in the ceremony were now dressed in their regular clothes.

"I can't believe that we have to leave you all," Kat said, somewhat sadly.

"We'll all really miss you," Kakana said, her hand twined with Rahshi's.

"Maybe we'll be able to bring you four to Earth someday," Kris said, attempting to brighten everybody's mood, if only a little. It seemed to work, for smiles appeared faintly on the faces of all those present at the little meeting.

"When are you all leaving?" Lashai asked.

"Probably sometime this evening," Tommy said for all of them, making the hard decision on the spot. They hadn't been able to decide when the best time to leave would be, so Tommy had figured that as soon as possible would be best, for all of them.

"That doesn't leave you much time here," Myagi said. "You must stay for at least one more meal with us."

"Well, none of us actually ate today, so I'm sure that we could all appreciate something about now," Kris admitted with a rueful grin.

"Then let's go," Myagi said, standing up in time with Lashai. The others followed suit, and soon found themselves in the dining hall with a large amount of food sitting on platters in front of them.

None of them hesitated to help themselves; they dug in hungrily, heaping tons of food onto their own plates and devouring it practically in the blink of an eye.

It was almost an hour and a half later when all of them were finally full.

"That was delicious," Kris said, nibbling on a piece of fruit that was reminiscent of a strawberry, only purple. "I'm going to miss the cuisine on this planet." There were murmurs of agreement from everyone present.

"Have you decided if you're going to come back to Earth with us?" Tanya asked Leelah.

"I'm not really sure if I should," Leelah replied. "It was hard enough leaving the camp. I'm not sure I could stand to leave the entire planet behind."

"You wouldn't have to leave forever," Kris pointed out. "You could come with us when we leave, and if you don't like Earth then we can have you returned here easily."

"You can do that?" Leelah asked, slightly amazed.

"I'm pretty sure we can," Adam broke in.

"Well, I appreciate the offer, but I;ve already accepted a position here to work as an assistant chef," Leelah said reluctantly. "Cooking is my passion, and now I can perfect my skills."

"Too bad; you would have lovedAngel Grove," Kris said, smiling.

"It sounds beautiful," Leelah admitted. "But I think I'd be better off staying on my home planet."

~*~

"We have to go home," Tommy said. "I'm sorry."

"Our parents are probably worried sick about us," Adam added. "We didn't tell them we were coming here."

"How come?" Lashai asked.

"See, they don't know that we're the Power Rangers. We aren't allowed to tell them," Rocky explained.

"Oh," was all Lashai said in response.

"I'm sure that one day, our two planets we'll be in constant contact," Kris said. "Though that may not happen for some time to come."

"I know we'll all welcome the day that that happens," Rahshi said.

"And in the meantime, we'll always remember your visit to our planet, and treasure it."

"Speaking of which, what is the name of this planet anyhow?" Kris asked suddenly.

"Our planet is called Fujikara," Kakana replied. Kris nodded. Finally I can stop calling it 'The Planet', she thought with a grin she managed to conceal from all the others.

Then, Tommy signaled with a hand that they should all get into position. They stood in a sort of arrow. Tommy and Jason stood at the very front with Adam and Rocky on Tommy's right and on Jason's left, respectively. Tanya was to the left of Adam, and Kat to her left. Kris stood to Rocky's right. Tommy lifted his communicator to his mouth and pressed a button.

"Alpha, do you read me?" he asked. Everybody present held their breath collectively as they waited for a response.

"Tommy, I'm so glad to hear from you!" came the high-pitched reply. Breaths were let out and smiled appeared at the sound of the android's voice.

"Alpha, we're ready to come home," Tommy told the little mechanical being.

"We're teleporting you back...now," Alpha said.

Just before the teleportation energy surrounded and whisked her away, Kris took one final look around the clearing. Goodbye, she thought, surprised that she felt a bit sad to be leaving. But her sadness was overwhelmed by her joy to be returning back home where everything was tame and familiar.

"I'm going to miss them," Kakana said as she watched the eight teens be engulfed in brights columns of multicoloured energy.

"We all are," Myagi told her. "But we'll never forget them, or what they did for all of us."

"They brought us all back together again," Lashai said. "Something nobody from our planet would attempt."

"They must be great warriors on their planet," Myagi said, with admiration clear in his voice. The columns of light had faded away by now. All that remained was a few multicoloured sparkles that hung in the air, reflecting and throwing the sunlight in different directions. Kakana stepped forward and waved a hand through the sparkled cloud, grabbing a fistful of the sparkles. As a souvenir, she thought with a small smile, admiring the brilliant specks in her hand. The others crowded around her and did the same, all the while being careful not to block the sunlight from reaching the sparkles.

Then the quintuplet left the clearing and walked towards the fire pit, where some of the villagers were already beginning to collect kindling and wood for tonight's bonfire.

"Where are the others? I though that they were going to join us for one more meal," Mr. Lumo said, meeting the teens halfway to the fire pit.

"They said that they couldn't stay any longer," Lashai replied.

"They said that they had to go home; that their parents were probably worried sick about them," Kakana added. Mr. Lumo nodded.

"I can understand that," he admitted. "I'm glad that they were able to help us."

"So are we, father," Myagi said. "So are we."

Epilogue

The teens arrived in the Power Chamber what seemed like a minute or two after Alpha had told them that he was initiating the teleportation process.

"Welcome back," Zordon said.

"I'm glad you guys are back," Billy said, stepping forwards to greet his friends. "You had us pretty worried for a while. You've been gone for so long."

"Well, we weren't sure a few times either about whether we were going to make it back," Tommy admitted.

"I am glad that you have succeeded in your mission," Zordon broke in.

"So are we," Kris piped up.

They got into position to teleport. Billy found them a secluded spot to teleport into to, and they vanished in streaks of multicoloured light. Billy teleported to his own home shortly thereafter, for he knew that once Tommy and the others reached Jason's house, he would be telephoned and called over to Jason's house to be reunited with his friends.

~*~

"No, I'm nervous too," Tanya admitted.

"I wonder how our parents will react?" Kat wondered.

"They'll probably over-react," Kris said, only half in jest.

"We have nothing to worry about as long as we keep out story straight and don't let anything slip about where we've been for the past three weeks," Tommy said, although his comment sounded like it was borderline on becoming an order.

"Even if we do let something slip, our parents will probably think we're delusional or something," Rocky retorted.

"But we have to be careful just the same," Jason countered. Rocky said nothing more, for he knew that Tommy and Jason were right.

As they approached Jason's house, the butterflies in Kris's stomach became more and more restless. It's gonna be all right, Kris told herself. All I have to do if I mess something up is tell them that I don't really remember what happened, that I was too scared and emotional to really take in my surroundings. Kris grinned. That should work out just fine.

A block away from Jason's house, Kris began to feel her doubt rising again, but she shoved it back down with thoughts of school, the adventures she had just had and the friends she had experienced those adventures with.

Standing in front of Jason's house, Kris could deny it no longer. I'm scared, she thought.

"Are you OK?" Jason asked as the others went ahead of them towards the porch.

"I'm really nervous," Kris admitted. "Aren't you?"

"Yeah, but it'll be OK once everybody calms down," Jason assured her. "And don't worry about a thing. Let the others talk if you don't think you can do it."

"Thanks Jason," Kris said, meaning it. "And if you need anything, I'm here." I can't believe I just said that! Kris screamed mentally. Jason smiled down at her, for he was several inches taller than Kris.

"Thanks," was all he replied. They met up with their friends, who were already assembled on the porch.

"Should we knock or just go in?" Kris wondered aloud.

"Well, it is my house," Jason said. "I guess we can just go on in." With that, he turned the knob and pushed the door open.

At first, it seemed like there was nobody home, for nobody came to see who was at the door, and no one called out to their either.

"Mom?" Jason called finally after the silence had dragged on for several seconds. "Dad?"

There was a sound of rushed movements upstairs.

"Jason? Jason, is that you?" came a masculine voice from somewhere beyond the sights of the group.

"It's me, dad!" Jason replied. "I'm home."

Two sets of feet came pounding down the steps at that moment. A woman appeared, and a man was right behind her. They both engulfed Jason in hugs, much to Jason's embarrassment.

"Where have you been? We were all so worried about you!" Mrs. Scott said.

"We've had the police out looking for you since the first week that you all disappeared," Mr. Scott added.

"It's a long story," Tommy said. "Maybe we'd better go sit down."

"Yes, good idea," Mrs. Scott said. Her face was flushed with excitement and happiness, and she seemed extremely flustered. Her brown eyes were alight with energy, and her brown hair swung about her shoulders as she hurried into the living room of the Scott household with the teens behind her and her husband bringing up the rear.

As soon as she was in the living room, she picked up the phone and began to dial.

"Hello, Sergeant Lark?" she said. "My son and his friends have come back. They're with me now at the house. You can call off the search." A pause. "Yes, I'll expect them. Thank you." Mrs. Scott hung up, and dialed another number. "John? Tommy's back. He's at our house right now. I already called the police, they're sending some officers out to question the kids. I'll call the rest of the parents." John Oliver said something, then Mrs. Scott hung up.

Now she addressed her husband.

"Eric, would you call up Rocky and Adam's parents on the other line? I'll call the others."

Eric Scott nodded and jogged upstairs to the bedroom he and his wife shared.

"Hello, Alice? Adam's come back," he said. "He's at my house now along with the others. They seem to be OK. Hurry over." With that, he hung up and dialed another number. "Hi, Sara? Rocky and Kris are back. You'd better get over here before the police do so you can talk to them." With that he hung up, and went downstairs to rejoin his wife, son and his son's friends in the living room. Mrs. Scott was just replacing the receiver as her husband came into the room.

~*~

When everybody had calmed down, they all went into the living room, which was even more cramped now. The teens allowed their parents to stand as they stood or leaned against various items of furniture in front of their parents.

"So where have you all been for the past three weeks?" Mrs. Denise Sloan asked, unable to contain her question any longer. The teens all exchanged glances.

"It's a long story," Kris warned them. The parents simply looked even more eager to know what had happened. Kris glanced at the others. "Go ahead, Rocky."

"Me? Oh no, I'm not the story-teller around here," Rocky said, holding his hands up in front of him as if he was trying to ward something off. "Let Jason do it, it's his house."

Jason looked at them all hesitantly, and shook his head slightly.

"Tommy?" Kris prompted.

Tommy nodded once, his expression somewhat resigned. His look to his friends easily conveyed what he was thinking. I'm going to get you guys for this one! he thought.

"Well?" Mrs. Park said, somewhat impatiently. Adam reddened in embarrasement at his mother's impatience.

"See, we were all walking to the Juice Bar through the park on Friday," Tommy began. "We were halfway there when suddenly about six men and women jumped out in front of us. They were all holding guns, though they were hidden inside their jackets. They were dressed all in black and wore hats to mask their faces."

"Ski masks would have been just a tad obvious," Kris commented quietly to JRocky ason, who were standing beside her, with a small smile.

"They told us to go with them, and naturally none of us wanted to oppose them since they were armed," Tanya continued. "They led us to a black van, and told us to get in the back. We did. Inside the van, the windows were all painted black so we couldn't see out. The back and front of the ban were separated by a thick sheet of opaque plexi-glass. They shut the back of the van up and locked it from the outside, then they all piled into the front and started driving."

"We're not really sure where they took us since we couldn't see out any windows. It took us about four hours to arrive at our destination," Kat said, picking up where Tanya had left off. "It was obvious that we were I some kind of warehouse. It was immense, and very dark. We couldn't see very well, or for a great distance.

"Our kidnappers led us to a small room and shoved us all inside. The room was made out of concrete bricks, had no windows and only one door. There was an air vent, but it was too small for any of us to squeeze through and escape. There were three or four cots, some blankets and some pillows. It was apparent that they were going to keep us there for a while."

"We weren't really sure why they were keeping us there," Kris said. "They told us that they were going to hold us for ransom."

"But none of us ever received a ransom note," Mr. David Park said, glancing around at the other assembled parents. Kris and the others pretended to be surprised. Kris shrugged.

"Anyway, they told us that they wouldn't hurt us as long as we cooperated with them. And until we figured out our plan of escape, that's exactly what we did.

"See, we figured that we outnumbered them. And since most of us have a lot of karate training and such, we realized that we could overpower a couple of them the next time they brought us some food, which they did regularly. Apparently they didn't want us to starve to death." Kris stopped there to allow someone else to speak.

"It took longer than we expected to be able to execute our plan," Adam said, jumping in when a silence began to fall. "Whenever they came, they almost always came in pairs or in threes, and usually at least one of them was armed. We never even hinted that we were planning to escape. I guess they began to think that we had reseigned ourselves to staying in the small room for a long time, because one day when they came with our lunches, four of them came. However, none of them were visibly armed. We figured that this was a good time to escape. When our captors put out trays down, Tommy and Jason jumped two of them, bringing them to the ground. Rocky and I took down the other two who were close to the doorway. They tried to run, but didn't exactly make it.

"Once they had been subdued, we all left the room cautiously. None of us had taken the time to search the kidnappers we had downed, mainly because we were too intent on getting out of our prison."

"By now, it had been almost two weeks that we had been in that same room," Rocky added. "We were all bored, homesick and ready to run at a moment's notice. So when our time came, we all sprinted out of the room so fast we didn't think to check it there were any guards outside the room, or hanging around the warehouse. As we were running, the last two guards jumped out from behind some crates. They were holding huge knives in their hands, and both of them had guns strapped to their waists. We managed to stop in time to avoid running straight into them, but one of them slashed at us with her knife and grazed my arm." Rocky gestured to his right arm as proof. "They ordered us to go back to our room. By now, the other guards were back on their feet and were coming towards us. Two of them were carrying knives identical to the goons in front of us."

"None of us wanted to go back into that room, so we did the only thing we could have done; we took the ones in front of us by surprise," Jason said when Rocky had stopped talking. "It was easy to get rid of the kidnappers in front of us, and the ones behind us were too far back to really do anything. As soon as the ones in front of us fell, we bolted. We all ran as fast as we could, not knowing where we were going, yet not really caring either. We heard them shouting after us and running behind us, but we never looked back; we just kept on going.

"We ran until night fell. When it was pitch black, we stopped to look around. We were standing alongside a road, but we didn't know which one or where it led. We all decided that it didn't really matter. If we followed it, it would take us into a town; which one, we didn't care. As long as we could reach civilization once again, we'd be out of the woods."

"We started walking. We walked for a long time. It seemed like hours, and it probably was," Kris said. "Night came and went, and still we hadn't seen anything that suggested any evidence of a town or village. None of us could believe that it where we had been held was so far from everything. We wondered if we had gone the wrong way, if we should have followed the road in the other direction, but by then it was too late to turn around. Our captors would surely be looking for us, and to turn around then would be exactly like walking into a trap. So we kept on moving. Everytime we heard a car approaching, we hid. In ditches, in wooded areas, whatever was around. Like Rocky said, none of us wanted to go back to our concrete prison."

"It had taken us four hours to arrive at the warehouse by van, so none of us really expected to get to a town anytime soon," Tanya said, "but we couldn't believe that we hadn't seen anything that even suggested that we lived in the '90's. No electrical wires, no phone poles, nothing. Just fields and trees and the road that we were following.

"One time when we were walking along the road, we heard a van coming. Instantly, we all ran to hide behind trees. Fortunately, we were walking alongside a forest at the time, so we had no trouble conealing ourselves. However, we heard the van drive by slowly, then stop."

"I looked out from behind a tree and saw that I had accidentally dropped my hair claw. It had been hanging on my shirt, and I guess when I ran for cover it had fallen without me noticing it," Kat explained. "Six men and women stepped out from the van and started looking around carefully. One of them picked up my hair claw, examined it and looked directly at the woods where we were all hiding. Then we knew that they were looking for us. They searched for a long time, but we had all managed to get up into the branches of the trees and hid in the leaves."

"It's a good thing those trees hadn't been tended to in a long time, or we might have been caught," Kris interjected.

"We had to wait for a couple of hours before the men and women that had captured us earlier finally left. They drove away slowly, probably expecting us to come out of hiding as soon as we heard the engine start up," Rocky continued. "We waited until we couldn't hear the engire anymore before we showed ourselves. Then we kept on walking.

"A few hours later, the same van drove by, as slowly as it had before. Apparently they were still looking for us. We hid in a ditch beside the road, hoping that they hadn't seen us and that they wouldn't get out and look for us again. If they had, they would have caught us for sure since the ditch wasn't very deep. Once they had driven away, we got out of the ditch and kep walking."

"It was starting to get dark again, so we knew we had to hurry. We also knew we were getting close to a town. The kidnappers wouldn't have turned back if they hadn't reached the city limits. We kept going, but we were all exhausted. When we couldn't take it anymore, we found a heavily wooded area and fell asleep." Adam had taken up the story once more. "When we awoke, we found that we were in a hospital. We had been found by the county patrol. They were looking for some escaped criminals, and found us instead. They told us that they couldn't wake us up, and took us to hospital because they thought we had been drugged or something."

"In the hospital, we had all been admitted into different rooms in Intensive Care." Tommy was speaking now. "Two of us per room. We woke up and found police officers waiting to question us. The nurses said it was OK to ask a few questions as long as they didn't press us too hard. We told them everything. They thanked us and went out to hunt for the warehouse that had been our prison for so long."

"As soon as we were taken off the critical list, we were allowed to go home. We told the nurses that we had no one to drive us home and that we lived in Angel Grove. The nurses looked shocked, and told us that we weren't anywhere near Angel Grove. When we asked them where we were, they told us that we were on the opposite side of Monterey Bay. We couldn't believe that we were so far from Angel Grove, but we believed what they told us. They had two squad car drive us back here," Jason finished.

The parents took a moment to absorb all of what their children had told them.

"But we didn't hear any cars in the driveway," Mr. Scott said.

The teens looked at one another, stumped.

"The officers only drove us to the outskirts of Angel Grove," Kris said quickly, saying the first thint that came to mind. "Since the town is so small we didn't mind the walk."

At that moment, a squad car from the Angel Grove police Department parked on the street as close to the Scott household as possible, considering how many other cars were there at the time. Mrs. Scott let them inside the house, and the officers asked the teens what had happened. The teens gave them ths story once more as the officers scribbled notes on their notepads every few sentances.

~*~

The officers told the teens and their parents that they would put out an alert for the kidnappers, but there was nothing more they could do since they were out of their area on this case. Kris breathed a silent sigh of relief at that. At least they won't be able to verify what we've told them, she thought. The officers left not soon after.

"I'm really glad we were able to help Myagi and Kakana," Kris said, loudly enough so that the others could hear her.

"So are we all," Tommy said. He extended his hand towards the middle of the group. The others followed suit, although Kris was a bit hesitant at first. They were all smiling at one another, their expressions conveying their relief, fatigue and contentment. "Here's to being home."

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