A/N: Long, really, really long chapter.
PS: I wanted the title to be from the song Helena, but i couldn't pick out any good lines for it, so here I am with Disenchanted!

Chapter 5: Heartache to Sing

"so once we're done with Wally's room, would we start searching the rooms of every single male cadet at SPD?" Sky asked, he was still trying to convince Z of looking into Syd's video. he knew his accusations were preposterous, but he just couldn't shake off the feeling.

"we HAVE to Sky, we have no other lead."

"what if we try examining the lab? And maybe search for some security footage?"

"we already saw that Sky, all the cameras were blasted. Even RIC's camera was blasted. Poor thing"

"then may be RIC can tell us something!" Sky seemed still adamant, "he IS an AI"

"AI?"

"artificial intelligence? I mean if normal animals can sense something and tell us about it, why can't RIC?"

"alright, Sky" she paused, "how about we search Wally, and then do it? better?"

"much" he said, smiling a little, which he realized hurt his cheeks. He had lost his habit of smiling

Then the two entered the room.

Z's POV

Walter Justinian or Wally or at times even W-Jay, he's the newest member of the squad, currently the green ranger, and well, he's one of a kind. He's the ever dumb, ever so fun kinda jock, and well, at times, he's a pain in the ass. Yeah even I hear that, it feels like I'm describing Sky. But Wally's not like Sky at all. I'm just bad at describing people. He has more of a Chase Rendall kinda vibe. I mean he's smart, but not too much, he's kinda handsome, but not too much, he's dumb, but not too much. But he IS a pain in the ass.

Seriously!

He LOVES irritating all of us, and well, we like getting irritated. He has a motto, ''you all say I irritate you, then why do you talk to me?'' and well, he has a point. We see his stuff, and find a lot of music equipment, CDs, disks, mix-tapes, all made by him, and his friends. I remember the one time he had gotten the three of us, (me, Bridge and Syd) to do a Halloween mashup with him. That had been really fun, even though some of us, (mostly Bridge) had no clue how to sing. Sky had never asked to join us, and neither had Wally tried to make Sky join. Sky Tate couldn't be interested MUSIC of all things! His favorite song had been one he had heard in Teen Titans Go when he had been what? 13? And had taught it to all of us, Syd, Bridge and even me!

So we go through his belongings, and we don't really find anything 'interesting', or anything that might implicate him… until we come across his guitar.

"Walter has a guitar?" Sky asks, incredulously,

"didn't you know?" I ask, and oh wait, I had forgotten he spends his days in the gym or with his phone (which had kinda started just quite recently); he wasn't even at the campfire when Wally had first introduced us to his guitar.

"right." I said to myself, and then explained to him, "Well, he used to play it for us. He even taught us a few songs."

"seriously?" Sky looked amused, "you can play this?" he asked holding the guitar bag up.

"only a few songs" I said, blushing uncontrollably, for some reason I can't understand.

"Z?" I looked at him, he looked earnest, "play for me…. Please?"

I wonder if I should, I mean I don't know, he's not really… but I'm convinced by the look in his eyes. Both of us need this.

"alright Sky" I say, and he smiles, and I feel my heart skip a beat. Why is this happening? I thought I hated him. But then again, maybe sometimes feelings never go away completely. I want to make you smile.

"we need a break anyway" he adds, and I completely agree, I take the guitar, and revise the chords, C, G, F, A-minor, repeat, for the first verse, and then C, G, F-major, G for the chorus.

*Z takes a sigh and sits on the bed with the guitar,*

"ready?" I ask, and he sits on the other end of Wally's bed, he smiles, and looks at me expectantly, and I begin singing, while playing the chords.

You can't fade away, the way I feel for you

There ain't no word that can say

What I'd do for you, and every single day,

I make it through this game called life,

I pause, and look at him, my expression asking what he thought of the song.

His smile hadn't left his face all through the song, and even now, he said, "Z, that was beautiful" there were so many emotions in his voice, "I didn't know you sang so amazingly!"

"really?"

"yeah! I mean it was just amazing! You have a lovely voice" he smiled, then he added a little meekly, "but…" he trailed off.

"but what?" I ask.

"but… you messed up a chord"

Aaww, I'm pretty sure I've turned tomato red. "really?" I ask, a little embarrassed.

"after the F chord you played an A-Minor where you were supposed to play a G-Major."

"seriously?" I look embarrassed,

"yeah," he says, and takes my hand, and places it along the right frets, "this is how it's done," he guides my fingers, making me play F then G-major, not A-minor. He comes closer, and I look at him, I'm pretty sure I'm staring, but I can't help it, he's too close to me, I can even feel his warm breath on me. That was so stunning. I think I misjudged Sky; he knows music well.

"I didn't know you could play the guitar" I say, whisper rather, and my own breath touches his. We stay that way for a few seconds, after which we sat back, and I handed him the guitar, "your turn" I say.

He nods, the smile is gone, as he softly first whistles the song, then sings,

Blackbird singing in the dead of night,

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life, you have only been waiting

For this moment to arise

It was the same tune I had heard him hum the first day, when I met him on the park swing. Seems like he really liked that song. His voice was beautiful, a little deep. I tell him, when he is done, that the song was perfect! Just beautiful, I can't praise enough.

"it's an old Beatles' song; kinda a lullaby" he offers explanation, afterwards, "my father used to sing it to me when I got scared. So it has become my protective song."

I refrain from saying, that did he just admit to being afraid, and on a normal day I would've, as Sky Tate would NEVER admit that he feels a human emotion! And fear? He'd rather be caught dead.

He went on, "Whenever I'm afraid, this song gives me hope to carry on." Then he quotes the song, in the low, but beautiful tune, "Blackbird singing in the dead of night, take these broken wings, and learn to fly. All your life, you've only been waiting for this moment to arise. It's true isn't it Z?" he looks at her, and I don't know what to say.

Sky's POV

I just told Z, about my fear. I feel lighter. I like the feeling. No, I LOVE the feeling. I go on to tell her about my father, a LOT about my dad, and she comforts me, she places her hand on my shoulder, and I feel soothed. I think this is the time for it, if I want to apologize, it's now or never, "Z?" I ask, and she looks at me.

"I'm sorry Z," I say,

"for what?"

"for everything… hurting you, kissing you and never following up, breaking your heart, being rude, everything" I say, and I see her get tentative, and she doesn't say anything, well I don't expect her to either, but you know? I feel bad. How do I convey that to her?

"it's okay Sky" she says softly, but I think I owe her an explanation.

"Z, you have to hear me out," I say, holding her hand, and she relaxes a little, "Sky, you don't owe me anything" she says to me, but I know that she's saying so just to make me feel better.

"Z, truth is, I've always liked you, have been, specially, for almost a year, but I could never say anything, at all, because well, I had a girlfriend."

At this I see her eyes go wide open, "yes, her name is Bella Aniston, I used to love her a lot" I say, and watch as Z digests the info, "I used to" I hurriedly repeat, "not anymore" I must seem sad, because she moves closer to me, and places a hand on my shoulder, in a way urging me to open up and tell her more about her. Well, I have decided to make her my confidante, so I'll tell her everything. I hope she forgives me.

"I met Bella in high school, junior year, she was new at school, and almost immediately became the most popular girl, and later on, a cheerleader. I was the captain of the football team, and I guess you can see where it went from there, right?" she nods, "we started dating when I was 17"

"aren't you twenty three?" she asks, and I nod, "so you've dated for SIX years? If I'd date a guy for six years, I'd end up marrying him" I said, and I kinda felt a pinch in my heart.

"I'm sorry," she says, realizing that her words hit me.

"it's okay" I say, and then continue, "when I came here to SPD, New Tech City, we decided we would try to make it work long distance, and we did, in a way, yes, we did, but…" he trailed off.

"she didn't stay faithful" Z completed, and he looked at her,

"yes, she never said anything about another man though, but whenever I visited her, she wasn't as she used to be. She had grown distant, and cold, and though I wondered why it was, every time I asked her, she'd shut me up with her tongue down my throat." Z understood, I was sure, "you asked me why I came back earlier than I was supposed to no? Well, here's the reason"

"my mother invited me home, she had something to say. I wondered what it was, but I didn't inquire much, took a leave, and I went. All I know was that they were at Miami, at mom's summerhouse; she said that Bella, and my brother Amedeo will also be there. Simple enough no? (my mother had always liked Bella btw) So I go over there, at the same time you went to Jack's. I think Cruger gave us leave at the same time. Anyway, I went over there, and Bella came to pick me up at the airport, I thought of nothing at the time, but I guess… softening the blow? So we drove to the summerhouse, and before I met anybody else, or did anything, the first thing that happened was…" I trail off, not knowing whether Z would like to know about me and Bella having sex.

"nevermind that, what happened after that, at dinner was what hurt me the most. You know what happened?" I ask rhetorically, and she shakes her head, looking at me expectantly, though I suspect she already has an idea, but I go on, "Amedeo announced that he and Bella were officially engaged!"

There we go, it's out into the open…

X-X-X

*she stares at him wide-eyed*

Whatever she had expected him to stay, it wasn't this. He went on to explain to her that he had been faithful to her, but apparently she didn't feel the same way. Her affair with Sky's brother had started soon after he had been gone, and she didn't even care about him anymore. What she did to Sky was bad enough, but she never even told him, and in a way she was cheating on his brother too. But for some reason, his brother never seemed to mind.

"Sky I'm so sorry" Z said, feeling bad for him, no matter how much he had hurt Z, he didn't deserve this; Bottom line was, it was really bitchy of Bella.

"It was a good thing. I mean if she hadn't cheated on me with my brother, maybe I'd have asked her to marry me, or something, and I know for sure, that I wouldn't have been happy with her." he paused, then added,

"And now, Z, I can honestly tell you how much I like you"

Z's heart fluttered a little, he had given her an apology, and an explanation, with perfect honesty, and he was sincere enough, and also a little heartbroken.

"And now I don't feel guilty for admitting it, and I'm really sorry Z, I should've told you about Bella right after that Boston case," he said, and Z calmly told him, "don't feel bad, Sky, I get it, you don't open up to randomly anybody, thank you for sharing everything with me"

He looks at her, and says, "I think I'd ask you out, but I can't no matter how much I want right now" he then smiles softly, "Z, will you go on a date with me after all this is over?"

She considered it, well, if they lived, both of them, then maybe, "yeah, Sky, I'd love to" she said, and they sat there, on Wally's bed, looking at each other, the guitar lying by their sides, neglected, and both of them knew what was coming next, the leaned in, closer and closer, closing their eyes, letting their lips touch in a soft, gentle, almost child-like kiss.

They pull apart after seconds, and stare in each other's eyes, neither wanting to move, but knowing they had to; it was almost at the same second that they got out of their trance, and said that they should probably get back to their search.

They do so, not finding any incriminating evidence in the new Green Ranger's room. It is disappointing though, just a little, for now, they would have to search the rooms of all the D, and C-Squad cadets! It would be a very tiresome job to do. For now, it was about seven, and well, before they turned in for the day, they could search one more room.

One more, and then they would have only one day for God knows how many other cadets' rooms.

"Should we print out a list of all the male cadets?" Z asked, and Sky nodded, but as they waited by a printer in the command centre, (neither wishing to go to Dr. Manx's lab for prints) Sky decided to pitch his idea again.

"How about we search Syd's room today?"

"seriously Sky?" Z looked annoyed again, "I told you, Sydney wouldn't lie!"

"what's the harm in trying anyway then?"

"wasting TIME, which we cannot afford"

"and this?" he pointed at the list that was starting to print out of the HQ printer, (which had been there since the beginning of time, and was coughing up the sheets like a 500 year old man trying to say something.) "isn't this a waste of time?"

"We can't do anything about it, Sky" Z said, referring to the elderly printer's slow pace, "Cruger had sent all the new, high tech ones, to Dr. Manx's lab, cuz well, we got everything there. He hadn't anticipated that his cadets wouldn't want to go into the lab ever again no?"

"and what if the printer was any faster?" he asked, scowling, "it would give us about 200 names, and then what? will we go and search each one of their rooms? And what then? Maybe if we do even manage that, what is the guarantee that that XYZ character was telling us the truth, that he had left us clues? What if we search it all, waste all of our time, and find NOTHING? We're dead anyway then no?"

"Sky we will be wasting our time even if we search Sydney's room!" Z protested, quite rationally.

"Z, listen to me, please," he looked at her beseechingly, and she finally sighed and nodded, "alright Sky, let's go search Syd's room, but if we don't find anything, we are making up for the time we lost by searching throughout the night." She said, and Sky whispered, "thank you"

A/N: so yeah, i think i should've used some better wording, for that whole Bella scene, but honestly i didn't want to write the scene in th first place, but had to as it's a part of the story. (I dont' like Bella that's why) Also about that RIC idea in the beginning of the chapter? Coming up next time, with a search operation of Syd's room! What will they find?
R&R!