Disclaimer: Not mine, please don't sue me, I have no money anyway.

Jenny: I spent most of spring break writing Out of the Darkness, so I didn't even think about homework. My school sucks because they've made us do nothing all year until about two weeks ago.

Princess Emmie: Wow, thanks.

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: Glad you like it even though you're lost. In this chapter, I explain a little about Aria and Andros' families. It will explain itself, I promise!

Juzblue: This chapter explains a little about the Hunter.

Alexis: Glad you're following it.

Chapter 3: Destiny Will Come To Us

The Megaship

Andros knocked on Aria's door.

"Come in!" she called, her response muffled by the thickness of the walls. Andros didn't enter, but hovered near the doorway instead, still too unsure of himself to venture into anyone's territory but his own.

Aria was sprawled on her bed. She was wearing her pink and silver-gray flight suit, but the jacket was tossed into a corner of the room and her boots lay discarded on the ground. Aria's bare feet were in the air and she was lying on her stomach, reading. Several books were scattered around her.

"So were you the one that drew the short straw?" Aria asked, not looking up.

"Is that a Terran thing?" Andros asked, confused. He didn't know how to draw.

Aria sighed and glanced over at him. "Were you the one that got picked to come check on me and make sure that I'm perfectly fine having my mother in a coma?"

Andros nodded. "But I volunteered to come."

"That makes me feel so much better," Aria muttered. "Come in already, you're freaking me out just hovering there."

Andros came in cautiously, and Aria sat cross-legged on her bed to face him. "Sit down, I'm not going to hurt you."

"I'm not scared of you," Andros said, sitting as far away from her as he could. "I'm scared of what you say."

Aria smiled dryly. "Fair enough. Look, why are you here?"

"Do you want to talk?"

This was so unexpected coming from Andros that Aria burst out laughing. Andros looked offended.

"I meant it," he said.

"I know," Aria assured him. "It's just that you've said about ten words to us the whole time we've been here. What did you want to talk about?"

Andros looked uncomfortable. "Maybe I shouldn't be doing this, but my family is dead, so I understand- but if you don't want to-"

He stopped, knowing he was probably making things worse. Aria shrugged.

"I'll tell you about my family if you tell me about yours."

Andros nodded his agreement. "You first."

Aria sighed. "It's a long story. I'll give you the short version. Don't ask for details, I don't know any. My mother was a friend of my birth parents. When I was about two, or three my family was killed. We don't know by who, but he wants to kill me and Justin as well. I don't know why. My mother adopted me and Justin, changed all of our names, and we moved to Angel Grove. Now the Hunter found her."

"The Hunter?" Andros asked.

"That's what we call him," Aria said. "Because he's hunted us all our lives."

"Why didn't he kill your mother?" The words slipped out of Andros' mouth.

Aria looked startled. Andros looked sheepish. "Sorry."

Aria shook her head. "I was wondering that myself. He only wants me and Justin, or his orders are only me and Justin."

"What about Gabriel?" Andros asked. "Is he not important to the Hunter?"

"I think he is," Aria said thoughtfully. "But he was never targeted back wherever we come from."

"You don't know?"

Aria shook her head. "Nope. Not where I came from, not my name, nothing."

Andros exhaled slowly. He was going to be very depressed after this. Aria was watching him.

"Your turn."

"My family is dead," Andros said simply. His face clouded over. "I had a twin sister. Karone. We had a younger brother and a younger sister, who were twins. Jadon and Amara. Karone was kidnapped when we were six. A few weeks later, Dark Specter attacked KO-35 for the first time. My parents were killed by Quantrons. Amara and Jadon-"

Andros swallowed before saying, "Amara and Jadon were inside our house sleeping when the attack came. It was burned."

Aria shuddered visibly. "I don't like fire," she murmured softly to herself.

"I've been searching for Karone ever since," Andros finished, keeping his story short and to the point. Aria understood, and didn't pry for details.

She did ask, "Did you have rangers then?"

"We were still children," Andros said. "It was seven years before he sent anything other than Quantrons, so KO-35 was able to hold them off, but I'm the only surviving ranger."

"Wow," Aria said. "Okay, happy thoughts now."

"What are you reading?" Andros asked. It was the first thing that came into his mind.

"You probably wouldn't like it," Aria warned, handing it to him. "It's fantasy."

"Is it about destiny?" Andros asked. Aria nodded. "Then it's not real."

"I know it didn't happen," Aria said. "But it could have."

"You believe in destiny?" He looked at Aria skeptically.

She nodded firmly. "Everything happens for a reason, Andros."

"Prove it," he said, folding his arms over his chest.

Aria shook her head. "Destiny will come to us. It's not about proving anything. It's about every little thing being a part of something bigger."

"Okay," Andros challenged. "Let's say this conversation is a little thing. What's the big thing?"

Aria rolled her eyes. "I just said it wasn't about proving anything."

"Maybe I really want to know."

"Do you?"

He shrugged. "Start talking and I'll find out."

Aria shrugged. "Okay. Umm . . . maybe one of us is supposed to realize something. Or maybe I'm supposed to tell you to do something. Maybe you were supposed to make me feel better so I'm not stressed out during out next fight and die. I don't know. It won't make sense until you're looking at the big picture."

"And when will that be?"

"I don't know," Aria said. "But you'll know when everything falls into place. It will just feel right."

"I don't understand," Andros said shaking his head. "Is this a girl thing?"

Aria whacked his hard in the face with her pillow. "You're the first ranger I've ever met not to believe in fate."

"Fate plays too many tricks," Andros said.

Aria nodded. "On Earth, we say twists of fate."

"My brother and sisters were supposed to have been rangers," Andros said suddenly. "I haven't put much faith in fate since then."

"What colors?" Aria asked. "If it's not personal or anything."

"Jadon was blue, Karone was yellow, and Amara was pink," Andros said. "Garret, the son of my mother's best friend, was black."

Aria nodded. "I'm guessing you don't believe in happy endings, either?"

Andros shook his head. "I've seen a lot of endings. None of them were happy."

"They do exist," Aria told him firmly. "The end of the war will come, someday, and when it does, we will fight, and we will win. We can never give up."

Andros smirked. "That sounds like something Ashley would say."

Aria raised an eyebrow at him. "So you pay attention to what Ashley says?"

There was laughter in her tone that Andros couldn't place. "What?"

Aria snorted. "You wouldn't get it."

"Is this a girl thing?"

Aria nodded. "This is."

"Is Ashley trying to confuse me, then?" Andros asked.

"What do you mean?" Aria asked, fighting hard not to smile.

"Whenever she's around me, I can't think," Andros confessed. "I don't know what I'm doing."

"Okay, dude," Aria said, laughing, "Do you know what a crush is?"

Andros shook his head, figuring she didn't expect him to know Earth customs. "Is this a girl thing?"

"Say that one more time, and I'll have to hit you," Aria said, but she was grinning.

"Tell me what a crush is," Andros said. "You're confusing me."

"Ooh, this is going to be fun." Aria laughed, then turned slightly more serious. "Do people on KO-35 get married?"

"Yes," Andros said, wondering where this was going.

"Before they get married, do they fall in love?"

"Normally," Andros said, and Aria laughed appreciatively.

"Okay, well having a crush on someone is when you like them a lot and you think that you might love them the way that you love the person that you'd marry."

"You think I have a crush on Ashley?" Andros asked. "I don't."

"If you deny it, it's true," Aria informed him. "Every time."

"But-"

"Answer me honestly," Aria said seriously. "I swear, I'll never tell anyone. Do you like Ashley?"

"I don't know," Andros admitted after a long pause. "She's always so nice to me. She keeps saying that I can talk to her."

"Have you ever talked to her?"

Andros shook his head. "I wanted to."

"Why didn't you?"

Andros shrugged. "I was afraid of what she would think."

"Look, dude," Aria said. "You can always talk to me, but I think you'd be better off talking to Ash. She's really sweet and she understands everything. And, you like her, whether you'll admit it or not."

"Are you sure she'll talk to me?" Andros asked hesitantly. "I didn't respond too well before."

"You could start by apologizing," Aria suggested. "Then tell her you changed your mind about talking. I'm telling you, she'll listen."

"Deca, what time is it?" Andros asked.

"It is five fifty-eight p.m. in Angel Grove," Deca replied.

"Where's Ashley?" Aria asked, sensing that Andros was too shy to do it.

"Ashley is currently in Angel Grove Park," Deca answered immediately.

"Thanks, Deca," Aria said. She glanced at Andros. "Go talk to her. Cry if you want to."

"I don't cry," Andros protested.

Aria smirked. "Is this a guy thing?"

"Deca, teleport me to Ashley's coordinates," Andros said, wisely deciding not to take Aria's bait. She smiled sweetly at him as he vanished from her sight.

Angel Grove Park

Ashley was sitting at a picnic table, enjoying the cool summer breeze and loathing her English homework. She was just about to throw Hamlet across the park in frustration when she saw Andros appear. She sighed. At least she had a distraction.

"Ash?" he said hesitantly.

Ashley looked at him in surprise. He'd never called her Ash before. She didn't think he'd even called her Ashley.

"Hey, Andros," she said, smiling. "You okay?"

"Um, I was wondering . . . can I still talk to you?" he muttered, unable to look her in the eye.

Ashley smiled and nodded.

"Of course you can," she said. "Do you want to take a walk?"

Andros nodded, still looking down. Ashley stood up and hurriedly shoved several books into her backpack. She slung her backpack over one shoulder, and took Andros by the arm.

"Come on," she said, slipping her arm through his. He tensed for a moment, and then relaxed, letting her lead him.

Andros said nothing at all for several minutes, content to walk so closely with her. Finally, when he trusted himself enough to talk, he sat down in the grass, motioning for Ashley to join him. She lay down on her stomach next to him, raising herself up so that she was leaning on her elbows, watching him expectantly.

Andros took a deep breath and began. "I have a sister named Karone . . ."

One long story later

". . . and then I met you guys, and you know the rest."

"Wow," Ashley sighed, sqeezing his hand gently. He jumped slightly; he hadn't realized that she was holding his hand. "Are you all right?"

Andros shook his head. "I still miss them. Every day."

Ashley sat up and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, rubbing it soothingly. "Do you want me to keep this secret?"

Andros nodded. "Don't tell Justin or Gabriel."

"What about Aria?" Ashley said. "Does she know?"

"Some of it," Andros said. "I told her if she'd tell me about her family, I'd tell her about mine. I didn't tell her about Zhane."

"You got Aria to talk about her family?" Ashley said increduously. "I don't even know anything about her family, and I've known her for years."

"Why would she tell me?" Andros wondered. "She barely knows me."

Ashley shrugged. "She trusts you then. Oh, and you should always trust her. She's crazy and downright suicidal, but that girl is never wrong. Always do what Aria says."

Andros grinned ruefully. "I know. I just talked to her. She told me a few things about myself that I didn't even know."

"She does that," Ashley said. "Justin hates it."

Andros hesitated. "Why is Justin so-"

"-so Justin?" Ashley asked, and Andros nodded.

"He thinks it's his sworn duty to protect Aria," Ashley said slowly. "And he hates that she resents him for it."

"Are they twins?" Andros asked.

Ashley hesitated.

"I think so," she said. "But I don't know for sure."

"Aria told me you were easy to talk to," Andros confessed shyly. "She was right."

"Like I told you," Ashley said, making a mental note to thank her friend. "But I'm glad you listened."

"Me too," Andros admitted. He looked down and added, "And I'm sorry about how I acted before."

Ashley waited until he looked up at her. "Andros, it's fine. I understand."

Andros nodded and for several minutes, his hazel eyes bored into her brown ones. If he hadn't been scared of upsetting her, Andros would have reached over and hugged her. Instead, he helped her to her feet, and said, a little uneasily, "We should go back."

Ashley nodded. Instinctively, she reached out and hugged him. Andros stiffened for a fraction of a second before returning her embrace.

"Thanks, Ash," he whispered into her hair.

Ashley made no audible reply, but tightened her arms around him.

They let go of each other only reluctantly, and teleported back to the Megaship hand in hand. Neither mentioned it, but both were very aware of it.

As Andros walked back to his room, Aria's words haunted his mind.

You'll know when everything falls into place. It will just feel right.

"Damn it," he muttered. "Stupid fate."

A/N: Hope you're following it okay. If you're not, tell me, and I'll put in some more explanations. Otherwise, hope you liked it, please review.