Author's Note, Please read this first!!: This fanfic is weird. In many ways and many different types. This was originally conceived as a nice little romantic tangle, with everyone holding the secret of who they really loved a deep secret type of thing, However, as deeper plotting officially began on it, it began to mutate until it is what you see here. You can still see what it was meant to be in this, I just added some things to it. Elements of this fanfic were influenced by various stories I've read, TV shows I've watched, legends, myths, etc. I know others have worked with "Shadow-named" things of various types, but this is not copying them in any way, and if it seems like it is, I apologize. In some ways, this is a soul-cleansing fic for me, since during the early writing of it I encountered a non-PR fanfic that disturbed me greatly. Thanks to some really great friends I managed to pull out of my fear {yes, fear. ..that fanfic made me afraid to write for a while}, and this fic was born anew. In a sense, I must thank the writer of that disturbing fic, even though they'll probably never read this. If it wasn't for your fic, parts of this plot would not exist that I think make it better. Only you, the reader, can tell, however. Thank you and please go on to the reading.

She was living beauty and power incarnate. Her hair cascaded down her back and around her snow-white shoulders, a vibrant shade of purest red so bright it could almost cause eye damage. Her eyes were a perfect shade of emerald green, and slightly tilted. She wore a gown of purest black, seemingly woven out of the shadows themselves, and her feet were protected by similar slippers. In her eyes there was only one expression: pure hunger. But not for hunger such as mortals know hunger. Hunger for the boy at her feet.

He would be familiar to some. He was Hispanic, strongly muscled, and in this place of darkness, he almost literally glowed of the light. But that only seemed to make him more attractive to her. He wore nothing but a jeweled loincloth, and was almost purring as she stroked his head delicately with one long hand.

"Speak to me, my pet," her voice was low and sultry, the very essence of power and sexuality. "How do things go in the realm of mortals with you?"

"All is well, mistress," he said, his head bowed submissively to her. "A week has passed there since Katherine was given her Green Ranger Ninja Powers and the Fox took her under it's protection."

She nodded, running her fingers continually through his hair. "What else has occurred?"

"She has been training with the others. Kickboxing seems to be her forte in the martial arts," he continued, his voice almost sounding drugged. In a sense of the word he was, but by nothing that could be detected by any human devices.

"Has she begun to date anyone?"

"No," he lifted his head to look at her. "Might I be granted your permission to pursue her, my mistress?"

The woman shook her head. "Not quite yet," she denied. "The time is not yet right. You must wait," she frowned as her toy uttered a low growl. "Do not dispute my decision, pet. It is my Law."

He lowered his head. "As you wish, mistress," he muttered. "But when will the right time be?" he found his head lifted up and his eyes met those of the woman on the throne. He would have lowered his head at once, if she hadn't initiated the eye contact. He wasn't worthy of meeting her eyes.

"I will let you know, my pet," she said, gesturing for him to rise and doing so herself. "It will not be long. But you must go back now."

He frowned. "Why must I return? I have enjoyed your company so much, my mistress," he regretted speaking as a long-fingered hand slapped his cheek.

"I have given an order, and that is all you need to know!" she growled, glaring at him. "Question my words again, and I'll strip the flesh from your bones!"

He lowered his head quickly. "Please forgive me, mistress. I spoke in haste and error."

"Don't do it again," she commanded, rising herself and placing one hand on his shoulder. "Remember, only I can give you what you want, but I can find another who can give me what I want. Displease me, and you'll find yourself replaced, and without a hope of winning her heart," as he nodded, she smiled, then twisted her hand briefly. A long silvery wand appeared in it, and she tapped him lightly on the forehead. "Now, return to your world, and remember nothing that has passed."

There was a wash of red light over him, and then Rocky DeSantos, Red Ninja Ranger, was gone back to his one world, fast asleep in his bed as if he had never left it. The Shadow Queen laughed softly to herself. It had been child's play to bring him here and promise him that blonde tart he had a crush on. In return, he just had to obey her whenever he was in her realm. She didn't care about his involvement in the fight between Good and Evil in his own world. All she wanted was just his obedience when he was in hers.

His obedience. . .and in a short while. ..something more. The only thing that she even worried about was the fact she was going to need both a male and female to pull off her plan perfectly. Most women were completely immune to her charms, and the ones who weren't had other defects to make using one of them more feasible.

"But we must work with what we have," she mused to herself quietly. Soon, the Shadow Queen would be unleashed upon the unsuspecting world once again.

It would be quite literally Hell on Earth.

He recalled with crystal clarity the moment he had realized she was so beautiful, and that he probably would like to date her. No, I want more than that, he decided. I love her. I want to be her boyfriend.

With a shiver, he thought of that moment when they had all returned to the Command Center, and they'd been welcoming her officially to the team. He'd been struck by just how beautiful she was. It had almost literally hit him like lightning. He deliberately shifted his thoughts away from that direction, the last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself!

"Hey, Rocky," he looked up when he heard the sound of his name, and nodded at Billy as the Blue Ranger sat down next to him. "How's the studying going?"

"So-so," he shrugged, drawing his attention away from the two on the mat and back to things that supposedly mattered more. "I think I should be able to pass the test Friday."

Billy nodded; he didn't have any books with him, and didn't look overly concerned. Rocky figured he would probably ace the test. Billy just had that sort of brain. He'd probably studied for the test before school had even started, and would still pull off an A plus! Almost groaning, he turned his attention back to the books. He might not be the mental star his teammate and friend was, but he would at least get a decent grade on this.

"What's on your mind, Rocky?" the question startled Rocky out of his thoughts a few minutes later. He realized he'd been staring at the same page for practically the whole time, and couldn't have told someone on a bet what it said.

"What are you talking about?"

Billy smiled for a moment. "You don't study that intently, Rocky. You never have. So that means something's bothering you. What is it?"

"Nothing," Rocky shook his head. "Nothing important, anyway."

"Ah," the other young man nodded, then stood up. "Whatever it is, I hope things work out for the best for you. I'm going to go talk to Kat."

The Red Ranger's jaw almost dropped as Billy walked over to where Kat was just walking off the mat, wiping at the sweat that had formed on her brow with a green towel. He couldn't hear what they were saying, but it became obvious as Kat headed for the showers and Billy calmly waited for her. He watched in sheer disbelief, the books forgotten, as less than ten minutes later, the Green Ranger returned, and she and Billy walked out of the Youth Center together.

Rocky stared after them, feeling his hands clenching together and his nails cutting into his palms. For reasons he wasn't even certain of, his thoughts suddenly burst into an untamed fire of hatred and jealousy towards the Blue Ranger.

Kat smiled. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked, hoping to get to the point of what her friend had asked her out here for. She'd been catching Billy looking at her every so often the last week, and she was wondering if he was thinking the same thing about her that she was about him.

"I was sort of wondering. . .," he tried not to stammer. He'd talked this over with Adam, Tommy, and Kim, his three closest friends with Zack, Trini, and Jason in Switzerland, and they had all urged him to go for it. The only thing was, 'going for it' wasn't quite as easy when you stammered almost over every word! It had been pure murder just to get the request to go for a walk with him out! They were closer than they had been before she had become the Green Ranger, however. "If you'd like to go see a movie with me tonight?"

Kat's blue eyes widened for a moment, then she flushed just the faintest shade of pink. "I. ..I'd love to, Billy," she replied softly. "I was wondering if you'd ever get around to asking me."

He flushed a much darker red, kicking the ground at his feet a little. "I've been wanting to for a while now. Things. . .just never seemed right to ask."

"I'm glad you finally did," she reached out slowly and to both his surprise and hers, took his hand. The two of them walked in enjoyable silence for several minutes, taking pleasure in the beauty of the day and the company of someone they had thought for some time could only be a friend. . .and might now possibly be so much more.

This is going perfectly, she thought, watching Billy and Kat walk hand in hand throughout the park. Seeing the two of them together like this would drive all manner of jealousy and hatred into the heart of her slave. Jealousy and hatred she could use. The dark emotions were under her power just as darkness itself was, and she could twist them into any fashion she desired, as long as they were present in great enough amount in a person. I had thought I would have to manufacture something to push his emotions to the point and peak I need them. This has happened without my assistance, and it will do nicely.

The Shadow Queen flowed easily from shadow to shadow, watching the two Rangers with a strange combination of hunger and glee. Another reason no one would see her was that in the most technical sense of the word, she wasn't really there. Until certain things happened, she was bound to her Shadow Realm permanently. She could, however, do as she was doing now, sending her essence out into the shadows of the mortal realm to watch and listen for her. The knowledge she had gleaned from this was absolutely invaluable, and had aided her in selecting Rocky as her personal and most current toy.

Thinking about the young Red Ranger drew her attention away from the young couple and to the place they termed 'the Youth Center', where she sensed her young servant would be at this point. When he was awake, he had no knowledge of her existence or what she had done and was doing to him. He only knew he was strongly attracted to Kat, and quite probably by this point, would grow insanely jealous of anyone who looked at her in more than a friendly fashion.

Concealing herself in a shadow not too far from him, the essence of the Shadow Queen watched with a feral grin as Rocky, stripped to the wait and literally dripping with sweat, flipped, punched, and kicked in a furious kata that made her almost drop her jaw in shock. Not at his skill, which she already knew was incredible, nor at his body, which she had seen in far greater detail in her realm anyway. What was shocking her was the pure savagery implicit in the moves of his body.

"What's up with Rocky?" she heard the voice that rang with pure light, and winced at the sound. She half-expected it to be that of Tommy Oliver, the White Ranger, but when she looked through the eyes of her essence, her very soul was shocked at who was speaking. If her essence had been possessed of teeth, then she would have ground them. In her own body in the Darkrealm, she did grind them. It's one of THEM!! Her eyes flashed coldly. But she's Asleep. And she has no idea of what she really is. Good.

"I don't know, Aisha," a male in white spoke, and she identified him as Tommy. The Other was Aisha, she deduced, and from her garments, she was the Yellow Ranger. "He looks upset over something."

That's one way to put it, the Shadow Queen chuckled to herself darkly. Too bad you won't figure out what it is until it's too late. Or ever, if I have anything to say about it. I'll have to step up my timetable, now that I think about it. If I let Rocky stay around her too long, with my Dark power in him, then she'll Awaken. Even I can't stop that, my power will cause hers to react and she'll find out what she is. ..and what I'm trying to do.

The essence of shadow pulled herself back fully into her own world, cutting off her view of what was going on in the Youth Center. She would have to do some serious thinking. Discovering one of the Lightwalkers changed things dramatically.

"Have you been experiencing any differences at all, anything?" since Billy had been captured by Rita and Zedd the previous week, all the Rangers had been keeping an eye on him, just in case. The pair weren't exactly noted for their long-range planning, but the team felt it was better safe than sorry where the forces of evil were concerned.

"Not really," Billy shook his head. "I've got the occasional nightmare, but nothing very specific or serious. Just the sensation of pain, really, pain and fear."

Kat nodded, glancing down at the ground for a moment. What Billy had said stirred up memories in her, memories that she tried to keep under control and out of the way for about a month now. She turned her head back to him when his hand touched her shoulder. "What is it?" his voice was very tender and very gentle, and she wanted to resist answering it. Her mouth was going before she could stop it, however.

"That's mild compared to my nightmares," she blurted out suddenly. Billy looked at her, raising one eyebrow in that way he had. She did her best to cover it up, or at least get past it. "I've still got nightmares about being evil. ..every now and then. Not often. But every once in a while."

Billy looked as if he were going to purse the question, when both of them were suddenly given something much more annoying to deal with. The shadows cast by the brilliant sun suddenly and quite literally boiled into life, rising up to take on the form of humanoid things, coming towards the two Rangers with an unnatural speed.

"Something tells me we are in deep trouble," Billy said, glancing around to see that this area of the park was empty, at least except for the two of them and their attackers. A side kick proved quickly that these things were more than capable of ignoring their standard attacks. I wonder who sent them. ..it can't be Rita and Zedd, they use Tengas. They could 'upgrade', I guess. But Zordon would have warned us. So something new is going on. The thoughts flashed through his mind in the space of a moment, as he and Kat both dropped back a little, placing their hands in the 'ninja-summoning' mode.

"We need Ninja Ranger power, now!" the two of them chorused. With a flash of light, the Blue and Green Ninjas stood there. Without another word, the two of them leaped for the Shadow Creatures, whirling, twirling, pulling off every Ninja trick they had, from sinking into the ground and seizing their foes from beneath to firing the Ninja laser power at them. The last seemed to work the best, the pure concentrated light causing them to break up and fall back to the ground, normal shadows once again.

It wasn't easy to get them in their sights, however. The Shadows could and did move around with ease that made both teenagers purely envious, and quite often they thought they had pegged one for good, only to find it sliding up behind them to deliver a powerful kick or punch, generally in an area that hurt a great deal.

"Combine laser power!" Billy said suddenly, remembering a trick that he'd seen Tommy and Kim do once before. He and Kat both shot off color-coded blasts at the last of the Shadows, and were both relieved to see it fade away into nothingness. The two of them demorphed out of their Ninja uniforms and looked at each other. "What was that all about?"

Kat shook her head. "I've never seen anything like this before. Think we should tell the others?"

"We'd better," Billy gulped a little, trying to get his breath. He had never been so tired after just a simple fight, especially with the Ninja power! Whatever those things had been, they were tough! And that meant trouble.

There is an aura of Darkness about him, the words flickered up in her mind from it's most murky depths, and she jerked a little, not quite certain where they had come from or what they meant. If anyone knowledgeable in such things had seen her eyes or her aura, they would have noticed a slight flaring in both. It would have caused the Shadow Queen to upgrade her timetable even faster than she had already done by sending the Shadows after Billy and Kat.

"Aisha?" she almost came out of her skin to see Rocky standing practically over her. "Oops! I didn't mean to scare you."

She grinned a little. "It's okay. I should have been paying attention. You looked a little. . .upset out there," he had pulled his shirt back on by now, but the part of her mind that had been admiring his moves and his shirtlessness was also noticing how simply fine he was. It was something she'd noticed over the last couple of years, but it was starting to intrude itself on her consciousness more and more.

"Yeah, I sort of am," his voice sounded a little distant, and Aisha looked up at him, frowning. She didn't like the way he sounded, and something inside her was screaming to help him in any way she could. "Aisha. ..can I talk to you?"

She moved a chair out to give him room. "Sure," she smiled as he sat down. "Anything I can help you with?"

"I hope so," he sighed for a moment, then plunged quickly ahead. "I'm in love with Kat, but I don't know how to tell her. Think you can help?"

The Yellow Ranger stared at her friend for a moment, a thousand different emotions raging through her and one simple sentence rampaging through her mind. Why her!?

Slowly, she took several deep breaths, focusing her thoughts and glad that she hadn't said anything. One thing was suddenly crystal clear, and it made her rather ashamed in a way. She'd never thought about it before, considering Rocky on the same level as Adam as best friends. But hearing that he was in love with Kat made her want to scream and claw at something. "Just. ..say it," she said finally, making certain not to snap or stutter the words, to have them sound natural. "Tell her what you feel."

Rocky appeared to be turning the words over in his mind, then nodded quietly. "Thanks. I'll talk to her after she gets back from her walk," Aisha noticed he didn't say `her walk with Billy', and mentally bit her lip, remembering various times in the last week that she had seen Billy and Kat sneaking peeks at each other when they thought no one else was looking. If those two are falling for each other, and Rocky is falling for Kat. ..the threads of anger and near-jealousy were fading fast, replaced by an inexplicable fury at something she couldn't name. Something that went along with the strange sense of darkness she'd sensed from Rocky.

Her friend was about to leave, when the all too familiar sound of their communicators beeped. Rocky groaned. "Come on. Let's go see what's going on."

"What's going on?" Tommy asked, feeling his protective instincts raring up at the thought of a part of his team being hurt or attacked in any way.

"We were jumped by these weird shadow-like things out in the park," Billy reported, describing the events as they'd happened in the park. Kat was semi-leaning against a console, somewhat nervous still from her first real fight as a Ranger, without the full team around at least.

Rocky stepped a little closer to her. "Are you all right?" he asked as politely as he could without drawing suspicion. He intended to reveal his feelings as soon as he could, but without a lot of extra company around. This sort of thing should be done in privacy, he felt. He was also glad the Shadows had attacked them, in a way. It had broken up anything that might have happened between the two of them.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Kat smiled a little, she wasn't very shaken up; she was more pumped with adrenaline and nerves than anything else, and the nerves were fading fast. "Billy was absolutely magnificent in that fight!"

The Blue Ranger turned the deepest and most embarrassed shade of red that any of them had ever seen, even coming from him. Before things proceeded any further, Zordon called for their attention.

RANGERS, THE SHADOWS THAT ATTACKED BILLY AND KATHERINE COULD ONLY HAVE COME FROM ONE SOURCE. THE SHADOW QUEEN.

"Who's that?" Adam asked. EONS AGO, WHEN THE BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL WAS AT IT'S PEAK, THE SIDE OF EVIL HAD A GREAT WARRIOR AND LEADER, KNOWN ONLY AS THE SHADOW QUEEN. HER TRUE NAME HAS BEEN LOST TO TIME. THE SHADOW QUEEN WAS BANISHED BY A TEAM OF FEMALE WARRIORS KNOWN AS THE LIGHTWALKERS. THE PRECISE DETAILS OF THE FINAL BATTLE THAT RESULTED IN THE QUEEN'S BANISHMENT ARE UNKNOWN, SINCE ALL BUT ONE OF THE LIGHTWALKERS WHO WERE INVOLVED PERISHED IN THAT FIGHT. THE ONE THAT REMAINED SUFFERED WOUNDS THAT LATER PROVED FATAL. LEGEND HAS IT THAT IF THE SHADOW QUEEN EVER RETURNED, THE LIGHTWALKERS WILL ALSO AWAKEN TO BIND HER IN DARKNESS ONCE AGAIN.

The wizard looked down at them all. He wasn't quite certain why the Shadow Queen was sending her Shadows out, but he suspected it had something to do with the tendrils of darkness he had been sensing for the last week or so around Rocky. He hadn't been quite certain it was her, and the tendrils were too thin and weak to do anything to him, so he had trusted to the Power to protect the Red Ranger. Now I wish I had paid more attention. Those tendrils are far thicker and stronger now. And it appears he accepted them willingly. ..though I do not believe it.

"What does she want?" was Kim's question. "And if she was banished, how can she send those things?"

SHE CAN PROJECT HER ESSENCE INTO ANY SHADOW OF THE UNIVERSE, AND SEE AND HEAR AS IF SHE WERE THERE. SHE CAN ALSO ANIMATE ANY SHADOW INTO HER SHADOW FIGHTERS. ANY SOURCE OF LIGHT CAN DESTROY THEM, HOWEVER, FOR JUST AS LIGHT CREATES SHADOWS, IT CAN ALSO DESTROY THEM. I BELIEVE THE SHADOW QUEEN WANTS TO RETURN TO THIS WORLD, AND THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY THAT CAN BE DONE.

"How?" Rocky would've been staring at his mouth if he could; why had he asked that. Something told him this was more important than he could realize at the moment.

Zordon debated on telling them for a moment, especially with Rocky in his current condition. Then again, he realized, the Queen already knew how to do it, the conditions simply hadn't been right until recently. The information could help them fight her.

IT IS NOT AN EASY METHOD, he said. BUT A WILLING HUMAN MALE MUST SIRE UPON A WILLING HUMAN FEMALE A CHILD. IF THE CORRECT RITES ARE PERFORMED THEN THE ESSENCE OF THE SHADOW QUEEN WILL ENTER INTO THE CHILD AND SHE WILL BE REBORN INTO THE WORLD. WITHIN THE SPACE OF TWO YEARS, SHE WILL HAVE REGAINED ALL HER OLD POWERS AND ABILITIES, AND WILL ONCE AGAIN BE A DRIVING FORCE IN THE CONQUEST OF THE EARTH.

"How do we stop her?" it was Tommy, naturally, who asked that. Zordon had not only suspected it, but anticipated it. He didn't like the answer he had to give, however.

WE CANNOT, TOMMY. ONLY A LIGHTWALKER CAN DESTROY OR BANISH THE SHADOW QUEEN. AND TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, THERE ARE NONE IN ANGEL GROVE OR THE WORLD.

"My queen," his voice came at last, and he right behind it, already in the small loincloth that was his only garbing in her world. It kept the only reason she needed him firmly in her mind. Just someone to sire the child she needed to take back the world that should have been hers in the beginning. "I am sorry I am late. Relatives came, and I couldn't get to bed any sooner."

She shook her head. "It's enough you're here now. It is time, my toy. The conception is to take place shortly, but there are things you must do for me first."

"What is it, my lady?" he looked so eagerly at her, like a little puppy. She considered patting his head, then decided to forgo that pleasure for now.

"Those annoying Ranger friends of yours. ..except for Katherine," she instructed. "They are to be captured and brought here, where I can keep an eye on them. They are not to interfere in the conception of my new incarnation."

Rocky frowned for a moment, and she hoped she wouldn't have to administer any chastisement to him. If she was too rough, he would wake up with full and not very happy memories of her. "What if Rita and Zedd attack?"

"They won't," she reassured him. "They're incapacitated at the moment. My Shadows are keeping them under control from now on."

He nodded, accepting anything she said as the truth. "What shall I do with Katherine?"

"Lure her here separately," she commanded. "After that, let her know how you feel. She'll respond. ..and then the two of you will generate the child I need."

He blinked slowly, and she hoped she hadn't gone too far. There were certain limits that even being under her thrall couldn't push him beyond. She was almost getting nervous when he finally just nodded. "As you command, mistress. How shall I come here in the waking world?"

"That is easy," she smiled quietly, then reached out to brush his forehead with her fingertips. There was a flicker of shadows, and something went out from her into him. Rocky shuddered a little, then bowed his head.

"I will do as you command," he said, then followed her to sit at her feet on her throne, as she informed him of just how she wanted them captured, and in precise and exacting detail of what he was to do to Katherine.

I think I'm in love with Rocky, she'd finally decided. Almost as soon as the words passed her mind, she had fallen into the same fitful doze she was still in. She was subliminally aware of the fact that she was in her bedroom, but a greater reality was starting to take place in her mind.

Where am I? she looked around, and her jaw dropped to see what looked like a veritable horde of Shadow creatures like Billy and Kat had described on the horizon, being blasted by what looked like five females garbed in blazing light, and shooting beams of power from their hands. What is going on here?

"You see the past, my daughter," a soft voice spoke in her ear. She whirled around to see a tall woman behind her, who looked a great deal like her grandmother. "You see the battle that the Lightwalkers had with the Shadow Queen. The final battle, that cast her out of this world and destroyed four of my sisters."

I don't understand.

The woman smiled. "The full history of the Lightwalkers can be held for another time. All you need to know for now is that all of your friends are in great danger, the Red and Green Rangers, to be specific. The Shadow Queen has failed to inform Rocky that he will not survive the conception of the child, nor will Katherine survive the birth."

Aisha's eyes widened in shock, and the woman kept speaking. "You are the only one who can stop her, Aisha. You are the last of my line."

What do you mean? Zordon said only the Lightwalkers could stop her, and they're all gone.

"No," she shook her head. "Before we entered the final battle, my sisters and I all had one offspring. The lines those children founded are still in existence, and you are descended from one. There are four others. I don't know who they are or where they are, but because you are descended from me, Ashala, the only survivor of the Final War, I know of you. You must awaken to the Light and the power of the Lightwalker, my child. You are not the last of my line, but you are the strongest right now."

Ashala could see the confusion in Aisha's eyes, and touched her forehead gently. "We do not have time for the gentle way of this, my child. When you awaken, go to the Command Center and inform Zordon of what you have learned. Tomorrow, Rocky will capture all the others except for Katherine, and will send them to the Shadow Queen's realm. You must remain in the Command Center until that has happened. If you leave, you'll be captured too, and in her realm, light has no power. Follow your instincts and Zordon's guidance, and you shall all win through."

The Yellow Ranger was about to say something else, when a bolt of pure white light seemed to go all through her. She could feel knowledge and power going through her similar to when she morphed, but different, on a far greater scale. Her eyes flew open and she sat up just in time to see the sun rising through her window. Without knowing why, she reached her arms out to the light streaming in to her room, and whispered quietly, "Thank you."

"You got one too?" she looked up to see Adam coming into the room, and nodded. He was holding an identical note in his hand.

"So did I," Tommy said as he came in right after the Black Ranger. "Something really weird is going on here."

Billy chuckled from where he was sitting. "Weird defines Angel Grove, doesn't it?" he asked. "I wonder where the others are?" Especially Kat. The two of them had had a very good time at the movies the previous day, and had already set up another date for the following weekend. Things were going well, and the Blue Ranger had never been happier.

Almost as one, the four of them glanced down at the notes. They all said the exact same thing. Guys, meet me at my place at 10 a.m. Just come on into the basement room, it's unlocked. I've got something REALLY important to talk to you about. I'll see you there. Rocky.

"This really isn't like Rocky," Adam said, crumpling the note and tossing it into the nearest wastebasket. "If he wants to talk to us all, he waits till we're all together, he doesn't call meetings. It just feels wrong."

Kim nodded, feeling a chill go down her spine. "So what's going on?"

"What's going on is that you're all going to spend the rest of your lives in the prisons of my queen," they all jerked up to see Rocky standing in the doorway, looking somewhat more massive than they remembered him.

"Rocky?!" Adam stared, not certain if he even wanted to believe that was his friend. "What are you talking about?"

"It's rather simple," the Red Ranger hadn't moved from his stance in the doorway, and Tommy was preparing to jump him. If he was under a spell or something, they could get him to the Command Center and Alpha and Zordon could help him. "The five of you are going to be staying out of the way while Katherine and I conceive the child that will be the future Queen of this entire world, and this entire universe in time."

His eyes flicked over them all, then he frowned. "Where is Aisha?"

Instead of answering, both Tommy and Adam rushed him, or tried to, at least. They found themselves bouncing off something that could have only been described as an invisible wall. Rocky laughed. "Do you really think I'd let you poor, pitiful humans attack me? Now answer my question."

"We don't know," Kim growled as she helped Tommy back up to his feet. She wasn't in a particularly good mood anymore; seeing her boyfriend get thrown back by something that wasn't even there, and seeing one of her best friends threatening them all didn't do much for her cheeriness. "She left a note saying she was going to work out alone all day."

Rocky shrugged. "Well, she won't interfere in the conception, since she won't even know what I'm up to. But now for you."

The most amazing thing the Rangers had to have ever seen, even for them, was Rocky DeSantos casually flipping a hand, and the shadows of everything around them rising to envelop them in mists of darkness.

"Now what, Zordon?" she asked, turning back to her mentor. When she had awakened and greeted the sun, in a fashion she knew was going to become her daily habit, she had dressed and teleported out as soon as she could, leaving a note that she was going out. She didn't do it very often, but over the years of her ninja training, had done it enough so her parents wouldn't think anything odd of it. Kim was another matter, so she was glad she'd gone without alerting her fellow Ranger.

NOW YOU MUST WAIT UNTIL ROCKY ATTEMPTS TO SEDUCE KATHERINE, Zordon had always hoped nothing like this would happen to his Rangers. Though he knew they weren't true innocents, no one in the great war of good and evil could be, they still had an air of innocence about them that he never wanted to end. If this wasn't stopped, not only would that air be lost, but the whole world would be. THE MINUTE HE ATTEMPTS IT, WE WILL TELEPORT YOU IN TO BREAK THE SPELL THE QUEEN HAS HIM UNDER.

"I just hope I can do it," Aisha fiddled with her necklace, remembering how it had helped them out when Hatemaster had been running rampant. She could only hope the same feelings of peace, harmony, love, and friendship would be able to help her this time.

She realized she had a new weapon, though. The power of the Lightwalkers. It pulsed and glowed in her like a living flame, something she had never even thought existed until the moment she had felt it, but now she knew she couldn't live without it.

"You can, Aisha," Alpha said quietly and seriously. Few people, even Rangers, had ever seen beyond the little-brother like facade that the droid had presented them with. In times of crisis and great need, he showed his true mettle: a companion, friend, and listener, without being a judge. "I know you can."

She smiled a little, turning back to the Viewing Globe which was now turned to watch Kat. The Green Ranger was the only one of them who hadn't gotten one of Rocky's notes; a sensible decision since she was the one he wanted to isolate. Just what he had planned after that, Aisha tried very hard not to think about. She was going to stop it.

I want to do it without hurting him, she knew. And I'll need to rescue the guys too. So much to do, and I just don't know if I can do it alone.

You're not alone, the voice of her ancestress rose in her, just as strong and clear as it had been when she had been asleep. You have all the power and strength of the Lightwalkers that have come before you, and you are the Yellow Ranger. Remember that.

She smiled a little, feeling more confidence flowing within her soul. Looking at the Globe, her fists tightened to see Rocky approaching Kat in the park. They appeared to talk quietly for a few moments, then he started to walk closer to her. Kat didn't appear to notice anything unusual about it, until Rocky put his arms around her and tried to kiss her.

Aisha smiled for one moment. This was it. This was what she had been waiting for. She glanced up at Zordon, who nodded quietly to her, giving his permission. The Lightwalker, the Yellow Ranger, took a deep breath, and then a wave of purest yellow gold washed over her as she was teleported to the scene of her first true battle.

She paced through the park, beginning to wonder if she should teleport to the Command Center and try to find them from there. I checked at everyone's house. The only one who wasn't supposedly at Rocky's was Aisha. She was supposed to have went out to work out alone all day. Her parents said that she did that every now and then. No one's at Rocky's, not even Rocky. Something is going on here, and I wonder what it is. Something tells me I'm not going to like it when I find out, either.

"Kat?" she turned around to see Rocky standing behind her, one of his patented grins on his face. Something about the way he grinned was disturbing her, though. And we did get jumped by those Shadow things. ..Zordon said they had a queen...

"Hi, Rocky," she tried to pretend things were normal, for now, at least. If anything happened out of the ordinary, she would defend herself. She didn't know how well she would do; he was a trained fighter, and she barely knew basic self-defense. She could always teleport away if she had to, but didn't know if that would be an option, depending on what he did.

"Nice day out here," he said, gesturing around. He didn't seem to be very close to her, at least by her standards, and that was all to the good.

"Very," she hoped they could keep the topics this innocent for now, then decided on instinct to find out something. "Do you know where everyone else is? I can't find them anywhere, and they're supposed to have all met at your house."

He shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't know anything about that, Kat. I haven't seen any of them all day."

Something in her was screaming that he was lying, that he did know where they were, and just wasn't saying for some reason. That's nonsense, she shook her head just the tiniest bit, making it look as if she were just shaking off a bit of dust or something of that nature. "I'm getting worried about them."

"Don't," he laughed a little, stepping closer to her. "It's nothing to worry about, they're all big people, they can handle themselves for a while."

That in itself, so totally unlike Rocky, sent warnings into her mind that she couldn't and didn't ignore. She also couldn't ignore him stepping up closer to her, wrapping his arms around her, and kissing her on the lips. For one moment she simply stood there, in complete shock. What in the world was he doing? Then, cold reality and reason reasserted itself.

She didn't have strength to match his. That was a given. But she knew something she could do that would put them on a somewhat more equal footing. He'd made a bit of a mistake coming this close to her. With every ounce of strength she had in her, she slammed a knee up between his legs and pushed him away from her at the same time. Her eyes were practically feral with rage as she watched him back up, holding his injured anatomy. She'd never thought she'd do that to a fellow Ranger, but there were limits to what she'd do, and Rocky, for whatever reasons, had crossed them. She stood there, arms crossed, ready to do anything she had to do to keep him away from her.

He lifted his head, and she saw the red of madness in his eyes. "You will be the mother of my Queen's new incarnation," he growled. "And I shall be her father."

She almost didn't have time to move before he jumped towards her again.

"What wonderful toys you will all make!" she laughed coolly, gazing up at them as she lounged upon her throne. "Almost as good as my red toy."

"What have you done to Rocky!?" Tommy hissed. He knew something had to have been done to his friend, the Red Ranger would never do this sort of thing voluntarily. "And what is he doing?"

The Shadow Queen smiled, a frosty expression that did nothing to encourage her captives. "It seems that Little Red Boy had a major crush on that Green Twit from the moment he saw her. He was just too bashful to say anything, and then all that with her being evil came out," she shrugged. "He didn't even recognize his own feelings till after she joined you. Then he tried to hide from them for a while, not daring to talk to her, pretending he would when it was time. He had a particularly. ..vivid dream about her a couple of nights later. . .and he came to my attention. I've been looking for a way to get reborn on Earth for over twelve thousand years now. This seemed the perfect way. Enthrall the boy-toy, get him to impregnate the human he lusted after, do the ritual, and then in a couple of years. . .instant world domination!"

All of them paled at that. They had never thought someone could be this cold and calculating with someone's life. ..with so many lives! "You can't!" were the first words out of Kim's mouth. Almost all the others responded in kind. Except one.

Billy was just staring, all the blood draining out of his face, and slumped down into his cage as if all reason for living had just been ripped from him. The Shadow Queen found his reaction the most entertaining of them all.

"You're the one she likes, aren't you?" she asked, motioning for his cage to come closer to her. Billy said nothing, only continued to stare into nothingness. The Queen smiled coldly. This was just what she'd wanted. With a flicker of thought, the cage he was in vanished, and Billy collapsed in front of her. She reached out and lifted his chin with one finger, gazing into his eyes. "Yes, it's you. I can see it in you. You wouldn't react this way if you weren't her boyfriend."

"Billy!" Tommy practically screeched his friend's name out. "Don't pay any attention to her!"

"Ignore them, Billy," the Shadow Queen purred. "You've lost her now, lost her to my Shadows. But I can give you any other woman you desire. Even me. . ."

The Blue Ranger lifted his eyes suddenly, meeting her gaze in a fashion that wasn't forced. The Shadow Queen felt a sudden flickering of her dark powers, and almost fell back a little. "I love Katherine," he said calmly. "And I will never go to another. She and I might only have just started dating, but I know what's in my heart, and I have known for some time now. So just take your offers and forget them. I'd rather spend eternity in love with her than half a second this close to you."

With all the dignity he could muster, he stepped as far away from her as he could. They all knew that their morphing powers didn't work here; they'd already tried that and failed. When the darkness had lifted from them, they had each found themselves in a different cell, not that far above the Shadow Queen's throne. Then, the taunting had begun.

Billy gritted his teeth, and tried not to think about what was happening on Earth. Then he remembered. Aisha's still out there. And I think she can handle this. That girl's got a very special way about her.

It was also his only hope.

"Rockford David DeSantos!" her voice crackled with the authority of his full, true name. Zordon and the memories of Lightwalker magic floating in her veins told her that the power of a person's true name was one of the greatest of magic. "By the powers of Light and Life I wield as Lightwalker incarnate, I banish the darkness from your soul and summon you back to the side where you belong, that you chose of your own free will!"

Kat spied the Yellow Ranger behind Rocky, and stared at her in uncomprehending fear and anger merged for a moment. As the last word fell from her lips, Aisha pointed one hand at Rocky, and let loose an untrained blast of Lightwalker magic. Focused by the words she'd spoken, the power literally blew through Rocky, cleansing his soul of the darkness and corruption implanted there, truly against his will in his deepest heart. He had known his desire for Kat wasn't based on love, but on simple hormonal reactions, and she had chosen another, at any rate. Everything negative in his soul that wasn't there naturally was quite literally banished by the light she sent through him.

For a moment, the Red Ranger stood there, panting and uncertain of what was going on. His recollection of the last few days and nights were sketchy for a moment, then surged back full force. His eyes went wide. "K. .Kat. ..I. ..I'm so sorry...."

She looked at him, not quite understanding what was going on. "Um, ..Aisha. .what did you do to him?"

"I cleansed him," she replied, trying to catch her breath. "And it's not over yet. We have to rescue the others."

Kat blinked a little, still not sure of things. "Um. Okay. Then after we've done that. . .would someone please sit down and explain things to me?"

"Not a problem," it was Rocky who answered. "I've got a lot of explaining to do myself."

Aisha just nodded, dragging in breaths as if she were drawing in life and a soul along with it. "First the others. I have to open a gate to the Shadow Queen's world. I think I can shatter whatever she's holding them in, then they can just come through the gate."

"What about the Queen herself?" Rocky asked, his voice tight and nervous. He didn't expect to see her smile.

"That isn't going to be a major problem. She's not as tough as she used to be, or as smart. It took five of the Lightwalkers last time to take her down, and it cost four then. But they were just trying to destroy her, and settled for sealing her away. I want her to live. .I won't kill. But I am going to make certain that she never tries this again."

Rocky was going to ask how, and Kat was still too confused to ask anything, when Aisha concentrated once again, and the air in front of them quite literally rippled back, revealing the shadowed realm that the Shadow Queen ruled over. Rocky shuddered at the sight, remembering how he had spent most of every night here in dream-form. All the queen had ever done was get information from him on things that were going on with the Rangers, and make him wear that degrading little loincloth. He felt sick at the very thought of it now.

The first thing they saw was a group of cages over the throne. The queen still sat there, but her eyes were fixated with raw hatred upon the gate Aisha had opened. Billy was the only Ranger free, and he was turning to see what was going on. The relief in his eyes at seeing Kat was unhurt was immense. The Queen rose from her throne, pointing a finger at them. "So the Lightwalker returns to corrupt my sweet darkness again. Can't you people ever leave me alone!?"

"When you interfere in the world of light, no, we can't!" Aisha declared. She knew she didn't have access yet to her full powers; that was the study of a lifetime. But she knew how to do something simple like this. She was irresistibly reminded of the Sailor Moon TV series as she pointed one finger and a beam of golden light shot out from the tip to burn the darkness that the cages were crafted of away. The various Rangers dropped neatly to the ground, landing on their feet, and she gestured quickly. "I can't keep the gate open forever. Get on over here!"

None of them wasted any time running, and the moment Billy had crossed the threshold, he ran straight to Kat and pulled her into a tight hug. Aisha could hear him whisper, "I thought I'd lost you."

"You'll never lose me," Kat murmured in return. "Never."

With that, Aisha returned her attention to the matter at hand. Their romantic life was just that: theirs. "I'm going to make certain you can't interfere in our world again, Shadow Queen."

"You can't," her enemy stated flatly. "I can do as I please. Your ancestors tried and all they succeeded in was banishing me. ..temporarily."

"You can't," Aisha enjoyed throwing the words back in her face. "Because I know something they didn't. Something my ancestor didn't learn until she was literally on her deathbed. The one way to truly bind you. Permanently."

The Shadow Queen would have paled, if she could. Aisha looked calmly at her. It was high noon by now, and there were no shadows that she could raise against them. Aisha smiled briefly. "By your true name, I conjure you, Queen of Shadows. All universes are you barred from, throughout the cosmos. This realm is your only haven and your only home. By your true name I bind you to this: Kerry, the Darkwalker, the Lightwalker turned to evil, the fallen one, I bind you to this realm for all time. So be it, for all time."

As she spoke the sealing words, she stepped back, collapsing the gate almost as an afterthought. She herself was the next thing to collapse, and the first thing she saw was Rocky's concerned face looking down at her. Darkness, the good kind that meant she had overreached herself and would need to rest, swarmed up. She murmured something, not certain if he heard her and not caring.

"I love you, Rocky."

Being the first of the Lightwalkers to attain her powers, she had thought of talking to her mother or grandmother about it. She finally decided not to. It was just not worth having to explain how she knew, or anything else that might come into the discussion. Maybe some day. ..but not now.

Zordon's scans indicated that the Shadow Queen had raised up the shadows in the Lunar Palace to bind Rita and Zedd, and that with her expulsion from interference in this universe, those shadows were gone. The evil duo were back in action already, and the Rangers had had to deal with the occasional monster once again. They managed to do this in their usual style, with Aisha keeping her Lightwalker powers a secret. They had all decided this would be best, unless it was an absolute necessity.

Aisha was in her room, trying to relax and read, taking her mind off things, when the phone rang. It stopped a moment later, before she could pick it up. Guess it was for Kim, she's the only other person here. Probably Tommy.

"Hey, Aisha!" she turned to see Kim waving at her. "Pick up the phone!"

The Yellow Ranger raised an eyebrow, then picked up the golden phone next to her. "Hello?" Wonder who this is?

"Um, hi, Aisha," her eyebrows shot up to her hairline and beyond!

"Rocky!?"

"Yeah," his voice sounded nervous and unsure. "I was sort of wondering. . .would you like to go out with me Friday night?"

THE END