Farewell

Rain poured down heavily, the clattering drops against the stone pavement reflecting the gloomy thoughts in his mind that even the loud beating of drum and the chanting of the Buddhist monks couldn't drown.
Jason stole a glance at Billy who looked stone cold. He knew that the genius was blaming himself but the real blame laid with him. He didn't stop Billy when he had informed them that he was trying to bring back Zordon… the slight possibility that their mentor might not be dead, just lost. In fact, he had supported the decision whereas the others had been unsure, Trini being the only one strongly against it on the basis that even if Zordon was lost, the process that would bring him back would result in him back in a time warp, the same prison that he had endured for ten thousand years. He should have agreed with her. They had all been messing with powers beyond their understanding, fighting a war against unimaginable odds. They were human after all…
She shouldn't have been the one to sacrifice herself for Billy… He should have been in her place. He was the leader. Protecting the others was his responsibility and he had failed them all…
A tear rolled down his cheeks.
Trini was his best friend, the one who always knew the right thing to say whenever he was having any sort of crisis and now, he was just supposed to reconcile with the fact that she was gone!
She was his first love and a part of him never stopped loving her. They had been so young when they had first started dating, eventually deciding to part ways as friends to avoid their feelings getting in the way of their ranger responsibilities.
Jason buried his grief and diverted his attention towards the crowd. Zack stood at his left, staring ahead with a blank look. After he had left the peace conference, Trini and Zack had started dating and their relationship lasted almost a decade only ending when Zack chose to move to Washington full time and Trini decided to return to Angel Grove. Both had tried their best to make the relationship work, calling it quits only when they could no longer deny the strain maintaining the long-distance relationship was putting them through.
Jason sighed, looking at Billy again. He and Trini had always been close. Trini understood him when no one else did and she had always protected him, till the very end.
He took a deep breath as Kimberly laid a comforting hand on his shoulder, the same pain in her eyes.
The monks stop chanting and one of them steps forward.
"The Buddha tells us that thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. This is how our sister Trini Kwan lived her life. She was that candle that lit so many other candles with her gentleness, compassion, kindness, and her leadership. She inspired so many to be their best in every act that that they do."
There was a poignant pause as the room full of mourners reflected on the words, some of them sobbing and others looking away to avoid doing the same.
"I now ask the family of Trini to stand."
Minh stood up, supported by Kimberly, Nancy, and her aunt Sylvia. Jason stood up alongside Billy, Tommy, Zack, Aisha, Sabrina, Rocky, Adam, Katherine, Tanya, Bulk, Skull, Nick, and Justin. Sylvia's wife Becky and their daughter Yen stood up as well.
"Will the appointed individuals come forward to help lead the casket in the procession?"
Jason stepped forward alongside Tommy, Zack, Billy, Bulk and Skull, as they walked toward the casket, each grabbing a handle and carefully lifting it and leading it down the centre aisle through the temple, Minh and the others following closely behind.
----The rest of the funeral went without any fanfare. Minh hated it and stayed silent most of the times, letting her aunts and uncles do all the talking, only responding to people with nods. The entire thing felt like a sham.
All these flowers around the picture of her mother… the empty casket they buried… all these people coming up to say their piece and how sorry and shocked they were to hear about her mother's passing… None of it gave her any solace.
It hurt even more.
Her mother was taken away at such a young age while others far older than her were living fulfilling lives. Everything was so unfair.
And that's not even considering how her mother died. Blasted to atoms by a murderous witch.
What did saving the world and protecting innocents get her?
She may not have believed in God but she had always believed in karma and now she couldn't do that either.
After all the good her mother did, both as a doctor and as a ranger, was such a gruesome death really what she deserved?
It was all so wrong and it felt as if the ground was slowly crumbling away beneath her feet.
She was an orphan now.
Minh remembered her father Ritchie. Her parents had been high school sweethearts and reconciled after her mother had moved back to Angel Grove. Her parents had broken up before she was born and while they had been friends with each other, they never attempted to date again. That never stopped him from being a part of her life though. Her mother had always regarded her father as family though they weren't married.
Her father had died three years ago after succumbing to a rare form of cancer five months after the diagnosis.
And now, she felt all that pain come back again.
Both her parents were so kind and selfless and yet, both died so unjustly.
Why did they suffer such cruel fates?
Why were they taken away from her so soon?
Nothing made any sense anymore.
----Katherine sighed, placing a bouquet of white roses over the casket.
Trini had always been so welcoming and kind to everyone. She remembered the first time they met at Ernie's Juice Bar after Zordon's passing.
Trini had no reason to stay in touch with her. They had nothing in common but she did and over the years, she became one of her closest friends.
All of it was too much to bear.
They had passed on the mantle decades ago and remained as reserve rangers. To face such a loss now, when all of them had lives of their own was simply devastating.
And poor Minh… While she knew the others would be there for the orphaned girl, she promised to herself that she would do the same, extend the same friendship and familial warmth Trini had shown her.
----Tommy teleported into the Mystic Dimension in a burst of green energy.
"Tommy." The Mystic Mother said calmly, from her throne as Tommy walked up the dais.
"You missed the funeral." He noted.
"I thought it was best to not show my face considering it was my darker side responsible for all this pain." She sighed. "I am sorry. I should have sensed her presence sooner. If I did, then maybe…"
"Don't." Tommy shook his head. "None of us blame you. And if you hadn't shown up when you did, Robo Rita might have taken out all of us."
"I am the mistress of good magic. I should have been able to detect her sooner." She stressed.
"Maybe? But you and the Mystic Force were defending Briarwood and the magic realm from a demon invasion at the same time." Tommy said. "I don't think that is a coincidence."
"It isn't." She relented. "I did sense the taint of Lokar's essence on them. That is what alerted me to my darker half. This has Zedd written all over it."
"Speaking of Zedd, does Zophram have any clue on what Zedd is planning next?" Tommy asked, referring to Zedd's purified self, a former eltarian guardian and Mystic Mother's husband.
The mystic shook her head forlornly.
"None."
Tommy let out a grunt of dismay.
"But all of this is not the reason you are here. I am afraid I do not have the answers you seek, Tommy." Rita sighed.
"I hadn't even asked."
"You don't need to." She cut him off kindly. "There is no reversing death, Tommy. It is the natural end of life and even rangers die."
"But other rangers came back from death before. Kendrix, Steel, Mack…" Tommy protested.
"All of them was the intervention of the Morphin Masters and even then, it wasn't as simple as you think. They didn't reverse death, merely prevented it. The Quasar Sabre absorbed Kendrix's body and soul before she could be destroyed. The Silver Beast Morpher was a hybrid…a robot and a human. Evox's attack destroyed his robot shell but his soul still survived on the mortal plane, allowing the Morphin Masters to create a suitable body for him. It is the same for the others." The Mystic Mother stated sadly. "They were exceptions and their survival nothing short of miracles but not every team is lucky. Thousands of rangers, entire teams even have died in battle and many more have died to natural causes, succumbing to illnesses or accidents. Death comes for us all, my dragon."
Tommy looked away, his face contorting in pain.
"I should go then." He said stiffly. "May the Power protect you, Mystic Mother."
"And you." The sorceress murmured softly as the ranger departed her realm.