Cataclysm (Tsukino Akume, Drama/Friendship)
I think I have a little too much fun writing people crying sometimes. Or at least making them angst.
Yes, purplestripe66 , this is the part you've been waiting for. Well, one of them. As requested. ^_~
Title/: Cataclysm
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Relationship/: Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, mentions of Cassie/Phantom
Rating/: K+
Warnings/: emotional trauma, mentally disturbed people, depression
Disclaimer/: If I owned the Power Rangers, this universe would exist. We would have known who the Phantom Ranger was - and it *would* have been a girl because I'm weird like that - and team snuggles would be mandatory every episode. As none of that is cannon, it's safe to assume that I don't.
Summary/: When Astronema was defeated, the Astro Rangers gave up more than their Powers. Reporters, fans, and long-lost relatives are coming out of the woodwork as the team struggles to adjust to it all. Bright Skies Universe.
Theme/: #13. Hello & Goodbye
Author's Notes/: I don't like the beginning of this chapter. But the ending gets better. I think.
And BikerKim could totally happen okay?! -Glares at rosabelle and lunaria_kitty-
"Are you nervous?" Ashley whispered, leaning in close as they waited for the guys to finally join them.
"No," Cassie lied. "Of course not."
Of course she was. The only former Rangers they'd known were Justin, Kat, Tommy, Adam, and Tanya. She'd only met Jason, Trini, and Rocky briefly, and supposedly there were three more people going to this party she hadn't met yet. What was she supposed to say? Was there some sort of ... initiation speech or something she was supposed to make or something?
It was supposed to be a Rangers Only New Year's Eve party. The invitations Rocky had given them warned that there were no excuses for not coming baring monster attack, and as the person who'd been sending them had an invitation of her own, they were pretty much required to go. The party was being held at Jason and Rocky's apartment, which was somewhere in downtown Angel Grove. None of them were exactly sure where it was, so D.E.C.A was teleporting them directly to the address they'd been given.
"Sure," Ashley muttered, eyeing her in amusement.
She sighed, briefly squeezing the other girl's hand before turning to greet the guys with a smile, and Karone, who was trailing after them listening to Andros and Zhane argue.
"We don't even really know half these people," Andros demanded. "Why are we even going?"
"Because we're Rangers, and Rangers are supposed to be family," Zhane explained patiently. "Even if we're on separate teams, we're all still Rangers."
"It's a bonding experience," T.J. spoke up behind them, putting a hand on Andros' shoulder with a determined expression. "You're going to meet people, and you're going to like it."
Carlos smothered his grin with a cough, looking amused as Andros glared at T.J.
"So!" Ashley called brightly. "Are we all ready?"
"Yup!" Zhane returned cheerfully, ignoring Andros' scowl and Karone's uncertain frown. "Let's get this show on the glider."
Carlos paused to give him an odd look. "What?"
Zhane blinked at him. "That Earth-ism T.J. uses about shows? But we don't have a road, since we use gliders so - "
"Nevermind," Carlos cut in, holding up a hand and shaking his head. "I don't want to know after all."
Cassie chuckled, reaching for her morpher. This should be an interesting night.
****
"You guys made it!" Rocky greeted brightly as he opened the door. "Come on in!"
Cassie offered him a hesitant smile as she passed, glancing. There were only twelve people, but the room still seemed crowded somehow. She barely had time to notice the way they'd gathered in small groups before a blur of pink and blond assaulted her. "Cassie!"
She blinked, automatically moving to hug back. "Kat?"
Kat stepped back to smile at her warmly. "It's so good to see you again! How have you been?"
"Busy," she said wryly, and Kat laughed.
"I suppose so." Kat grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and directing her along. "Come on, there's someone I want you to meet."
" ... Okay?"
Within moments, she was presented with a tiny brunette woman sitting at the bar, sipping what looked like a pink smoothie. "Cassie, this is Kimberly. She was the Pink Ranger before me," Kat explained. "The first Pink Ranger for Earth."
"It's an honor," Cassie told her sincerely, feeling more than a little awkward.
Kimberly rolled her eyes with a smile, setting down her drink. "Call me Kim. I swear they say that just to make people scared of me," she complained.
Her expression made Cassie relax a little. "I like your jacket," she offered.
Kimberly's face lit up. "Thank you!" she said brightly. "Everyone else keeps telling me I look weird," she added, making a face at Kat.
Kat sighed, giving her an amused smile. "We're still not used to you with the whole leather biker look Kim, that's all."
"I'm not a biker chick!" Kimberly protested indignantly. "I have *one* leather jacket. *One*. And did you see my baby? How could I resist her?"
"Kim owns the pink Kawasaki Ninja outside," Kat explained to Cassie. "She's gotten Jason and Tommy into a debate about the Power making us all into adrenalin junkies."
"That's not why I bought her," Kimberly sniffed, but she reached for her smoothie without meeting anyone's eyes.
Cassie frowned thoughtfully. "You guys had motorcycles?"
Kimberly glanced up and nodded, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "The Shark Cycles. What'd you have?"
"Galaxy Gliders," Cassie told her with a grin. "Think flying surfboards. Zhane's can turn into the Silver Cycle, but he's the only one."
"That is *so* not fair," Kimberly groaned.
"Hey, Cassie," a familiar voice greeted.
Cassie jumped slightly, turning to see Tanya smiling at her. "Hi," she returned automatically, trying not to sound flustered.
"So, Ashley was telling me you sing?" Tanya went on.
"You do?" Kimberly looked delighted. "So do I!"
Cassie blinked, feeling a bit overwhelmed at how … open and friendly they all were. "Yeah. I do," she managed. "I um, was actually thinking of trying to get into music before ... " She lifted her wrist to display her morpher, shrugging ruefully. "Well, you know."
Tanya laughed. "Oh yeah, we know. So." Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "We should get some karaoke going, don't you think?"
"And that's my cue to move on," Kat said quickly, stealing Kimberly's glass from the counter as she hurried off, calling "T.J.!"
"Hey! My smoothie!" Kimberly cried in protest.
****
"You know," Cassie spoke up, eyeing Andros over the rim of her glass of sparkling cider, "It's kind of ironic that Karone's being more social than you are."
The look he gave her in return could have frozen fire.
"That doesn't work on me anymore," she informed him. "I know you too well."
He humphed, looking down at his own glass. He'd gotten increasingly less friendly as the night wore on, and Cassie suspected it had to do with the forced interaction they'd all been dragging him into. Normally they would have respected Andros' need for space, but these were Rangers, and Zhane had been right: it was important to make friends with them. Besides, they owed them all for taking care of Earth while the Astro Rangers had gone back to help KO-35. Andros may not like it, but he was going to have to learn to get along with them someday.
She glanced around the room, needing a moment just to take in everything around her. She'd been on and off 'stage' for the last two hours, trading off with Kim, Tanya, and even Aisha and Kat at one point after a great deal of prodding. Tanya was up now, singing something that she distantly recognized. Zack and Kat were in front of her, having what seemed to be some sort of strange dance-off. They looked like they were having fun though, which she supposed was what mattered. Jason, Trini, and Aisha had gathered around the bar in the kitchen and were sipping at drinks, laughing over something. Nearby she saw T.J. chatting with Tommy and Adam, which wasn't much of a surprise; he'd been talking to Tommy for most of the night. She was a little startled to see Ashley curled up on one of the couches giggling with Kimberly, while Carlos and Rocky seemed to be snickering behind them over something she couldn't quite hear.
The sight of Rocky with Carlos made her frown, because Rocky had been attached to Justin for most of the party. She'd actually seen Tanya stop Ashley from joining them at one point, and even Kat had told her very quietly that Justin wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, and it was best to let Rocky deal with him. There hadn't been any explanation as to what was wrong, but she'd noticed Justin had stayed alone in the corner, scowling whenever Rocky tried to talk to him.
To her surprise, she could see Justin still in his corner, but he now was talking to Zhane, of all people. Well, Zhane was talking, at least. But Justin wasn't scowling at him, looking probably the friendliest she'd seen him all night.
That's Zhane for you, she thought ruefully, shaking her head. He would never admit it, but Zhane was always trying to 'fix' the people around him. She was actually sitting with Andros now because the team had been slowly taking turns keeping watch over him all night, and Zhane, who'd been the last before her, had suddenly arrived with Andros in tow, telling her he needed to talk to Rocky and Adam.
Whatever he'd needed to talk to them about must have worked though, because they'd been sneaking looks at one another for hours, but for the first time, she saw Rocky catch Adam's glance and smile. Adam seemed startled, then slowly smiled back.
What's going on with those two, anyway? she wondered, glancing back at Andros. And why would Zhane care?
She tried not to sigh. Andros was clearly brooding, judging by the way he'd been staring at his mostly-full glass of cider for several minutes now. "Okay, what did that glass ever do to you?"
Andros started slightly, glancing up at her and frowning.
She reached out to put a hand over his. "Come on, Andros. Talk to me. It's obvious something's bothering you."
For a moment, she thought he was going to ignore her. Zhane was his confidant, and he and Ashley had always been the best at prying information out of him. But then he sighed quietly and began to trace the condensation on his glass with a fingertip. "On Earth ... You call today ... New Years, right?"
She blinked, confused. "Yeah, it's New Year's Eve. At midnight we celebrate the beginning of another year."
He nodded once, still staring at the glass. "On KO-35, today is the beginning of the Festival of Remembrance. It's ... it's our time to remember those who have given their lives for our world, for the greater good."
Guilt swelled at the way they'd been pushing him tonight. "We have something like that," she said softly. "It's in May, but we call it Memorial Day. It's for honoring people who've protected us." Which was probably the simplest explanation she could give him, but she thought he'd understand.
Then she frowned a little, glancing at Zhane, who was still chattering away at Justin. Justin had an expression that was somewhere between exasperated and amused. "Why isn't Zhane ... ?"
"Zhane's celebrating your holiday because we're on Earth," he answered dully. "And the festival lasts for a few more days - your new year is only tonight." Then he let out a long, slow sigh. "And Zhane doesn't ... he didn't ... " He stopped, shaking his head, and for a moment she could have sworn there were tears in his eyes.
"Andros?" she asked softly, leaning in closer. "What's wrong?"
His eyes closed, and his expression was oddly pained. "I was remembering Zordon," he said finally.
Cassie stared at him, heart sinking. He hadn't talked much about Zordon's death, but she knew it hit him harder than he'd wanted to admit. Swallowing, she searched for something to say.
"You knew Zordon?"
She looked up, startled, to find that most of the conversation had stopped and everyone was watching them. Aisha had been the one who'd spoken, judging by the hopeful look on her face as she took a step forward. The former Rangers all seemed surprised, if not curious at the idea.
When she looked back at Andros, a dark expression had come over his face. "I knew him," he said eventually. "He ... " He hesitated, his eyes flickering up toward Zhane, who was frowning, before he looked away again. "I knew him well," he said again.
Cassie felt another pang of guilt. "Andros - "
"How ... " Jason stopped, audibly swallowing, and tried again. "How did he ... ?"
There was a long moment of silence. " ... I did what I had to," Andros whispered, so soft she barely heard him. If the rest of the room hadn't fallen silent, she probably would have been the only one.
Something about his tone sent a chill down her spine. "Andros - " she started to say, reaching for his hand again.
He flinched away. "I didn't want to," he continued, his expression bleak. "But it was the only way."
"Andros, what are you talking about?" Ashley asked hesitantly, looking worried as she stepped up behind him. She tried to touch his shoulder, but he turned away again.
His eyes closed, and the look on his face made Cassie's chest feel tight. "I ... " He swallowed, looking away and clenching his eyes shut. He took a deep breath. "The golden wave ... that you all felt. It was because I destroyed Zordon's energy tube." He stopped again, finally turning to face them all. The blank expression in his eyes was frightening, and Cassie had to fight the urge to reach for him again. "I destroyed Zordon," he repeated.
No one spoke. No one moved. If she hadn't seen Zhane flinch, she might have wondered if time had actually stopped.
She wanted to cry. Not for Zordon: for all their searching, she hadn't really known him. She felt guilty that they hadn't been able to save him, but it was a distant guilt, because while she knew Zordon was important, he wasn't important to her. Andros, on the other hand ...
Andros was broken. She'd only known him for nearly a year now, but she knew that the more closed off he became, the more hurt he was hiding. And judging by the flat, glazed look in his eyes now, the pain he was holding back was almost unbearable. Cassie wasn't much for crying, not even in sympathy, but for Andros ... For Andros, she was holding back tears.
"How dare you."
Cassie jumped, startled at the sudden voice.
Kimberly was moving towards them, her eyes cold and furious. "How dare you come here?" she continued, glaring at Andros. "How dare you come *here*, pretending to be our friend, when you - " She broke off suddenly, a hand coming up to cover her mouth with a choked sob. She closed her eyes, tears spilling down her cheeks, and when she opened them again the grief in her gaze was tangible. "Zordon was like a father to us," she went on, tears still falling. "He ... ever since he came into our lives, he's made everything, each of *us* so much stronger, and better. And you ... you come here and tell us that you're the reason he's gone?! How could you!" she shouted.
Andros stood slowly, turning to face her. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. Unlike Kimberly, his tone was flat and cold.
She slapped him.
Cassie was on her feet in an instant as Ashley gasped sharply. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "What the gives you the right to - "
"What gives me the right?" Kimberly shot back. "What gives *you* the right?! I was one of the *first*. I was one of the longest-serving Rangers. I *knew* Zordon, and I loved him. I loved him *so* much." She sobbed abruptly, reaching up to wipe at her eyes. She waved a hand at them as she continued to cry. "And you just ... just ... stand there like it doesn't even matter that he's gone and - "
She looked up and froze, eyes growing wide. "Oh,” she breathed.
Andros was crying.
If she hadn't looked directly at him, Cassie wouldn't have even realized he was doing it. There was no sound, and he wasn't shaking at all. His eyes had the same blank, glassy expression. But one after another, tears streaked slowly down his face.
"Andros - " Ashley touched his shoulder, looking on the verge of tears herself.
Without making a conscious decision to do so, the Astro Rangers closed ranks around their leader. T.J. had a hand on his arm opposite Ashley; Carlos had come up behind him looking worried. Karone was watching her brother anxiously beside Ashley. Zhane stood directly in front of him, hands on Andros' shoulders as he whispered softly to him.
Andros said nothing. He didn't move, didn't even seem to register that they were there. The tears continued to slip down his cheeks.
Cassie swallowed, bringing a hand up over her chest as her heart clenched.
Her eyes flickered to the rest of the room. Kimberly was now sobbing openly against Tommy, which struck her as odd for some reason. More than one person had turned away, and no one seemed willing to say anything.
It was Trini who finally stepped forward. The look in her eyes was solemn, lacking the warmth she'd had when they met. "Maybe you should go," she said quietly, and while there was no anger in her tone, it still hurt to hear.
Cassie nodded slowly. "Yeah," she forced out. "I think we've overstayed our welcome."
She reached for her morpher, keying the comm. "D.E.C.A., bring us up to the megaship, please," she murmured.
The world dissolved into pink sparkles.
When her vision finally cleared again, Andros was curled into Zhane's shoulder with that same blank expression. Ashley was crying, holding tight to Karone, who was still staring at her brother worriedly. T.J. frowned, while Carlos began to pace.
Cassie clenched her fists, wanting to ... Rage. Scream. Cry. She didn't know.
"Zordon was my friend." Andros' voice was barely a whisper. "He was my friend, and I destroyed him."
She whirled and punched the wall.
Yes, purplestripe66 , this is the part you've been waiting for. Well, one of them. As requested. ^_~
Title/: Cataclysm
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Relationship/: Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, mentions of Cassie/Phantom
Rating/: K+
Warnings/: emotional trauma, mentally disturbed people, depression
Disclaimer/: If I owned the Power Rangers, this universe would exist. We would have known who the Phantom Ranger was - and it *would* have been a girl because I'm weird like that - and team snuggles would be mandatory every episode. As none of that is cannon, it's safe to assume that I don't.
Summary/: When Astronema was defeated, the Astro Rangers gave up more than their Powers. Reporters, fans, and long-lost relatives are coming out of the woodwork as the team struggles to adjust to it all. Bright Skies Universe.
Theme/: #13. Hello & Goodbye
Author's Notes/: I don't like the beginning of this chapter. But the ending gets better. I think.
And BikerKim could totally happen okay?! -Glares at rosabelle and lunaria_kitty-
"Are you nervous?" Ashley whispered, leaning in close as they waited for the guys to finally join them.
"No," Cassie lied. "Of course not."
Of course she was. The only former Rangers they'd known were Justin, Kat, Tommy, Adam, and Tanya. She'd only met Jason, Trini, and Rocky briefly, and supposedly there were three more people going to this party she hadn't met yet. What was she supposed to say? Was there some sort of ... initiation speech or something she was supposed to make or something?
It was supposed to be a Rangers Only New Year's Eve party. The invitations Rocky had given them warned that there were no excuses for not coming baring monster attack, and as the person who'd been sending them had an invitation of her own, they were pretty much required to go. The party was being held at Jason and Rocky's apartment, which was somewhere in downtown Angel Grove. None of them were exactly sure where it was, so D.E.C.A was teleporting them directly to the address they'd been given.
"Sure," Ashley muttered, eyeing her in amusement.
She sighed, briefly squeezing the other girl's hand before turning to greet the guys with a smile, and Karone, who was trailing after them listening to Andros and Zhane argue.
"We don't even really know half these people," Andros demanded. "Why are we even going?"
"Because we're Rangers, and Rangers are supposed to be family," Zhane explained patiently. "Even if we're on separate teams, we're all still Rangers."
"It's a bonding experience," T.J. spoke up behind them, putting a hand on Andros' shoulder with a determined expression. "You're going to meet people, and you're going to like it."
Carlos smothered his grin with a cough, looking amused as Andros glared at T.J.
"So!" Ashley called brightly. "Are we all ready?"
"Yup!" Zhane returned cheerfully, ignoring Andros' scowl and Karone's uncertain frown. "Let's get this show on the glider."
Carlos paused to give him an odd look. "What?"
Zhane blinked at him. "That Earth-ism T.J. uses about shows? But we don't have a road, since we use gliders so - "
"Nevermind," Carlos cut in, holding up a hand and shaking his head. "I don't want to know after all."
Cassie chuckled, reaching for her morpher. This should be an interesting night.
****
"You guys made it!" Rocky greeted brightly as he opened the door. "Come on in!"
Cassie offered him a hesitant smile as she passed, glancing. There were only twelve people, but the room still seemed crowded somehow. She barely had time to notice the way they'd gathered in small groups before a blur of pink and blond assaulted her. "Cassie!"
She blinked, automatically moving to hug back. "Kat?"
Kat stepped back to smile at her warmly. "It's so good to see you again! How have you been?"
"Busy," she said wryly, and Kat laughed.
"I suppose so." Kat grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and directing her along. "Come on, there's someone I want you to meet."
" ... Okay?"
Within moments, she was presented with a tiny brunette woman sitting at the bar, sipping what looked like a pink smoothie. "Cassie, this is Kimberly. She was the Pink Ranger before me," Kat explained. "The first Pink Ranger for Earth."
"It's an honor," Cassie told her sincerely, feeling more than a little awkward.
Kimberly rolled her eyes with a smile, setting down her drink. "Call me Kim. I swear they say that just to make people scared of me," she complained.
Her expression made Cassie relax a little. "I like your jacket," she offered.
Kimberly's face lit up. "Thank you!" she said brightly. "Everyone else keeps telling me I look weird," she added, making a face at Kat.
Kat sighed, giving her an amused smile. "We're still not used to you with the whole leather biker look Kim, that's all."
"I'm not a biker chick!" Kimberly protested indignantly. "I have *one* leather jacket. *One*. And did you see my baby? How could I resist her?"
"Kim owns the pink Kawasaki Ninja outside," Kat explained to Cassie. "She's gotten Jason and Tommy into a debate about the Power making us all into adrenalin junkies."
"That's not why I bought her," Kimberly sniffed, but she reached for her smoothie without meeting anyone's eyes.
Cassie frowned thoughtfully. "You guys had motorcycles?"
Kimberly glanced up and nodded, a slight smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "The Shark Cycles. What'd you have?"
"Galaxy Gliders," Cassie told her with a grin. "Think flying surfboards. Zhane's can turn into the Silver Cycle, but he's the only one."
"That is *so* not fair," Kimberly groaned.
"Hey, Cassie," a familiar voice greeted.
Cassie jumped slightly, turning to see Tanya smiling at her. "Hi," she returned automatically, trying not to sound flustered.
"So, Ashley was telling me you sing?" Tanya went on.
"You do?" Kimberly looked delighted. "So do I!"
Cassie blinked, feeling a bit overwhelmed at how … open and friendly they all were. "Yeah. I do," she managed. "I um, was actually thinking of trying to get into music before ... " She lifted her wrist to display her morpher, shrugging ruefully. "Well, you know."
Tanya laughed. "Oh yeah, we know. So." Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "We should get some karaoke going, don't you think?"
"And that's my cue to move on," Kat said quickly, stealing Kimberly's glass from the counter as she hurried off, calling "T.J.!"
"Hey! My smoothie!" Kimberly cried in protest.
****
"You know," Cassie spoke up, eyeing Andros over the rim of her glass of sparkling cider, "It's kind of ironic that Karone's being more social than you are."
The look he gave her in return could have frozen fire.
"That doesn't work on me anymore," she informed him. "I know you too well."
He humphed, looking down at his own glass. He'd gotten increasingly less friendly as the night wore on, and Cassie suspected it had to do with the forced interaction they'd all been dragging him into. Normally they would have respected Andros' need for space, but these were Rangers, and Zhane had been right: it was important to make friends with them. Besides, they owed them all for taking care of Earth while the Astro Rangers had gone back to help KO-35. Andros may not like it, but he was going to have to learn to get along with them someday.
She glanced around the room, needing a moment just to take in everything around her. She'd been on and off 'stage' for the last two hours, trading off with Kim, Tanya, and even Aisha and Kat at one point after a great deal of prodding. Tanya was up now, singing something that she distantly recognized. Zack and Kat were in front of her, having what seemed to be some sort of strange dance-off. They looked like they were having fun though, which she supposed was what mattered. Jason, Trini, and Aisha had gathered around the bar in the kitchen and were sipping at drinks, laughing over something. Nearby she saw T.J. chatting with Tommy and Adam, which wasn't much of a surprise; he'd been talking to Tommy for most of the night. She was a little startled to see Ashley curled up on one of the couches giggling with Kimberly, while Carlos and Rocky seemed to be snickering behind them over something she couldn't quite hear.
The sight of Rocky with Carlos made her frown, because Rocky had been attached to Justin for most of the party. She'd actually seen Tanya stop Ashley from joining them at one point, and even Kat had told her very quietly that Justin wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, and it was best to let Rocky deal with him. There hadn't been any explanation as to what was wrong, but she'd noticed Justin had stayed alone in the corner, scowling whenever Rocky tried to talk to him.
To her surprise, she could see Justin still in his corner, but he now was talking to Zhane, of all people. Well, Zhane was talking, at least. But Justin wasn't scowling at him, looking probably the friendliest she'd seen him all night.
That's Zhane for you, she thought ruefully, shaking her head. He would never admit it, but Zhane was always trying to 'fix' the people around him. She was actually sitting with Andros now because the team had been slowly taking turns keeping watch over him all night, and Zhane, who'd been the last before her, had suddenly arrived with Andros in tow, telling her he needed to talk to Rocky and Adam.
Whatever he'd needed to talk to them about must have worked though, because they'd been sneaking looks at one another for hours, but for the first time, she saw Rocky catch Adam's glance and smile. Adam seemed startled, then slowly smiled back.
What's going on with those two, anyway? she wondered, glancing back at Andros. And why would Zhane care?
She tried not to sigh. Andros was clearly brooding, judging by the way he'd been staring at his mostly-full glass of cider for several minutes now. "Okay, what did that glass ever do to you?"
Andros started slightly, glancing up at her and frowning.
She reached out to put a hand over his. "Come on, Andros. Talk to me. It's obvious something's bothering you."
For a moment, she thought he was going to ignore her. Zhane was his confidant, and he and Ashley had always been the best at prying information out of him. But then he sighed quietly and began to trace the condensation on his glass with a fingertip. "On Earth ... You call today ... New Years, right?"
She blinked, confused. "Yeah, it's New Year's Eve. At midnight we celebrate the beginning of another year."
He nodded once, still staring at the glass. "On KO-35, today is the beginning of the Festival of Remembrance. It's ... it's our time to remember those who have given their lives for our world, for the greater good."
Guilt swelled at the way they'd been pushing him tonight. "We have something like that," she said softly. "It's in May, but we call it Memorial Day. It's for honoring people who've protected us." Which was probably the simplest explanation she could give him, but she thought he'd understand.
Then she frowned a little, glancing at Zhane, who was still chattering away at Justin. Justin had an expression that was somewhere between exasperated and amused. "Why isn't Zhane ... ?"
"Zhane's celebrating your holiday because we're on Earth," he answered dully. "And the festival lasts for a few more days - your new year is only tonight." Then he let out a long, slow sigh. "And Zhane doesn't ... he didn't ... " He stopped, shaking his head, and for a moment she could have sworn there were tears in his eyes.
"Andros?" she asked softly, leaning in closer. "What's wrong?"
His eyes closed, and his expression was oddly pained. "I was remembering Zordon," he said finally.
Cassie stared at him, heart sinking. He hadn't talked much about Zordon's death, but she knew it hit him harder than he'd wanted to admit. Swallowing, she searched for something to say.
"You knew Zordon?"
She looked up, startled, to find that most of the conversation had stopped and everyone was watching them. Aisha had been the one who'd spoken, judging by the hopeful look on her face as she took a step forward. The former Rangers all seemed surprised, if not curious at the idea.
When she looked back at Andros, a dark expression had come over his face. "I knew him," he said eventually. "He ... " He hesitated, his eyes flickering up toward Zhane, who was frowning, before he looked away again. "I knew him well," he said again.
Cassie felt another pang of guilt. "Andros - "
"How ... " Jason stopped, audibly swallowing, and tried again. "How did he ... ?"
There was a long moment of silence. " ... I did what I had to," Andros whispered, so soft she barely heard him. If the rest of the room hadn't fallen silent, she probably would have been the only one.
Something about his tone sent a chill down her spine. "Andros - " she started to say, reaching for his hand again.
He flinched away. "I didn't want to," he continued, his expression bleak. "But it was the only way."
"Andros, what are you talking about?" Ashley asked hesitantly, looking worried as she stepped up behind him. She tried to touch his shoulder, but he turned away again.
His eyes closed, and the look on his face made Cassie's chest feel tight. "I ... " He swallowed, looking away and clenching his eyes shut. He took a deep breath. "The golden wave ... that you all felt. It was because I destroyed Zordon's energy tube." He stopped again, finally turning to face them all. The blank expression in his eyes was frightening, and Cassie had to fight the urge to reach for him again. "I destroyed Zordon," he repeated.
No one spoke. No one moved. If she hadn't seen Zhane flinch, she might have wondered if time had actually stopped.
She wanted to cry. Not for Zordon: for all their searching, she hadn't really known him. She felt guilty that they hadn't been able to save him, but it was a distant guilt, because while she knew Zordon was important, he wasn't important to her. Andros, on the other hand ...
Andros was broken. She'd only known him for nearly a year now, but she knew that the more closed off he became, the more hurt he was hiding. And judging by the flat, glazed look in his eyes now, the pain he was holding back was almost unbearable. Cassie wasn't much for crying, not even in sympathy, but for Andros ... For Andros, she was holding back tears.
"How dare you."
Cassie jumped, startled at the sudden voice.
Kimberly was moving towards them, her eyes cold and furious. "How dare you come here?" she continued, glaring at Andros. "How dare you come *here*, pretending to be our friend, when you - " She broke off suddenly, a hand coming up to cover her mouth with a choked sob. She closed her eyes, tears spilling down her cheeks, and when she opened them again the grief in her gaze was tangible. "Zordon was like a father to us," she went on, tears still falling. "He ... ever since he came into our lives, he's made everything, each of *us* so much stronger, and better. And you ... you come here and tell us that you're the reason he's gone?! How could you!" she shouted.
Andros stood slowly, turning to face her. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. Unlike Kimberly, his tone was flat and cold.
She slapped him.
Cassie was on her feet in an instant as Ashley gasped sharply. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded. "What the gives you the right to - "
"What gives me the right?" Kimberly shot back. "What gives *you* the right?! I was one of the *first*. I was one of the longest-serving Rangers. I *knew* Zordon, and I loved him. I loved him *so* much." She sobbed abruptly, reaching up to wipe at her eyes. She waved a hand at them as she continued to cry. "And you just ... just ... stand there like it doesn't even matter that he's gone and - "
She looked up and froze, eyes growing wide. "Oh,” she breathed.
Andros was crying.
If she hadn't looked directly at him, Cassie wouldn't have even realized he was doing it. There was no sound, and he wasn't shaking at all. His eyes had the same blank, glassy expression. But one after another, tears streaked slowly down his face.
"Andros - " Ashley touched his shoulder, looking on the verge of tears herself.
Without making a conscious decision to do so, the Astro Rangers closed ranks around their leader. T.J. had a hand on his arm opposite Ashley; Carlos had come up behind him looking worried. Karone was watching her brother anxiously beside Ashley. Zhane stood directly in front of him, hands on Andros' shoulders as he whispered softly to him.
Andros said nothing. He didn't move, didn't even seem to register that they were there. The tears continued to slip down his cheeks.
Cassie swallowed, bringing a hand up over her chest as her heart clenched.
Her eyes flickered to the rest of the room. Kimberly was now sobbing openly against Tommy, which struck her as odd for some reason. More than one person had turned away, and no one seemed willing to say anything.
It was Trini who finally stepped forward. The look in her eyes was solemn, lacking the warmth she'd had when they met. "Maybe you should go," she said quietly, and while there was no anger in her tone, it still hurt to hear.
Cassie nodded slowly. "Yeah," she forced out. "I think we've overstayed our welcome."
She reached for her morpher, keying the comm. "D.E.C.A., bring us up to the megaship, please," she murmured.
The world dissolved into pink sparkles.
When her vision finally cleared again, Andros was curled into Zhane's shoulder with that same blank expression. Ashley was crying, holding tight to Karone, who was still staring at her brother worriedly. T.J. frowned, while Carlos began to pace.
Cassie clenched her fists, wanting to ... Rage. Scream. Cry. She didn't know.
"Zordon was my friend." Andros' voice was barely a whisper. "He was my friend, and I destroyed him."
She whirled and punched the wall.