Disclaimer: I don't own a single bit of it, just my own imagination.

Everybody hurts

Chapter 4

dedicated to all the people whose wonderful stories inspired me and kept me locked at this site for 8 long, long years. Your ability in writing and the passion that you've put into every single word are what inspired me to do the same and to dedicate my final exam essay for college graduation to this amazing world: fanfiction. So thank you!!

"Why??" said Sky after several long moments of complete silence, his voice smoothed by the rain

Bridge opened his mouth on incstinct, but no words came to him. What did that question mean? What was that Sky asked? He felt as if he was completely useless at that moment, 'cause here was his best friend, waiting an answer and he wasn't able even to understand what he was asked for.

Sky was breathing quite hard at that moment when he spoke again, a strange hollow in his tone: "Why am I not allowed?"

If it was possible Bridge was now even more confused. Sky was not allowed..the words echoed in his mind, but he couldn't give them a real meaning.

He tried to take a couple of steps towards the blue ranger, trying to catch a glimpse of his eyes, but to his dismay they were again focused on the ground.

Bridge made up his mind, resolved to know what was troubling his dear friend. He opened his mouth to speak the second times since they left the base, but once again he wasn't able to say anything, 'cause Sky cut him.

"I failed…I FAILED!!" Sky screamed in a desperate way, making the other boy stop in his track.

Bridge looked at Sky with a concerned look, the other boy was breathing heavily now, as if he was enraged.

"All my life" continued Sky "all my life…I had been strong, you know? I was strong when I was a child just to stand out in my father's eyes, I was strong when he…" Sky stopped and colosed his eyes, unable to go on. The memory of his father's death must have been too painful to him to even say it alod, even after all those years "…when he…left us, my mother and I. I knew that mum needed me to be strong for her, he needed me to be strong otherwise she would have shattered into a million pieces…" his voice was very saddened "And…I had to be strong when I was accepted into SPD to prove I was able to take in my father's steps….I HAD to be strong, all my life, just not to fail his memory, to make him pround of me even if he couldn't be there to see me!" Sky seemed almost to be speaking to himself, as his voice lowered with the last few words, and Bridge had to make a big effort not to miss the words.

"It was hard…it really was!" Sky looked straight into Bridge's eyes, his eyes full of pain, almost on the verge of tears. But he was not finished yet, and Bridge could almost feel it.

"So why….why….WHY?"

Bridge was really shaken. He had never seen his friend in such a state before, and he didn't know what to do, how to react now that Sky, for the first time since the two of them met, was letting his heart out. Bridge felt like he was about to through up. Not only was the pain in Sky's eyes plain visible, but he could feel strong waves of anger mixed with angst coming from the blue ranger and the feeling of it almost made him sick. He forced himself to speak, he knew he had to say something and swallowed very hard as if he was about to enter somewhere he was not sure he was allowed to.

"Sky…" Bridge begun slowly in a pleading tone "…please Sky, tell me. What happened?"

Sky eyed him for a moment with a hurtful look "I…I failed…I failed Bridge, I totally did!...I failed my father, I failed SPD…I failed…you!!" Sky averted his gaze not able to look at Bridge anymore.

The green ranger finally closed the distance between them, coming to a halt a few feet away from Sky " No Sky…why are you telling this? It's not true…oh come on you know it's not true! Listen Sky" Bridge tone was very soft, not a reproachful one, and he touched Sky's arm softly with his hand, as to make sure his friend would listen to him "Listen…you know you've never done it, you'll never will, no matter what!"

Sky suddenly looked straight at him in the eyes, and with a small but swift movement averted his arm out of Bridge's hand. "Oh yes…I have! Believe me! It doesn't matter how many times I tried to be strong, because tonight in a single moment of weakness I threw it all away! Just for a damned single moment of weakness! I…I…can't believe I've put all that I care about at stake, just to give myself the damned privilege of being weak!!" Sky took a deep breath and went on "I…was stupid Bridge!" the green ranger noted, and kind of blamed himself for the futility and the selfishness of the thought, that it was the first time since all of this begun that Sky was addressing him directly, and the thought made him understand that the boy at least recognised that he was there for him "I was unbelievably stupid! I had to get some information we needed, you know to catch that criminal, and to do that I promised that….monster" and he put all his loathing in that word " to give him something back. I know it's not something regular to do for a SPD member to negotiate with a prisoner, but I really wanted to accomplish my mission, oh so selfish of me!! He told me he wanted something for his private collection, and you know what? He told me he collected sad memories, and that he wanted to hear my saddest one!" Sky smiled bitterly at the thought "I don't know what possessed me to accept it, I should have forseen it…I was so stupid to tell him of my father and of his…death! It was the worst thing ever to do it, it was like reliving it for a second time….and all that monster did after I was finished it was to take fun of it, he….he told me it was the "funniest" story he'd ever heard! The funniest! My father's death the funniest story!!" his voice was completely broken "And then…then I…I let him escape, I let his words wound me, his stupid, futile words…and he…escaped!!"

Sky turned around, as if to shield himself from what he was sure he would have seen in Bridge's eyes: blame.

But there was no sign of it on Bridge's features. He felt just hurt and sad for Sky himself "But how…how did he escape?" Bridge felt the need to know it.

Still not looking at him, Sky said in a soft voice, as if he was revealing a sin "Through…one of my tears!" Sky put his head in his hands, letting himself fall on his knees.

Bridge couldn't take it anymore and finally closed the distance between them, falling on the ground himself and throwing his arms around Sky, hugging him from behind, letting his head rest on the other's shoulders.

So…like it? hate it?

Let me know.

As for me, I'm gonna graduate on Monday the 25th! I'm so nervous about it! I'm gonna discuss over the phenomenon of fanfiction on the net! So happy I choose this topic, I'm so in love with the fanfic world! It kept me company through all my years of growing up! Oh, not that I consider myself grown up yet, but seems strange to finish college! Life will change, that's for sure!

More of this story after my graduation! Wish me good luck folk!!:))