Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you guys recognize.

Setting: Three to four hours after Reflections II.

Role Model

Sydney let out a loud sigh of boredom. After the fight with Murlock, she had discovered that there was nothing to do.

Jack and Sky had gone off to run some obstacle courses.

Bridge and Z went to the cafeteria to have dinner together.

And Sam was a ball of light.

That left the pink ranger to herself.

Various issues of Miro magazines were scattered around her bed, all ones she had already read from cover to cover. She had written a three-page journal entry, sketched some drawings, and wrote a chorus to a new song. She eventually ran out of ideas and, after repainting her nails,failed to find something else to do. She could have taken an extra martial arts class, or ran a course on her own, but she wasn't one to voluntarily participate in more physical activity than she needed to.

A few minutes later, Syd heard voices outside her room. The red and blue rangers had stopped somewhere near her door, presumably to plan what to do next. She heard Jack ask a question although she couldn't make out what exactly the leader had said. She did, however, clearly hear Sky reply, "Nah. I'm going back to my room to relax. It's been a long day."

"All right. I guess I'll hit the showers," Jack answered.

Syd brightened a little. She could go keep Sky company. He had said he wanted to relax, but it wasn't like she was going to ask him to leave the Academy or even his room.

The former Olympian brushed out her hair and touched up her eyeliner before she headed down the hall to Sky's room. He was lying on his stomach in bed, his arms above his head clutching his pillow. Syd wasn't sure if he had fallen asleep and was about to walk away, but Sky lifted his head andspoke. "What is it, Syd?"

Syd smiled sheepishly. "I thought you were sleeping."

"Nope. Just resting."

"Want some company?"

"It wouldn't hurt." Sky sat up and gestured to the bed across the room. "Come in."

Syd gladly accepted the invitation and entered the bedroom. She had never been in Sky's room before, despite having trained with him for two years. The pink ranger glanced around, taking in the unfamiliar room. Its upkeep reflected Sky well. Nothing was out of place; his sheets were neatly tucked under the mattress andthe books on his bookshelf were carefully organized. Her eyes landed on a scratched and rusted red helmet that was on the nightstand. She knew it had to be Sky's father's, but it was the first time she ever saw it. "Was that your dad's?"

"Yeah." Sky's soft reply matched the quiet voice Sydhad spoken in. "His commander gave it to me after he died."

"It probably felt good to contain the monster responsible."

"It did," Sky answered. "Being red ranger for a little bit felt pretty good, too."

Syd grinned. That didn't surprise her at all. "Did you feel like your father?"

Sky nodded. "Yeah. He's my hero. It was great to become the sort of ranger I always looked up to."

"What made him your hero?"

Sky leaned forward and rested his arms on his thighs, folding his hands. "Saving people was one of his top priorities; if someone was in trouble, he was instantly by the person's side. He never, ever gave up. When situations got tougher, he just fought harder. He taught me everything I know about fighting and how to be successful."

The normally upbeat pink ranger felt sad after hearing that explanation. She rarely heard Sky talk about his father, so this was new information to her. "Sounds like he was a pretty good guy."

Sky frowned, and Syd could have sworn she saw his chin tremble a bit. "He was the best person I knew."

"Do you have anything else to remember him by?"

"That photo." Sky pointed to a picture on his nightstand, next to the helmet. He looked about six or seven years old, and he was holding that same helmet. "And memories, mostly."

"Do you ever talk about him with your mother?" Syd's heart broke at the thought of Sky visiting his mother and the two of them shedding tears and sharing memories about the best red ranger in SPD history.

"Only on the anniversary of his death."

A silence fell over the teammates; it wasn't awkward, but it was heavy, considering the conversation they'd just had. Sky slid backwards onhis bed so his back was against the wall and his legs were outstretched in front of him. Syd began inspecting her fingernails for overgrown cuticles. This wasn't what she had been expecting when she came to join the blue ranger, but she felt like she couldn't leave after what he just told her.

A few minutes later, Sky interrupted the quiet by saying, "You know, I wonder if he looks down on me and feels proud of me."

Syd looked up at her teammate and found that he was staring distantly at the photograph. "I think that if he knows your proud of yourself, he's proud of you, too."

The older ranger flashed a grateful smile atthe younger cadetbefore looking at the picture again. "Do you think I'll ever be like him?"

Syd cocked her head to the side and stared atSky's face. "You already are like him."

"You think so?"

"Mm-hmm. You're smart, you're a strong fighter, you love saving and protecting people. Isn't that what you said your father was like?"

Sky grinned and nodded. "Yeah."

Sydney stood up and crossed the room to sit next to Sky. "I look up to you, you know."

"Really?"

The blonde grinned at him. "Sure I do. You drive me crazy sometimes," she admitted, "but I wouldn't be a B-Squad Power Ranger right now if you hadn't always pushed me to work harder."

Sky returned the smile. "Thanks, Syd. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if there were some D-Squad cadets who look up to you."

"What makes you think that?"

The older ranger curled his legs under him and shifted so he was facing Sydney. "You were involved in practically everything else before you came here, but you finally found something to stick with. You've been here for two years even though everyone else thought you'd only last two days. If you know somebody thinks you can't do something, you always find a way to prove them wrong. And you can make anyone smile when they're upset."

Syd gaped and placed a hand on her chest. "Sky, I'm touched. You really think all that's true about me?"

"Of course. You're a great role model to the younger cadets."

In an instant, the petite ranger wrapped her arms around Sky and hugged him tightly. "Thank you. That means so much."

Sky enveloped his arms around Syd and embraced her just as tight. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it."

"Thank you," Syd repeated. She held him for a few seconds longer before she let go and exchanged another smile with him.

Sydney stayed with Sky a while longer, until she saw Z walk by. Her eagerness to ask her roommate about dinner and tell her about her conversation with Sky was so strong that she practically sprinted back to her bedroom.

That conversation with Sky had made her earlier boredom and loneliness almost worth it. And it almost made Syd wish she was bored more often.

But the key word there was 'almost.'

The End

A/N: Any kind of feedback is welcome. Comment, criticize, whatever. I'm open to anything.