Here's the next chap. The story's just building up. Soon you'll see more couple moments as the story progresses. Just hang on.

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Shane glances at Tori's back as she slowly makes her way out of the Ninja Ops. He knows she's worried. But he's also sure, she will be okay. Plus, she's got Blake by her side. He turns to focus on his friend in yellow instead-

"So, Dusty, you didn't tell me what brought you here. You were supposed to be at Storm Chargers. This was the race you were looking forward to-"

"Yeah. Right, man. But... I couldn't focus. And I already told you, I wasn't in that race to win. I usually just do it for fun. Today, well, I just.. uh.. ran into somebody I didn't want to meet and just had to use an escape pod to get back here," Dustin answers him and looks away.

Shane just sighs. At least, that explains something. But then those uncharacteristic pauses in between almost made him frown, before he could question the ex-yellow ranger about the same, the very same question came his way.

"Are you sure you okay, mate?" asks Dustin, "I mean, you look beat."

Shane grins, putting up a perfect display of his teeth.

"I sure am. All I will need is some rest and rejuvenation in my room and I'll be good as new."

Dustin smiles back nodding, "I'll be heading to Kelly's then. And if you need me, I'm just a beep away."

Shane claps him on the shoulder, hugging him briefly, "sure thing. See you later then, Dusty."

"Don't hang around by yourself for too long, man. It's peaceful here but sometimes it gets a little lonely. Drop by Kelly's for a bit if you can. Okay?"

Shane gives him a nod and Dustin walks away.

Alone again, Shane can't help but wonder how long the peace will last.

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Many minutes later, Shane is in his room, or to be put precisely, in the quarters he is allocated when he became a teacher. It's a small, cozy room but well furnished in a traditional way. The sliding door is made of bamboo and the window at the rear giving a view of the woods is a bonus. Pulling up the screen, he gazes at the scenery before his eyes. That's when there's a knock and he hears the door slide open.

"Feeling better?"

Cam inquires stepping inside, closing the door behind him.

"You know what they say- a cold shower does wonders. And doing laundry- I do love the smell of my new detergent. My thoughts now are more collected. So, yeah, I'm feeling relaxed and may be a little err- hungry?"

Cam laughs hearing Shane's long, cheerful answer.

"Well, glad you're back in your spirits," he says.

"I'm fine, Cam."

Shane assures him. But Cam just gets to the point.

"So what was it that you couldn't spill it before those guys?"

Shane cocks an eyebrow at him, "What? You think you smell something fishy?"

"I can pretty much, every single time."

Cam smiles. Shane shakes his head a little before deciding to answer him. Grabbing a towel, he ruffles his slightly wet hair. Collapsing onto his bed, he opens his mouth to speak. Just what should he say though?

"I.. I was attacked, Cam."

Cam's jaw drops. Fixing it quickly and Straightening his glasses, he addresses the former red ranger again.

"Who was it? Did you see him? And don't tell me you were too distracted to defend yourself?"

Shane sighs, fiddling with the hem of his red shirt which he just put on-

"I don't know. I mean, I tried. But it was all so sudden and I couldn't see him."

"Oh come on, Shane! You're the red ranger! You could have taken him down easily-"

"I was a red ranger. And yes, I tried. But he was fast. Almost, super human."

"He was an alien?"

"I don't think so, Cam. And if I'm not wrong, he looks like a Samurai."

"A 'what' now?"

Cam's mouth is wide open again. He closes it, levels his gaze on his friend in red-

"A Samurai? Are you sure, you weren't hallucinating? I mean, look at you. Anybody could tell that you were stressed. Are you still depressed that you couldn't make it to the final list of candidates at the pro champion skate boarding?"

"Lay it off, man. That was a week ago. Yeah, I guess a part of me was sad that I couldn't even appear at the auditions owing to things going on here but that doesn't mean I'm hallucinating. Do you think I just thrashed myself and jumped into the lake?"

Shane gives him a look of exasperation. Cam shakes his head, looking apologetic.

"No, mate. That's not what I was implying. I was just referring to the Samurai part. Isn't it more likely that the attacker could be an alien?"

"May be. But hey, he's a Samurai. It was just a glimpse but I'm sure."

A silence falls over them. The ex-Samurai ranger takes a few more moments to process the information he received.

"Well then, leave this to me. I'll look into who this mysterious Samurai could be."

Cam gives him a smile and is about to walk away when Shane voices his concern.

"I didn't want to scare the guys by telling them baseless stories. I mean, this couldn't possibly mean a danger, right Cam?"

"I don't know Shane." Cam answers him, "If I'm honest, I'd tell you that things have been getting weird around the town. I've detected the presence of some Aliens here in Bluebay Harbor. I've been monitoring their actions. But I can't confirm anything right now. Your secret is safe with me. But I'm afraid, it might not remain a secret for too long..."

Shane watches as Cam leaves with a troubled smile on his face. Taking deep breaths, he tries to calm his mind. Picking up a first aid kit, he tends to the scratches on his cheek and arms. There's one thing he can be sure of, no one knows what the future beholds.

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Blake takes Tori to an open top cafe by the beach. Relief graces his features as he finally finds her smiling and relaxing. They talk about casual things till they arrive at their table. Blake places an order for two coffees and an extra large doughnut.

Tori's smile widens at the sight of it.

"These doughnuts are such a delish! I remember my first time tasting them. I wanted Shane and Dusty to try them too. But then they were like, Eww! Berries aren't guy stuff.

Some crazy guys they are! I can't believe they ended up as rangers. I mean those guys were always up to some mischief. Dusty would himself say, Tori you're the logical one here.. Haha. Being here takes me down those memory lanes."

She pauses, taking a deep breath and continues with a relaxed smile on her face, "This is a breather! Thanks for getting me here Blake. I haven't really had the time to visit this place and those two morons I call my best friends are neck-deep in their own stuff-"

Tori suddenly trails off, her eyes focusing on Blake who's looking at her with a slight smile.

"I'm sorry Blake. We're here on a date and all I did was talk about my friends."

Blake shakes his head, "don't worry. They're friends of mine too."

Tori falls silent, stirring her coffee listlessly. The wind ruffles her skirt near her ankles. She frowns as she looks at the sleeve of the orange shirt she wore. She wasn't even dressed properly for a date! But then this couldn't mean a date, right? How could she be out enjoying a date while Shane was suffering? Shane..... Her eyebrows furrow further as she thinks about her best friend. He sure seemed like he was hiding something. That charming smile of his was a tool he often used to hide his true emotions. Even when things got out of hand with the Scyla incident, he acted cool, faking a smile before her. This time too, he must be faking it. That's it! She needs to get him to talk! She can. She must... Because only Tori Hanson has the power to break that stupid walls Shane Clark sometimes builds around himself-

"You thinking about Shane?"

Blake's voice pulls her out of her thoughts. Tori blinks once. Twice. And finally speaks.

"How did you figure?"

"'cause you had it written all over your face. I know you always look out for your friends. That's another of your amazing traits that's got me hooked."

Blake gives her a smile that any girl would find charming. Tori's heart wavers a little but she still manages to speak her mind.

"I don't really hate the idea of going out with you, Blake. It's just that... I need time. Things have just calmed down and then there's this weird stuff going on with Shane. I can't be entirely selfish and just choose my happiness over everything. I'm sorry."

Tori looks away briefly.

"Don't be," Blake assures her, "I'm glad you're not entirely against it. Takes a weight off my chest-"

Tori frowns, "What? You're worried about something as trivial as this?"

"Nothing related to you- to us, can be trivial, Tori.

Tori is rendered speechless. Blake just smiles at her.

"I'm glad you're still ready to give us a chance. Let's go on another date soon."

Tori nods, smiling, "yeah."

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The duo then spend the afternoon at the beach. Tori trying to teach him the basics of surfing again. They laugh and have fun in the water. Blake is totally pleased but he can't shake off the feeling that Tori still thinks of him, just as a friend. Although grateful, he still wishes he would move past a certain ex-red ranger and top the list.

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That evening, all the ex-rangers are gathered around in the dojo's dining hall at the Ninja Academy. As usual, it's dinner time. They all have a great time, munching on the delicacies Cam has cooked for them.

"Hey man, this is awesome! I mean I can't get tired of eating your sushi-balls, " says Dustin.

Cam laughs.

"It's totally unfair that you're the only one who works this hard in the kitchen. May be you should try to use the services of one of the guys these days..." Tori comments, her eyes often darting out into the hallway.

Dustin rolls his eyes, "Hey! May be you could lend him a hand too. Aren't girls supposed to cook?"

Hunter chides him, "watch your tongue Dusty. Tori might rip it off your mouth."

Dustin digs into another sushi-ball. He is sure Tori would snap at him but to his relief, she hasn't even heard his remark at all! Grinning, he reaches for another Sushi-ball.

Meanwhile, Tori sits in her chair after finishing off a snack. She doesn't even reach for seconds as her thoughts were focused elsewhere. She hasn't seen Shane for a while now and she's worried. She wanted to pay him a visit but what if he was asleep?

Just then, as if it's her thoughts that beckoned him there, Shane arrives, greeting everyone with a smile. He then reaches for Tori giving her a quick hug.

"You feeling fine?" Tori asks trying not to sound like she was fussing over him.

"Alive and kicking. In fact I could kick quite a few kalzaks if they show up right this instant."

"That's great," Tori heaves a sigh of relief.

Dustin- "yeah mate. You got us worried today."

Hunter- "Yeah we were wondering if you lost your head cause you were still hung up on that tournament you missed-"

Shane- "Would you guys just stop mentioning it? Even if I did forget, your comments aren't helping one bit."

Tori- 'Hey, you guys, leave him alone. Anyone's up for a game?"

Tori asks finishing off dinner.

Hunter- "haven't tried hand at simulations for quite a while, huh?"

Dustin- "hey, so now you want to practice your moves on full stomach?"

Tori- "I have a little appetite. So, anyone whose stomach is light as feather is welcome to join me."

Hunter- "I'm in. I mean I'm teaching the kids, but never gotta feel the heat. Simulation sounds perfect. If you're up for a battle Tori, you just got one."

Dustin- "Lets head to the Sims!"

Blake- "I'm tired. I can always watch though."

Dustin- "Man, that's a shame. As of me, my stomach could burst at any moment, but that won't stop me from showing off some new moves I learned..."

Hunter- "Damn, I'm missing real battle! Ugh! lets just go, guys!"

Cam laughs hearing their excited voices.

Cam- "sure. lemme just wrap up my work here, then battle out our skills."

"If anyone wants a battle. I'm ready as always," says a voice.

Everyone freeze in their places.

Cam looks up to find a familiar man, standing at the door.

"Dad," he smiles, "you're back!"

The ex-rangers gather around their Sensei, bowing to him.

Shane, Tori, Dustin are the first ones to speak-

Shane- "Welcome back, Sensei."

Tori- "Yeah, we missed you."

Dustin- "Would you like some dinner? Cam has made these delicious sushi-balls."

Sensei smiles at the trio.

"Thank you Shane, Tori and Dustin. I've already filled my palate on my way back here. Now, Cam, if you're done here, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."

Cam nods, "sure, dad. Just gimme a moment."

"Find me in my room."

With that Sensei begins to leave. Dustin interrupts him-

"Hey, why don't you join us in the sims, sensei? I mean. You can watch us battle it out. Erm, help us learn something?" he trails off scratching his head.

Sensei's calm eyes find his chestnut brown ones, "you have already learned everything I could teach you. Now all of you go back to sleep. So that classes can resume from tomorrow."

"But tomorrow is sunday! And we don't teach on sundays-" Hunter exclaims.

"Yea, Sensei. We were going to hit the beach. But, you say-" Dustin begins weakly but Sensei cuts him off.

"It is as I say. All of you. Disperse."

At Sensei's command, everyone scatters to their respective rooms.

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The next day,

Shane has just finished instructing a batch of students. It's close to lunch time. He's hardly got any stamina left. He decides to take a short break and announces the same. The students fly in all directions, happy to be free from practice.

He moves into shade. Resting his back against a tree, he gulps in some fresh air. Someone taps him on the shoulder.

"Hey, Cam."

He greets the ex-samurai ranger with a strained smile.

"Feeling any better?" Cam asks.

"I'm fine, really. I had some trouble falling asleep last night, so I guess that's the reason I look beat." Shane answers.

"Why don't you call it a day? I'll let someone else handle your classes. Dad won't mind."

"Thanks, Cam. But, no, really, not needed. So, you talked to Sensei?"

"About the samurai? No. Dad's been tracking some aliens all this while. He's been trying to find a lost ancient scroll and he really is hell worried about the academy's safety. So, I thought I'd delay selling him the news as much as I could."

"Figures. But, Aliens? I mean, is it really that serious?"

"I can't be sure Shane. And this mysterious Samurai, I'm gonna look into him myself. I've got something planned."

"That's great, buddy. I knew I could count on you."

Shane claps him on the shoulder and smiles n relief.

"Man, that guy! He was something. His lightening fast moves knocked me out. I don't think I'm strong enough to face an enemy of his sorts."

Shane shakes his head, staring into the distance. Cam places a hand on his shoulder-

"Don't say that Shane. You've proved your abilities countless times. Don't loose confidence 'cause you just lost a fight. Technically speaking, you didn't loose it either. You were just... should I say stunned?"

"Yeah," snorts Shane, "too stunned to fight him back. Where does that put me as a red ranger? An ex-red ranger that is?"

He then sighs. Cam is silent as he watches him.

"I don't think I'll ever forget those moves even in my dream. He was perfect, Cam. When I provoked him to attack me from the front, he did. Just one kick and I was thrown into the lake-"

Cam is wondering how to reply to his words and that's when they hear a voice.

"So, someone did throw you into the lake huh?"

A very agitated Tori walks towards the duo, crossing the few feet distance between them. Shane looks dumbstruck. He was so much into the conversation with Cam that he didn't even see her approaching. A little dazed, he looks at Cam for help.

Cam gives a quick shake of his head.

"Ah, I'll let you handle it from here. Lunch break already? See you around, Tori."

With that he is gone.

Shane gulps audibly as Tori levels him with a death glare.

"Hey, Tor-"

"I knew something was up. I just knew it! I always know when you lie to me. Shane, I can't believe you were hiding such an important thing from me. From our gang-" Tori rambles on.

"Hey, give it a break! Tor, I'm sorry."

He tries to apologize but she cuts him off.

"Do you even know how much you've worried me? Well. Go on, explain. I'm listening."

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you. I didn't want you to be worried."

"Too bad, I was. Even Dusty was."

She gives him a look. He apologizes again.

"I'm sorry, Tor. I just... thought you'd be better off without knowing."

"But I need to know what's going on with my best friend, Shane. Tell me. Who was it? Did you see him?"

"Nah. He looked like a Samurai."

Her eyes widen for a moment. He gives her a firm nod.

"A very strong one."

After a brief silence, she asks, "is he dangerous?"

"I don't know. I mean, he's a Samurai. A warrior. He's nearly got me. But then, he ought to be fighting for the right thing. Now, wouldn't he?"

She lets out a huge sigh. Proceeding to link her arm with his, she rests her head against his shoulder.

"How do we know?' she asks, her voice soft like a whisper.

"Cam's looking into him."

He answers without looking at the blond by his side, his eyes focused on the woods in the distance.

"We'll be okay right?" she asks him tentatively.

"We've always been. I'm sure we'll be good this time too."

She smiles, looking briefly at him.

"I believe it when you say that, Shane."

He just beams at her. And he could be this relaxed because she's with him. Unable to bring himself to say that, he just wraps an arm around her shoulder giving it a light squeeze.

Unknown to the duo, a certain ex-ranger has been watching them for quite a while....

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Nxt part

Cam devices a plan to get to know more of the mysterious samurai. The ex-rangers are back to usual schedule, with classes resuming on sensei's orders. Someone shows up at the academy to meet the gang.

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AN: This was a short chapter and a bit lousy too. Sorry. But there's more to come. And things will get interesting soon.... N yeah, I plan to update regularly. Hope you guys liked the update.

Thank you.