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Disclaimer: Zhane of KO-35 and Astronema/Karone of KO-35, plus anyone
else in this fanfic, are the registered property of Saban Enterprises;
no copyright infringement is meant by this, and I am not, nor do I
desire to, making any profit at all on this.
Author's Note: Who doesn't love this romantic linkup? A Ranger and a
Princess of Evil, their hearts drawing them together, but their
destinies drawing them apart. ..or do they? Only those who read this
fanfic will know my take on the subject. This is after "Until the Stars
Burn Out" in the "Romance" timeline, and after "Countdown to
Destruction, Part 2" in the PRiS timeline.
by: Niobe Craft
Three days ago, it had been Andros, Ashley, T.J., Cassie, Carlos, and Zhane, the Astro Rangers, with their mighty arsenal of Zords, who had been struggling in the seemingly endless battle of good versus evil. Three days ago, it had been Astronema, Princess of Darkness, who had been giving the orders to destroy all that was good in the universe.
Today was different. Today it was over. The war between good and evil had ended at last, at least for now, and the forces of good had won. Andros had released all the powerful energies of good from the great sage Zordon's tube, and it had wiped the universe clean of evil and corruption. Now the Rangers' identities were known publicly on Earth, and the once-isolated planet had made full interstellar contact at last.
Karone of KO-35 stood in the shipboard uniform she had re-donned not that long ago, staring at the planet that was so close to them through the window of the room she had been assigned. It wasn't a very long trip between the two planets, but they were going to be staying the night on the ship at least once. She wasn't certain, but she thought they were probably going to be living on it for a while, actually. It was the only place that would be safe from the hordes of media attention they were sure to get once they had returned.
She wasn't looking forward to her part of it, either. Her blue eyes were troubled as they drew closer to Earth, and her lower lip trembled just a little. Only three days earlier, she had been Astronema, and she had been fighting against the Rangers, seeking to conquer and dominate all the universe. Now, thanks to Zordon and thanks to Andros' love for her, she was cleansed as well, free of evil and ready to make a new start. Will he remember what we had? Does he CARE? Does he remember he was the first person to realize I wasn't as evil as everyone thought I was?
That was what was going through the former evil princess's mind as she watched. A quiet voice from behind her startled her out of her thoughts. "You don't regret coming along, do you?"
She expected it to be Andros. She should have known that her brother would be with his girlfriend Ashley. Karone hadn't known the Yellow Ranger long, but she could tell there was something very special in between the two of them, and had sensed it even when she was Astronema.
"No, I don't," she replied, smiling at Zhane as he stood in the doorway. "K0-35 isn't my home. It's just where I was born. The only home I have is with you guys."
The Silver Astro Ranger nodded, then joined her inside when she motioned to him. "I know. We've all spent so much time away from it. I was in suspended animation for two years, Andros has been alone for that long, and you. . .," his voice trailed off a bit.
"I was trying to take over the universe," she smiled only a little bit. It was deadly serious, but saying it out loud did make it seem just a little funny. Zhane smiled quietly as he sat down on her bed. She looked at him, then back out to the Earth. They still had some time, and she knew they needed to talk. "You know something, Zhane?"
He raised one eyebrow, and she smiled. "You owe me a dinner date. The last one we tried sort of got. ..delayed."
Zhane blushed at the memory of that abortive date, when Ecliptor had sent a monster that had almost destroyed the Rangers, and had angered Astronema to the point she hadn't wanted to see him again. He was glad she'd gotten over that, though! "I'll get one set up as soon as I can," he promised. "Karone. . .I . . .I wanted to talk to you."
She looked over at him, raising one eyebrow in her own turn. "What about?"
The Silver Ranger had never quite felt like this in his entire life. When he had lived on KO-35, he had bounced from girl to girl like a rubber ball, dating one after the other, never quite satisfied, always searching for someone or something more. He'd found a small piece of what he was looking for in Andros, a strong friend and companion that he could really open up to, and who would open up to him in return. He hadn't quite been happy, though. Not all the way. It hadn't been until he had met, truly met, someone that by all the laws of the universe he should've destroyed or imprisoned that he had realized what it was he was missing. Or at least who he was missing.
Astronema. Princess of Darkness. Right hand to Dark Spectre. With hair that changed colors more often than he changed his socks, and a deadly ambition to control the universe, she was one of his worst enemies. And almost as soon as he saw her collapsed on the ground, eyes shut and with the monster attacking her thanks to her misdirected shot, he had known what his heart was missing and had found the love of his lifetime.
"About us," he said at last. "I'm really sorry about that date, and I really am going to make it up to you. But it's more than that. . .I wanted more than anything to get there on time. Because I think I. .no, I know. ..that. ..."
She looked curious, and nervous at the same time. He was a Power Ranger, and she should have destroyed him in his moment of weakness after she had awakened. But she hadn't been able to bring herself to, and she didn't know why. His blonde hair and merry eyes had touched her darkened soul in a special way, one she'd never known, and she had stayed her hand. Perhaps it was that one moment of kindness, of human feeling, had been what had eventually led to her realization that she wasn't truly evil, that she could accept and give love, that she was born to be loved and to love other people.
And one person in particular. The words escaped her lips, and for the rest of her life, Karone never regretted them. "I love you, Zhane."
Zhane stared at her only for a moment, then let his own heart guide what he knew he needed to say, what he had come in here to say. What he had wanted to say for almost a month now, since he had stood in the water and seen her teleporting away, angry at him. "I love you, Karone."
The two of them were in each other's arms only a moment later, their lips moving towards each other at lightspeed. Deep inside, both expected to be interrupted, to wake up and find this was just a dream, that she was still Astronema on the Dark Fortress, that he was on the MegaShip by himself, that they weren't apart, that the miracle hadn't happened, that they couldn't possibly be together. Or one of the other Astro Rangers would interrupt, meaning well, but it would be the end of the romantic moment, and they would go for who knew how long without doing anything about the feelings that were storming through both of them.
But that didn't happen. Slowly their lips touched each other, tenderly and hesitantly at first, then with more and more passion as they realized nothing was going to stop them. Perhaps this was Zordon's final gift to them, a reward for all he had went through as a Ranger, a promise of the future she was now looking forward to. Perhaps it was just luck.
It didn't seem to matter. Nothing else mattered but each other in this moment. They were together, they were forever, and they were in love. Only a day before the countdown to the destruction of the universe had been in operation, and they had been on opposite sides. But the day had passed, and both of them had been purified. His leaping from girl to girl was over with, as he found the one of the long dreams he had dreamed while in his cryosleep. Her days of evil were long past, as she found the one to nourish the good within her soul and
