Hello! This is my first Power Rangers story. It takes place after Zhane's sacrafice for Andros, but before Andros met the Earth Rangers. I hope you enjoy it!

The Sound of Loneliness

"Hey."

The greeting was small and timid. One would never guess it was a salutation from one best friend to another. The speaker, clad in a silver uniform with red features, took a couple more shy steps near the room, hovering in the doorway. Heaving a sigh, he straightened his spine and stoically took his rightful place in the metal chair near the cryogenic tube that contained the valiant, spirited, self-sacrificing Silver Ranger.

Inside his head, Andros scoffed at the adjectives he used to describe Zhane.

Add 'comatose' to that list…

The Red Ranger put a trembling hand on the frozen cylinder and rubbed away at the condensation that collected on top of the chamber to reveal a helmet that was all too familiar to Andros. His now-wet hand clenched into a fist as he took a moment to compose himself.

"H… Happy Birthday," Andros shakily smiled, choking on his words. He leaned back into his chair and wiped away the sweat that was forming on his brow. "I know we don't really celebrate them, but you always thought it was such a fun tradition after you took that 'Earth Culture and History' class, so I figured this year we could celebrate…" Andros trailed off. "Actually, I hoped by today you'd've…" He cleared his thought and continued.

"I'm sorry I haven't been up here to talk to you in a while," he awkwardly apologized. "I meant to, I swear… I've just been b-busy…" Andros struggled for the right words.

"Ecliptor is still trying to overtake Aquitar," Andros sadly reported. "But, I did manage to hold him off from Phadoes." He paused, subconsciously waiting for Zhane to reply.

All Andros heard was the sound of silence.

"Beating these guys is a lot harder without the rest of the team. And it… it gets really lonely here," the single living being on the ship confessed to the frozen form of Zhane. "Man, I miss you. So much." Andros stifled a sob. "Why?" he softly questioned.

Tears welled up in Andros's eyes as he took in the sight of his best friend lying there, nearly dead. Of course, injuries weren't uncommon to Andros and Zhane. After all, they were Power Rangers! But it was this particular situation that was tearing Andros apart. And what was even worse was that there was nothing Andros could do about it.

"Why?" he vehemently repeated, pushing his chair back and standing up so he could pace. "Zhane, why the hell would you do something like that? It was my fault. I was distracted… and weak… You didn't have to step up like that, Zhane. It… it…"

Suddenly, the chair that Andros had been sitting in flew across the room and the various pieces it broke into came crashing down to the ground. Such a telekinetic performance only showed how frustrated Andros was with his feelings of grief and loneliness.

"I should be the one lying there! It's my fault! All of it!" Andros screamed, his voice echoing throughout the entire ship. "I was the leader, and I failed you, Zhane. I failed everyone!" Andros looked up and let his shoulders drop.

"Listen to me," he bitterly sneered at himself. "I sound like you. Do you remember?" The Karovan's brown eyes took one a faraway look as his allowed himself the indulgence of this memory. "When we were at Academy?" Andros rhetorically questioned. "Of course you do." As he spoke, Andros waved his arms around as if he were entertaining a great audience. In reality, he was only talking to one unconscious young man.

"We were sparring, and you accidentally slashed me in the stomach. All I remember is falling down, and that look in your eyes. Pure terror…" Andros shook his head. "It was just a flesh wound. See? There's barely even a scar."

Just to prove his point, Andros lifted up his red undershirt to reveal a faint, white scar running across his abdomen.

"You wouldn't even make eye contact with me for weeks. Guilt was your excuse. And I always thought to myself, 'How? How could Zhane feel guilty about this? Surely he'd know I didn't blame him. It was an accident!' Besides, what was there to feel guilty about? I was good as new in four or five days anyway…"

Andros thought long and hard about that memory. It seemed like it had been just yesterday He and Zhane were at school in KO-35, always dreaming to become one of the legendary Power Rangers. By some surreal miracle, both Karovans had done so, and together began exploring and protecting the universe until…

Until…

It was total chaos on the Space Colony, KO-35. Dark Specter's minions were everywhere, and attacking everything in sight. The Blue, Pink, Black, and Yellow Rangers had already been slayed in past battles for KO-35, but the Red and Silver Rangers pushed onwards, still trying to save their home planet.

Andros spun in circles, shooting everything evil in sight. Zhane was doing the same. Both knew that this fight was against all odds, but both still refused to give up. Startling each other, the Rangers made back-to-back contact, each being pursued by the monsters who were trying to take over the planet.

"Whoa!" Zhane called, just barely dodging a fatal blow. "Andros, there's too many of them!"

Andros ignored Zhane, not ready to give in. "This one's mine!" he announced, and charged for one of the bigger, uglier monsters. His red saber didn't stop swinging.

As best as he could, Zhane continued to fend off the other monsters and keep them distracted. Andros was already in over his head with the demon- leader. He looked over at Andros, and saw the fiend carved his weapon into Andros chest, which sent the Red Rangers flying. "Ahh!" he cried, landing hard onto the ground. His saber had been knocked out of his hand and rolled away from his reach.

"Andros!" Zhane shouted, and darted over to help his best friend. Before the monstrous being delivered the lethal blow to Andros, Zhane deflected the shot, and began fighting the monster himself. Like Andros, he was no match to fend off the beast alone. A slice into Zhane's chest caused the Silver Ranger to fall against the monster. Still maintaining a fighting spirt, Zhane pushed the unsuspecting monster to the ground. The impact of the fall created enough force to ignite an explosion on that spot.

Andros watched helplessly as Zhane and the monster exploded into a flash of fire.

"Zhane!" he called out. As soon as Andros got back on his feet, he was knocked down again from the explosion's energy. The Red Ranger quickly forced himself back up, staring at the explosion sight. The smoke hadn't begun to clear, but Andros knew what had just happened.

"NO!" Andros's primal screech tore through the battleground. The Red Ranger fell to his knees, cursing the Zhane for sacrificing his life to save his best friend.

Andros squeezed his eyes shut and his hands involuntary curled into tight fists. How many times had he replayed that devastating moment in his head?

"I understand now," he informed Zhane. "Oh, yeah, now I know what you were feeling. This… this weight of guilt just gnaws and eats away at my guts and can't do anything about it. It's inside me, and there's nothing I can do to make it let up!" A bitter laugh abruptly erupted from Andros. "You felt guilty for some stupid, minor injury. I damn-near killed you!"

Andros looked back at Zhane, who still hadn't moved a muscle. This wasn't what his friend wanted to hear. He wasn't being fair to Zhane.

"Look, I'm sorry," he hastily apologized. "I don't mean to take all this out on you. I'm not mad, I just…" Andros paused, trying to figure out what it was he wanted to say. Lately, he wasn't sure about anything anymore. "I don't know what to do anymore." He closed his eyes, willing himself to get a grip.

"We were invincible together," the Red Ranger commented. Nothing in the galaxy could stop us. But now, every move I make… I can't shake this feeling like I'm gonna destroy some innocent civilian."

He sighed again, at an impasse within himself.

"So, I… uhh…" he sighed nervously. "I'll see you later, ok. And I promise, when you wake up…"

Andros was always careful in his word choice when he discussed this topic. Right now, the hope that Zhane would someday heal and wake up was the only thread Andros was hanging on by. The thought of Zhane not awakening wasn't something he could even fathom.

"When you wake up, it'll be just like old times. And don't worry, I'll fill you in on everything." Andros furiously blinked away the tears that were started to mist over his brown eyes.

"Get better, buddy. Please." On that last word, Andros's voice cracked, conveying the desperateness he was feeling. With one more fond look at Zhane, Andros turned his heel and walked out of the healing chamber.

Time to get back to life without Zhane.

It was a lonely one.

There you go! I'd love to hear from you in a review! Thanks for reading!