Disclaimer: Not mine

dancer1: I'm glad you like it, hope that you read the rest of it.

GreenDayfan1: Yeah, Andros is stubborn, but that's just kind of a shell that he put up to protect himself. Underneath, he's sweet.

Elfsong: No, Arrow is someone that I made up. And I always update soon. : )

Juzblue: No, his parents aren't very nice.

Janice: Yup, this is the side of himself that Andros doesn't let anyone see.

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: I already knew that. It was supposed to be a three part episode, but then they had to cut it all down. Maybe if you send angry letters to Saban/Disney, they'll release it. I want to see them kiss. : ( I hate his parents too. Can I have one of the zords? Never mind, I want Alpha.

Jenny: Okay, probably a lot of people could have figured it out, but since you're the only one that did, we'll just say that you're a really good guesser. And I promise, I will never write a story where Andros and Ashley don't end up together. And if I do, please send me lots of angry reviews until I change my mind. And yeah, that's pretty much what's going to happen. : )

Chapter 9

"I have a twin sister," Andros began haltingly. "Her name is Karone. We were outside playing. The ball flew away, and I went to go get it. I heard her start screaming."

He paused and swallowed hard. He didn't want to start crying again, especially not in front of Ashley. He'd already let her get to close. Sighing, Andros lay down, staring at the bottom of the top bunk.

"I never saw her again."

It was several minutes more before he could speak again.

"My parents . . . you saw them," Andros said bitterly. "Karone was their darling little angel, and I was just their other child. I was supposed to protect Karone, keep her safe, so she could make them proud. But I couldn't hate her because they loved her. She was so sweet and innocent, and I was the one who lost her."

"Do you really believe that?" Ashley asked softly. "That it's your fault?"

"Yes," Andros answered instantly. "It was my fault. I lost her. And I have to find her."

Ashley didn't reply, remembering how his parents had acted towards him earlier. Without being told, she knew that they had been the same way every day of his life. Slowly, she was beginning to see that the Andros that they knew was only a mask, designed to protect the person inside.

"The Karovan rangers were all chosen as children," Andros continued after a long pause. "I was the red ranger. I was supposed to be the leader. Karone was supposed to be the yellow ranger."

"Oh," Ashley said, shifting uncomfortably.

"After Karone . . . the others refused to take the morphers," Andros said. "They didn't want to risk their lives."

"Did you protect KO-35 alone?" Ashley asked.

Andros shook his head.

"No. There was Zhane. He was like my brother. We morphed for the first time when we were thirteen. Zhane was the silver ranger. He almost died when Dark Specter invaded. He's in cryogenic sleep. He might never wake up."

Ashley nodded, knowing that he couldn't see her in the dark, listening to him speak in short, broken sentences. Cautiosly, Ashley reached out and took his hand. Her heart ached for him, and she wished that there was something that she could do to take his pain away. She was becoming very aware that she felt a brief flash of every emotion that he was feeling, and she wished that he wouldn't push her away anymore.

Andros tensed at her touch, and Ashley dropped his hand quickly.

"He almost died because of me."

"Andros," Ashley said quietly. "You aren't responsible for everything that happens."

"Everyone else thinks so," Andros muttered.

"They think so?" Ashley repeated. "Or you think they do?"

Andros was silent for a long time.

"When I was fourteen, Zhane and I stopped Arrow," Andros said. "He was human."

"Who is he?" Ashley asked, prompting him when he stalled.

Andros sighed.

"He . . . he was a ranger."

"An evil one?" Ashley asked.

"Yes," Andros muttered. "He had an army. He tried to take over."

"What happened?"

"We destroyed his army and captured him," Andros said. "The Karovans were going to try him, but he escaped."

He stopped. Ashley waited patiently, not wanting to pressure him. Andros hesitated. His father had been the one standing guard when it had all happened, and he'd chosen to say that Arrow had had a hidden weapon that he'd used to escape. Andros had kept quiet out of shame.

"Andros?" Ashley asked softly. "Are you all right?"

Andros swallowed and shook his head.

"I can't," he whispered, sitting up. "I never told anyone."

He could feel Ashley looking at him, and he closed his eyes, even though he couldn't see her. He'd never even told Zhane, although he suspected that his friend had figured out what had happened.

"Hey," Ashley said, touching his shoulder gently. "It's okay. You don't have to."

"I have to stop him," Andros said, standing up, his mind starting to work again. "I can't let him get away again."

"Do you really think you're going alone?" Ashley asked, and Andros could tell that she was smiling at him.

"No," he admitted. "You guys won't let me go alone, will you?"

"Of course not," Ashley said. "We're your friends."

Suddenly, Andros reached out, pulling her into a fierce hug.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Ashley didn't reply, but she wrapped her arms around his neck, and held him close.

"Why are you so nice to me?" Andros asked quietly.

"It's not like me to be mean," Ashley replied.

"Ashley?" Andros asked, his arms still around her. "Could you not tell the others? Please?"

"I won't if you don't want me to," Ashley said. "But they'd understand."

"I don't want them to know yet," Andros said.

"Okay," Ashley agreed. "I won't tell them."

"Thank you," Andros whispered.

"Come on," Ashley said. "Let's go find this dark ranger."

Andros let her go reluctantly, not at all eager to revisit past mistakes.

A/N: You'll have to wait awhile for the next chapter. I'm busy next week, and also I have no idea what happens next. I have the ending written, but not the middle. But it's not a cliffhanger, so you can't get too mad. But you will. : )