Disclaimer:  I don't own Power Rangers.  Someone else does.  I don't know who because it keeps changing.  Please don't get offended if I insult your favorite character.  Some pairings are easy to write a story for while others are really tough.  So please realize that some of my stories will be better than others.  Hi to all my fellow AFPR's including my fellow female Psychos :).  And I really appreciate the reviews :).

     Ok, this is the fifteenth and final of the requested pairings.  I want to get back to randomly drawing out the pairs.  But I may go back to taking requests someday.  This one was requested by Psycho Tangerine.  Yep, I decided to allow myself to pick a pair I wanted to write about :) 

Ryan and Karone

By

Eileen (Psycho Tangerine)

     "Stupid party," grumbled Ryan as he flicked yet another stinkbug out of his cup of so-called punch.  "Haven't these guys ever heard of soda?"  He glanced at the indescribable and unpalatable food dishes, "or pizza for that matter?"

      The ten year old had been living with the demons for over three years.  He had finally gotten used to hanging around the caverns.  It wasn't too bad, considering he had plenty of niches to hide in whenever he angered a demon with one of his silly gags…or when he wanted to spy on Vypra in the changing room.  And, unlike that bunch of idiots, he actually had the intelligence to dig secret tunnels up into a Dunkin Donuts and a McDonalds. 

     Nevertheless, Ryan had decided not to reveal himself to other human beings during his food raids.  Diabolico probably would have said it was because he had finally learned to hate all humans, especially his father.  Ryan smirked to himself.  No school, no clarinet practice and no more boring firefighter stories from his father were more the reason.

     But tonight was different.  It was Impus' 300th birthday.  The demons had invited villains, monsters, and other bizarre creatures to the party.  Ryan hadn't been too surprised that the guests had no difficulty in transporting into the caverns.  Not all bad guys were as dense as the ones he lived with.  Nor had he been surprised to see several of them disintegrated by the cranky demon baby.  Cheap gifts and a monstrous case of diaper rash were not a good combination.

     But the party was really dead, both figuratively and literally speaking.  All they did was hang out in groups, talking about all the boring evil stuff that creatures like them liked to talk about.  "Blah, blah, blah," Ryan mumbled to himself.. 

     Suddenly, something cold and slimy hit Ryan on the back of his head.  "Hey!"  He turned around at the sound of giggling.  He noticed a blonde-haired girl about the same age as he.  A dumb girl, he thought, considering she was trying to hide behind a transparent monster.  He reached behind and pulled the greenish glop out of his hair.  "Food fight!" he shouted gleefully.

     But the demons, monsters, and villains continued to talk amongst themselves, ignoring his announcement.  Ryan shrugged his shoulders and flung the mess back at the girl. 

     "My hair!"  Karone screamed as she was hit.  "How dare you!  Do you know who I am?"

     "Some dumb girl whose dress is going to match?" asked Ryan as he threw more food towards her purple party dress.  He whooped in victory as the black sludge slid down the front.

     "That does it!"  Karone stormed over and picked up the punch bowl.  But just as she was about to turn it over Ryan's head, a powerful stench began to waft around the room.  She looked around to see several red-faced demons and monsters fanning their own behinds.  "Ewww!" she called in disgust as she made to fan her nose with her hands.  "Double ewwwww!!!" she cried as the purple punch landed on her head.  She ran from the large cavern in tears.

     "Hehehe, dumb girl can't even take a little monster stench."  Ryan was proud of his scheme to dump ex-lax into the toad and snot stew.  "Hehehe…" He gasped and pinched his nose shut as the smell finally reached him.  He ran out of the large cavern as well.

     Ryan entered the next room, which was used by those demons who actually cared about their appearance.  There, he noticed the now dry-eyed girl examining herself critically in the full-length mirror.

     "Wow, I really look great in black.  Maybe I'll have Ecliptor get me some new clothes.  Hmmm…and I like the purple hair…maybe I should order some wigs also."

     "Yeah" cut in Ryan "and I've got an old Halloween mask that you could use to hide your ugly old face as well."

     Karone whirled around at this.  "You!  How dare you speak to me in this manner!  How dare you throw things at me!  How dare you even look at me!  Don't you know who I am?"

     "Some spoiled-brat I assume?"  Ryan yawned in disinterest as he flopped on a chair.

     "I happen to be Princess Astronema, future queen of the universe!"  Karone's face was now as purple as her still-dripping hair.  "And you shall see the extent of my wrath!  Ecliptor!"

     No one came.

     "ECLIPTOR!!!!" 

     "Won't do you any good."  Ryan pointed at a small window that looked into the party cavern.  All the monsters had succumbed to the overpowering gas and had passed out all over the floor.

     Karone sighed.  "Well, then I guess I'll have to let it pass this one time…"

     "Hey, if you're going to pass anything, do it in there," cracked Ryan.

     "Oh, always the funny man, huh?"  Karone scowled.  "I bet you have them rolling all over these drab caves."  She cleared her throat.  "As I was saying, I will excuse your bad behavior this one time.  But you must apologize to me and it must be a proper apology."  With that, she grabbed a towel and began rubbing at her hair and dress vigorously.

     Ryan snorted.  "Yeah, right, I'm not apologizing.  I didn't start the stupid food fi…OOOOFFFFF!"  His voice muffled as the now slimy towel hit him full-force in the face. 

     "Well, I just ended it." 

     Ryan turned in surprise at the now snickering girl.           

     "What the?"

     "I got you!" crowed Karone proudly.  "You really thought I was angry and I got you when you didn't expect it!"

     "So, you're not a princess?" asked Ryan as he wiped the gook out of eyes with his sleeve.

     "Nah, that's just what they want me to believe."  Karone sighed.  "Actually, some creep kidnapped me five years ago and gave me to Ecliptor."

     "Oooh, sounds kinky."

     Karone stared at him oddly.  "Hardly, Ecliptor's just like a father to me now."  She ruffled through a little purse on the table, then pulled out a photograph and handed it to Ryan.  "Actually, I'm promised to Dark Spectre."

     "Yeeeesssshhhh!" Ryan grimaced.  "You sure do have terrible taste in men…or whatever that is."

     Karone groaned.  "I didn't choose him.  And, anyway, I don't intend to marry that thing."  She pulled out a tissue with two grayish black pills.  "See? As long as I keep spitting out these evil pills Ecliptor gives me every morning, I can't really turn evil.  And, as soon as I get the chance, I will escape."  With that, she tossed the pills onto the table.

     Ryan looked at her strangely.  "Uh, all of the bad guys are knocked out.  Why don't you just escape now?"

     Karone smacked herself on the forehead.  "Duh, why didn't I think of that?  Oh, I'd better get all my stuff and get out of here.  Do you want to come with me?"

     Ryan shook his head.  "What? And have the truant officer after me for missing all that school.  Besides, Diabolico says I'll get to be a brooding, angry Ranger in another ten years.  Cool, huh?"

     Karone paused in her rushing around to look at Ryan strangely.  "Whatever."  She continued to shove all of the things she had earlier unpacked and set up in the room back into a valise.  "Oh, this is all so sudden, I think the pressure is giving me a major headache."

     "Here," Ryan shoved a pair of pills into Karone's hand. "These aspirin should help."

     "Thanks."  Without looking at them, Karone shoved the pills into her mouth and quickly swallowed them.  "Wow, those were the biggest aspirin I ever…" She whirled around and saw that the evil pills were now gone.  "You idiot!  You gave me the evil pills!"

     "Whoops, I forgot."  Ryan flushed at the major faux pas.

     "I've got to get out of here quickly!  Maybe if I find this Zordon they always talk about, he can find an anti…" Suddenly, her facial expression changed from frantic to malicious.

     "Karone?" squeaked Ryan tentatively.

     "That's Princess Astronema to you.  Ecliptor!" Princess Astronema screamed as she stormed back into the party chamber.  "Wake up!" she shook the black and green figure until he and all the other creatures woke up.  "Take me shopping now!  I've got a sudden craving for black leather!"  With that, Princess Astronema and her entourage flashed out of the caverns.

     "Yep," Ryan mumbled to himself as he headed back to the party.  "That is definitely one kinky girl."