Authors Note: I'm so very sorry it has taken me so long to update! My life has been crazy over the past few weeks. I had the chapter outlined and basically written, but I just couldn't find the time to finish it! So, without further adieu, here it is!

Disclaimer: Blah…. You know the drill…

Breaking Ground : Explanations, Confusion, Angst

"I guess I have a lot of explaining to do, huh?" She asked, causing Sky to glance at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I'd say so." He said simply. Khyla laughed, and looked at the ground.

"Let's take the long way back, this may take a while." She said. Sky nodded, and turned left down the hallway that would lead them to the elevators that they could use to take to the top floor so they could wind their way down. This was going to be one hell of an explanation.

On their way up to the top floor, they were silent. Khyla walked with her hands at her sides, and Sky with his clasped behind his back. He didn't want to push her to say anything, he knew that the words in her head were probably just as jumbled as his had been when he was trying to apologize to her. He gave her the time that she needed to organize her thoughts and what she was going to say. A long period of silence had passed between them since they made their way out of the infirmary doors. They were almost to the top floor, and he was wondering if he would ever get the explanation she had promised him. The doors opened, and she stepped out, waiting for him to do the same. She looked into his eyes, and spoke.

"First of all, let me say that I'm sorry for not being completely honest with you. However, I didn't exactly think that my powers, or lack thereof when I came here, were exactly pertinent to my stay. I know that my father will say otherwise, as will Commander Cruger and Miss Manx, but I didn't feel that they were. Now, let me start from the beginning…" She turned to walk down the hall, he staying close to her side, listening with rapt attention to the words that were almost tumbling out of her mouth.

"My father was just a small town politician, who came from an extremely wealthy family. He was the mayor for his town before he moved up to become a Senator. After the Senate bored him, he made a generous contribution, mainly of my grandparent's money, to the twice former President's campaign which landed him a position as an ambassador. He started off for his first years as an ambassador to a foreign country, but the President saw his Political wrap sheet, and decided that he wanted him on the front lines as an ambassador to another planet instead of just on earth. So, my father packed his bags, and headed for Phylia. While he was working there, being an ambassador, he came across a wealthy Phylian family. I'm not sure if you know much about Phylia, but the inhabitants there are VERY closely related to humans. Their DNA, their bone structure, everything is almost exactly that of a human, with small, yet very noticeable differences. This wealthy Phylian family, as my father later found out, were the rulers of Phylia."

"Like a Monarchy?" Sky asked.

"Kind of, if you want an earthly comparison it's more like a constitutional Monarchy. They have the royal family, but they only deal with a portion of the political aspect. Anyway, my mother, being the middle child of the family, met, and fell in love with my father. Her parents, thinking it would be good for their political image, allowed them to marry, hence, me. My mom had the same powers, and so I guess she passed them on to me."

"So you're half Phylian?" Sky queried.

"A quarter. My mom was only half Phylian because her mother was human." Sky nodded. "My parents decided to send me to Kaloquia Manasataka, the Phylian version of a Ninja or Samurai master, and put me in training with him to get my powers in check. I learned all forms of what earth people call martial arts, although with differences of course. But, the happy family that I had didn't last very long. When I was about 13 years old, a band of renegade political opposers to the whole integration of different planets and their races…killed my mother. After she died, I… lost touch with a lot of things. My power, my dad, my friends…It was like I turned everything inward, and blamed myself for what happened, even though I knew it wasn't my fault. My father thought that I had lost my powers completely, that my….Fragile…emotional state got rid of them; Kaloquia thought differently. He said that it was my emotions that threw them out of whack, but didn't eradicate them, only hibernated them until I was able to let go of what happened and accept it. After other empires found out about my Power, my father received hundreds, maybe even thousands of threats against me, the Phylian royals, and himself. They all threatened to use my power against the 'evils' that they had done by allowing the integration. My father tried to pass them off as nothing, but when one of the guards to our house was killed he had enough, and called in a favor from Commander Cruger and had me sent down here to be watched by you. I guess by being here, you've helped me get over what it was I needed to, and reactivated my powers." Sky nodded, taking everything she said in.

"And do you regret having them reactivated?" He questioned.

"In a way, yes, because now if they do get a hold of me they will have something to use, but also no, because now I can kick ass with the rest of them again. I love that feeling." Sky smiled. He sensed the tension, and he understood why it existed. She had just spilled her entire life story to someone she didn't know that well, and was obviously apprehensive about how he would react. Wanting to change the subject to make her feel better, he looked at her again, and spoke.

"So…I've heard numerous things about these powers of yours, but you've never actually told, nor shown me what you can do." Khyla smiled mischievously.

"Well, Miss Manx told you that I can induce and manipulate the elements, am I correct?" He nodded. "I can only induce the elements that can be induced by man, i.e. fire and dirt. I can't create water or air because it would harm the ecosystems of the planets. I can, however, manipulate them all."

"I do believe a demonstration is in order, Miss Gabrey." Sky said, putting on his best Commander voice. She gave him a look that conveyed her playful annoyance.

"Fine." She grabbed a bottle of water that was sitting on a nearby table and opened it. Setting it back on the table, she concentrated hard on the water inside, willing it to move in the path she desired.

Sky watched in awe as the small blob of water moved aqueously through the air. It moved like water in a bathtub, only it was floating in mid-air. Khyla guided it with her relaxed left hand, never taking her eyes off of it. "Open your mouth." She said softly. He looked at her with his eyebrow cocked.

"Are you serious?"

"Open your mouth." She said more firmly. Sky rolled his eyes playfully, and opened his mouth. Khyla gently guided the water in, then nodded at him to close it so she could let her control go. He swallowed it, and placed a smirk on his face.

Khyla looked him in the eyes as she let her control of the water go. He had the most perfect features. Chiseled and firm, but if you looked closely, held a certain softness and beauty all their own. She couldn't quite put a finger on it, but it captivated her. She giggled slightly when she realized that he had a small drop of water on the left side of his mouth.

"What?" He asked, hearing her. She laughed again, and approached him, closing the gap between them. Their faces were less than a foot apart when she reached her hand up to his face. She took her thumb and gently wiped away the small spot of water. She held it in front of his eyes to show him.

"You had water on your face." She said softly. She placed her hand on his chest to wipe the excess moisture away. But instead of bringing her hand back down to her side, she laid it on his chest, letting it rest there. She had her eyes pinned to it, the natural curve of her hand fitting perfectly there, as if it was made to rest in that exact spot. She had a flood of emotions running through her that she never recalled feeling for him before, and it was confusing. It was like her small gesture had opened the flood gates to something she hadn't at all expected.

He was entranced by her. As she closed the gap between them, he watched her hand float up to his face. His mind began to race, was everything his mind was telling him coming to be? He felt her thumb graze gently over the left side of his chin, wiping away some excess moisture. He felt her push her thumb into his chest to wipe away the excess, then rest her hand in the same spot. He never wanted her to move her hand from that spot again. He could feel her body heat radiating from her hand, and penetrating his shirt. He looked down at her, to see that she was staring at her hand as though it held all the secrets in the world. His mind was flooding him with emotions that he had never felt before. Amazement, ardor, adoration, devotion, endearment…love. He was so absorbed in his thoughts, he didn't feel Khyla's eyes boring into his.

She removed her gaze from her hand to look Sky in the eyes. What does this mean? She asked herself. Why was her head a swirling vortex of emotions? Sky's demeanor never gave him away, but if you looked into his eyes, there were times that you could know what he was thinking. In them, she saw something that made her heart do back flips, and scared her at the same time…love. Then she felt it, that pang just above her stomach she had felt when she first shook his hand. It started out as slightly painful, but moved to be a warm sensation. She felt it travel upwards, and spread throughout her body. She glanced away for a moment, to try and gather her thoughts. Then she realized that she was falling for the man in front of her, the man whom at the beginning she could barely stand. She looked him in the eyes again, seeing that he was back from his expedition through another mental dimension.

Neither had to say anything to convey their intentions. Khyla felt a gentle touch at the small of her back, followed by a pair of strong arms encompassing her in the gentlest manner she had ever felt. She slid her hand from its resting position on his chest to wind its way around the back of his neck, the other following in its path on the other side of his body. Her gentle touch left the skin in its wake with a gentle tingle, even through the thickness of his SPD uniform. It seemed as though all reason had left him, and he was operating entirely on instinct. He leaned his head down, as he felt her rise to meet him. Their lips met, gently at first, testing the waters to see what unknown perils lay beneath the murky depths. When neither felt any feelings of foreboding, it deepened, the hidden passion within each of them igniting with every touch, flick, and movement. Eventually, their bodies had come together so much that no air was left between.

She ran her fingers through the back of his short cropped hair, massaging his scalp, throwing his skin into the tingling feeling that he was beginning to crave. His hands were pressing gently against her mid, and lower back, holding her to him in a loving way. Her lips tasted like coconut, and strawberries, the after-effects of her chap-stick, and he never wanted to stop tasting it. It summed her up entirely, sweet with a hint of sour, and completely smooth. He loved the feeling of having her small frame wrapped up in his embrace, he felt like it gave him another purpose, and another reason to exist. Like he had something to look forward to when he woke up aside from his daily training and his kicking intergalactic ass. It felt so right to have her there, in his arms, her body pressed against his. It was like it fit, as if it had been created specifically to be placed there.

They pulled away, placing a few chaste kisses on each others lips, trying to savor the sweet contact. Khyla gazed into his eyes, her mind totally at peace. She felt like everything was right in the universe, and that nothing could ever possibly could be wrong again. She savored the euphoria of his touch as long as she could, and committed the feeling to memory. Neither moved, willing the moment to last just that much longer. Finally, after eons of amorous gazing, Sky cleared his throat.

"We should probably get back to our chambers." He said softly. "Dinner will be starting soon, and we don't want everyone wondering where we are." Khyla laughed, and rested her forehead against his as her gorgeous smile flooded her features.

"All right blue boy," she said, using her nickname for him "but you owe me later." Sky smiled a genuine smile, which previously had been few and far between before Khyla had come to headquarters. She pressed her lips against his one last time as he held her close, tightening his grip on her body. She pulled away, and he slowly let her go. "Come on you," she said, the spunk in her tone returned as she intertwined her fingers with his, "let's get some food." He rolled his eyes and gave a half smile as he followed her down the hall, 75 ecstatic about his newfound feelings, and 25 worried that he had absolutely no idea what he was getting himself into.

He sat at his throne, holding his scepter and drumming his fingers irritatedly. Once again, Broodwing's thug had proved useless against Cruger's rangers, and he was getting sick of it. He rarely tolerated failure, let alone recurring failure. He was in his right mind to destroy Broodwing once and for all. His eyes began to glow red as he thought of his momentary fix to his current mood. He heard small footsteps entering his chambers, and he knew Mora had come to pay him a visit. Currently, he wasn't too happy with her either. While the mind he had given her was amazingly powerful, and had the capabilities of coming up with some of the most notorious monsters known to this galaxy, even her capabilities seemed to be failing him. Every monster she created was defeated mercilessly by the SPD rangers, and brought into their file storage for questioning. Who knows how many secrets had been leaked out through their impudence. He looked to the small child standing before him, holding her hideous abomination of a doll, looking as though she held all the secrets in the world.

"Hello Grumm." She said, as pleasantly as a heinously evil child could. But Grumm was not in the mood for her games, if she had information, he wanted it. No beating around the bush this time, it would come out quickly and efficiently, and he hoped for her sake that it was a good idea.

"What do you want Mora?" He said, his tone conveying his annoyance with her presence. She looked abashed, and cocked a surprised eyebrow at him.

"Someone got out of the wrong side of the energy chamber this morning." Grumm gave a low growl.

"If you do not have information that is pertinent to my taking over the galaxy, Mora, then I suggest you get out of my chambers immediately or I will destroy you. Spit it out, or stop wasting my time."

"Time doing what? Sitting on your throne like an angry, defeated Emperor? Psshh, that's time well used." She said sarcastically. He turned on her, his eyes glowing a violent red-orange.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?" He shouted, eliciting a small scream from the young girl. His face was inches from hers, his eyes still burning with agitation.

"I came to tell you," she said, pushing his face away from hers "that we tracked the energy signature and its origins. And it seems that we have a small coincidence."

"And what would that be?" He said, already agitated by the slowness of her explanation, but desperate to hear more.

"Do you remember the Planet with the rebels that you're supplying munitions to?"

"Yes…Phylia. I wanted to cause trouble in the paradise that is their perfect little planet. The royals there need to be taught not to deny my requests. I would have taken them out myself if I hadn't been so caught up in this SPD ranger business."

"Then you remember the Princess whom your rebels killed…"

"Yes, Mora, Princess Kahleah, get to the point!"

"You also remember her daughter, the quarter breed who possessed the powers of the elements?"

"I'm tiring of your games Mora, get to the point or be turned into cosmic dust."

"Fine, fine. No need to get so huffy. The energy signature we found is Princess Kahleah's daughter, Khyla." Grumm scoffed.

"That's impossible, her powers were wiped out after I had her mother killed."

"Obviously not, because it's her that's causing the energy signature in New Tech city. Her father sent her there to be protected by the SPD Rangers after he thought you were threatening his precious baby girl." Mora said, putting on her best baby voice for her last sentence. Grumm let out an evil chuckle. "We also found out that she has taken a love interest in one of the rangers, the blue one to be precise." Grumm's chuckled proceeded as he felt the wheels of evil thought turning in his head

"What are you suggesting Mora?" Grumm asked, his patience with her returning.

"What better way to strike at the power rangers than to make them look like they can't do their jobs, and hurt them at the same time by taking away one of their precious things. Not to mention the fact that if you brainwash her, you can use her against them. They won't hurt her if they love her." Grumm smiled in his sadistic manner.

"Broodwing!" He called out. His henchmen fell from the ceiling, and landed with a thud moments after being called.

"You beckoned, Master?"

"Go to New Tech City, and get this girl for me. Do whatever you have to, but don't harm her. I need her to complete my evil plan." Broodwing nodded and turned to fulfill his orders.

"Your evil plan?" Mora exclaimed, "I came up with it! Don't take credit for my doings Grumm!" He roared at her, his eyes blazing again, causing her to scream and flee from the room. He relaxed back into his throne, day-dreaming about the looks on the ranger's faces when they realized that their precious charge was gone, and was being used against them. Once Broodwing had the girl, this plan would be fool proof. The power ranger's days were numbered, and he was enjoying every single moment of it.

Again, I'm really sorry that I didn't update sooner, but I really was swamped. Please review! Tell me what you think!