Live Like You Were Dying
Title: Live Like You Were Dying
Author: kazeko
Show: Power Rangers
Rating: R
Chapters: ?
Series: no, also no relation to "Children of the Gods"
Multipart: yes
Time: About a year after Power Rangers in Space, changing the Power Rangers timeline after that
Couple(s): Tommy/Kimberly, Jason/Kat, Tanya/Adam
Disclaimer: Saban and Disney own Power Rangers and they don't deserve it if they won't release MMPR on DVD!
Disclaimer 2: I own everything else, including characters, other planets, and the plot.
Author's Note: I know this is going to be really confusing, so here's some help. The first part of this chapter happens immediately before the first chapter and the second part of this chapter occurs one year before the first chapter. Things will become more clear, I swear.
Chapter 2: Choices
Kat smiled at her fellow performers as she closed the door of her dressing-room, leaning against the wood and sighing. Though dancing usually thrilled her, tonight there was no joy, no excitement. She realized that she missed her friends, her real friends, the people she suffered and fought evil with in High School. She missed the Power Rangers.
It wasn't like she hadn't kept in touch; she had, but they were eight time zones away and actually talking to one of her friends was expensive and difficult. Letters were fine, as far as they went, but she wanted to see them, to ask them how they'd been, to admire and envy the romance between Tanya and Adam. She did envy them their love, but she would never do anything to hurt them. Just because she was denied her happy ending didn't mean that her friends shouldn't get a reward for all of their hard work. She let her thoughts wander to Tommy as she sat in front of her mirror and began to take her hair down, smiling at the thought of the mahogany-haired man. Sure, they had realized eventually that he was using her as a replacement for Kimberly and she didn't really love him, but it had been nice while it lasted.
She jumped, startled, as a simple piece of white paper floated onto the table in front of her, appearing from out of nowhere. Pausing a moment to see if it was some sort of trap, the blonde Aussie picked it up and read the simple note. "There is always a chance for a happy ending. Your friends need you now." Turning it over, she found the information for a plane ticket back to Angel Grove, bought and paid for, that she could print from the travel website listed. Confused and more than a little skeptical, Kat walked over to her computer, woke it up, and typed in the website. Sure enough, it listed one first-class seat, paid for, for Katherine Hilliard from London to Angel Grove. Printing the paper, she noticed that there was no return ticket.
"Maybe I'm not meant to come back," she whispered, secretly wondering who would have bought her a first-class ticket in the first place. Checking the date and time, she realized that she only had a day to make arrangements to leave. Smiling, the blue-eyed second Pink Ranger pulled her hair into a ponytail and threw on some clothes, heading for the door. It would be nice to go home.
Unnoticed, a tall man with curly brown hair and pointed ears sat outside her window, eyes sparkling. She had accepted.
The Queen of the Adamarei Alliance sat on her throne, staring at the reports from her Dukes and Duchesses of the various Regions that she controlled scroll through the air, a holo-projection. Touching her finger to one entry, the silver-haired woman brought up the report from Earth, a planet under her protection if not direct jurisdiction. "All readings confirm our worst fear: Zordon of Eltar is indeed dead, his sacrifice saving the galaxy from Lord Zedd, King Mondo, Rita Repusa, and Divatox. His last group of teen heroes, his Power Rangers, are powerless, retiring as every group before them has done. More information if requested."
The queen sighed and turned the machine off, letting her head fall into her hands. Zordon dead. He had been one of the greatest Avatars of Light ever. Now who would govern Earth and protect it from evil she knew would return? The ancient woman knew that she was not the one to do so, and she realized that only her heir would have enough power. "But I am left sterile by a touch of the plague," she whispered, never realizing that she had spoken out loud.
"Anarii?"
The queen's closest friend entered the room, the Duchess of Azareth Region smiling, long red hair pulled into a simple braid. The youngest of the Duchesses at only one century, Baliree hated to wear formal clothing, no matter what. Queen Anarii didn't mind in the least. "Yes, Baliree?"
"Ana, I know that you are worried that you have no heir, but you can still bestow your powers on a deserving young woman. If you can find a powerful girl that you trust to lead your people, she doesn't even have to be Shamirin by birth."
"Where can I find a child like that? She'd have to be just coming into her adulthood and powers. There are no twenty-year-olds in my kingdom that I trust so much."
"What about Zordon's children?" Earth was part of Azareth Region, and Anarii knew how much the Eltaran's death hurt the young Duchess. "There are quite a few to choose from, and Zordon trusted the fate of the Universe to them. You can trust Adamarei to one of them."
"Which one? And how can I ask one of those girls to leave behind everything she's ever known and come here to serve me?"
"Then take two or three. Pick the woman you want and ask her who she would most like to accompany her. I'm sure they would come, Ana. They are hurting without their powers and the whole saving-the-world bit, though they could never admit it. I know the Dragon Power is very different from the power of the Morphin' Grid or the Zeo Crystals, but I'm sure they'd jump at the chance."
"Who are my choices, then, Bali?"
"I would prefer one of the earlier girls, not the ones who were with Zordon when he died. The wounds and the pain are too fresh for them, the power too near. So, one of the first seven teams." Bali waved her hand, and a new image appeared before the queen. Seven different groups of Human teenagers stood before her, some noticeably similar. She pulled the girls out and lined them up, highlighting each as she spoke. "These are the Yellow Rangers first. Trini Kwan was first, leaving the team within the second year to attend a peace conference in Switzerland. She is bright and caring and had only a few problems passing the power onto the next Yellow Ranger. Aisha Campbell was the second, staying for quite some time, electing to stay in Africa during the Zeo Quest. She has since entered Veterinarian School so she can help the animals she lives with. She never really had to go through Power withdrawal due to the unique circumstances of her leaving. Tanya Sloan returned with the yellow Zeo Crystal and took Aisha's place on the team, remaining through the Turbo Powers. She voluntarily passed on her powers and retired from the team."
The former Yellow Rangers faded slightly, leaving only two girls standing there. "In five years there were only two Pink Rangers. The first is Kimberly Ann Hart, very small even for a human, an accomplished gymnast. She suffered a great deal as a Ranger, carrying the Power and the responsibility for almost three years, including being kidnapped by Lord Zedd to become his bride, almost being killed more times than I can count, and having her Power Coin stolen by a girl who was at that time Rita's servant. She's the only one who ever had her coin stolen, and that almost killed her. In the end, she left for Florida, unable to handle the Power any longer, and competed in two major Human gymnastic competitions. She is currently an assistant coach in Florida, hoping to teach others how to be winners, too."
"How did she handle losing the power?"
"Major depression. She suffered so much, poor thing, and she didn't have anyone to talk to while in Florida. Eventually she decided that the only way to make the pain go away was to pretend that it never happened, so she cut the last of her ties to Angel Grove."
"What tie?"
"Her boyfriend, Tommy Oliver," Baliree whispered, showing a picture of the man. "She's the one who accepted him into the team without a thought or worry when he was freed from Rita's spell while he was the Green Ranger. She was there for him when he lost his powers and he saved her when her coin was stolen. In the end, she left to chase another of her dreams, always planning to return and give him the family he always wanted. She sent him a letter worded just right to keep him from trying to contact her, and they have not spoken since. The only link she has left to any of the former Rangers is Jason Scott, who visits her once in a while. He knows better than to mention the Rangers."
"Tell me about this last one, the blonde."
"That's Katherine Hilliard, an Australian who was brought to Angel Grove by Rita to steal the Power Coins of the Power Rangers. She fell for Tommy and decided to steal only the Pink Coin, almost killing Kimberly in the process. In the end, Katherine turned good and Kimberly gave her the Pink Coin, making her the second Pink Ranger, when she went to Florida. Katherine and Tommy dated for a while after Kimberly's letter, but they realized that Tommy only ever loved Kimberly and they broke up." The three Yellow Rangers faded back in, and Queen Anarii studied the five women.
"Who should I choose?"
TBC