Chapter Five

Stretching her arms above her, Shadow inhaled deeply. She moved her hands together, letting them touch gently at the palms and brought them down in front of her chest. Lifting her left leg, she moved it so that it crossed in front of her right thigh, and held her position. She teetered slightly, trying to find her balance on only one foot. Eyes closed, breathing deep and even, Shadow focused her energy on her stance and keeping her mind clear of all thought.

She was highly in-tuned to the world around her. The call of the birds rang loudly in her ear and she could smell the fresh grass and the scent of flowers on the gentle breeze. Grass tickled the bottom of her bare foot and the sun shone on her with a soft warmth.

A harsh snort sounded behind her, causing Shadow to lose her focus. Dropping her leg back to the ground, she whirled around and found herself face to face with an evily smirking Sky.

"What?" She snapped, shaking her head slightly, 'causing her ponytail to bob.

"Nothing." Sky shrugged, seemingly nonchalant, but Shadow could sense there was something behind his appearing.

"Oh please, Sky," Shadow shook her head, "I haven't even known you two days and I already know that you don't do 'nothing'."

"Maybe I just wanted to get some fresh air." Sky replied with an innocent smile. Shadow couldn't help but notice how the smile transformed his face. It made him seem so much more…human.

"Whatever." she said, turning away from him. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes, trying to, once again, reach that place where peace and calmness overtook her body. But, now more than ever, she was aware of Sky's eyes on her. She took another deep breath and bit her lip.

Just ignore him, she told herself, that's all you gotta do. Just pretend he isn't even there. However, it was easier thought than done.


There was no helping the smirk that took over his face as he watched Shadow try to regain her focus on her exercise, or whatever it was that she was doing. Sky leaned against a nearby tree, crossing his arms over his chest and crossing his legs at the ankle. He watched as she gracefully stretched her arms above her head, bringing them back down in front of her slowly.

The sun caught in her hair, catching the natural auburn highlights in her hair, which Sky hadn't noticed before. The feminine muscles in her arms and shoulders were evident, and her muscular calves were clearly defined by her tight fitting track pants. Sky hadn't noticed before just how beautiful Shadow was.

He shook his head forcefully.

No, he thought, I cannot be attracted to her. I despise her, I loathe her, I…,

"Would you please leave me alone." Shadow's voice broke through his thoughts. He blinked, clearing his vision, and stared right into Shadow's eyes.

"This is a free planet," he replied, "I can do whatever I want." She huffed, clearly annoyed at his presence.

"Fine," she said, reaching down to pick up a pair of sneakers that lay in the grass, "I'm going then." And with that she stalked off.


Simmering from her encounter with Sky only moments before, Shadow marched down the hall to her room, her ponytail swinging behind her, brushing against her neck and shoulders. Eyes clouded by anger, she didn't see anybody coming towards her, at least not until she ran straight into them.

"I am so sorry." she apologized as she offered Bridge a hand up. He gripped her hand and hauled himself up.

"It's okay." he said, brushing off his cadet uniform.

"I didn't see you and…"

"It's alright Shadow." Bridge smiled good-naturedly at her, "No harm, no foul."

Shadow rubbed a hand over her forehead.

"It's just I have so much on my mind and I just had a run in with Sky and my mind is just…not right."

"You had a run in with Sky?"

"Yeah," she shook her head, attempting a smile, "it's nothing really. He's just being a jackass, that's all."

Bridge looked at Shadow, a strange expression on his face.

"What?" she asked self-consciously.

"Nothing." The green Ranger shook his head and smiled, "Absolutely nothing." With another shake of his head, and a quiet chuckle, he walked past Shadow, leaving the young woman staring after him curiously.


"So, Shadow seems to be fitting in pretty well around here." Z said as she and Jack rode out in the jeep on patrol in the early morning light.

"Yeah, she does, doesn't she." Jack replied, a small smile playing across his lips. Z glanced at him from her place behind the wheel.

"Alright, spill it." she said.

"Spill what?" The red Ranger said, confused.

"You like her, don't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jack turned his head so that he was looking away from his friend.

"Oh admit it," Z said, "You like Shadow."

"Honestly Z." Jack shook his head, the wind catching his dreadlocks and hitting them against his face. "I don't like Shadow, at least not in the way that you're implying."

"Deny it all you want Jack, but I've known you my whole life, and I know when you find a girl attractive." Z smirked.

Jack simply shook his head.


Freshly showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a white tank top and black button up shirt, left open over the tank top, Shadow emerged from her room, her hair loose and still slightly damp from the shower. She out righted refused to wear the cadet uniform, given to her upon her acceptance of the Ranger position, when she was simply hanging around headquarters. The thing was uncomfortable and offered hardly any room for movement. How did the other Rangers fight in those things?

She hummed contentedly as she made her way down the hall, a book under her arm. Shadow wasn't needed on patrol until the afternoon, and they had the morning off from training, so she was planning on catching up on some much needed reading.

"Shadow, wait up." A chipper voice called from behind her. She turned her head to peer over her shoulder and saw Syd coming toward her.

"Where are ya going?" Syd asked as soon as she reached the new Ranger.

"Just outside," Shadow replied. Her parents had kept careful watch of where she went and who she went with, but they had nothing on the cadets of SPD. They watched Shadow like hawks watch their prey. Keeping her every movement, every step under their watchful eyes.

She held up her book for Syd to see. The blonde nodded, her loose curls bouncing about her face.

"I was just gonna head over to the mall, I was wondering if you wanted to come." Shadow then noticed that Syd wasn't dressed in her cadet uniform either. Instead, she wore a pair of black jeans and a pale pink tank top that looked as if it had once been a dress but had been shrunk down so that it came just above mid-calf. The top was tight around her torso, but flowed gently over her hips and thighs.

"I don't know." Shadow shook her head.

"Oh c'mon." Syd pouted, "It'll be fun, just us girls." She looked at Shadow hopefully.

"Fine." Shadow gave in with a sigh. Syd squealed happily.


"You've got a serious problem, you know that right?" Shadow said, looking down at the six bags Syd held in her hands as compared to the one that Shadow held.

"I can't help it," the yellow Ranger shrugged, "it's genetic." She grinned at Shadow, who couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up from her lips.

When Syd had first asked her to go shopping with her, Shadow had been hesitant, not quite sure if she could stomach shopping, something which she despised, or the company of someone so chipper and…blonde. But the two or so hours that they had spent together were spent in easy company, talking and laughing over stupid and random things. Something that Shadow didn't often do.

"I still can't believe all you bought was that journal." Syd said, eyeing the small bag that Shadow held.

"What?" The brunette clutched her bag close to her chest, mock protectively, "I like journals." Syd rolled her eyes. Just then, a shrill beep split the air around them. Startled, Shadow glanced down at the SPD com-unit that was stuck in her pocket. All cadets were supposed to have their units on them at all times.

"What's up?" Syd asked, pulling her com-unit from her pocket. Shadow waited in silence as the voice on the other end spoke to the blonde.

"We'll be right there." she said and quickly placed the unit back in her pocket. "Ready for your first taste of being a Power Ranger?" The blonde asked, suddenly all business.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Shadow replied. They put their bags in Syd's car and the pink Ranger held her morpher out. Shadow grabbed her own morpher and stared at it for a second before holding it out in front of her, copying Syd's movements.

"SPD, emergency." They cried in unison.

Fully morphed, Shadow looked down at her uniform, taking in the gloves, the number six on her side, and the weapons attached to her belt.

"Hmm…black," she said, "very slimming."


Sky ducked beneath the blade of Grumm's newest alien's sword. He kicked out, his foot connecting with the alien's torso. Bridge jumped the alien from behind, bringing down his own blade upon the creature's back. Sparks flew from where the blade connected. The alien rounded on the green Power Ranger, slashing at Bridge's head. The green Ranger ducked, rolling across the ground and out of the alien's reach.

Jack and Z moved in with a double team attack from the front and Sky moved in at the back. The alien had no chance of getting away from their combined attacks. Sparks flew and gray smoke rose into the air. Sky pulled out his sword, ready to deliver the final blow. Just as he was about to do so, the alien threw a small sphere up into the air. The ball split apart, disintegrating into a group of robots that immediately attacked the four Power Rangers.

"Looks like we got here just in time." Sky looked over his shoulder to see a black clad Ranger standing beside the pink Ranger.

"It's about time." Sky snorted, knocking down two robots with a blast of his gun.

"No need to be huffy." Shadow replied, she and Syd moving into the fray. The blue Ranger glared at her from behind his visor and scowled. His anger was quickly diverted by another string of robot attacks, and Sky focused all his pent up frustrations on the goons, easily felling them.

He glanced up to see how his comrades were doing. Bridge and Jack were busy with the alien, and the girls were taking care of the rest of the robots. He couldn't help, no matter how much he tried to ignore it, noticing how well Shadow fought. She moved like water across the ground, taking down robots with every move. She was graceful, her movements deliberate, precise, and deadly. It wasn't long before they had apprehended the alien and had ridden themselves of all the robots.

"Power down."

Now out of Ranger morph, the rest of the Power Rangers congratulated Shadow on her first fight as a Ranger while Sky stood by, silent.

"Come on Sky," Shadow said, sauntering up to him, her hips swaying seductively with each step, "you know I did well."

"You did alright." Sky said angrily, "But you're too cocky about your abilities."

"Me, cocky? Look who's talking." She cried, "You're the most arrogant of any of us. All high and mighty over the fact that your father was a red Ranger. Well I've got news for you Sky, you're not the only one here who had a Ranger in the family."

Sky looked at her, and, against his will, was curious as to what she was talking about.

"Allow me to introduce myself," Shadow continued, stepping even closer to him. Now they were only a couple of inches apart. "Kimberly Oliver, granddaughter of Kimberly Hart and Tommy Oliver."

"Tom…Tommy…Tommy Oliver." Sky was, to put it mildly, surprised. Dr. Tommy Oliver was the greatest Power Ranger to ever walk the earth, and Shadow was his granddaughter. Sky would have never put those two in the same family. She stared him down, her lips pursed.

"That's not possible." Sky said.

"Oh it is," Shadow replied, "it is very possible. So the next time you decide to get on your high horse I want you to remember something," she narrowed her eyes until they were only slits, "just because your father was a good Ranger doesn't mean that you are." With those final, biting, words, Shadow turned on her heel and marched past the other, gaping Rangers.


Alrighty, another chapter finished. I hope you all liked it and will review and vote for who you want Shadow to end up with. The count now stands at:

Sky: 8

Jack:15

I have decided that I will not have a Sky/Syd pairing in this story as it does not fit with what I want to happen in future chapters. I apologize to all of you who wanted to see the two hook up, but it was ultimately my call and I decided against it seeing as how it didn't fit in with what I was planning on having happen in the story.