Damp Spirits

By: Cami

Chapter 1

She couldn't believe it; it couldn't possibly be true...could it? Could Zordon really be dead? Sure, she hadn't known Zordon as long as the other rangers, but he was someone she cared about deeply. Like Kimberly had once told her, he's like a father to us all. Like a father...that's what he was.

Now here she was, sitting on a bench inside Angel Grove Mall, crying her eyes out. She really didn't care about all the weird looks the passing people were giving her, she really didn't notice. All she could think about was that Zordon was gone...forever.

'Stop crying Katherine!' she shouted at herself. 'This is not the time or the place to be crying your heart out. Get a grip!' Taking a deep breath, she stood, wiping her face on her sleeve. "I'm okay...I'm okay," she mumbled under her breath.

As she began the walk towards the parking lot, she wondered if the other rangers knew about Zordon's fate. Shortly after the space rangers' heroic epic, Cassie had come to her and told her what had happened. She didn't blame Androse for what he did. If she were in his place, she would've done the same. He did the right thing; otherwise

Zordon wouldn't have asked him to do it.

How she wished that she still had her powers. If she and the others were still rangers, they would've been able to help fight, and may've prevented Zordon from giving up his life to stop the fighting. But, it was too late to do anything about it now. All she could do was grieve.

She was almost at the main entrance, when she heard a familiar voice behind her call her name...a voice she hadn't heard in nearly 2 years. Turning slowly, she saw Tommy Oliver standing a few feet behind her. "Tommy?"

He nodded and walked up to her, enveloping her in a hug. "So I guess you heard," he said as he pulled away, "...about Zordon?"

"Yeah, Cassie told me. That's why I came back here to Angel Grove for a while. I guess I just needed to verify for myself whether or not it was true." She glanced down at the ground, unsure of what to say to him. After they passed the turbo powers over to the now blue, black, pink, and yellow space rangers, she and the others parted ways. She left for dance school in Europe, Tommy left for New Mexico, Tanya was finally able to get a start on her singing career, and Adam headed for Japan to visit some of his relatives.

Kat had decided, after what had happened between Kimberly and Tommy, that he wasn't ready for another long-distance relationship...and maybe another heartbreak. So, she broke it off between them, not wanting him or herself to have to deal with the pain if they found someone else along the way. But, she hadn't found anyone else...had he?

Tommy noticed her red, swollen eyes that seemed to be filling with tears again. "You've been crying."

She nodded. "I can't seem to stop crying these days. I always thought Zordon would be here for us. Even though we're no longer rangers, he was one person I knew I could count on for guidance. But he's gone now...and I don't exactly know how to deal with that."

He sighed, "I know what'cha mean. I kept telling myself that it wasn't real, it wasn't true, that it was a trick--some sort of prank. Zordon's gone. It's going to take a while to adjust to, but I know we'll recover. We always do after tragedy strikes."

They left the mall and began walking towards no place in particular. It was purely coincidence that they just happened to have ended up and Angel Grove Park, the place where most of the battles between good and evil had taken place.

"So, how'd you find out?" Kat asked him as they sat down on a bench, shaded by a big oak tree.

"TJ. I ran into him, or rather, spotted him. He was kinda hard to miss with a crowd of people surrounding him, asking him what it was like to be a power ranger. Poor guy...lucky I was there to pull him away from the mob."

Kat laughed. "Makes us glad we didn't give into temptation and reveal our identities, huh?"

"Yeah. Do you ever wish that you were still a ranger?"

"All the time...why?"

"Ever since I gave up my powers, I've had this gap--this empty space inside of me. Something about being a ranger, about knowing that I was doing a part to protect the planet, made me feel like I belonged...that I was making up for all the terrible things I did as the evil green ranger. You know what I mean?"

She nodded. "Yes, I do. Probably more than anyone. I know what it's like knowing that you caused some of the destruction you were trying to prevent later on in life. After all, I was Rita's little minion at one time also."

Tommy glanced around the park, remembering all the struggles and happy times that had occurred here. He tapped Kat's shoulder and pointed towards a tree at the south end of the park. "See that slash in the side of the tree?"

Kat nodded.

"Jason once got his power sword stuck in that tree." He laughed, "the tree didn't want to give it back to him. It took

Jason, Zack, and me to finally pull it out of there."

Katherine smiled, "A lot of great memories, eh Tommy?"

He smiled as well and nodded, watching as her old cheerful self fluttered back to the surface...the old Kat...his Kat. Was she still his, or had she moved on like Kimberly had?

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Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers. They belong to Saban, Fox Kids, 20th Century Fox, ABC Family, and probably other companies that I can't think of at the moment. The point is, THEY'RE NOT MINE!