A/N: Wow! I'm loving the response I'm getting. Thank you so much for the reviews. Like I stated before, reviews are always encouraging and it motivates me to keep going so again thank you! I'm glad to see that people are enjoying it.

I got the title chapter Blind from a song by Lifehouse and you'll see the lyrics popping out in this chapter. In that case...enjoy!


Chapter 11

"Blind"

A heated argument continues to unravel in the Control Center as Sky Tate surprisingly releases his anger and frustrations over to Commander Cruger. Kat, Bridge, and Syd watches on with astonishment for they'd never seen Sky holding such outrageous emotions let alone the audacity to confront Cruger with disrespect.

"This was supposed to be my undercover work, sir! Not theirs!" Sky yells out, pointing a finger towards Bridge and Syd's direction. "But you deliberately handed the job over to them!"

"I will not tolerate your rudeness, cadet!" Doggie Cruger's voice was serious and dreadful. "I simply appointed you to do this undercover work because I truly believe you would get this done for me. You're the best that I have along with Cadet Drew and Carson, but you disappointed me, Sky." Cadet Tate lowers his head down shamefully for he hated knowing that all of it is true. "Not only did you fail to get the job done, but you became emotionally attached and you let those emotions take over your mission. Your attachment only forces me to let Bridge and Syd finish the work for you."

"Sir, she didn't do any harm." The young cadet defended her.

"I don't know, Sky." Syd suddenly spoke up. "She did attack an SPD official."

"That's only because she was defending herself." He argues back as Doggie Cruger growled angrily at him.

"Enough!" The room fell silent as all eyes turn to Commander Cruger. "This is unacceptable, Sky! You have broken several rules and went against SPD regulations. I have no choice but to suspend you from your ranger duties for a month."

"What!" The shock escaped from Bridge and Syd's lips. Kat Manx also looked surprise as they all stare at Doggie in mere disbelief. "But, sir--"

"Don't question my order!" He turns to the other cadets, making them jump up a bit as they stood not too far behind Sky. "I have already made up my mind." Cruger shifts his gaze back at Cadet Tate with an open hand. "I'm gonna need your morpher back." With no other choice, Sky slowly takes it out from his belt and hands it over reluctantly to their commander. "You will only stay here within the academy, doing chores and inside work as your punishment." He looks over at Bridge and Syd. "As for you two, you got one more criminal to catch."

They both nodded their head in unison; however still felt for their cadet friend. "Yes, sir!"


I was young but I was naïve

I watch hopeless

As you turn around to leave

And I still have the pain I have to carry

A past so deep

That even you could not bury if you tried

Alone in a cold prison cell, Z sat on a small hard bed with her knees up to her chin as she buried her face, trying to hide in the corner. Her soft sobs echoed the room incapable of stopping and controlling them as more tears came streaming down her face. Emotions when running high as her troubled mind continued lingering on Sky's betrayal. She felt her world shattering into pieces when hearing the word "guilty" coming out from his mouth. Sky figured it out and secretly knew who she really was ever since the beginning and she fell into his trap.

After all this time

I never thought we'd be here

Never thought we'd be here

When my love for you was blind

But I couldn't make you see it

Couldn't make you see it

That I loved you more

Then you will ever know

And part of me died

When I let you go

Z's heart sink lower and lower as footsteps echoes the acoustic cell. As it gets nearer and nearer with every step increasing in sound, Z didn't even bother to look up. She refused to be seen in such an emotional state, but most of all, she didn't want to even look at Sky. Several voices ring through her ears and one immediately caught her attention. Still looking away and burying her face in hand, she heard the cell open and felt someone's presence in the cell.

"You can let go now, buddy." The familiar voice says in a rather aggravated tone. Z slowly lifts her eyes up with her hair covering face so she wouldn't be seen and noticed Jack standing before her. The two cadets that turned her in previously exit the cell as it shuts automatically behind them. "Damn it!" Jack yells out angrily as he abruptly shakes the bars that separated them from freedom. Silence filled the room, and with a deep sigh of defeat, he turns around and finds Z balled up with her legs crossed and knees covering her face.

"I don't want to hear I told you so." She spoke softly between uncontrollable sobs. Jack puts his frustrations aside as he slowly walks over to her.

"Z…" he says breathlessly, sitting down next to her as he places a hand on her back for comfort. "Are you okay?"

"Does it even look like it?" She responds bitterly as she finally looks up and begins wiping away her tears. "God, I'm such an idiot."

Her eyes were swollen from all the crying. "No you're not."

"Yes I am!" She turns to him, half-shouting with frustration all over her face. "If I listened to you we wouldn't be in this predicament. This is all my fault, Jack."

"He's the idiot, Z not you." He assures her. "He missed out on a great friendship."

She looks up at him and weakly smiles. "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be here."

"Yeah well…" Jack pathetically shrugged his shoulders. "I should have listened to you the first place. One of these days we're gonna end up caught, and what do you know…" he looks around the room, "here we are…"

I would fall asleep

Only in hopes of dreaming

That everything

Would be like it was before

But nights like this

It seems are slowly fleeting

They disappear as reality is crashing to the floor

Z averts from his gaze and sighs. "You know what the sad part about it is?" She finally breaks the silence as Jack turns to her.

"No. What?"

"I was actually falling for him."


After the confrontation that occurred in the Control Center, Sky went straight to his room where he thought about what just happened. The image of Z took over his mind and the look on her face when he revealed who his true identity was unbearable and heart wrenching. It's the look that's been haunting him for hours now and yet he can never forgive himself for what he's done.

While pondering on the thought for what seems to be hours, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts as he looks up and finds a timid Syd behind the sliding door. "Can I come in?"

After all this time

I never thought we'd be here

Never thought we'd be here

When my love for you was blind

But I couldn't make you see it

Couldn't make you see it

That I loved you more

Then you will ever know

And part of me died

When I let you go

After a brief pause, Sky deeply sighs and gestures her to come inside. She bit her bottom lip as she awkwardly sits down next to him on his bed. "How are you feeling?"

He slightly chuckles at the question. "Are you seriously asking me this?" Sky turns to her in disbelief. "I feel like crap, Syd!"

She frowns and says softly, "I had no idea you were this emotionally attached to her…" The thought made Syd want to squirm as she could feel her heart sink down and ache in pain. "Well…I just came by to see how you're holding up." As Sky remain silent, Syd makes her way out the door when suddenly she stopped half-way and turns back around. "You know, there's something you need to know." This caught his attention as he looks up at her. "I've been hiding it for awhile now and it's killing me. But I just couldn't let it go without knowing what would've happened."

Sky furrowed his eyebrows in bewilderment. "What is it, Syd?"

After all this why

Would you ever want to leave

Maybe you could not believe it

That my love for you was blind

But I couldn't make you see it

Couldn't make you see it

Syd drew in a few nervous gulps, stalling as she tries to find the words to say it without sounding too desperate. She averts from his gaze suddenly feeling uneasy with him in the room. "Syd…"

"I really like you, Sky!" It didn't come out the way she wanted it as she looked away in embarrassment after getting that out in the open. Sky arches his eyebrows in surprise, allowing Syd to heave a deep sigh. "I know it's stupid of me to bring it up now, but I just had to know if you ever felt the same way at all and see me as more than a friend."

That I loved you more

Then you will ever know

And part of me died

When I let you go

That I loved you more

Then you will ever know

And part of me died

When I let you go

Sky smiles in pleased embarrassment as he looked down and places a hand over hers. Syd could feel her heart beat rapidly just the feel of his touch. "Look…you're an amazing, extremely gorgeous person." There was a small pause as a smile crept over her face. "But--" He breaks off and deeply sighs, trying to get it out without hurting her. "I'm just not the guy for you."

She looks down feeling rather disappointed, but yet relieved that they both know the truth. "I understand." Syd pathetically shrugged her shoulders. "You found some else."

"I'm sure there's a perfect guy out there waiting for you." Sky assures her with a genuine smile. "You'll just have to be patient."

Syd slightly frowns. "I guess so."

He looks up where he finds Bridge walking by his room with a quick wave. A smile crossed Sky's face as he turns his gaze back over to Syd. "I know so."


A/N: Tell me what you think!