Tommy Oliver sat on the cliffs overlooking the beach and simply stared out at the Pacific Ocean. He was going to be going up to his uncle's cabin in the mountains later that day, and was taking a few minutes just to look out here. Something slept beneath the waves, something once powerful and strong. Like he had once been.

The DragonZord slept there. Once his Zord, now just a lifeless hunk of metal, glass, and who knew what else was put into the making of such a thing. Now, with the passing of the Green Ranger powers totally from existence, the mighty Zord had been put to rest forever.

Twin tears fell from his eyes to mix in with the rest of the salty sea. How could this have happened? he wondered. Why did this have to happen? He vividly remembered how it had begun. Rita's Green Candle. He still felt a spasm of fear and pain at that memory, of seeing the candle flickering out and with it his powers.

Then Zordon restored me, but I was so weak. ..he shivered, remembering how he'd had to pull out of so many fights. . .it hadn't gotten any better when Zedd had shown up. The new Lord of Evil had done all within his power to destroy the last memory of Rita's reign, and that was Tommy and his powers. And now, Zedd had won. The Green Ranger was no more.

And now, what was he to do? He knew the secret of the Power Rangers, but was no longer one of them. He was a martial artist, but what would that mean now? Zedd would probably forget all about him in a matter of days, if not sooner. Which meant it no longer meant quite as much to keep in shape.

He'd never really thought too hard over why he'd trained in martial arts before becoming the Green Ranger. He liked the discipline, and it had helped him gain quite a bit of self-confidance, but it had never really seemed to matter how good he was until he came to Angel Grove. Oh, sure, he had a shelf full of trophies back home, that he faithfully polished every day. But all that meant was that on a particular day, when everything had been just right, he'd been able to win against someone who, on some other day, could probably have beaten him just as easily.

But when he'd arrived in Angel Grove, and been chosen by Rita, things had changed. They'd changed even more when he'd been freed and had joined the real Power Rangers. He had found a power and a purpose he felt he'd been born for.

Why else would I love the color green before I even came to this town? he wondered briefly, smiling. And my destiny. . .at least for a little while. . .wasn't all I found here.

He glanced back through the trees a little, and smiled. Back there, in Angel Grove was Kimberly Harte, the perky Pink Ranger, probably fighting off some Putties or training in the Youth Center or doing something with the other. . .he caught his breath, trying not to cry again. Doing something with the other Rangers.

Tommy still clearly remembered the way his heart had practically leaped out of his chest when he'd first seen Kimberly all those months ago at the Karate Exposition. He'd fallen in love at once. . .it had taken them almost four months to get around to doing anything about it, though. And the first loss of his powers.

Am I going to lose her too? he wondered. Zack's dates with Angela have never worked out becuase he has to keep one ear peeled for the communicator going off. I'd understand if that happened while Kim and I were out, but I'd still be left behind. . .prime target for an ambush or something like that. . .

He shivered a little, glancing around as if expecting to see Putties leaping out of nowhere. His fight with Goldar hadn't been all that long ago, and he was still tired. If anyone did attack him, he was going to be hard-pressed to fight them off.

When nothing came out, his nervousness and tension eased a little, and his thoughts flew automaticaly back to where they had been. Kimberly. Would she still care about him now that he was powerless? Oh, sure, their relationship hadn't really begun until he'd lost his powers in the first place, but now that they were gone for good, now that he'd never be a Ranger again. ..what was going to happen now? Would it only be a matter of time before she was too busy . . .or it was too dangerous. . .a matter of time until he was just another face in the hallway to her, just someone to wave to, and then forget? What would happen. . .to them?

He took a deep breath. He'd already decided. As much as he loved her, he was going to break up with her before going to the mountains. It would hurt, but they would heal, and maybe the spark of interest he'd seen in Jason's eyes would grow. . .they were both Rangers. . .they had more in common, they'd known each other longer. Jason didn't have the shadow on his soul that Tommy did. . .

"Tommy?" he looked around at the light voice, and smiled to see Kim there. "What are you doing here?"

The smile dropped off his face at once. "Thinking," he said quietly as she came to join him by the cliffs. As strange as it seemed, she was the safest of the two of them if they should fall. She had the Pink Power to protect her. He was just a human.

"About your powers?" she came right to the point. She knew he was going to be leaving later, but didn't know where he was going. At his nod, she took his hand gently. "You'll always be one of us," she said softly, gazing up into his eyes. "That's the way it is. There are some things that don't change. The sun rises in the east. Water flows downhill. Zedd is a pain in the butt. And Tommy Oliver will always be a Power Ranger."

He couldn't help but crack a smile. "You sure are sure of yourself, aren't you?"

"Someone has to be between the two of us!" Kim cracked, poking him in the ribs. "It isn't the power that makes the Ranger, Tommy. It's the heart. And no matter what, that can't and won't change."

Tommy giggled a little, and gazed deeply into her eyes as they stood side by side. "I guess you're right," he said finally. "But I still need to think some. I've got to get my head on straight about a few other things. I haven't exactly had the easiest time the last few weeks, you know," he winced to hear how much like whining that last sentence sounded. Kim didn't seem to notice, however.

"I know," she replied seriously. "And you should get away. Get some fresh air somewhere. We'll all be waiting for you when you get back."

She reached up quietly and pulled him down to her, kissing him lightly, and brushing away the tears that were still in his eyes. "Don't cry for the DragonZord, Tommy," she said softly. "It's only asleep. One day, maybe it'll wake up again, and fight evil with someone else, the way it did with you. And don't cry for us. We'll always be together. I love you, Tommy Oliver. And I always will."

As they kissed softly, Tommy's tears came to an end. For a moment, he looked out over the ocean, and he could almost see the DragonZord deep asleep in the waters. Asleep. Not gone. And if someday someone does awaken you, my old friend, then may you serve them as well as you did me. Sleep well, DragonZord. Sleep well.

Kim kissed him again gently, her lips curving into a smile, and all thoughts of the past ended. All that mattered now was being with her. What had been, was past. What would be, they would deal with when it came. What was now. . .was just them. . .the last words of a song he'd always loved came to his mind just then.

As they kissed, he realized. ..he would wait forever if he had to. . .he would wait forever.

THE END?