Disclaimer: I don't own the Power Rangers.

Chapter 12

He was too good at this. Karone brushed hair back from her face as she watched him. She knew that she was strong, but Andros... it seemed sometimes that he'd been born knowing how to fight. She knew that he was never so relaxed during battle as he was now working his way through the training sims, but she doubted that he would have been hurt the way that she had been yesterday.

When he turned to look at her, she smiled. "Hi."

The simulation vanished an instant later, though she hadn't heard him give the command. Karone glanced at Deca's nearest eye suspiciously, but she felt her smile widen. Judging from Andros's annoyed look, her guess was right.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked her, coming closer. "You should be--"

"Don't tell me I should be in bed," she warned him.

He smiled faintly. "How do you feel?" he asked her instead.

"Better," she replied.

"Good," he said quietly. "You scared me yesterday."

"Sorry?" she offered, but she was pleased by his words. "I scared myself a little bit."

"When he..." Andros's voice trailed off into a sigh. "I don't think we have any choice anymore. We have to kill him."

Karone lowered her eyes. "I wish that we didn't have to."

"So do I." Andros watched her for a minute. He hesitated for another minute before he sighed and spoke. "Karone... are we doing the right thing?"

"Huh?" She watched him for a minute, unsure quite what he meant. "With Cosmos?"

"Yes." Andros pushed hair out of his face. He waved his hand off to the side, and his towel flew closer. He grabbed it, mopping sweat from his forehead before he spoke again. "I was talking to Ashley yesterday, and I... we've been fighting in this war a long time. I'm not sure that killing Cosmos will end it anymore."

Neither was she. "We have to try."

She thought that he almost smiled. Whether it was because he could hear how empty her words sounded or something else, Karone didn't know. "We don't have a choice," he agreed quietly. "But--what if we do?"

"Have a choice, you mean?" she prompted. He nodded, and she bit her lip. "Well... what would you do, if you could?"

"I don't know," he said. Frustration played across his face, and he shook his head. "I don't know that I want him to live after what he did to Mom and Dad, but... I don't know that I want to kill him, either."

She swallowed at the mention of their parents. "I know," she said. She didn't know that she would be able to do it, either. "I... don't know."

"Do you think he deserves to live?" Andros asked quietly.

Karone hesitated. "I think... He doesn't deserve to live freely," she finally said. "I... I can't tell you if he deserves to live."

Andros nodded silently. "Karone?" he said, looking as though he were biting his tongue. "You... you stayed. With Mom and Dad, I mean, when they... what happened?"

"They never woke up," she said. Hadn't he asked her this before? Or had that been someone else? She didn't remember. "It--it was peaceful... They probably didn't know that I--that I was there..." She stopped and swallowed hard, blinking tears out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry," Andros muttered. "For leaving."

She shook her head, scrubbing hard at her eyes. "It doesn't matter now."

"It does," he said quietly. "I'm sorry, Karone."

She tried hard to smile at him. "Then I forgive you."

Andros didn't respond. She watched him let out a deep breath, though, and wondered suddenly if that was all that he'd wanted to hear. She would have told him so anyway.

"We've been fighting since we were children!" he burst out suddenly. Surprised, she just watched him vent; Andros was always the cool one. "We've been losing this war since we were children, and I'm tired of it."

How did she answer that? Karone bit her lip. Andros tensed when she laid a hand on his arm, but when she hugged him tight, he sighed in her ear and shook his head.

"Why do you keep fighting?" he asked her. "Why are you still here?"

That, at least, she had an answer to. "This is where I belong," she said. "With you and with Zhane, and with everyone else. This is the right thing for me to do, fighting Dark Spectre. It was just... easier when we weren't alone."

"We're seven people halfway across the universe from anyone who could help us," Andros said. "We're fighting Dark Spectre's entire army on our own."

"The odds aren't in our favor," she agreed. "But we've done pretty good so far, haven't we?"

Slowly, he nodded his head. "We have." He even smiled at that, stepping back from her. "Thank you," he said quietly. "I'm just... I don't want to keep killing people, Karone. Even Cosmos."

How could she ever blame him for that? Karone hugged him again. "I don't want you to have to kill people," she said. A moment later, she added, "Even Cosmos."

"Thanks," he whispered again. He let out a deep breath, straightening up slowly. "I'll be fine."

"Just one of those moments." She squeezed him one last time, smiling at him as encouragingly as she could. "I know."

"Yeah." Andros knew that she did, and she knew that. It made it easier sometimes. Or it would, if he would talk to her. "I know."

"How's Ashley?" she asked him. She wasn't changing the subject, Karone told herself. Not exactly. But she doubted that he wanted to talk about it anymore, at any rate.

"She's... better," he answered. "She was when I saw her last, anyway."

"Good." She poked his arm. Karone knew he didn't really need the reminder, but she added it anyway. "She was there for you when you needed someone. Take care of her."

"I know." He paused. "And you know that I will, as much as she'll let me, anyway."

"Yeah," she said. "I know."

She did, and she knew that sometimes all that it took not to feel alone anymore was a hug or a smile. Karone had to admit, if only to herself, that those probably came more easily to Zhane than they did to her brother, but she wouldn't ever doubt that he loved Ashley.

"Once this is over," she said, "have you thought about what you'll do? You wouldn't want to stay on Earth."

His look was surprised, but she wasn't sure if it was her question or if he really hadn't considered it. Karone hoped it was only the question.

"No," he said. "I wouldn't, but I can't ask her now if she'd want to live on KO-35."

"Well, not now," she agreed. "That would be terrible timing, even for you."

He laughed quietly, though she wasn't quite sure why. "I love her," he said softly, serious in a way that she rarely heard him. "I've never loved anyone the same way."

"But?" she prompted gently.

"What makes you think that there's a but?"

"I've known you for my entire life," she reminded him. As if he could have ever forgotten that. "Something's bothering you."

"It's not Ashley." Andros paused. "Well..."

"What is it?" Karone asked.

"She isn't Karovan," he said. He must have seen the look on her face, because he continued quickly. "I don't know how much I ever believed in bondmates."

He paused, and she decided not to point out that he had believed, once. That her brother was secretly a romantic at heart was something that amused her greatly, and as such, something that she was unlikely to forget.

"And?" she said, watching him when he stopped. "What is it?"

"Do you think..." Andros stopped again, and sighed. "I mean..."

"Do I think you and Ashley are soulmates, you mean?" Karone felt herself smile at him. "What you think is probably more important than what I think, wouldn't you say?"

"Obviously." He smiled faintly. "I know what I think. But--do you think that there's such a thing, or if it's just... luck?"

"Such a thing as love?" She tucked her hair behind her ears, and rolled her eyes at him. "Are you just asking me all the hard questions today?"

"Maybe I like your answers."

Karone couldn't help laughing a little at that. "Yes. Maybe you could spend your life with someone who wasn't the right person and never know it, but I do believe that in true love. You remember Mom and Dad."

"I do." Andros's smile was genuine this time. "We were lucky."

"Yeah," she agreed. "We really were."

It was almost true. Except for the brother who'd betrayed them, the family that they'd lost, and the friends that had died without the chance to fight back. Karone tried not to sigh. For all the darkness, there was something else to match it with. Andros had forgotten that once. She knew that without help, she would have too. She couldn't forget it again.

"I'm going to get something to eat," Andros said suddenly. He sounded sure of himself again when he added, "We'll meet on the Bridge in an hour; who knows when Cosmos will attack again, and we need a new strategy."

He paused in the doorway and looked back at her. Quietly, he added, "Thank you."

Karone smiled at him without speaking. She couldn't think of anything else to say.

Author's Notes: I'm back! Again. ::grin:: I'm so close to the end now, just a few more chapters. I'll try not to make you guys wait too long for those.

Challon86 and I have started up the "We Need A Hero" Power Rangers Fanfiction Awards. Please, please tell all your friends and come check it out. We're set up over on LiveJournal, but you absolutely don't need one to nominate or vote. The link is in my profile page, both as my homepage and the bolded link in the announcement, so please come take a look!