Power Rangers In Space, Heather Ray [top reads txt] 📗

sweeping blonde locks, piercing eyes, garnet lips, and alluring attire. Of course, Astronema was more than sexy clothes and makeup. She was confidence, power, and cunning.

That was the woman Zhane rescued from the wolf creature. That was the woman he fed marshmallows. That was the woman he offered roses.

What was she now?

Nothing special. Not particularly eye-catching; and she lacked the confidence of Astronema, the power, the strength of will. She was filled with confusion, half-memories, guilt for past actions, and a deep yearning for the life Darkonda stole from her. She had no idea how to survive by herself in human society; she needed to be guided by the hand, like a child.

She was, frankly, a mess of a human being. What did she have to offer?

"I'm being ridiculous," she decided. "I have no reason to feel this way. Zhane has been nothing but kind to me."

But the doubts persisted. He was kind, but why

? Was it simply because she was his best friend's sister? That would explain the friendly overtures.

When she was Astronema, he flirted with her. He stared into her eyes. He grinned with mischief, boldly stroking her cheek.

Could that mean his heart longed for Astronema?

Frustrated by her sudden fears she marched out of Zhane's quarters. I can't believe I'm doing this to myself. Maybe emotional attachments are

a waste of energy!

She regretted the thought as soon as it crossed her mind. That philosophy was Dark Specter's and she knew it wasn't true.

She'd known it wasn't true even before she learned her true name. She'd realized she had been incomplete, and the longing couldn't be satisfied by more destruction and violence. That was why she'd responded to Zhane's flirting, when everything she learned as a student of Evil dictated she should've killed him when she had the chance.

No, ignoring her feelings wasn't the answer. She needed to face them.

She needed to talk to him.

Thus resolved she headed for the lockers, where Zhane was supposed to be cleaning up with T.J. and Carlos. She was just exiting the lift when she heard their laughter, making her wonder how much work they were actually doing.

Not that she couldn't understand. They were comrades, and this was one of the few chances they had left to reminisce about their adventures.

"And what was up with you kissing Ashley's hand?" Carlos' voice questioned. "And don't tell me it's a 'traditional Kerovan greeting' either; I saw how Andros glared at you."

Karone blinked. Okay, enough reminiscing.

"What I said then was true," Zhane responded, "women just weren't Power Rangers on KO 35. They weren't even armed combatants during the war, so I hadn't really seen a beautiful woman in years. So, I saw Ashley and-"

"Zhane, can I talk to you a moment?"

It was actually comical the way the three men froze upon hearing Karone's voice. They turned around slowly, eyes wide with dawning horror, as they realized exactly what situation the Silver Ranger had talked himself into.

Three Power Rangers, the celebrated saviors of multiple planets, all but cowered before the wrath of simple Karone of KO 35. They never were so afraid of Astronema.

Karone closed her eyes for a moment, banishing the thought from her mind. The last thing she wanted to do was draw more comparisons.

When she opened them she found Zhane standing in front of her, his face perfectly contrite. "Uh… I know that didn't sound good, Karone…"

She didn't look him in the eye, instead looking past him at the Blue and Black Rangers. "T.J., Carlos, can you excuse us?"

"You got it!" T.J. looked relieved as he slipped past them.

"We'll, uh, see you later, guys," Carlos mumbled as he left.

The locker room fell silent, Zhane shuffling his feet with rare awkwardness as Karone struggled to decide how to begin the conversation.

It was Zhane who finally broke the silence. "I think I need to clarify a few things," he stated. "Absolutely nothing happened between Ashley and me. I mean nothing. It took me about five minutes to realize how much Andros liked her, and she only had eyes for him. We are, and have always been, just friends. And besides, all of this was before I even met you!"

His explanation came out in a hurried rush, and as Karone listened, she realized she didn't really have a problem with the recently-discovered "moment with Ashley." Everything he said was perfectly logical, and she was well aware that Ashley and Andros were inseparable.

Everything he said made sense, but his last point struck a nerve.

"You mean, before you met Astronema."

It took him a moment. He blinked at her, frowning in confusion. Obviously, that wasn't the response he was expecting.

"Huh?"

"You and Ashley," Karone reiterated, "that happened before you met Astronema. You only met me a few days ago."

He watched her with observant eyes, noticing the tension in her forehead, and the resigned way her eyes never met his, as if she'd already come to some sort of conclusion before he'd spoken a single word.

"You're... talking as if you're two separate people," Zhane noted.

Her frown deepened as she closed the gap between them, holding out the photograph. "The woman in this picture is not me. She's someone else, someone that doesn't exist anymore."

Zhane swallowed uncomfortably, looking at the photograph to spare him the look in Karone's eyes. They were bright with so much feeling, more feeling than he'd ever seen her openly display, he didn't know how to handle it.

He knew he'd found himself in a very serious conversation, though he was still thrown for a loop when Karone spoke again.

"I need to know the truth, Zhane. What do you feel for Astronema?"

And with that, she stood quietly, and waited.

Zhane practically swallowed his tongue when he realized, he didn't know how to answer her.

He'd been attracted to the stunning vixen almost immediately; he couldn't deny that. What red-blooded male wouldn't be? But after spending some time with her, he found himself more and more curious about the person she was; what she thought, how she felt.

But as curious as he was, he couldn’t afford to look too closely at the churning emotions he felt that day. There had been so much at stake, and even the most naïve of daydreamers couldn't conjure a happy ending for the Silver Ranger and the Princess of Evil; so he'd forcibly put it out of his mind at the time.

Then, everything changed. Suddenly, the barriers that stood between the Silver Ranger and the Princess of Evil became moot, yet new challenges arose. It was still uncomfortable looking too closely; the realm of possibility had cracked wide open, and it had become a bit… scary. It was easier to focus on smaller steps than consider the bigger picture.

But she was asking him what he felt. It was obvious that she needed an answer; despite his misgivings, he needed to give her one.

"Honestly? I don't know."

Zhane focused his attention on the photograph, thinking back to the fateful encounter in the park, when all his preconceptions were shattered. "I know I felt something when we met, but really, I only spent about an hour with her. I don't know Astronema... the person she really was... at all."

He paused again, a small frown on his face as he searched for words.

"She was the center of attention," Karone found herself saying. "She trained hard to rise in Dark Specter's favor, surpassing beings with innate magic and centuries more experience. She was ambitious; she knew she would be the Queen of Evil, and she wouldn't tolerate rivals."

Karone sighed softly, moving passed Zhane to sit on the nearby bench. In her mind's eye she pictured her former self, a pillar of strength; a far cry from her current persona.

"She was... ruthless. She killed wizards to steal their secrets, used civilians as pawns in her schemes, and used violence to keep her underlings in order. She was feared more than respected... even before the Countdown. That was why Dark Specter favored her."

Zhane watched her as she listed her alter ego's attributes. "I've heard a lot of that stuff before," he admitted, taking a seat beside her. "But honestly, I just figured it was exaggeration… because the woman I met in the park wasn't like that at all."

Karone looked up, her eyes skeptical. "You mean the same woman that nearly fried you to a crisp?"

"Nearly,"

Zhane emphasized. "That's the whole thing. I knew who Astronema was supposed to be… she was supposed

to be this ruthless witch, but that's not who she was when we were together. She ate marshmallows. She thanked me for saving her life. She laughed, and smiled…"

He grinned as he reflected on the memories of that day. "I figured she had to have a good heart, and I knew that contradicted everything I’d heard about her."

Zhane then turned to Karone, meeting her attentive blue eyes. "Then I found out the truth about you, and I realized that I had been right. The good I sensed in Astronema was you, Karone."

Silence stretched between them, as Karone dropped her eyes, finding her nervously twining fingers suddenly hypnotizing. Zhane watched, and waited.

"So her confidence, her power… the skin-tight leather… that had nothing to do with it, huh?"

At first, Zhane simply stared. Then, when he realized she was expecting an answer, he tried to laugh off his discomfort, but he only managed an awkward chuckle. "Wow… we're really going for brutal honesty here, huh?"

She winced. "I've been wondering," she admitted quietly. "For a while, actually."

Zhane took a slow breath. "The truth is… well… I was attracted to Astronema for a few reasons, and I'll admit, some were very superficial."

Karone nodded in acceptance, eyes still trained on her hands.

"But other reasons were... deeper. When we were in the park, I saw something in Astronema that no one else saw, and I'm hoping..." He paused, a rueful grin on his lips. "No, I know I'll find it in you."

His words were filled with determination, revealing so much of his thoughts and feelings that Karone considered them in silence. His admission cast all his actions the past few days in a new light.

The conversations, the excursions around the settlement and outside of it… he was handling her with care, but he was still trying to bring out her smile. Drawing out her true self… just like with the marshmallows.

She felt overwhelmed that Zhane saw so much in her, that he felt she was worth all that effort.

"I'm sorry I jumped to the wrong conclusion," she murmured, finally looking up at him. "That picture means something different to you than it does to me."

She felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment as she expressed her worries. But it was only fair; she demanded the truth from Zhane, so she owed him that same consideration. "I look at Astronema and I see, well… I see a woman I will never be. Which is good, since Astronema has done some terrible things, but… it's also bad, because I'll never be as strong as she was."

Zhane's hand gently rested on her shoulder. "You're still figuring out who you are. But we've seen glimpses, you know. You were brave enough to risk your life sneaking aboard the Dark Fortress, remember?"

It was