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Rocks crunched and slid as Trini came to an abrupt stop. Before her was a large dip, and she was still being chased by four kids from class. They weren't friends. Not yet. Maybe not ever. But they were teammates, she guessed. There was a giant face in the wall of an alien space ship who keeps telling them so, but Trini just couldn't feel it. She didn't see how she could save the world, despite the nightmares she has of the alien she helped bitchslap back into space, despite the four people she could feel in her head and chest ever since she had first morphed into the Yellow Power Ranger. She could feel the fear there now, fear that she will leave them now, fear of what is to come. She tried to tune out those feelings in order to concentrate on her own fear. If Rita could smack her around like that, if she could just wave her staff thingy and just kill Billy...
Trini looked up at the heavy thuds behind her and there was Kimberly, because of course she was. Trini scowled at her in an attempt to keep the other girl from approaching, but this did not work. It never seemed to, so Trini wondered why she kept trying. "Hey," Kim said softly as she slowed from a run to a walk, her shoes scuffling on the rocky ground under them. Kim had managed to grab her jacket in the run from the ship where they had been training, but she hadn't been able to put it on, so it stayed in her hand as her arm swayed at her side. "So um... you ran again."
Trini shrugged.
"Do you.. wanna talk about it?" Kim asked.
"No," Trini bit out.
"Okay. It's just... you run away a lot."
"And you keep chasin' me," Trini retorted.
"Yeah."
"So what is up with that?"
Kim didn't speak at first as she thought about the question. "I don't expect you to talk more, necessarily. Not like your mom. I know you don't talk, but I am a believer in actions speaking louder than words. Maybe this action is telling us all we need to know about you, but we won't figure it out if we are just waiting for you, wondering if or when you'd return. But you're right. Even before I knew anything about you, even the little I knew that I was actually wrong about, I found myself chasing you up the quarry the day after we got the power coins. I didn't really know why the first time outside of the fact that we had all changed and that you were a piece of that. Now, I..." Kim bit her lip as she went a little pink. "I always felt that chasing you was going to be chasing my future in a way. I used to chase traditions in my family, popularity at school, even some wayward, half formed dreams of leaving Angel Grove after high school- which is apparently shot to hell now that I am supposedly destined to protect it now... It all felt like I was just a rodent in a cage, going nowhere. But when you run, and when I go after you, I feel like I don't care where we go, as long as we're going somewhere. I always felt like I was going somewhere too. I want to be near you. Like... all the time. More than the guys do, and more than I feel this about the guys. And I think I knew that deep down even the first time, but now.. I know it now. So... there."
Trini finally turned to face Kimberly and took in her words. "I never expected anyone would chase after me. Ever. I thought I'd keep running away from everything and everyone and, people would just let me go... forget me. I guess with this new destiny and the Ranger Bond, that is pretty much impossible now."
"Maybe," Kim agreed.
"I don't feel like I am running from you necessarily anymore. Just my head. I got in a lock during training that reminded me of my fight with Rita bitchface, and I got scared. But I guess... if I was to be chased around by anyone, I am glad it's you, Hart. I... I um," Trini let her finger tip run along the rim of her beanie to the side braids in her hair. "I like being near you, too."
"I know I could never forget you... or how you make me feel. I know it's super scary, this new life we have, but we're together now, the five of us," Kim seemed to offer.
"Yeah, Trini agreed with a sigh.
"So next time it gets scary, look at us. See us all there with you. And if you still want to run, know that I'm right behind you. If... If you want, you can reach for me, too. I'll take your hand - if you want."
Trini saw how earnest Kim was, the hesitant smile on her face, and the way she played with the zipper of her jacket. Trini took a step towards Kim and held out her hand. "I'm still scared, but I don't want to run right now."
Kim took Trini's hand easily and nodded. "Well that is a start, isn't it?" she asked with another small smile. Trini didn't answer. Instead, they stood in a small silence, their hands clasped gently together between them. "You think you're ready to go back? I know you can feel Billy's uncertainty as well as I can," Kim said.
Trini nodded. "Yeah. Let's do this."
Together, still hand in hand, Kim and Trini went back to the cliff. Trini looked down a moment, then tugged Kim's hand so hard the two of them went tumbling over the ravine into the water below.