Disclaimer: Not mine

Ashley Hammond/Astro Yellow: You're not being annoying. But it's lots of fun being annoying. :P I love your song. Now all I have to do is write the chapter that goes with it...

Juzblue: Yeah, you should have seen it coming. :P Here's more, sorry I made you wait a little while for it.

JDPhoenix: See, I'm not all dark and depressing. :P

C.C.C: I love making Andros feel guilty! It's so much fun. He feels less guilty, anyway, but he still thinks that he should have protected Ashley. I understand you fine, don't worry. :P

Jenny: I was actually leaning towards Arrow being the father, so if you joke about it before I put up the ending, I might just take you seriously. :P Andros might learn something in this chapter.

the-power-of-love: Thanks, here's more.

DizneeDol: Thanks.

Sandra: Yes, she's pregnant, but she doesn't know it, and that doesn't mean it's Andros's kid. But there will be a happy ending. :P

Melissa: Sure, talk about your brothers. I want to know just how un-normal mine is. :P

Mz. Daydream: I'm not telling. :P

Chapter 15

"That's Arrow again," Zhane sighed as Deca sounded the alarm. In the last two weeks, they had fought Arrow at least once a day, but it seemed to be getting them nowhere. Blaze and Alana were the only ones who would kill the footsoldiers, and with the way Arrow and Killian fought, Zhane didn't think that there would be any opportunity to kill them for a long time.

"At least Ashley's going to fight," Karone murmured as the yellow ranger appeared on the bridge, followed by Andros, who hadn't appeared to leave her side since she'd been injured. Deca had finally declared her recovered enough to return to her ranger duties. "Maybe that'll keep him from killing himself."

"He'd die defending her," TJ warned.

"Let's just hope he won't need to," Cassie put in. "But he's scaring me."

"You guys ready?" Andros asked, oblivious to their words about him, which in the end was very fortunate for them. "Let's go."

Moments later, they were morphed and down on the surface. Arrow was waiting for them, his sneer hidden by his helmet, but there all the same. He drew his blaster and fired, forcing them to break up into several smaller groups.

Alana and Blaze took on the footsoldiers, moving with lightning-fast blows. TJ, Zhane, and Karone went after Killian, aided by Cassie and Carlos, who attacked from the opposite side. That left Andros and Ashley pitted against Arrow, which was not the best battle plan that the rangers had ever come up with, but so far it was effective.

"Come any closer, and I'll get the rest of your pretty face," Arrow spat at Ashley. The yellow ranger ignored him, or at least pretended to, and fired her Star Slinger, giving Andros the time he needed to get in a clear shot with his powered up Spiral Saber.

Andros stuck as close to Ashley as he could without impeding her ability to fight. The rational part of his mind told him that she was a ranger, and could defend herself in most cases better than he could protect himself, but the rest of him wanted her far away from danger.

Arrow fired several times in succession, the first shot throwing Ashley several feet backwards, but the rest making contact with Andros, who collapsed ot the ground, wincing as he tried to stand up again.

In a flash, Ashley was at his side, firing furiously at Arrow, buying Andros time to recover. The red ranger groaned, and flipped himself onto his stomach, pushing himself up onto his knees before stumbling to his feet.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," he assured Ashley, though he clearly wasn't.

Zhane and TJ had rushed over to help them, and blocked Arrow's path to Ashley as she picked up Andrors's discarded Spiral Saber.

"Mind if I borrow this?"

"Go ahead," Andros told her, letting Karone slip a supporting arm under his shoulders. Ashley joined TJ and Carlos, wielding the Spiral Saber with surprising skill, managing to land several slashing blows that sent Arrow stumbling.

Arrow exchanged his blaster for his sword, driving the three of them back. Ashley leapt backwards into a back handspring, once again blasting Arrow with her Star Slinger. Carlos's Lunar Lance came down hard on Arrow's other side.

The footsoldiers were long gone, and Alana and Blaze joined them as the rangers closed in on Killian and Arrow. Killian swung his sword in a wide arc, managing to graze Cassie, TJ, and Zhane.

Zhane stumbled back, winded by another blow. Killian advanced towards him, and found his way blocked by Ashley, who drove him back, firing constantly at him with her Star Slinger.

Andros struggled away from Karone, slowly returning to the fight. No matter what happened, he had to keep fighting. He had to stop Arrow before someone else close to him was hurt. He couldn't stop now.

Killian and Arrow were standing almost back to back, and slowly, they each started pressing forward, allowing Arrow to cut Ashley and Zhane off from the rest of the team.

"Ash, look out," Zhane warned, knowing that Andros was likely to kill him if she was hurt again.

"Zhane, I'm fine," Ashley assured him, hoisting her Star Slinger up as she prepared to fire again. "I'm better off than you are."

As if to prove her point, Zhane was the one who fell under the next round of laser fire, and Ashley stepped in front of him, glaring at Arrow through her visor, firing, and landing several shots.

"Surrender yet, Yellow Ranger?" Arrow sneered, firing at her. Ashley ducked, and Arrow shot forward, snatching away the Star Slinger.

"I'll never surrender," Ashley snapped. "Not to you."

"You would choose death?"

"Surrender to you is worse than death."

Ashley had had enough talking, and reached for the Spiral Saber again, slashing upwards with it. Arrow was caught off guard, and Ashley drove him back. Zhane leaped up as Andros reached them. Ashley handed the Spiral Saber back to Andros.

"Spiral Saber power up," he shouted, blasting Arrow, and retrieving Ashley's Star Slinger. He offered it to her, and she accepted it gratefully.

"You can't protect her, Red Ranger," Arrow hissed, sidestepping Andros to fire at Ashley.

"He doesn't need to," Ashley snapped, dodging the blow. "I can take care of myself."

"Andros, look out," Zhane shouted, moving to put himself between Killian and Andros, but it was too late, and he watched in dread as Andros stumbled sideways, falling against Ashley. She dropped her weapon, supporting him as the rangers who had been fighting Killian stepped between her and Arrow.

"I'm fine," Andros muttered, shaking himself free, reaching for his Spiral Saber. "Let me go."

Killian and Arrow were closed in by the other rangers, and deciding that they had had enough for one day they teleported themselves away to wait for the next day, and the next battle. The rangers returned to the Megaship, exhausted, but not defeated.

"Good job, you guys," Cassie said with a weak smile.

"Yeah," Ashley agreed tiredly. "That wasn't bad."

"I guess not," Alana agreed, sounding timid for once.

"Hey, where'd Andros go?" Zhane wondered.

"Andros is on the Simudeck," Deca informed them. "He is about to begin Training Simulation Level 5."

"After that fight?" Zhane exclaimed. "What's the matter with him?"

"I'll go talk to him," Ashely said with a sigh.

The Simudeck

"Andros, what are you doing?" Ashley demanded, arriving just as the simulation jumped to life. "Deca, stop simulation."

"What was that for?" Andros refused to meet her eyes as the monsters disappeared.

"We were down there for an hour," Ashley said.

"So?"

"Andros, you can't train yourself to death."

"I have to," Andros said stubbornly.

"Why?" Ashley demanded.

"I have to stop Arrow."

Ashley sighed. "Andros, we're fighting as a team, remember? Don't do this to yourself."

"But Ash, I can't let him..."

"You can't let him what?" Ashley challenged him. "Andros, you're not doing this because you think you have to protect me, are you?"

"Not entirely," Andros muttered, looking away as she narrowed her eyes.

"Andros, just stop this," Ashley pleaded. "I don't need you to protect me. I don't want you to."

"I don't want to watch you get hurt again," Andros said softly.

Ashley sighed. "Andros, I'm a ranger. I'm going to get hurt. I have been hurt, and I'm okay."

"Ash..." Andros finally met her eyes. "Do you think that any of what's happened was because of me?"

"No," Ashley cried. "I've told you that. You couldn't have helped it, and I ... I don't regret it, Andros. You're worth that to me. I'd do it again if I had to. Do you believe me?"

"I believe you, Ash," Andros whispered. "But -"

"There are no buts," Ashley interrupted. "I saved your life down there today. Zhane's too! Andros, I can fight my own battles."

"I know you can," Andros said, trying to figure a way out of this.

"Then why are you doing this?" Ashley demanded. "Because you feel guilty? Because you just want to fight for me anyway?"

Slowly, Andros nodded, concentrating hard on the floor. "I'm sorry, Ash."

"So you'll stop?"

"I'll try," he muttered.

"Try really hard," Ashley advised him cooly. "Or just pay attention and you'll see that I'm not completely helpless."

"I never said you were helpless," Andros said.

"But you act like I am," Ashley cried. "If we get in trouble, you stand in front of me and tell me to run. Andros, I'm never going to run."

"Ash, I..." Andros stopped talking and stared at her, not knowing what to say.

"Andros, I've got to go," Ashley said. "If you can accept the fact that I'm a ranger and I can fight on my own, then come talk to me. If you can't, then there's not much point in me having this anymore."

Slowly, Ashley undid the strap that kept her morpher attatched to her left wrist. She handed her morpher to Andros and stormed from the Simudeck, not looking back.

A/N: Sorry it's been a few days, I've had writer's block. I didn't know I was going to do this, so if anyone has any suggestions, those would be helpful. Please review.