Ch 12

"Andros, come on," a small girl's voice whined.

Andros felt his arm being tugged and he tugged back, recognizing the voice to be Karone's. His hand free, he placed it under his head and kept his eyes closed.

"Come on," Karone whined again, this time pushing at Andros' chest in an attempt to turn him on his back.

Andros briefly opened his eyes to peek at the hallucination, making absolutely certain that he was dreaming again, although fearing the consequences of acknowledging her at all.

"I know you're awake," Karone said, just as Andros shut his eyes again.

Andros sighed softly, squeezing his eyes shut even tighter as she attempted to open them with her fingers.

"Please play with me, big brother," Karone pleaded.

Andros said nothing and kept his eyes closed. He finally felt her move away from him but he knew that she was most likely still there.

"Andros," a familiar woman's voice said softly.

Andros' eyes fluttered open upon recognizing the voice, staring at the dark-haired young woman sitting beside him in a white t-shirt and not much else.

"Yeah, it's me," she said with a smile.

"No… it isn't," Andros replied, turning on his back and closing his eyes again. "I'm not falling for this again."

"Falling for what again?" she asked, gently stroking his forehead.

"Stop it." He brushed her hand away from his face, trying not to look at her.

"What are you going to do if I don't?" she asked playfully, leaning over him and planting her hands on either side of him. Just as his eyes opened again, she lightly kissed his neck.

Andros' body immediately tensed and he pushed her away from him. "Don't do that," he said firmly.

"You haven't changed at all," she replied with a smile. "This is still the only way that I can get you to talk to me."

"I'm not talking to a hallucination."

"I'm not a hallucination," she argued, pouting a little.

"You're right," Andros said. "I'd have to be conscious to call you a hallucination… Either way, you're not really here."

"I love you," she said softly. "But you already knew that didn't you?"

Andros didn't reply, choosing to stare at his bedroom ceiling instead.

"Don't you love me at all?" she asked, looking at him hopefully.

"No," Andros stated as plainly and firmly as he could. "Leave me alone."

It was suddenly silent and Andros wondered if the dream had finally ended, or at least that this imposter of his friend was gone. He looked over to where she had sat to confirm her disappearance, but there she sat, large tears spilling down her cheeks. As soon as he caught her eye, her sobs were suddenly audible and she buried her face in her hands. Andros sighed deeply and looked back to the ceiling.

"You really haven't changed at all," she sobbed. "All I've ever wanted my whole life was… you."

Andros glanced over at her, determined not to break his silence, but he couldn't help but feel guilty. The real Skye would never act so desperate, but she had always loved him and, even now, it remained unrequited.

"If I can't be with you then… then I'll just go," she said.

"Go where and do what?" Andros asked, angry with himself for allowing himself to be baited into talking with her.

"I don't know what I'll do," she sobbed, finally standing and walking to the door.

"Wait… Don't leave," Andros said, sitting up suddenly as he remembered what had happened when his last hallucination had left his side.

Skye stopped and turned around, wiping away a tear. "What's the use? If you don't love me –"

"I do love you, Skye," he forced out as sincerely as he could. "I… I need you, Skye."

"You do?"

"I always have," he lied as he walked toward her and took her hand in his. "But I want to be able to devote myself to only you… And when this ranger stuff is through, I… I want to marry you."

"Do you really mean it?" Skye asked hopefully, as Andros embraced her.

"Yes," Andros said. "It's all I've ever wanted for us."

Skye's eyes flooded with tears and she buried her face in his chest. "I love you so much," she managed to say as she squeezed him tightly.

"I love you too," Andros said, returning the squeeze. "I love you too…"

Andros opened his eyes, relieved to find himself sitting on his bedroom floor. He sat up and glanced around his room for any signs that he might have still been dreaming. Everything seemed to be in its place, including him. He only saw that his door was open and he stood up, walking to the doorway. He wondered how long he had been sleeping and what time it might be now. Andros turned to go back into his room.

"May say dee-tah," Andros heard echo softly in the corridor. He stopped and walked a little ways past a few doors. He leaned in close to the door he thought he had heard it from.

"May say dee-tah," he heard again, certain now from where the words came. He knocked lightly on the door, not sure that he really wanted to speak to the person on the other side. But the door slid open and he looked up from his feet to greet them.

"Hi," Ashley said, standing up from her bed.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Andros asked uncomfortably.

"I couldn't really sleep," Ashley said. "I kept thinking about what you told me about your little sister's kidnapping."

Ashley watched as Andros looked back down at his feet and then at every wall of her room. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

"I think so," he answered distractedly. "It's just… very different than it was before."

"Oh," Ashley said, remembering how different the room had looked before she had covered the walls with various Angel Grove High posters and flags. She had always felt bad about the pictures she had removed of the other Astrorangers, but Zhane had reassured her and encouraged that she should make the room look as much like her own as possible. It would be the only thing to keep her from becoming too homesick.

"Do you… like it?" Ashley asked, hoping that she wouldn't wind up upsetting him again.

"I guess," he replied softly, unsure of just how much of a lie that was. He suddenly remembered his purpose as he looked her in the eye. "I wanted to ask you… about what you were saying, you know, before I came in."

"Oh… that," Ashley blushed, momentarily looking away from him. "I was just, um…repeating something that I thought I heard you say."

"So then, I was sleepwalking again," Andros thought aloud.

"Your door opened, but I don't think that you walked any further than your doorway," Ashley said, taking a step toward him.

"Good," Andros said awkwardly. "I guess I should check DECA's cameras then."

"Oh, okay," Ashley said, wringing her hands. "That's probably a good idea."

Andros turned to the door, eager to end his sudden discomfort from being in the room. No, it was from being in the room with her. After all, he could see that his presence was causing her similar discomfort.

"What does it mean?" Ashley blurted out.

"What does what mean?" Andros asked, turning back to look at her.

"May say dee-tah," Ashley answered, trying to sound confident in her pronunciation.

"Mei cedi ta," Andros corrected. "It means… 'I'm in love with you.'"

"Oh."

"Yeah." Andros turned to leave again, willing and glad to leave the awkward words behind.

"Will you teach me?" Ashley blurted out again.

"Teach you what?" Andros asked, turning to her again.

"Karovan," Ashley answered.

Andros stared blankly at her for a moment, finally settling on a look of confusion and asking her, "Why?"

"It seems like a beautiful language," Ashley said with a faraway look.

"It is," Andros said. "But no one speaks Karovan anymore. Didn't you wonder why Zhane didn't know the language?"

"I figured that Zhane chose not to learn it," Ashley said.

Andros shook his head. "It's a dead language and it has been for many years. Teaching it to you would be a waste of time."

"Well, do you think that it would be too difficult for me to learn?" Ashley asked.

"No, but –"

"Do you think that you might not be able to teach me well enough?"

"No, that isn't the problem."

"Then, what is the problem?"

"It's…I just…," Andros stammered, unsuccessfully able to find a problem other than not wanting to do it.

"Please teach me," Ashley said sweetly. "Please, please, please?"

"Fine," Andros agreed reluctantly with a sigh.

"Great," Ashley said excitedly. "When should we start? I know! How about after school?" she said before Andros had a chance to answer.

"Sure," Andros shrugged.

"On the Simudeck?"

"That might be best," Andros replied.

"Great," Ashley said again. "Then, I'll see you in the morning?"

Andros nodded, taking another quick glance around the room.

"Unless…you want to hang out for a while and talk…" Ashley suggested.

"No," Andros said quickly. "I mean, maybe some other time."

"That's okay," Ashley said."I need to study for my make-up quiz anyway."

"Make-up quiz?"

"I didn't do so well on my quiz yesterday, so my teacher is allowing me to make-up for that grade by taking a different, much harder quiz."

"Right," Andros blushed, glad that Earth schools didn't waste time teaching their students about makeup and embarrassed that he had thought so. "Right," he said again, turning around and walking to the doorway.

"Goodnight, Andros," Ashley said.

"Goodnight," he said, as the door slid shut behind him.

Ashley sat on her bed and sighed happily, smiling to herself. She had successfully taken the first step in possibly earning Andros' trust and creating an opportunity for the two to get to know one another better. Although, Ashley had to admit that taking on more studies wasn't very smart of her. But she couldn't think of any other way to pull more than a few words out of him at a time without him yelling at her. Maybe they would get a chance to talk in between her lessons and then she could explain to Andros why the idea of a quiz on makeup might not be such a bad idea.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Astronema sat on the edge of her bed and sighed, removing her locket from around her neck for the third time that day. She opened it and looked at the pictures inside, first at the young blonde girl and then at the young boy with blond-streaked brown hair.

She stared at the pictures for a minute and closed her eyes tightly. Images came to her mind as they often did when she studied the photos. There was always a big house with long hallways that she found herself lost in and a woman's voice that led her to the young boy. She always recognized him as her older brother, taking his hand and leading him outside. Then suddenly she would recognize herself as the little girl in the picture, playing with her brother in the park.

She remembered the forest of trees in the park, hiding behind them to escape her brother and erupting in giggles whenever he managed to find her. She remembered a woman's voice calling the two children inside for the day, but the little girl always stamped her foot and refused, asking her big brother to practice telekinesis a little while longer. Suddenly, Astronema would look around her and notice that she was alone before a large dark figure ran up to her and grabbed her, carrying her away as she screamed for her brother.

It had taken many years to piece together all of the images that haunted her dreams, but until recently, she had never been able to identify her captor. Astronema opened her eyes and closed the locket angrily. But Ecliptor had always known the identity of her captor and knowingly kept it from her, although she could not understand why. Over the past thirteen years, he had more than earned her trust, acting as the only father and confidant she had ever known.

She had never thought to ask about her past until the images began to make sense, but her last conversation with Ecliptor had opened her eyes about him. Not only was he willing to keep as much from her as he could, but he was also willing to lie to her.

Astronema suddenly jumped at the sight of two yellow eyes at her doorway, standing from her bed and grabbing her staff, dropping her locket to the floor as she pointed the staff at the shadowy figure.

"My apologies, Princess Astronema," Darkonda said. "It was not my intention to startle you."

"What are you doing here?" she asked irritably. "Shouldn't you be attacking the Power Rangers?"

"Of course," the monster said, turning to walk out the door. "If you think that's wise."

"What do you mean?" Astronema asked.

"Well… it's just that the last time I involved myself in an attack with Ecliptor, he betrayed me," Darkonda explained, turning back to face her. "He nearly destroyed me the last time we worked together and he has more than hinted at possibly doing it again. I merely came here to request that Ecliptor not be allowed to accompany me during my attacks on the rangers."

"That's funny," Astronema narrowed her eyes. "Ecliptor never mentioned him betraying you."

"Of course he wouldn't… Not to his princess. He fears you too much to tell you the truth, but I've lost more than my share of lives thanks to Ecliptor… and I fear that he may eventually turn on you as quickly as he turned on me."

"How dare you even suggest –"

"Again, my apologies," Darkonda said. "It was not my place to say… But if Ecliptor does attack me, I'll have no choice but to destroy him before he destroys me."

"Ecliptor will not touch you," Astronema replied. "I've told him that myself already. But if your plan fails to give me what I want from the rangers, I'll…"

"There's no need to finish that sentence," Darkonda replied. "And you need not worry, I will not disappoint you."

"You had better not," Astronema growled as Darkonda disappeared from the ship.

She stooped down and picked up her locket, turning it over in her hands. Once she was convinced that it was fine, she put her locket around her neck again.

Astronema sat back down on her bed, her mind racing. She hadn't ordered Ecliptor to attack the rangers with Darkonda. Ecliptor must have confronted him while tailing him, telling Darkonda that she had ordered him to fight alongside him. Or... was Darkonda really foolish enough to believe that he could turn her against Ecliptor?

No, he had tricked her. He had gotten her guarantee that he would not be harmed by Ecliptor and had probably gone to assure Dark Specter of that.

Astronema sighed softly. Maybe she should never have agreed to bring Darkonda in on this plan. But it was too late now.