Fractured Fates (S.P.D./inSpace Crossover/Power Rangers, prompt 1 ~ animals)
In which a strangely familiar cat tries to kill Zhane, and Andros offers decent relationship advice.
Jelly beans RULE!
Title: Fractured Fates
Author: Tsukino Akume
Relationship: Zhane/Sky Tate, Jack Landors/Syd Drew, Bridge/Ran
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers, because I probably wouldn't have done this to it even if I did. This is all purplestripe66's fault.
Warning: Character with depression/health issues
Summary: When Andros put Zhane into cryogenic stasis, he didn't wake up until he was completely healed - twenty-four years later. Zhane finds a new team, and S.P.D. tries to deal with the aftermath.
List of 22: 1 ~ animals
Author's Notes: This one was fun to write, despite the occassional road blocks. Also, Sky's new ability is *not* new - it was very subtly hinted in Family, but I don't think anyone caught it before.
Love to phantom_blue for ideas and encouragement.
They stared each other down, both wounded, but neither moving from their position. Zhane shifted his weight slightly, saw his opponent move, and dove forward. "Gotcha!" he shouted in triumph.
The black ball of fuzz in his arms hissed furiously, legs flailing as it tried to attack him again.
He grinned evilly, his grip remaining tight on the back of the cat's neck as he let it dangle in mid-air. "I don't *think* so," he crowed, reaching up to wipe one of the bloody scratches on his face from his last attempt.
The cat glared back, hissing and spitting.
"Watch your mouth," he retorted. "Sky would be ashamed."
Sky ... he sighed to himself, his feeling of superiority fading. Sky was the reason he was out here in the middle of the night, missing dinner no less, to chase down this demon creature so it could be returned to him. Despite the fact that he and Sky hadn't spoken since he'd quit S.P.D. nearly three weeks ago. Despite the fact that he was settling into a comfortable, peaceful life with Andros and Ashley.
Well ... *Trying* to settle was more like it. Peace wasn't something he'd ever had much of, and while it was nice and all, it was also boring. Incredibly boring, to be honest.
He didn't want to hurt Andros or Ashley by telling them he was going stir crazy, but he didn't know how much more of this 'happy home life' he could take. Ashley was trying to teach him how to *cook* for crying out loud. If he didn't find some action - and *soon* - he was going to do something drastic.
Drastic like hunting down his Promised's demon cat because Bridge and Syd showed up on his doorstep, one in tears and the other begging for his help in finding the evil thing. Surprisingly, Bridge was *not* the one he'd expected to see crying over Sky's cat. But Syd had been anxious, and swore up and down that Sky was *so* upset about it, and if he could just spare a *little* time to help look for it ...
He had a sneaking suspicion B Squad had something to do with all this. He just couldn't prove it yet.
He eyed his morpher. Crud. How was he supposed to do this now?
:: Bridge? :: he tried. :: You there? ::
:: Zhane? :: A pause. :: I'm sort of on duty right now. At this moment. Also, possibly unavailable. Can whatever urgent matter you might have wait for awhile? ::
:: Uh ... I guess? But - ::
:: Great! I'll get back to you later. :: The mental connection abruptly cut off.
Zhane groaned. This *had* to be a B Squad Conspiracy. *Had* to. Only B Squad could consistently drive him this crazy.
He eyed the demon cat creature again, thinking. Who else could he contact? Andros didn't even know he was out here - he'd said he was going for a walk. Sky was a subject they'd all been carefully avoiding since he'd showed up, and he wasn't sure how Andros would feel about him doing something involving the son of his friend. The one he'd warned Zhane not to hurt.
Though he did sort of wonder which one of them had actually been 'hurt' by their breakup - if it could be called that.
Was there anyone else he could mentally reach? He'd only ever connected to Andros and Bridge, and with Bridge he suspected that was more because of Bridge's abilities than his own. And it wasn't like he'd ever gotten that close to Sky -
"Do you realize I can hear you thinking all the way from the house?"
He glanced back over his shoulder, grimacing and turning to re-adjust his grip on the demon cat. "Hold *still*, you spawn of evil!"
"You know it could just be me, but maybe he doesn't like the way you're holding him," Andros remarked mildly.
Zhane shot him a withering glare. "I wouldn't be holding it like this if it hadn't tried to kill me when I held it the other way."
Andros started to roll his eyes and paused, frowning as he considered the cat more closely. "Is that Eric's cat?"
"No, it's Sky's," Zhane corrected. "Sheep. Syd and Bridge said it was missing and asked me to help look for it."
For some reason, that made Andros laugh. "Sheep is supposed to be Eric's cat," he explained. "But Sky adopted him and decided he was his."
"Whatever. Now can you call somebody to come and get it before I lose anymore blood?" Zhane demanded.
Andros considered him for a long moment. "No," he said at last, shaking his head slightly.
Zhane stared at him. "Excuse me?"
Andros sighed softly. "Go home, Zhane," he said bluntly. "Use the cat as an excuse if you have to, but go home already."
His eyes widened. "What are you - "
"You always have a place with me, Zhane," Andros interrupted, and his expression softened. "But we both know you're miserable. Go home and talk to Sky."
He swallowed. "You're the last person who should be giving relationship advice, Andros."
Andros quirked an eyebrow. "Twenty years and Ash has never threatened a divorce," he pointed out.
Zhane snorted. "Which is more credit to her than to you."
They looked at one another for a long moment.
"He said there was nothing to miss," Zhane said at last, and his voice sounded small even to him. "He said there never was."
"What started the fight?" Andros asked in a gentle, sympathetic tone Zhane had never heard him use before.
He sighed. "Dr. Felix congratulated him on his Promised."
"You hadn't told him yet."
"Wasn't sure if I was going to," he admitted softly.
Andros' hand settled on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "You don't give Sky enough credit," he reprimanded gently. "Maybe you should find out what he thinks once he's had time to think about it."
He swallowed again. "What if - "
But Andros was already shaking his head. "You'll never know if you don't try, Zhane. What happened to the invincible Silver Ranger?"
"He ... " He trailed off, not wanting to say the words aloud.
:: He fell in love, :: Andros finished for him. The smile he offered was warmer than he'd ever remembered Andros being capable of. :: Go home, Zhane. Tell him you're sorry, that you miss him, and you love him. Just tell him. ::
"Says the guy who had to let his girlfriend ask him out first," he grumbled, but there was no heat in it.
"Actually, Andros snuck it in at the very last minute, right before I could," Ashley's voice remarked behind him. She smiled when he looked at her, holding out a small box with a door on the front. "Thought you might like a cat carrier."
"Does it have a lock?" he asked hopefully, eyeing it.
She giggled, passing the cage to Andros. "Come here, Sheep," she cooed. "Let's get you home, huh baby?"
To Zhane's complete and utter disgust, she picked up the cat without so much as a hiss, cuddling it into her arms. And to top it off, the darn thing started *purring* when Andros reached out to scratch its ears.
"You two are going to have to learn to share, you know," Ashley informed him, grinning. "You can't ask Sky to choose between you and his cat - that's just cruel."
"Andros said it's Eric's cat," Zhane argued.
She smirked. "Yeah, that's what Eric thinks, too."
She tucked the cat away into the carrier, securing the lock before holding it out to Zhane. "Make sure the door points away from you, and you'll be fine," she advised.
Zhane took it, eyeing the cage warily as the cat made a low, warning noise. Then he oomped as Ashley's arms suddenly came around him.
"That goes for me too, you know," she told him, giving another warm smile. "You have a home with me *and* Andros, no matter what."
"Considering Andros doesn't think he's ever getting a divorce - whatever that is - I'd hope so," Zhane returned, smirking as she swatted his arm. Then he reached out with his free hand to draw her into a real hug. "Thanks, Ash."
"Good luck," she whispered, kissing his cheek.
Andros moved closer, bumping his wrist before giving a one-armed hug of his own. "Don't forget to visit us on your days off," he reminded him.
"Same to you," he retorted. :: You're not gonna wish me good luck? ::
:: You don't need it. ::
****
He wasn't sure how exactly he knew to come here. It was really *his* thinking spot, not Sky's. Sky liked the targeting range. Or the obstacle course, if he needed to work off some tension. But the roof ... that was Zhane's place.
But nonetheless, Sky was there, leaning against the railing and staring at the streets below the way Zhane usually did.
He turned when the door opened, and they stared at one another. Sky really did look terrible, Zhane acknowledged. Syd wasn't kidding about that. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was more wild than it should have been. His uniform was *wrinkled*, for crying out loud.
Then Sky blinked, and the spell was broken.
Zhane swallowed. "Found your cat," he said finally, gesturing vaguely toward the carrier in his other hand.
"Thanks," Sky said quietly.
"I ... " He shifted his weight back and forth uncertainly, trying to find something to say. Why was this so *hard*? He was supposed to be *good* with words, wasn't he? Why couldn't he just -
And then Sky was right in front of him, and they were kissing. Sky's hand eased the cat carrier out of his hand and set it gently on the ground, moving to wrap around his waist instead. Zhane fisted his hands in the back of Sky's shirt, trying to memorize the taste of him.
Who really needed words, anyway?
Eventually they pulled apart, but Zhane couldn't have said how long. Their foreheads rested together, and he closed his eyes with a sigh of contentment he couldn't keep in.
"So ... this ... 'promised' thing," Sky began at last, his voice husky. "How does it work, exactly?"
Zhane's eyes flickered open, marveling at how large and intensely *blue* Sky's looked when they were directly in front of him. "You make a promise," he said slowly. "It doesn't really matter what exactly. You promise something of yourself to the other person, and they promise something to you."
" ... And that's it?" Sky asked after a pause.
Zhane smirked faintly. "Well, you do actually have to *keep* the promise, but yeah. That's it."
Sky nodded slowly.
Then he stepped back, and took Zhane's hand, dropping to one knee.
Zhane blinked at him, confused. What was he doing?
"On Earth, when you ask someone to marry you," Sky began hesitantly, "You get down on one knee and ask them to spend the rest of your lives together. And then you give them a ring."
Zhane blinked at him again, strangely amused. "That's it?" he quoted, smirking faintly.
Sky chuckled softly, looking down for a moment. "That's it," he confirmed. He glanced up at him again. "But rings aren't that practical for S.P.D. personel."
Zhane frowned.
Then Sky shifted a little, reaching into his pocket, and slid something onto the fourth finger of Zhane's left hand. "But you're not practical," he finished with a wry smile. He looked up, catching Zhane's eyes. "I promise to never make you regret again," he said softly. "Whether it's me, or S.P.D., or when you died ... I don't want you to ever regret the way things turned out again."
Slowly, Zhane smiled.
He reached out, pulling Sky to his feet and wrapping his arms around him. He leaned forward to rest his chin on Sky's shoulder, tilting his head against his cheek. "I promise to be honest, to be myself, to drive you crazy, and to always, *always* come back to you."
Sky laughed, wrapping his arms around Zhane's waist and squeezing. "Now that's a promise I *know* you'll keep."
Zhane grinned, lifting his hand to admire the silver band on his finger for a moment. He smiled at the symbol of KO-35 etched into it. :: I love you, Sky, :: he thought.
"I love you, too," Sky murmured in his ear.
Sheep yowled loudly at their feet.
Jelly beans RULE!
Title: Fractured Fates
Author: Tsukino Akume
Relationship: Zhane/Sky Tate, Jack Landors/Syd Drew, Bridge/Ran
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers, because I probably wouldn't have done this to it even if I did. This is all purplestripe66's fault.
Warning: Character with depression/health issues
Summary: When Andros put Zhane into cryogenic stasis, he didn't wake up until he was completely healed - twenty-four years later. Zhane finds a new team, and S.P.D. tries to deal with the aftermath.
List of 22: 1 ~ animals
Author's Notes: This one was fun to write, despite the occassional road blocks. Also, Sky's new ability is *not* new - it was very subtly hinted in Family, but I don't think anyone caught it before.
Love to phantom_blue for ideas and encouragement.
They stared each other down, both wounded, but neither moving from their position. Zhane shifted his weight slightly, saw his opponent move, and dove forward. "Gotcha!" he shouted in triumph.
The black ball of fuzz in his arms hissed furiously, legs flailing as it tried to attack him again.
He grinned evilly, his grip remaining tight on the back of the cat's neck as he let it dangle in mid-air. "I don't *think* so," he crowed, reaching up to wipe one of the bloody scratches on his face from his last attempt.
The cat glared back, hissing and spitting.
"Watch your mouth," he retorted. "Sky would be ashamed."
Sky ... he sighed to himself, his feeling of superiority fading. Sky was the reason he was out here in the middle of the night, missing dinner no less, to chase down this demon creature so it could be returned to him. Despite the fact that he and Sky hadn't spoken since he'd quit S.P.D. nearly three weeks ago. Despite the fact that he was settling into a comfortable, peaceful life with Andros and Ashley.
Well ... *Trying* to settle was more like it. Peace wasn't something he'd ever had much of, and while it was nice and all, it was also boring. Incredibly boring, to be honest.
He didn't want to hurt Andros or Ashley by telling them he was going stir crazy, but he didn't know how much more of this 'happy home life' he could take. Ashley was trying to teach him how to *cook* for crying out loud. If he didn't find some action - and *soon* - he was going to do something drastic.
Drastic like hunting down his Promised's demon cat because Bridge and Syd showed up on his doorstep, one in tears and the other begging for his help in finding the evil thing. Surprisingly, Bridge was *not* the one he'd expected to see crying over Sky's cat. But Syd had been anxious, and swore up and down that Sky was *so* upset about it, and if he could just spare a *little* time to help look for it ...
He had a sneaking suspicion B Squad had something to do with all this. He just couldn't prove it yet.
He eyed his morpher. Crud. How was he supposed to do this now?
:: Bridge? :: he tried. :: You there? ::
:: Zhane? :: A pause. :: I'm sort of on duty right now. At this moment. Also, possibly unavailable. Can whatever urgent matter you might have wait for awhile? ::
:: Uh ... I guess? But - ::
:: Great! I'll get back to you later. :: The mental connection abruptly cut off.
Zhane groaned. This *had* to be a B Squad Conspiracy. *Had* to. Only B Squad could consistently drive him this crazy.
He eyed the demon cat creature again, thinking. Who else could he contact? Andros didn't even know he was out here - he'd said he was going for a walk. Sky was a subject they'd all been carefully avoiding since he'd showed up, and he wasn't sure how Andros would feel about him doing something involving the son of his friend. The one he'd warned Zhane not to hurt.
Though he did sort of wonder which one of them had actually been 'hurt' by their breakup - if it could be called that.
Was there anyone else he could mentally reach? He'd only ever connected to Andros and Bridge, and with Bridge he suspected that was more because of Bridge's abilities than his own. And it wasn't like he'd ever gotten that close to Sky -
"Do you realize I can hear you thinking all the way from the house?"
He glanced back over his shoulder, grimacing and turning to re-adjust his grip on the demon cat. "Hold *still*, you spawn of evil!"
"You know it could just be me, but maybe he doesn't like the way you're holding him," Andros remarked mildly.
Zhane shot him a withering glare. "I wouldn't be holding it like this if it hadn't tried to kill me when I held it the other way."
Andros started to roll his eyes and paused, frowning as he considered the cat more closely. "Is that Eric's cat?"
"No, it's Sky's," Zhane corrected. "Sheep. Syd and Bridge said it was missing and asked me to help look for it."
For some reason, that made Andros laugh. "Sheep is supposed to be Eric's cat," he explained. "But Sky adopted him and decided he was his."
"Whatever. Now can you call somebody to come and get it before I lose anymore blood?" Zhane demanded.
Andros considered him for a long moment. "No," he said at last, shaking his head slightly.
Zhane stared at him. "Excuse me?"
Andros sighed softly. "Go home, Zhane," he said bluntly. "Use the cat as an excuse if you have to, but go home already."
His eyes widened. "What are you - "
"You always have a place with me, Zhane," Andros interrupted, and his expression softened. "But we both know you're miserable. Go home and talk to Sky."
He swallowed. "You're the last person who should be giving relationship advice, Andros."
Andros quirked an eyebrow. "Twenty years and Ash has never threatened a divorce," he pointed out.
Zhane snorted. "Which is more credit to her than to you."
They looked at one another for a long moment.
"He said there was nothing to miss," Zhane said at last, and his voice sounded small even to him. "He said there never was."
"What started the fight?" Andros asked in a gentle, sympathetic tone Zhane had never heard him use before.
He sighed. "Dr. Felix congratulated him on his Promised."
"You hadn't told him yet."
"Wasn't sure if I was going to," he admitted softly.
Andros' hand settled on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "You don't give Sky enough credit," he reprimanded gently. "Maybe you should find out what he thinks once he's had time to think about it."
He swallowed again. "What if - "
But Andros was already shaking his head. "You'll never know if you don't try, Zhane. What happened to the invincible Silver Ranger?"
"He ... " He trailed off, not wanting to say the words aloud.
:: He fell in love, :: Andros finished for him. The smile he offered was warmer than he'd ever remembered Andros being capable of. :: Go home, Zhane. Tell him you're sorry, that you miss him, and you love him. Just tell him. ::
"Says the guy who had to let his girlfriend ask him out first," he grumbled, but there was no heat in it.
"Actually, Andros snuck it in at the very last minute, right before I could," Ashley's voice remarked behind him. She smiled when he looked at her, holding out a small box with a door on the front. "Thought you might like a cat carrier."
"Does it have a lock?" he asked hopefully, eyeing it.
She giggled, passing the cage to Andros. "Come here, Sheep," she cooed. "Let's get you home, huh baby?"
To Zhane's complete and utter disgust, she picked up the cat without so much as a hiss, cuddling it into her arms. And to top it off, the darn thing started *purring* when Andros reached out to scratch its ears.
"You two are going to have to learn to share, you know," Ashley informed him, grinning. "You can't ask Sky to choose between you and his cat - that's just cruel."
"Andros said it's Eric's cat," Zhane argued.
She smirked. "Yeah, that's what Eric thinks, too."
She tucked the cat away into the carrier, securing the lock before holding it out to Zhane. "Make sure the door points away from you, and you'll be fine," she advised.
Zhane took it, eyeing the cage warily as the cat made a low, warning noise. Then he oomped as Ashley's arms suddenly came around him.
"That goes for me too, you know," she told him, giving another warm smile. "You have a home with me *and* Andros, no matter what."
"Considering Andros doesn't think he's ever getting a divorce - whatever that is - I'd hope so," Zhane returned, smirking as she swatted his arm. Then he reached out with his free hand to draw her into a real hug. "Thanks, Ash."
"Good luck," she whispered, kissing his cheek.
Andros moved closer, bumping his wrist before giving a one-armed hug of his own. "Don't forget to visit us on your days off," he reminded him.
"Same to you," he retorted. :: You're not gonna wish me good luck? ::
:: You don't need it. ::
****
He wasn't sure how exactly he knew to come here. It was really *his* thinking spot, not Sky's. Sky liked the targeting range. Or the obstacle course, if he needed to work off some tension. But the roof ... that was Zhane's place.
But nonetheless, Sky was there, leaning against the railing and staring at the streets below the way Zhane usually did.
He turned when the door opened, and they stared at one another. Sky really did look terrible, Zhane acknowledged. Syd wasn't kidding about that. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his hair was more wild than it should have been. His uniform was *wrinkled*, for crying out loud.
Then Sky blinked, and the spell was broken.
Zhane swallowed. "Found your cat," he said finally, gesturing vaguely toward the carrier in his other hand.
"Thanks," Sky said quietly.
"I ... " He shifted his weight back and forth uncertainly, trying to find something to say. Why was this so *hard*? He was supposed to be *good* with words, wasn't he? Why couldn't he just -
And then Sky was right in front of him, and they were kissing. Sky's hand eased the cat carrier out of his hand and set it gently on the ground, moving to wrap around his waist instead. Zhane fisted his hands in the back of Sky's shirt, trying to memorize the taste of him.
Who really needed words, anyway?
Eventually they pulled apart, but Zhane couldn't have said how long. Their foreheads rested together, and he closed his eyes with a sigh of contentment he couldn't keep in.
"So ... this ... 'promised' thing," Sky began at last, his voice husky. "How does it work, exactly?"
Zhane's eyes flickered open, marveling at how large and intensely *blue* Sky's looked when they were directly in front of him. "You make a promise," he said slowly. "It doesn't really matter what exactly. You promise something of yourself to the other person, and they promise something to you."
" ... And that's it?" Sky asked after a pause.
Zhane smirked faintly. "Well, you do actually have to *keep* the promise, but yeah. That's it."
Sky nodded slowly.
Then he stepped back, and took Zhane's hand, dropping to one knee.
Zhane blinked at him, confused. What was he doing?
"On Earth, when you ask someone to marry you," Sky began hesitantly, "You get down on one knee and ask them to spend the rest of your lives together. And then you give them a ring."
Zhane blinked at him again, strangely amused. "That's it?" he quoted, smirking faintly.
Sky chuckled softly, looking down for a moment. "That's it," he confirmed. He glanced up at him again. "But rings aren't that practical for S.P.D. personel."
Zhane frowned.
Then Sky shifted a little, reaching into his pocket, and slid something onto the fourth finger of Zhane's left hand. "But you're not practical," he finished with a wry smile. He looked up, catching Zhane's eyes. "I promise to never make you regret again," he said softly. "Whether it's me, or S.P.D., or when you died ... I don't want you to ever regret the way things turned out again."
Slowly, Zhane smiled.
He reached out, pulling Sky to his feet and wrapping his arms around him. He leaned forward to rest his chin on Sky's shoulder, tilting his head against his cheek. "I promise to be honest, to be myself, to drive you crazy, and to always, *always* come back to you."
Sky laughed, wrapping his arms around Zhane's waist and squeezing. "Now that's a promise I *know* you'll keep."
Zhane grinned, lifting his hand to admire the silver band on his finger for a moment. He smiled at the symbol of KO-35 etched into it. :: I love you, Sky, :: he thought.
"I love you, too," Sky murmured in his ear.
Sheep yowled loudly at their feet.