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Jason grinned across the card table at Kim and Adam, as they heard Billy enter the front door. "I'll bet you a smoothie that he tries to slip upstairs unnoticed," Kim said.
"No bet," Jason told her. "I've known him as long as you have. That's exactly what he'll try to do. You know Billy; don't talk about it and maybe it'll go away."
"What will go away?" Bill asked from the door, and Jason felt the blood rise in his face.
"Uh. . . , nothing. . . ," Jason replied as the other two tried to hide their snickers behind the cards they were holding.
"We were just discussing whether or not you'd poke your head in here and say good night," Adam volunteered unconvincingly.
Billy just smiled and leaned against the doorframe. Jason had never seen Billy in this state of blissful contentment before. "Kim," he ventured, "could I ask a favor?"
"Sure Billy," Kim told him. "Name it."
"I find myself in need of your assistance in a personal matter. You remember that shopping trip you and I went on a few years back?" he asked. Jason recalled that fateful weekend about a year or so after they became Rangers. Kimberly had taken Billy to the mall, ostensively to get a new pair of glasses, but he ended up with a new wardrobe and hairstyle."
"Yeah Billy," she said as she winked over at Adam and Jason.
"I was wondering if you would be willing to accompany me again on a similar excursion in the morning." Billy's voice had an almost dreamily detached tone to it, that made Jason wonder exactly what had gone on tonight. "I'm afraid my wardrobe is somewhat limited after being off planet for so long." Jason found himself chuckling at that comment. Billy had arrived at his house last week with only a small backpack containing very few items of clothing. The two had barely had time to pick up a few pair of jeans and shirts for him at the local Wal- Mart, and had been unable to add any more to his wardrobe since then.
"Let me get this straight," Kimberly asked playfully. "You think you have to ask me to go shopping?" Throwing her voice back to the Valley speak she was so fond of when they were in high school, she twirled her hair in her hand, put on her best vacant look and said, "Not!" Smiling as she leaned back in her chair, she continued, "I'd be glad to go Billy. But why so soon?"
He grinned down at her and mocked her tone, "Because I've got a date tomorrow night and absolutely nothing to wear."
"Thank you for your assistance," Billy said. "What time can you pick me up?"
Kimberly smiled at him and said, "How about nineish?" Then teasing him, she added, "You really are going to have to get a car."
Billy chuckled, winked at her and said, "Just as soon as I get my finances straightened out at the bank." He turned and winked at Jason, "And I'll be out of your hair too."
Jason looked up at his oldest friend and told him, "Bro, you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to, you know that."
"I know, Jason, and I appreciate it." Billy leaned against the door, and sighed, "But I really do need to get a place of my own."
"What about your dad's house?" Adam asked.
"Jason took care of selling it for me right after Dad died," he told Adam. Suddenly, Billy's expression changed. He gave Adam a long look, "Why did you tell Tommy that I was planning on going back to Phaedos permanently?"
"You did what!?" Jason demanded with a half shout. "How could you lie to Tommy like that?"
Adam sank down in his chair, blushing deeply. "Because I was afraid he wouldn't ask Billy out if he thought he were back to stay. They would keep avoiding each other's feelings." Adam offered sheepishly. "I was tired of watching them dance around each other, and thought it was about time somebody kicked one of them in the butt." He shrugged, "Sometimes it's easier to manipulate Tommy than Billy."
"That was sweet," Kimberly gushed at her boyfriend, and kissed him on the cheek.
"Remind me to kick your butt later," Billy smiled. "And by the way, thanks. It worked." He turned from the room saying, "I'm beat. I think I'll turn in." He winked at Kimberly, "I get the feeling that I'm going to need all my strength to keep up with Kim in the morning. Good night, all." He left the room with a smile on his face.
"I'd say they had a good time tonight," Adam said leaning back in his chair.
Jason smiled at Adam's comment, then looked over at Kimberly. He asked, "You okay with this?"
Smiling up she replied, "Okay with what?"
"Tommy and Billy dating?"
"Why wouldn't I be okay with it?" She asked. "Two men I love like brothers are finally getting a shot at what they really want," she continued. "If this is what's meant to be, then I'm happy for them." Jase wasn't sure if he believed her or not but was willing to take what she said at face value: for now.
She smiled over at her Adam, "If I'm going to take Billy shopping tomorrow, we'd better get on out of here." Glancing over at Jason, she gave him a wicked grin, "I'm going to run his little blue butt ragged tomorrow."
Kimberly pulled into the mall, and looked over to her blond passenger. "Just how much of a shopping trip are we talking here? I mean just what all do you need?"
Billy grinned at her, "Just about everything. Most of my wardrobe from before I left, doesn't fit anymore." He gestured down to himself, "Three years of being away from stores has left me pretty bare of clothing."
She gave him a confused look, "Exactly what did you wear on Phaedos then?"
He simply grinned, "You remember what Dulcea was wearing when we first met her?" Kim nodded remembering the rather revealing outfit the master warrior had worn on their first meeting. She nodded and Billy continued, "Something like that- sans the bra of course."
"Billy!" She protested, "Why not stick with jeans and shirts?"
Billy grinned and answered as he exited the car, "Because, after a week or so, they're just not that comfortable in a rainforest."
Kimberly had to admit the idea of her blond friend running around dressed like Brendan Frazier as George of the Jungle held a certain amount of prurient interest for her. She gave him one of her playful grins, "I think I would have paid good money to see you in something like that."
Billy just winked at her, "What would Adam say?"
She stuck out her tongue and gave him a pout, "Nothing, because I didn't say that did I?"
"Say what?" Billy asked.
"Exactly," she replied. Returning to her original question as they entered the mall, she asked, "Where do you want to start?"
"I'm not sure," Billy told her. "I'm leaving myself in your more than capable of hands." He grinned at her and reminded her what she'd told him when they first made this trip as teenagers. "I trust you completely." Something in his voice, though told her that that might not be exactly true.
"Good," she said after only a second's pause. "Then we'll go to Penny's and get your clothes later." Then reaching up behind his head, she flipped the ponytail and said, "First, we'll take care of this for you." Chuckling to him she said, "it works for Tommy, but for some reason I just can't wrap my mind around it on you."
"I thought you would like it," he teased her, "after all, you liked it on Tommy."
"Yeah, but Tommy had all this bad boy image going," she told him. "On you, it just makes you look like a bad boy wanna-be."
He smiled, "You are of course correct. However, maybe I should wait and ask Tommy."
"Oh no you don't start that," Kimberly told him seriously. "If Tommy's interested in you, it's because of you, not because of your hair. Don't go changing yourself just because you think he might like it. If I know Tommy Oliver, and I think I do, then he'd tell you to do what you wanted, not what you think he might want you to do."
He held up his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, then to the stylist first."
Five minutes later they were in the salon, and Billy was sitting in a chair while her mother's old friend looked Billy over. As she took his hair down from the ponytail, clucking in disapproval to herself at the simple rubber band holding it back, Kimberly was surprised to see the golden locks fall past Billy's shoulders. Evidently, his hair had grown a great deal over the past three years. "How much of this do you want to leave?" the woman asked.
Kimberly saw Billy smile into the mirror, "Ask Kimberly. I'm putting myself into her hands entirely."
The stylist looked over at her questioningly, "Kim?"
Kimberly smiled at her and said, "He trusts me, and I trust you. Make it stylish, easy to manage, and short." Quickly she added, "No spikes."
The stylist smiled back and asked, "How about something like the last time I did his hair for you."
Kimberly nodded, "That'll work."
An hour later, Kimberly walked out of the style shop with a properly shorn and styled Billy. With some amusement, she watched him flex his neck, trying to accustom himself to the missing weight on his head. "You'll get used to it," she told him.
Smiling down at her, he replied, "I hadn't realized just how much mass so little hair had." Looking back down toward the concourse, he said, "Once again into the breach dear friend."
"Huh?" she asked.
"Sorry, it's from Henry V." he sighed and said, "Let's go on to Penny's and get the shopping done."
"Sure thing," she told him as they headed down the mall. Three hours later, their shopping complete, the two former Rangers were seated in a small restaurant talking quietly, and catching up on each other's lives. Billy seemed somewhat withdrawn- as if something was bothering him. Sighing, Kim leaned back and asked, "What's wrong Billy?"
Billy smiled sheepishly over at her, "Caught me did you?"
"When it comes to your moods, you're not hard to catch," she told him. "You never have been good at hiding when you you're upset or disturbed."
"You really think so?" Billy asked.
"I know so," she told him. Jase, Zack, and I can tell when you're upset almost immediately."
Billy smiled at her, "Maybe you and Zack can, but I'm not so sure about Jase anymore." He shook his head, "Or maybe I'm just getting a little better at hiding my emotions."
Kimberly was confused by that. What did he mean that Jase couldn't read him anymore?" "You want to explain that?" she asked.
Billy shrugged, "A few years back, Jase thought I was upset over him taking the Gold Powers and not me." He shook his head, "He read me all wrong. I couldn't have been happier to see him back in action alongside Tommy, where he belonged."
"You didn't resent him getting the Gold Powers even a little?" Kimberly asked. She knew her friend tended to be easy going, but this was a little laid back even for him. Even she had to admit that she missed the excitement, the thrill, and the high of being a Ranger. Although she didn't go through the withdrawals Tommy had when he lost the Green Power, she still felt an emptiness inside her when she gave up her link to the Crane.
Billy shook his head, "Why should I miss it? It wasn't like I'd given anything up."
"You gave up being the Blue Ranger, the morphin', everything," she protested. "How can you say that you hadn't given anything up? I know if I'd had a shot at the Gold Powers, then I might have given Jason a run for his money for them."
Billy just smiled at her before replying, "Because by then I had started to suspect something about the Great Power that nobody else did. Jason wasn't connected to it, so I felt like he deserved a shot at being a Ranger again. If I'd known what was going to happen with his body rejecting the Powers I might have tried to stop him then, but I didn't, so I engineered an excuse for not taking them myself." He gave her a long stare, "and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Jason that. I feel bad enough about how things turned out as it is."
"You mean that you could have taken them, but didn't?" She couldn't understand how Billy could be so blithe about not being a Ranger again. Especially since he was still in constant contact with the other Rangers at that time. "Why Billy?"
Billy sighed and leaned back in the booth as he steepled his fingers. She could almost see that fantastic brain of his consider his answer carefully before speaking. Finally, he seemed to come to some conclusion, because he said. "I think it might be easier if I showed you." He looked around as if to see if anyone else was within earshot. Looking back at her, he leaned forward and asked, "Do YOU trust ME?"
"What a question Billy. Of course I trust you!" she told him.
Smiling he said, "Actually it's a very important question, because if I'm wrong about this," he looked up, "and I pray that I'm not- then I could be taking my life in my own hands here."
"Billy, you're scaring me," Kimberly told him. She'd never seen Billy quite this intense before.
"I don't mean to Kim, but I do need you to trust me." He smiled.
"I do trust you Billy," she told him.
"Fine, then lean back in your seat and close your eyes," he told her. Acquiescing, she did as he bade. "Now I want you to relax, listen to your own heart beat. Shut out all the background noise you hear, even my voice. Tell me what you hear deep inside you."
Concentrating on what Billy told her to do; Kimberly closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound of her own heart, slowly shutting out the sound of the rest of the restaurant. Somewhere deep inside her, she felt something she'd long thought gone rise up from the brightest shadows of her soul. It was a call she thought she'd given up years ago. It was the sound of the Crane. _Now can you hear me, my agile one?_ a voice called her to her mind.
_How can I hear you? I gave you to Kat?_ she replied with her own mind voice.
_You cannot give me away, hatchling. I will always be a part of you. Such is the nature of the Great Power,_ the voice told her. _Kat may have piloted the Crane, but I chose YOU. Forever will we be tied by the Great Power. You just have not called on me in all these years._
_You mean I'm still a Ranger?_ she asked.
_Yes, and no._ the voice told her. _You are still Ninjetti. You can still call on that Power, and it is far greater than any that the other Rangers posses.
_I don't understand,_ Kim told the voice.
_Ask Luka's child, he will guide you. He will explain. There is a great danger. One of your Rangers had betrayed your sacrifices. They have summoned to them dark waters with dangerous powers. They have sought to destroy all that you fought for."
_A Ranger gone bad? Who?_ she asked, not believing that one of her friends could betray them.
_We do not know. It is the mission of Luka's child to find out,_ the Crane told her.
Kim opened her eyes and looked at Billy. "Is this why you came home?" she asked.
Billy nodded, "Yes."
"Do you know who it is?" she asked.
Billy shook his head, "Not yet. I know it's not you or Tommy so far. I don't think it's Jason or Adam, but I haven't had the opportunity to explore that avenue just yet." He looked down and continued more softly, "Or the intestinal fortitude for that matter." When Billy looked up at her, she could see the worry in his eyes. "I don't know if I could do what needs to be done if it's one of them, or Rocky or Zack." He shook his head, "Or even Kat or Aisha for that matter."
Kimberly sat back and thought about what Billy was saying- what he was not saying. "What are you talking about Billy?"
"Fighting Rita and Zed was one thing Kim. They were strangers, the enemy, the other. There's not an emotional attachment to them. But there is no evil in the world like that of an Angel gone bad. It won't be a fight just to stop them from taking over the world. It's very likely going to be a fight where one of us won't walk away."
Kimberly considered what her oldest friend was telling her. She knew in her heart of hearts that he was telling the truth, even if she couldn't wrap her mind around the idea of Billy killing someone. She'd never met a more gentle soul in all her life as Billy Cranston, and the concept of him carrying this kind of burden was almost soul crushing. She found herself fighting back tears as she asked, "Why you Billy? Why does it have to be you? Why can't Jason or Tommy do it? They're the warriors, not you. You're a builder."
Billy just smiled at her, "Because Jason and Tommy haven't spent the last three years on Phaedos training with Dulcea- because Jason and Tommy are the warriors, and they think like warriors. This is going to take a lot of detective work Kimberly, and that's what a scientist does best." He stopped a minute and seemed to consider his next words carefully, "And because as much as I hate to say it, I haven't been able to clear Jase yet. Although I've known him most of my life, I don't have the same connection with him that I do with you, Tommy, Adam, Aisha, and Rocky."
"The Great Power?" Kimberly asked.
Billy nodded. "Jason never quested for his spirit guide. He never became Ninjetti, and he never connected to the Great Power." He smiled, "Yes, Jason can still summon the Power of the Morphin' Red Ranger, but he's not Ninjetti."
"What do you mean he can still summon the Red Ranger Power?"
"Jason wasn't wielding the Red Ranger Power when it was supposedly destroyed by Ivan Ooze. When the power dissipated from Rocky, it had to find somewhere to go. That somewhere was Jason. It just took it a long time to build up to where he can summon it again, sort of like a battery that has to recharge over time."
"Are you saying that we can all still summon the Power?" Kimberly asked.
Billy nodded, "Of course. Remember what Zordon said; "Anything is possible with the Great Power." He leaned back again, and appeared to relax. "I've spent the last three years training and studying the ruins on Phaedos. I've come to realize something. Something I'm not sure you're going to take very well."
Kimberly stared at him for a second before asking, "What?"
"That Zordon concealed a great deal from us about the Great Power." He sighed. "We can't give it up. Once it's bonded to us, then it's ours forever. If we'd taken the time to practice and train, then we would have never needed the Zeo Crystals. The Power we tapped into on Phaedos, when understood and applied properly could have been used to bring down the Machine Empire. It would have been more difficult to do it that way. It would have taken a couple of years of training and studying- which by the way, we didn't really have- but it could have been done."
"You mean I'm still the Pink Ranger?" Kimberly asked.
Billy nodded. "You're still the Crane," he told her. Then pitching his voice until it sounded very much like Dulcea's he said, "Graceful, and Light as a feather."
"You sure you're not bucking for Dulcea's job?" she kidded him.
Billy shook his head, "No. There's a white falcon I intend on spending the rest of my life with if he'll have me. And somehow I don't think there's a Phaedos 500."
She smiled at him, "Remember, anything is possible with the Great Power."
Jason grinned across the card table at Kim and Adam, as they heard Billy enter the front door. "I'll bet you a smoothie that he tries to slip upstairs unnoticed," Kim said.
"No bet," Jason told her. "I've known him as long as you have. That's exactly what he'll try to do. You know Billy; don't talk about it and maybe it'll go away."
"What will go away?" Bill asked from the door, and Jason felt the blood rise in his face.
"Uh. . . , nothing. . . ," Jason replied as the other two tried to hide their snickers behind the cards they were holding.
"We were just discussing whether or not you'd poke your head in here and say good night," Adam volunteered unconvincingly.
Billy just smiled and leaned against the doorframe. Jason had never seen Billy in this state of blissful contentment before. "Kim," he ventured, "could I ask a favor?"
"Sure Billy," Kim told him. "Name it."
"I find myself in need of your assistance in a personal matter. You remember that shopping trip you and I went on a few years back?" he asked. Jason recalled that fateful weekend about a year or so after they became Rangers. Kimberly had taken Billy to the mall, ostensively to get a new pair of glasses, but he ended up with a new wardrobe and hairstyle."
"Yeah Billy," she said as she winked over at Adam and Jason.
"I was wondering if you would be willing to accompany me again on a similar excursion in the morning." Billy's voice had an almost dreamily detached tone to it, that made Jason wonder exactly what had gone on tonight. "I'm afraid my wardrobe is somewhat limited after being off planet for so long." Jason found himself chuckling at that comment. Billy had arrived at his house last week with only a small backpack containing very few items of clothing. The two had barely had time to pick up a few pair of jeans and shirts for him at the local Wal- Mart, and had been unable to add any more to his wardrobe since then.
"Let me get this straight," Kimberly asked playfully. "You think you have to ask me to go shopping?" Throwing her voice back to the Valley speak she was so fond of when they were in high school, she twirled her hair in her hand, put on her best vacant look and said, "Not!" Smiling as she leaned back in her chair, she continued, "I'd be glad to go Billy. But why so soon?"
He grinned down at her and mocked her tone, "Because I've got a date tomorrow night and absolutely nothing to wear."
"Thank you for your assistance," Billy said. "What time can you pick me up?"
Kimberly smiled at him and said, "How about nineish?" Then teasing him, she added, "You really are going to have to get a car."
Billy chuckled, winked at her and said, "Just as soon as I get my finances straightened out at the bank." He turned and winked at Jason, "And I'll be out of your hair too."
Jason looked up at his oldest friend and told him, "Bro, you're welcome to stay here as long as you need to, you know that."
"I know, Jason, and I appreciate it." Billy leaned against the door, and sighed, "But I really do need to get a place of my own."
"What about your dad's house?" Adam asked.
"Jason took care of selling it for me right after Dad died," he told Adam. Suddenly, Billy's expression changed. He gave Adam a long look, "Why did you tell Tommy that I was planning on going back to Phaedos permanently?"
"You did what!?" Jason demanded with a half shout. "How could you lie to Tommy like that?"
Adam sank down in his chair, blushing deeply. "Because I was afraid he wouldn't ask Billy out if he thought he were back to stay. They would keep avoiding each other's feelings." Adam offered sheepishly. "I was tired of watching them dance around each other, and thought it was about time somebody kicked one of them in the butt." He shrugged, "Sometimes it's easier to manipulate Tommy than Billy."
"That was sweet," Kimberly gushed at her boyfriend, and kissed him on the cheek.
"Remind me to kick your butt later," Billy smiled. "And by the way, thanks. It worked." He turned from the room saying, "I'm beat. I think I'll turn in." He winked at Kimberly, "I get the feeling that I'm going to need all my strength to keep up with Kim in the morning. Good night, all." He left the room with a smile on his face.
"I'd say they had a good time tonight," Adam said leaning back in his chair.
Jason smiled at Adam's comment, then looked over at Kimberly. He asked, "You okay with this?"
Smiling up she replied, "Okay with what?"
"Tommy and Billy dating?"
"Why wouldn't I be okay with it?" She asked. "Two men I love like brothers are finally getting a shot at what they really want," she continued. "If this is what's meant to be, then I'm happy for them." Jase wasn't sure if he believed her or not but was willing to take what she said at face value: for now.
She smiled over at her Adam, "If I'm going to take Billy shopping tomorrow, we'd better get on out of here." Glancing over at Jason, she gave him a wicked grin, "I'm going to run his little blue butt ragged tomorrow."
Kimberly pulled into the mall, and looked over to her blond passenger. "Just how much of a shopping trip are we talking here? I mean just what all do you need?"
Billy grinned at her, "Just about everything. Most of my wardrobe from before I left, doesn't fit anymore." He gestured down to himself, "Three years of being away from stores has left me pretty bare of clothing."
She gave him a confused look, "Exactly what did you wear on Phaedos then?"
He simply grinned, "You remember what Dulcea was wearing when we first met her?" Kim nodded remembering the rather revealing outfit the master warrior had worn on their first meeting. She nodded and Billy continued, "Something like that- sans the bra of course."
"Billy!" She protested, "Why not stick with jeans and shirts?"
Billy grinned and answered as he exited the car, "Because, after a week or so, they're just not that comfortable in a rainforest."
Kimberly had to admit the idea of her blond friend running around dressed like Brendan Frazier as George of the Jungle held a certain amount of prurient interest for her. She gave him one of her playful grins, "I think I would have paid good money to see you in something like that."
Billy just winked at her, "What would Adam say?"
She stuck out her tongue and gave him a pout, "Nothing, because I didn't say that did I?"
"Say what?" Billy asked.
"Exactly," she replied. Returning to her original question as they entered the mall, she asked, "Where do you want to start?"
"I'm not sure," Billy told her. "I'm leaving myself in your more than capable of hands." He grinned at her and reminded her what she'd told him when they first made this trip as teenagers. "I trust you completely." Something in his voice, though told her that that might not be exactly true.
"Good," she said after only a second's pause. "Then we'll go to Penny's and get your clothes later." Then reaching up behind his head, she flipped the ponytail and said, "First, we'll take care of this for you." Chuckling to him she said, "it works for Tommy, but for some reason I just can't wrap my mind around it on you."
"I thought you would like it," he teased her, "after all, you liked it on Tommy."
"Yeah, but Tommy had all this bad boy image going," she told him. "On you, it just makes you look like a bad boy wanna-be."
He smiled, "You are of course correct. However, maybe I should wait and ask Tommy."
"Oh no you don't start that," Kimberly told him seriously. "If Tommy's interested in you, it's because of you, not because of your hair. Don't go changing yourself just because you think he might like it. If I know Tommy Oliver, and I think I do, then he'd tell you to do what you wanted, not what you think he might want you to do."
He held up his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, then to the stylist first."
Five minutes later they were in the salon, and Billy was sitting in a chair while her mother's old friend looked Billy over. As she took his hair down from the ponytail, clucking in disapproval to herself at the simple rubber band holding it back, Kimberly was surprised to see the golden locks fall past Billy's shoulders. Evidently, his hair had grown a great deal over the past three years. "How much of this do you want to leave?" the woman asked.
Kimberly saw Billy smile into the mirror, "Ask Kimberly. I'm putting myself into her hands entirely."
The stylist looked over at her questioningly, "Kim?"
Kimberly smiled at her and said, "He trusts me, and I trust you. Make it stylish, easy to manage, and short." Quickly she added, "No spikes."
The stylist smiled back and asked, "How about something like the last time I did his hair for you."
Kimberly nodded, "That'll work."
An hour later, Kimberly walked out of the style shop with a properly shorn and styled Billy. With some amusement, she watched him flex his neck, trying to accustom himself to the missing weight on his head. "You'll get used to it," she told him.
Smiling down at her, he replied, "I hadn't realized just how much mass so little hair had." Looking back down toward the concourse, he said, "Once again into the breach dear friend."
"Huh?" she asked.
"Sorry, it's from Henry V." he sighed and said, "Let's go on to Penny's and get the shopping done."
"Sure thing," she told him as they headed down the mall. Three hours later, their shopping complete, the two former Rangers were seated in a small restaurant talking quietly, and catching up on each other's lives. Billy seemed somewhat withdrawn- as if something was bothering him. Sighing, Kim leaned back and asked, "What's wrong Billy?"
Billy smiled sheepishly over at her, "Caught me did you?"
"When it comes to your moods, you're not hard to catch," she told him. "You never have been good at hiding when you you're upset or disturbed."
"You really think so?" Billy asked.
"I know so," she told him. Jase, Zack, and I can tell when you're upset almost immediately."
Billy smiled at her, "Maybe you and Zack can, but I'm not so sure about Jase anymore." He shook his head, "Or maybe I'm just getting a little better at hiding my emotions."
Kimberly was confused by that. What did he mean that Jase couldn't read him anymore?" "You want to explain that?" she asked.
Billy shrugged, "A few years back, Jase thought I was upset over him taking the Gold Powers and not me." He shook his head, "He read me all wrong. I couldn't have been happier to see him back in action alongside Tommy, where he belonged."
"You didn't resent him getting the Gold Powers even a little?" Kimberly asked. She knew her friend tended to be easy going, but this was a little laid back even for him. Even she had to admit that she missed the excitement, the thrill, and the high of being a Ranger. Although she didn't go through the withdrawals Tommy had when he lost the Green Power, she still felt an emptiness inside her when she gave up her link to the Crane.
Billy shook his head, "Why should I miss it? It wasn't like I'd given anything up."
"You gave up being the Blue Ranger, the morphin', everything," she protested. "How can you say that you hadn't given anything up? I know if I'd had a shot at the Gold Powers, then I might have given Jason a run for his money for them."
Billy just smiled at her before replying, "Because by then I had started to suspect something about the Great Power that nobody else did. Jason wasn't connected to it, so I felt like he deserved a shot at being a Ranger again. If I'd known what was going to happen with his body rejecting the Powers I might have tried to stop him then, but I didn't, so I engineered an excuse for not taking them myself." He gave her a long stare, "and I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Jason that. I feel bad enough about how things turned out as it is."
"You mean that you could have taken them, but didn't?" She couldn't understand how Billy could be so blithe about not being a Ranger again. Especially since he was still in constant contact with the other Rangers at that time. "Why Billy?"
Billy sighed and leaned back in the booth as he steepled his fingers. She could almost see that fantastic brain of his consider his answer carefully before speaking. Finally, he seemed to come to some conclusion, because he said. "I think it might be easier if I showed you." He looked around as if to see if anyone else was within earshot. Looking back at her, he leaned forward and asked, "Do YOU trust ME?"
"What a question Billy. Of course I trust you!" she told him.
Smiling he said, "Actually it's a very important question, because if I'm wrong about this," he looked up, "and I pray that I'm not- then I could be taking my life in my own hands here."
"Billy, you're scaring me," Kimberly told him. She'd never seen Billy quite this intense before.
"I don't mean to Kim, but I do need you to trust me." He smiled.
"I do trust you Billy," she told him.
"Fine, then lean back in your seat and close your eyes," he told her. Acquiescing, she did as he bade. "Now I want you to relax, listen to your own heart beat. Shut out all the background noise you hear, even my voice. Tell me what you hear deep inside you."
Concentrating on what Billy told her to do; Kimberly closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound of her own heart, slowly shutting out the sound of the rest of the restaurant. Somewhere deep inside her, she felt something she'd long thought gone rise up from the brightest shadows of her soul. It was a call she thought she'd given up years ago. It was the sound of the Crane. _Now can you hear me, my agile one?_ a voice called her to her mind.
_How can I hear you? I gave you to Kat?_ she replied with her own mind voice.
_You cannot give me away, hatchling. I will always be a part of you. Such is the nature of the Great Power,_ the voice told her. _Kat may have piloted the Crane, but I chose YOU. Forever will we be tied by the Great Power. You just have not called on me in all these years._
_You mean I'm still a Ranger?_ she asked.
_Yes, and no._ the voice told her. _You are still Ninjetti. You can still call on that Power, and it is far greater than any that the other Rangers posses.
_I don't understand,_ Kim told the voice.
_Ask Luka's child, he will guide you. He will explain. There is a great danger. One of your Rangers had betrayed your sacrifices. They have summoned to them dark waters with dangerous powers. They have sought to destroy all that you fought for."
_A Ranger gone bad? Who?_ she asked, not believing that one of her friends could betray them.
_We do not know. It is the mission of Luka's child to find out,_ the Crane told her.
Kim opened her eyes and looked at Billy. "Is this why you came home?" she asked.
Billy nodded, "Yes."
"Do you know who it is?" she asked.
Billy shook his head, "Not yet. I know it's not you or Tommy so far. I don't think it's Jason or Adam, but I haven't had the opportunity to explore that avenue just yet." He looked down and continued more softly, "Or the intestinal fortitude for that matter." When Billy looked up at her, she could see the worry in his eyes. "I don't know if I could do what needs to be done if it's one of them, or Rocky or Zack." He shook his head, "Or even Kat or Aisha for that matter."
Kimberly sat back and thought about what Billy was saying- what he was not saying. "What are you talking about Billy?"
"Fighting Rita and Zed was one thing Kim. They were strangers, the enemy, the other. There's not an emotional attachment to them. But there is no evil in the world like that of an Angel gone bad. It won't be a fight just to stop them from taking over the world. It's very likely going to be a fight where one of us won't walk away."
Kimberly considered what her oldest friend was telling her. She knew in her heart of hearts that he was telling the truth, even if she couldn't wrap her mind around the idea of Billy killing someone. She'd never met a more gentle soul in all her life as Billy Cranston, and the concept of him carrying this kind of burden was almost soul crushing. She found herself fighting back tears as she asked, "Why you Billy? Why does it have to be you? Why can't Jason or Tommy do it? They're the warriors, not you. You're a builder."
Billy just smiled at her, "Because Jason and Tommy haven't spent the last three years on Phaedos training with Dulcea- because Jason and Tommy are the warriors, and they think like warriors. This is going to take a lot of detective work Kimberly, and that's what a scientist does best." He stopped a minute and seemed to consider his next words carefully, "And because as much as I hate to say it, I haven't been able to clear Jase yet. Although I've known him most of my life, I don't have the same connection with him that I do with you, Tommy, Adam, Aisha, and Rocky."
"The Great Power?" Kimberly asked.
Billy nodded. "Jason never quested for his spirit guide. He never became Ninjetti, and he never connected to the Great Power." He smiled, "Yes, Jason can still summon the Power of the Morphin' Red Ranger, but he's not Ninjetti."
"What do you mean he can still summon the Red Ranger Power?"
"Jason wasn't wielding the Red Ranger Power when it was supposedly destroyed by Ivan Ooze. When the power dissipated from Rocky, it had to find somewhere to go. That somewhere was Jason. It just took it a long time to build up to where he can summon it again, sort of like a battery that has to recharge over time."
"Are you saying that we can all still summon the Power?" Kimberly asked.
Billy nodded, "Of course. Remember what Zordon said; "Anything is possible with the Great Power." He leaned back again, and appeared to relax. "I've spent the last three years training and studying the ruins on Phaedos. I've come to realize something. Something I'm not sure you're going to take very well."
Kimberly stared at him for a second before asking, "What?"
"That Zordon concealed a great deal from us about the Great Power." He sighed. "We can't give it up. Once it's bonded to us, then it's ours forever. If we'd taken the time to practice and train, then we would have never needed the Zeo Crystals. The Power we tapped into on Phaedos, when understood and applied properly could have been used to bring down the Machine Empire. It would have been more difficult to do it that way. It would have taken a couple of years of training and studying- which by the way, we didn't really have- but it could have been done."
"You mean I'm still the Pink Ranger?" Kimberly asked.
Billy nodded. "You're still the Crane," he told her. Then pitching his voice until it sounded very much like Dulcea's he said, "Graceful, and Light as a feather."
"You sure you're not bucking for Dulcea's job?" she kidded him.
Billy shook his head, "No. There's a white falcon I intend on spending the rest of my life with if he'll have me. And somehow I don't think there's a Phaedos 500."
She smiled at him, "Remember, anything is possible with the Great Power."
