Disclaimer: I still don't own Power Rangers
A/N: Yes, I'm skipping the Galaxy Book drama, and a few other plotlines, but I'm hitting the ones that I know best. I don't actually know much about LG, you know. Mostly what I learned from the fandom. I am, however, planning for a few things to be different in further chapters to match aspects of this story. Oh, also, the Damon and the machine thing is detailed in 'It's Not Easy Being Green'. I have this thing, that I don't actually like 'After Blue' as being the Brotherhood 'Verse Blue Ranger story, so I'm fixing it with random Blue stories.
Mike's return to Terra Venture was something of a sensation, even as the other Rangers worked to downplay their status, he was something of a celebrity, both as a new ranger and his 'back from the dead' story. Kai was privately thankfully it took nearly a month for Leo to come into the room, notice Damon was gone, and say, "Mike says you're asexual."
Kai sighed as he leaned against the cabinet, "I am," he replied, "do you have a problem with that?"
"I wouldn't say I have a problem," Leo replied, "although I am confused."
"What about?" Kai asked.
"I don't understand asexuality, I guess," Leo said, "I mean, I never thought about it."
Kai shrugged, "I don't care to have sex, Leo. No, I'm not a virgin, yes I've slept with both genders. Sex just doesn't interest me. It's messy and awkward and I don't enjoy it. I do like romance; however, it's why I say 'panromantic asexual'. I like being with people in groups or one on one to a certain extent." He spread his hands a little, "I like traditional romance, with flowers and candlelight dinners and long walks. I'm not comfortable with kissing and I don't want sex."
Leo tilted his head, "I understand what you're saying," he said finally, "I just never thought of it."
"Most people don't," Kai replied. "I think it's because most people are so hard-wired with the desire to procreate that they can't imagine someone who doesn't want to contribute to the gene pool in the natural fashion."
"Ok," Leo said, "so when you said you and Kendrix were looking for something."
"Kendrix is patently hetero," Kai said, "she wants marriage, children, the whole nine yards. She's just having trouble with the husband bit. While she's looking, and kissing the frogs, I'm there to play big brother for her. In return, she lets me take her out to dinner or a movie and we do bicker like an old married couple on occasion. We're best friends, but that's all we are."
"Hence why you said I should consider her," Leo said.
"I want her to be happy," Kai replied, "you're a good man, Leo Corbett, and you'd be good for her. Maybe while you're trying to understand me, you should consider her as well."
Kai left Leo to his thoughts, and tackled the other problem in his life. Namely, the problem of Damon and Maya; now that everyone else knew, it was only fair that he tell them as well.
The moment came two weeks later, when Damon had a day off following the arrival of the green rangers and their subsequent pranks. Nothing was really said, but Damon going postal on the electric machine had probably played into that decision. Maya had come to visit during lunch and Kai, also enjoying his day off, decided to seize the moment. "Damon, Maya," he said, "I have something I need to tell you two."
"Ok," Damon said.
"First off, I need to apologize, because Kendrix and Mike knew this and Mike told Leo. Second of all, it's nothing bad." Kai said as he watched them for a moment. "It's like this, I'm a panromantic asexual."
"Which means?" Damon asked.
"I am not interested in sex," Kai said bluntly, "not with either gender. I find it messy, awkward and it's not an experience I'd care to repeat. I do like romance, even if I don't actually care about the gender of a romantic interest."
"I do not," Maya began, "what about a family? Do you not want your legacy to be spoken of by your children?"
Kai sighed, "Having children the natural way isn't a preferred option for me. I wouldn't say no to adopting a kid or two someday."
Damon nodded slightly, "I can't say I understand, but I'm not going to beat you up for it, Kai. You're not into sex, I guess that's just more ladies for me."
Kai laughed, "Ah, but I am an expert at romance, Damon. I like romance. There's just something about the expression on a woman's face when you give her flowers or a guy's even. That I get, and I like."
"I am not sure I understand," Maya said. "I will talk to Kendrix; I know that she will explain this."
"Kendrix is good at explaining things," Kai agreed. "I do have a request; I'd rather this didn't get bandied about the colony. People don't always accept my choice, either because they think I'm not experienced or because I was hurt by someone. The former spend a lot of wasted effort in getting me to sleep with someone and the later are usually psychiatrists or people who can make me undergo psych evals when I should be doing my job." He shrugged, "The team knows, and Colonel Stanton knows, not to mention a few others from when I applied to be on Terra Venture, but I don't like to make a big deal about it."
"Sure," Damon said, "I won't say anything."
"Me either," Maya agreed.
That was that, until the evening two days later when Kai walked out of the bathroom in his old Alliance t-shirt, which he had avoided wearing before, and threw himself onto one of the chairs. "What's an Ace?" Damon asked after reading his shirt.
"Slang term for asexual," Kai replied as he picked up his book, "Ace of Hearts, because I'm panromantic. My ex-girlfriend Amanda designed the shirt for me."
"I thought you didn't date," Damon said.
"I date," Kai said, "I just don't have sex," he paused in the act of opening his book, "I don't kiss either. My old friend Amy said I lacked passion, the first girl I kissed, Callie, just slapped me and called me cold."
Leo coming out of the kitchen, laughed, "You don't seem like the type to get slapped, Kai."
"I've had my moments though," Kai admitted, letting the book fall open absently, "usually because I seemed uninterested or cold to a date that missed the key aspect of my personality."
Leo settled on the couch and picked up the remote, "Anyone mind if I watch TV?"
"Just don't shatter my ear drums," Kai replied lifting his book up pointedly. Kendrix would be mad at him for not finishing it sooner, but he was enjoying it as much as she'd said he would.
"No," Damon replied as he picked up an engineering magazine he'd gotten from someone, "I don't mind." He flipped it open ostentatiously, then frowned and turned it right side up while turning his lamp on.
"Awesome," Leo said and turned the TV on. He flipped through a few channels before settling on a broadcast from Earth, a baseball game that even Kai found hard to ignore when it went into extra innings. When Leo's team won, Kai branded the image of Leo jumping around like a psychotic jumping bean for later, when he could take it out for a remembered smile and even a soft chuckle.
Look back, Kai pointed to that night as their last quiet night before Andros and the Psychos arrived, and especially before they lost Kendrix. The next day's lunch was the last time Kai had a chance to talk to Kendrix one on one before it all went down. On the other hand, the bad things that happened had a few good things disguised inside, some of which Kai never expected and some of which, in hindsight, should have been devastatingly obvious.
