Disclaimer in Part One

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Chapter Nineteen: Consummation

Tanya emerged from the cold water with a gasp and shook the liquid out of her eyes. Everyone else had slept in after the evening's activities, so she had slipped out of the cave to visit a nearby pond. Her body still burned with the need stirred in it the previous night, and she hoped a cold swim would help cool her hormones. The only thing it had managed to do was make her nipples even harder. Tanya noticed Kat's approach. Her friend took a seat on the sloping isthmus at the low end of the pool. Kat knelt on the bank and splashed some cold water on herself then lay back to enjoy the sun.

"Mornin', Kat," she called out as she swam over.

"Oh, hi, Tanya," Kat replied, startled. Tanya observed that Kat's cheeks were slightly flushed. "I didn't realize that anyone else was out here. Were you on private time? If so, I'll go."

"No, I don't mind the company if you don't." Tanya stood up as she neared the bank. In the low end of the pool, the water barely reached the swell of her bottom. She stood in the water and leaned against the soft grass. "The 'cold shower' routine isn't helping much," she confessed.

"You too?" Kat queried, somewhat relieved to she wasn't alone.

"I wish we had gone through with the orgy last night--or at the very least had one of the guys finish eating me out," Tanya remarked as she pulled herself onto the bank and reclined next to Kat. "I have never been so aroused in my life."

"Same here," Kat agreed. Her body shivered with the memory of Tommy's manhood in her mouth and Billy's tongue on her mound. "Between what almost happened, the evening's conversation, and the dreams I had...." Just then, the two heard a rustling in the tall grasses on the opposite side of the pond, and Kat fell silent. The noise stopped, and the two young women exchanged knowing glances. "Rocky?" Kat asked softly

"Mm, hm," Tanya confirmed. "How'd you guess?"

"You and he were the only ones missing when I woke up."

"He got here shortly after I did--probably for the same reason. He must have seen me swimming and decided to hang around to see if I did anything... interesting."

"Well, if one of them winds up in the bushes...."

"... the rest of them will wind up there eventually." The two shared knowing smiles.

"I can't bring myself to be annoyed with him," Kat sighed. "Things got pretty hot last night before the storm broke, and that was the most intense session of truth-without-dare I'd ever been in."

"Actually, I kind of feel sorry for all the guys," Tanya said. "They have to be as worked up as we are."

"But more obviously so. I guess if the guys want to masturbate while watching us take a bath, I don't see the harm in it this once."

"I'm horny enough to be tempted to do something to make it worthwhile," Tanya replied.

"Like what?" Kat asked, both astonished and intrigued.

"I don't know. I don't think I could do anything kinky, like masturbating or anything like that... just something." Tanya sighed with frustration and shrugged her shoulders. "I see you brought the comb; want me to do your hair?"

"Sure."

Tanya collected the bone implement and moved around to sit behind Kat. The Pink Ranger leaned up on her elbows, closed her eyes and tossed her hair back. She let one foot fall into the water and splashed it about lazily. She found herself rapidly becoming mellow and drowsy. Tanya's grooming felt great, and the warm sun was absolutely delicious. The breeze picked up fractionally; the slight chill teased her nipples, sending electric tingles shuddering through her hormonally charged body.

"Hey, I think I hear someone else," Tanya whispered. She looked up the far trail a bit and caught a glimpse of the newcomer. "It's Adam."

"He must have been thinking the same thing we were," Kat mused.

"Rocky's just snared him."

"That means Billy and Tommy won't be far behind."

~*~

Initially, Rocky had been disappointed to find the pool occupied first thing in the morning. He was really wanting a cold shower or the equivalent. Between the aborted orgy, their talk, and his dreams (it was a wonder they hadn't been wet dreams!) he was definitely in need of some relief. The instant he realized it was Tanya in the pool, he ducked under the cover of the reeds. He was still kind of annoyed at her for working him into a corner with their conversation last night. It was as if she was seeing just how far she could push him, and he wasn't too happy with himself for giving in. He just hoped she never repeated his answer to anyone--especially Adam. He had to admit, though, that Tanya hadn't finagled her way out of answering either. He thought it interesting that she couldn't chose between Kat--her best friend--and Kim--who was very exciting. He had to agree with Tanya on her assessment of Kim. He would give just about anything to have Kim finish the blow job she had started; man, she had a talented tongue!

While Tanya was floating on her back, Rocky couldn't help but notice the fullness of her breasts. Tanya really did have a great body, he reflected; one he'd like to have another chance to explore. However, he doubted he ever would; their relationship just wasn't like that. He was about to drift into further speculations when he noted Kat's arrival. He had been a little unfair in his estimation of her early on (because she was spoken for); she had an awesome body, too. She did have great tits; he'd have to ask Adam what they were like. Although Rocky doubted the two of them had done much more than some moderate groping. He just couldn't picture Adam having the courage to do much else--at least this early in the relationship. He also couldn't picture Kat allowing him either.... Although, she had seemed eager enough to pursue Tommy during the orgy.

Rocky tried to remind himself that he couldn't make judgements based on last night's activities; none of them had been themselves. Still, as Tanya swam over to talk to Kat and leaned over the bank (oh man! she had a fantastic ass) he couldn't help but picture the two of them engaged in a sixty-nine. Tanya's dark body pressed against Kat's pale skin.... Rocky's fantasy took on a life of its own, and he was seriously into stroking himself when he heard someone coming down the trail. Quickly, he composed himself and was relieved to see that it was only Adam.

"Hey, Adam, pst! C'mere," Rocky hissed." He was so well hidden that Adam was having a hard time locating him. Rocky grabbed Adam and pulled him into the reeds next to him so the girls wouldn't see him.

"Are you spying on the girls again?" Adam queried, having caught a glimpse of Tanya and Kat on the far bank.

"What can I say?" Rocky admitted with a shrug. "Like Kimberly said, back to square one."

"Rocky.... " Adam objected; although, it was only a half-hearted protest. He had to admit that he was having a difficult time keeping his eyes off Kat's well displayed body, and he was just as guilty as Rocky of sneaking peeks. His heightened state of arousal rose a notch as Kat slightly parted her legs.

"Can I help it if I'm so horny I can't see straight this morning? And I don't have the option of slipping off with Kat or Kimberly later to take care of things privately."

"Kat and I haven't done anything like that," Adam objected, feeling the heat rise in his cheeks.

"Hey, take it easy. I didn't mean anything by it," Rocky assured his friend. "What you and Kat do together is really none of my business."

"It's just a little uncomfortable knowing that everyone is aware of what we're doing, you know?" Adam sighed.

"I suppose I'd feel that way if I had a girlfriend; I guess I'm just feeling sorry for myself because I don't. All I can do is watch, use my imagination, and jerk off."

"Why don't you ask Tanya if she might be interested? The girls are probably just as horny as we are."

It took Rocky a moment to recall that he hadn't told Adam about what happened between him and Tanya the other day--which was probably for the best.

"Yeah, right. Considering the way Tanya lit into me last night, I'll bet I'm the last guy here she'd want to do anything with." The two fell silent for a while as they watched Tanya comb Kat's hair. Finally, Rocky broke the quiet. "You know, I can't stop thinking about some of the things we talked about last night--like seeing two girls getting it on. Can't you just picture Tanya setting aside the hairbrush and running her hands all over Kat's tits? Kat would start getting into it and tilt her head back to start sucking on Tanya's...."

Adam had no trouble visualizing that at all. "... and Kimberly coming along and crawling between Kat's legs...."

"All right, buddy!" Rocky encouraged, to Adam's discomfort.

"I shouldn't have said that, but I can't stop thinking about Kim's mouth on my cock last night. It was all that I saw in my dreams," Adam admitted hesitantly.

"Same here."

"I really wish she'd have been able to finish what she started. I've never felt anything so great in my life." Both sighed longingly.

"Tommy's one lucky fella," Rocky said enviously.

"Billy, too. Although, he was so out of it with delirium and all at the time... do you think he remembers much about what Kim did to him?"

"Vividly. Every lick and stroke." Adam and Rocky jumped guiltily at Billy's words. They had been so caught up in their conversation that they hadn't heard his approach. Billy dropped down on the grass beside the two. "Mind if I join you?"

"Great," Rocky groaned. "I suppose you're here to send us packing."

"I'm not here to send anyone packing," Billy assured him.

"You're not?"

"I'm here for the same reason you are--as long as Adam has no objections."

"Huh?"

"Do you mind my also enjoying the view of Katherine's person while I take a hands on approach to alleviating my state of hormonal agitation?"

Rocky was hard pressed to stifle a snicker.

"Uh, well...." Adam sputtered.

"After last night, I imagine that we all are in need of some relief. I certainly have no desire to wander around the jungle sporting an erection, and I don't believe either of you want to as well. We'll all be able to better concentrate on our trek to the temple if we're not distracted by our hormones. Visual stimuli will enable us to achieve that end more quickly and with greater satisfaction."

"I suppose it's no big deal," Adam murmured. "It's not like you guys haven't gawked at her before."

"And it's not like the girls are going to do anything kinky--except in our imaginations," Rocky continued.

"Hey, you guys had better keep it down or the girls are going to hear you," Tommy said, announcing his presence. He sat down next to Billy. "Do you mind?" he asked of Adam, obliquely referring to Kat.

"Not if you don't mind us watching Kim," Adam replied, managing a grin.

"She is coming down here, isn't she?" Billy inquired.

"I certainly hope so," Tommy replied. "She was still asleep when I left; I guess last night really took a lot out of her, but I imagine she'll find her way down here."

"So, you two, what was that I heard about Tanya playing with Kat's breasts and Kimberly being between Kat's legs?" Billy queried--to Rocky and Adam's discomfiture.

"... and Tommy makes four," Tanya informed Kat as she observed Tommy ducking into the reeds with the others..

"We almost have to do something now," Kat murmured.

"The question is what?"

Suddenly, the stillness was broken by a cheerful call.

"Tommy? Billy? Anybody?"

Tanya grinned hugely at the sound of Kim's voice. "We're at the pond!"

"Do you think Kim will want to do anything?" Kat wondered.

"I'm betting she'll have some ideas."

"Hey there," Kim said brightly as she cleared the tall grass surrounding the pool. "I woke up, and there was no one at camp." She stretched lazily and joined them on the grass. "How are you guys doing this morning?"

"Horny," Tanya muttered.

"I know. Me too. Especially after that dream I had--yum!"

"I think we're all in the same state," Kat concurred. "Kim, I really wanted to thank you for getting us all through last night. When I first reached the cave, I thought I'd rather die than face any of you guys--especially you."

"I almost couldn't do it," Kim admitted, "but once I got started, it wasn't so bad. It was kind of like coming forward in the cave that first time, and we've come too far to let Amadan mess things up."

"Still, it took a lot of courage," Tanya added.

"... and telling everyone that you and Tommy had been having sex...."

"I never said that we had," Kim corrected Kat. "We talked about it, but we haven't done anything yet. We've come pretty close, but I just can't seem to let go all the way."

"Still, you admitted to a lot of things I never could have--like doing Billy," Kat continued.

"That was no big deal. It's what Billy needed."

"Did you enjoy doing him?" Tanya wondered. "I kind of liked what little I got to do last night."

"Once the nervousness passed, yeah, I did," Kim admitted. Actually, she enjoyed the second blowjob a lot more. Billy and Tommy were off the mark about her sleepwalking the night she did Billy the second time. She had thought about it an awful lot, and that night Tommy had been dreaming. He had been encouraging her to go down on Billy again, and between that and her own impulses, she simply couldn't resist. She had gotten up before she could talk herself out of doing it, and she made sure to wake Tommy in the process. She was glad he wasn't angry and even more glad he had enjoyed the performance. "Billy's not as large as Tommy, so it's easier to take him in my mouth."

"I have to admit to being a little worried about how you were going to react to my going after Tommy last night," Kat confessed.

"I was just as worried about how you'd react to me going after Adam," Kim said.

"I can't believe you took both Adam and Rocky on at once," Tanya murmured with the shake of her head, "and I can't believe how hot I'm getting just talking about all of this."

"Don't I know it; I want to come so badly it hurts," Kim moaned. With a throaty purr, she indulgently ran her hands down her face, over her breasts, and down to her sex. The unabashed sensuality of her movements caught Kat and Tanya off guard.

"Uh, Kim...." Tanya began, "we're not exactly alone out here."

"I thought as much," Kim replied casually, "and they're probably in the same condition we are. It wouldn't hurt to give them something interesting to watch while they jerk off, would it?" Tanya and Kat traded grins.

"Our thoughts exactly," Kat said.

"Any ideas?" Tanya queried.

"Well, we know what they'd like to see most...."

~*~

"Oh, get real, Rocky," Adam snorted indignantly. "A whole hand? That'd never work."

The four had been enjoying the scenery and spinning out an elaborate tale about what might happen between the girls if they were to have a threesome.

"If a woman can stretch to get a baby out, she could stretch to get a hand in," Rocky insisted.

"There are hormones that aid in the elasticity of the vaginal canal during pregnancy," Billy pointed out. "No doubt a woman's vaginal opening is proportionate to her size. Such a thing might possibly work with Tanya or Kat, but not Kimberly. She's too small. I doubt you'd get more than a couple of fingers inside her at the most."

"Why don't we ask our resident expert," Rocky said, and the three turned to Tommy. "So, how about it? Would Kim stretch enough to fit a hand inside her?"

"I don't know," Tommy replied.

"Oh, come on. You fit inside her, don't you?"

"I don't know. I haven't tried."

"You mean you guys haven't had sex yet?" Adam queried, astonished.

"Nope."

"Don't you remember? Kimberly told us as much last night," Billy spoke up. "She said she was nervous about having sex the first time because she knew there was going to be some discomfort involved and because of overcoming her mother's strictures."

"I don't know why you guys think I know all that much about sex," Tommy continued. "Kim and I didn't start fooling around until we got back together on this jungle adventure."

"Really?"

"Haven't you guys been dating for two years?"

"Sure, but we've been Rangers ever since we met each other. When did we have time? I don't think we'd ever had a date that wasn't interrupted by a putty attack or Zordon signaling us or something."

"It's just that Kim seems so... skilled," Adam ventured.

"Did she and what's-his-face in Florida do anything?" Rocky asked as delicately as he could manage.

"Their relationship wasn't like that," Tommy answered.

"Todd had a fiancée that he never told Kimberly about," Billy explained.

"Oh boy," both Rocky and Adam murmured.

"The first time Kim did me, I could tell she had never done anything before," Tommy interjected, fondly remembering her nervousness and her timid caresses. "She just learned really quickly."

"What she lacks in skill is more than amply compensated for by her enthusiasm," Billy surmised.

"Uh, speaking of Kim, she's joined the others," Adam announced. All eyes returned to the scene on the opposite bank.

"She looks to be in good spirits," Billy observed.

"She looks horny," Rocky sniggered.

"Just like everyone else," Adam reminded him.

"All right, so maybe not a whole hand," Rocky conceded, returning to the fantasy they had been concocting. "Tommy, how many fingers do you think Kim could take up her?"

"Well, I've been able to get two in so... far...." The words died on Tommy's lips as he noticed Kimberly moving her hand down her body. Her eyes fluttered shut, and an indulgent smile lit her face.

"Oh, my...." Billy choked out.

Suddenly, the fantasy was forgotten.

~*~

"Kim, you can't be serious," Kat said nervously.

"I didn't say we should do anything like having a threesome; I just pointed out that that was something the guys would like to see," Kim answered.

"I've never considered touching another woman's body--sexually--before," Tanya remarked. "I'm not sure I'd know what to do."

"Me either, but I don't suppose it'd be much different than touching yourself," Kat said.

"There's always masturbation," Kim continued, again shocking her companions. "However, I could barely bring myself to do it for Tommy the one time at the waterfall; I don't think I'd have the nerve to do it with the other three watching as well."

"There has to be something harmless we could do," Kat sighed.

"What about giving each other backrubs?" Kim suggested.

"Sure," Tanya agreed. "We'd be touching each other, but it would be harmless, and the guys could always pretend we were doing something kinky."

"I guess that'd be all right," Kat agreed. "Anyone know how to give really good backrubs?"

"Diana at the training center knew how to give great massages; she taught us a few techniques," Kim said. "Who'd like to go first?"

"I'm game," Tanya agreed eagerly.

"Roll over, then. I hope you don't mind if I sit on your bottom; the angle is much better." Tanya stretched out on her stomach, and Kim took a seat. She began kneading Tanya's shoulders. As Kim got busy, Kat retrieved the comb and continued to work on her hair, watching with interest.

"Ooh, that feels so good!" Tanya sighed.

"The deep rub is only the first part of it," Kim explained. "Afterwards, Diana would lightly rub her fingers all over your body, turning you into a pile of mush. By the way, do you want just a back massage or an all over massage?"

"If the rest of it feels this good, do all of me!"

Kim continued the penetrating rub down, traveling down the length of Tanya's back. Tanya's skin was very soft and smooth. Kim concentrated for several minutes on the small of Tanya's back, then worked her way to the shoulders again. The stretch caused her hips to rock against Tanya's bottom. Kim had always worn shorts or at least her panties when giving her roommate at the gym a backrub, so she had never paid any attention to the rocking motion of her hips. However, her bared sex sliding against Tanya's bare bottom was really starting to get her wet. Kim felt the heat creep into her cheeks as she prayed Tanya hadn't noticed. Giving herself a shake, Kim slid off Tanya's behind when she came down on the next pass and knelt between her teammate's parted legs. Kim chewed nervously on her lower lip; whenever Diana had given her a massage, she had run her hands right down Kim's bottom. She had never considered just how intimate a gesture that was--even through clothing. It had simply felt so good, and Kim really loved it when Tommy lightly stroked her backside. She wasn't sure if she should do the same for Tanya or not. Still, it was part of the rub down; it felt pretty terrific, and the guys would get a real thrill out of it. If Tanya was uncomfortable with Kim touching her butt, she'd say something. With a devil-may-care smile, she glossed her hands down Tanya's rounded ass cheeks.

"Oh!" Tanya squeaked, arching up off the ground. She melted back into the soft grass with a sigh of utter contentment.

"Is that okay?" Kim queried.

"Don't stop," Tanya sighed. "That feels wonderful."

"If you get any more relaxed, you're liable to ooze right into the ground," Kat teased.

"Just wait until your turn," Tanya answered dreamily.

"Tell you what, Kat; why don't you continue rubbing Tanya's shoulders while I work on her legs," Kim suggested. More softly she added, "That way, it'll be almost like a threesome for the guys."

"Gotcha."

Tanya was all but purring as Kim slid her hands over her cheeks one last time then moved on to her thighs. Kat knelt by Tanya's head and leaned over to knead Tanya's shoulders.

"Not so hard," Kim instructed. "Just glide your hands lightly across her back. This way your arms won't get tired."

"Oh, you guys, this is absolutely sinful!" Tanya moaned.

"I hope the two of you do as good a job on me," Kat said.

Kimberly finally worked her way to Tanya's toes, so she started on part two of the massage. Barely touching Tanya's skin, Kim skimmed her hands up the backs of Tanya's legs. A shiver coursed through Tanya's body. Kim let her fingers dip down to stroke Tanya's inner thighs, but she carefully avoided getting close to anything more personal. Kim had straddled Tanya's leg, with her knee pressing close to the juncture between Tanya's legs. Kim eased her fingers over Tanya's buttocks. Tanya wiggled almost involuntarily, grinding herself lightly against Kim's knee. As Kim continued upwards, she stretched her body out over Tanya's until her breasts lightly grazed her subject's back. The sensation sent chills coursing through Kim's body; the skin on skin contact felt incredible. She could remember the same things happening to her under Diana's expert hands, and she had never thought a thing about it then. This is getting really weird, she mused, and she wondered if her roommate had ever felt like this when giving her a massage.

Kim stretched out over Tanya again, stifling a gasp; however, she made contact with Kat's hands. She looked up and hoped Kat hadn't noticed how much she was getting into doing this.

"Try playing with her hair," Kim recommended to Kat.

"It did feel awfully good when Tanya was brushing mine earlier," Kat agreed and began running her fingers through Tanya's hair. Kat smiled timidly when Tanya let out a deep sigh. Tanya was really getting into their backrub. Seeing how much Tanya was enjoying herself made Kat long to trade places with her. Kat looked up to see what Kimberly was doing and found her rubbing Tanya's bottom. Kim had the strangest expression on her face; it was a mixture of euphoria and consternation.

"Kim, are you all right?" Kat queried in a whisper.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm all right. My mind was just sort of wandering," Kim stammered, embarrassed.

"What were you thinking about?" Kat wondered.

"How much I love it when Tommy rubs my ass," was Kim's frank answer. It brought a flush, not only to her cheeks, but Kat's as well.

"Well, it sure looks like Tanya's enjoying it," Kat murmured. "How are the guy's reacting?"

Kim snuck a peek over at the far shore and smiled. "They are watching very intently. If their eyes get any wider, their eyeballs will fall out."

Kat muffled a giggle. "Do you think they can hear us?"

"Probably not our conversation, but I'm sure they can hear Tanya's moans," Kim answered. As if in response, Tanya emitted another low moan, and her hips moved more insistently, rubbing her mound against Kimberly's knee. Tanya was starting to get wet. Without thinking, Kim drew her fingertip down Tanya's spine, over the swell of her bottom, and down between her ass cheeks and into the folds of Tanya's moist, pink slit. The move so startled Tanya that she gave a yelp and flipped over, knocking Kim aside.

"Tanya, are you all right?" Kat asked.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean... I wasn't thinking," Kim sputtered meekly.

"What did you do?" Tanya gasped, staring at Kim wide eyed.

"Nothing much, really. Sometimes Tommy does that to me, and I just wanted to share how good it felt. I'm sorry, I should have asked first."

"That felt awesome. Would you do it again?"

"Really?" Kim seemed genuinely surprised. Before she could lose her nerve, Kim slipped her finger up and down Tanya's nether lips. Tanya's sigh was unlike any they had heard from her before. Kim quickly pulled her hand away; she couldn't believe she had just touched Tanya like that! She shouldn't have, but Tanya whimpered, and a shudder raced through her body--she really seemed to like it. The three girls regarded each other in silence. Kim knew they should stop; things were starting to get out of hand, but there was this haze in Tanya's eyes, and her moans.... Kim tried to shake off the spell of her friend's responses, yet she found herself asking, "Would you like me to continue the massage on this side?"

"Yes!" Tanya all but growled.

"Kimberly...?" Kat began dubiously. However, Kim had her eyes closed and placed her hands on Tanya's shoulders.

~*~

"No way!" Rocky gasped.

"I don't believe it," Adam murmured.

The four male members of the team had been reduced to blobs of simmering hormones as Kimberly massaged Tanya's back. Tanya's moans had nearly overloaded their senses. They almost stopped breathing as Kimberly's finger disappeared between Tanya's legs.

"Uh, maybe we should leave the girls alone," Billy gulped in spite of his inclination to the contrary.

"We probably should; only, I don't think I can move," Tommy replied, his mouth dry. He knew all too well how good it felt to have Kim play with his ass. She had the lightest touch. He held his breath, anxious to see what would happen as their three teammates looked at each other silently. "Oh man, Billy, Kim has that glint in her eyes."

The four moaned softly as Kimberly slowly glided her hands down Tanya's chest.

Kim let out a slow, deep breath as her hands slid over Tanya's breasts; she almost laughed when she realized her hands were shaking. Tanya's nipples hardened as Kim's hands brushed them, and her abdomen was all a-quiver as Kim continued lower. Her own breasts were responding to Tanya's gasps and moans; she could feel it in the way they tingled. She hated to admit it, but she was really starting to get into touching Tanya. She skirted Tanya's pubic area and ran her hands down Tanya's legs. Tanya's hips pumped forward oh-so-slightly, and Kim smoothed her hands back up Tanya's body.

"Oh, man, this is exactly what my body's been wanting," Tanya groaned. Involuntarily, she arched her back, thrusting her breasts forward in search of the pleasant contact. When she couldn't find Kim's hands, she started playing with herself, squeezing her breasts together and jutting them forward as if offering them to Kim.

"Take it easy," Kat cautioned with a surreptitious glance at the boys. Tanya didn't seem to hear her. She thought she should say something to Kim; however, Kimberly seemed to be lost in a world of her own. There was a glassy quality to her eyes, and she licked her lips anxiously. Kat wasn't sure what to do. Things were getting a little out of hand; she could feel the moisture between her own legs, and no one had touched her. Just watching and listening to Tanya had her hot.

"Please, Kim; is there any more to the massage?" Tanya all but begged when Kim ceased stroking her.

"There can be, " Kim offered hesitantly. She couldn't believe what she was feeling; the urge to continue was so strong. Tanya's moans were as insistent and intoxicating as Tommy's; she was a little curious--Tanya's body was so soft, so unlike Tommy's--and her own need was nearly overpowering.

Kim forced herself to meet Tanya's gaze. She knew that if she did anything else, there would be no turning back; Tanya seemed to understand that. She tried to answer, but all that came out was a needy whimper. Kim glanced up at Kat who seemed to be holding her breath, the comb long forgotten. "Well, there are a few things I do for Tommy that I could try...."

"Please," Tanya gulped.

"Kim, are you sure...?"

Kim never even heard Kat's query. She smiled down at Tanya then very gently ran her fingers over Tanya's lips. Just like I do with Tommy.... With that thought in mind, Kim leaned forward and kissed Tanya full on the lips. Tanya was a little startled at first, but soon her lips softened. The kiss had barely begun before Kim tore her mouth free and proceeded to kiss her way down Tanya's throat to her heaving bosom which glistened with a light sheen of sweat. Kim used her fingers first--pinching, tugging, and caressing breasts and nipples. She toyed with them the way she toyed with Tommy tiny nibs, and she stroked them the way she wanted her own stroked.

"Oh, please, Kim; suck on them!" Tanya cried out, so far gone that she was past caring that this was another woman doing these things to her. Her body had reached the point of no return, and all that mattered was appeasing its need for release.

Kat's eyes went wide at Tanya's cry. She had watched intently as Kim's fingers played with Tanya's nipples; absently, she reached for her own soft mounds, her fingers mimicking Kimberly's movements. Unknowingly, she licked her lips as Kim leaned over Tanya's body and closed her mouth over Tanya's hardened buds.

Tanya's cries were deafening as Kim allowed her mouth and tongue to have free rein with her body. The more Tanya moaned and wriggled, the more enthusiastically Kim nibbled and licked. Tanya pressed her head deeper into her bosom, and Tanya's hips bucked against her body beseechingly. Kim's hips eagerly tried to match hers as she slipped a hand down between their bodies. Tanya literally screamed as Kim's fingertip flicked her clit.

"Pleaseohpleaseohpleaseohplease!" Tanya all but sobbed; Kim just had to make her come! As Kim kissed her way down Tanya's stomach, Tanya's body arched, her head falling back. She dimly noticed that Kat was watching in fascination, one hand at her breast and the other between her legs. Tanya reached up over her head and her hand found its way between Kat's creamy thighs. Her fingers joined Kat's in stroking her quivering folds.

Kim paused, her face hovering close to Tanya's mound. She inhaled deeply of the heady aroma. Tanya's lips were swollen and glistened with her juices. Inquisitively, Kim ran a finger along Tanya's slit and slipped her digit into her mouth. She found Tanya's come a mixture of sweet and tart. It wasn't bad, though, and she lowered her mouth for another taste.

~*~

All four men were in a state of shock and extreme arousal--almost too excited to stroke their aching cocks. These were their friends and teammates; fantasizing about the girls doing each other was one thing, but none of the guys seriously believed that they would actually engage in something like this.

"Oh, my God!" Adam said slowly, so engrossed in the performance that he nearly forgot to breathe. He couldn't believe what he was seeing; this couldn't be happening. Tanya was always so level-headed and respectable; Adam had never see her doing anything so outrageous, and Kimberly... cute, spunky Kimberly.... He knew she was often playful, and sometimes he could see some of the passion just below the surface, but it was always very controlled. Then there was Kat--sweet, innocent-seeming Kat--playing with herself for all of them to see....

"Oh, man, I can't believe what I'm seeing," Tommy gulped, echoing Adam's thoughts as he watched Kimberly's face. He was glad the girls were splayed out parallel to the shoreline instead of perpendicular to it. They could see all the action from a side view and even catch some of their expressions. Kim's expression was reminiscent of the one she wore the night she had done Billy. It was a hungry, lustful look--a mischievous, self-satisfied look that sent shivers running down his spine. It was a look he was helpless to resist.

"If Kim goes down on Tanya, I'm going to lose it," Rocky groaned. Almost as if on cue, Kim's mouth descended upon Tanya's mound. The four men groaned in unison with Tanya's squeal of delight.

With exquisite slowness that had Tanya humping her face hard, Kim circled her tongue around and up and down, probing every inch of Tanya's sex. Tanya was almost delirious with delight, and Kim was trying to prolong the sweet torture for as long as possible.

"Oh, God, it feels so incredible!" Tanya sobbed, her body writhing about frenetically.

Kim raised her eyes so that she could watch Tanya and noticed that Tanya was trying to play with herself and Kat at the same time.

"Kat, help her out; try caressing her breasts," Kim suggested, pausing to push the hair out of her eyes. Kat seemed to be frozen in place; her eyes were wide with a mixture of fear and desire. Kim understood. "It's all right, Kat; you don't have to, but I think Tanya would really like it. When you masturbate, don't you play with your breasts at the same time?"

Kat nodded slowly. She looked warily from Kim to Tanya. Part of her wanted to back away, but an even larger part was wanting to join in--wanting to know what it felt like....

"I don't...." she began hesitantly.

"Please?" Tanya whimpered, desperate for someone to touch her. She was so close to the edge....

"W-what do I do?"

"I guess just touch Tanya the way you'd like to be touched," Kim offered. She reached over, caught Kat's hands, and guided them to Tanya's heaving bosom. Kat had barely touched her when Tanya sighed deeply. Kim saw the way Kat's eyes lit up. "See? It's not so hard."

Kat grinned shyly as she moved her hands in gentle circles around the chocolate colored flesh. It felt strange and yet at the same time very familiar, and Tanya's every pleasurable moan gave her greater confidence. Then, to her amazement, she felt fingers at her own breasts; she glanced down to find Tanya reaching up for her.

"It feels pretty good, huh?" Tanya said breathily.

Kat's eyes fluttered shut. "Yes," she murmured in a long, slow exhalation.

"Just wait 'til you try the rest of it," Tanya assured her.

"The rest...?" Her eyes snapped open, and she found herself gazing intently at Kimberly. "You mean, you'd do this for me, too?"

"If that's what you want," Kim agreed.

"Then it'll be Kim's turn!" Tanya added, then, a deep moan spilled forth as warm softness of Kim's mouth returned to pleasuring her. "If I don't come soon, I think I'm gonna die!"

Kim never heard Tanya's words, but she could tell Tanya was close. Her body trembled; her muscles coiled, and Kim had a difficult time holding onto Tanya's bucking body. She was afraid she would bruise Tanya's bottom if she held her any tighter. Kim decided to try something that she knew helped her along with her own orgasms. She always came faster and easier when Tommy slipped a finger inside of her; it gave her muscles something to bear down on. She inserted her middle finger into Tanya's hot, wet canal. The muscles gripped Kim's finger almost frantically. Kim wanted to move her finger, but Tanya was holding on to it for dear life; she couldn't budge it. Not that it mattered. It seemed to be all the further stimulation Tanya needed to send her screaming into her climax.

Kim continued lapping at Tanya's font until her body fell back limply onto the grass. Tanya lay there gasping for air, too weak to move, her body spasming with the pleasurable afterglow of her orgasm.

Kim sat back, brushed the hair from her eyes and wiped the moisture from her chin. She was slightly lightheaded from the experience and felt a sense of pride at having given Tanya such a powerful orgasm. Tanya's eyes flickered open, and Kim grinned down at her.

"Thank you," Tanya panted.

Kim leaned over her and caressed her cheek. "My pleasure."

"Kim, please!" Kat begged, anxious to experience the same pleasure.

"A promise is a promise," Kim replied. "Shall we start with the backrub?"

"Actually, I wouldn't mind skipping that part," Kat murmured with a blush. Tanya and Kim traded amused looks.

"That was a treat in itself," Tanya laughed as she rolled out of the way.

Kat replied with a needy whimper.

"Tanya, don't tease," Kim scolded gently as she lay down. She really didn't know what she was doing, only following Tommy's example, but somehow, it seem to come easily. She lay on her back and reached for Kat's hips, pulling her forward until Kat straddled her face. It always seemed a comfortable position for Tommy. Every muscle in Kat's body was taut with anticipation--so much so that she was trembling. Kim slowly ran her tongue across Kat's swollen bud. Kat opened her mouth to cry out, but no sound came out as Kim's soft, warm tongue massaged her throbbing sex.

Where Tanya was somewhat tart, Kat was sweeter; Kim found it a curious and pleasant contrast. As her mouth pleasured Kat, Kim fervently wished that someone would touch her. Her body ached with the need to be touched; however, Tanya was still recovering from her own orgasm, and Kat was caught up in her growing ecstasy. It appeared that if she wanted to be touched, she'd have to do it herself. Leaving one hand to brace Kat's hips, she reached down to skim her hands down her abdomen. Her body responded to her own touch eagerly--too eagerly. If she wanted the girls to return the favor, Kim knew that she had better not let her hand venture too far south. Oh, but she was so ready...!

Tanya watched with interest as Kat rode Kimberly's face; the Pink Ranger's entire body seemed suffused with a blush. Kat was clearly enjoying Kimberly's tongue. Tanya couldn't help but think, now, all of us have sampled Kimberly's tongue. Yet, Kat didn't seem quite at ease. Perhaps it was her kneeling position that was awkward. It was as if she didn't know whether to support herself or touch herself. Tanya roused herself from her post-orgasm lassitude. She wanted to help Kat, but even more, she wanted to trade places with Kimberly. Kim's actions had whetted her curiosity.

"May I try?" Tanya asked as she lay down next to Kimberly.

"Sure," Kim said and slipped out from between Kat's legs. Kat whimpered in disappointment as the wonderful tongue bath ceased; however, Tanya's less expert tongue swiftly took up the steady rhythm, which had Kat gasping with pleasure anew.

Meanwhile, Kim studied Kat as she trembled on the brink. She noticed Kat's difficulty even as Tanya had. Kim knelt up and wrapped her arms around Kat. She pulled her close and lightly kissed her. Kat greedily met her mouth, and to Kim's surprise, their tongues engaged in a heated dance. Kim's fingers found their way into Kat's baby-fine hair--so much softer than Tommy's. She all but purred as her fingers slid through the silken river of pale gold. As she toyed with Katherine's hair, her mouth started making its way down her throat. Her hands glided down the length of Kat's back. The Pink Ranger's hands moved across her body as well and found the back of Kim's head; Kim felt herself guided to Kat's bosom.

Kat gasped breathlessly as Kim's lips and tongue worked their magic on her achingly hard nipples. Between the two, she was all but sobbing at how incredible their passionate touches felt. Kim continued to exquisitely tease Kat's highly sensitive buds while her hands explored other parts of Kat's body. Kat emitted a resonant moan as Kim's hands wandered down to her backside and glossed over her smooth globes.

"Kim... Tanya... I think I'm... oh... YES!" Kat gasped.

Kim felt the telltale tightening of Kat's muscles; she wanted to say something, but her mouth was full of Kat's breasts. When Katherine climaxed, she pressed Kim tighter to her bosom and screamed behind clenched teeth. Kim pulled away only to draw Kat's mouth to hers, french kissing her even as Tanya french kissed her from below. Suddenly, Kat went limp in Kim's arms, sliding off Tanya's face. She was laughing and crying at once. Kim eased Kat to the ground and tenderly stroked her hair as the last waves of her orgasm rippled through her. The three girls lay panting on the grass, touching and cuddling in the afterglow.

~*~

Their four counterparts were also splayed out on the grass, breathing heavily as they recuperated from their own orgasms. Rocky came as soon as Kim went down on Tanya, and Tommy, who lasted the longest, came about the time Kat collapsed in Kimberly's arms.

"Oh, wow," Adam groaned.

"Awesome," Tommy echoed.

"Incredible," Billy sighed.

"But they can't be done," Rocky protested hopefully, "Kim hasn't come yet!"

Kat was the first to recover; she glanced over at Tanya, who looked as exhausted and satisfied as she felt, then to Kim; she could practically feel Kim's arousal radiating from her. She was as drawn to it now as she had initially been hesitant to join in.

"So?" Kat began, catching Tanya's eye. She nodding meaningfully at Kim, trailing a finger down Kim's leg. Kim wriggled under her light touch.

Tanya wasn't sure which surprised her more: Kim's frantic movements or Kat's caress. Kim emitted a pleading whimper. "Fair is fair," Tanya agreed after a moment's contemplation. "She did make both of us feel pretty great."

"Please.... " Kim rasped, her voice raw with her need.

"Hush," Tanya scolded her playfully. Even as she turned her attention back to Kat, she absently drew a finger across Kim's quivering body. She returned Kat's teasing grin. "So, where do you want to start?"

"Oh, I don't know," Kat drawled lazily. Her fingers scarcely brushed Kim's curls, and Kim bucked her hips into her hand. Tanya's hands were moving across Kim's breasts just enough to tease.

"You guys...." Kim begged.

"It is my turn to go down on someone," Kat continued, ignoring Kim's entreaty.

"But she's so hot! It wouldn't take hardly anything to get her off," Tanya observed.

Under their fleeting caresses, Kim was writhing frantically, and a low growl rumbled up her throat.

"We don't want her coming too soon, do we?"

"We have to give at least as good as we got."

"Would you just shut up and eat me already!" Kim practically screamed, and her two companions burst out laughing.

"Tommy was right; she does get pretty revved," Tanya observed.

"Tell you what, you start at that end, and I'll start at this end," Kat suggested. She swung around and started rubbing Kim's foot. Meanwhile Tanya ran her fingers through Kimberly's hair.

Kim purred as Tanya's fingers worked through her caramel colored tresses and softly touched her face. As they slid over her lips, she could not resist the urge to nip at them, so deep was her body's hunger.

"You behave," Tanya chided, slipping Kim a quick kiss.

Kim opened her mouth to reply but a low moan burst forth as Kat's fingers brushed feather-light up the insides of her legs. As her head tilted back, exposing her throat, Tanya took advantage of the offering and drizzled her tongue wetly down to the hollow. Kim's breathy exhalation deepened as Tanya's mouth continued lower.

Meanwhile, Kat's questing fingers probed upwards along the well-toned muscles of Kim's legs; as they followed the line of Kim's thighs, her fingers encountered Kim's wetness. Kim was so ready her juices had trickled down her thighs. Curiosity got the better of Kat, and she leaned forward for an experimental taste.

Kim felt the tickle of Kat's hair on the soft inner sides of her legs and felt the tentative touch of her tongue; however, before she could melt into that sensation, Tanya's mouth descended hotly on her taut buds. Almost instantly, her hand clasped the back of Tanya's head and urged her deeper into the softness of her chest.

"Oh, yes!" she sighed, her senses careening out of control. Kat nudged her legs, and Kim opened them wider, inviting Kat's touch. Her whole body quivered as she felt Kat's breath hot against her sex, and Tanya's mouth was driving her deeper and deeper into the fire raging within. The hand that braced her against the grass reached out for a handful of Kat's silky hair.

"P-please, Kat!" she stammered, frantic tears gathering in her eyes. She needed to come so badly it hurt. She could feel herself on the edge; she could almost see the exquisite fire waiting to consume her. All she needed was a little push....

"YES!" she screamed as Kat's tongue lit upon the throbbing core of her need. With tiny, feline licks, Kat's tongue teased Kim's nether lips. Kim's legs clamped tightly about Kat's head as her climax ripped through her body.

Kim's moans carried loudly across the pond; the four spectators watched as her body arched into her orgasm, and the cries kept coming and coming....

~*~

"Geez, is that one long one or lots of short ones?" Rocky queried, amazed as he watched the petite woman writhe so hard she threw Tanya off and nearly dislodge Kat.

"I can't just sit here any more," Tommy muttered, climbing purposefully to his feet.

"Is something wrong?" Adam queried, hoping Tommy wasn't angry.

"No. It's just that I know Kim," Tommy responded with an impish grin.

"What do you mean?" Billy asked.

"Once is never enough," he said and quietly waded into the water.

"Girl, don't you ever stop?" Tanya gulped, pushing her hair out of her eyes. She had never seen anyone come so hard!

Finally, Kat could no longer hold her breath, and she had to force Kim's legs apart.

Kim was beyond speech as she lay trembling in the wake of her forceful climax. Eyes closed, she drew in deep, gulping breaths as she tried to climb down off her orgasmic high.

Kat and Tanya traded satisfied smirks, which rapidly turned to looks of stunned surprise as Kim trailed a hand down her still-quaking body and with a throaty purr dipped it between her legs.

Kat shrugged, and Tanya was about to venture her own opinion when she noticed movement just past Kat's shoulder. Seeing Tanya's eyes widen further, Kat turned to find Tommy emerging from the pond. He put a silencing finger to his lips. Both women grinned.

"Ready for seconds?" Kat queried in sing-song fashion.

"Uh HUH!" Kim agreed enthusiastically. She had yet to open her eyes, still reveling in the glow that suffused her body. Then, she felt it: the softest brush of hair across her skin. It tickled, teased and excited her anew, slowly stoking the lustful fires smoldering within.

Kat and Tanya backed out of Tommy's way, both curious to see what he would do. He was careful not to touch Kim with anything but his hair, and that had her stirring with slow, sensuous movements and deep, contented sighs that crescendoed into full bodied moans.

"More?" Tanya asked as Tommy prompted her. She did her best to keep her smile out of her voice.

"Oh, yes!"

He started at her toes, taking long licks that had her squirming and squealing with sheer delight. With torturous slowness, he worked his way up her legs, all the time making sure only his tongue touched her feverish skin.

"Ah ah, no touching," Kat scolded as Kim started to reach for Tommy's head, "and no peeking!" She wanted to see how long it would take Kim to realize who was touching her.

"Aw.... " Kim pouted playfully, but she was swiftly swept up into the delightful sensations created by the wet heat of the tongue probing and teasing her charged body. The soft digit seemed to know just where to hit her to send electric bolts of pure ecstasy shuddering through her. A touch here. A taste there. Kim could stand the sweet torture no longer. "Tommy, please... don't tease!" She sat up, and grabbing his hair, pulled him to her and savaged his mouth with a hungry kiss.

"How...?" Kat murmured, trading astonished glances with Tanya.

"Who else knows how to hit all the right spots?" Kim purred as Tommy's mouth left hers to trail down her throat in earnest. A gasp of the utmost delight burst forth as Tommy's tongue danced around the hollow of her throat.

"Maybe we should let them continue in private," Tanya suggested as Tommy continued down Kim's body to suckle at her breasts; however, her eyes were riveted to the scene playing out before her, and she felt her body responding anew.

"I guess," Kat agreed; she felt her own need returning as she licked her suddenly dry lips as their teammates made love, seemingly oblivious to the fact they had an audience. Once again, Kim's cries made her ache with wanting to know what it was she was feeling. Although, in a way, she did now, and she found herself wondering how much different it would feel with Adam.

"Shall we retreat to the far side of the pond?"

"With the guys?" Kat gulped. "I'm not sure I can face them just yet."

"We're going to have to sooner or later," Tanya reminded her. "We knew they were out there when we started this."

True, but somehow, that fact had gotten lost in the swirl of fiery emotions given full rein.

"Is something wrong, Kat?"

"I'm not sure."

"Are you ashamed of what we did?"

"No.... It was different, and it wasn't something I thought I'd enjoy or ever want to do, but...."

"... but you liked it."

"Yeah."

"Don't worry; so did I," Tanya admitted, giving Kat a hug. Just then, Kim gave low moan as Tommy worked his way down her abdomen. "But I'd sure love to try it that way, too!"

"Same here," Kat sighed. They traded grins.

"Come on," Tanya urged. "I can't wait to grill Rocky on his opinion of seeing a couple getting it on!"

~*~

Tommy raised his eyes to catch a glimpse of Kim as she arched off the ground and her hands skimmed over her body as he leisurely glossed his tongue across her quivering flesh. He had never seen her so hot and wet before nor so quick to come again. Already he could feel her climax building; this was a state of arousal he had never seen in her before. It was almost as if she had cast aside every bit of restraint and was just letting her feelings carry her along. For a moment, he thought of trying to back her away, but he was caught up in the tide of sensation as well and was just as helpless to resist. Riding the crest of his own desires, he returned to pleasuring Kim. He had barely introduced his fingers into her when her hips bore down on his hands and she hit her second orgasm with a lusty cry.

He cradled her shuddering body close, trying to soothe her with gentle caresses, but his touch only seemed to restoke her fires. Kim suddenly pushed Tommy onto his back and rolled over on top of him. She hungrily attacked his mouth while running her fingers through his hair.

"Man, you are in some kind of mood," he gasped with appreciation as she let him up for air.

"I can't help it. God, Tommy, I want you so badly right now.... " With feisty licks and hungry nips, Kim started working down the side of his neck. Her hands wandered everywhere, and her body ground against him feverishly as her mouth relentlessly drove him deeper into the exquisite flames of bliss. He moaned--a sound that conveyed perfect contentment and heated desire--and surrendered himself to the woman ravishing his body.

Kim felt Tommy give himself over to her completely, and she all but growled as she nibbled her way down his delightfully smooth, hard chest and stomach to his trim hips. Her slightest touch drew forth a rumble from Tommy's throat, and it was his turn to arch into her caress as her fingers explored his sex with torturous slowness: grazing the sensitive cap, boldly testing the steel-hard shaft and fondling with feathery lightness the fleshy sac--all of which had Tommy writhing euphorically. For a few moments, Kim watched with satisfaction as Tommy responded to her touch, then with a wicked smile (and equally wicked gleam in her eye) she hungrily consumed the length of him.

Tommy groaned with sheer delight as she slowly, rhythmically bathed his shaft then wetly caressed the head over and over again. His hand found Kim's head and held her in place as his hips snapped forward in time with her downward stroke. The intensity of his moans matched that of Kim's hungry growls. She licked and sucked and slurped until he was on the verge of delirium, and when she pulled away, Tommy whimpered for wanting the sensations to never stop. However, she paused only long enough to push her hair out of her face.

"Man, you are really something," Tommy sighed. Kim smiled, and with an expression of perfect bliss, she went down on him once again.

~*~

"Now there is truly a sight to behold," Billy murmured with an awed reverence as he and the others watched Kim, her face lit with an expression of utter satisfaction, slowly bathe Tommy's cock with her lips and tongue. The three men moaned with appreciation for Kim's talented tongue as she circled it around the head of Tommy's cock and spiraled down the shaft.

"Would you look at that," Adam gulped as a goodly portion of Tommy's anatomy disappeared between Kim's luscious lips.

"What I wouldn't give to trade places with Tommy right now," Rocky added.

"I would be willing to wait my turn," Billy countered. "I never truly appreciated Tommy's desire to watch Kim perform fellatio until now."

"Same here," Adam agreed. "Watching her is just too incredible."

"... and here we thought watching two girls do each other would be the most incredible thing you guys had ever seen," Tanya said with a mock pout. The three men whipped around to find Tanya and Kat standing behind them. The women tried to hide their knowing smiles as they took in their companions' flushed faces, guilty expressions, and raging hard-ons.

"If we had known that, we wouldn't have gone to all the trouble of performing for you," Kat continued teasingly.

"Yeah, we'd have just asked Kim to blow Tommy."

"Performing...?" Billy reiterated.

"Yes."

"You mean, you did... that on purpose?" Adam stammered.

"Uh huh."

"You knew we were out here?" Rocky fumbled.

"Of course," Tanya admitted with a laugh. "I saw you duck into the reeds when you first arrived."

"The three of you engaged in a menage a trois for our benefit, " Billy ventured numbly.

"Why?" Rocky gulped.

"Well, we were feeling pretty horny after last night and figured you guys had to in the same state...." Tanya began. "We sort of felt sorry for you guys and wanted to do something to help you get off."

"Really?" Rocky and Adam chorused.

"Did it help?" Kat queried of Adam (in particular) and the others (in general).

"Definitely," Adam answered with a heavy sigh.

"You couldn't prove it by the state of things now," Kat responded, giggling as she observed his hard-on.

"We've been inspired again," Rocky retorted. Just then, a groan from Tommy drew the attention of the five back across the pond.

"Oh, my," Kat gasped. This was the first good look she and Tanya had gotten of Kim going down on Tommy.

"Where is she putting it all?" Tanya wondered as a goodly portion of Tommy slid into Kim's mouth.

"Why don't you girls join us," Rocky offered, making room for Tanya between him and Billy.

"Do you really think we should?" Kat asked as she took a seat next to Adam.

"Considering that both of them know they are not alone, it stands to reason that if they truly wanted privacy, they would remove themselves to another location," Billy remarked.

"You can't make yourself stop watching either," Tanya retorted with a laugh, to which Billy responded with a sheepish grin and shrug.

~*~

"Oh, man, Kim... I'm close!" Tommy gasped as her tongue kept hitting that one particular spot, and the way her fingers brushed his balls.... He was this close to losing it.

"I'm not ready for you to come yet," Kim murmured thickly. She ceased using her mouth and only intermittently stroked him with her hands.

"Oh, don't stop," he begged.

"You can't come yet," she insisted. "I haven't gotten to 'ride' you yet." With a grin, she repositioned herself, throwing her leg over Tommy's hips and straddling him. He moaned deeply as she settled herself down on his hardness. She leaned forward to lightly kiss him. "Maybe this time, I can get you off like this," she whispered against his lips.

As Kim shook her hair out, Tommy shivered in anticipation, savoring the way she moved over him. As much as she enjoyed getting herself off on him in this fashion, she had been wanting to get him off, too. However, she could never hold out long enough; she always seemed to come before he was ever close. Kim ran her fingers across his chest as she started rocking against him.

She rode him hard--a reflection of her wild mood. Tommy held her hips in order to brace her so that her hands could wander where they willed. As close to the brink as he was, Kim was even closer. Her hips snapped back and forth with urgency, and her whimpers and moans overpowered his. She tossed her head back, her hair flailing wildly about her face. Tommy was drunk on the sight and sounds of the woman grinding herself hard against his imprisoned organ. Groans of pleasure mingled with moans of frustration. Tommy reached between their heated, sweat-streaked bodies to help her along. Kim's eyes snapped open as his fingers massaged the small bud that was the center of her pleasure. Then, she suddenly stopped moving.

"Kim?"

"I need... something inside me...." she rasped breathlessly?

"No problem," Tommy said with a smile and started to roll Kim off him, but she pinned him fast. She held his gaze, but Tommy could not make out what it was that danced in her doe-brown orbs. When Kim spoke again, her voice was scarcely above a whisper.

"No, I need you inside me."

Time seemed to stand still as her words sunk in.

"Are you sure?" Tommy asked carefully. They had talked about going all the way, but they had decided to wait, especially with Kim's erratic reactions to their love play. Sure, she was gaining confidence with each encounter, but....

"Please, Tommy?" she entreated.

As much as he wanted to be cautious for her sake, his own body was screaming at him to accept her offer. Still, he shut out the voices.

"Do you think you're ready?"

"Definitely," she answered with a purr that sent electric tingles coursing down his spine.

Tommy reached up to touch her glowing face. "If you're sure...."

"Right now, I've never been more sure about anything," Kim declared, and her mouth descended on Tommy's, her tongue delving deep, engaging his in a heated duel. Her hands moved between their bodies, finding and steadying his taut shaft. She shifted until the tip teased her soft lips as it had on many occasions. This time, however, she didn't pull away. Instead, she slowly eased herself back on the silken steel.

~*~

"I don't believe this," Rocky mumbled, his throat dry.

"I thought they wanted to wait," Kat murmured.

"I don't think Kim can," Billy interjected, and the five continued to watch in breathless fascination.

~*~

Kim's eyes never wavered from Tommy's; they each watched the other's emotions play across their faces as inch by inch Tommy's hardness disappeared into her depths.

Ecstasy: Kim's lips formed a silent 'o' as Tommy's organ touched places inside her she never knew existed, and Tommy moaned as her velvety warmth completely enveloped him in the tightest embrace he had ever known.

Frustration: Tommy knew he wasn't all the way in, but yet he couldn't seem to get any farther. Kim sensed it, too. She pushed her hips back more forcefully as Tommy moved his forward.

Discomfort: Kim's eyes went wide and she tried to stifle a whimper as Tommy continued inexorably forward, forcing her open, breaking through her innocence. She wanted to back away, but she couldn't. Tommy sensed her panic and saw her pain; he had no words to comfort her. He sought to do so with his touch. His hands stroked her body, seeking out the most sensitive places in an effort to soothe and excite and remind her of the pleasure that had brought them to this point.

Jubilation: Finally, Tommy was through. Their bodies met, joined as one. Kim felt Tommy throb within her, and her tears of discomfort turned to tears of joy and amazement. She smiled down at him radiantly.

"We did it," she murmured with awe.

"We sure did. Are you all right?"

"It smarts a little, but it's getting better."

The two sat unmoving for what seemed like an eternity.

"Now what?" Kim whispered.

"I don't know," Tommy whispered back. Suddenly, the two burst out laughing, and Kim fell forward on Tommy's chest to hug him. The maneuver caused Tommy to slip out ever-so slightly, and the two gasped with the sensations that rippled through them. Their laughter ceased as they slowly began to move together.

With a gentleness that he had never displayed before, Tommy moved his hands over Kim's body. It was as if he was afraid that anything he did would disrupt Kim's concentration as she searched for the proper rhythm.

"Please, Tommy; touch me," she murmured.

Obligingly, his hands moved to her breasts, gently squeezing the pliant globes and softly pinching their taut buds. Kim tossed her head back, moaning throatily. Her whole body trembled as wave after wave of unbelievable ecstasy flooded her senses. His thumbs teased her nipples as he continued to brush his hands over the supple swells and down her straining body to cup her rounded behind.

~*~

As the lovers rocked together gently, their friends found themselves breaking free of the compulsion that held them spellbound. They were aware of the subtle shift in the mood. No longer were their teammates locked together in a playful, lusty struggle. What they were seeing now was the embodiment of the emotions that ran deep between the two, and they found that more in need of privacy than the mere hungers of the body.

Kat cuddled closer to Adam, her head resting on his shoulder and her heart full as she watched Tommy's hands roam over Kim's petite frame with a sort of reverence. There was a beauty to their actions that hadn't been there before, and it enflamed the senses even more than their heated passion.

Unknowingly, Kat had reached over and rested her hand on Adam's throbbing erection, gently caressing it. When she realized what she was doing, she drew her hand back guiltily. She almost couldn't meet Adam's eyes as her sudden movement invited his attention. They had only intimately touched each other that one time, and it had been almost too intense for both of them to continue, but now, Kat longed to touch Adam--to taste him and have him do the same to her. She wanted to share with him all that Kim and Tommy had shared. When she finally met his eyes, she saw a reflection of her desires naked in the dark depths.

"Would you like to go for a walk... or something?" Adam stammered, bravely trying to hold her gaze.

"I think I'd like that," she agreed, reaching out to touch his cheek with a trembling hand. Beaming with happiness, Adam helped Kat to her feet, and without a word to the others, they headed down the path. Hand in hand they walked, finding words to be unnecessary. Upon seeing the inviting shade of a copse of trees and the grassy carpet between them, they traded looks. Adam pulled Kat into his arms, and the two sank into the cool greenness, letting their emotions sweep them away.

~*~

Tommy felt it in the way that Kim rested her weight in his hands at the end of every stroke: it was too much. She was doing all the work riding him, and it was catching up with her. Also, she hadn't quite found her rhythm yet; he could feel her frustration mounting.

"Easy does it, Beautiful," he murmured, holding her hips in place on the next downward thrust. She hovered over him, panting. "How about letting me do the work for a while?"

"Okay, but how...?"

"Can you wrap your legs around me?"

"I-I think so."

Kim managed to get her feet under Tommy and dug in with her heels.

"Whoa!" she yelped with a giggle as he rolled, taking her with him. Her legs tightened about his waist; she wasn't ready for him to pull out just yet.

"Not bad," he remarked, smiling down into her glowing face. It took a little doing, but he managed to arch enough so that he could kiss her.

"I... oh!"

Tommy just grinned as he thrust his hips forward, causing that pleasurable squeak.

~*~

Rocky sat back, eyes closed, savoring the image of Kim with the predatory gleam in her eyes as she went down on Tommy from a few moments ago. Damn, but that had been powerful! And he just could not believe he had watched as they went all the way; that had been powerful, too, but in a different way.

His hand was still wrapped around his aching shaft, but it was no longer moving. He just couldn't bring himself to continue now that Kim and Tommy were no longer just pretending. When Rocky opened his eyes, he found that Kim and Tommy were still locked together though they had shifted position. He felt a little uncomfortable--like he was intruding or something. He wondered if any of the others felt the same way. He glanced over at his companions. Adam and Kat had taken off, but Billy and Tanya were still nearby, and it appeared that he wasn't the only one strongly affected by the scene across the pond.

Tanya's chest was heaving with her excited breathing, and Rocky could tell that her heart was pounding as heavily as his own. Her eyes were closed, her lips glistening as her tongue caressed them, and her hand moved down between her legs--but it was a guarded movement as if she didn't want the others to see.

Rocky considered what to do. Granted, Tanya had given him a blowjob, but there wasn't anything behind it. They weren't a couple... just friends--friends who had been mutually horny and in need of relief. Like now. His gaze fell on her breasts; the dark nipples jutted forth as taut and in need of attention as his organ. He had offered to return the favor; she had said maybe.... What would it hurt to offer now? The worst she could do was say no, but could he ask without her thinking him shallow?

"Tanya?" he began diffidently, his mouth suddenly dry. "I was wondering...."

"Yes?"

Rocky tried hard to meet her eyes; he couldn't believe how nervous he was. It was so tempting to slip into jokester mode, but he knew he couldn't do that. Not with Tanya. "Did watching Kim and Tommy get to you the way it got to me?"

She regarded him thoughtfully, and Rocky could tell she was weighing the signs of his arousal before answering. "Yes."

"Well, you know I sort of... owe you one. If you'd like, maybe I could help you out?" Tanya was just looking at him, and Rocky fumbled on. "I know I don't know what I'm doing or anything, but...."

"Actually, Rocky, I think I'd like that."

"You would?" he gulped, surprised beyond belief.

Tanya smiled and nodded. Rocky flashed her a grin that was at once delighted and relived.

"Just one thing," Tanya continued. "Would you mind if we invited Billy, too?"

~*~

"T-Tommy...!" Kim gasped, seconds before her climax exploded through her body. Her legs pulled him deeper into her and her hands grabbed frantically at the ground as she tried to brace herself.

"Oh, man!" Tommy groaned as Kim's muscles clamped down on him with vice-like strength. It was all he needed to send himself hurtling into the fiery abyss.

They clutched either other with desperate strength as they rode out the waves of their orgasms, their cries breaking the stillness of the morning.

As the blazing tide ebbed, the two collapsed, bodies still intertwined. As they cradled each other close, there was no need for words. Their love for each other danced brightly in their eyes.

~*~

Rocky did a double take. "Billy?"

Both he and Tanya looked over to where the former Blue Ranger sat seemingly oblivious to them. It was obvious he was in the same state that they were.

"It wouldn't be right to leave Billy to take care of himself all alone," Tanya said.

Rocky ran a hand through his hair. It was bad enough that Tanya knew that he didn't have a clue what to do, but to have Billy there as well.... However, as he thought about it, Billy probably didn't have any more experience than he did. For a change, the two would be on even footing. "I guess it'd be okay... if that's what you really want."

"Thank you," Tanya said, giving him an appreciative peck on the cheek. Rocky noted a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she dropped her voice. "I was really kind of hoping I'd get the chance to finish what I started with him last night."

Rocky laughed in disbelief. "I think you've been hanging around Kim too long."

~*~

Billy's eyes closed as Kim and Tommy's cries of joy reverberated across the pond. He hadn't intended to keep a vigil over their coupling, but somehow it seemed apropos. This was the culmination of every counseling session he had offered his friends since Kim's return from Florida. It had been a very touching, very moving experience, and he counted himself grateful to have been allowed to share in it--if unintentionally.

I wish you both every happiness; you have truly earned it.

However, while having observed their love making satisfied him on an emotional level, it still left him with a rather pressing problem.

Billy had vaguely been aware of Kat and Adam's departure, and a brief glance told him Tanya and Rocky were about to slip away as well. Once again, he was the odd man out; once again left to his own devices....

"Billy?"

He jumped as he felt Tanya's hand on his shoulders.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"That's all right; I was a little... preoccupied."

"Rocky and I were about to go take care of our... mutual state of arousal," she began, and Billy smiled at her use of his particular phraseology. "We were wondering if you'd care to join us."

"Excuse me?" he gulped in complete astonishment.

"The three of us single persons have to look out for each other, you know," Rocky added glibly.

Billy detected an underlying anxiety in Rocky's words, but it seemed to have more to do with his uncertainty to Tanya's reaction than to the proposed situation. Tanya, however, seemed perfectly at ease with both. It was almost too good to be true that she would desire to share her person with him at all.

Tanya regarded Billy with hopeful expectation as she offered a hand to help him up. He hesitated only a moment longer before accepting. After everything that had taken place last night and throughout the morning, it seemed incongruous to assuage his hyper-stimulated hormones in solitude.

"Shall we go find a little corner of our own?" Tanya queried coyly, leading the way out of the rushes.

The two men followed her at a more diffident pace.

"So, do you think she can handle the two of us?" Rocky queried conspiratorially, nervousness making the jibe irresistible.

"I heard that," Tanya shot back. "I think the more appropriate question is: can the two of you handle me?"

Billy and Rocky traded startled glances.

"Have you ever...?"

"Nope. You?"

"No."

"I think we're in big trouble."

"Are you guys coming or what?" Tanya demanded, and the two had to hurry to catch up with her.

~*~

Kimberly awoke; she hadn't even remembered falling asleep. It was late, almost noon; the sun was high over head. The day's warmth felt delicious as it soaked into her skin. Even more delicious was the feel of Tommy's body pressed up against her. Her pulsed raced at the memories of what they had done. She scarcely believed that they had finally made love together. She shivered as she recalled the look in Tommy's eyes as their bodies melded together for the first time; it had been so wonderful. It had hurt a little at first, but the pleasure far outweighed the pain. She felt so silly for having been so scared before. Tommy had been so gentle; he had made it so easy--so good for her--that she wished she would have given in to her desires sooner.

A smile tugged at her lips. She couldn't believe how aroused she had been--how wild; she had never let herself go like that before. The things she and Tommy had done... of course, they hadn't been nearly as outrageous as they could have been--or as outrageous as she and the girls had been.... The smile faded suddenly, and a cold lump settled in her stomach. Everything hit her all at once. Tanya... Kat... Tommy and the other guys watching....

Oh, God, what have I done!

~*~

For a change, Tommy didn't mind his dreams slipping away. He didn't have to rely on dreams of what it would be like for him and Kim to come together; he had the reality now, and it was better than anything he had ever fantasized about.

His arm was about Kim's waist, pressing her to him. Oh, how he would miss being able to sleep with her like this when they finally returned home. He knew he should probably get up; the day had to be half over. There was no way they'd make the temple today, so he was content to lay there with Kim and savor the feel of her body against his. As he started to drift back off, he became aware of the trembling of Kim's body. Thinking she might be cold, he attempted to warm her by drawing her closer. When the tremors didn't cease, he sought to soothe them with a gentle caress. It only caused her body to quake more violently.

"Kim?" he queried, concerned. She pulled away from him suddenly and attempted to curl in on herself. "Kim, what's wrong?"

He sat up quickly and tried to turn her towards him. She jerked her shoulder away. Undeterred, Tommy picked her up and set her on his lap. She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking.

"Talk to me, Kim." When she refused to respond, Tommy pulled her hands away from her face and forced her to look up at him. Trails of tears stained her cheeks as she stared up at him bleakly.

"Kim...."

"What have I done?" she rasped hoarsely. The body-racking sobs she fought so hard to contain burst free, and Tommy finally understood. She had always feared letting go, of losing control... and she had lost it big time today. He wrapped his arms about her comfortingly, protectively, and simply held her as she cried.

~*~

Rocky's pulse was still racing as he lay splayed out on the ground, staring at the sky and gasping for breath. "Oh...."

"... wow," Billy finished, in much the same state.

Tanya rolled onto her side and regarded her partners with a tired smile. "I think I can honestly say my hormones have had enough for one day."

"Amen," Rocky seconded.

The three lay watching the clouds drift past, trying to put words to their feelings about what had just happened between them.

"This has to be the most amazing experience of my life," Billy murmured.

"Even more amazing than getting your Ranger powers?" Tanya asked.

"More amazing than waking up and finding Kimberly giving you a blowjob?" Rocky added mischievously. Tanya swatted at him, and he made a face.

"Okay, it ranks right up there with those two. In any event, Tanya, thank you for including me."

"You're my friend--both of you are--who better than friends to share with?" However, she paused thoughtfully. "This isn't going to make things difficult between the three of us once we get home, is it?"

"Might as well ask if walking around the jungle naked for nearly two months with each other will make things difficult," Rocky snorted.

"I think we all realize that this is not something that would have happened back home," Billy remarked.

"Probably not," Tanya agreed, "but I'm glad it did."

"So am I," Rocky echoed with all sincerity.

"And I."

The three shared a moment of companionable silence.

"Now that that's settled, what do we do with the rest of the day?" Rocky ventured at last.

"Absolutely nothing, I hope," Tanya said with a yawn. "I'm wiped out."

"We should return to camp," Billy suggested. "We were supposed to head out to the temple today."

"Tommy wouldn't make us do that, would he?" Rocky pouted. "I'd think he'd be less in the mood for a jungle trek than I am!"

"Billy's right, though; we should get back," Tanya said as she forced herself to her feet and stretched out the kinks in her muscles. "We can laze about the campsite just as well as we can the bushes."

"Oh, all right," Rocky grumbled good-naturedly.

The three ambled out of their little hideaway and struck out for the trail leading to the pond. They hadn't gone far when they met up with Adam and Kat.

"Hey, guys!" Tanya called out cheerily.

"Hi...." Kat responded, surprised to find the others there. No one said a word, but she and Adam both blushed. They fidgeted sheepishly under the knowing grins of their teammates.

"Looks like no one goes home a virgin from this trip," Rocky said with a grin, which grew broader as he watched Kat and Adam's eyes widen.

"The three of you? No way," Adam gulped.

"Tanya!" Kat gasped in amazement. "I can't believe you...."

"Well, why not? If you and Adam could, why couldn't I...?"

"Sh!" Billy said sharply, motioning for the others to be quiet.

"What is it?" Rocky asked, the playful banter gone.

"I hear something...." Billy's voice trailed off, and all five strained their ears to catch the faint sound.

"It sounds like crying," Kat noted.

"Oh, no... Kimberly," Billy moaned.

"Why would Kim be crying?" Adam wondered.

"Omigosh, I forgot...." Tanya began. "What she told us last night: 'I don't care at the time, but....'"

" '... when I come down off that high and I realize what I've done....'" Rocky finished.

The same thought flitted through all their minds: and she did plenty.

"What should we do?" Kat asked.

"Kim needs to know that she did nothing wrong, that she has nothing to be ashamed of," Billy said. The others agreed, and the quintet headed back towards the pond.

~*~

"Kim, it's going to be all right," Tommy murmured soothingly as her tears continued.

"How? I had a threesome with Tanya and Kat; that wasn't supposed to happen! It was just supposed to be pretend--just backrubs--but I... I couldn't hold back and look what happened... what I did to Tanya and Kat! It was all my fault...." Kim sobbed.

"How was it your fault? From where I sat, it didn't look like anyone did anything that she didn't want to."

"I made the first advances...!"

"And none of those advances were refused, were they? You didn't force Tanya and Kat to do anything, Kim. Maybe you led the way, but they followed willingly."

"And what about what we did? That was supposed to be personal and private between the two of us! I begged you to eat me out in front of everybody! I gave you a blowjob! We even...."

"Kim, we didn't do anything that I wasn't willing to do, and even if you weren't aware we had an audience; I was. Maybe I should have tried harder to stop you, but I wanted what you offered, and I don't think stopping you would have been the right thing to do."

"Why not!"

"This sexual explosion of yours has been building for some time; it was bound to happen sooner or later. You've been so afraid of what you were feeling, and you tried to master your fear by controlling your responses--bottling them up inside. You just couldn't hold them in any longer. You were like a can of soda that's been shaken up. Last night, Amadan's spell really shook up your hormones and everything; all those feelings were churning around inside you, trying to get out, but you wouldn't let them. Then, this morning, when you cracked the top of the can just a tiny bit, all the fizz came spraying out," Tommy explained.

"Maybe... but what if it happens again?"

"It won't."

"How do you know?"

"You have no reason to be afraid any longer," he said simply. "You have no reason to hold back."

Kim sat for a long while, trying to digest his words. Tommy continued to hold and rock her, listening as her cries abated and the sniffling began.

"W-what about the others?" Kim stammered. "What will they think? That I'm some kind of... of...."

"They aren't going to think any less of you just because your hormones got the better of you this one time," Tommy answered. "That's all this was: a one time thing. Under normal circumstances, none of this would have ever happened, but you have to admit, none of what has happened to us has been exactly normal. Had we been home, I doubt you, Kat and Tanya would have gotten together as you did. I know us guys would not have gotten together for a group masturbation session. It was just something that happened here. Besides, it's not like they didn't know it could happen; you told them as much last night."

"But even I didn't know how out of control I could get!"

"Kim, if you don't believe me, why don't you just ask them," Tommy sighed.

"I-I couldn't! I can't face them; I'd be too ashamed...."

"Kim, you have nothing to be ashamed of."

Kim's face went white as Billy spoke. She cowered back into Tommy's body as Billy drew closer. Still, somehow he managed to ease her from the shelter of Tommy's embrace and into his own. She felt his fingers at her chin, tipping it up, making her look at him. Billy smiled warmly at her--the same comforting smile he had given her whenever she had turned to him for solace.

"You weren't the only one who lost control here. We all did," he said gently. "We all did things that we would not have done under any other circumstances. Perhaps we weren't directly under Amadan's control today, but his influence was responsible for what happened here."

"We were all aroused by what happened last night, and it carried over to this morning," Tanya added, and Kim felt herself flowing from Billy's arms into hers. "When you were touching me, I could have said no, but I didn't. It felt too good, and it's likely that if you hadn't offered more than just the backrub, I may have asked."

"I wanted it, too," Kat interjected, joining the embrace. "You gave me a joy I had never known before. It's never wrong to make a friend happy."

"You had the courage to let go of your feelings, and you gave me the courage to let go of mine," Adam spoke up as his arms comfortingly enfolded Kim's still-trembling body.

"You showed us something that none of us will probably ever see again and will never forget," Rocky remarked as he also gave Kim a hug.

Kim looked to her friends as they hovered around her, her eyes brimming with fresh tears, and she felt the tight, cold knot of fear inside her relax. Their words of support--their comforting touches--gave her the strength she needed to realize that she really didn't have anything to be ashamed of.

"True, you demonstrated lust at its most primitive, but you also showed us love at its most profound," Billy continued, "and the things we all shared today have made the bonds between us stronger than they ever were."

Kim was smiling through her tears as Tommy gathered her into his arms once again. "You guys are the best," she murmured, wiping her eyes. "Thank you."

Her friends gathered around her in a heartfelt embrace.

~*~

"This is intolerable!"

Amadan struck out at the scene in the viewing globe of the seven sharing a hug; his blow shattered the fragile glass, the pieces disintegrating into fine, diamond-like powder. Kimberly should have been crippled by her loss of control; instead, her friends rallied around her to buoy her up. This time, the body healed the soul.

"What does it take to destroy these children!" Amadan fumed, pacing the antechamber furiously. Kimberly was still the key; of that he was certain. Perhaps instead of merely crushing the heart and soul of the group, he should rip it out completely. A cold gleam of fierce determination flared in his eyes. "I will stop you, Rangers; make no mistake about that. But this time.... What is that saying you humans are so fond of? 'If you want something done, you have to do it yourself.'"

Chapter Twenty: Stolen Key

"Hey, Beautiful, how you doing?" Tommy queried as Kim leaned back against his chest; he wrapped his arms around her. The seven had broken camp earlier, deciding to do a little hiking while they searched for lunch, and they had stumbled across a hot spring. They didn't even need to put it to a vote; the prospect of a warm bath won out over making it a few miles closer to the temple.

"Hey! No fair!" Rocky yelped.

Tommy and Kim lounged together off to one side idly watching the others play. Rocky had instigated a water fight, and the other combatants had decided to join forces against him. It never even occurred to the seven to split into their usual groups to enjoy the warm pool; such modesty seemed kind of silly after everything that had taken place.

"I feel a little foolish for getting so hysterical, but otherwise I'm okay," Kim answered.

Tommy hugged her tighter. "Don't give it another thought."

"I can't help it." She leaned into Tommy's embrace, his proximity and gentle caresses soothing her and quelling her doubts. She hadn't realized it, but she was purring softly.

"Feel like slipping away from the others for a while?" Tommy murmured in her ear.

"Mm.... " The thought was tempting... just the two of them, making love slow and tender.... However, her response turned into a yawn.

"Tired?" He didn't doubt it. He was still pretty wiped from the morning's activities in spite of the nap they had taken.

"Uh huh. The water feels so good... I could fall asleep right now even with all the noise."

With a surprised yelp, Tanya suddenly disappeared under the water. Moments later, Rocky resurfaced, grinning evilly.

"You gotta admit, it does look like fun."?

"Yeah, it's been a while since we've just goofed around," Kim agreed.

"You up to joining them?"

"Sure, why not? At least for a little while."

The two dipped under the clear water and swam towards their companions. As they neared the tangle of limbs, Tommy gestured towards Rocky's legs, and Kim nodded in enthusiastic agreement. Positioned on either side of him, they tugged on his legs--hard.

Above the surface, Rocky disappeared with a sudden yelp.

"What the...?" Adam began just as Kim and Tommy popped up.

"Sneaky," Kat said with approval.

"Serves him right," Tanya added.

"Retaliation!" Rocky cried out as he burst out of the water and forced Kim under once again.

"I think he's declared war on you two," Billy remarked.

"DeSantos...!" Kim rumbled ominously, to the others' amusement, as she came up again, coughing on the water she had swallowed. She hadn't had time to catch a decent breath.

"Uh oh," Rocky gulped as he swam around until he had Tanya between him and Kim like a shield.

"You're on your own," Tanya said as she ducked out of the way.

"Don't wear yourself out too much, Beautiful," Tommy chided Kim.

"He comes near me, he's toast," Kim warned with a dire look for Rocky.

"What's the plan for tomorrow?" Billy queried, thinking that it would be a good idea to discuss the final stretch of their journey while everyone was together.?

"If we leave at first light, my guess is that we should be able to make the temple before midday," Tommy began.

~*~

Kim was trying to pay attention to Tommy's words, but she suddenly felt something brush against her legs. At first, she thought it was Rocky, but he was standing over by Tanya. Tommy was the only one close to her, but his hands weren't wandering. She peered around the water, trying to see what it was. It had been a light touch... perhaps just a fish swimming by or a bit of seaweed. Putting it out of her mind, she tuned into the conversation once again. However....

"Ow!" Kim yelped as she gave a startled jump.

"Rocky...." Tommy said warningly.

"I didn't do anything!" Rocky protested.

"What happened?" Billy asked.

"I don't know, but it feels like something bit me," Kim answered, once again searching for movement in the water.

"We made sure to check the spring before we got in," Adam interjected.

"Let's take a look at the bite," Billy advised.

However, before anyone could move, Kim violently disappeared into the water.

"Kim!" Tommy gasped. Rocky and Kat reacted first, diving under to go to her aid. Tommy quickly followed. Around the others, the water churned from the aquatic struggle.

"What in the world...?" Tanya began. Just then, a shape broke through the water--a sinuous coil of glistening obsidian.

"One of those snakes!" Adam gulped.

"Come on!" Billy urged, but before the trio could join the underwater battle, Kim resurfaced.

"Grab her!" Tanya yelled; however, Kim vanished again as quickly as she appeared.

Kat and Rocky came up for air next.

"It's got her by the legs," Kat choked out.

"It's like a tug of war," Rocky added. Then, the two dove back in. Adam and Billy quickly joined them. As Tanya drew in her breath to join the fight, Tommy split the surface. However, before he could rejoin the fray, a flailing coil clipped him in the head. He would have sunk under if Tanya hadn't caught him.

"Easy does it," Tanya said as she pulled him away from the battle.

"Let me go; Kim needs me," Tommy protested, blooding trickling down from the gash on his forehead.

"You're hurt; the others will get Kim," she assured him.

The two looked anxiously to the frothing water; slowly, the roiling waves began to calm and still. Then, two heads broke the surface: Adam and Billy.

"What happened? Where's Kim?" Tommy demanded.

"We almost had her, but it was too strong," Billy replied, gulping for breath.

"It started swimming away," Adam added. "Rocky and Kat swam after it...."

"No...." Tommy surged forward, and it took the three of them to restrain him.

"Tommy, Kat and Rocky are the strongest swimmers on the team," Billy reminded him. "If anyone can reach Kim, they can."

"We'd better find the first aid stuff," Adam whispered to Tanya.

"That gash of Tommy's may need stitches," Tanya agreed.

"I was thinking more for Kim. She was struggling so much.... There was this red cloud all around her...." No further explanation was needed.

After what seemed like an eternity, Rocky and Kat returned--without Kim.

"What happened?" Billy asked, tightening his grip on Tommy's arm unconsciously.

"We had her for a moment...." Rocky began, unable to look at Tommy.

"... but we couldn't hold on," Kat said.

"It pulled Kim into one of those holes," Rocky continued. "We tried to follow, but neither one of us could get into it--it was too narrow."

"We're sorry, Tommy," Kat added, putting a hand on his forearm.

Tommy said nothing, fear clutching his heart in an ice-cold, steel-hard grip.

"You did the best you could," Billy said to the disappointed pair. "We'll find her somehow."

"Billy, " Kat ventured softly, not wanting Tommy to hear. "You saw how much she was bleeding, and she didn't catch a decent breath before she was dragged under that last time. If those tunnels are full of water...."

"She's all right," Tommy said at last. He said it with such conviction that the others turned to look at him in amazement. "She--she has to be." The armor was starting to crack. No one said anything; they all wanted to believe in spite of all the evidence to the contrary.

"Power Rangers--even former ones--are hard to kill," Rocky mumbled helplessly.

"Do you guys think you could find the tunnel again?" Tommy queried.

"I believe so," Kat answered.

"In what direction did it run? Did it go into the ground like the one Rocky fell in?"

Tommy was grasping at straws, and they all knew it.

"No, it went into a rock wall at the far end of the pool."

"The east end," Tommy murmured, his gaze following Kat's gesture. "Come on. If we can find the tunnel, maybe it'll break the surface somewhere...."

"It's worth a shot," Adam interjected.

The others agreed. It was better than standing around doing nothing.

"Let's patch up that forehead of yours first," Billy recommended, and the six made their way to the shore.

The others scurried about to replenish their supplies while Billy took care of Tommy's wound. Once cleaned, it wasn't as bad as it appeared.

"She has to be all right," Tommy muttered, continuing his mantra of denial.

"Tommy, she was hurt pretty badly," Billy responded, trying to find a way to ease Tommy into the possibility that Kim was beyond their help.

"I know," Tommy said softly, his eyes seeming to clear. The pain and desperation therein shook Billy. "I saw the blood--and heard what the others were saying. I know it doesn't look good, but I can't let myself think about that. I have to hold on to the hope that she's okay... that we'll get her back, otherwise.... I'm scared for her, Billy. I can't lose her now, not again, not after everything we've been through."

Although Tommy's anguish unnerved him, Billy was relieved to know that on some level Tommy understood the bleak reality of the situation. "I know. We're all scared for her."

"We'll find her," Tommy claimed determinedly. Once Billy finished securing the crude bandage, Tommy climbed to his feet. "Let's go find those tunnels."

~*~

Kim, where are you? Are you all right? You have to be, because if you aren't, I don't know what I'll....

Tommy tried to shake off his somber thoughts as he sat staring into the crackling flames of the campfire. They had found the east end of the pool--located the hole Kim was pulled into, but try as they might, they could find no trace of the tunnel topside. They searched until there was no daylight left.

He sat by himself, the other's respecting his unspoken need for solitude, as he struggled to get his turbulent emotions under control: anger that she had been torn from him yet again, guilt because he had been unable to save her, and fear over her unknown fate. The three feelings held him tight in their grasps, each one taking its turn overwhelming the others. The most frustrating thing for Tommy was the uncertainty; he hated not knowing as much as he hated being helpless to do anything for her.

You're everything to me, Kim, and I want so much to protect you and keep you safe, but I always seem to fall short!

He remembered one of the earliest times against the Samurai Fan Man; he'd been injured and she wound up in his bottle. All the times as the Green Ranger when his powers just hadn't been enough... even as the White Ranger.... The sickening feeling he had felt in his gut when he realized Kim was lost somewhere in time surged forth anew. He recalled wanting to plunge through that time hole with every fiber of his being. He wanted to go after her so badly; he hadn't wanted to leave that portal--it had been his only connection to her, but he couldn't have stayed. He had had to be calm... be the leader and think of the team and the greater good when all he wanted to be was a concerned boyfriend.

"Tommy?"

He nearly jumped as Kat put her hand on his shoulder.

"You won't do Kim any good sitting here brooding like this," she continued. "You really should eat something. Tomorrow is likely to be a long day." She handed him what was left of the meat and several pieces of fruit.

"Thanks, Kat," Tommy said tiredly.

"She'll be all right," Kat murmured, patting his shoulder, then she left him to his dinner.

Tommy bit into his food mechanically, not even tasting it. Tomorrow.... Tomorrow they were supposed to complete their journey; they were supposed to go to the temple. He'd rather stay here and look for Kim--to hell with reclaiming the Zeo Crystal! Amadan could keep the thing. All that mattered to him now was getting Kim back safe and sound. He had to keep hoping, but the others....

They had to have the crystal in order to get back home. They had to get their powers back; Mondo was still out there. Zordon was counting on them....

"Damn!" he muttered. He wished he wasn't team leader, wished the decision--the crystal or the woman he loved--wasn't his to make.

How did you do it, Kim? Tommy wondered. How had she managed to lock her feelings away when she had taken the team on her shoulders during his injury? From out of nowhere, Billy's words from that day at the mud hole came back to him.

"... she's been helping you shoulder the burden of leading the team...."

And his own response echoed back mockingly, "Yeah, Kat and Tanya have been really turning to her a lot."

He couldn't believe how full of himself he had been; it was a wonder Billy hadn't slugged him. His words had masked just how much he had been relying on Kim, too. Her bravery--courage, compassion, her strength of will--they had always been there for him even when he didn't realize that he needed them.

Other memories from that afternoon drifted back to him, and a tiny smile stole across his face. He recalled shamelessly gaping at Kim's cute behind and watching her wriggle as he and Billy tickled her--those had been powerful images. Then there was the mud fight. How could she look so fierce and so ridiculous at the same time as she stood there covered in the slimy gook? Tommy didn't realize it, but he was chuckling out loud.

"What's so funny?" Billy queried, Tommy's laughter catching them all by surprise.

"I was just thinking about the mud fight," Tommy admitted, his tone wistful. "I was trying to imagine what Kim's face must have looked like when the dino-elephant sneezed on us. Her back was to me, but I could tell by her rigid muscles and her clenched fists that she must have been livid--shocked and completely disgusted--to find herself covered in snot."

"It was priceless," Billy confirmed, amusement touching his voice as well. "I wish I could have had a camera. You looked almost as revolted as she did."

"Not exactly one of Kim's finer moments," Rocky interjected with a snicker.

"You should have seen her the time Zedd decided he wanted to make her his queen," Billy replied, catching everyone's interest.

"When was that?" Tommy asked.

"It happened while you were staying up at your uncle's cabin after you lost the Green Ranger powers for the final time...."

To the merriment of the others, Billy related the tale in full. When he was finished, Rocky had found a Kimberly anecdote he wanted to share, and soon they were all recounting their favorite stories about their missing comrade.

" ... she's been helping shoulder the burden of leading the team...."

Even though you're not here, you're still helping, Tommy mused; his heart felt lighter for sharing the tales.

"What about when we first arrived on this tropical ball of mud?" Rocky jabbered excitedly. "When she stood up and practically dared us to come out of hiding...."

Rocky's words made Tommy realize that he had been leaning on Kim's tiny shoulders right from the start. She had had to coax him out of the shadows just like everyone else, but then, Kim had gotten good at drawing him out of the darkness and leading him into the light--a light now dimmed without her cheery smile.

It always amazed me; you never led with cold, rational thought like Jason or me. You led with your heart, and it never steered you wrong. Tommy wasn't comfortable just relying on his feelings and intuition; although, the one time he ignored his mind and followed his heart, it led him to Kimberly.

Is that what I need to do here? Follow my heart? My heart tells me to try and find you. I wish I trusted my instincts as much as I trust yours. Yours haven't been wrong yet--from the beginning when you told us to go east....

In his mind, he heard Kim repeating Amadan's words: "If you are able to stand before Xia's Rising, all that was stripped from you will be restored." Those words that had guided Kim now refused to budge from Tommy's thoughts. Suddenly, he knew what they had to do. ?"We have to go to the temple," he announced. The others looked at him incredulously.

"What about Kim?" Adam sputtered.

"Remember what Amadan said: 'all that was stripped from you will be restored....'" Tommy explained excitedly.

"And Kim was definitely stripped from us," Rocky agreed.

"Amadan may not be responsible for her disappearance," Tanya pointed out.

"Yeah, right," Rocky snorted.

"Even if he wasn't the cause, surely he'd be able to help us find Kim a lot easier," Kat interjected.

"I have the impression that Amadan's resources are akin to Zordon's," Billy added, "and it makes sense to go to the temple. Kimberly knows how close we are; she would want us to reclaim the crystal--that was the goal of this whole adventure--and we stand a better chance of rescuing her with your powers than without."

"We head out at first light," Tommy concluded. As the others settled themselves around the fire to catch what sleep they could, he remained awake, watching the flickering flames dance in the darkness. However, his heart was not as heavy as it had been; a glimmer of hope pulsed faintly in the darkness inside him.

Even when you're not here, you still manage to give us what we needed to carry on, he mused, smiling softly as he captured the image of Kim in his mind's eye. Hang in there, Kim; we'll get you back... and wherever you are, thank you.

~*~

A darkness so total no light could pass through....

An icy cold that wrapped itself smotheringly around her body like a thing alive, enveloping her, penetrating her....

Sound... a driving, basso rhythm--the beat of her heart, the rasp of her breathing--both crescendoed maddeningly as her fear grew....

So close... she could feel the walls pressing in on her... so tight... no room to move, to breathe....

Fear crawling across her skin as cold sweat trickled down from her brow.

Sound--again. A sibilant hiss... she wasn't alone!

More than a sensation but less than a feeling... movement... all around her.

Pain... the cool kiss of a knife slicing through tender skin, the burn of something invading her body....

I have to get out of here... got to get out... gotta get out... GOTTA GET OUT...!

Tommy sat up suddenly, gasping for air. He shivered less from the breeze that cooled the sheen of sweat on his skin than from the lingering terror engendered by his dream--a dream of Kimberly. He had been her, trapped in the darkness, the lethal iridia all around. His heart pounded with the memory of her fear-pain-desperation.

Please don't let that be what happened to her! he prayed. It sickened him to think of her trapped in the darkness, knowing of Kim's fear of enclosed spaces. He scrambled to his feet, unable to just sit there any longer. Kim needed him. He couldn't just sit around thinking about her; he had to find her! However, the sky overhead was still dark. As much as he might like to, he knew he couldn't risk wandering through the jungle in the dark. He couldn't go off half cocked: it's what Amadan wanted. He would just have to wait for morning.

Sighing, he forced himself to sit back down. He'd wait--for Kim's sake.

~*~

When the first rosy pink rays of dawn cleared the branches overhead, Tommy woke his companions. By the time the sky was lit with the full morning's light, the six were already moving out. There were no objections to breakfast on the march. Each felt the same sense of urgency that drove Tommy on. This stretch of jungle was the most dense they had ever encountered. The riot of greenery tried to close them out. Vines seemed to deliberately try to entangle them; branches scratched and tried to hold them back. Rocks and fallen debris tripped them up. Tommy was oblivious to the obstacles as he cut a swath through the vegetation, relentlessly driven by the hope that Kimberly's salvation lay just beyond the clinging foliage.

Several hours later, the six, battered and bruised, tired and dirty, emerged from the press of the jungle to gaze upon the object of their quest.

"Wow!" Rocky breathed in awe as the six gazed upon the edifice that rose up before them. The triangular walls of the enormous pyramid fitted together seamlessly giving the structure the appearance of having been formed from a single piece of obsidian glass.

"Would you say this is as large as the Great Pyramid at Giza?" Billy asked of Tanya as he tried to estimate the dimensions.

"Larger," she said.

"What's that at the top?" Adam wondered, shielding his eyes against the glare of the mid-morning sun. The looming structure was flat-topped, like the pyramids of Mexico; upon the platform rose the columns of a temple.

"Xia's Rising?" Rocky ventured.

"How are we supposed to get up there?" Kat wondered, eyeing the sheer walls bleakly.

"Let's take a look around and see if we can find a doorway or something," Tommy directed.

An hour later, the six had completed their circuit unsuccessfully.

"Now what?" Rocky asked.

"Accessing the temple was not supposed to be easy," Billy reminded them all.

"There has to be a way in," Tommy said impatiently. His frustration continued to grow; he paced about, unable to stand still. He wanted to lash out--to hit something; he settled for slamming his fist into his palm.

"Take it easy, Tommy; we'll figure this out," Adam remarked.

"I think we all need a bit of a break," Kat recommended.

"We have been going nonstop since sunrise," Rocky remarked.

"Who can think straight when she's tired?" Tanya added. "The answer is probably right under our... oh!" She had leaned back against the smooth wall and had unexpectedly wound up on her bottom. To the others, it looked as if she was sitting in the wall of the temple. Billy came forward and ran his hand over the pyramid's surface.

"It's an illusion," he announced. "There are rough stone blocks under here."

"They feel like they form a staircase," Tanya added.

"We can climb up!" Kat exclaimed happily.

"Maybe we won't have to," Tommy said excitedly. "If the stair-like outside is hidden by an illusion, a doorway might also."

They started around the base a second time, carefully feeling for breaks in the stones. However, they completed the search of the western and southern walls without uncovering anything.

"It's beginning to look like we'll have to climb," Adam observed as they all took seats, taking a breather and trying to regroup.

"We still have two sides to go," Kat encouraged him. She looked over to where Tommy had wandered off by himself. Dejectedly, he sank to the ground, his back against the surprisingly cool stone and his head bowed to his knees. "Poor Tommy. This is killing him."

"To get Kim back and lose her again...." Tanya began.

"... possibly permanently...." Rocky added quietly.

That line of thought ceased as Tommy got to his feet and wandered over.

"I'm going to start on the third side," he announced. "I have this feeling.... You guys catch up when you're ready."

"Billy, is there anything else we can try?" Kat queried as Tommy disappeared from view.

"Short of trying 'open sesame' we're doing all we can."

Billy had barely uttered the words when the ground began quaking. The five wobbled and stumbled closer together, taking refuge close to the temple base. They held their breaths, wondering if perhaps they had hit upon the solution. They were very disappointed when no portal opened.

"Ah well, let's go catch up with Tommy," Rocky sighed.

Just then, Tommy gave a shout. The five dashed around the corner to find a crevasse in the ground that hadn't been there before. There was no sign of their leader.

"Tommy?" Billy called out.

"Down here!" came the reply. The five peered over the edge of the gap but could see no sign of him.

"Are you all right?" Adam shouted down.

"You don't have to yell, but yeah, I'm fine," Tommy replied. "It looks like this thing cuts as deep as the canyon we crossed, but the depth is an illusion, too. It's only about ten feet down."

"Hang on, and we'll find something to pull you up," Billy said.

"No, come on down. I'm standing in a shallow stream, and it seems to flow right into the side of the temple."

"Another illusion, perhaps?" Billy mused.

"That's what I'm thinking. I'm going to check it out."

The five exchanged glances.

"We should stick together," Tanya put forth, voicing everyone's concern.

"Right. Here goes nothing," Billy said as he swung his legs over the rim and dropped into the abyss. He was immediately consumed by the blackness.

"Billy?" Kat yelped, startled by his sudden disappearance.

"It's okay; Tommy was right. It's not that far down at all. The water and mud will help cushion your fall," Billy reported.

Kat and Adam looked at each other; holding hands, they leaped. Tanya and Rocky did likewise. Soon, all six found themselves standing in shin-deep water.

Light from the surface filtered down, providing sufficient illumination for them to make their way through the shallow stream. In the strange silence, even their wading through the inky waters made no sound. The absence of noise put them all on edge. Along the walls were carvings--pictures of worlds, cities, warriors of many shapes and sizes, and great battles. Interspersed in these histories were representations of the Zeo Crystal along with empty spaces--dark, gaping holes which taunted the Rangers with their familiarity: snake tunnels.

The five finally caught up with Tommy. He stood awash in a purplish light as he faced a solid obsidian wall. The waters that swirled about his legs, however, flowed right into the barrier.

Tommy glanced back as the others joined him.

"Here goes," he murmured and stepped forward purposefully. He was immediately swallowed up by the darkness.

"Tommy?" Billy ventured.

"I'm in, guys!" Tommy called back.

The others exchanged triumphant smiles then followed him through the portal.

Suddenly they found themselves standing a tiled concourse. The water flowed into a large, rectangular pool; the liquid glistened blackly in the torchlight. Eyes lifted heavenward to see that the open chamber soared to the apex of the pyramid. Sunlight filtered in from openings higher up, but the light seemed to be drawn into a single column of illumination that centered upon a pyramidal dais in the center of the temple.

Without a word, Tommy started forward towards the illuminated structure. The others followed. The silence made them uneasy. There seemed to be no one around, but they could not rid themselves of the feeling that they were being watched. As they drew closer to the dais, they could make out shapes in the darkness--figures that stood statue still, but nothing came out to threaten them. They arrived at the foot of the stairs unmolested.

"Do we go up?" Tanya queried.

"Seems like it," Rocky answered; Tommy had already begun the climb. As they ascended the steps, they could make out more of the details of the chamber. The upper levels were rife with plants and works of art. Balconies lined the walls, and once they attained the landing, they found a network of walkways spanning the open areas connecting the dais with the rest of the temple. There was still no sign of any other bipedal life forms.

"Tommy, look!" Adam gasped.

Their attention centered on yet another raised platform; this one was bathed in the column of sunlight. Atop it stood a pedestal, and atop it rested....

"The Zeo Crystal!" Kat said in an excited whisper.

"We found it!" Tanya echoed.

"All right!" Rocky cheered. However, no one started forward to reclaim the gemstone; instead, all looked to Tommy.

"The crystal can wait a little longer," he said flatly. "Let's find Amadan. I want to know where Kimberly is."

The others nodded in solemn agreement. The question was, where to find the master of the temple.

"We could split up, each group taking one of the walk ways," Billy ventured.

"Uh, guys...." Adam gulped. They looked to where he pointed and saw a figure in a green cloak standing on one of the bridges.

"Greetings, Rangers," the newcomer said in an exotically accented but decidedly feminine voice. The Rangers didn't move as she stepped forward. Standing before Tommy, she removed her hood to reveal a cascade of golden brown curls and luminous emerald eyes. "I am Dulcea, Master Warrior of Phaedos, and a Keeper of the Crystal. Welcome to Xia's Rise. Further introductions are not necessary; I know who you are."

"Can you help us find Amadan?" Tommy queried, matching the woman's business-like tones.

"Follow me."

Dulcea's cloak swirled about her as she turned on her heels and with long-legged strides headed across the walkway. Even Tommy was hard pressed to match her pace. They had little time to admire the beauty of the temple as the Keeper led them through the maze of corridors hidden beyond the open center of the complex. Even had the tour been more leisurely, the six would have been equally distracted by the multitude of questions racing through their minds.

"I sense there is much that you wish to ask of me," Dulcea began unexpectedly.

"How do you know who we are?" Rocky blurted out.

"I have been monitoring your progress even as Amadan has," the master warrior replied. "I must congratulate you. You are the first to successfully reach Xia's Temple. Zordon chose well when he made you his Rangers."

"You know Zordon?" Kat ventured.

"He and I are old... friends." The catch in her voice and her enigmatic smile had the Rangers exchanging inquiring glances. As Dulcea favored them with an amused look, she noted Billy's puzzled frown. "What is it, Billy?"

"Just a feeling... like deja vu.... I know we've never seen you before, but I can't shake the feeling that we've already met."

"Same here," Adam piped up.

"That's weird; me too," Rocky added.

Tommy said nothing, but absently, his hand went to the center of his chest. Tanya and Kat looked at each other and shrugged. They had no idea what the guys were talking about.

"I, too, have experienced the same sensation. Perhaps we have met before... maybe not in this reality, but in another. All things are possible to those who possess The Power."

Dulcea's words gave the men a start as if they had heard their echo somewhere before.

"I don't mean to be rude, Dulcea, but we really need to see Amadan," Tommy interjected. "One of our teammates is missing, and...."

A scowl darkened Dulcea's face. "I am well aware of Kimberly's disappearance."

"Do you know what happened to her?" Tommy asked eagerly.

"I am afraid not."

Tommy's expression fell.

"Dulcea, quit dawdling with those children and bring them to me!" Amadan's voice boomed, seemingly radiating out of every corner of the temple.

"I am not an acolyte to be ordered around; you would do well to remember that!" Dulcea snapped, making it obvious to the Rangers that there was no love lost between the two.

"Forgive me. If you would be so kind as to escort our guests to my antechamber...." came the sarcastic reply.

Dulcea made no answer, but her grip tightened on her staff. The group did not speak again until they stood before a pair of stone doors, gilt in gold, which stood two stories tall. Dulcea paused as she placed a hand on the massive slabs.

"I caution you, Rangers. Though you are the chosen champions of the Crystal, Amadan has believed for millennia that none have been fit to wield the Zeo powers. You may have survived Xia's tests, but Amadan's may not be over."

"We'll be careful," Tommy assured her.

With a nod, Dulcea pushed the doors open and bade the Rangers to enter.

Chapter Twenty-one: Xia's Rising

The Rangers cautiously made their way down the mosaic-laden aisle. The grandeur of the doors had been deceiving; Amadan's private chamber was surprising in its simplicity. Awash in the glow of torchlight, the spartan quarters offered little in the way of comfort. The only piece of furniture in evidence was a massive chair formed of the same obsidian material as the rest of the temple and not unlike Lord Zedd's throne. It caused a chill to run through the six. Offsetting the ominous seat was a familiar crystalline orb: a viewing globe like the one that had been in the old Command Center. The six teammates found themselves standing at the foot of another dais. As they gazed up at the platform, they realized that what they had thought was a mural was actually a window. Two of the three walls of the antechamber opened to the jungle beyond. Standing before the vista, his back turned towards them, was Amadan.

"'Who dares disturb the great and powerful Oz,'" Rocky murmured nervously under his breath; no one else seemed to hear him.

"Greetings, Rangers."

The words... the tone... were so familiar that the teens half expected to be looking upon a kindly visage in a column of blue light instead of a man garbed in silver with a black braid trailing down his back.

Amadan's use of Zordon's inflection and word choice only served to infuriate Tommy. He wanted to race up the stairs and wipe the air of arrogance from the man.

What have you done with Kimberly, you son of a bitch? Tommy seethed, his anger and frustration rising from him like a heat shimmer on asphalt. However, he took several deep, calming breaths even as he felt Billy's steadying hand on his arm. He had to keep it together. They couldn't afford to irritate Amadan--for Kim's sake. To get Kim back, Tommy would be willing to drop to his knees and beg.

"Greetings, Amadan," Tommy responded, praying his words betrayed none of his emotions.

Their nemesis turned at the salutation. Though they had seen Amadan's image once before, the keeper's presence startled the Rangers. Where they had always pictured Zordon as a kindly, wizened father figure--rather like a Buddhist monk--Amadan gave no such impression. Clearly, he was all warrior.

Amadan moved to the edge of the dais; even if he had stood toe to toe with Tommy, he would have towered over him. Blue eyes--ice cold and diamond hard--peered down at them sternly; a sneer curled his lips. It was a pose meant to intimidate; however, it had been a long time since Tommy or any of them had been intimidated by anyone. The Rangers were too tired and heart-sore to feel anything else. They all wanted the ordeal to be over.

"So, you are here. You think you have proven your worthiness to champion the Zeo Crystal, do you?" Amadan said at last. "You expect me to turn over one of the most powerful forces in the universe to a group of mere children?"

Rocky bridled at Amadan's mocking laughter, but Adam and Tanya restrained him.

"No," Tommy said plainly. "We expect nothing from you."

The Rangers were rewarded by the flicker of surprise that briefly flared in Amadan's eyes.

"We're here because we need your help," Tommy continued. It was so difficult to remain calm when all he wanted to do was challenge Amadan warrior to warrior. His muscles ached with the effort it took to stay in one place.

"You need my help?" Amadan's mirth grated on their nerves.

"Yes, one of our teammates has been 'stripped' from us...."

"I am aware of the former Pink Ranger's absence."

"Did you not tell us in the cave that if we were able to stand before Xia's Rising all that was stripped from us would be restored?" Billy interjected.

From her place in the shadows, Dulcea silently cheered as the Rangers threw Amadan's own words back at him.

"We've done what you asked...." Kat began.

"We survived the journey through the jungle...." Tanya added.

"We've passed your tests...." Adam spoke up.

"We've proven our worth...." Rocky asserted.

"Have you, little Ranger?" Amadan demanded harshly. "Seven of you set out from the portal cave but only six stand before me. It would appear that you were not nearly as successful as you think."

"Why should it matter if the former Pink Ranger is here or not?" Dulcea queried, stepping forward. Her tone was dangerously pleasant. "She wasn't a Zeo Ranger. The power was never hers to begin with. As I recall, you claimed that she and Billy were of no consequence to you, so why should her absence be a factor now?"

Amadan conveniently ignored her.

"It is obvious that the former Pink Ranger was unsuitable; she wasn't strong enough...."

"Kim was the strongest of us all!" Tommy raged behind clenched teeth. "Maybe not physically, but inside--her courage, her determination, her heart: the things that are the true meaning of a person. Kim's the reason that we've survived this quest...."

"She carried us through when we faltered...."

"She was strong for us in our moments of weakness...."

"She sacrificed so much...."

"Yes, yes, I know. I was monitoring your progress," Amadan said dismissively. "I know all about her 'sacrifices'--selfless acts like putting aside her own fears to pull Rocky out of the iridia's tunnel or ignoring her own feelings so that Kat and Tommy could be happy. Disgustingly noble. However, she also knew that to achieve a goal, sacrifices had to be made. Didn't she sacrifice your relationship, Tommy, to pursue gymnastic gold?"

"That's not why she broke up with me," Tommy glowered.

"What has that got to do with the Zeo quest anyway?" Adam wondered. They were all under the impression that the only things that mattered to Amadan were what had taken place in the jungle.

"Just making an observation. Do these words mean anything to you, Rangers?"

Amadan gestured, and an image sprang to life in the viewing globe: Billy and Kimberly. The others drew closer. Billy's face wasn't visible, but Kim's was--pale and dirt streaked, eyes tired and red-rimmed with tears, but most of all her, formidable determination shone through.

"... I know how much Tommy means to you...." came Billy's voice.

"That occurred right before Kim went in search of something to help Tommy and returned with the purple leaf," Billy recalled.

"If I thought it would help, Billy, I'd give my life for him," was Kim's reply. The words made Tommy's eyes sting with unshed tears and his heart swell with love and gratitude

"What are you getting at?" Kat demanded, anxiety coloring her tone.

Amadan merely smiled--a cold, unfeeling quirking of the mouth.

"Are you suggesting that Kim's life be exchanged for the Zeo Crystal?" Tanya gasped with sudden insight.

"Never!" Rocky burst out.

"No goal worth achieving comes without a price," Amadan responded placidly.

"Kim may have known the value of sacrifice, but she also knew that some goals aren't worth the achieving at any price," Billy countered.

"What is one life compared with the millions you can save with the power of the Zeo Crystal?"

"You don't get it, do you?" Tommy muttered, incredulous. He stepped closer to the globe, his hand reaching out for the vision of Kim still flickering within. "We don't care about the power of the crystal; we care about our friend."

As Tommy spoke, five balls of multicolored light swept into the chamber, buzzing about the teens and temple elders like bees. Finally, an orb came to hover before each Zeo Ranger. Tentatively, Tommy stretched out his hand. His fingers scarcely brushed the pulsating red sphere when it broke apart, the energy penetrating his body, rushing through him and around him. Then, the coruscating ribbons of light coalesced into a familiar crystalline shape. Around him, the others excepting Billy experienced a similar phenomenon.

"It would appear that the crystal does not share your opinion," Dulcea murmured; however, she felt no exaltation in the Rangers' moment of triumph. The expression on Amadan's face was one of blackest fury.

Tommy stared blankly at the star shaped fragment, then he held it out to Amadan. "Take it."

Fury turned to disbelief as Tommy placed the shard in Amadan's hand.

"If the Zeo Crystal is the price for Kim's life, then I'll pay it--gladly. Just help me find Kimberly. Please."

"What's the point of having the power to save the universe when it won't help you save the life of a friend," Adam said quietly, adding his shard to Tommy's.

"Do you all feel thusly?" Dulcea queried, as astonished as Amadan.

"Yes," Tanya said, offering up her crystal.

"There are other sources of power out there," Rocky added.

"We only want Kimberly back," Kat concluded, her fragment completing the set.

"Others have made your Powers the price for your loved ones' lives before...." Dulcea began.

Only Billy and Tommy knew she referred to Rita using the Dramole monster to kidnap their parents, their Power Coins the ransom for their parents' lives.

"It was a price we paid willingly," Billy answered.

"... and each time your trust was betrayed. How do you know this time will be any different?"

"We don't," Tommy responded bleakly, but there was still hope in his tone.

"However, Amadan is not like Zedd or Rita. He might be obsessed and misguided, but he's not evil."

"How do you know this, Billy?" Dulcea wondered.

"Simple. From what we know of the Zeo Crystal, Amadan would not have been allowed to touch it if he were evil."

"Will you help us?" Tommy asked of the keeper.

Amadan seemed not to hear the Ranger's words, his attention solely on the fragments in his hands. This was a development he had not foreseen. He had been prepared for a confrontation... one that he would not have been ready for, though. He had hoped the Rangers would have taken longer to come to the decision to make for the temple instead of searching for their companion. Unlike Dulcea, he had very little facility for metamorphosing; assuming the shape of an iridia to carry Kimberly off had taxed his powers to the utmost. If the Rangers had wanted to fight, he would have been hard pressed to counter their offensive. In truth, the Rangers had every right to come in and demand the return of their companion; he hadn't expected them to present themselves as supplicants, nor had he ever envisioned that they would surrender the crystal.

Slowly, without really thinking, Amadan reassembled the Zeo Crystal, its own powers fusing the shards into a whole once again. The keeper felt his heart soar as the energy flared under his hands. This was the chance he had yearned for. To hold the power... to have the chance to use the crystal properly and banish evil from the universe once and for all...! However, as quickly as the energy surged, it died until Amadan was left holding nothing but a cold, lifeless gemstone.

It was difficult to mask his feelings. There was nothing there now, not even the faint spark he felt when he touched Xia's shard. The crystal would not respond to him.

It's not fair! I have studied and fought for millennia; I have done all in my power to become a fit champion for the crystal... sacrificed so much...! All I've ever wanted was to insure that no world would ever again suffer a fate such as befell Galridia, and still I am denied! Why?

Why indeed. Once again, though it galled him to admit it, he had been relegated to the role of keeper--not champion.

Amadan was suddenly conscious of the six pairs of eyes trained anxiously on him. Perhaps it was not his time to be the champion, but he could not believe--in spite of everything--that these children could be the Chosen Ones. They had surrendered the powers too easily; no champion would ever do such a thing no matter what the impetus. Ultimately, the Zeo Powers were all that mattered. With a gesture, Amadan returned the crystal to its home on the dais; he would do his duty and safeguard it until a new champion or champions could be chosen. His purpose clear once again, he returned his attention to the children before him.

"Very well," he said at last as he descended the stairs of his dais. "You have fulfilled your end of the bargain, so I shall uphold mine."

"You mean you're really going to help us find Kim?" Rocky gasped in disbelief.

"You doubt my word?" Amadan bristled.

"Amadan is nothing if not a man of his word," Dulcea assured the Rangers quietly.

"You misunderstand me, Rangers," Amadan explained as he moved purposefully towards them. His demeanor had lost some of its sharp arrogance, but there was still plenty of smug self- assurance about the man. "I do not crave the Zeo Powers as you think; my own abilities--earned and honed over the millennia--are vast. I am only concerned for the greater good of the universe. Harnessed properly, the crystal's powers could rid the universe of all evil. Xia, a great warrior and the first champion, knew this, and had her life not ended prematurely I believe she could have triumphed where all others failed. I have yet to meet a champion to equal her. Until I do, I will test all who would claim the Power.

"As for your companion, she is safe," Amadan continued, passing through the gathered Rangers on the way to the viewing globe as if they were not present. "You see, the nature of this world Xia created is that nothing is allowed in and nothing is allowed out. As you entered this realm, so shall you leave it. You will be returned to your party exactly as you left it. Your wounds will be healed, your scars removed...."

"My vision will be returned to its former condition," Billy mumbled ruefully.

"Correct."

"Why didn't you tell us this in the beginning?" Kat wondered.

"Wherein would be the test of your mettle?"

"We wouldn't have reacted the same way to the dangers we faced if we knew that we couldn't be permanently affected," Adam realized.

"Kim doesn't know that, and she was hurt when she was abducted," Tommy pointed out, trying to get back to the more important matter.

"True. I shall see to her injuries once she has resumed her place with the rest of you," Amadan said. "Observe the viewing globe, and you will find your friend."

Six pairs of eyes turned hopefully towards the sphere.

"Are you sure this thing is working?" Rocky quipped, as all that appeared in the glass was darkness.

"Where is she?" Tommy demanded.

"She should be right...." Amadan's words died on his lips when he saw the empty globe. "Where is she?"

It was with monumental effort that Tommy kept himself from grabbing the temple elder and throttling him. "What do mean? Don't you know?"

"Of course I know! I left her in the caverns below the temple."

"You did what!"

That very same exclamation was on the tip of Tommy's tongue; however, he hadn't spoken. He glanced back at Dulcea; she looked rather perplexed, and the other Rangers were trading mystified glances. None of them had spoken either.

"The child is a claustrophobe and you imprisoned her in the iridia tunnels?"

"I left her in the mother nest--the largest section of the labyrinth," Amadan defended himself. "She had a torch and was told she would be unharmed if she remained where she was."

"And you expected her to obey you?"

"Wait a moment, I think I see something...." Billy began. "Can you tighten the focus and maybe provide a little more light?"

Amadan adjusted the orb so that it showed infrared images. The onlookers saw the discarded shaft of the torch--and a writhing mass of coils.

"What are they doing in there? This nest has been abandoned for centuries and the tunnels sealed off," Amadan murmured.

"Obviously not well enough. You got in, did you not?"

"We should be able to track Kimberly's movements with the viewing globe on infrared," Billy said encouragingly.

"I am afraid it's not that easy," Amadan replied. For the first time, the Rangers noticed that his voice did not ring with his usual bravado.

"Why not?" Tommy demanded, his patience waning.

"The tunnels below the temple are a null zone. Teleporters and scanners are unable to penetrate the rock's natural shielding. The mother nest--the center of the labyrinth--lies directly under the crystal's podium; it is the only accessible point."

"Can you teleport us into the nest, then? We can start searching the tunnels on foot," Tommy suggested.

"You run the risk of becoming as lost as Kimberly or being overwhelmed by the iridia," Dulcea cautioned.

"We can't just stand here and do nothing...."

"Perhaps science and nature cannot find her, but magic...."

The mocking tones startled Dulcea as she heard in them echoes of Amadan's words to her not too long ago. She and the Rangers continued to search the chamber for the source of the voice.

"What's that?" Kat whispered, pointing. The others looked up to see tiny flares of rainbow-colored light gathering in a swirling cloud high above them.

"It is not that simple," Amadan insisted, unaware of anything save his mounting frustration--which was becoming more evident by the moment. Things were not proceeding as he had planned. There were preparations to be made... and he was not yet recovered from his last magical expenditure.

"But it is, Amadan nee Kahkul. You will return the Pink Ninja Ranger to her friends."

Amadan spun, furious. How dare Dulcea address him thusly! And who gave her leave to invoke his family name! It wasn't his fault that the child would not follow directions and struck out on her own. He would locate her, but how did the Ninjetti witch expect him to concentrate with her constant badgering?

However, he found Dulcea's--and the Rangers'--back to him, her concentration focused totally on the dais. His eyes widened as he observed the multi-hued shower of lights raining down on the raised platform. The tiny orbs spun about each other creating multi-helix strands. As they whirled tighter and faster, the colors merged into a searing white brilliance that had all the onlookers shielding their eyes against its intensity. They watched in amazement as the light continued to move and grow, taking on a shape.

It was a woman garbed not unlike Dulcea, but hers was most definitely armor: sharply curved epaulets held her cape on her shoulders and kept the brief metal breastplate in place; from the girdle about her hips draped a mail loincloth that hung to the floor. The tops of her boots and gauntlets flared past knees and elbows like unfurled wings. The metal ornament that framed her face bore the same winged design. In her hand, she held a staff that was half again as tall as she and bore a representation of the Zeo Crystal on its headpiece.

"By the ancient Ninjetti gods," Dulcea gasped. Behind her, Amadan was equally awestruck. As the being of light looked down on those assembled before her, the Rangers could feel the force of her presence. They felt the urge to kneel but were rooted in place. The warrior woman glanced first at Dulcea and offered a nod of acknowledgment. Next, the Rangers fell under her knowing gaze, and she favored them with a smile. Lastly, her attention settled on Amadan. The smiled faded into displeasure.

"Who is she?" Adam whispered to Dulcea.

"The Lady Xia," Dulcea replied.

"I thought she was dead," Rocky hissed.

"In body. It was thought that her spirit had been subsumed by the crystal, but until this moment, no one ever knew for certain."

"What have you to say for yourself, Amadan?" Xia demanded. Dulcea and the Rangers pulled aside so that Amadan bore the brunt of the warrior-spirit's disapproving gaze.

For once, the first of the temple was speechless.

"We are not pleased," Xia continued as she crossed over to Amadan's "throne" and sat down.

"We?" Rocky murmured.

"I believe she refers to herself and the crystal," Dulcea answered.

"You know, like the royal 'we,'" Tanya interjected.

"You have much to answer for, First of the Temple. You have tampered with the time stream, kidnapped Zordon's Rangers--our chosen champions--subjected them to the testing, and interfered with the course of that testing. The Zeo Crystal first gained sentience when the cosmos was in its infancy; since that time it has chosen those to wield its powers, and you would question its judgement? In the eyes of the crystal, you are as much a child as the Rangers."

"But you didn't stop the test," Amadan countered, finally finding his voice.

"Only because you were the one being tested, not our champions. We found your performance sorely lacking."

"I only sought to...." Amadan began drawing himself up, but Xia cut him off, striking the butt of her staff on the marble dais. The sound reverberated loudly throughout the chamber.

"When the Rangers crossed the gorge, they had triumphed where untold numbers throughout the millennia had failed, but that was not good enough for you. You could not accept that children could succeed where even you could not. You had to try and break them. When your spell failed, you sought to cripple them with indecision and you struck against one who hadn't even touched the power! You only sought to serve the greater good," Xia said with a harsh, mocking laugh. "How does it serve the greater good to abduct and terrorize an innocent young woman? How does such an action set you apart from those you'd protect the crystal from?"

She rose from the seat not waiting to hear Amadan's answer.

"You will find Kimberly Hart and return her to her friends." Dire consequences were implicit in her tones. Amadan acknowledged her words with a bow, then Xia dismissed him with a wave of her hand. The Rangers watched as the keeper left his own audience chamber, his determination to redeem himself obvious to all.

"Bent, but not yet broken," Xia murmured, breaking the stunned silence that followed her dismissal.

"You seek to break Amadan's power?" Dulcea queried quietly.

"No, merely his pride. That is all this amounts to--an affront to his pride." Xia regarded the Ninjetti priestess for a moment. "I wish to thank you for answering our summons so swiftly. You provided the counter balance to Amadan's machinations as well as the key to the Rangers' success in including William and Kimberly."

"You mean Dulcea was helping us along?" Adam inquired.

"She guided the mossassa to the aloini, but it was Kimberly who discovered its burn relieving properties through her own powers of deduction. Dulcea convinced the urus that Kimberly was no threat, thereby allowing her to find the selannant with which to heal Thomas' wounds. She but nudged the Dactanian blade fish, and it did what it was born to do and prevented the krahkkon from carrying William off."

"I did but little," Dulcea demurred.

"You did enough without impressing your will upon the test."

Why couldn't she have done a little more and kept the iridia from carrying Kim off? Tommy thought bitterly; however, he knew Dulcea was not to blame.

"I sense that you have many questions for me," Xia remarked, interrupting Tommy's musings. Her gaze fell on Billy. "What is it you would ask of me, William?"

"How is it that your consciousness came to reside in the crystal?"

"The crystal has always possessed an awareness of its powers and purpose. It has always known that it required a living focus for its energies--thus the choosing of champions. Through the eons, the crystal has retained some portion of its champions' thoughts, causing awareness to evolve into sentience.

"In my case, the crystal retained the full measure of my personality upon my passing from this life. Though we have been a part of each other for millennia, I still do not know why."

"Perhaps after all that time, the crystal was lonely," Kat postulated.

Xia smiled at the romantic notion. "Perhaps. At times, the crystal and I are very much one, but at others I am still a separate entity."

"Is that how you survive the fragmentation of the crystal?" Billy pursued.

"The crystal's awareness permeates every facet of its physicality; each shard holds the same awareness as the whole, enabling each piece to contain the power. Since I am now bonded to the sentience, I exist in each part of the whole as well."

"Why haven't you ever shown yourself before?" Tanya wondered. "I mean, we've had the Zeo Crystal for months, but never knew you were inside it. Why now?"

"To give form to my consciousness requires much energy--energy normally imparted to the champions. Had you five not refused the power and Amadan not been able to access it, I would not be standing here. Mechanics aside, I have never felt the need to take form before. It is not my duty to be a mentor to the champions. However, Amadan exceeded all bounds--violated his keeper's oath--when he directly assaulted Kimberly, the fact that I have come to regard her as s'Eolah'ki notwithstanding."

"S'Eolah'ki? What's that?" Rocky asked.

"A term of kinship," Dulcea answered, more than a little surprised that Xia had claimed Kimberly as her little sister.

"What about Kim?" Tommy interjected anxiously.

"She will be returned to you safe and unharmed. Amadan dares not do otherwise," Xia glowered. Her words offered Tommy little reassurance. As Xia began moving about the dais, her visage wavered. Gone was the warrior; in her place stood a surprisingly petite woman in a simple, unadorned gown. "I must apologize to you, Rangers, for the necessity of putting you through this ordeal. Amadan needed to be taught a lesson." Then she noted their expressions of amazement at the shift in her appearance. Her laughter, no longer harsh but melodious, wafted through the chamber.

"I was not always a warrior, Rangers. I was once a scholar as well as a wife and mother. I did not take up the sword until evil destroyed the life I once led. However, Amadan would have been unable to relate to me in this guise. He does not understand that it takes more than brute strength or great intelligence to wield the crystal. That is why neither he nor his charges have been chosen.

"Amadan isn't evil, merely misguided--as William pointed out," Xia continued as she glided down the stairs. To the Rangers, her body appeared solid, but the trailing hem of her gown passed right through them as she walked past. The seven fell in behind her as she crossed the chamber. "Amadan seeks to wipe out all evil, and he could very well do so with the Zeo powers; however, by destroying the dark forces, he would also destroy the universe. The source of the cosmos' strength lies in maintaining its delicate balance. Good cannot exist without evil and vice versa. Evil cannot be destroyed so much as contained; it must be overcome from within through emotions such as love and caring and generosity--emotions that Amadan sneers at.

"Now, I think, I have kept you all long enough. You are weary after your journey and concerned about your friend. Dulcea, please show our guests to their quarters and see to their comfort."

With that, Xia's form melted back into a spiral of light and returned to the crystal.

~*~

Rocky opened his door and peered out into the corridor. Seeing that no one was about, he slipped out. After Xia had dismissed them, Dulcea had shown them all to their individual quarters. The swankiest hotel in New York wouldn't have held a candle to his chamber; it was one enormous room with raised platforms and sunken living areas and a window that presented a spectacular view of the jungle. There had even been a huge bathtub filled with hot, scented water. He never dreamed he'd want a bath so badly! While he'd been soaking in the tub, two attendants arrived, and in spite of his protests, they proceeded to bathe him from top to bottom. He fought, but in the end, he wound up surrendering. Following the scrubbing, they had administered the most awesome massage he had ever felt. In fact, he had fallen asleep, and the bed was the softest he had ever known.

Upon awakening, he found himself alone. Clothing had been laid out for him: loose white trousers and a serape-like tunic. He had been wishing for a pair of pants just days ago; however, when he slipped them on he almost couldn't stand them. They were roomy enough, as comfortable as his favorite pair of sweatpants, but he still found them confining. He settled for just wearing the tunic and tie belt, and even that made him nervous and itchy in spite of its open sides and neckline that was split open from navel to his lower back.

Dressed and alone for the first time in weeks, Rocky felt uneasy and decided to seek out the others. He knew they weren't prisoners, but he had the feeling that Xia didn't want them roaming the halls. He tiptoed down to the next door. Just as he was about to knock, it opened.

"Rocky!"

"Adam!"

The two startled friends relaxed a bit. Rocky swept his eyes over Adam's attire and found that he was also dressed in a belted tunic.

"You, too?" he queried.

"Yeah. I thought I'd be so happy to have clothes again, and now...." Adam simply shrugged.

"I thought having a little peace and quiet and privacy would be the greatest thing, but it's making me nuts."

"Same here."

"Do you think the others feel the same way?"

"Probably."

"Let's go see who else we can find."

At the next door, the two found Kat and Tanya, who had already decided to seek out each other's company. The girls were dressed exactly like the guys. Just as they were emerging from Tanya's room, the quartet ran into Billy. Together, all five ventured to the last door along the hallway.

Tommy had tried to send the servants away when they arrived at his quarters; he needed to be alone with his thoughts. However, the attendants completely ignored him, and he submitted to the bath and rubdown resignedly, his heart and mind too full to really care. Though his body was weary, sleep eluded him. Ignoring the clothes laid out for him, he went out onto the balcony of his chamber to think.

The view from his room was breathtaking; he found himself looking westward, back the way they had come. It was sunset now, and the horizon was afire with reds and oranges, blending into ripples of pinks and purples over the treetops until those smoothed into the midnight blue evening sky. The light breeze was cool, ruffling the hair on his shoulders. The air was filled with the scent of flowers and foliage and the sounds of insects and birds. It would have been peaceful, almost soothing, but he would know no peace until Kimberly was found.

His thoughts had been about his relationship with Kimberly. Now that the end was finally in sight, he allowed himself to think about what would take place when they got home. What would happen to them? He still had school and the Rangers; she had an invitation to the Olympic trials and Paris. They wouldn't be able to be together as they were now, but could they be apart without losing each other again? He was determined that that would never happen. He would give up his powers before he would give Kim up again.

Tommy leaned against a marble column and glanced back into his room. It was simple yet elegant, bedecked in white linens. Kimberly would have loved it--especially the bathtub and the circular bed. He smiled softly as he envisioned her tanned, naked body against the whiteness of the sheets, the folds of the cloth draped gracefully across her shapely limbs. The image made the hole in his soul loom larger and his heart ache all the more.

Where are you, Kim? Please be all right wherever you are. If anything happens to you, I don't know what I'd do.

He pushed those thoughts aside. He would not think like that. Kim was a fighter and a survivor. She would come through this ordeal. Still, the waiting gnawed at his spirit; he hated waiting. He'd have rather gone crawling through the iridia tunnels than simply sit in his room waiting for Amadan to find her. He did not trust Amadan, no matter what Xia and Dulcea said; he had appealed to him only because he had had no other choice.

Tommy's reflections were suddenly disrupted by a knock at his door.

"It's open," he called out wearily.

"Hey, Tommy," Billy said as he and the others entered.

"Hey, guys."

"We--ah--were all a little unsettled by our sudden separation and thought that we should at least get together for dinner."

Tommy noticed that the others seemed a little uncomfortable. He detected a note of hesitancy in Billy's voice. Rocky and Adam shifted about uneasily, and Kat and Tanya appeared to be embarrassed, blushes dusting their cheeks. None of his friends could seem to look at him. Then he realized the problem: his state of undress.

The difference a couple of hours makes, he thought sadly. It was hard to believe they had so quickly lost the intimacy they had achieved over the last two months. With a sigh, he turned away from his window and wandered over to his bed. He collected his discarded towel and wrapped it about his hips. That seemed to make the others relax.

"Tommy, are you all right?" Kat queried.

"I'm as well as can be expected."

"Would you rather we left you alone?" Billy offered.

"Actually, I think I could use some company."

The six had scarcely made themselves comfortable on the cushions when Dulcea arrived.

"Have you heard anything?" Tommy asked eagerly.

"Not yet. The spell Amadan is attempting is difficult to cast. It will take time."

"Kim may not have a lot of time," Billy added.

"Neither, I am afraid, do you."

"What do you mean?"

"Xia says that with or without Kimberly, you must be returned to earth on the morrow. Amadan's suspension of time on your world is rapidly fading."

"We can't go back without Kimberly," Rocky objected.

"We were at a party with her; if she doesn't return with us...." Tanya began.

"Accommodations will be made if such a thing comes to pass."

"I won't leave without her," Tommy declared with finality.

"None of us will," Adam chimed in. The others added a chorus of support.

"The matter is out of your hands, Rangers. You must be returned before the spell fully unravels."

"That's a fine reward for the 'champions of the crystal,'" Rocky snorted.

"There is one more thing."

"This gets worse?" Tanya huffed.

"You will be returned to your youth center at a point just before Amadan removed you from it," Dulcea explained. "It will be as if this adventure never took place."

"You mean we won't remember any of this?" Kat gasped, reaching for Adam's hand. The couple traded nervous glances.

"Precisely."

"But you can't do that!" Rocky blurted out.

"Things happened here... Tommy and Kim got back together; Kat and Adam... if you wipe our memories all of that will be undone," Tanya exclaimed.

"I am sorry, Rangers, but that is part of the enchantment that maintains this world. Nothing is allowed out. If you remember this place at all, it will be only in your dreams."

"No...." Tommy began, his throat closing up, preventing him from saying anything further. He couldn't go back to the way he was; it would just be too cruel, but according to Dulcea, he wouldn't even know it. "Please, Dulcea. Don't make me lose Kim again. There has to be a way around this; there just has to!"

"Take heart in this, Rangers. If things are meant to be, they will be."

"That's cold comfort," Adam muttered.

"It is all that I can offer you," Dulcea responded. "It is time for the evening meal; shall I have it brought here?"

However, none of the Rangers felt much like eating.

~*~

It was midnight, and Tommy found himself unable to sleep. He lay naked on his bed, bathed in the blue-white light of the triple moons, staring at the ceiling. Finally, he gave up trying to sleep at all and sat up, reaching for the tunic laid out on the chair near his bed. The thought of clothing still chafed at him, so he grabbed the towel and dressed himself in that.

Softly he padded across his room to the door. He didn't want to wake the others. After Dulcea's bombshell about their memories, no one felt like returning to their own lonely quarters. Tommy looked on his sleeping friends briefly, a tiny smile touching his lips. Lost in unguarded slumber, they had reverted to the sleeping patterns that had served them in the jungle. Even he had been a part of the comfortable muddle--at least until he was the only one awake. He was happy to see that they hadn't lost everything they had gained. All evening it seemed as if they were unconsciously preparing themselves for the loss of their memories. Adam and Kat had drifted apart, she leaning more on him and Adam on Tanya. Rocky and Billy had seemed to isolate themselves. Perhaps they would lose their conscious thoughts, but on some level, they would remember. He tried to take heart from that realization.

The hallways were eerily silent, and the chill of the night air and cold tiles beneath his feet seemed not to bother him. He had no particular destination in mind. He just had to move about, but his wanderings were not aimless. It was as if he was being drawn forward. He did not fight the impulse and allowed himself be carried away. Tommy soon found himself in the great hall of the temple. The chamber was as silent as the rest of the edifice except for two sounds: the trickling of water into the pool and a faint hum. The hum drew his attention to the dais, and his gaze lit upon the Zeo Crystal, which hovered above its pedestal. It glowed like a thing alive.

It is alive, Tommy reminded himself as he, like a sleepwalker, stepped onto the spoke-like concourse leading to the platform.

As he walked along, he noticed details he had missed on their earlier passage along the aisle ways. Lining the avenues were statues--beings of various shapes, sizes, and races. The diversity was mind boggling. Tommy knew that there were a great many other beings out in the galaxy--a reality that he could accept only because he was a Power Ranger--but it was staggering to see hard proof of that fact. As he drew closer to the center, he realized that these must all be Zeo Rangers through the eons; his suspicion was confirmed as he saw the statues closest to the dais: the Power Rangers in all their recent incarnations.

Tommy paused before the representation of Kimberly in her original Pink Ranger garb, the ache in his heart almost overpowering as he reached out to touch it. Her statue was flanked by ones of him as the Green and White Rangers. She looked so tiny next to him. He proceeded past the Ninja Rangers' statues to the last incarnation of the Rangers. As Tommy studied the marble figurines, he realized that they wore their missing Zeonizers and communicators. He made no move to recover their equipment. The pulse of the crystal beckoned to him, and he continued on to the obelisk.

However, the spell was broken by a sudden sound in the chamber below. Tommy shook his head, frowning.

"Who's there?" he demanded, whirling around. No one answered him. Uneasy, he started down the stairs, trying to pierce the heavy shadows of the hall. The torchlight didn't carry far. He felt battle instincts kicking in; something wasn't right. Moving with lethal grace, he reached the main floor. He paused; whatever the sound had been had not been repeated. The splash of the water seemed unnerving loud; louder still was the pounding of his heart. It seemed to obliterate everything else.

Easy does it, he instructed himself, trying to steady his nerves. However, he could not shake the feeling that something was amiss--that he was not alone. Cautiously, he neared the shallow pool. Torchlight danced in the obsidian ripples. The source of his unease was close by--he could feel it. His eyes had adjusted to the gloom, and he was able to make out more of the shapes in the shadowy corners. He stopped by the pool's side, his gaze darting everywhere. Slowly, inexplicably, his eyes were drawn to the far end of the pool--the temple's entrance. There was something there.... His eyes narrowed, trying to discern what had flickered across his vision. There, on the stairs... small, pale, unmoving, dipping down into the dark waters... it appeared to be....

Caution was suddenly cast aside, and Tommy bolted forward, crossing the distance in scant seconds. He splashed through the black water heedless of anything save the body draped across the stairs. His blood ran cold as he knelt beside the unmoving figure, gently turning her over.

"Oh, God... Kimberly!"

Chapter Twenty-two: Lessons of the Heart

Where is she?

Amadan paced his personal quarters, furious at his inability to locate the former Pink Ranger. The viewing globe had failed. Scrying and other arcane means had proven ineffective. Even the psychic tracers designed by Kel-Theteme's Blue Ranger could find no trace of her.

It's as if she has ceased to exist.

Amadan drew in a calming breath. It had been eons since he had felt so out of control of a situation, and he did not care for the feeling that fluttered around inside him. He would almost call it panic, but he was beyond that! He was First of the Temple! It was merely Xia's presence after all these centuries that had unsettled him, if for but a moment. It was a natural reaction to seeing a woman he had admired and revered for the first time in fifteen millennia. Although, he found her displeasure incomprehensible; after all, he was following in her footsteps.

All this fuss over a human female. Bah!

How could Xia hold the girl in higher regard than one who had served her as loyally and as long as he? How could she call the Pink Ranger little sister?

Though he could not fathom the guardian's reasons, he would respect them as he must. He would find the child as Xia requested and restore himself to her good graces.

Gahdi's tracker has never failed before; perhaps it is not properly calibrated for human thought patterns. For a race so simple biologically, how can their brain waves be so complex?

"AMADAN!"

"Now what?" Amadan hissed as the cry echoed up from the depths of the temple. He recognized Tommy's voice. "How can I possibly concentrate on locating...?"

Something in the timbre of the cry gave Amadan pause. It was a note of desperation, of devastation.... His heart had made that sound when he watched his world die. There was only one thing he could think of that would produce such a feeling in the Red Zeo Ranger: Kimberly.

~*~

Sleep continued to elude Dulcea, so she simply surrendered to her wakefulness. Leaving her bed behind, she wandered out onto her balcony.

I miss the violet glow of Phaedos' moon, she reflected as the cold white light bathed her. She had been away far too long; she missed the heat of the Ninjetti plains and the sounds of the Cattar Sea crashing against the rocks. She even preferred the mysteries of the Neola to the lush jungle below her. It had been centuries since she had been away from Phaedos for an extended period of time, and it surprised her to realize she was homesick.

Still, she was grateful that Xia had summoned her to aid the Rangers.... Seeing Zordon's protégés was like catching a glimpse of her old companion. Each Ranger carried a piece of him inside. Their presence, however, had reawakened other feelings she had not experienced in millennia.

Ah, friend of my body and spirit, it has been too long. Would that you could see your children; they do you proud.

She tried to picture the Rangers as she had come to know them from their adventure: intelligent, clever and resourceful, determined... but the only image that came to mind was their stunned expressions from when she had spoken to them last--when she had told them that they could take no memories of their experiences with them. Dulcea sympathized with them. It was not fair to deny them the knowledge they had gained here... among the other things they had acquired. After all, were they not the crystal's champions? Surely they were due some consideration....

Dulcea felt a faint brush at the back of her mind; her first instinct was to close herself to the telepathic contact. She did not care for others to be inside her mind, but something in the touch was familiar, almost soothing, and she opened herself to it.

"If there was any way around this, do you not think that I would take it?" Xia queried.

Dulcea mulled over the guardian's words. Apparently, Xia liked this as little as the Rangers. Perhaps it might afford them some comfort to know that....

"AMADAN!"

Dulcea spun around upon hearing the cry that reverberated through the ancient edifice. It was Tommy.

"By all the ancient gods...." Her heart had made a sound like that--an anguish so deep it resonated into the soul--the day Rita Repulsa had trapped Zordon within his timewarp, and she knew what had to be the cause: Kimberly.

Dulcea raced through her chamber, grabbing a robe and her staff in passing. Tommy would not be the only one Amadan would answer to if any harm had befallen the Pink Ranger.

~*~

Billy awoke with a gasp, filled with a nameless dread. The last fragments of his dream sluiced from his consciousness like rain down a window pane leaving only vague impressions.

A nightmare, he mused. He was unsurprised that his nocturnal visions were unsettling--he was simply surprised he could sleep at all. He had been racking his brain trying to devise a way to locate Kimberly; he had also explored the possibilities for preserving their memories. No answers were forthcoming. His level of frustration was such that he wished he could vent his energy in a physical fashion... in short, he dearly wished for a punching bag. However, that would solve nothing.

As he was about to lay back down, Billy heard another soft gasp and saw Tanya bolt upright.

"Oh God," she groaned.

"A nightmare?" he queried.

"A doozy. You, too?"

"Definitely."

"I don't think any of us are resting well," Tanya murmured, gesturing to Adam who tossed and turned in his sleep.

"We should try, though. Tomorrow is likely to be a long day."

"I know. It's just that... I'm afraid, Billy. Something's happened to Kim; I just know it," Tanya sighed, wrapping her arms around her knees and rocking slightly. "We should have heard something by now!"

"I, too, fear that we are in for some unpleasant news," Billy confessed.

"What will that do to Tommy? He's just barely hanging on as it is... say, where is he?"

Billy looked around and noticed that Tommy was not in the muddle of somnambulant bodies. A quick glance at the bed revealed that it had been slept in but was presently vacant. Billy slipped free of Kat's sprawled arm and padded softly over to the terrace doors.

"He's not out here either."

"Where could he have gone?" Tanya wondered, pulling free of her own sleeping partner.

"Let the others sleep; the two of us can...."

"AMADAN!"

The others were immediately awakened.

"Whawazzat?" Rocky slurred, trying to clear his eyes.

"It sounded like Tommy," Kat said.

"He sounds like he's hurt," Adam added.

The five exchanged glances. They all knew how Tommy felt about Amadan. They could not imagine any injury that would make Tommy seek out his help so frantically, unless....

"Kimberly," Billy realized grimly, and the five hurried off in search.

~*~

"AMADAN!" Tommy called a second time as he mounted the steps of the dais, gently cradling Kim's limp body in his arms. The fear he knew as he held her--she was so cold and still!--was unlike any he had ever known. He had to fight it back with every ounce of will he could muster. Kim needed him to be strong....

He topped the platform just as Billy and the others dashed into the chamber. Dulcea arrived shortly thereafter, her white robe trailing behind her. Amadan appeared last, moving as quickly as the others but with less obvious disarray.

"Omigod!" Kat gasped upon seeing Tommy's precious bundle.

"What happened?" Billy asked, immediately checking Kim's vital signs.

"I just found her... laying face down in the pool...."

"Lay her down on the rise by the pedestal, and let Kat and Rocky try CPR," Billy directed.

Tommy forced himself to release his hold on Kim, knowing he had to turn her over to those more qualified to help her. As he gave way so that they might have room to work, he let his hand slide down the length of her arm as he released it, as if to imprint the feel of her in his mind and heart. It was a gesture that normally comforted him, but this time there was a wrongness about it. Perhaps it was just that he was afraid that if he let her go....

"Oh, man, those cuts," Adam gulped, paling as he observed the lacerations which criss-crossed his teammate's body. "It looks like those snakes were all over her."

Tommy was trying not to think about that--or about the fact that though he had held Kim close, very little of her blood stained his skin or clothes. He didn't want to consider what that meant.

There was silence in the massive chamber as Rocky and Kat performed their emergency procedure. However, as the minutes ticked by and they began to tire, it became obvious that they were doing no good.

"Amadan, please!" Tommy entreated, turning to face the keeper. "Can you heal her--will you heal her?"

"That is what I was born to do, Zeo Ranger," Amadan responded as he drew nigh the podium's base.

"What did he mean by that?" Kat queried.

"The Galridians were healers," Dulcea explained. "Amadan's selection to become a keeper was based upon his physic talents as much as upon his prowess as a warrior. Even among his people, Amadan was known as a healer of the first order; he could accelerate the body's natural recuperative processes as no other of his kind could. I have witnessed Amadan's healings many times over the millennia; I have yet to see a patient he could not aid."

Tommy took heart from Dulcea's words as he watch Amadan press his fingers together in a triangle and close his eyes, slipping into a trance. A white nimbus of light formed around his hands, faintly at first then flaring into a brilliant silvery flame. Amadan extended his arms over his patient, and the fire raced down his limbs and surged forth to envelop Kim.

Her body shuddered as the energy surrounded her. Before the Rangers' eyes, the gouges healed over, the bruises faded, and the swelling subsided. Then, once the surface injuries were repaired, the flames penetrated Kim to heal that which no one could see.

He hadn't realized it, but Tommy had reached out and caught hold of someone's hand, squeezing it as tightly as he could. He felt himself growing lightheaded as he watched and prayed for a miracle.

"Breathe, Tommy," Dulcea reminded him, her words startling him. She seemed not to notice the crushing grip he had on her hand.

"Sorry," he murmured, releasing her as his hand began cramping. The Ninjetti priestess merely smiled.

Long minutes passed, and anxieties began to mount anew. Nervously, Tommy looked to Amadan. The keeper's face was marked by deep concentration, brow and mouth puckered into a frown. Tommy's gaze flickered over to Dulcea and saw concern etched into her features.

"Something's wrong, isn't it?" Tommy whispered. At his words, his friends drew closer.

"Too long... it's been too long," she remarked.

The curative fires continued to flow between healer and patient, and the toll was beginning to tell. Convulsions rippled through Amadan's body, and he began to sway slightly.

"He's gone too deep. We have to break the connection or we'll lose them both," Dulcea ordered. Adam and Rocky were already moving to Amadan's side as the Galridian nearly collapsed on top of Kimberly. The moment the two touched him, the circuit was disrupted, and Amadan sank to his knees. Tommy and Billy also surged forward.

"Anything?" Tommy asked hopefully.

Billy shook his head. "Nothing."

Tommy whirled on Amadan, his emotions barely held in check.

"I thought you said you could heal her!" Tanya interjected bitterly.

"I don't understand," Amadan panted. "It should have worked. I've never failed in a healing." He could not meet the Rangers' accusing glares. "Never!"

"For all your vaunted powers, First of the Temple, you cannot bring the dead back to life," Xia chided as she took on the form of the scholar she had shown to the Rangers earlier. This close to the crystal, the apparition glowed with a blindingly white luminance. Her demeanor, however, was that of the warrior.

"N-no...!" Tommy sputtered. Billy moved to Tommy's left and Kat to his right to steady him.

"Not even the Zeo Crystal can restore a life spark already extinguished," she continued. She glowered down at Amadan. For his part, he could not look up at her. "See where your pride and arrogance have brought you. Look to the innocent blood that stains your hands. How will you undo this? How will you set this to rights?"

The Rangers and Dulcea watched as Amadan looked up at last. The self-assurance that fairly glowed in his eyes was gone, replaced by a dull, almost vacant stare. His shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I cannot," he admitted softly. He looked to the Rangers. "I never intended for this to happen...."

"Perhaps not, but the fact is that it did. Kimberly Hart is dead because of your interference in matters that did not concern you."

At Xia's words, a terrible cold settled over Tommy, and his knees gave out. Billy and Kat were barely able to catch him and ease him to the floor.

"No...." he repeated, shaking his head in fierce denial. There was a wild look in his eyes as he gazed upon the body on the dais. Kim looked for all the world as if she was sleeping, yet her unnatural stillness was testament to the fact that it was not sleep which held her.

"Tommy...." Billy began delicately, feeling the tightness in the muscles beneath his hand and the tremors rippling though his friend. He glanced around at the others. Tears streamed down Kat and Tanya's cheeks, and Rocky and Adam were looking a little moist around the eyes themselves. He could feel his own tears welling up, and he did nothing to check them. If anyone was worthy of his tears, it was Kimberly. Then, he noted Xia's approach and stepped back.

The guardian placed a hand on Tommy's shoulder. Though her form was pure energy, the touch was surprisingly solid. However, none of her warmth could penetrate the cold that enveloped Tommy's soul. "I am sorry for your loss, Thomas; it pains me more than you could know that this has come to pass." Tommy gave no sign that he even heard her words, but Xia seemed to understand. She turned, leaving Tommy to his grief, and regarded her compatriots.

"Let us leave the Rangers to honor their companion in private," Xia recommended, addressing the two keepers. "There is much to do if the Rangers are to be returned home on the morrow."

~*~

It was not quite dawn when Billy awoke. He still couldn't believe that Kimberly was truly gone. None of them could. He looked to his friends. Kat had cried herself to sleep in Adam's arms, and Tanya and Rocky clung together for support and comfort. They had offered him that comfort, and for a little while it seemed to help, but there was nothing any of them could do to console Tommy.

Billy wandered out to the balcony. The first pink of daylight flared on the horizon. He was deeply concerned about Tommy. They had tried to get him to return to his room, but he would not be budged. In fact, he hadn't moved or said a word since Xia, Dulcea and Amadan had left them alone. Billy had briefly glimpsed Tommy's feelings, but the emotions were trapped, unable to come out. Tommy would not let them.

Excepting Kimberly, Billy had known Tommy the longest of the current team, and while he was not especially close to Tommy, he had a pretty good idea of what made his friend tick. He was afraid for Tommy right now--afraid that he might sink deeper into his role as leader of the Rangers to escape from his pain until there was nothing left of himself except the Red Zeo Ranger.

His role as a Power Ranger had been many things to Tommy: an honor, a responsibility, a means of redemption, and lately a refuge. Billy knew the taste of the first two, and only Kat could understand redemption. He doubted any of them could fully appreciate the last.

Tommy had been a much different person as the Green Ranger. He had always felt things deeply, but in the early days of their association, he was able to give vent to those feelings. That changed when Zordon made him the White Ranger and team leader. Billy always thought that Tommy saw his role as the White Ranger as a means to atone for his sins as the Green Ranger--not just for his actions while under Rita's spell but for all the times his powers hadn't been enough, for the times he felt he had let the team down.

But even though the White Ranger was far stronger than the Green Ranger, it was still Tommy under the suit--Tommy who felt things deeply, only now he felt like he couldn't let those feelings show... that he had to be strong for the whole team. Except when it came to Kimberly. Tommy was never bashful about expressing his feelings for her; it often seemed that Kim was the only thing that kept Tommy human.

When she left for Florida, Tommy hid from the pain of their separation by becoming even more of a soldier than before, and when she had broken up with him, he had developed an almost fanatical devotion to duty. Though she tried, Kat could not balance Tommy out the way Kim could. Still, even when Tommy thought all was lost, there at least had been a faint glimmer of hope he could cling to: the hope that maybe someday Kim might return. Not that he would have ever admitted it--even to himself--but Billy sensed it was there. Now, there was not even that. What would Kim's death do to Tommy? Billy was truly afraid that Amadan had not only killed Kim but destroyed Tommy as well.

There was a sound in the room behind him; Billy turned to see who else was awake and was astonished to discover Dulcea. In her arms she carried Tommy as easily as if he were a small child. Billy hurried over to Tommy's bed and turned down the covers. Dulcea laid Tommy out and tucked him in.

"The needs of the body finally overcame his grief," she murmured. In a surprisingly maternal gesture, Dulcea brushed the hair from his face and place a kiss on his brow. "Poor Tommy. Perhaps it will be a kinder mercy for him not to remember what transpired here."

"No, it won't," Billy answered. "He'll know. On some level... there'll be this emptiness inside him--a hole in his soul--and he'll wonder about it for the rest of his life."

We all will.

~*~

"Rangers, please join us in Amadan's antechamber."

Xia's words echoed through Tommy's chamber. The Rangers were already awake--save for Tommy. They had been greatly surprised to find that the servants had been in to lay out fruit and bread for them, but no one had much of an appetite.

"I suppose we should get this over with," Adam said morosely, forcing himself up from the cushions. The rest followed suit, but there was still no movement from Tommy.

"Tommy?" Billy called softly. Unable to return to sleep, he had kept something of a vigil over his teammate and friend. "They need us...."

"I heard," Tommy muttered darkly without rolling over. "They can go to Hell."

Startled, Billy glanced back at the others and shrugged.

"I don't blame him," Rocky commented quietly. "We've been jumping to their tune ever since we got here and look what it's gotten us."

"That was Amadan not Xia," Tanya reminded him.

"What difference does it make? Kim's still dead!"

"Billy, let me try," Kat offered. She had dealt with enough of Tommy's black moods when he grieved for Kim the first time he lost her. She had tried everything to get him out of his rut and still couldn't believe some of the things she had said to him; it was a wonder that he had ever talked to her again after a few of those sessions: "For pity's sake, she's found a new boyfriend; it's not like she's dead or anything!" Ultimately, she had gotten through to him by reminding him of his duty. "The team needs--the world needs--Zeo Ranger Five."

Now she wondered if that had been such a good thing. It had worked almost too well. It had been difficult pulling him out of blind duty to see that she cared and that he had a life worth living. With a sigh, Kat claimed the seat Billy had vacated.

"Go away, Kat," Tommy rumbled when she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I wouldn't go away the first time, and I won't go away now," she said firmly.

"Why? You have Adam; you don't need me."

His sharp, bitter words cut like a knife; Kat could almost feel Adam bristling behind her.

"Thomas Oliver, that is enough!" she snapped. "You know that's not why I'm doing this."

"I know," Tommy muttered after a prolonged silence. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay; I know it hurts," she murmured, stroking his hair, "but you can't let it consume you. Kim wouldn't want you to do that. She wouldn't want you to wallow in your grief. She'd be the first to tell you to get up off your bum and get on with your life."

"It's not much of a life without her."

This was going nowhere; it was time to try a different tactic. "Do you believe in Heaven, Tommy?"

"Huh?"

"Do you believe that when someone we love dies he or she goes to a better place--a happier place where there's no pain or suffering? Do you think that they watch over us from wherever it is?"

"I dunno. Do you?"

"Yes. I know my grandmother is out there somewhere; sometimes I can even sense her near me when I'm feeling lost and alone. Kim is out there, too, and she'll always be there for you. She probably feels as badly as you that she was taken from you so soon, and she'd hate knowing that her death was making you miserable."

"Kim would want you to find happiness wherever you could," Tanya added, joining the pair. "You have an awful lot to live for yet."

"Grieve for her now, then live for her," Kat added gently.

"We're all hurting, Tommy," Adam said, adding his support. "We all cared for Kim; we need each other to get through this."

"Kim will always be with us as long as we remember her, and she'll get us through the tough times--like at camp the other night," Billy interjected.

"Amadan may have taken Kim from us, but don't let him get you, too," Rocky contributed.

Tommy rolled over, and while he smiled gratefully at his friends, there was a harsh glint in his eyes.

"He won't," Tommy assured them coldly. Then, his expression softened somewhat. "Thanks, guys."

"Don't shut us out; let us be here for you," Kat insisted.

"I'll try, but it's going to be so hard letting go. I don't want to believe she's really gone."

Kat said nothing and hugged him. His fierce grip nearly robbed her of breath. She could feel the emotions he refused to acknowledge in that embrace.

"Come on. Let's see what Xia wants," Kat said gently, and Tommy nodded.

As the six made their way to Amadan's quarters, they passed through the main hall and paused at the podium to pay their respects to their friend. They were quite surprised by what they found.

Kim's body had been laid out on a low table and covered with a satin sheet. Standing beside the bier was a crystalline statue of her. It was a good likeness; every detail of her injuries had been exactingly recreated, and the craftsmanship was such that they could read in Kim's expression determination mixed with pain. In her hand, she held a staff from which fluttered a white ribbon; the material swirled around the statue in a frozen helix, clothing her in a manner of speaking.

"It looks so real," Kat murmured.

"I wonder who put it here," Billy remarked.

Tommy had not yet spoken. He reached out and pulled the rose-pink coverlet away from Kimberly's face. More surprises lay underneath. Behind Tommy, someone gasped even as his fingers curled into tight fists.

Kim's hair had been intricately braided and woven about an ornamental headdress reminiscent of Xia's. An elaborate jeweled collar encircled her neck, and various gold bands and bracelets bedecked her arms. Heavy make-up gave Kim a surreal appearance.

"No offense, but I've seen better looking corpses in cheesy horror movies," Rocky muttered. "I mean, even the statue looks more like Kim than Kim does."

"I want to know what's going on," Tommy said. Though his voice was level, it was obvious that he was furious.

~*~

By the time the six reached the antechamber, it appeared that Xia had given up waiting for them. In warrior guise, she sat in judgment upon Amadan's 'throne.' The First of the Temple stood at the base of the dais in an attitude of repentance. Shoulders slumped, he kept his gaze on the floor as Xia spoke.

" ... I see that you appear to regret your actions in this matter, but do you truly?" Xia queried. "For millennia you believed yourself above the lesser emotions--as you termed them. Appearances can be deceiving."

Amadan raised his head to look on the guardian at last. "It was never my intent to destroy the Rangers, merely to discredit them. I had no desire to harm the former Pink Ranger--I sought only to negate her influence on the team."

"If your true intent had been to harm her, we would not be having this conversation; you would already be dead," Xia glowered. She leaned forward slightly as she continued. "Have you any idea of the damage you have done? Not just to Kimberly and her companions, but to the future? You claimed that neither Kimberly nor Billy mattered, but they do. Just because they do not hold the Zeo Powers now does not mean that they would not one day. They had been among the Chosen, but Master Vile's altering of the timestream altered their destinies as well. Their day will come--or would have but for your interference. Now, there is no knowing."

~*~

The Rangers traded astonished glances. Billy and Kim should have been Zeo Rangers? It was an idea that would have to be hashed out later. A silence had fallen over the chamber, its weight almost palpable.

~*~

Xia stared down at Amadan; her gaze seemed to reach deep beyond the surface to measure what lay within. To his credit, the keeper did not flinch but bore the scrutiny without wavering. Then, the guardian sat back and closed her eyes.

"It is enough that you will have to live out your days with the knowledge of what you have done," she announced.

"What?" Rocky sputtered, unable to keep silent. "Kim's dead and all he gets is a slap on the wrist?"

"Answer me this, Rocky DeSantos; could you live with yourself knowing you were responsible for another's death? Or would the guilt eat at you, punishing you in ways no other sentence could?" Xia demanded sternly.

Rocky fidgeted under the intensity of her gaze, knowing she was right.

"As a keeper, Amadan will have eons to think on his actions--that his pride and arrogance claimed an innocent's life, that he not only failed Kimberly and the Zeo Crystal but himself as well. One's conscience can be an effective warden, no?

"However, there is also the matter of what brought this tragedy into being." Xia rose from the chair, her demeanor chilling. When she spoke, her voice was cold and forbidding; there would be no appealing her sentence. "You must learn that which the Rangers already know--what you perceived as their weakness: the lessons of the heart. Those cannot be learned here. You have one last task to perform, then I banish you from the temple and this dimension until such time as you have demonstrated that you've learned the error of your ways."

Amadan nodded his understanding and acceptance of his fate. Xia dismissed him with a wave. He then turned to face the Rangers.

"Before I go, I shall restore you to your conditions before I interfered with your lives." Without waiting for their permission, Amadan unleashed his silver flames. Dancing tendrils of energy surrounded the Rangers much as they had Kimberly. As the warmth rushed over and through them, the six could feel the changes taking place in their bodies.

The glow faded. Tommy's hand smoothed over his abdomen; the horizontal scar was gone. Adam's inspection of his ankle revealed that the marks of his tug-of-war had been wiped away, and Billy tried his best to get his eyes to focus without success.

While they were going through their personal inspections, a second wave of energy enveloped the weary heroes. The sensation was not unlike the teleportation effect. This time, the energy left the Rangers dressed exactly as they had been at the party--save for their Zeonizers.

With that, Amadan took his leave. However, he stopped as he drew near Tommy.

"I am truly sorry for your loss," he began, to the astonishment of all in the chamber. "If I could undo what I have done, I would. I hope you can find it in you to forgive me."

It was several moments before Tommy spoke. When he did, it was in a flat, lifeless voice. "Don't ask me to do that; I don't think I can--not right now."

"I understand. Someday, then."

"Yeah. Someday. Maybe."

Then, Amadan was gone.

"So that's it?" Rocky gasped. "It just doesn't seem right that he gets to live happily ever after some place else with nothing more than a guilty conscience."

"Maybe not even that," Adam remarked. "If Amadan leaves here, won't he be stripped of his memories, too?"

"No, Amadan's memories will still be intact," Dulcea answered. "Keepers may come and go from this dimension without memory loss."

"That sucks!" Rocky muttered, kicking uselessly at the step.

"What would you have Xia do?" Dulcea queried.

"She could have taken his powers away or something," he snorted.

"Amadan is mentor to the Rangers of Kel-Theteme; to punish him thusly would also punish them and the people they protect," Xia responded. "Amadan's powers will be diminished somewhat in that he will have to learn how to harness his abilities differently. The knowledge will still be there, just not the means to access all of them."

"It just seems so unfair," Adam continued. "What about Tommy...?"

"Does it really matter?" Tommy asked tiredly. "Nothing Xia does to Amadan will bring Kim back."

"A very wise observation, Thomas."

"All I want right now is to get out of here."

"Of course, that is why your Zeonizers have yet to be returned. I shall open the portal before I resume my place in the crystal," Xia explained. "You will return to your world at the party in the Youth Center."

"What of Kimberly?" Billy wondered.

"You will be returned to a point in time slightly ahead of when Amadan removed you," Dulcea elaborated. "Billy will arrive at the party but with word of a tragedy. Kimberly will have died in a traffic accident on her way to the airport in Florida."

"An accident?" Tommy echoed with a harsh snort. "Kim deserves better than that!"

"If you can take us back in time to reset things, then why can't you turn back time to prevent Kim from dying?" Tanya queried.

"Altering the path of time is a delicate matter. Amadan has already put enough strain on the flow of time by damming it up. The changing of a few moments will have no great impact, but over a day...."

"I thought time moved differently in this dimension," Billy pursued. "That's how we passed two months here while time was suspended at home."

"You are correct, but whether it be a day here or a day on earth, moving time back that long would have serious repercussions on the time stream. Were you not listening when I mentioned the damage done by Master Vile? The crystal could have just as easily broken down into six shards as five. Tanya would have remained in Africa, and Kimberly would have returned home to reclaim her powers after her gymnastics were finished. Master Vile changed all that."

Xia descended from the dais, shifting to her less intimidating aspect. "I understand your desire to undo what happened to Kimberly, but you cannot. I have no power over death; there are some things you cannot undo."

"Then how could Amadan have promised that nothing that happened here would be permanent?" Kat asked. "What if Tommy had died from being ripped open or if Kim hadn't removed the poison from Billy in time? He wouldn't have been able to bring them back."

"Amadan would have intervened before their life sparks faded," Dulcea explained. "Once they reached the point where their life energy was nearly depleted, Amadan would have placed them in a type of stasis. To you it would have appeared that your friends had died; after you had made your burial arrangements, Amadan would have transported them here to enact his healing. Had he been able to locate Kimberly in time, he would have done the same for her."

"Speaking of burial arrangements, what's with Kim's get up?" Rocky questioned.

"She wears the ceremonial burial garb of my people," Xia replied. "I have honored her as I would any I considered s'Eohla'ki."

"Why is the statue all cut up?" Tanya queried. "It's pretty... gruesome."

"Again, a tradition of my people. We would have all who honor our dead know them as they were at the moment of their ultimate sacrifice. Now, Rangers, it is time to send you home."

Xia swept through their ranks and out the door, leaving them no choice but to follow. She led them back to the main hall. The guardian stood before the podium, arms raised. Her body dissolved into a shimmering, spiraling cloud of light. Then, a multi-hued bolt shot out from the Zeo Crystal, combining with Xia's energy. A tiny, pulsing sphere of energy separated from the coruscating whole.

"Dulcea, take the sphere. This will open the portal and set things to rights once the Rangers have reclaimed their powers. Do not release it in the temple," Xia directed, then her energy was reabsorbed into the crystal.

"Are you ready?" Dulcea queried.

No, they weren't, but deep down they knew they could not stay. One by one, each of the Rangers stepped up to the bier to offer their heart felt good-byes to Kimberly until Tommy was the only one left.

"Would you guys mind giving me a few moments alone... to say...." Tommy began, his choked voice faltering.

"Of course," Billy said, clasping Tommy's arm. Kat and Tanya came forward and hugged Tommy tightly. Adam and Rocky joined in the group embrace. The only one with dry eyes when the bond broke apart was Tommy.

"Go on with Dulcea. I'll catch up," he said, and he watched as his friends disappeared down the obsidian stairs.

"Hey, Beautiful," he murmured, his voice thick and uncertain as he sat down on the edge of the bier. Without really thinking, he took Kim's right hand in his and lightly stroked his finger across the cool flesh as he had so many times before. His fingers ran over the embossed metal of Kim's gauntlet; absently, he removed it.

"I thought saying good-bye to you when you left for Florida was the hardest thing I'd ever done," he began tremulously, "but this time... it's forever. Man, am I going to miss you. I'll miss your smile, your laughter, your love...." Tommy's emotions overwhelmed him, closing his throat. As he fought to put his feelings into words, he continued removing Kimberly's jewelry.

"Why can't I cry?" he asked suddenly. "The tears are there--they just won't come out! I cried when I got your letter... well, I did after I got home and locked myself in my bedroom. And now that I really have lost you forever, I can't even grieve. Why? Is it just that part of me refuses to believe you're really gone? Or is it that I'm afraid if I give into my emotions I won't be able to function? You deserve better than that.

"Good-bye, Kim; I'll always love you," he murmured as he folded her hands across her chest.

He stroked her cold cheek then bent forward as if to kiss her brow, but something stopped him. He sat back and frowned.

"This isn't right. This isn't you," he muttered as he unfastened the elaborate collar. He unwound the braid from the hair ornament and combed his fingers through the strands. With a corner of the satin sheet, he cleaned the make-up from her face. It was an improvement, but.... "Rocky was right. It's like looking at a stranger. Your statue has more of your personality in it than your... corpse. I know that sounds weird, but...."

Tommy looked up at the figure standing guard over Kim's body. He knew that this was how she looked when he pulled her out of the pool, but there had been no expression on her face. He gazed up into those determined eyes. Is this what you really looked like when you set off into the tunnels? He tentatively reached out and touched the statue's face; he found the crystal surprisingly warm. His finger traced the same path down the crystalline cheek that he had on Kimberly's. He outlined the lips then dropped his hand to her arm and slowly glided his fingers across the scarred surface. The statue was perfect down to the last detail.

Tommy looked away, his heart torn. His eyes fell on Kim's body once again. Amadan's healing powers had removed all traces of Kim's suffering, returning her--as he had the rest of them--to the condition she was in when she first arrived in this dimension. A kindness on his part perhaps? Or simply an offshoot of his efforts at reviving Kim? Whatever the reason, Amadan had done his job almost too well. Kim looked as perfect and flawless as a mannequin.

I think I would have preferred it if he hadn't cleaned you up, he mused as he set about restoring the coverlet and taking his leave; however, he paused, something tugging at the back of his brain. For some reason the words 'flawless mannequin' would not leave his mind.

NO! he screamed in silent denial. He was grasping at straws. It was ludicrous--impossible! There was a perfectly logical explanation.... He had witnessed her wounds healing over....

"Billy...!" he called out, his voice cracking even as he grabbed Kim's arm and turned it over. "BILLY!" The strident urgency of his tone had his friends returning at a run.

"What is it, Tommy?" Billy panted as he topped the stairs.

"The scar, Billy; where's the scar?" Tommy asked, trying to quell his excitement.

"What scar?" Rocky wondered.

"The one on her right wrist," Tommy answered.

"Amadan probably healed it when he tried to revive her," Billy responded.

"But he was only supposed to put her back the way she was when he kidnapped her."

"You heard Dulcea; when he was trying to heal Kim, he went too deep. No doubt he did more than he was supposed to."

"Kat, Rocky, when you guys were doing CPR, did either of you check for a pulse on Kim's wrist?"

"Sure," Rocky answered.

"Did you notice a scar?"

"Come to think of it, no. If there had been one, I'd have had to find a different pulse point because the scar tissue would have been in the way."

"I didn't either," Tommy jabbered excitedly. "When I let her arm go, I ran my fingers down it like I always do--kind of an automatic gesture. Something bugged me about it then, but I didn't know what. Now I do--the scar was missing before Amadan tried to heal her!"

"Are you saying that...?"

"... this isn't Kimberly," Tommy interrupted Kat.

The others traded uncertain glances, unconvinced.

"I think he's really lost it, " Rocky whispered to Tanya.

"This is a fake--that's why Amadan couldn't revive her; she was never alive to start with," Tommy continued in a rush. "She doesn't look like herself because she's not!"

"That sounds a little far-fetched, Tommy," Kat ventured sympathetically.

"Wouldn't Amadan have discovered the difference when he tried healing her," Adam added.

"Amadan was so full of himself and obsessed with the crystal that he barely acknowledged that we were intelligent beings," Tommy snorted.

"It doesn't make sense," Tanya interjected. "Who, besides Amadan, would want to make us think that Kim really died?"

"Maybe Amadan was supposed to believe it was Kimberly, too," Billy spoke up.

"What do you mean?" Rocky asked.

"Xia stated that it was never the five of you being tested as far as she and the crystal were concerned; it had always been Amadan," he reminded them.

"You mean this was part of the test, too?" Tanya questioned dubiously.

"Precisely."

"If so, he failed pretty miserably," Adam murmured.

"In a way, it makes sense," Kat agreed. "By using a fake Kimberly, Xia could test Amadan's reactions without endangering Kim."

"Dulcea?" Adam prompted.

"Your reasoning is logical, but if this was part of Xia's test, then I was not made party to it," the Ninjetti priestess answered.

"Well, if that isn't Kim there, then where is she?" Rocky demanded.

Tommy's eyes were drawn to the crystal effigy standing guard over the body. "The statue," he murmured in awe. He stepped around the bier and touched the jewel-like face. "You're in there, aren't you! You're alive inside that crystal shell... I can feel it!"

Suddenly, the Rangers became aware of a low humming noise. On the podium above them, the Zeo Crystal pulsed with a brighter light. The body on the marble slab lost all color, becoming translucent, then crumbled into iridescent powder.

"Xia...?" Tommy began.

"My apologies for subjecting you to this emotional upheaval, Rangers," Xia responded. The light in the crystal flickered with her words. As William surmised, this was part of Amadan's test. No one, not even Dulcea, could know else your reactions would not have rung true and Amadan would not have responded so unguardedly--so honestly. I had to know if he was past all reclamation; it was I who named him First of the Temple. I am as much responsible for what has taken place as Amadan. I never considered that his eagerness to combat the forces of darkness would consume him."

"How could you know?" Dulcea queried. "When Amadan first came to the temple, you were not yet one with the crystal."

"The signs were there. I had seen them in my younger self. Only, I thought that Amadan would be able to grow beyond them as I had."

"Does it really matter?" Tommy interrupted anxiously. "Kim's alive, and we have to get her out of this crystal casing."

"Do you think she's conscious in there?" Kat wondered.

"I hope not," Tanya said, shivering. "It'd be like being buried alive."

"And with her claustrophobia...." Rocky began.

"I don't believe Kim is conscious," Billy remarked. To Xia, he said, "Am I correct in assuming that this is a version of Amadan's stasis spell?"?

"You are correct, William. Kimberly is being held in suspension through the crystal's powers."

"Can you release her?" Tommy asked. Xia was silent for a long while. "Xia?"

"You do not require my aid. The power to free your friend lies within you."

"Within us?" Adam reiterated. None of them knew what to make of the guardian's words.

"Oh, man," Rocky sighed in frustration.

Tommy echoed the sentiment privately and leaned against Kim's froze figure in an attitude of frustration, exhaustion, and exaltation. The icy hand which had clutched his heart since Kim's disappearance had loosened its hold, and the weight which had pressed down on him smotheringly was gone. Part of him wanted to laugh. Kim was alive!

"Hang in there, Beautiful; we'll get you out of there somehow," he promised in a choked whisper, his head dropping forward until it rested against the hard warmth of Kim's crystal-encased brow. Then, to his astonishment, he felt something warm and wet on his cheek--a tear! It trickled down until he tasted its salt on his lips. It was followed by another.... This one splashed onto Kim. Then a third... the tears of grief he could not shed flowed freely now as tears of relief, and Tommy did nothing to check them.

"Tommy?"

At Billy's prompt, Tommy looked up and noticed the others were staring at him with concern and understanding. He composed himself, wiping his eyes, but offered no explanation or apology. Neither was necessary.

"Any ideas?" he queried when he finally found his voice.

"I wish Xia had been a little more forthcoming," Billy began.

"Uh, guys...." Adam gulped suddenly.

"Omigod... look!" Kat gasped, pointing directly behind Tommy.

He spun around to see a shimmering light run down the length of Kim's body just as his tears had coursed down his cheeks. It was followed by a second luminescent streamer, which originated from the exact spot where Tommy's tears had touched Kim's head. Then, the first drop of liquid crystal hit the floor.

"The power of the heart... for all Amadan's skills, he would not have been able to free your friend. The key to this spell lay within you: only one who truly cares can shed tears," Xia murmured, and her tone seemed tinged with pride.

The Rangers watched in joyful amazement as the silicate sloughed off Kim, freeing her. They never heard a sound more wonderful than the ragged breath Kim drew in.

Tommy snapped out of his happy trance as Kim fell forward. He caught her gently and eased her onto the vacant bier, wrapping her in the rosy sheet.

"Billy?" he asked nervously; he didn't like the sound of Kim's breathing.

"She's pretty bad," Billy murmured. "The crystal must have caught her just in the nick of time. Some of these lacerations are deep; the amount of poison in her system must be considerable. We don't have a lot of time."

"The Zeo Crystal has the power not only to destroy but to heal as well," Dulcea interjected. "That power is yours to command as the crystal's champions."

Tommy surrendered his seat at Kim's side to Billy and bounded up the secondary dais. He paused for but a moment at the podium, then he reached out to reclaim the crystal--and their powers. As his hands closed about the diadem, his Zeonizers appeared on his wrists. The same happened to all the other Zeo Rangers.

"All right!" Rocky cheered.

"Should we morph, Tommy?" Kat queried as the five drew together just beyond the bier.

"No," he replied. "We shouldn't break up the power just yet."

"What do we do?" Tanya asked.

"I guess we just concentrate on willing the power into Kimberly." While he received no confirmation from Xia, the idea felt right. Tommy looked to where Billy sat with Kimberly. "Billy, you going to join us?" He extended a hand to the former Blue Ranger.

"Huh?" was all Billy could say.

"We're going to need your help with this, too."

"My help? But I'm not a Zeo Ranger," Billy protested.

"No, but you're Kim's friend; Xia said it was up to us to save her, and I think it'll take all six of us to do this right."

"Tommy is correct," Dulcea remarked. "Healing requires more than mere power; it must be tempered with the emotions of those who care."

"Come on, Billy."

"You know you're still one of us."

"Even Xia said you should have been a Zeo Ranger."

"And you care about Kim as much as any of us."

Billy nodded, too choked up to speak, and he rose to take his place with his teammates.

"For Kim, guys," Tommy murmured and closed his eyes. The others placed their hands on the crystal and also concentrated.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, the crystal began to glow--cool red at first then up through the spectrum to a hot blue-white until at last it was bleached of all color. A sound--the deep bass rumbling of thunder--filled the great hall, the vibrations shaking the temple. At last, a flare of energy shot out from the heart of the gem and plunged into the heart of the young woman so dear to those who fueled the crystal with their love and friendship.

The transference continued until Kim's body was completely enveloped in a fiery nimbus of light not unlike Amadan's silver flames. The energy permeated every part of her body until she seemed to glow by her own power. Luminance grew until Dulcea--the only witness to the crystal's healing--was forced to shield her eyes from the brilliant glare.

Then, as suddenly as the process had begun, it was over. One moment a blinding white light filled the temple, then there was nothing. Dulcea lowered her arm to find Kimberly laying peacefully on the pallet and the Rangers collapsed upon the floor. The crystal itself had resumed its inert state.

"Rangers?" she queried. She held her breath until someone stirred, offering a low moan.

"Oh, my aching head...."

"Did we survive?"

"I hurt too much to be dead."

"Does anyone have some Tylenol?"

"I'd settle for willow bark."

"Kim?"

Tommy pulled himself up from the muddle with no little effort and staggered over to the low slab. He gingerly touched Kim's cheek and looked to her arms. The lacerations were completely gone. With a bit of trepidation, he turned her arm over, and a brilliant smile lit his face as he noticed the scar.

"Back to the way you were before this mess began," he said softly. Even her clothes had been replaced.

"T-Tommy?"

Kim's eyes fluttered open. Tommy felt the others gathering around them as he smiled down into Kim's confused face.

"Where am I?" she stammered. She struggled to rise, and Tommy helped her sit up. Suddenly, she threw her arms around Tommy and hugged him fiercely. "I am so glad to see you! It was awful... being dragged under water by that snake--I think I hit my head or something. I woke up in a cave--Amadan was there; he gave me a torch and told me to stay put. As if! I tried not to let it bother me, but I could feel the walls pressing in on me and could hear the snakes... they were moving all around me! Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and decided to follow one. It was so dark.... I could feel the scales cutting into me whenever one moved past me. The poison started to make me sick, but I kept going until I found myself in this stream that ran right through a wall. I... I don't remember much after that. What happened?"

"It's a long story," Tommy murmured, wrapping her tightly in his arms. "The main thing is, you're all right. We made it to the temple, and we got our powers back."

"And now you must return home," Dulcea reminded them; the portal spell still pulsed in her grasp.

Tommy helped Kim up, and solemnly the seven followed the master warrior to the courtyard before the temple entrance.

"Do not worry, Rangers. Though you will have no memories of anything that transpired here, I shall insure that Zordon knows that you acquitted yourselves well," Dulcea promised.

"If you tell Zordon, won't he be able to tell us what happened?" Adam asked hopefully.

"He will be bound by the rules of the temple; he will not be permitted to tell you anything. I am sorry."

"We won't remember anything?" Kim gasped, looking at Tommy anxiously. He shook his head sadly, and her grip on his hand tightened. "What about us?"

"I don't know, Kim. We'll just have to trust that things'll work out somehow."

"Farewell, Rangers." Dulcea tossed the sphere into the air, and it began to expand.

"Do you have any good lines for the occasion?" Tanya asked of Rocky as the vortex swirled before them. Everyone clasped hands as space and time started to fold around them.

"'Oh Auntie Em, there's no place like home.'"

Chapter Twenty-three: There's No Place Like Home

"How far did you get, Billy?" Kat wondered.

"Have you told her about graduating?"

"About going to Aquitar?"

"About Skull being a concert pianist?"

Tommy sat back, letting the bubbling chatter wash over him without joining in. For a moment, he'd felt slightly disoriented, but the sensation passed. He wished the rest of his nervousness would, too. He just could not keep his eyes off Kimberly; he was trying not to stare, but.... He felt himself frowning as he watched her go through the motions of being animated and cheerful; just like on the medal platform, her apparent joy never touched her eyes. She seemed edgy--almost scared.

What did you expect? This couldn't have been easy for her either.

Tommy wanted to believe that. This sort of reunion wouldn't have been easy for the Kimberly who had kissed him under the mistletoe at Christmas, but then, that Kimberly wouldn't have broken his heart.

He sighed. He had known seeing her again was going to be hard; he just hadn't realized how hard. Not having the heart to join in the conversation and wanting to do more than just watch Kim, Tommy reached for a sandwich, even though he had no appetite. As he did so, he felt the muscles in his abdomen protest. It was the same kind of painful warmth he experienced whenever he pulled a muscle, but he couldn't remember doing anything in his workout earlier. Absently, he ran his hand across his stomach.

Kim took a sip of her drink to hide the fact that she just could not keep on smiling and nodding politely as she tried to absorb the tales of her friends' adventures. She wanted to join in the conversation, but her heart wasn't in it. She just didn't feel like she could, like she didn't belong anymore. As she let the buzz of conversation fade into the background, she felt someone watching her. Glancing up quickly, she noticed Tommy's gaze. He was staring at her pretty intensely and frowning.

Does he know? she wondered. Can he tell how much it hurts me to see him again? She had known it would be difficult to face him. She supposed she should take some comfort from the fact that it was apparently just as difficult for him to see her again. If he had loved her as much as she had thought he had, it wouldn't have been easy. Of course, if he had loved her as much as she loved him, he wouldn't have been going out with Kat behind her back. Although Billy had forewarned her, it was still like a knife in her gut to see them together. To see them sitting so close together, to see the hand Kat placed on Tommy's arm and the shy smile and shining eyes she turned his way.

Why, Tommy? Kim sobbed silently. What did I do wrong? I thought we loved each other! I know we were far apart and if you'd have just talked to me, we could have worked something out. You didn't need to go find someone else behind my back! And not just anyone--you had to pick a friend. Although, I suppose I can't fault your taste; Kat's so nice, intelligent, tall, blonde and beautiful--all the things I'm not.

However, amid Kim's bitter reflections, a new thought pushed to the fore. You're not really being fair to Tommy, you know. You've never heard his side of the story. How do you know he was dating Kat behind your back? All you have is a brief conversation with his father and you know Mr. Oliver isn't always the most reliable source of information on his son. There may be a perfectly innocent explanation for why Tommy was out with Kat.

Kim quickly dismissed that thought. It had to have happened the way she thought; it was the same thing that happened with her folks. It just had to be like that! If not, then....

"Yoo hoo! Kim!" Rocky teased, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Huh?" she muttered, coming out of her trance.

"Are you all right?" Billy queried.

"Yeah, I'm all right. Just tired; it's been a long day," she fibbed.

"It looks like Kim isn't the only one who's gone spacey on us," Kat mused, nodding across the table at Tanya.

"Earth to Tanya," Adam teased, giving her a little shake.

"Excuse me?" she murmured as she blinked and seemed to shake off her thoughts.

"Where'd you go?" Kat asked.

"Sorry. I was trying to remember.... It was something important, but it's fluttering just out of my reach--like a butterfly."

Kim frowned as she noticed the start Billy gave at Tanya's words and his hand went to his right wrist, kneading it absently.

"Okay, who ordered the pizza?" Ernie boomed out. The seven looked up to see a pizza delivery boy standing in the doorway.

"All right! The pizza's here!" Rocky cheered.

"Rocky!" Tanya chided. "Why'd you order a pizza? Ernie provided all the sandwiches."

"A party is not a party without a pizza from Antonio's," he declared, rising to go pay the bill. "You all can pay me back later."

As Rocky bounded off, Kim noticed that Adam seemed unusually fidgety. "Is something wrong, Adam?"

"Naw, I just can't seem to get comfortable," he muttered, tugging at the collar of his t-shirt. "Maybe we should have had a pool party or something."

Kim was inclined to agree. Even though she had worn a light knit top and her skirt was flared, she still felt confined in her clothing. She was sorely tempted to slip her shoes off.

"Okay, everybody, dig in!" Rocky declared, depositing the jumbo pizza on the table. He didn't need any prompting to follow his directive. He sat and down and helped himself to a hefty slice loaded with everything. He scarfed it down with gusto.

"Take it easy," Kat scolded.

"You act like you haven't eaten pizza in months," Adam snorted.

At Adam's words, a chill raced down Kim's spine.

"Kimberly?" Billy queried. "Are you sure you're all right? You're looking awfully pale. Maybe I should have just taken you straight home from the airport."

"No, I'm fine. Really. It was just... I don't know, a weird feeling. I want to be here with you guys. It was really sweet of you to throw a party for me and all," she demurred, helping herself to a slice.

"So where were we on getting Kim caught up?" Rocky queried, seemingly oblivious to the strained pause.

"I think we were up to the Defoliator monster," Adam said helpfully.

"Oh yeah, that one! Gave 'global warming' a whole new meaning."

"Wasn't that the weekend Billy and I took Tommy up to the mountains to go skiing after he got Kim's letter...." Kat began but fumbled over the end of her sentence, seeming to realize what she was about to say.

Kim flashed a pained look at Tommy. His gaze flickered her way briefly then away. Kim tried to look anywhere but at him; however, perversely, her eyes seemed to be locked on Kat and Tommy's entwined fingers.

"Sure was," Rocky confirmed, blissfully unaware of the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the table, "and after that was the time when you and Tommy were trying to go out on your first date together and the cogs kept showing up and... ow! Hey, who kicked me!"

Tanya flashed Rocky a stern look and Adam elbowed him, nodding minutely in Kimberly's direction. She was the picture of misery.

"Oh," he mumbled contritely and busied himself with another slice of pizza.

Kim fought her tears. She refused to cry in front of the others. They hadn't gone on their first date until after Tommy got my letter? That means that he wasn't going out on me.... Oh, God, tell me it's not true! But Kim could almost hear Tommy telling her, "I was hurt when I got your letter and I wasn't looking to replace you, but Kat was really patient with me. She was there for me and she waited until I was ready."

But Tommy had never told her that! They had never spoken at all... not since Christmas; that was part of the problem. It didn't make sense. However, that was secondary to the fact that she knew it to be true. She felt it in her heart. Tommy had never betrayed her. Instead, she had betrayed him. Oh God, I gave him up for nothing! I thought he'd gotten together with Kat, but instead, I pushed him into her arms!

Kim's eyes swept over the table, trying to see what was in her friends' faces--anger, accusation?--but all she found was concern and pity. No doubt for Tommy; it couldn't be for her, not after what she had done.

Into the tense silence, Billy asked, "So, Kim, what will you be doing now that the Games are over?"

She knew what he was trying to do and was grateful for it. "I'll be in town for a week, then I'm heading to Paris to see my mom. I haven't seen her since... Christmas, either."

"Will you stay in Paris then or will you return to Angel Grove?" Tommy queried. It was the first time he had spoken to her since they had sat down.

"I don't know," she answered tiredly. "Coach seems to think there's a good chance I'll be invited to the Olympic trials." Around her, her friends were bursting with excitement at her words.

"All right!"

"Fantastic!"

"The Olympics... wow!"

"You don't look very happy about it," Tommy observed quietly.

Kim sighed heavily, eyeing the medallion that still lay on the table. "I just don't know if I can go through it again."

"Go through what?"

Kim shrugged. "All of it. By myself. Again."

She could tell that no one was sure how to respond to her statement. The awkward moment was disrupted as Skull came skidding past with Bulk, who was dripping with strawberry smoothie, in hot pursuit.

"Take it easy, Bulkie," Skull gulped, trying to keep the table with the teens between him and his best friend. "It was an accident!"

"I hate strawberry--especially when I'm wearing it."

"Bulk!" Kat protested as she leaned away from him. "You're dripping on me!"

"Why don't you go get cleaned up before you kill Skull," Adam recommended.

Rocky and Billy ducked to avoid being hit by Skull's flailing arm. It was Tommy's turn to try and avoid Bulk's sticky countenance.

"Will you guys get out of here," Tanya sighed.

"Here, Skull, distract him with this," Kim recommended tiredly, handing the gum-cracking teen a slice of pizza.

"Great idea! Thank, Kim," Skull sighed, gratefully snatching up the gooey triangle. "Oh, Bulkie, lookie what I have!"

"Huh?"

"Pizza, Bulkie."

"Pizza?"

"Uh huh. With lots of cheese. Promise not to kill me and it's all yours."

For a moment, Bulk looked indecisive; however, his appetite won out in the end.

"Oh, all right," he agreed grudgingly, holding out his hand. Skull handed over the tomatoey slice. "Come on, Skull; let's get out of here. They're going to start the music. Dweebs and dancing...." Bulk shuddered dramatically.

"Right behind you, Bulk!" Flashing Kim another grateful smile, Skull trotted after his friend obediently.

"Nice save," Billy said appreciatively.

"Still, what a waste of a perfectly good piece of pizza," Rocky grumbled.

Kim didn't hear them, the conversation once again fading into the background leaving her alone in an island of silence. She picked up her medal and idly watched it twirl on its colored ribbon as she dangled it above the table. A Pan Global gold medal... almost as prized as Olympic gold; most athletes train their whole lives for one of these. Not her. Sure, she had dreamed of the Pan Globals and the Olympics--what kid didn't? It was sheer luck that Coach Schmidt happened to be in Angel Grove for the district competition. If only he hadn't been....

She felt someone watching her; glancing up, she was surprised to find it was Tommy. In spite of her efforts to keep from crying, she felt moisture gathering in the corners of her eyes. Her fingers trembled and the medal slipped off, clattering loudly to the table, drawing everyone else's eyes to her. She stared numbly at the disk.

"Kim, what's wrong?" Kat asked.

"It wasn't worth it," Kim sighed at last, shaking off the momentary spell.

"What do you mean?" Tanya wondered.

"Do you think Ernie might like to have this to display in the Youth Center?" Kim queried in response, indicating her award.

"Don't you want your medal?" Rocky gasped.

"No."

"Why? If I'd won something like that, you'd have to pry it off of me with a crowbar!"

"It's an awesome achievement, Kim; aren't you happy you won?" Adam asked.

"Do you know what I see when I look at this medal? I don't see something that I won; I see everything that I lost."

"I don't understand," Kat murmured.

"You did make a lot of sacrifices to achieve your dream," Billy interjected softly.

"Yeah and it wasn't worth it. I'd trade this medal in a second for a chance for things to be the way they were," Kim answered bitterly. Suddenly, she couldn't take it anymore and jumped out of her chair. "I-I need some air. Excuse me a minute." However, instead of fleeing to the restroom, she headed out the front doors.

For a moment, no one spoke. They stared after their retreating comrade in shock and surprise.

"What was that all about?" Adam ventured.

"I knew I should have just taken her to my house," Billy muttered at last. "I thought the party might cheer her up--prove to her that we're still her friends...."

"Why would Kim think we weren't her friends?" Kat wondered.

"Tanya was right, guys," Billy said by way of explanation. "There was more to her letter than we all thought. With Aisha gone, no one kept in touch with Kim; she felt like we cut her out of our lives and she wonders what she did to make us turn our backs on her."

"How can she think that? She didn't do anything wrong," Rocky insisted.

"She gave up her powers and went to Florida to chase a dream. She thinks she let the team down by being so selfish."

"That's stupid!"

"That's the way she feels."

"Tommy, didn't you keep in touch with Kim?" Kat queried.

He shrugged as all eyes turned to him. "When she saw me at Christmas she said she might not have a lot of time for letters so she'd call, but she never did."

"Didn't you ever call her?"

"That's when all the stuff happened with Master Vile and everything."

"She called, Tommy," Billy interjected quietly, knowing it to be true without knowing how he knew. "You just never got the messages."

The two regarded each other for a moment. Then, Tommy slid his chair back. "I think it's time Kim and I had a talk." He collected Kim's medal and headed for the door.

"Tommy?" Kat began plaintively, rising as if to follow him.

"Let him go, Kat," Billy advised.

"But...."

"Tommy hasn't been able to move forward with you because Kim is still holding him back," Tanya said gently. "Let him have his answers so he can put this behind him."

Tommy found Kim outside sitting on the curb, her face buried in her hands and her shoulders shaking. The sight made his heart ache; he'd never been able to stand seeing her cry. As he drew nearer, Kim got to her feet, wiping her eyes. She wrapped her arms around herself as if to ward off a chill. She looked so tiny and fragile as she bowed her head, still combating tears. Tommy reached out as if to put a comforting hand on her shoulder then stopped himself. It wasn't his place any longer to....

To hell with that! Whatever else we might have been, Kim's still a friend.

"Kim?" he queried softly, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. She practically jumped out of her skin.

"T-Tommy," she stammered.

He could almost see her trying to blink away the tears. "Something's wrong. You're hurting... we can all see it. We're your friends; we'd like to help, if you'd let us."

"Even you?" Kim sniffled.

"Even me." He smiled gently as he turned her around; if they were going to talk, he didn't want to do it to her back. God, she looked terrified.

"You have no idea how scared I was to see you again," she said in a raspy whisper, as if reading his mind.

"Actually, that pretty much sums up how I felt, too," he confessed.

"I thought you'd hate me for what I did. I thought you'd never even want to see me again and I know I deserved that."

"I don't hate you, Kim; I could never hate you. I admit that for a while I was pretty upset; you really hurt me when you sent that letter. I thought we had something special. Now, I just want to know what happened."

"I thought we had something special, too," she sighed. Tommy found her remark puzzling and watched as she chewed on her lower lip as if trying to summon her courage. "Tell me one thing first. When did you and Kat start dating? Was it really after you got my letter?"

The query took Tommy by surprise. "Of course it was after. I wouldn't have gone out with someone behind your back."

Kim started laughing, but it was a cold, bitter sound that gave way to choked sobs and she had to turn away from him again.

"Kimberly?"

"I did it for nothing!" she gasped.

"I don't understand."

Kim spun around suddenly. "If you weren't sneaking around behind my back, why didn't you ever return my calls?" she demanded.

"I never got the messages," Tommy insisted, desperate for her to know that that was the truth.

"But that doesn't explain why you never called at all! I thought we were going to keep in touch. I tried, but you never did!"

"I know," he admitted guiltily, hanging his head. Surely she could understand that with all the things going on with the Rangers... but that was only an excuse and Tommy knew it. He could have made time for her, so why didn't he? "I'm sorry. When you left after Christmas, I almost couldn't let you go again. I knew I'd miss you when you were gone, but I didn't realize how much. For a while, I lost myself in being a Ranger--to hide from how much it hurt to be without you. I guess I just buried things too far down and forgot for a while that you meant more to me than anything else in the world--being a Ranger included." Tommy smiled at Kim's astounded expression and absently wiped the tears from her cheek.

"Would you tell me something?" he queried after a moment's pause.

"Sure."

"When did you and Todd get together? Was it after you sent the letter?"

Kim drew in a deep breath. "Not quite. Todd was just a friend; when I couldn't get through to you and all, he noticed I was upset and offered me a shoulder to lean on. That's all. There really wasn't anything between us... at least, not until after I talked to your dad and had my worst fears confirmed--or so I thought. Once I thought I had lost you, it just became easier and easier to turn to Todd for comfort...." Words failed her at this point and she had to look away.

Tommy felt a sickening knot in the pit of his stomach. "So, when you sent that letter, you thought I was already with Kat."

"Uh huh. I thought you just didn't know how to tell me or something and Todd advised me to do something and not just let things remain unresolved. I figured if you were happy, I wouldn't stand in your way and Todd was there for me...."

"Kim, did you really want to break up with me? Did you fall out of love with me?" he asked oh-so-seriously. His gaze held hers imploringly; she didn't look away as she answered.

"No."

Looking into those doe-brown depths that glistened with tears was like looking into her soul and he could almost hear her saying, "I loved you! I wanted to die when I sent you that letter... I think, maybe, part of me did." He knew she was telling the truth.

"Oh God, Kim, I thought... man! if I'd have just called once--even after I got that stupid letter...!"

"I guess we both messed up," Kim murmured, smiling wanly.

"I shouldn't have taken you for granted...." Tommy began.

"...and I should have trusted you more," she concluded.

Tommy noticed Kim's sudden look of puzzlement; it mirrored his own. Those words sounded very familiar. Actually, the whole conversation had a ring of familiarity to it. However, he shook the feeling off. "I guess I can't really blame you for not trusting me. After all, what with the way your parents' divorce came about and my dad certainly didn't help matters any by telling you only half the story when you called...."

The words died on his lips. Where had that stuff about her parents' divorce come from? Kim hadn't said anything to him, but he had heard it somewhere--from Billy! But, how would Billy have known and when would he have told him? They hadn't had time to talk since Kim arrived.

"I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so quickly," Kim added with a heartfelt sigh. Tommy hadn't realized they were holding hands until Kim let go, turning away from him. "I wish I'd never have seen that stupid article about Coach in the paper! If I hadn't been so stupid and selfish and run off to Florida to chase a dream...."

"You weren't being stupid or selfish," Tommy assured her, stepping around to face her again. He pulled her medal out of his back pocket. They both stared at it. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to chase a dream. Heck, if I'd been offered a chance to go to the Pan Globals or the Olympics...."

"You'd have agonized over whether to leave the team or not...."

"...just like you. And just like you, my friends would have had to convince me to go and I would have worked my butt off to bring home a medal and make all of you proud." Tommy placed the medal around her neck. "We are proud of you, you know. You didn't let us down; your dream became our dream, too. We wanted you to win just as much as you wanted to and you did."

"Thanks, Tommy," she choked out, getting misty-eyed as she looked at the medallion. Rather impulsively, Tommy placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah, I guess. So, um, what happens now?" Kim wondered.

"What do you want to happen?"

"I don't know. I know things can't be like they used to... you have Kat--you guys make a gorgeous couple and I hope you're happy together--and I'll be going to Paris soon. I doubt my mother will let me out of her sight again.... Do you think, maybe, we could still be friends?"

"We never stopped as far as I'm concerned," Tommy answered, pulling her into a hug. They stood together in each other's arms for a long, long while. Kim finally broke the embrace.

"I bet the others are wondering where we've gotten to," she murmured, brushing the last of her tears away.

"I'm surprised Rocky hasn't come looking for us yet," Tommy agreed. "You ready?"

"Yeah, I want to go fix my make-up first before I go back to the table," she said as they started back to the door.

"I'll meet you there."

As they parted in the doorway, Tommy gave her hand a squeeze. When he glanced back at the table, he noticed the other five watching them. He offered them a half-hearted smile and did his best to compose himself as he rejoined them.

"Is everything all right?" Billy wondered.

"Yeah, Kim just wants to fix her mascara," he replied as he took his seat. He wasn't quite ready to fill them in yet. There were still a lot of things he needed to get straight in his own mind first.

The five friends exchanged puzzled glances but respected Tommy's silence. Kat reached out as if to lay a comforting hand on Tommy's shoulder, but his whole demeanor seemed to discourage the contact. That he was shutting her out hurt Kat. She and Tanya traded glances across the table; Tanya shrugged helplessly. The others attempted to resume their conversation, made all the more difficult because of the music. Kim had yet to return from the restroom and Tommy seemed to be withdrawing into himself, absently toying with his straw. This roused Kat's sense of outrage. She hadn't spent the last several months painstakingly drawing Tommy out his last round of depression just so he could slip back!

"Tommy, would you care to dance?" she queried, unable to stand his silence any longer.

"Sure," Tommy agreed robotically. Although he tried hard to hide it, Kat caught his surreptitious glance towards the locker rooms.

For a while the two simply swayed to the music, but neither was able to relax in the other's arms.

"Did you get your answers?" Kat asked after awhile.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I did. We had a good talk; I understand what happened now. We agreed to stay friends," was his listless reply.

"It was all a mistake, wasn't it. She never wanted to let you go, did she?" Kat asked.

"How did you know?"

"Billy told us what happened."

"Oh."

Tommy's back was to the door when Kim reentered the Youth Center. Kat saw her glance their way and noticed the brave front Kim tried to assume as she started towards the table.

"You still love her, don't you," Kat said at last, almost unable to get the words out.

"Huh?"

"Kim. You're still in love with her, aren't you."

Tommy blushed as he tried to find his voice. Kat's eyes were tearing as he finally looked at her. Her answer was in his pained expression, but she needed to hear him say it. She needed to make him say it. "Yeah, I guess I am. I'm sorry, Kat."

"Don't be. I think I've always known that you were. I just hoped that maybe...."

"But it doesn't really matter," Tommy hastened to say. "She and I can't go back to the way things used to be. She has Todd now...."

Kat blinked in surprise. Why hadn't Kim told Tommy that she and Todd weren't together? "What did Kim have to say about us?"

"She told me that she thought you and I made a good couple and that she hoped we'd be happy."

Again, Kat wondered why. Billy had told them that Kim had mistakenly concluded that Tommy had left her for herself, so why would she want them to be happy? Because she loves him so much, she realized. Deep down, Kat knew that Kim would do anything for Tommy--even give her life for him. If he was happy with someone else, she would let him go. It was Kim's nature. After all, hadn't Kim forgiven her for trying to hurt her and stealing her powers while she had been under Rita's spell? Kim had given her a chance to redeem herself when she asked her to take her powers and become the new Pink Ranger.

Kat lowered her head to Tommy's shoulder. She knew what she needed to do. Kim and Tommy were both her friends and both were utterly miserable without the other. The question was, could she do it? Could she give them the second chance they deserved?

"Kat, is something wrong?" Tommy queried and Kat realized he could tell that she was trembling.

"Tommy, Kim doesn't have Todd," Kat said softly.

"What?" He stopped moving and pulled back to look at her, his face filled with astonishment. Kat bravely held her emotions in check and met his eyes.

"Todd had a fiancée back home he never told Kim about. He never intended their relationship to last beyond the Games."

"Why didn't she tell me?" Tommy queried anquishedly and the hope Kat saw flash in his eyes made her heart ache.

"Because she loves you," Kat replied, raising a hand to touch his cheek. "She thinks we're happy together and doesn't want either of us to be hurt. The thing is, we aren't happy together--are we?" Tommy ducked his head guiltily. "Go to her, Tommy."

"Kat?"

"Tell her you love her and give her a second chance."

"I don't understand. What about us? I thought you...."

"I thought so, too, but it just isn't meant to be, Tommy. If we stay together, you'll always wonder and I'll always worry... we'll just wind up being miserable and hurting each other."

"I-I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything." Although it hurt, Kat knew she had done the right thing; she could tell by the joy that shone in Tommy's eyes. She had never made him so happy in all the time they'd been dating.

"Thank you," Tommy murmured, his voice laden with emotion as he hugged Kat and kissed her on the cheek.

"Go," she whispered hoarsely and shoved him towards Kim.

~*~

Kim stared at her reflection in the mirror and wiped at the mascara smudges.

Come on! You have to get a grip on yourself, she told herself sternly. She realized she didn't have her purse with her, so she couldn't reapply her make-up. Then, without really thinking, she turned on the water and scrubbed off the rest of her cosmetics. She never wore a lot of make-up, but for some reason the little bit she had on felt as if it had been caked on like grease paint.

Better, she decided once her face was clean. Her smile faltered. You can't hide in here all night; your friends are waiting. Yes, they were still her friends. If Tommy was willing to be, then she could believe it of the others as well. Thus fortified, she decided to brave the Youth Center once again.

Outside the restroom, Kim found herself surrounded by well-wishers and, surprisingly, autograph-seekers. It only just occurred to her that for the time being she was something of a celebrity. I sure don't feel like one, though.

She smiled and posed for pictures and signed until she was finally able to make her polite excuses and head back towards the table. She glanced over and caught Billy's eyes. Her smile held a little more warmth than before and Billy looked relieved. Then Kim noted that neither Tommy nor Kat were at the table. She glanced out at the dance floor and found them swaying together. Her smile wavered.

What did you expect? You're going to have to get used to seeing them together.

Kim happened to catch Kat's glance--briefly--and she hoped she conveyed her happiness for the two in the small grin and dip of the head she managed. Kat looked away, resting her head on Tommy's shoulder.

They really do make a striking couple, Kim sighed. She would have to have a talk with Kat to let her know that she had nothing to worry about. After all, it had been her choice to let Tommy go rather than fight for him. She didn't want to cause trouble for Kat and Tommy. That was why she hadn't told him the truth about her nonexistent relationship with Todd. I don't have the right to interfere.

"So, guys, did you save anything for me, or did Rocky eat it all?" she quipped jauntily as she reached for her chair.

"I resemble that remark!" Rocky snorted around a mouthful of food.

"Kim! Wait... can I talk to you for a second?" Tommy called out breathlessly as he dashed toward the table.

Kim halted as she was halfway into her seat; she found Tommy's whole demeanor puzzling: shining eyes, flushed cheeks and a smile that radiated warmth, tenderness, love and hope. It was a smile she knew all too well. She glanced over at Billy who shrugged, as mystified as she was.

"S-sure," she agreed and Tommy grabbed her hand and towed her over to a quiet corner. "What is it?"

To her surprise, Tommy pulled her close and kissed her heatedly, as if their break-up had never occurred and he was simply reuniting with her, his months of pent-up emotions just waiting to break free. For a moment, Kim allowed herself to be swept away by her own repressed love for him. Tommy's mouth on hers felt so wonderful! She had missed his kisses so much...! Then, she remembered herself and their situation. She pushed herself away.

"What are you doing?" she gasped. Tommy's hands fell away from her body only to reach up to cup her face, tilting it upwards so that she was looking into his all-but-glowing face.

"Kim, I love you," Tommy said. "I don't care about what you thought about me and Kat; I don't care about what happened with Todd. You never stopped loving me and I never stopped loving you. That's all that matters."

"T-Tommy?" she stammered, her mind and feelings in a whirl over his declaration. He still loves me?

"We can be together again, if you really want to. Please say that you want to."

Kim felt tears threatening; her heart swelled with joy. Was this really happening? She found herself needing to look away from him, lest she completely lose herself in the depth of his shining eyes. Then, she saw Kat standing forlornly on the dance floor.

"W-what about Kat?" she stammered, trying to get her bearings. "I thought you and she were... you didn't...?"

"I didn't. She did."

Kim's eyes went wide with amazement and she flashed another glance towards the dance floor. Kat seemed to understand the question in her eyes for she nodded and smiled as if giving her blessing. Tears crept into the corners of Kim's eyes as she turned back to Tommy. "But why?"

"She could see even better than I could that it was you I loved and would always love."

Kim didn't know what to say or do. The pledge of Tommy's friendship had been more than she had expected, but this was beyond her wildest dreams.

"Tommy, are you sure?" she asked hesitantly, biting at her lip.

"I've never been more certain of anything," he replied soberly, though the smile never left his lips or his eyes. He gazed at her intently. "Kimberly, do you love me?"

There was room for nothing but honesty under that soul-piercing gaze. "Always."

"Then what else is there?"

With a choked, joyous cry, Kim flung her arms around Tommy and kissed him passionately--the way she had always longed to kiss him.

"What in the world...?" Billy gasped as the four at the table watched the former couple embrace.

"It looks like they're back together again," Rocky murmured.

"How could Tommy do that!" Adam fumed. His gaze traveled from the entwined lovers to where a tearful Kat was fleeing the dance floor. "I hated to see him and Kim apart, but he didn't need to hurt Kat like that!" He had risen out of his seat slightly as if to charge after Tommy and demand an explanation.

"Easy does it, Adam," Tanya cautioned, placing a hand on his arm. "Before any of us go jumping to conclusions, I'll go see if Kat will tell me what's wrong. If Tommy did hurt her, you can go pummel him with my blessing."

Adam acquiesced with a nod and Tanya hurried after her best friend. She caught up with her in the restroom. Kat was seated on the bench just inside the doorway.

"Are you all right?" Tanya queried.

"I will be," Kat sniffled, trying to wipe her eyes.

"What happened? Did Tommy break up with you?"

"No."

"No? I don't get it. Why is he with Kim then?"

"I let him go," Kat sighed and the rest of her explanation followed in a rush. "I had to, Tanya. He was never really in love with me; he never stopped loving Kimberly. If I hadn't let him go, I'd have wound up hurting him as much as Kimberly had. I couldn't do that."

"You did the right thing," Tanya assured her with a hug.

"I know, but it still hurts." Kat rested her head on Tanya's shoulder.

"The pain will pass in time," Tanya murmured, stroking Kat's hair.

"I hope so."

"Kat?"

Both girls looked up at the timid query. Kimberly stood nervously before them.

"Hey, Kim," Kat managed.

"I just wanted to thank you. Y-you didn't have to do that," Kim said, wringing her hands anxiously.

"Yes, I did," Kat said quietly. Suddenly, Kim threw her arms around Kat's neck, hugging her fiercely.

"I don't know what I did to deserve a friend like you," she choked out around a sniffle.

"You gave me a second chance when I needed one; I'm just returning the favor," Kat replied, hugging Kim back. They clung to each other until they both regained their composure.

"I--um--thought I should let someone know. Tommy and I are gonna take a walk; we still have a lot to talk about and stuff," Kim reported awkwardly.

"Good luck, you two," Tanya interjected.

"Thanks."

"Promise me one thing, Kim," Kat said.

"Anything."

"Don't ever hurt Tommy again."

"Never again."

After Kim departed, Tanya pushed herself up from the bench. "I'd better get back to the table and let the guys know what happened before Adam goes and slugs Tommy."

"Why would Adam do a thing like that?" Kat wondered.

"He thinks Tommy dumped you."

"That's no reason for him to hit Tommy."

"He just doesn't like to see you hurt," Tanya replied with a knowing smile.

"That's really sweet, but why would he be so concerned for me?"

"He's concerned because you're his friend and he cares a lot about you."

"But I thought you and he were...."

"No, we're not. We're just really close friends."

"Oh."

Tanya's grin broadened. She had said enough for now, but later, when Kat wasn't hurting so much.... "Why don't you take a few more minutes and I'll meet you back at the table."

"Okay."

"Tommy and Kim left for a walk," Rocky reported when Tanya returned to the table.

"I know. Kim told us."

"So...?" Adam prompted anxiously.

"It's legit. Kat let him go," she announced and she explained Kat's reasoning.

"A wise and difficult decision," Billy concluded. "Tommy couldn't have loved Kat the way he loved Kim; the conditions that created the bond between him and Kimberly did not exist for him and Kat."

"This from a man who's never had a steady girlfriend," Rocky teased.

"And you've had significantly more luck when it comes to relationships with members of the opposite gender?" Billy shot back and Rocky shut up.

"Billy's right," Tanya interjected. "Kat knows she did the right thing, but it's going to take some time for the hurt to pass. We can't let her dwell on her pain." She looked pointedly at Adam, who gulped nervously.

"Tanya, she's not going to be looking for anyone to replace Tommy right away," he mumbled.

"I'm not suggesting that, but we are her friends and it wouldn't hurt to show her that we care and that we're there for her."

"After all, this is a party; we can't let her sit around here and be miserable, can we?" Rocky chimed in.

Adam scowled at him. "What did you have in mind?"

"It would not be inappropriate for you to ask her to dance," Billy recommended.

"Why me?" The three just looked at him and Adam's shoulders sagged in defeat. "Am I that obvious?"

Rocky was about to offer a glib retort when his eye caught someone across the room: Elizabeth. His good humor swiftly vanished.

"If I have to dance with Kat, you have to talk to Elizabeth," Adam challenged.

"No way. Remember, she dumped me," Rocky muttered sourly.

"Rocky, do you really care for Elizabeth?" Tanya queried. She gave him her best no-nonsense glare. He sighed defeatedly.

"I think so," he replied.

"Then talk to her. Ask her about the letter. Don't make the same mistake Tommy and Kimberly made," Billy recommended.

"I don't know what to say to her," Rocky protested.

"Just be yourself and tell her the truth," Adam suggested.

"I know you get nervous when you get close to a girl, but don't give in to the urge to hide behind a joke," Tanya advised. "That's why Elizabeth broke up with you in the first place."

Rocky blinked, startled. "How'd you know...?"

"I'm not sure, but it's the truth, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Just tell her the truth and if she can't accept the truth then she isn't the one for you."

"All right, all right." As Rocky abandoned his seat, he turned back to Adam. "Just remember to hold up your end of the deal."

"Where's Rocky off to?" Kat queried as she arrived at the table just as Rocky left.

"To try and work things out with Elizabeth," Billy answered.

"Ow!" Adam winced as Tanya kicked him under the table.

"Are you all right, Adam?" Kat wondered.

"Yeah, I just bumped my shin against the table leg," he fibbed. "Say, Kat--um--would you, maybe, like to dance?"

"Thanks, Adam, but...."

"Oh, go on, Kat; after all, they're playing one of your favorite songs," Tanya slipped in oh-so-helpfully.

"Well...."

"Why don't you and Adam go on and Tanya and I will join you shortly," Billy added, to the astonishment of everyone.

"Okay," Kat agreed and she accepted the shyly offered hand Adam extended to her. Neither said a word as they awkwardly positioned their hands and arms about each other. For a few moments they rocked together in silence.

"Oh, look," Kat piped up after a few moments.

"What?" Adam asked, turning to follow her gaze. The move put them cheek to cheek.

"Rocky and Elizabeth are dancing."

"That's great! I'm glad they were able to work things out." Adam's enthusiasm was unfeigned.

"Yeah, it is," Kat responded dispiritedly.

Adam didn't know what to say, so the two resumed their silently swaying. Near the song's end, he finally worked up the courage to say what was on his mind. "Kat, Tanya told us what you did for Tommy and Kim and I just wanted to tell that I think that was the bravest thing I've ever heard of."

"Really?"

"Yes. I know you're hurting now and all, but just remember, there's someone out there who would like nothing better than to make you happy--someone who wants to love you the way you deserved to be loved." Adam frowned, wondering where those words had come from; it was as if he had heard them before.

"Adam, that's beautiful," Kat murmured; smiling, she gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you."

Blushing, Adam held her a little closer as the next song began to play.

~*~

"'Tanya and I will join you shortly?'" Tanya reiterated as the pair watched Adam and Kat wander off. "I don't recall you asking me to dance."

"It was all I could think of to help the situation along," Billy confessed with a sheepish shrug. "It worked, didn't it?"

"That it did," Tanya agreed, smiling as she observed the pair. "You know, I think everything's going to work out just fine."

"So, would you care to dance?" Billy queried.

Tanya's eyebrows shot up. "I didn't think you liked dancing."

"Not usually, but this is a celebration--although, the guest of honor is no longer present--and us single persons have to stick together."

"Now, where have I heard that before!" Tanya laughed.

"It does seem vaguely familiar now that you mention it," Billy agreed, frowning.

"I'd love to dance," Tanya accepted and the two rose from their seats as Ernie came by to collect the seven's empty glasses.

"Billy, did I miss something?" Ernie queried, shaking his head in befuddlement. "Kim and Tommy go off together. Kat and Adam are dancing...."

"Don't worry, Ernie," Billy said reassuringly. "Things have simply reverted to the way they were meant to be."

Epilogue: Meant to Be

Kim and Tommy left the Youth Center and headed for the park. Hand in hand, they strolled in the moonlight hardly speaking; it was enough that they were together. They made their way through the gardens to the bend by the pond. Kim felt her heart beat faster. This was where Tommy first kissed her--first asked her out. It was where Tommy always brought her when he was feeling romantic.

Suddenly, Kim found herself swept off her feet. Tommy lifted her in the air and spun her around. Both laughed for the sheer joy of being together again.

"I just can't believe you're back!" Tommy declared happily, crushing her in an exuberant hug. When Kim pulled back to catch her breath, Tommy softly brushed his fingers in wonderment across her face and hair. "It's like the last few months have been a nightmare, and I've finally woken up."

"I know," she agreed, her voice husky. Diamond-like tears gathered in her eyes.

"Hey, I thought we said no more tears," Tommy murmured, wiping the moisture away.

"It's just that I can't believe you can forgive me so easily. If you hurt half as much as I did--and I felt like I ripped my heart out!--you have every right to hate me."

Tommy silenced her by putting a finger to her lips. "You made a mistake--we both did. If I hadn't given you a reason to doubt, you would never have done what you did. We just have to learn from our mistakes so we'll never hurt each other like that again."

"Never," Kim promised knowing she would never doubt Tommy's love for her again.

"Besides, I had to forgive you. It was the only way for us to be together again. I love you."

"And I love you."

Their lips met in an affectionate press, but feelings neither realized were there bubbled to the surface, swiftly overwhelming them. The kiss deepened as passions surged forth. Their embrace tightened as tongues probed mouths in a fiery dance. Hands roamed with frantic need--and an unexpected sureness.

"T-Tommy?" Kim gasped as his mouth trailed off hers, leaving a burning wetness in its wake as he kissed his way down her throat. "What's happening... here...?"

The almost-panic in Kim's tone brought Tommy up short as if he, too, just realized what they had been doing.

"I don't know," he gulped, trying to catch his breath. The two stepped apart nervously.

"We've never kissed like that before," Kim stammered. Although, there had been many a time when she had wished they had. She shivered with the memory of his mouth hot against hers and the feel of his strong hands caressing her. Her whole body was a-tingle with the excitement of Tommy's touch. The reality was every bit as thrilling as she had imagined. Kim recalled how reluctant she had always been to let go; the fear-mixed-with-excitement had been enough to paralyze her. However, the tiny taste of what passion could be was intoxicating and had her thirsting for more.

"Yet it seemed like we'd been kissing that way forever," Tommy continued, shaking Kim from the warmth of her musings. "It's weird, I know, but...."

"I felt like that, too," Kim replied. The sense of familiarity in what they had done was uncanny.

"So, what do we do about it?"

"I don't know."

Confused and excited, the reunited couple wandered over to a park bench.

"Would you like to try again?" Tommy ventured awkwardly. "To see what happens?"

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

They came together--softly--a second time, but the fire of desire flared much more quickly this time. Kim moved her hands between their bodies, her fingers tugging at the buttons on Tommy's shirt. She practically purred upon discovering his bare chest underneath. A shudder raced through her as her hands glossed over the smooth, hard expanse. She felt Tommy's moan deep in his chest as her fingers teased the tiny nubs of his nipples.

Tommy's hands weren't idle either. As his mouth descended to the curve of Kim's throat, his hands slid under her pink knit top and up to the curve of her breasts. His thumbs lightly massaged the soft swells through her lacy bra until her own nipples were taut with anticipation. Then, his hands settled on the swell of her behind, scooping her up and shifting her onto his lap. Kim leaned back into his supporting arm as his mouth continued moving lower. Her fingers played with the pearlized buttons of her garment until she parted the eyelet fabric in invitation--which Tommy eagerly accepted.

"Ohh...." Kim sighed as Tommy's full lips moved across her delicate flesh. He seemed to know just where to touch her to make her feel the most incredible sensations.... "Tommy?" she asked suddenly.

"Hm?" His mouth continued down to the gentle swell of her breasts.

"H-have you ever done this before?" Kim gasped. It felt so good...! Why did she care whether he had ever done this or not?

Her query made Tommy pause. "This...? Oh, you mean what we're...?"

"Uh huh."

"No." He favored her with a shy smile. "This is my first time."

"Then how do you know what to do?"

"I don't."

"You could have fooled me. I've never felt anything so wonderful before."

"You mean you haven't... either?"

"Uh uh... but it's weird. It's like I know what to do--not just in general, but for you." Kim threaded her arms around Tommy's neck and leaned in close, her hips rocking against his most delightfully, causing her to offer a tiny gasp. "Like, I know if I nibble on your earlobe...." Her tongue flicked out to tickle the soft flesh, and Tommy groaned deeply as she took a small nip.

"Just like I know that you'll turn into a quivering pile of Jell-O if I do this...." Tommy ran his tongue across the underside of her right arm. Kim shivered at the burning racing through her veins.

A slight breeze blew across the pond, giving the neophyte lovers cold chills. Kim leaned into Tommy's arms, pressing her cheek against his bared chest. She smiled as she listened to the pounding of his heart. Her own seemed to be hammering just as strongly. She couldn't believe what she was doing: her shirt unbuttoned, her skirt bunched around her waist as she straddled Tommy's lap.... She bit her lower lip indecisively. She was confused, excited and scared all at once. The sensations carrying her away were too powerful; she couldn't control them, and yet, she didn't want to stop. Sure, she was a little unnerved by it all, but it felt so good...! Once she thought she wanted to wait, but now.... She wondered if Tommy felt the same way. He did--if the hardness pressing between her legs was any indication.

Kim shifted a bit, trying to get more comfortable; she felt the ridge of Tommy's arousal rub against the thin lace of her panties, teasing her sex. The fire that simple movement created caused her to moan ever-so-slightly. She moved about again. Bigger tingles this time--huge, fiery bolts of excitement that exploded from the core of her being and raced outward to the rest of her body. She snuck a quick peek at Tommy. His eyes were closed; he seemed to be enjoying what she was doing as much as she was. His grip on her behind remained steady as she continued rocking her hips. She grabbed hold of his shirt to brace herself and let herself go.

Tiny moans, needy whimpers, and gasps of excitement passed over her lips as Kim ground herself against Tommy's hardness. She was completely lost in the pleasure surging through her body. She knew what she was building to, and never had it been so powerful. She was close. Tommy could feel it, too. Leaving one hand on her bottom, he slid the other up her back, holding her closer, and when the fiery explosion hit, Tommy's mouth closed over hers, swallowing her cries of joy.

The kiss lingered as Kim slowly slipped away from the heights of ecstasy. She didn't want to break off the sweet meeting of mouths... didn't want the moment to end. However, they had to breathe sometime. As Kim reluctantly pulled away, her eyes finally flickered open, and for a moment she glimpsed an image of Tommy bending over her, his hair falling loose about his face. He was smiling. She could almost feel the warmth and strength of his naked body pressed against hers and the cool grass beneath her; she could see the brilliant jewel-blue sky above. Then, she blinked, and the fleeting vision was gone, but it left a nagging sense of... something. As Kim's eyes focused on Tommy anew, she noticed that he was regarding her with a look that was a mixture of surprise, amusement, and hopeful excitement--very much the way he had looked at her when she admitted to him on that long ago afternoon that she had missed him.

"Kim?" he began, his tone full of astonishment. "Did you just do what I think you did?"

Kim blushed; the urge to look away was strong, but she held his gaze. "Yes."

His smile brightened. "That was amazing. You looked so... wow!" His hands resumed moving softly over her still-quivering body. "You are just so beautiful...."

There was something he was wanting to say; Kim could sense it, but words seemed to fail Tommy. "What is it?"

"I know we should take things slow right now... and I know how we talked about waiting--way back when, but... oh, man, Kim! Right now, all I want to do is lay you down on the grass, peel off your clothes, and make love to you," Tommy confessed, his eyes searching hers imploringly.

Kim's heart surged with joy, and she smiled up at Tommy. She knew they probably shouldn't, but.... "I'd like nothing better than to make love with you," she murmured. Tommy scooped her into a heated embrace, his tongue insistently probing for hers; however, Kim pushed him back. "But not here. While I like the park as much as you, I'd rather we went some place a little more private."

"There's no one around," Tommy pointed out, grinning mischievously.

"I know, but I just can't shake the feeling that someone is watching." She shivered involuntarily.

"Well, it is a little cool," Tommy acquiesced. "But where? We can't go to my house; my folks are home."

"If Billy hadn't canceled my hotel reservation, we could have gone there," Kim sighed.

"We could always try and get a room...."

"That sounds so... cheesy," Kim remarked, wrinkling her nose.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. If Billy canceled your reservation, where are you staying?"

"In the guest room at his house. We could always go there."

"What about Mr. Cranston?"

"Billy said he was going to the symphony tonight and wouldn't be home until late."

"But Billy won't be out all night. With you gone from the party, he's not liable to stay all that long," Tommy pointed out. He stroked Kim's cheek. "I don't want to rush through this; I want our first time to be something special."

"I know, that's why I don't want to fool around in the backseat of your 4 x 4," Kim teased. "I think it'll be all right."

"Will we even be able to get in?"

"Billy gave me his spare key," Kim announced, holding up the little treasure that had been in her pocket all evening.

"If you're sure...."

"I've never been more sure of anything."

~*~

Tommy's hands weren't idle either. As his mouth descended to the curve of Kim's throat, his hands slid under her pink knit top and up to the curve of her breasts. His thumbs lightly massaged the soft swells through her lacy bra until her own nipples were taut with anticipation. Then, his hands settled on the swell of her behind, scooping her up and shifting her onto his lap.

"I trust you have had your answer," Zordon murmured, his tone rather discomfited.

The image in the viewing globe shifted to that of Dulcea in Amadan's former antechamber. She had contacted Zordon in order to inform him of events at the Temple.

"I expected a reconciliation between Kimberly and Tommy, but not this quickly," Dulcea admitted.

"The bond between them has always been exceptionally strong," the Rangers' mentor continued, his discomfort in discussing the topic so painfully obvious that Dulcea laughed.

"What is the matter, my friend?"

"While I am as overjoyed with Kimberly and Tommy's reunion as any of the other Rangers, I would have preferred learning of it from them--without invading their privacy."

"Being trapped in your timewarp has made you rather conservative," Dulcea teased. "I can recall the days when you were as frisky as your proteges. There was a certain incident when you used the viewing globe to find me in my bath.... Why, Zordon, I do believe you are blushing!"

"We were little more than children ourselves in those days," he replied, embarrassment making his tone gruff; however, there was a note of nostalgia there as well. It had been a very long time since the days when he had simply been a man.

"Hardly children. We had both lost mates and families by the time we came to serve in the temple," Dulcea sighed heavily.

"Why so concerned about Kimberly and Tommy's relationship?" Zordon wondered. "I could understand your concern about the Rangers' safe return and wanting me to know about Amadan's actions against them, but why such an interest...?"

Dulcea shrugged. "Xia seemed to think it important." She regarded Zordon's expression with interest. "What troubles you?"

"Amadan," he confessed with a sigh. "I have a difficult time accepting that he would become so consumed with his obsession."

"He had changed greatly from the man we called friend in our younger days," Dulcea admitted sadly.

"Did he not realize that the next champions would have fallen under his jurisdiction? That each keeper was to have the honor of mentoring the Zeo champions?"

"Apparently, he could see nothing but his own perceived failures. I tried to counsel him, but he would not listen. I could but watch as his madness claimed him."

"Do you think he will learn Xia's lessons on Kel-Theteme? As I recall, he may have enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh as much as anyone, but he always scorned the pleasures of the heart."

"I believe he shall. Never has Amadan had to contend with soul-bonded Rangers. If anyone can teach him that the joining of hearts is a strength and not a weakness, it is Tarjiji and Aryssta. Although, now that he has been humbled, I believe Kimberly and Tommy could teach him as much."

Silence fell over the pair. All that needed to be said had been, but both were reluctant to sever their contact. It had been far too long since they had last spoken, and at one time there had been much between them.

"Your Rangers have acquitted themselves well; you should be proud of them," Dulcea murmured awkwardly. Both she and Zordon knew that small talk was not her forte; she had always been a woman of action.

"I am, and I must thank you for aiding the Rangers in my stead."

"It was an honor to work with such worthy champions."

"It is a shame that they can never know what they have done. That Xia should appear to them...."

"She felt likewise, my friend. Xia seemed very impressed with the crystal's chosen; if there had been a way for her to preserve the Rangers' memories...."

"Oh, they will remember... and sooner than you think."

To both keepers' immense surprise, the Zeo crystal in its housing began to glow. It flashed brilliantly, and in the fading luminance the image of Xia the scholar took shape.

"Lady Xia, it is an honor," Zordon greeted her.

"It has indeed been a long time, Zordon of Eltar. It is good to see you again as well, Ninjetti priestess."

"How is this possible? Did you not tell the Rangers that you cannot appear outside the crystal when the powers are active within the champions?" Dulcea wondered.

"For the moment, the powers are at rest, and I do not think they will be called upon any time in the immediate future," Xia said with a knowing smile.

"What did you mean when you said, 'they will remember?'" Zordon queried. "Once one passes through the dimensional portal, the enchantment removes one's memories. It is for this reason that the keepers are allowed access without using the portal."

"True, the exit spell wipes the memories, but it cannot erase what is not there."

"You removed the Rangers' memories prior to them entering the portal?" Dulcea queried.

"Their memories have not been removed, merely submerged. When you activated the portal spell, Dulcea, you also activated a second bit of enchantment. The moment the Rangers stepped into the vortex, their memories were buried so deeply that the exit spell could not find them to remove them."

"Then the Rangers' subconscious recollections--their feelings of deja vu--are a result of the repressed memories."

"It is as William assured Dulcea: they would remember on some level. This is the foundation upon which the spell was built. Even without the blocked memories, they would still be experiencing this deja vu. However, simply telling the Rangers the truth will not restore their memories. They will not regain their conscious recollections until the proper physio-emotional connections are restored."

"Physio-emotional connections?"

"The Rangers formed specific physical and emotional bonds during their journey--bonds which may or may not have evolved without Amadan's influence: physio-emotional ties between Kimberly and Thomas and Adam and Katherine, as well as purely physical ties between Kimberly and William, William and Tanya, Tanya and Katherine, and so on."

"Many of these pairings may not come about without the conditions of the adventure," Dulcea pointed out. "So, the Rangers who do not bond in this fashion will not regain their memories."

"However, Kimberly and Tommy have reconnected," Zordon said. "Once they have regained their memories, they are certain to try and restore the others'."

"I assumed as much," Xia replied. "However, the bonding I was most concerned about was Kimberly and Thomas'. That is why they are the keys to the restoration of the other Rangers' memories. Their bonding was the only one that existed prior to Master Vile altering the time stream. That it be restored without further interference is of great importance to the integrity of the timestream."

"The love of two teenagers matters that much?" Dulcea questioned dubiously.

"Not merely two teenagers but two who were chosen to wield great powers."

"Do the relationships of the others not matter then?" Zordon queried.

"That remains to be seen. Thanks to Master Vile, two who should have held the Zeo powers did not, and two became Rangers before their time. In the case of Adam and Katherine, their meeting also happened before its time. Perhaps they are destined to stay together or perhaps their destinies lie with other partners. I have been unable to properly chart the timestream's new course, so at the present, I do not know the ramifications of their bonding."

"As Kimberly and Tommy have reestablished their emotional relationship, should that not be sufficient to...?"

"No, the block is a physical entity and requires a physical release. Kimberly and Thomas must fully consummate their bond to free their memories--anything less than full intercourse will leave them in an even more pronounced state of deja vu. The trigger is in the orgasmic release of hormones by one who promoted that state in the other on their journey. The same applies to the others."

"It would appear the Rangers are in for some interesting moments," Dulcea murmured, smiling as she considered the full implication of Xia's spell.

"It is best that the restoration of their memories takes place as soon as possible," Xia continued. "Without their full memories, their powers are slightly out of balance, and there is a danger that the Machine Empire will discover this and try to capitalize on it. And as with the original spell, we cannot interfere. The Rangers must make these discoveries on their own."

"Was it necessary to make the release mechanism dependent up on the Rangers' sexual interactions?" Zordon asked, obviously uncomfortable with the idea.

"I did nothing more than work with the bondings the Rangers created themselves."

"They may be young, but they are not children," Dulcea countered. "That was where Amadan made his first mistake."

"I realize that. It is just that I have come to regard all the Rangers as family...."

"...and it is difficult knowing your children are children no longer," Dulcea concluded. Neither of their children-of-their-bodies survived to see adolescence, but she understood his feelings. She had passed through that millennia ago with her Ninjetti Rangers. "You must trust them to handle this new aspect of their lives as you trusted them to wield the power coins."

Xia suddenly burst into peals of laughter. "Such talk! You sound as if you are ancient! To me, the pair of you are little more than children yourselves."

Though Dulcea and Zordon had been adults when they were first summoned to the Temple, Xia had been the Zeo Crystal's champion for untold millennia before their births.

"Children with the welfare of the universe on our shoulders," Zordon responded with an affronted sniff.

"And how does that differ from the Zeo Rangers?" Xia retorted. "When was the last time either of you was able to enjoy simply being alive? Dulcea--not since the Ninjetti fell, confining you to the sacred plains? And Zordon--not since Rita Repulsa ensorcelled you, I imagine."

The two traded wistful expressions through the viewing globe.

"It has been a long time," Zordon agreed.

"So, what are you waiting for? The dimension of the temple exists outside the laws of this universe; you can assume your former condition in the Temple just as Dulcea can be there without aging."

Xia gestured, and Zordon disappeared from his luminous column. Moments later, he stood beside Dulcea in the antechamber of the Temple, and he arrived in much the same state as the Rangers had before him--to Dulcea's amusement. Though she hid her smile, she could not keep the laughter--and appreciation--out of her green-flecked gaze.

"You could have provided me with an acolyte's robe at the very least," Zordon muttered with as much dignity as he could muster.

"To what end? I well remember what the two of you were like as acolytes. Dulcea would have had you out of your clothes before I turned off the viewing globe--and do not bother to deny it!" Xia charged, forestalling Dulcea's protestations. Still, the warrior's eyes flashed as the heat flared in her cheeks. "Why are you standing there gawking at me? The dark forces in the universe will not behave themselves indefinitely. Have your fun, and I shall keep watch. I will return you when you are needed."

With a dismissive wave of her hand, Xia made their images vanish. She simply shook her head with a soft laugh. Then, she reactivated the viewing globe, settling upon the image of two young people on a park bench. Kimberly was leaning against Tommy, her eyes closed as she recovered from a very powerful experience.

Oh yes, Zordon had chosen his Rangers very well--intelligent, courageous, strong in body and spirit, morally upstanding.... Well, one could not expect them to be paragons of virtue. After all, Zeo Champions or not, they were only teenagers and human ones at that. Allowances needed to be made. If physical purity was a requirement for holding the Power, there would be very few champions or keepers out there.

"I know we should take things slow right now... and I know how we talked about waiting--way back when--but... oh, man, Kim! Right now, all I want to do is lay you down on the grass, peel off your clothes, and make love to you."

"I'd like nothing better than to make love with you," she murmured. Tommy scooped her into a heated embrace, his tongue insistently probing for hers; however, Kim pushed him back. "But not here. While I like the park as much as you, I'd rather we went some place a little more private."

"There's no one around," Tommy pointed out, grinning mischievously.

"I know, but I just can't shake the feeling that someone is watching."

Xia smiled and turned the viewing globe off, offering the lovers their privacy, and as she returned to the Zeo crystal's embrace, the first Guardian of the crystal found herself wondering just how long it would be before the rest of the Rangers remembered their little coed naked jungle adventure. She did not think it would be long at all.

The End