Disclaimer: Not mine

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: At least you can drive. :( Sure you and Jenny can play video games on the viewing screen, but I come too. :P My brother and I once tried to figure out what Deca stood for, but we never got it. So you should tell me. :P

Juzblue: Maybe, maybe not. This story is going to get complicated, but you'll see in the end.

Piper xox Leo: Zhane and Karone were so cute. I wish the show had developed their relationship more. They could have had some fun.

GreenDayfan1: You don't have to be sorry. I don't like heights either, but I don't mind them as long as I'm on solid ground. If I tell you if you're right or not, then it'll ruin the surprise for you. Okay, surprises. (This story is long and involved and complicated.) :P

Arwennicole: Zhane and Karone are so cute. I'll avoid saying anything else for now. :P

Jenny: Nope, no basilisk, but that would make a really good story... Yes, Ashley was already dead. Aria die? Karone get pregnant? Well, you'll just have to wait. (But if Andros' dreams are more than just dreams, Andros had two nieces. But that's only if the dreams are more than just dreams.) :P

Chapter 8: Flicker of Recognition

"You will fight Samael again," Cathan said. It was six the next morning, and they were standing on the Simudeck. "He will be stronger, and you need to be too."

He looked to Aria, who said, "I'm pairing you with someone you don't normally spar against. Karone and Gabriel, go."

"How dirty am I allowed to fight?" A faint shimmer of purple outlined Karone's body.

"As much as you want," Aria said, a devlish grin splitting her face as she ignored Cathan's look of disapproval.

"Does it matter that I don't like this?" Gabriel called.

"Nope," Aria and Karone answered together.

The fight was over before it truly began. In a matter of seconds, Gabriel had been bowled over by a sparkling wave of pure power. Karone offered him a hand up, and turned almost sheepishly to Aria, who was watching them with her eyes narrowed.

"May I ask what Enni did to be deserving of Astronema's wrath?" she inquired carefully.

"We've met," is all Karone would say. Aria rolled her eyes.

"All vendettas must be kept under control," she said, half-jokingly. "But I did like the magic... sorry, bro."

"It's all right," the green ranger said good-naturedly. "It's better than fighting you, anyway," he added under his breath. Karone heard him, and didn't manage to bite back her laugh in time.

"Did you say something?" Aria challenged, her eyes sparkling.

"No," Gabriel answered hastily.

"That's what I thought... Justin and Zhane."

"Awesome," Justin said, eyeing the silver ranger eagerly.

The blue ranger made the first move, a fairly slow karate-style kick, giving Zhane a chance to react. He did, dodging it easily, and Justin sped up the tempo, giving him no more breaks. Kick for kick, block for block, several minutes ticked by as the two ranger deadlocked for control of the battle.

The other five rangers watched attentitively, a little surprised that Justin and Zhane were this evenly matched. There was no question to the strength of either of them, but it had been ages since they had gone against each other, and this was unexpected.

Ten minutes in, Zhane feinted, and Justin, not catching on quickly enough, moved to block him, and found himself hit from the other side. Stumbling, Justin gave Zhane the few precious seconds he needed to work in several other attacks, moving ever closer to victory. He managed to kick Justin's legs out from under him, and the blue ranger toppled. Instead of getting up to continue the fight, he raised his hands in a gesture of defeat, and lay on the ground, exhausted.

Aria let out a low whistle. "That was - wow, that was interesting."

Justin nodded his silent agreement as the silver ranger helped him up, panting heavily. Aria watched her brother carefully, but he seemed much less sullen than usual. She shrugged. "Andros, you and Ashley."

"I'm going to enjoy this," Zhane muttered loudly to Justin, who snorted. Andros glared at them both.

"Aria-"

"I know you two don't normally spar against each other," Aria said. "But do it anyway."

Ashley shrugged, and caught Andros by the hand. "I swear, I'll go easy on you," she teased him. Andros made a face at her, and she grinned impishly.

He let her attack first, and blocked her, repelling her leg with his arm. His leg lashed itself around her other ankle, tripping her. Instead of reaching down to break her fall, threw her arms out behind her, straightening her legs, somehow throwing herself into a back handspring. The instant she was on her feet again, she found herself spinning quickly to avoid an uppercut. As she did so, she was hit with a sudden wave of nausea, and she swayed unsteadily.

"Ash?" Abandoning the fight, Andros was at her side in an instant. "What's wrong?"

Taking slow, deep breaths through her nose, Ashley waited until she could open her mouth without throwing up before muttering, "I just felt sick for a minute, that's all."

"Are you all right?" he murmured softly, his arms securely around her waist. "Do you need to go to medical bay?"

"I'm fine," Ashley insisted. "Really."

"You should really have Deca check you out," Aria interjected. "Just to be sure."

Ashley rolled her eyes. "It's nothing, really. I'm just not used to fighting on an empty stomach. But if it'll make you two feel better, I'll go after breakfast."

"You do that," Aria said. She looked at Cathan, who took over.

"Samael will be much stronger the next time we see him. As he gets stronger, some of his powers will be returned. Among them is mind control." He paused to let that sink in. "He will use it, and you will end up fighting each other. You must to know each other's fighting styles as well as your own, so you can defend yourselves without killing each other."

"So what about you?" Zhane called, before he thought about what he was doing.

Aria's eyes sparkled at him. "Are you volunteering?"

"Oh, um, I... wouldn't want to deprive anyone else of the opportunity."

"I will do it."

Aria looked at Cathan, surprise written all over her face. "Are you serious?"

"I would find it worthwhile to test my skills against those of the leader of the Power Rangers," he said quietly, his gray eyes locked against Aria's hazel ones.

"Haven't we sparred before?" Aria asked him, unmoving.

Cathan laughed outright, the expression having a startling effect on his serious face. "A death match is quite different from a mock battle."

"This is not a good idea," Aria muttered warningly, making sure that only he could hear her. "Rangers are trained to recognize the fighting styles of everyone they come in contact with."

"I am aware of that," Cathan said calmly, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Still, Aria hesitated. She was sorely tempted to give in, but in her mind she couldn't justify jeopardizing the entire mission for a few moments of fun. But on the other hand, what difference did it truly make if they knew who he was? He had his reasons for keeping his true identity secret, and she knew that the others would respect that.

Cathan was waiting patiently for an answer, and one look at him told her that he knew exactly what she was thinking.

"If this comes back to you later, it's not my fault," she warned him.

"Are you going to fight of just stand there staring at each other?"

"Shut up, Zhane," Aria snapped. She smiled sweetly."You're distracting me."

Cathan returned the smile briefly, before wiping his face and his mind blank of everything but his opponent.

Andros' eyes narrowed as he watched Cathan and Aria, knowing instinctively that there was something not quite right here. For one, he was still unable to shake the feeling that he should know Cathan from somewhere. A fleeting suspicion crossed his mind and he frowned.

It couldn't be; he hadn't been heard from since at least ten months before the Countdown, and he'd been presumed dead. Andros shrugged it off, and the thought faded, forgotten. There were some traits that were bound to be shared, he supposed.

Aria had declared victory over Cathan. "Breakfast time," she said. "I'm starving."

"So am I," Ashley agreed. "Let's go."

Andros frowned slightly. "Aren't you sick?"

"I'm fine," Ashley assured him airily. She slipped her arm around him and added, "But it's sweet of you to worry."

In reply, Andros kissed her forehead gently. "Let's go, then."