Disclaimer: I own nothing to do with Power Rangers. It's not my toy box and I'm merely playing.

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Zhane found Andros in his room, huddled into a corner, legs drawn up with his arms around them, face buried. The smile and the teasing about how he and the other had been calling for Andros to join them on the bridge faded. He resisted the urge to lean out of the room and give DECA a glare. Andros had probably told her not to tell them.

He knelt beside his friend carefully, hands hovering, taking in the sound of Andros breathing, shallow and far too fast.

"Slow breaths," Zhane reminded, voice quiet, soothing, "Are you hurt?"

Andros picked his head up slowly to blink at Zhane.

Zhane wet his lips, he saw worry and fear on Andros' face, so his friend probably wasn't physically hurt. Zhane reached out and pulled Andros too him, wrapping Andros' arms around him and leaning back until he was on his back with Andros stretched out over him. He wrapped his arms tightly around Andros, "What happened?"

Andros' fingers gripped Zhane's uniform and he buried his face in the crook of Zhane's neck before he admitted, "I cut her off."

Zhane began to run a soothing hand through Andros' hair, "Cut who off?"

"My sister," Andros admitted as he closed his eyes, "She's not in my head anymore."

Zhane stilled as he realized Andros was talking about the psi-bond he and his sister shared.

"Did you completely cut her off or block her?" Zhane asked.

"I'm not sure," Andros admitted as he thought about what he'd done so he'd no longer feel his sister, "I think I might have just blocked her."

"From feeling you or from you feeling her?" Zhane attempted to clarify.

"Both," Andros answered, voice a bit uncertain, "I can't be sure it worked for her not feeling me."

"You can't feel her at all?" Zhane asked as he resumed running his hand through Andros' hair.

"No."

Zhane frowned at the relief in that one simple word. What had Karone done that would make Andros justify separating from her like that, especially since he had stayed bonded to her the entire time she was missing? Was Karone injured? No, Andros would be having them find her now. Had she gone evil again? Zhane closed his eyes tightly as he thought of losing her again. They had only begun to tentatively date, but the thought of losing her was too much.

"Andros, what happened to her?"

Andros' grip on his uniform tightened, "She didn't tell me she was going to try and find Kendrix's Quasar sabre."

"It should've returned home," Zhane commented, not sure he wanted to know where this conversation was obviously headed, "It's odd for a morpher to get waylaid on its way home."

"Maybe it wanted to be found again," Andros told him.

"Your sister's not pink," Zhane pointed out.

"Apparently she is," Andros countered.

Zhane stilled again, his suspicions confirmed, but more questions remaining, "You blocked her or cut her off because she became a Power Ranger?"

"She almost died," Andros whispered shaking.

Zhane wrapped both arms around Andros again, tightened his hold. Karone had almost died.

"She was dying," Andros continued, "She knew she was going to die and she was saved."

"How?"

"I'm not sure," Andros admitted, "I know she got a morpher. I could sense that."

Zhane frowned, waiting for Andros to continue.

"I couldn't function," Andros choked, "I couldn't even get up off the floor. I still can't."

"You're not on the floor," Zhane pointed out, "I am."

"We're both on the floor."

"Should we go see how she is?" Zhane asked, "You might feel better if you see for yourself that she's alive and well."

"We're in the middle of responding to a distress call in the Mercurian system," Andros reminded, "And Cassie's still feels guilty over what happened with Kendrix. I'm not sure how she'd feel about going back."

"From what I understand Kendrix saved her life," Zhane pointed out.

"By sacrificing her own," Andros countered.

Zhane wet his lips, "Do you think it's a permanent death?"

"To early to tell," Andros answered, "I hope not."

Zhane nodded, thinking of the teammates he'd lost, ones he'd never get back.

"I hope so too," Zhane agreed, before he smiled and told Andros, "In the meantime your sister is going to keep them on their toes."

He felt Andros smile slightly and responded by running a soothing hand over his friend's back.

The smile faded and Andros told him, "I don't know what I would do if I lost her again."

Zhane wanted to say that they wouldn't, they couldn't lose Karone, but the universe was always an uncertain place. He couldn't lie, not about her.

"I don't want to lose her either," Zhane managed.

Andros' laugh was short and harsh, "Then we're both a mess."

"Yeah," Zhane agreed, "but I know something that'll make you feel better."

"And what's that?"

"We located the space pirate that's been terrorizing this sector."

Andros pushed off him, stood and offered him a hand. Zhane took it. When they were both standing Zhane reached out and pulled Andros into a hug.

"We'll go visit her after," Zhane offered, "she how she's adjusting."

Andros nodded, "I want to see her."

They parted and straightened out their uniforms, leaving Andros' room together not knowing what the future would bring, but knowing that they would worry about Karone after their mission was complete.