Title: Saying Good-Bye
Fandom: Power Rangers ZEO
Characters: Jason, Zack, Trini, Kim, Tommy, Billy, Adam, Rocky, Aisha, Kat, Tanya, Andros, Zhane, Karone, Cassie, Ashley, Carlos, TJ, Alpha, Storm Blaster, Lightning Cruiser
Universe: N/A
Prompt: 030 - Death
Word Count: 652
Date finished: 03/09/2009
Rating: G
Summary: Andros calls together those who knew Zordon, to give them a chance to say good-bye.
Author's Notes: I was actually at the funeral of a wonderful woman, and this came to mind. I hope you like it.
Disclaimer: I don't know who owns the Rangers at this point: I'd guess Disney. At any rate, it isn't me. Maggie, if she appears, is MINE. Please don't take her.

The funeral was held once the initial furor had calmed down. Angel Grove began to pick itself back up, and everyone had been accounted for. The mayor had thankfully passed on the news that no one had died, and Andros and his team were relieved to hear it.
Andros initiated the gathering by calling Adam. "Can you contact the other Rangers?" he asked the young man who, not so long ago, had helped him keep his Black Ranger.

"Yes," Adam said. "Why?"

"My team didn't know Zordon that well. At all," he corrected himself. "He is… gone. I thought, perhaps, you who know him would like to say good-bye."

"Gone?" Adam repeated.

"Yes."

"When and where should we meet?"

"In a week. At the site of the Command Center."

"I'll let everyone know."

Adam hung up and went to get his address book. He was not looking forward to this.

They gathered on the cliff, a large group, just as the sun began to rise. Jason, Trini and Zack made a tight little knot; Kim, Tommy and Billy sat between them and Adam, Aisha, Tanya, and Kat, Rocky beside them, and Justin next to him. Then came his team, with Carlos by Justin, and TJ next to Jason. Zhane and Karone stood just outside the circle, flanked by Storm Blaster and Lightning Cruiser. Alpha stood behind them.

Taking a deep breath, Andros stepped to the center of the circle, and faced those who had gone before the Terran members of his team. And all that history made him nervous.

"My name is Andros," he said. "I'm from a colony in the Kerova system, KO-35. I wanted to tell you about the end - death - of Zordon. Because you, of all people, deserve to know what happened."

He began with the death of Dark Specter, outlining the events of those horrible two days. Ashley took up the tale of what happened on Earth after Andros had left. Andros picked up again, and his words slowed, stumbled as he related the fight between himself and Astronema, how his Spiral Saber had deflected Astronema's shot back at her and killed her. And then, how he'd broken Zordon's tube, killing the Eltaran - at his own request. And it had, by all accounts around the galaxy, destroyed all the evil and reverted those who could be to their original forms.

Kat started it, leaning on Rocky and burying her face in his shoulder. Kim followed, then Trini, and soon, that half of the circle was collapsed in on itself, each of them taking comfort on the people around them. Quietly, Andros stepped back into the folds of his own team, grieving with the people across from him. "Did you know him?" Ashley asked as he sat down heavily.

"Not well," he responded. Her arm around his shoulders was welcome, as was the nudge of Cassie's shoulder, and Karone's hand on his shoulder.

The sun was well and truly up by the time Jason looked up, brow furrowed. "Hold on," he said, looking like he was trying to grasp something mentally. "Was that the Golden Light? Zordon cleansing the galaxy?"

"Yes," Andros said.

To his surprise, they all brightened. Trini and Zack shared a smile, and Tommy nodded as Kim leaned against him with a faint smile.

"It makes sense," Billy said softly.

"What does?" TJ asked.

"The… warmth. Love." Kat glanced around, at a loss for better words.

"It was like a… hug good-bye or something," Rocky agreed.

"From an old friend," Tanya added.

"He really loved us," Kim said softly. "I could feel it, how glad he was to have met us."

There was a deep silence, a much better one than had been before. "We don't know… anything," Jason said after a moment. "Could you… teach us, how to say good-bye to a departed friend on Eltar?"

Andros smiled. "It would be an honor."

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