Title: The Hexagon
Chapter Six — Remembering
Original Posting Date: March 8, 2010
A/N: To FantasyFreak4Life...Chapter 10's already done. Eat it.
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Sleep, unfortunately, was not to be my friend on this particular night. Kimberly and I had stayed up chatting for almost another hour, after which she had fallen asleep with no problems at all. In fact, she had dozed off right in the middle of me answering one of her questions. I, on the other hand, woke up four different occasions throughout the next six hours, never staying asleep for more than ninety minutes continuously.
Finally, after waking up for what was either the fourth or fifth time, I looked at the clock-radio on my night stand, saw that it was seven-thirty, and decided that I had had enough. Climbing out of bed carefully so as not to disturb Kimberly, I rose to my feet, looked down at the bed, and saw that she was not even there.
With Katherine, I had become accustomed with being the early riser of the two and I had still not quite adjusted to being the opposite with Kimberly. The only thing I found odd on this particular morning was that her getting out of bed had not woken me; seeing as how I had never really fallen into a deep sleep the night before, I was somewhat surprised that I had not heard her.
Heading for the bathroom, I splashed some water on my face and brushed my teeth, then returned to the bedroom to put on a pair of pajama bottoms and a tee shirt, as well as strap my communicator on. Once I was dressed, I made my way towards the kitchen, but stopped about halfway there. Standing in the middle of the hallway, I began sniffing the air curiously.
Was that…breakfast?
Eagerly, I continued into the kitchen and nearly fell over with shock at the sight of Kimberly standing over the stove, managing four different pans at once. What was even more shocking, though, was that she looked completely in control, like she had been doing it for years.
With Kimberly still unaware of my presence, I quietly walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist, holding her close to me. "Looks like someone learned a little bit more than she let on," I murmured in her ear, nibbling it a bit while inspecting my soon-to-be breakfast at the same time.
Pancakes, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs and, upon further inspection, bread in the toaster waiting to be browned…yep, she had definitely figured it out.
Looking back at me with a smirk, Kimberly shrugged and said, "Looks like it."
Grinning, I released my hold on her and moved out of her way, leaning against the adjacent counter. "I'm impressed," I told her. "A guy could get used to this, you know."
"Well don't," said Kimberly, winking over her shoulder at me, "Which reminds me; there's, uh…there's something that I want to talk to you about after breakfast."
"Uh-oh," I replied laughingly. "Is this the big conversation?"
"No," she answered, shaking her head. "This is me telling you what I need to do and hoping you will support me like you've always done before."
I nodded. "If I can, you know that I will," I said seriously.
"I know," said Kimberly softly, letting out a barely audible sigh. "Come on and grab some plates for this stuff, Tommy. You know I can't reach them. Oh, and can you toast that bread too please?"
Chuckling, I reached to my left and pressed the bread down, then walked across the kitchen and retrieved a few plates from the upper cabinet, trying not to worry about what was to come as I carried them back to Kimberly and set them atop the counter next to where she was working. "As you commanded, my princess," I said, giving her a grinning bow.
"Thank you, slave," she replied, patting my head. "I think you'll do just fine."
"You really think so?" I asked, standing up straight as Kimberly nodded. "Oh man, this is awesome! I gotta call Jason and tell him!"
Rolling her eyes, Kimberly said, "Just shut up and carry these plates, alright?"
So I did, and soon we were seated and eating. Though I desperately wanted to know what it was that Kimberly needed to tell me, she had said that we would talk after breakfast, so I forced myself not to ask and instead focused on the upcoming memorial service.
Even now, I still did not know exactly what would be happening in the next few hours. I was planning on speaking, and I knew Jason wanted to say a few words as well, but that was really it. Part of me wanted to program my Zeo Zord for a flyover, but again, I knew that would lead to more questions than I was prepared to answer right now.
"So I was thinking," I began, swallowing the sausage I had been chewing, "I know its last minute, but how would you feel about maybe singing a song?"
Kimberly laughed. "You're joking, right?"
"No, I'm not," I replied, shaking my head. "You have an amazing voice, Beautiful, and I think a song would be really great."
"But what would I sing?" she questioned. "And besides, I don't even have my guitar."
"I know," I said. "But Jason's dad has one, and if I asked him to bring it, I'm sure he would. And as far as what you would sing…that's up to you. Personally, I don't really care because I know it'll be good regardless. Just sing whatever you feel is fitting. You've always been good at coming from the heart."
Kimberly smiled. "Alright, if you can get the guitar, I'll do it."
"Awesome!" I exclaimed, grinning as I raised my wrist and sent Jason a communicator page.
Thirty seconds later we heard, "Jason here."
"Hey, bro, what's going on?" I asked.
"Not much, just got done eating breakfast with my parents," he replied. "What about you?"
"I'm eating with Kim right now," I answered. "Listen, do you think that you could bring your dad's acoustic guitar? I was just talking to Kim about it, and she said she would sing at the service if she had a guitar."
"Uh, yeah, that shouldn't be a problem," he said. "My folks are leaving to go grocery shopping pretty soon, so I can just throw it in Zack's car when he comes to pick me up."
"Perfect. Thanks, bro," I said, flashing Kimberly a grin.
"No worries, man. See you in a couple hours."
And that was that.
The distraction provided there kept my mind off of my impending conversation with Kimberly for the rest of breakfast, but halfway into doing the dishes, I started thinking about it again. I'll admit, I was both scared and nervous about what was coming. Just last night, she had promised that she would not break my heart again, but part of me could not help but to wonder if she was going to live up to her word.
With the last plate inserted into the dishwasher, Kimberly pushed the door up with her leg, turned to me while wiping her hands on a towel, and said, "Let's go to the living room."
I just nodded and followed her in silence, and when she told me to take a seat on the couch, I did so immediately. Once I was seated comfortably, Kimberly found her way onto my lap, her arms going around my neck as mine went around her waist.
"Okay," she began, taking a deep breath. "First things first; last night, before you went out looking for Kat, you…you said that you loved me."
I nodded. "And I meant it, too."
"I know you did," she said, smiling. "But I also know why you walked away right after you said it. You didn't want me to feel pressured to say it back, and I appreciate that, but the simple truth here, Tommy, is that I love you too." I could do little more than smile back at her as she added, "And if I'm being honest with myself, I never really stopped loving you. I just…learned to live without you, I guess."
"Yeah," I murmured, very much sharing this particular feeling with her.
"The reason I'm telling you this now," Kimberly went on, "is because I wanted you to know where I stand before I say what I'm about to say."
"Okay," I said, nodding as I felt my heartbeat start to quicken rapidly.
"This last week with you has been incredible, Tommy; without a doubt, the best week of my entire life," she continued, again leaving me smiling. "You made me remember what it felt like to really be loved, and I can't thank you enough for that. But as much as I'd love to stay here and be with you every day, I can't give that to you right now. I have responsibilities in Florida that I have to take care of before I can even think about moving back to California…"
"Are you breaking up with me before we even became official?" I questioned hesitantly.
Laughing, Kimberly shook her head and said, "No, in fact, I'm doing the exact opposite. I'm giving you the choice, Tommy. In my heart, more than anything I know that you're the person I want to be with. But we tried long distance once, and I hurt you in one of the worst ways imaginable. Last night, I told you that as long as you're willing to give me your heart, I'll never break it again, and I meant that. At the same time, though, I can understand if you don't trust me in that situation again. So I'm leaving it up to you; if you think you can trust me with five thousand miles between us, then I'm yours."
Honestly, I didn't even have to think about it. I wasn't exactly ecstatic with the two choices presented to me, but I also knew where my heart lied. Still, I wanted her to think that this was a hard decision for me.
Wearing a contemplative expression, I pretended to ignore the growing look of nervous anticipation on Kimberly's face for nearly two minutes of pure silence. Apparently, that was as much as she could handle. "Well?" she asked expectantly.
Sighing, I made sure she saw the sadness that had suddenly come over me as I turned away, but when I returned my attention to her a few seconds later, my look had changed completely. "I didn't want to make it too easy for you," I answered, grinning widely. "Of course I'll be your date for the dance."
For a brief moment, Kimberly seemed confused, but then realization dawned and a warm smile came over her. "You remember that?"
"Our first kiss?" I replied. "Of course I remember it. How could I forget it?"
Still smiling — and now slightly flushed — Kimberly took my face in her hands and kissed me softly. "I love you, Tommy," she murmured when we finally pulled apart. "And I promise, once I've taken care of everything in Florida, figuring out my move back to California is going to be the first thing I do."
"Good," I said quietly, my fingertips running up and down her leg. "I don't expect you to make a decision now, but when you get to the point where you're ready to seriously think about moving back, I want you to at least consider staying with me."
"Really?" she asked, sounding a bit surprised. I just smiled and nodded as she went on, "I-I don't know, Tommy. I would really have to think about that."
"I understand," I said truthfully, knowing that a decision like that was not one meant to be made on a whim. "Just know that my door is always open."
Kimberly merely murmured her thanks and gave me another kiss.
Again, I wasn't entirely thrilled with the end result of this conversation, but I wasn't going to risk losing her again, either. She had already apologized profusely, admitted that she had made a mistake, and promised multiple times never to do it again. If I wasn't going trust her now, I would never be able to do so.
"We should probably get ready to go," she said shortly thereafter.
"Yeah, we should," I replied, nodding.
"Save water?" she questioned with an evil grin.
Laughing, I nodded once more and said, "Definitely."
Forty-five minutes later, Kimberly and I were on the road. With Kimberly in a pink University of Miami sweatshirt, jeans, and white tennis shoes, and me in a forest green University of Reefside Cougar's hoodie, jeans, and red-and-white Nike sneakers, we looked more like we were rooting against opposite teams at a college football game than going to a memorial service.
Originally, I had wanted this to be much more of a formal affair — though, in my head, I never really had a grasp as to what that entailed — but the decision to hold the service at the exact location of the Command Center had made doing so more than a bit difficult. It just wasn't very feasible to wear dresses and high heels, or suits and dress shoes, to a memorial service that required a two mile walk up a desert mountain.
Honestly, though, I don't really think Zordon cared at all what we wore. More than anything, I think he was watching the nineteen of us with pride, knowing that the legacy he created would still live on in his name. And Kimberly agreed with me on this one as well. Just the fact that we all were coming together as a group was what really mattered.
It was just before nine o'clock when we left Reefside, and just past ten-fifteen by the time we arrived at the outskirts, coming to a stop at the base of the mountain. "Looks like we're the first ones here," said Kimberly, noting the obvious lack of other vehicles in the area.
"Yeah, looks like it," I replied, nodding as I reached for the door handle.
No sooner had the words come out of my mouth, though, than I froze mid-reach at the rumbling sound of a powerful engine approaching from nearby. Swiveling back around, I looked to my right, through Kimberly's window, and saw a royal blue Jeep driving towards us from the north, opposite of the way that we had come in.
"Who's that?" asked Kimberly, looking at me curiously.
"I think…" I murmured, trailing off for a moment as I watched the Jeep grow closer. It sat much lower than mine; had no top, retractable or otherwise; and a long bar shaped like the top half of a hexagon ran from the top of the windshield to the front of the open trunk. Almost instantly, a smile crept over me as I added, "Justin."
"Wait, little Justin?" she questioned in surprise.
"Yeah," I replied, grinning from ear to ear as I nodded. "Come on."
With that, I climbed out of the Jeep and moved to stand near the front bumper, Justin's Jeep reaching a slow crawl before finally coming to a stop a few feet away from mine. The second the Jeep had stopped, Justin jumped out and started running towards me right as I felt an approaching-from-behind Kimberly place her hand on the small of my back.
"Tommy!" he called out, smiling toothily.
"Justin!" I exclaimed. "What's up man?"
Looking much like I remembered him, but a good deal taller and with slightly shorter hair, Justin came to a stop in front of me, at which point we engaged in a rather elaborate handshake that he and I had developed on the ghost ship that had taken us through the Nemesis Triangle en route to Muranthias. Kimberly giggled heartily at this.
"You remember Kim, right?" I asked once we had finished the handshake.
"Of course I remember Kim!" Justin answered, still smiling brightly.
"Hey, kiddo, how ya been?" said Kimberly, ruffling Justin's hair a bit before pulling him into a quick hug.
"Good. I've been really good," he replied. "Wow, it's so great to see you guys again!"
"Yeah, man, you too," I said, nodding.
"Yeah," he murmured, nodding as well, "But what in the world did you do to your hair?"
Again, Kimberly had a laugh at my expense as I half-scoffed, half-laughed, and rolled my eyes exaggeratedly. "Long story short," I began, "I bet Kim that I could beat her at a carnival game, my hair was the stakes if she beat me, and beat me she did."
"Oh, man, that sucks," said Justin, trying not to laugh. "You always loved your hair."
"Yeah, but this isn't too bad," I said, shrugging. Then I put my arm around Kimberly's shoulder, pulled her in close, and added, "Plus, she likes it, so I think I'll be okay."
A confused expression came over Justin at that point, the young former Ranger staring at us in silence for almost a minute before realization seemed to dawn. "Oh, so you guys are —" he started hesitantly, pointing back and forth between me and Kimberly, "— now?"
"Yeah, we are."
Kimberly said it before I could, nodding her head as she did so; her tone was kind, but there was also a hint of possessiveness in it as well, like she wanted Justin to know, without a doubt, that I was hers again. I didn't mind, though. I had no problem telling everyone in the world that I was hers again, mostly because I was so damn happy to be hers again.
Justin just nodded, and pretty soon silence lapsed. With no other Rangers having arrived yet, I looked between Justin and Kimberly, and said, "Do you guys want to head up?"
Both were in agreement, and with that, we began the hike. The mountain was very steep, and since Justin had never been forced to walk it before — like Kimberly and I had on so many powerless occasions — Kimberly led the way and I stayed in back, ready to grab Justin if he slipped or took a bad step.
"So what's up with that Jeep, man?" I asked a few minutes in. "You're not old enough to drive yet, are you?"
"Nope," said Justin casually. "But I don't drive Storm Blaster. Storm Blaster drives me."
"What are you talking about?" I questioned with a confused laugh.
"Well, Storm Blaster's not really a normal car," he began to explain. "You know about Lightning Cruiser, right?"
"Lightning Cruiser?"
"Yeah, Lightning Cruiser," he said matter-of-factly. "You know, T.J.'s flying Corvette?"
"T.J. has a flying Corvette?"
Storm Blasters, Lightning Cruisers, flying Corvettes…I had no idea what this kid was talking about.
"Wow, you're really behind on the times, Tommy," said Justin with a laugh. "Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser are sentient vehicles from another planet. Lightning Cruiser's not really a Corvette either, it just looks like one. You'll probably flip when you hear this, but we got them not even a week after you guys left the team."
"Aaaaaand we can officially chalk that one up as a new addition on 'The List of Reasons Why Tommy Dislikes Dimitria,'" I muttered, shaking my head. "T.J. serves for a week and gets a flying sports car; I serve for over four years, and what do I get?"
"You get me," Kimberly called out from in front. "That's better than a flying sports car."
"Could've fooled me," I said beneath my breath so only Justin could hear.
But where the other guys would have been able to control themselves, Justin could not and he burst out laughing, immediately giving me away in the process. As Kimberly looked back and gave me an evil glare, I reminded myself that Justin, while definitely very mature for his age, was still very much a kid in many respects.
"So how does this car work?" I asked Justin, hoping that continued conversation would eventually make Kimberly forget about her displeasure with me.
"It's pretty easy, really," he answered. "I just climb in, tell him where I want to go, and he takes me there. The best part is, I never have to put gas in him, and he never needs any kind of maintenance or repairs."
"Sounds like the kind of man that I need," Kimberly shot back at me with a sneer, Justin laughing hysterically once more.
Sighing to myself, I tapped Justin on the back and muttered, "Watch and learn." Then I looked up at Kimberly and, in a sing-song tone, called out, "I love you, Beautiful!"
It took a few seconds for her to look back again, but when she did, she was wearing a pleased smile. For many years, I had known and understood just how powerful that nickname was when it came to Kimberly. I doubt it would have worked if I had done something really bad, like cheat, but in smaller situations like these, the only thing that I had to do was call her "Beautiful" and all was quickly forgotten.
For his part, Justin — whose physical proximity was much closer to me than Kimberly — looked back with an impressed expression. "I'll have to remember that one," he said quietly. I just grinned and nodded.
We were about halfway up the mountain, some twenty minutes into our walk, when Kimberly eventually looked back again. However, it was not at me or Justin, but rather beyond us both.
"Looks like we've got visitors," she called out over her shoulder.
Stopping and turning around, I looked down the mountain and saw a cluster of people hiking towards us, maybe a fourth of the way up. They had stopped, and were waiting on a second group that was about five minutes behind them. Honestly, I was somewhat surprised to see the rest of my teammates all at once after I had told them last night that we could wait until noon.
Too far to see faces, the two groups were still easily discernible by the colors they were wearing: the black jeans and green tee shirt with the long-sleeved black undershirt was Adam; the denim shorts and what looked like a blue hooded Superman sweatshirt was sure to be Rocky; the two in yellow were Aisha and Tanya; and the blonde in pink was Katherine.
The second group was one less in numbers: at the front was Zack in khaki shorts and a black tee shirt; Trini was following him in jeans and a yellow sweater; Billy was close behind in black slacks and a blue polo; and Jason was bringing up the rear, wearing denim shorts and the long-sleeved home kit for the English soccer team Manchester United, whom his grandfather had played for long ago and whose colors — black, red, and gold — matched his Ranger colors perfectly.
Plus, just like he had promised, Jason was carrying his dad's acoustic guitar over his shoulder. Also, Zack was holding what looked to be a metal folding chair — which I assumed was for Kimberly — that he was currently using as a walking stick of sorts.
"Should we wait for them?" asked Justin.
"Nah, let's keep going," I answered, nodding towards the top of the mountain. "It'll be at least another fifteen minutes before they get this far."
Kimberly and I locked eyes at that moment, me hoping that she understood what I was trying to tell her — mostly that I didn't want to get stuck carrying any of that stuff. When a smirk came across her lips, I knew that she had gotten the message.
"Yeah, Tommy's right," Kimberly supplied, nodding as well. "We're better off if we just keep on going. At least if we wait for them at the top, we won't have to keep going afterwards."
So we kept on going. It took about another twenty minutes to make it to the top, and when we finally did, we were quite a bit dirtier than we had been at the bottom, not to mention the fact that none of us wanted to go on another hike like that for a very, very long time. It wasn't even the distance that was bad; we were all in good enough shape that a two mile walk was no problem at all. But two miles of steep, mountainous incline like that left my legs throbbing more than an hour on the treadmill followed by a full leg work-out with weights.
Between rubbing, shaking, bouncing around, and stretching, we spent the next few minutes doing everything we could think of to keep our legs from cramping up. When the burning sensation had finally stopped — at least for me, anyway — I turned to face the vast blanket of emptiness where the Command Center had once stood, and then started walking in that direction while trying to brush as much dirt from my clothes as possible..
As I moved beyond the cliff to my right, it was then that I saw the Megaship docked behind it. Smirking to myself, I turned back around and called out, "Hey, Justin, come check this out!"
"What is it?" he yelled back, hands cupped over his mouth.
"Just come on!" I replied encouragingly, waving him towards me.
He seemed to weigh his options for a few moments, but in the end, he shook his head and started running towards me. "What is —?" His question stopped short just as he reached my side and set his sights on what I was seeing.
Looking down at him, I noticed that a grin had overtaken Justin even larger than the one he had worn when he first saw Kimberly and me. This was no surprise to me, though. He had obviously spent much more time with T.J., Carlos, Cassie, and Ashley than me and my teammates, so those bonds would obviously be stronger as well.
"You want me to let them know you're here?" I asked.
"Can you?" he questioned excitedly.
Smiling, I brought my wrist to my lips, pushed back my sleeve a bit, found Andros' frequency on my communicator, and said, "Andros, its Tommy, you there?"
Moments later, I heard, "I'm here, Tommy. The other Space Rangers and I are in the Megaship. We're docked on the backside of the southern cliffs."
"I know, I'm staring at the Megaship right now."
"What? But how?" he asked. "That's impossible. I set the cloaking shield myself when we arrived here last night."
"I don't know what to tell you, man, but I'm looking right at it. Maybe only Rangers can see it or something," I replied uncertainly. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Kim and I are here, and the rest of the Rangers are walking up the mountain right now. Oh, and by the way," I added, seeing the expectant look on Justin's face as Kimberly approached from behind him, "I have some kid over here with me who says he knows you. He's about five-foot-five, skinny, likes to wear blue, hair like one of The Beatles…"
At that moment, Justin looked like he wanted nothing more than to kick me in the shins as hard as he could, but before he could do anything, the boarding ramp to the Megaship hissed open and began to lower towards the ground.
"See," I said to him. "They knew who I was talking about."
"Well you didn't leave much room for guessing, did you?" grumbled Justin, smiling despite himself as the Space Rangers started walking out of the Megaship. To my surprise, though, it was not Andros leading them this time. Rather, T.J. was the first out, followed by Carlos, Cassie, and Ashley. It was only then — as Justin tore off to greet them — that Andros came out, with Zhane close behind him and, finally, Karone bringing up the rear.
Just as Justin began exchanging handshakes and hugs with the other Rangers, Kimberly arrived at my side with her hand on the small of my back. My arm immediately went around her shoulder, pulling her in as I placed a kiss to the side of her head.
"Zordon would definitely be happy to see this," she murmured, somehow knowing that I needed this reassurance even before I did. Kimberly had always had a way of doing that, saying whatever needed to be said ahead of time to prevent me from questioning or doubting something later on.
And in the coming days, I would, of course, find myself questioning the very thing she had just assured me off. But her words would be there to remind me of why I was wrong to doubt it…
Confident for now, though, I smiled down at her and said, "He's seeing it, Kim. Wherever he is out there, he's seeing it."
Kimberly's eyes became misty at that, and my casual hold on her quickly turned into a full on hug, my chin atop her head as she laid the side of her face against my chest. "I miss him so much, Tommy," she whispered.
"I know you do, Beautiful," I said softly. "I miss him too. But he's out there, watching over us like he always has. And you know what? He's proud, Kim. He's proud of all of us for everything that we've accomplished, not just as Rangers, but as people. And not just as individuals, either, but together as well."
"God, I hope so," she replied, holding me just a little bit tighter.
Over her head, I could see Justin and the Space Rangers heading back towards us, and I quietly alerted Kimberly of this just in case she wanted to walk away and regain her composure a bit. She said that she was fine, though, and moved back into her previous position at my side, smiling brightly at the approaching group.
"Hey guys," she called out with a wave.
Again, hugs and handshakes were exchanged all around, and I couldn't help but notice the way Justin seemed utterly infatuated with Carlos and T.J., just like Cassie was with Kimberly. The remaining four stayed in their individual couples, however: Ashley near Andros, and Karone near Zhane.
Pretty soon we were making our way back around the cliff, and only a few minutes later, the rest of the Rangers began to arrive. Rocky's head was the first that I saw peeking over the edge of the cliff and, the second he had made it onto level ground, he rolled onto his back with his knees towards the sky and his hands folded atop his rapidly rising and falling stomach.
"Never…again," he groaned with his eyes closed, "Never…again."
"Quit your whining, Rocky," grumbled Adam, clambering over the edge and onto his knees before pushing himself into a standing position. Then he walked over to Rocky and began using the toe of his shoe to prod the former Red and Blue Ranger in the ribs. "Get up and help, you lazy ass."
"Alright, alright, just get off me," Rocky muttered in reply, slowly getting up as Adam walked away with a roll of his eyes.
"Come on," I said to Kimberly as we watched this happening. "We should probably help too."
Once Adam had assisted Tanya in climbing over the ledge and Rocky had done the same with Aisha, I reached down for the barely-visible guitar neck with one hand and stuck out the other one to help Jason up. Muttering his thanks, we briefly shook hands as I passed the guitar off to Kimberly, and then reached down again to get the folding chair from Zack while Jason grabbed his other hand and pulled him up. One by one, Jason and I continued helping everyone up, until at last we were all atop the mountain.
Hugs and handshakes took place once more, but aside from Justin — who I still had to introduce to the likes of Zack, Trini, and Billy — we had all caught up with each other the previous night, and it did not take very long for the others to begin looking around uncertainly within the circle that we had formed. Of course, when most of those uncertain looks are being sent in your direction, it makes recognizing them a whole lot more obvious.
Knowing that they were primarily waiting on me, I began looking around between them. "So, um," I started hesitantly, "I don't really know how you guys want to do this. Zordon affected so many more people than just us; part of me feels like his memory deserves a lot more than this little group standing on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. Still, it's kind of hard to organize a traditional service for someone when that someone is an inter-dimensional being who we only ever saw as a head trapped inside a giant tube."
A few of the Rangers chuckled lightly at that as I went on, "Anyway, there are some things that I want to say, and I know Jason has some as well. Kim's also volunteered to sing something, hence the guitar…but that's really it. So please, if anyone else has anything they want to share — a story or maybe just a few words — don't hesitate to do so."
Heads nodded in unison at that, but soon we were left in silence once more. Again, it was going to have to be me who broke the proverbial ice. Turning my attention to Jason, I asked, "Do you want me to go first or you?"
Jason shrugged. "You can, I guess."
Having pretty much been expecting this, I just nodded and said, "Alright."
In the days leading up to this moment, everything I had wanted to say about Zordon had made perfect sense in my head; the only thing I had truly been sure of. Now, though, as I found myself trying to verbalize those same thoughts to eighteen other people…well, let's just say it wasn't the easiest of tasks for me. Barking orders, giving a few encouraging words here and there…I was good at that stuff, but eloquent speeches had never been a strong suit of mine. Still, I knew it had to be done.
Lowering my head, I closed my eyes and tried to gather my thoughts together as best as I possibly could. Allowing just a few moments for me to do this, I silently nodded to myself, took a deep breath, and looked up with my eyes open, scanning slowly from Ranger to Ranger. It was then that I felt Kimberly reach out for my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze that brought my eyes to her face and the equally reassuring smile that she was wearing.
It was all the encouragement that I needed.
"To most of you, you've only ever known me as one person," I began, continuing to look around at them. "I'm Tommy Oliver, the guy who's led the Power Rangers on Earth longer than anyone else. When Zordon died, I was the first one Andros told. I even called some of you myself to tell you the news. And when we decided to have this service, I was the one everybody depended on to organize it and make the details work. Now, I'm not telling you this because I want you to feel guilty, or because I think I'm better than any of you, or anything else like that. I'm telling you this because there are five people here — and everyone here knows who they are — who knew me at a time when I could never have been depended on to do those things that you all needed me to do these past two weeks.
"Ask one of them. When I first joined the team, I was not the best of teammates by a long shot. I was irresponsible, forgetful, a loner, moody at times for no reason at all…but it was because of Zordon — and my teammates as well, of course — that I eventually grew into someone that you all felt like you could trust with something as important as this. Zordon influenced us all in so many ways, different for each and every one of us. Yes, some of us knew him longer, so we may have been influenced more, but at the end of the day, each of us had a connection to Zordon that went beyond what we shared as a team; we had a connection that was unique and belonged only to us as individuals."
I was not surprised to hear Kimberly sniffling at my side, nor Katherine and Cassie standing across the circle from me. Pinks had a tendency to be the ones who wore their hearts on their sleeves the most, but in this case, they were not the only ones taken by sudden emotion as we focused on remembering Zordon. All of the women, even Karone, were either misty eyed or on their way there, but so were Andros and all of the men that I had served with as well.
"For me," I continued, swallowing my own emotion for the time being, "Zordon was a combination of many different roles: he was a father figure; a friend; a confidant; someone that I always looked up to; and someone who was always willing to give advice if you asked for it. But what impacted me the most with Zordon was that, where most would have given up on me after the tenth time I had left my Morpher in my gym bag, or the twentieth time I had forgotten my communicator in my locker, Zordon continued to have faith in me. I never understood it, but he saw something in me at a time where I didn't really see a whole hell of a lot in myself. Ask these guys…when I first joined the team, I had a complete lack of self-worth, and I was in a constant state of guilt over the fact that the only reason I had even become a Ranger was because Rita saw something in me that made her think I would be a good asset to her.
"More than a few of us have been turned evil through spells of some kind or another, but I was a neutral party when it happened. I had no connection to the Rangers when Rita chose me, yet she chose me anyway, and for the longest time, I didn't understand why and I battled myself trying to figure it out. But then, late one night, a week or so after the first time Zordon brought me back to the team, he teleported me to the Command Center alone. Alpha-5 was powered down for the night, and for nearly two hours, Zordon and I just…talked."
A few of the Rangers seemed surprised by this, but more of them seemed to take it naturally, almost like they had experienced the very same thing…
"We didn't talk about anything in particular, just life in general. Pretty soon, I was telling him things that I had never told anyone else," I explained. "I talked to him about Kim, how I was crazy about her, but how I also thought that I would never be good enough for her." Kimberly gave my hand a fierce squeeze at that, looking up at me with tear-stained eyes as I went on, "I talked to him about my teammates, how I suddenly had friends who genuinely cared about me and how weird that was for me to adapt to, having come from a military family that moved a lot when I was young. I talked to him about Jason, and how he was becoming the brother to me that I had always wanted growing up."
Now it was Jason and I who locked eyes, and when I noticed that his were full of tears, mine suddenly began to fill with them as well, almost as though it was okay for me to cry as long as he was too.
"Eventually, he asked me what I thought it was that made me doubt myself so much," I continued. "I didn't really know what to say at first, mostly because no one had ever asked me that before. People were always encouraging, sure, telling me that I had no reason to doubt myself or my abilities, stuff like that, but no one had ever forced me to justify it like he did that night. And what he made me realize was that I couldn't justify it. The only thing holding me back was myself, and if not for Zordon, I don't know if I ever would have realized that. Maybe even more than my parents, it's because of Zordon that I'm this person you see here today; someone you all felt like you could put your trust into, not just on the field of battle, but in situations like the one we're in right now, as well. I cherish the role that I've been given, and I genuinely appreciate that you all are willing to put so much trust and faith in me, but none of those things would have happened if not for Zordon. For that...I will always be grateful."
After a few moments where no one said anything, I quietly added, "Uh, that's all I really have to share, I guess."
Most of the Rangers nodded their heads solemnly, and I couldn't help but notice the particular emotion with which Kimberly and Jason had been taken. Kimberly, with silent tears streaming down her face, was holding onto my arm so fiercely I feared she was going to pull it straight from the socket at any moment; Jason, who was standing three to the right of Kimberly, had his head bowed with his hand over his brow, covering his eyes, and I could tell from the way his body shuddered up and down every few seconds that he was crying as well.
I think it was clear to everyone that Jason was not going to be the next one of us to speak given his current state. Much to my surprise, it was the ever-quiet Adam who suddenly cleared his throat, looking around at us awkwardly.
"So, um, yeah…Zordon," he murmured, looking down at the ground while simultaneously kicking it with the tip of his sneaker. "I mean, I know I wasn't the first of you guys to know him or anything, but aside from Tommy and Billy, I was the one who spent the most time with him. And, like Tommy, I doubted myself a lot growing up too, even more so when I joined the team. I never understood what was so special about me, what Zordon saw in me that made him think I was the right person to take over the spot Zack had filled so well. Yeah, I was a good fighter, and I guess morally I'm a pretty good person, but there are thousands of people out there just like that; so why me? Was I simply in the right place at the right time, or was there something more to it than just that?
"Honestly, to this day I still don't know what it was that made him choose me. But he did; again, like with Tommy, he saw something in me that I didn't see in myself, and in turn, I not only got a chance to help people every day for nearly three years, but I also met some of the greatest people that I've ever known and made friendships that I know in my heart will last a lifetime. I wish I could do more to show my appreciation for everything he gave me than just saying thank you and hoping that he hears me."
And with that, the proverbial floodgates had opened. Soon, Billy was speaking; then it was Trini; then Aisha, and T.J., and Andros, on and on until eventually almost all of us — including Jason — had spoken. Aside from T.J. and Andros, the other Space and second-generation Turbo Rangers remained silent, but every single Ranger that I had served with said at least a few words.
Again, though, I was left in surprise, this time by young Justin, who delivered a heartfelt, slightly tearful anecdote regarding how hard it had been for him, what with being a twelve year-old kid on a team full of almost eighteen year-olds, and how Zordon — in his last days before leaving Earth for Eltar — had a conversation with him similar to mine that helped to convince him that he belonged on the team just as much as the rest of us.
At some point or another — and more than once for most of us — we all eventually broke down and let our emotions show. The second generation Turbo Rangers seemed to be the least emotional by far, but I had pretty much expected that. Had it been Dimitria we were having this service for, I imagined our roles would have been very much reversed. Seeing Andros, Zhane, and Karone all openly weep as Andros tried to speak about Zordon, though, made me wonder if those three didn't have a deeper relationship with our fallen mentor than they had so far let on...
With Kimberly standing right next to me and holding my hand as Jason finished speaking about what Zordon meant to him, I brought my lips to her ear and, through misty eyes of my own, whispered, "Do you want me to get the guitar now?"
We locked eyes and I immediately gave her what I hoped was a reassuring smile. Swallowing hard, she returned the smile and then nodded her head in silence, so I simply nodded back and released my hold on her hand, walking around the outside of the circle to the spot where the guitar and chair rested against the base of the nearest cliff. When I had both items in hand, I carried them back to Kimberly's side and, as I handed her the guitar, quietly asked, "Where do you want me to put the chair?"
"Right here's fine," she replied, pointing to the small space in between us as she took a step back.
As I went about unfolding the chair, I could hear a few excited murmurs coming from the surrounding Rangers. Kimberly's musical talents were well known amongst those she had served with, and I'm sure Cassie had said something to at least a few of her teammates following her conversation with Kimberly the night before.
Once the chair was in place, I took Kimberly's free hand, stepped in close, and placed a soft kiss to her cheek. "They're all yours, Beautiful," I murmured, slipping off to join Jason and Zack.
By the time I had made it over to them and wedged myself in between the pair, Kimberly was already seated with the guitar strapped around her shoulder, plucking at it lightly with her fingertips. "Did you bring a pick, Jase?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Oh, yeah, I did actually; thought you might need one," Jason replied with a grin, reaching into his right hip pocket as he started walking towards her. He then pulled a green guitar pick from his pocket and handed it off to Kimberly, who took it with a quiet thank you.
As Jason started back towards Zack and me, Kimberly said, "So, a few of you will know this song. It's really short, so I'm sorry about that, but I just couldn't think of anything else to sing that seemed more fitting than this. So, uh, yeah…here goes…"
She then began picking at the guitar strings, her fingers moving up and down the neck to create a tune I recognized almost immediately. It was the song that she and Zack had written and played for me when the last bit of my Green Ranger powers were finally begging to fade away for good, sadness controlling me with the realization that my time as a Ranger would soon be ending for good as well.
"Down the road, we never know, what life may have in store," she sang, her eyes locked on me, the words flowing as beautifully as I remembered them. "Winds of change, they rearrange, our lives more than before."
Without even realizing it, Zack had slipped away and was now on a knee next to Kimberly, jumping in as she went on, "But you'll never stand alone my friend. Memories never die. And in our hearts, they'll always live. And never say goodbye."
I'm not going to lie; I was pretty much full on crying just from memories alone by the time they had finished. Again, I didn't even realize what was happening around me, as I now had Jason's hand on my left shoulder and Trini's on my right; that's how utterly lost in the song I was. It had done wonders for me at a time in my life that was filled with fear and uncertainty, and apparently it still held the same power over me that it did all those years ago.
As everyone clapped for Kimberly and Zack, I immediately walked over to them. "Awesome job, man," I said to Zack, shaking his hand and pulling him in for a quick hug.
"Thanks, T," he replied, grinning.
Releasing Zack, I stepped around him and found myself face to face with Kimberly, who was smiling incredibly brightly. "Sooooo?" she asked expectantly, elongating one word far more than I thought was possible.
"You were amazing, of course," I answered, returning the smile as I extended my hands to her. Taking them, she allowed me to help her onto her feet, at which point I took her face in my hands and kissed her in a way that I hoped would convey more than my words ever could.
When we eventually broke apart, Kimberly fell to my side and placed her arm around my waist as mine went around her shoulder. Looking to the other Rangers as they chatted quietly amongst themselves, a proud smile came over me. Though it was not the most lavish of services by any means, we had spent well over an hour talking about Zordon and what he meant to each of us, and I felt that that alone was a very fitting tribute to the man who had taught us so much about life and what it meant to be a good person.
Not to mention it was much more than I had been expecting considering the only ones besides myself that I knew would be involved coming into it were Jason and Kimberly. All in all, I think it turned out really well.
"How do you feel about inviting everyone back to the house?" I murmured to Kimberly. "There are still a ton of drinks left over, plus all that stuff in the freezer from Costco that we never got around to using and that I'll never be able to consume all of by myself before it goes bad."
"Yeah," Kimberly replied, smiling and nodding. "That sounds like a good idea."
And so I proposed it to the group, all of whom were in agreement. Then I turned to Andros and said, "So how about a ride down?"
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