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 these time jumps are still really confusing, so here's just a little more help. This chapter occurs at the end of PRiS when Zordon dies and moves forward a year to the very end of chapter 1. In the next chapter I'll tell you who the visitors are.

Chapter 5: What She Won't Say

"Dervalet is a powerless Shamiri, and he leads the Azouret, a faction of Shamirii who oppose Anarii choosing a human for her heir. Shana isn't really human, not after we've lived so long among them and used so much power, but he wants Anarii to pick his daughter to be queen. She's a distant relative of the royal line through her late mother, and Dervalet believes that Kapiire deserves the throne."

Adam raised his hand. "Hold on a second, Kimberly. That's way too much information. How involved are the politics of Adamarei Alliance?"

Kimberly glanced at her husband and shrugged. "There's a lot of planets in the Alliance. Basically, all you need to know is that we and you are on the side of Queen Anarii and the Azouret are the ones who stole Shana. Anything else we can tell you."

Trini pulled Tommy to one side and glanced at the three Shamirii standing in the center of the room. "Tommy, there's something I need to tell you about Kimberly. Our Kimberly. There's something very wrong with her."

"What do you mean? Isn't she happy in Florida?"

"She's too happy, Tommy. We never mentioned it, but Zack and I would visit her sometimes when we were in the States, and we made a special trip after all the cogs and stuff disappeared. We wanted to come all the way to Angel Grove, but we decided that just seeing Kimberly would be enough. We thought that maybe she kept in touch with some of you. Jason called me when our plane touched down and told us that Zordon was dead, that he sacrificed himself to rid the galaxy of evil."

"And? How did Kimberly react?"

"She didn't."

"What? But she said Zordon was like a father to her. I thought she'd take it badly."

"We thought so, too, Tommy, but she didn't even seem to know anything about the Power Rangers. We told her Zordon was dead and she asked us who he was." Trini glanced at the three visitors from the future, dark eyes worried. "I think Kimberly tried to block out all of the painful memories of her time as a Ranger and she ended up forgetting everything. If Anarii's friend Baliree is coming here within the month, she'll be brutally reminded of her time as a Ranger, and that pain could send her into a deep bought of depression. We can't let Baliree shock her like that."

"What can we do?"

Trini gestured for Tommy to follow her as she approached young Jason, pulling him away from the group conversation with Tommy and Kimberly. "Jason, when was the last time you saw Kimberly?"

"Pretty recently, why?"

"Does she seem different to you?"

"Well, she has the gymnastics medals she won hidden in the back of her closet. She never talks about her accomplishments, but nothing else."

"What about . . . I know you remember how she was before becoming a Ranger. Does it seem to you like that change never happened?"

Jason thought a moment and slowly nodded. "Yeah, I guess that must be why she's so different. It's like those three years never happened." He glanced at the older Kimberly and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe we can ask her."

Zack shook his head at something the older Tommy mentioned. "Yes, I see that the baby would be their main target, but the only way for Dervalet to insure that Kapiire is handed the throne is for him to eliminate any opposition."

"He's tried," Jason admitted, rolling his eyes. "He tried to kill me and he tried to kill Tommy but it did no good. He can't outright kill Shana because of the nature of her birth and the protection spells we wove."

"Can't he prevent her birth?"

"What do you mean?" As young Jason, Tommy, and Trini rejoined the group, older Tommy crossed his arms over his chest. "He doesn't have the power to Alter. He lacks the Dragon Power."

"He doesn't need the power to travel through time; you gave it to him already." Zack pointed outside, toward some imaginary man, one eyebrow raised. "He followed you here and he has the simple mundane power to kill the one person who has to survive until Baliree comes." He let his words sink in, and the three Shamirii turned white. "That's right. He took Shana to keep you occupied while he hunts down Kimberly. Our Kimberly. And right now she's suffering from some sort of selective amnesia. She'd be dead before she even realized that she could fight back."

"Oh god," Tommy whispered. "She has no idea . . ."

Kimberly glanced at her Tommy. "We have to find a way to warn her. I want to save her the pain of these later years, but we can't let Dervalet prevent Shana's birth." She included Jason in the mental exchange, brown eyes glancing at her husband's younger self. "I wish I could help them, Tommy."

"You can't, Beautiful. Jason, you said you have an idea how to prevent the catastrophe, and we will follow your plan."

Rocky cleared his throat. "Hey, no private conversations. If you can't say it to us, we're not the friends you claimed we are."

"I'm sorry," Kimberly whispered. "We've had to hide our thoughts for so long . . . we were just discussing Jason's plan to change our future. We think we've found a way to keep the plague from becoming so virulent without dooming Shana to non-existence. We have to find a way to get to me and bring her here." She scrunched up her little nose and Tommy felt his heart warm at the sight. She was still so very beautiful, even seventy-seven years later, even with little pointed ears and sad eyes. "That sounds so very weird. Are you guys up to another adventure?"

Adam shrugged, glancing at Tommy to lead the Rangers again. "We'll do whatever you need us to do, Kimberly, but we don't have any power. With Zordon gone, there's no grid or anything left."

Kimberly glanced at Tommy and Jason, and the other two Shamirii nodded. The first Pink Ranger turned back to her old friends and smiled. "There is a way. Tommy and Jason can give you some power, but you must all swear not to use any of the Dragon Power without them around. And don't use any of it near me. Your lives quite literally depend on it. Do you swear?"

"Kimberly, what's going on?"

"Tommy, I don't need any of your questions. Do you swear not to use the power unless Tommy or Jason is with you?"

Tommy nodded. "I do."

Jason and Aisha also nodded, the former Yellow Ranger speaking. "Yeah, Kim, you know you can trust me."

Adam, Tanya, and Rocky also nodded. "Sure, absolutely."

Trini, Zack, and Kat were last, and they also promised. Kat raised her hand, feeling ridiculously like a schoolgirl again. "Kimberly, what's this plan that you three have to save our future?"

Jason smiled at the blonde, eyes sparkling. "We'll tell you when your Kimberly and our Shana are safe."

Kimberly suddenly gasped, doubling over in pain, as threads of silver light snaked across her body, sparking where they touched bare skin. Tommy and Jason pulled away, her husband holding his younger self back as all of the former Rangers moved forward to help their friend. Kimberly fell to her knees, biting her lip to keep from screaming, collapsing as the silver faded. Tommy was by her side in an instant, wrapping his white cloak around the shivering brunette as he lifted her and helped her lay down on the couch. "Just rest a second," he whispered, brown eyes full of a secret pain. Jason watched over his partner's shoulder, knowing that he couldn't do anything. "How bad is it, Beautiful?"

"It's bad," she whispered, clenching a fist before relaxing. "Narethi told me that it would come fast when it came. We don't have long, Tommy."

"How long did Narethi say?"

"A week."

"God," Tommy whispered, clenching his fists. "Ten years and I'm still not ready for this. I don't know if I can do it, Beautiful."

Kimberly reached up and rested her hand on Tommy's cheek, brown eyes smiling. "It will be okay, Tommy. You'll make it. You really will." She glanced up at Jason and took his hand. "If we can find Shana, then you two can take care of her."

"I promise we will."

Young Tommy glanced at his friends and nodded at the three Shamirii in front of them. "Jase, what do you think is going on?"

"I'm not exactly sure, Bro, but I think their plan has something to do with saving her."

Tommy and Jason moved away from the resting woman, pulling out nine golden chains hung with teardrop-shaped garnet-colored stones. The two Shamirii Warriors handed out the necklaces, and a closer examination proved that the dark red gems were smooth and translucent, darker striations in their depths. "What are they? They're not like any stone I've ever seen."

"Because they're not exactly stones. Shamirii live in a symbiotic relationship with the Dragons that originated in the Home System, and we use their life power as magic. There are some Shamirii and most of our allies who cannot use the Dragon Power, so some Dragons give drops of their blood to Mages to distribute to unfortunate individuals. You each hold a drop of Dragon blood, and it is very powerful. Put the necklaces on."

Tommy slipped the gold chain over his head and his brown eyes widened as power flowed through him, a power he had not experienced since he was the Red Ranger. He had missed the invulnerable larger-than-life feeling the Power gave him. Glancing at Jason, he could see that his best friend and soul-brother was affected the same way, as was Kat. Tanya, Adam, Trini, Aisha, Zack, and Rocky were smiling, but they didn't seem quite as happy. The Rangers turned to the two Mages, and Jason grinned.

"You nine seem to have adapted well to the Power. We expected as much from ex-Power Rangers. All you have to do to teleport to Florida is take the stone in your hand and think about Kimberly—your Kimberly. Be very specific with your visual, too." Jason moved into the group of Rangers, Tommy just behind him. All eleven of them glanced at the woman falling asleep on the couch, and Kat left the group.

"Sorry, mate, you'll have to do it without me. Someone has to stay here."

"Just don't use your power around Kimberly," Tommy warned. The ten vanished, leaving the two Pink Rangers alone.

TBC