Hymn to Fayth- Part 8
Author: dream-edge
Title: Hymn to Fayth
Summary: AU. Ziggy awakens an ancient power within himself and ends up joining the Rangers before he could ever join the Cartels. Dillon is guided to Corinth by a mysterious voice and learns the values of trust, friendship, love, and faith.
Rating: T
Pairings: Dillon/Ziggy
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers or anything related to the franchise. I do not own anything recognizable as from one of the Final Fantasy games.
Hymn to Fayth
Chapter 8
"Road trip." Ziggy whispered, his tone light with excitement as he stared at the vehicle they were to take to Kenmore. Dillon smiled slightly and shook his head in amusement. It was easy to forget sometimes just how young Ziggy was until Ziggy himself reminded you. He normally acted much older than he was, always weighed down by the knowledge and power of his gifts. Seeing him act so free was a rare but cherished sight. "Ready to go?" he asked.
Ziggy nodded enthusiastically, a wide smile splitting his face in two. "Come on!" He shouted, grabbing Dillon's hand and tugging him towards the vehicle. Dillon shook his head again but allowed himself to be pulled bodily towards the Go-Onger.
Off to the side Scott rolled his eyes as he watched the two interact. "I swear I get cavities just watching those two." He told the others. Flynn chuckled slightly and agreed. "I think it's sweet." Summer told him.
Scott and Flynn shared a look. "Too sweet's more like it." Flynn replied.
"I feel like I'm being suffocated by the sap." Scott agreed. "I am happy for them, don't get me wrong. But there is only so much 'sweetness' I can handle on a daily basis. It's bad enough those two go all googly-eyed over each other. It's worse that they won't admit it. Have you tried talking to the two about it?"
Summer shook her head. "No; why?"
Scott shook his head and grabbed one of the bags, slinging it over his shoulder. "Mention it and you're lucky if you get a coherent sentence out of Ziggy for two hours afterwards, not to mention how badly he starts to blush. And Dillon's got a death glare mastered by now."
"I swear," he continued, moving towards the vehicle. "There are times I just want to strangle them."
"Strangle who?" Ziggy asked, spinning in his chair to watch them enter. His eyes were wide and bright and shined at the three of them. Dillon had taken the seat directly behind him. Summer smiled back at the youngest Ranger. "Oh, no one." She told him, setting her bags down and sitting across from Dillon. Flynn immediately dove for the driver's seat.
"Ready to go?" he asked. They all nodded. "Then off we go."
Ziggy's ecstatic shout made them all laugh.
--0--0--
Ziggy couldn't stop the gasp that left his throat the minute they left the dome and the safety of the shield. The sheer lifelessness of the Wastelands hit him head on, shocking his system. For one single moment, his powers shut down and the world went dark, leaving him to be swept up in the bleakness. There was nothing here. Everything was dead. How could everything just be dead?
Then a hand fell on his shoulder, jerking him back to the normal world. Everything righted itself again and he reached out with his senses, mentally clinging desperately to the life-signs of the other Rangers. Only then did he become aware that he had closed his eyes. He snapped them back open and swung his head around to gaze at Dillon, who was staring at him in concern. "Dillon?"
"Hey, you okay?" Dillon asked softly. It was then Ziggy noticed everyone was staring at him. He gulped and nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. "Y-yeah." he whispered shakily. "I'm good."
Dillon's eyes bore into his, as if trying to see if he was lying. "You sure? We can still turn back if you're not up to this. Try another day."
Ziggy stared at him, knowing he wasn't going to turn back now. He had promised Dillon he'd help him find out his past. He refused to be the thing that held him back from doing that. "I'm fine. Let's just keep going." He assured kindly, smiling weakly. Without his conscious thought, one of his hands came up and grasped Dillon's hand, which was still resting on his shoulder. Dillon stared at him for another minute then smiled slightly, gripping his hand tightly.
Behind them, Scott leaned over to whisper in Summer's ear. "Like I said. Cavities." She bit back a laugh and whacked her arm against his stomach good-naturedly. He coughed slightly in surprise and grinned but didn't say anything else.
--0--0--
"I think our navigator fell asleep." Flynn told them about an hour later, humor in his tone. They all looked and sure enough, Ziggy was dead to the world. He was curled up in his car, legs tucked neatly under him, and the map he'd been using had fallen to the floor.
Summer smiled softly at the sight. "Maybe we should have waited one more day." She said. "Just to make sure he was at his best."
The boys all shared a look. Dillon snorted and told her. "Yeah, good luck convincing him of that. He's way too stubborn to allow it." Even as he spoke Ziggy muttered something under his breath, his expression becoming slightly pained. Without thinking about it, Dillon reached over the back of the chair and ran his fingers through Ziggy's hair. After a moment, the younger man settled, his expression turning peaceful again.
Scott groaned as he watched the two and slapped both his hands over his eyes. "Oh God, someone please make it stop!" He whined, making the others look at him. "I can't take the sap!" All his efforts earned him was two laughs from Summer and Flynn and a dark glare from Dillon.
--0--0--
Ziggy stared at the young woman in front of him, mentally steeling himself for what he was about to do. He took a deep breath, ignoring the cold, blank eyes staring at him, and pushed his hands forward. The circle of summoning appeared beneath his feet. Then another above him, then one on every side. Then more still. For every one that appeared he felt more and more of his energy being stripped away; more and more he started to fall away from the warmth and light, consumed by the spell he was shaping.
The power grew and grew till it ran like wild-fire through him, burning him, and forget whatever else he'd felt, this hurt! He was only vaguely aware of two things outside the area of his spell. The young woman still watching him, her long brown hair spun up in the fury of his power, and the blue eyes staring at him in regret, pain, and loss.
A slow sound built in the back of his head, playing again and again. He latched onto that sound, feeling his body start to go numb but knowing he couldn't quit just yet. Not yet. He still had to save her. He focused on that sound, the soft, repeating hymn, and used it as a grounding point as the final part of the spell approached.
All the power he was gathering, the pure essence of his beloved summons, gathered into a small sphere in the middle of his palms, glowing so brightly it lacked color. He took a deep, but shaky, breath, closing his eyes as reality settled around him. He couldn't undo it now. Doing so would kill him and her. Right now, he had the power to change the world.
But at such a cost....
"Ziggy."
He bit his lip even though he knew now was no time to be indecisive. He had no time for second thoughts. Then...he wished.
"Ziggy!"
He was falling. He didn't know how to make himself stop. The wind was rushing past his ears and his clothes flapped around, striking back against him as much as away from him and that hurt. His hair was flying in every direction. If he had the chance to try, he'd never get the tangles out. He was so tired. Too tired to summon Valefor. Too tired to even save himself. Just strong enough to save her.
He was falling faster now. Too fast, too far. The warmth was sliding away more and more, leaving him numb and cold. Too numb to feel; too cold to care.
He heard it again then, building in the back of his mind. The hymn. His Hymn to Fayth. Abruptly, tears stung his eyes and he choked down a sob. He hoped that, in time, he'd be forgiven. This was just something he needed to do. And if he had told them, him, they would never have allowed him to do it.
He closed his eyes and stopped trying to struggle for breath. He'd down it, at least. That would have to count for something. The last thing he heard was the Hymn cutting off with a crash. He never even registered hitting the ground. He must have blacked out at some point because know there were hands shaking his shoulders and someone shouting at him. The words were distant. He couldn't focus on them. They sounded choked. He was just vaguely aware of something cool, like water, dropping onto his cheek but he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes to find out.
He was so tired....
"Ziggy! Ziggy, please! Don't do this to me!"
Then he let himself just drift away.
"Ziggy!"
He bolted up right, eyes wide and his breath coming in quick gulps. He stared, almost without seeing him, at Dillon for a long moment, trying to figure out what was going on. Dillon's eyes were worried. "Ziggy, are you okay?" he asked.
It took him a very long moment to realize that Dillon's hands were on his shoulders and the older man was kneeling in front of him. It took him an even longer moment to realize that the other Rangers were all watching him as well, and Flynn had stopped driving. It felt like he'd been jarred.
"Ziggy?" Dillon asked again, drawing his eyes back towards him. "Are you alright? You were asleep but..."
"Asleep?" he asked breathlessly. "A dream?" The second question was directed to himself. God, that was no dream. It had felt too real, too much like he was living it, to be a dream. He shivered slightly, closing his eyes and trying to calm his racing heart. It didn't work. Already he felt too crowded, too suffocated. And the edges of the dream lingered, pushing in on him. All he could feel was the terrifying feeling of falling, of running out of time, of being unable to even muster the energy to save himself. The feeling that he was never going to be forgiven.
He burst out of Dillon's hold, unable to stay still any longer, and pushed roughly past Scott and Summer, heading for the door. He stumbled out of the sudden crowded vehicle, walked a few steps, then collapsed to his hands and knees, taking in deep, gulping breaths. The air here was rougher then he was used to, not nearly as clean, but he didn't care. God, he was so tired.
He felt more than heard or saw Dillon follow him and drop down next to him, one hand resting on his shoulder. "Ziggy?"
He didn't answer immediately, whispering to himself. "Just a dream. Just a dream. Just a dream."
Then Dillon turned to look at the other Rangers standing behind them. "That's it." he snapped. "We're going back."
Ziggy's eyes widened. No... Before he even thought about it, his hand shot up, wrapping around Dillon's wrist like steel. "No!" He shouted, his voice panicked. Dillon looked mildly alarmed by his reaction and slowly reached forward, grasping Ziggy's hand with his free one gently. "Ziggy? Ziggy it's okay. Let me go, Zig." he whispered, the order spoken softly and gently.
He gulped and slowly released his hand. "Please Dillon." He pleaded softly. "Let's just go. Let's get to Kenmore. It was... it was a dream." He told him, trying to convince himself as much as Dillon. Dillon stared at him for a long moment then, rather reluctantly, nodded. "Alright. But if something else happens, we are going back. Kenmore be damned."
He nodded and stood up with Dillon's assistance, already starting to feel much better. "Thank you." he whispered, his eyes filled with gratitude. He went to walk back to the vehicle when he became aware of something... weird. Something was tugging on his senses, trying to get his attention. He paused, looking around to find the source. But there was nothing around but the Rangers and barren wasteland. He shivered slightly, continuing to look around. "Ziggy?" Dillon asked. "What's wrong?"
He closed his eyes and channeled a small spark of power into the palms of his hands. He forced it down and around him in a gentle gust, waiting for a response of some sort.
Summer gasped in startlement. "Ziggy, look!"
He opened his eyes again to find his response. Hundreds of little lights made of the softest shades of blue, green, and gold were floating around him, drifting casually towards the sky. They looked a lot like the motes of like created when he dismissed one of his summons. He stared at them in surprise, looking around himself to find he was surrounded. Despite the fact that they were kind of creepy, they were beautiful.
"What are they?" Summer asked, walking forward to reach a hand out towards one. Scott and Flynn were right behind her. The word came to him easily. "Pyreflies." he told her, watching as she jerked her hand back from one with a stricken expression. "Pyreflies?" she asked. "Like pyre as in funeral pyre?"
He nodded. "They're the memories of the dead." he whispered in explanation. Next to him, Dillon's expression turned thoughtful and he knew the older man was remembering the Heart. "Sometimes," he continued. "They get trapped here. They don't know they're way." He turned his eyes away from the sight of the last of them floating away back towards his teammates. "It's alright. I'm alright. Let's go."
--0--0--
Ziggy really hated Venjix attack-bots. He danced away from the new that had intercepted them, wondering why it was so focused on him. The other Rangers couldn't help him; they were being held back by some sort of revved-up Grinders and couldn't get to him. He knew they were trying but they weren't getting though. And that left him to deal with the attack-bot. He yelped in surprise as he dodged around a hit to the head only to be kicked in the stomach, throwing him back.
He landed hard, his breath escaping him in a rush. He was vaguely aware of the ranger suit disappearing due to the sudden trauma. He rolled onto his side, one hand clutching at his ribs as he gasped in much-needed air. "Today's not my day." he whispered, slowly pushing himself up onto his elbows. He froze when a shadow fell over him, briefly aware of Dillon screaming his name. Slowly he raised his head to stare at the attack-bot looming over him, fear tightening his throat. Today definitely wasn't his day.
"So your the source of the power destroying my ranks." The attack-bot said, sounding horribly gleeful.
If possible, Ziggy tensed even more. "Your ranks?" he whispered, shock and horror freezing his heart in place. "You're Venjix?!"
His startled shout grabbed the attention of the other Rangers. "What?" Scott demanded. "That's Venjix?!"
Dillon growled, breaking through the lines of Grinders to help his friend. "Get away from him!" He shouted, swinging at Venjix.
Ziggy watched as Dillon and the Virus fought, his heart hammering in his chest. Slowly, his fear- for himself and for his friend- gave way to anger. This was the monster that had destroyed the world. This was the monster that had taken away Dillon's memories, his sister, and his life. This was the monster that had trapped them all in the dome, that had them fighting for their lives daily. This was the monster that had killed everyone!
A deep, boiling fury built up in him, so dense he could barely breath or think straight. His throat closed up tight and he couldn't make himself calm down. Pyreflies started to appear and drift around him, their anger at their death fueling his own rage. He watched as Dillon was slammed away, his Ranger suit disappearing as well. His expression was pained. Ziggy saw red.
"You..." Dillon turned his head at the whisper, watching as Ziggy climbed to his feet slowly. He wanted to tell the younger man to run but before he could he noticed that Ziggy seemed... off. He was tense, completely tense, and his hands were balled so tightly that Dillon feared they'd start to bleed.
He watched as Ziggy turned to look at Venjix. The cold fury on his face made him gasp and he noticed out of the corner of his eye the other Rangers step back in surprise. Ziggy had never looked so angry and the sudden wrath, the hate, was frightening.
Ziggy's voice whispered out softly, deathly cold, and filled with the same fury as his eyes. "You are going to pay dearly for that." He hissed. Before Venjix could move to stop him he raised before hands towards the air and a summoning circle appeared beneath his feet. Ziggy's hands tightened on thin air then jerked downwards towards the ground. The air just above and in front of him twisted and a long chain slammed into the ground, creating a dark, angry red pool of liquid. Slowly, the chain lifted up again, pulling Ziggy's new summons with it.
It wasn't like the others. The others were scary but somehow gentle. This one was ugly and terrifying. It was wrapped completely in chains and bindings, it's hands trapped to its chest. Only its left eye was visible. It looked as if extended underground as well; an impressive feat as it stood nearly four stories above Ziggy.
Ziggy straightened, leveling his furious gaze on Venjix. The summons let out a shriek of rage that seemed to startle even Venjix. Ziggy did not budge or give an inch. "Feel my pain." he whispered, his voice chilly and full of anger. The summons towering above him gave another enraged shriek and the ground beneath Venjix turned the same angry red as the pool the summons had emerged from. Venjix disappeared beneath it.
For a long heartbeat, nothing happened. Then Venjix reappeared, dropping from the sky to land in a jumble of twisted metal and sparking machinery. It stood slowly, glaring at Ziggy and the summons roaring above him in warning. "You win this round." his hissed. Then he disappeared.
No one moved to chase after him, all eyes locked on the thing by Ziggy's side. Slowly, it started to disappear into the motes of light Ziggy called pyreflies. The minute it disappeared completely, Ziggy dropped to his hands and knees, shaking heavily and fighting tears.
Forgetting his fear of the creature Ziggy had called, Dillon pushed himself to his feet and walked over to his friend. "Ziggy are you okay?" he asked. Immediately, Ziggy reached up and latched onto his arms, pulling himself closer as he continued to shake.
"What was that?" Flynn asked, looking at the place that summons had stood.
"Anima, the Chained Devil." Ziggy whispered. Dillon frowned at his tone. Ziggy sounded drained and on the verge of crying. "I never... thought I'd summon her."
"Hey," he whispered, placing a hand beneath Ziggy's chin and forcibly lifting his head. "What's wrong?"
Ziggy's took a deep, shaky breath, tears dotting his lashes and looking ready to fall. Never had he seen the younger man so close to crying before and it broke his heart. "It takes a lot of hate to summon Anima." Ziggy whispered. "A lot of hate. I don't ever want to feel like that again." He pushed himself closer to Dillon, practically curling up in his lap, still shaking heavily.
Dillon closed his eyes tightly against the pain in his voice. How much hate had Ziggy been channeling to pull that off? To get this kind of reaction? Apparently, enough to terrify him. He pressed his lips together briefly then pulled back to look Ziggy in the eye. "Hey," he whispered softly. "Remind me never to piss you off, okay?" he requested, smiling slightly in an effort to calm the younger man down.
Ziggy stared at him for a long time then gave a weak laugh. Then another. Then another. Then looked back at Dillon and smiled softly. He nodded. "Okay." he whispered.
There was a moment of silence then Scott screamed. "Dear God, make them stop!" He shouted, burying his hands in his hair. Ziggy watched him in confusion, blinking slowly as the cold ball of terror at his own anger unraveled. He looked back at Dillon questioningly. "Why is Scott loosing his mind?" he asked.
Dillon snorted and tightened his hold on Ziggy reassuringly. "It's the sap." he whispered.
Title: Hymn to Fayth
Summary: AU. Ziggy awakens an ancient power within himself and ends up joining the Rangers before he could ever join the Cartels. Dillon is guided to Corinth by a mysterious voice and learns the values of trust, friendship, love, and faith.
Rating: T
Pairings: Dillon/Ziggy
Disclaimer: I do not own the Power Rangers or anything related to the franchise. I do not own anything recognizable as from one of the Final Fantasy games.
Hymn to Fayth
Chapter 8
"Road trip." Ziggy whispered, his tone light with excitement as he stared at the vehicle they were to take to Kenmore. Dillon smiled slightly and shook his head in amusement. It was easy to forget sometimes just how young Ziggy was until Ziggy himself reminded you. He normally acted much older than he was, always weighed down by the knowledge and power of his gifts. Seeing him act so free was a rare but cherished sight. "Ready to go?" he asked.
Ziggy nodded enthusiastically, a wide smile splitting his face in two. "Come on!" He shouted, grabbing Dillon's hand and tugging him towards the vehicle. Dillon shook his head again but allowed himself to be pulled bodily towards the Go-Onger.
Off to the side Scott rolled his eyes as he watched the two interact. "I swear I get cavities just watching those two." He told the others. Flynn chuckled slightly and agreed. "I think it's sweet." Summer told him.
Scott and Flynn shared a look. "Too sweet's more like it." Flynn replied.
"I feel like I'm being suffocated by the sap." Scott agreed. "I am happy for them, don't get me wrong. But there is only so much 'sweetness' I can handle on a daily basis. It's bad enough those two go all googly-eyed over each other. It's worse that they won't admit it. Have you tried talking to the two about it?"
Summer shook her head. "No; why?"
Scott shook his head and grabbed one of the bags, slinging it over his shoulder. "Mention it and you're lucky if you get a coherent sentence out of Ziggy for two hours afterwards, not to mention how badly he starts to blush. And Dillon's got a death glare mastered by now."
"I swear," he continued, moving towards the vehicle. "There are times I just want to strangle them."
"Strangle who?" Ziggy asked, spinning in his chair to watch them enter. His eyes were wide and bright and shined at the three of them. Dillon had taken the seat directly behind him. Summer smiled back at the youngest Ranger. "Oh, no one." She told him, setting her bags down and sitting across from Dillon. Flynn immediately dove for the driver's seat.
"Ready to go?" he asked. They all nodded. "Then off we go."
Ziggy's ecstatic shout made them all laugh.
--0--0--
Ziggy couldn't stop the gasp that left his throat the minute they left the dome and the safety of the shield. The sheer lifelessness of the Wastelands hit him head on, shocking his system. For one single moment, his powers shut down and the world went dark, leaving him to be swept up in the bleakness. There was nothing here. Everything was dead. How could everything just be dead?
Then a hand fell on his shoulder, jerking him back to the normal world. Everything righted itself again and he reached out with his senses, mentally clinging desperately to the life-signs of the other Rangers. Only then did he become aware that he had closed his eyes. He snapped them back open and swung his head around to gaze at Dillon, who was staring at him in concern. "Dillon?"
"Hey, you okay?" Dillon asked softly. It was then Ziggy noticed everyone was staring at him. He gulped and nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. "Y-yeah." he whispered shakily. "I'm good."
Dillon's eyes bore into his, as if trying to see if he was lying. "You sure? We can still turn back if you're not up to this. Try another day."
Ziggy stared at him, knowing he wasn't going to turn back now. He had promised Dillon he'd help him find out his past. He refused to be the thing that held him back from doing that. "I'm fine. Let's just keep going." He assured kindly, smiling weakly. Without his conscious thought, one of his hands came up and grasped Dillon's hand, which was still resting on his shoulder. Dillon stared at him for another minute then smiled slightly, gripping his hand tightly.
Behind them, Scott leaned over to whisper in Summer's ear. "Like I said. Cavities." She bit back a laugh and whacked her arm against his stomach good-naturedly. He coughed slightly in surprise and grinned but didn't say anything else.
--0--0--
"I think our navigator fell asleep." Flynn told them about an hour later, humor in his tone. They all looked and sure enough, Ziggy was dead to the world. He was curled up in his car, legs tucked neatly under him, and the map he'd been using had fallen to the floor.
Summer smiled softly at the sight. "Maybe we should have waited one more day." She said. "Just to make sure he was at his best."
The boys all shared a look. Dillon snorted and told her. "Yeah, good luck convincing him of that. He's way too stubborn to allow it." Even as he spoke Ziggy muttered something under his breath, his expression becoming slightly pained. Without thinking about it, Dillon reached over the back of the chair and ran his fingers through Ziggy's hair. After a moment, the younger man settled, his expression turning peaceful again.
Scott groaned as he watched the two and slapped both his hands over his eyes. "Oh God, someone please make it stop!" He whined, making the others look at him. "I can't take the sap!" All his efforts earned him was two laughs from Summer and Flynn and a dark glare from Dillon.
--0--0--
Ziggy stared at the young woman in front of him, mentally steeling himself for what he was about to do. He took a deep breath, ignoring the cold, blank eyes staring at him, and pushed his hands forward. The circle of summoning appeared beneath his feet. Then another above him, then one on every side. Then more still. For every one that appeared he felt more and more of his energy being stripped away; more and more he started to fall away from the warmth and light, consumed by the spell he was shaping.
The power grew and grew till it ran like wild-fire through him, burning him, and forget whatever else he'd felt, this hurt! He was only vaguely aware of two things outside the area of his spell. The young woman still watching him, her long brown hair spun up in the fury of his power, and the blue eyes staring at him in regret, pain, and loss.
A slow sound built in the back of his head, playing again and again. He latched onto that sound, feeling his body start to go numb but knowing he couldn't quit just yet. Not yet. He still had to save her. He focused on that sound, the soft, repeating hymn, and used it as a grounding point as the final part of the spell approached.
All the power he was gathering, the pure essence of his beloved summons, gathered into a small sphere in the middle of his palms, glowing so brightly it lacked color. He took a deep, but shaky, breath, closing his eyes as reality settled around him. He couldn't undo it now. Doing so would kill him and her. Right now, he had the power to change the world.
But at such a cost....
"Ziggy."
He bit his lip even though he knew now was no time to be indecisive. He had no time for second thoughts. Then...he wished.
"Ziggy!"
He was falling. He didn't know how to make himself stop. The wind was rushing past his ears and his clothes flapped around, striking back against him as much as away from him and that hurt. His hair was flying in every direction. If he had the chance to try, he'd never get the tangles out. He was so tired. Too tired to summon Valefor. Too tired to even save himself. Just strong enough to save her.
He was falling faster now. Too fast, too far. The warmth was sliding away more and more, leaving him numb and cold. Too numb to feel; too cold to care.
He heard it again then, building in the back of his mind. The hymn. His Hymn to Fayth. Abruptly, tears stung his eyes and he choked down a sob. He hoped that, in time, he'd be forgiven. This was just something he needed to do. And if he had told them, him, they would never have allowed him to do it.
He closed his eyes and stopped trying to struggle for breath. He'd down it, at least. That would have to count for something. The last thing he heard was the Hymn cutting off with a crash. He never even registered hitting the ground. He must have blacked out at some point because know there were hands shaking his shoulders and someone shouting at him. The words were distant. He couldn't focus on them. They sounded choked. He was just vaguely aware of something cool, like water, dropping onto his cheek but he couldn't bring himself to open his eyes to find out.
He was so tired....
"Ziggy! Ziggy, please! Don't do this to me!"
Then he let himself just drift away.
"Ziggy!"
He bolted up right, eyes wide and his breath coming in quick gulps. He stared, almost without seeing him, at Dillon for a long moment, trying to figure out what was going on. Dillon's eyes were worried. "Ziggy, are you okay?" he asked.
It took him a very long moment to realize that Dillon's hands were on his shoulders and the older man was kneeling in front of him. It took him an even longer moment to realize that the other Rangers were all watching him as well, and Flynn had stopped driving. It felt like he'd been jarred.
"Ziggy?" Dillon asked again, drawing his eyes back towards him. "Are you alright? You were asleep but..."
"Asleep?" he asked breathlessly. "A dream?" The second question was directed to himself. God, that was no dream. It had felt too real, too much like he was living it, to be a dream. He shivered slightly, closing his eyes and trying to calm his racing heart. It didn't work. Already he felt too crowded, too suffocated. And the edges of the dream lingered, pushing in on him. All he could feel was the terrifying feeling of falling, of running out of time, of being unable to even muster the energy to save himself. The feeling that he was never going to be forgiven.
He burst out of Dillon's hold, unable to stay still any longer, and pushed roughly past Scott and Summer, heading for the door. He stumbled out of the sudden crowded vehicle, walked a few steps, then collapsed to his hands and knees, taking in deep, gulping breaths. The air here was rougher then he was used to, not nearly as clean, but he didn't care. God, he was so tired.
He felt more than heard or saw Dillon follow him and drop down next to him, one hand resting on his shoulder. "Ziggy?"
He didn't answer immediately, whispering to himself. "Just a dream. Just a dream. Just a dream."
Then Dillon turned to look at the other Rangers standing behind them. "That's it." he snapped. "We're going back."
Ziggy's eyes widened. No... Before he even thought about it, his hand shot up, wrapping around Dillon's wrist like steel. "No!" He shouted, his voice panicked. Dillon looked mildly alarmed by his reaction and slowly reached forward, grasping Ziggy's hand with his free one gently. "Ziggy? Ziggy it's okay. Let me go, Zig." he whispered, the order spoken softly and gently.
He gulped and slowly released his hand. "Please Dillon." He pleaded softly. "Let's just go. Let's get to Kenmore. It was... it was a dream." He told him, trying to convince himself as much as Dillon. Dillon stared at him for a long moment then, rather reluctantly, nodded. "Alright. But if something else happens, we are going back. Kenmore be damned."
He nodded and stood up with Dillon's assistance, already starting to feel much better. "Thank you." he whispered, his eyes filled with gratitude. He went to walk back to the vehicle when he became aware of something... weird. Something was tugging on his senses, trying to get his attention. He paused, looking around to find the source. But there was nothing around but the Rangers and barren wasteland. He shivered slightly, continuing to look around. "Ziggy?" Dillon asked. "What's wrong?"
He closed his eyes and channeled a small spark of power into the palms of his hands. He forced it down and around him in a gentle gust, waiting for a response of some sort.
Summer gasped in startlement. "Ziggy, look!"
He opened his eyes again to find his response. Hundreds of little lights made of the softest shades of blue, green, and gold were floating around him, drifting casually towards the sky. They looked a lot like the motes of like created when he dismissed one of his summons. He stared at them in surprise, looking around himself to find he was surrounded. Despite the fact that they were kind of creepy, they were beautiful.
"What are they?" Summer asked, walking forward to reach a hand out towards one. Scott and Flynn were right behind her. The word came to him easily. "Pyreflies." he told her, watching as she jerked her hand back from one with a stricken expression. "Pyreflies?" she asked. "Like pyre as in funeral pyre?"
He nodded. "They're the memories of the dead." he whispered in explanation. Next to him, Dillon's expression turned thoughtful and he knew the older man was remembering the Heart. "Sometimes," he continued. "They get trapped here. They don't know they're way." He turned his eyes away from the sight of the last of them floating away back towards his teammates. "It's alright. I'm alright. Let's go."
--0--0--
Ziggy really hated Venjix attack-bots. He danced away from the new that had intercepted them, wondering why it was so focused on him. The other Rangers couldn't help him; they were being held back by some sort of revved-up Grinders and couldn't get to him. He knew they were trying but they weren't getting though. And that left him to deal with the attack-bot. He yelped in surprise as he dodged around a hit to the head only to be kicked in the stomach, throwing him back.
He landed hard, his breath escaping him in a rush. He was vaguely aware of the ranger suit disappearing due to the sudden trauma. He rolled onto his side, one hand clutching at his ribs as he gasped in much-needed air. "Today's not my day." he whispered, slowly pushing himself up onto his elbows. He froze when a shadow fell over him, briefly aware of Dillon screaming his name. Slowly he raised his head to stare at the attack-bot looming over him, fear tightening his throat. Today definitely wasn't his day.
"So your the source of the power destroying my ranks." The attack-bot said, sounding horribly gleeful.
If possible, Ziggy tensed even more. "Your ranks?" he whispered, shock and horror freezing his heart in place. "You're Venjix?!"
His startled shout grabbed the attention of the other Rangers. "What?" Scott demanded. "That's Venjix?!"
Dillon growled, breaking through the lines of Grinders to help his friend. "Get away from him!" He shouted, swinging at Venjix.
Ziggy watched as Dillon and the Virus fought, his heart hammering in his chest. Slowly, his fear- for himself and for his friend- gave way to anger. This was the monster that had destroyed the world. This was the monster that had taken away Dillon's memories, his sister, and his life. This was the monster that had trapped them all in the dome, that had them fighting for their lives daily. This was the monster that had killed everyone!
A deep, boiling fury built up in him, so dense he could barely breath or think straight. His throat closed up tight and he couldn't make himself calm down. Pyreflies started to appear and drift around him, their anger at their death fueling his own rage. He watched as Dillon was slammed away, his Ranger suit disappearing as well. His expression was pained. Ziggy saw red.
"You..." Dillon turned his head at the whisper, watching as Ziggy climbed to his feet slowly. He wanted to tell the younger man to run but before he could he noticed that Ziggy seemed... off. He was tense, completely tense, and his hands were balled so tightly that Dillon feared they'd start to bleed.
He watched as Ziggy turned to look at Venjix. The cold fury on his face made him gasp and he noticed out of the corner of his eye the other Rangers step back in surprise. Ziggy had never looked so angry and the sudden wrath, the hate, was frightening.
Ziggy's voice whispered out softly, deathly cold, and filled with the same fury as his eyes. "You are going to pay dearly for that." He hissed. Before Venjix could move to stop him he raised before hands towards the air and a summoning circle appeared beneath his feet. Ziggy's hands tightened on thin air then jerked downwards towards the ground. The air just above and in front of him twisted and a long chain slammed into the ground, creating a dark, angry red pool of liquid. Slowly, the chain lifted up again, pulling Ziggy's new summons with it.
It wasn't like the others. The others were scary but somehow gentle. This one was ugly and terrifying. It was wrapped completely in chains and bindings, it's hands trapped to its chest. Only its left eye was visible. It looked as if extended underground as well; an impressive feat as it stood nearly four stories above Ziggy.
Ziggy straightened, leveling his furious gaze on Venjix. The summons let out a shriek of rage that seemed to startle even Venjix. Ziggy did not budge or give an inch. "Feel my pain." he whispered, his voice chilly and full of anger. The summons towering above him gave another enraged shriek and the ground beneath Venjix turned the same angry red as the pool the summons had emerged from. Venjix disappeared beneath it.
For a long heartbeat, nothing happened. Then Venjix reappeared, dropping from the sky to land in a jumble of twisted metal and sparking machinery. It stood slowly, glaring at Ziggy and the summons roaring above him in warning. "You win this round." his hissed. Then he disappeared.
No one moved to chase after him, all eyes locked on the thing by Ziggy's side. Slowly, it started to disappear into the motes of light Ziggy called pyreflies. The minute it disappeared completely, Ziggy dropped to his hands and knees, shaking heavily and fighting tears.
Forgetting his fear of the creature Ziggy had called, Dillon pushed himself to his feet and walked over to his friend. "Ziggy are you okay?" he asked. Immediately, Ziggy reached up and latched onto his arms, pulling himself closer as he continued to shake.
"What was that?" Flynn asked, looking at the place that summons had stood.
"Anima, the Chained Devil." Ziggy whispered. Dillon frowned at his tone. Ziggy sounded drained and on the verge of crying. "I never... thought I'd summon her."
"Hey," he whispered, placing a hand beneath Ziggy's chin and forcibly lifting his head. "What's wrong?"
Ziggy's took a deep, shaky breath, tears dotting his lashes and looking ready to fall. Never had he seen the younger man so close to crying before and it broke his heart. "It takes a lot of hate to summon Anima." Ziggy whispered. "A lot of hate. I don't ever want to feel like that again." He pushed himself closer to Dillon, practically curling up in his lap, still shaking heavily.
Dillon closed his eyes tightly against the pain in his voice. How much hate had Ziggy been channeling to pull that off? To get this kind of reaction? Apparently, enough to terrify him. He pressed his lips together briefly then pulled back to look Ziggy in the eye. "Hey," he whispered softly. "Remind me never to piss you off, okay?" he requested, smiling slightly in an effort to calm the younger man down.
Ziggy stared at him for a long time then gave a weak laugh. Then another. Then another. Then looked back at Dillon and smiled softly. He nodded. "Okay." he whispered.
There was a moment of silence then Scott screamed. "Dear God, make them stop!" He shouted, burying his hands in his hair. Ziggy watched him in confusion, blinking slowly as the cold ball of terror at his own anger unraveled. He looked back at Dillon questioningly. "Why is Scott loosing his mind?" he asked.
Dillon snorted and tightened his hold on Ziggy reassuringly. "It's the sap." he whispered.