Chapter 6: Memories Of The Past Pt 2
By: Pink-Green-White-4ever
Last Revised: April 18, 2007
Genre: Action/Romance
Ships: Tommy/Kim, Billy/Cestria, Pallaton/Rhiannon, Peta/Kaia, Chogan/Kimana, Ashley/Andros, Cassie/T.J, Kendrix/Leo, Maya/Damon, Conner/Kira, and Zhane/Karone with mention of Tommy/Kat
Timeframe: AU, 1 year after Dino Thunder
Setting: Earth, Eltar, Aquitar
Disclaimer: I don’t own Tommy, Kim, Billy or any of the characters from the series Power Rangers. I do own the Strike Force characters. PLEASE DON’T SUE!
AN: I’m so sorry it’s taken me forever to get this update out. Other ideas, school, and just plain laziness have gotten in the way. I’ve had this chapter and the other two that follow it done for a few months now, I just keep forgetting about it. Thanks to those of you who’ve emailed me, asking me to update. I appreciate the support.
"Lost love is still love. It takes a different form, that’s all. You can’t see their smile or bring them food or tousle their hair or move them around a dance floor. But when those senses weaken, another heightens. Memory. Memory becomes your partner. You nurture it. You hold it. You dance with it." -- Mitch Albom --
--
November 2003
Eltar
“She’s training so hard,” Kaia murmured to Sani as they watched Kimberly go through an extremely complicated kata.
“She always trains this hard,” Sani told her. “She’s had to, in order to strengthen her powers.”
Kimana and Chogan approached them, joining their conversation. “Did she really have her powers stripped from her?” Chogan asked. There was a rumor that had been going around the Capital Residence, thanks to a lot of the staff, about Kimberly having been stripped of her Ranger powers during her first tenure as a Ranger.
“Yes, but not for the reasons you’ve heard. A friend of hers, the one who later became her successor on the Morphin team, was under a spell and stole her power coin.”
Kimana piped up, “That’s the equivalent of our pendants, right?” She touched the frosted yellow crystal pendant that hung just above her breasts.
“Yes,” Sani told her. “Because her coin was stolen, Zordon and Alpha 5 had to sever her powers from her body, because when Ninjor gave the team their Ninjetti powers, they were tied to their very life essence. In having the power severed from her, she had to rely on her teammates until the coin was retrieved. By the time that happened, according to Billy, the damage to her, mentally, physically, and emotionally was too deep to reverse,” Sani explained then quieted. Kimberly was approaching them, and just from the way she walked, he could tell she was tense and upset.
“Discussing the finer points of my time as Earth’s Pink Ranger?” she all but growled.
“We’re sorry, Taregan,” Kaia spoke up. “We were curious.”
“Next time, ask me.” Kim gave Sani a look before she strode into the palace.
The four looked thoroughly chastised. “Ouch.”
“Don’t worry. Taregan can’t stay mad for long. Come, we have more training to attend to,” Sani told them, gesturing for the group to move further into the training grounds.
--
She stood on her balcony and watched the movements of the city beyond the palace walls. Her thoughts were on the morpher that lay in the vault deep within the confines of the palace. Ninjor had sent it to her, with explicit instructions that she not give it to just anyone until she deemed them worthy. When she’d opened the package and noticed the white frosted glass with it, she could have wept. She hadn’t even talked it over with the others – no one would ever claim the White Ranger mantle – that honor was reserved for one man, and one man only, however unfair that was.
Only Billy knew why she was cranky and irritated today; it was HIS birthday. She wondered briefly what he was doing but when the pain came, she pushed it, and thoughts of him, out of her mind. Unfortunately, her Falcon was her past, and had no place in her future – she’d seen to that most effectively.
“Kimberly,” Billy’s voice broke her thoughts.
Turning, she saw him standing with the newly arrived Cestria and Delphine. “What?’
“We’ve been summoned to the communications room,” he told her.
Worry speared through her. “What’s wrong?”
Delphine smiled. “The newest Earth team has defeated their evil.”
--
“Who are they?” Kaia asked.
“They’re known as Ninja Storm. Red, Yellow, Crimson, Navy, Green and Blue, who happens to be the only female,” Andros answered.
Kim grinned at that. The only two female Rangers to defend Earth over the years, who had deferred from the traditional Pink and Yellow, had been Delphine, and Alyssa from the Wild Force team a year before.
“Seriously?” Kaia laughed. It was a surprise to have a girl Ranger that deviated from tradition, but Kaia herself was a prime example as Red Ranger.
“Yes. She’s one of only a handful of female rangers to not be Pink or Yellow and only the third to defend Earth as a color different from those two,” Andros told her, making Kim smile even broader as she’d been thinking the same thing.
“How are they holding up?” Kim questioned, drawing everyone’s attention back to the reason for the conference call with the Red Space Ranger.
“So far so good. You know it usually takes a while to recover,” he told her, pointing out her experience as a Ranger.
“Keep us posted. Taregan out.”
The Strike Force team was quiet when the transmission ended. “What now?” Peta asked. He’d been privy to every meeting Billy and Kimberly had had, such as this, since Kimberly had joined the team.
“We train,” Kimberly spoke, her voice firm. “We train hard, and if we’re needed, we’ll head to Earth to help out.”
The team nodded and dispersed to go about their various duties. “Kim?”
“What?”
“Are you okay?” Billy asked her.
“I’m fine.”
--
The sanctuary was quiet save for the occasional chirp of a bird or the humming of bees. Her mind was blank, her breathing calm and her body still. It wasn’t often she got more than a few minutes to herself. She knew her solitude was thanks to her brother Wolf, and of course the training the Strike Force rangers were doing with the Aquitian and Space Rangers.
“It is very peaceful here,” a voice announced. Kimberly opened her eyes and smiled.
“Prince Trey,” she greeted the figure. She stood quickly and moved to give him a brief hug.
“Billy told me I would find you here, Taregan. How have you been?”
Kim smiled. “Better. What brings you here?”
Trey smiled in return before sobering. “I am just checking on Rhiannon. Mother had a vision, and I want to put her at ease.”
The Pink Ranger’s expression was gravely serious. “Is everything okay?”
“Mother seemed to think Rhia was in trouble. She will be relieved when I contact her and let her know my ever headstrong sister is fine.”
“How long are you staying?” Kim asked as they walked around.
“For a few days. I need to speak with Delphine, Aurico, and Billy about a few important matters.”
“Good. The others could use a good butt kicking by the legendary Gold Ranger.”
Trey just grinned. “Of course.”
--
“How come Rhiannon, Kaia, Peta, and Sani are the only ones still standing?” Kimberly asked as she stood before her team.
“Because the rest of us suck?” Kimana muttered.
Kim glared at her. “No. It’s because the rest of you don’t train hard enough and because they’re use to training hard. We’ll be stepping up your training schedules. This is not a game, and I’ll be damned if you aren’t up to the standards you should be as Rangers.”
Those on their butts groaned. “Taregan, why didn’t you participate?” Chogan huffed.
“Because I don’t need to,” Kimberly shot back.
“I think it’s only fair if you faced Prince Trey, one on one,” Pallaton announced.
Trey looked a little nervous and more than a bit surprised when Kim started stretching. “Taregan?”
“They want to see us spar, so they’re going to see us spar.”
Nodding, Trey began centering himself. “You’re not going to seriously do this, are you?” Rhiannon asked Kim, who nodded. “Taregan, my brother could kill you.”
“If I got cocky like everyone else and didn’t concentrate, yes, he could. I have years of untapped experience, Rhiannon, to draw on. Don’t forget I can hold my own.”
Done stretching, Kim moved to stand in the fighting circle that was drawn on the mats. Trey joined her and the two bowed to each other before the fight began. They circled around each other, trying to gauge what the other was going to do. Wanting to catch her off guard, Trey swung out first. Kim back flipped away from him and as her feet came up, she caught him in the chest, sending him stumbling back.
The others gasped slightly when Kim stood in a read stance with a smirk on her face. Trey dropped back into his own ready stance and they circled again. This time, it was Kim who stuck out first, using a leg sweep and then a roundhouse kick, causing him to flip back. Not waiting for him to recover, Kim started a series of spins, kicks, punches and ended with one forceful, double palmed thrust to his stomach to send him to the mats.
“How is she doing that?” Rhiannon gasped. For a goof portion of their training, the majority of the team had only ever seen Kim demonstrate moves or perform katas, she’d never been in an all out practice fight before, let alone a real fight, before their eyes.
“That’s from training with Jason, Rocky, Zack, Adam, and Tommy, not to mention Trini and Aisha,” Billy grinned.
The younger Rangers were awed that their leader actually had fight to back up all the lessons she’d been drilling into their heads. “Not to mention her time with Ninjor and Dulcea,” Peta added. “You don’t spend time with two Ninjetti masters and not learn a thing or two.”
“I yield!” Trey called s Kim stood over him, her foot poised near his chin.
Kim smiled, withdrew her foot and extended her hand. “Thank you for a good match.”
“Thank you. Jason and Tommy trained you well.”
Kim’s eyes sparked pink. She hadn’t known Trey knew of her past, and his comment just told her how much he really knew. “Trey…”
“Zordon would be proud, Kimberly,” he told her, smiling, before he moved to get a towel and something to drink. Closing her eyes against a wave of grief, Kim stormed off the training field, leaving her team to watch her in shock.
“I’ll go talk to her,” Kaia murmured.
--
“Are you alright?” Kaia asked, sinking down onto the bank of the pond with Kim.
“I will be,” Kim sighed. “My nerves are still raw in some areas.”
Kaia nodded. “You’re not use to bottling up your feelings, are you?”
“No, I’m not, but if I lose control now, someone could get hurt,” Kim told her, her voice serious.
“Your powers are greater than Ninjor’s?”
Kim sighed. “They have the potential to be. I’ve been an active Ranger off and on for nearly fifteen years, far more than any other, including the great Tommy Oliver.”
Kaia gave her a look, knowing how sore of a subject that Tommy was from the few times she’d been around Kimberly when he was mentioned. “It’ll be okay.”
The Pink and Red Rangers smiled. “Yeah, it will be.”