Power Rangers Elementalists: Redux

by Mathais

An Elementalists Rewrite. Justin moves to Boston, where he becomes involved in another battle for the Earth. He must overcome the problems of the past in order to deal with the present and preserve the future. Contains slash and femslash.

2. Power of the Shadow: Six to One

Story Title: Power Rangers Elementalists: Redux

Chapter Title: Power of the Shadow: Six to One

Author: Mathais

Rating: T

Fandom: Power Rangers

Warnings: Justin Focus, Slash and Fem-Slash, Slightly AUish then steadily heading into a behind-the-scene rewrite of the PR Universe

Pairings: In this chapter? None.

Summary: Justin moves to Boston, where he becomes involved in another battle for the Earth. He must overcome the problems of the past in order to deal with the present and preserve the future.

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers in all of its incarnations, Justin and the others that you recognize belong to whoever owns legal ownership of them now. Nico had appeared in two-plus episodes of Turbo, and Kayla was one of Rocky's students in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Fred made his appearance in MMPR: The Movie.

OoOoO

Dear Journal,

It's Justin again. You should know me by now. Sorry that I haven't written in a couple days, but I've been busy. I met Fred again. He moved from Angel Grove when a monster, Ninshad, had attacked and nearly killed him. I didn't know he had moved to Boston! It's a welcome surprise, actually knowing someone. Even if he can't understand what I'm going through, it's enough that one of the old quartet we had once been is here.

I saw another group of Rangers. Yes, another group. I... I don't want them to be here. The Rangers bring back memories too harsh, too... I just don't want the Morphing Grid screwing up even more of my life. I was too dependent on it and the connections it brought last time.

No longer.

Justin

OoOoO

Justin leaned against the wall of the office, head bowed. Brown hair which had been reluctantly combed and trimmed hung over his face, obscuring his eyes from the outside in, though not vice versa. It began to curl slightly at his neck, though only a little longer than his usual style. With arms crossed and a school bag on the ground next to him, he looked completely different from the boy he had once been in Angel Grove, dressed in black cargo pants and a form-fitting crimson shirt.

Fred stood next to him, fidgeting slightly. His cap was attached to his waist, as was habitual inside buildings. Justin could tell that his friend was shooting him nervous glances the entire time, but he pretended not to notice. His final days as a Power Ranger had changed him far more than either the death of his mom or the semi-abandonment of his dad had.

"Justin Stewart?" called a voice from inside in office.

The ex-Ranger smoothly moved from his position against the wall, gathering up his bag without a thought. Fred shot him a worried look, but Justin minutely shook his head. Fred fell back, tapping his fingers against the wall in a show of impatience. Justin entered the room and sat down in the seat motioned by a surprisingly young woman.

"I know what you're thinking," the principal, whom Justin guessed to be Asian, smiled gently. "You're thinking, 'Whoa, she isn't formal.'"

Justin didn't respond, opting instead to stare at a point slightly to the left of her eyes. He didn't want to make friends with her. He didn't want to do anything but go on with his life.

The smile slowly slipped off the young woman's face, to be replaced by a slightly guarded look. "Tough crowd, huh? I'm Lami Scio. You know the dress code, right?"

He nodded slightly, not showing more movement than necessary.

The look in the woman's eyes hardened. Justin idly noted that her hand tightened over a beautiful golden bracelet made with interlocking scorpions as she said, "We don't take kindly to troublemakers here. Remember that. Fred Kelman out there will be your guide for part of your classes. The other part will consist of Cassandra Chen."

"I understand," Justin affirmed softly as he stood. He began moving for the door, but the principal's voice stopped him.

"What have you lost to put that hurt in your eyes?" she called out.

Justin turned back with enough ice in his gaze which would have frozen lava. It then melted into a sort of self-deprecating pain as he realized what he had done. "More than you'll ever know," he whispered as he exited.

He nodded to Fred, gaining back some of the light in his eyes. Fred was one of the few people that he trusted himself with on Earth anymore. The others were Kayla and Nico, who were separated from him by a whole continent. For what they had done for him, he'd do anything for them.

"So, what'd you think of her?" questioned Fred once they were out of the main office.

"A bit..." He furrowed his brow, searching for the right word. There really wasn't much to describe the principal, especially after what his (admitted short) stint in high school had made him see of school in general. "...protective, I guess? Mixed in with some genuine approachability."

"Ms. Scio cares a lot about this school and the people inside of it," Fred said as they walked through the halls. "She can also see really well into people."

"I hear that," Justin muttered as they entered their homeroom. Briefly, Justin recognized the Asian boy who had tried to talk to him before he took a seat next to Fred.

"Why are you in junior high anyway?" questioned Fred, as if realizing the fact for the first time. "I mean, you're smart enough for high school, probably higher."

"I just..." His eyes lowered as unbidden memories came to mind. Being a protector.

Being strong.

Being different.

"I just want to be normal, I guess." Justin shrugged uneasily, and Fred took it as a cue to drop the subject.

OoOoO

Justin stretched as he lay against the grass of the park, enjoying the coolness of the shade that touched him. A small yawn left his lips, one of a sleepy peace. He hadn't had much of this back at Angel Grove, always in the Power Chamber or hanging out with the others...

There hadn't been time to simply be him.

No, he always had to be the happy-go-lucky boy genius who was valued for his smile and his knowledge. There was no time to be a kid lost in an ever-increasing war which cumulated in his self-sacrificial abandonment. There was no time to think about what changes he had gone through or the ever-growing darkness which lay dormant in his heart.

There had never been any time where he could just sit back and clear his mind of all thoughts and worries.

Something always had to be done. Something needed to be fixed or something needed to be programmed or he was getting lectured, or he was teaching something to the newbies, or something.

No, for however peaceful Angel Grove could be, it had always been turmoil for him. Things needed to be done and they got done, regardless of the effect on the person who did them.

Here in Boston, though, Justin found he could relax. The near constant tension which marked his everyday actions seemed to disappear in the crisp air of the new city. He, though he had to be more careful of the more mundane dangers such as car accidents and muggings, didn't have to be on call at a moment's notice for a monster battle. He didn't have to be wary that he would be jumped by Piranhatrons at every single moment he spent outside of the Power Chamber. He didn't have to make excuses for why he had to go teleport or run away or morph or fight.

Maybe he could find solace here.

Maybe he could finally heal.

It was with that thought that he once again attempted to fall asleep.

"Am I cursed or something?" Justin grumbled as the sounds of battle caught his fine-tuned ears. His eyes snapped open, and he crawled to his feet, rising and staring down from the hill he was on.

And he was in for another shock.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath. Twelve Rangers were clashing below, twelve Rangers who were mirrors of each other, even down to gender.

Justin's eyes watched as Indigo fought with what appeared to be Purple, daggers and claws clashing respectively. Purple slashed sideways with her claws, which Indigo parried with her blades, forcing a standstill of power. Both were forced to jump away as Blue and Aqua intruded, scythe against staff, with neither gaining an advantage. The shorter Aqua jammed his staff into the ground and leapt backwards just as Pink came plowing through, her glaive poised to strike. Silver followed soon after, her spear aiming for Pink's open back but failing when Purple interfered, claws raking across Silver's unprotected side.

Justin's eyes snapped to the side as Gold and Yellow fought, chakram against tonfa, neither giving an inch. The metal of the chakrams didn't even dent the wood that the tonfa appeared to be made of, despite the harsh blows which Gold rained down onto the guarding Yellow. Gold was forced to break her attack and duck when Green was blown over her head, courtesy of Brown. Green's mace was launched away from him, but Red caught it and tossed it back, blocking Orange's sword with his katana one-handed. Brown was on Green again, axe scoring a hit down his side.

He hadn't ever been in the presence of so many Rangers fighting before. His eyes picked out easily the fighters though. Orange was by far the best Ranger among them, though he was hampered by the fact that he was covering for Aqua's and Gold's weaknesses, however slight they were. It was enough to level the playing field though. And the rage over that fact was easily visible in Orange's movements as he fiercely kicked Red away, tripping Blue soon after and knocking him away with strong slash. As the sparks still flew from the attack, Orange surprisingly turned to Pink and Yellow, fingers outstretched.

An orange light flared from his hands, and Red shouted out, "Run!" to the two female Rangers.

It was too late though as magma rose from the ground, scorching Pink and Yellow's bodies. The attack wasn't over yet though as the energy converted into fireballs which rained from the sky, pounding the Rangers into the ground.

"Mid-level magic?" snarled Green as he sidestepped Brown's next slice. "That isn't playing fair!"

"For all those who've been lost, I'm beyond caring!" roared Orange, angering scorching across his body in visible flares. Justin's eyes widened as the Ranger was lifted into the air by the force of his fury, an orange aura covering his body. "O six spirits who watch over us..."

"Damn it," bit out Purple, as she realized what was happening. She raised her fist, shouting, "Meet us at the place where the roads of the five elements meet at ten o'clock! Shadow Elementalist Rangers, retreat!"

In flashes of color, Red, Blue, Pink, Yellow, Green, and Purple herself teleported away, and Orange fell back to the ground, his chest noticeably heaving. Waving off the assistance which Aqua and Brown offered, he whispered a few terse comments before teleporting away in a streak of orange light.

"Justin?" asked someone behind him.

The teenager nearly leapt into the air as he spun, his fist flying for Fred's face. It was only through sheer force of will that he stayed his arm, eyes averting Fred's shocked but compassionate ones.

"What's up?" he asked quietly.

Justin jerked his head over toward the park, where five Rangers still stood, one seeming to do something with her helmet. Justin clamped a hand over Fred's mouth to muffle the shocked shout—they were a good distance away, but with Ranger hearing, Justin knew that he'd have to be extra careful. He watched though as Brown nodded once, and Indigo began emitting a strange wave of energy. He took a step back, but his necklace flared, though his higher position allowed him to keep himself from sight. Blue encompassed both him and Fred as the energy passed by them, and Justin felt himself shiver, though he instinctively knew that he was feeling better than he would have should the energy have touched him.

When the energy disappeared and the Rangers teleported away, Fred turned to him and shouted, "What just happened?"

"Rangers," Justin shortly replied, staring out into what used to be a scarred battlefield, but now a normal field in the park. "How could you not know?"

"But there are... weren't," amended Fred, "any Rangers here. My dad made sure of that."

"Ninshad," whispered Justin, as he turned to his friend. Pained eyes looked back at him as the teen nodded. Justin shook himself and turned his mind to what Purple Ranger had spoken of. Turning to Fred, he asked, "Do you know the place they were talking about?"

"The five elements?" questioned Fred briefly before he closed his eyes. Justin could almost see the thoughts racing through his mind at a quick pace, the frighteningly fast connections that he knew that, while being Fred's natural ability, would take him years or some very trying set of circumstances to emulate. "Our school."

"The school?" gawked Justin.

Fred started, "Well, if you take in the Chinese—" before abruptly stopping and shrugging. "It just is." Something clicked in Fred's mind as he stared at him hard. "Why?"

The faintest traces of hesitance entered him under Fred's gaze. He then addressed the question before him, biting his lower lip. "I have a feeling that I need to be there."

"You're not going without me," spoke Fred, placing a hand on Justin's shoulder which brooked no contest.

Justin didn't try to argue.

OoOoO

Fred and Justin wordlessly stared at each other as they met in front of the school. The sky was overcast, and there was a charge of premonition in the air. There were twelve flashes of lights from the roof, and Justin's eyes were drawn by the familiar flashes, knowing they were teleportation streams, though they lacked the crystal-like trailing sparkles that his and the others had taken as Turbo Rangers and were more like the ones that the old Rangers used.

"We need to head to the next building," Justin coolly whispered, pointing to the one next to the school, obviously locked, but the only one close enough to provide a good view of what was going on.

Fred gave a smile that sent shivers up Justin's spine. "I thought that might happen." He slid something out of the pocket of his worn jeans. Black gloves, Justin saw. Putting them on and pulling a black case from his other pocket, he slipped out fine tools.

"I left my tools at home," whispered Justin as the two crowded around the entrance to the building. It was a simple place and had a lock which was equally simple to pick. Fred, as rusty as he was, opened it in three minutes... though that was an eternity in battle, Justin knew. Their sneakers echoed loudly in the dark, empty halls as they searched for the roof access. He knew that each moment that passed could spell the end of the battle, even knowing that both teams were skilled; the tide of battle could change in a moment.

The two burst out of an unlocked door and froze.

Chaos stared at them in the face.

"Water Strikes!" shouted Aqua, the tips of his battle staff becoming encased with water as he jabbed forward, catching Red in the stomach. The following attacks were mere blurs, but the attacks ended with Red flying away into Yellow, who was busy defending against Brown's axe.

The flying Ranger bowled Yellow over, but she drew a blaster before Brown could take advantage of her prone form and shouted, "Tiger Burst!" From the tip of her gun launched the visage of the beast, encased in electricity. Brown guarded against the attack with his axe, but the resulting stall let the two recover and allowed Red to get clearance as he encased his katana in flame.

"Eruption Pyres!"

He slashed his weapon with a savage swipe as twirling columns of molten fire spun around him, but Orange was there with his own attack, calling, "Fire Passing!" His body blurred as he ran, and Justin could see him slice cleanly through the fiery pyres and the Ranger who summoned them before he stopped, sword outstretched. Red's attack dissipated, his katana flying away and signature sparks flying from a strong attack on a Ranger suit.

Pink was instantly there to cover him, her glaive rising. She shouted, "Tornado Bombardment!" and kicked winds up with the end of her long-arm. Twisters launched from her area, keeping any attackers away, but Gold switched her attention to Purple instead, who was dealing with Silver already. Justin recognized that Purple was the strongest among that particular group, and even she was starting to show strains from dealing with two Rangers, but Red still hadn't risen.

Eventually Green came to her aid, calling out, "Quake Smash!" and slamming his mace into the ground. Shards of rock splintered off the ground and rose, firing into the melee even as an orb of energy launched from his vicinity, crashing into Gold and flinging her away.

The commotion caught the attention of the Indigo Ranger, who left her fight with Blue to rush Green. She reversed her grip from her backhand to as one would hold a blade, shifting her footing and falling into a spin. Ice coated blades as she invoked the name of her attack, "Ice Cyclone!" She spun in a tilted revolution, letting gravity aid her blades as she struck Green again and again, her attack coming faster and faster until it seemed she was ringed by a circle of indigo ice. Indigo ended in a particularly strong strike that caused the signature Ranger suit sparks and shot Green right into Silver's waiting spear. Her weapon launched him into the air, sparks trailing him, where Brown met him as he traded Yellow to Silver. He spun with his axe in a vertical revolution, slamming Green into the ground with enough force to cause cracks in the school's reinforced roof.

But he didn't demorph.

Justin saw all the punishment the Green Ranger was put through, and he still wouldn't demorph.

He knew that if he'd been the victim, he would have demorphed. Hell, the only one he knew that probably wouldn't have was Tommy, whose natural tolerance for pain was amazing.

But for Green, not even leader, to not demorph from pain overload either spoke of an intense pain tolerance or a skill that Justin couldn't fathom.

And Purple was better.

Seeing the battle from above, Justin couldn't help but shiver. There was something in the air, something that made him apprehensive. From what he could see, one group, the group which hadn't defeated that monster, the one which Indigo had called the Shadow Elementalist Rangers, was herding the other group together. Perhaps it was something that they didn't notice or something that Justin could only see from his perspective, but soon the group was fighting together in the same part of the roof.

All of a sudden the herding group pulled back, their right hands raised into the air.

"O six spirits who watch over us, grant us the power of the shade!" called the group in unison.

"The Mountain Blizzard!"

"The Fissure Quake!"

"The Plains Tornado!"

"The Ocean Tsunami!"

"The Sky Storm!"

"The Volcano Eruption!"

Ethereal visages surrounded the six Shadow Elementalist Rangers, their bodies glowing with their own unique color. Only Orange seemed to understand what was going on as his head snapped into the air.

And he moved...

...but not toward his enemies. He, only a blur now, moved to Aqua, the closest to him and the most to the left. As a giant blast of energy mixed of the six Ranger colors fired from the hands of the Shadow Elementalist Rangers, Orange's shoulder impacted on Aqua's chest and sent him flying.

What followed would haunt both Justin and Fred for the rest of their lives.

The screams of five Rangers echoed throughout the night as the blast completely engulfed Brown, Silver, Indigo, and Gold. Half of Orange was hit by the blast, but it was enough to hear what Justin could amount to death cries.

When the attack ended, all that remained were six panting Shadow Elementalist Rangers, a shocked Aqua Ranger, a twitching, demorphed Orange Ranger, and four bodies that looked to be unharmed saved for the fact that they were unmoving. Justin's breath caught in his throat as he realized that the bodies were so small, like they were around his age.

But then the Aqua Ranger lurched forward and scrambled to the demorphed Orange Ranger, cradling his head in his lap. Justin couldn't make out the words that Aqua was saying, his voice tinged with shock, but he clearly heard Orange's reply.

"Aqua, please... Don't cry. Don't cry. I did what I had to do; I did what needed to be done. Don't... Don't cry. Just live for us, for what we believed in."

Aqua replied in a choked voice, again too low for him to hear.

"I saw it and... I acted. Please... Protect the Fire, the Air, the Earth, the Lightning, and the Ice. And when you gain the strength to, release us. And I saw my replacement... He—"

The Orange Ranger fell limp before he could finish. Small glowing balls of energy, one for each of the fallen Rangers rose into the air and circled around Aqua before entering him. Inside Aqua's arms, the body of the Orange Ranger began to fade, just as it did for Silver, Brown, Gold, and Indigo. All that remained after was colored dust, dust that floated into the air and into the other Rangers, their counterparts, to disappear.

Aqua stood, his body trembling.

He took one step forward, and his suit seemed to shift, gaining white stripes across his body. His movements were being echoed by afterimages as he moved, and a faint white aura surrounded him.

"O six spirits who watch over me," Aqua intoned, his voice devoid of emotion, "by the contracts which lie within these bracelets," he ran his right hand across his left, his fingers trailing over the bracelets that Justin recognized, if not why, "I summon thee by calling thy true names."

His power swept through the air, a juxtaposition of frozen cold and tingly heat.

"The Element of the Flowing Water, Deity of the Light, Spirit of the Yang Triangle of Light, Originator of the Aqua Magic!" With that, an aqua circle appeared in front of him.

"The Element of the Burning Fire, Deity of the Light, Mind of the Yang Triangle of Light, Originator of the Orange Magic!" This was followed by an orange circle appearing behind him to the right.

"The Element of the Dancing Lightning, Deity of the Light, Body of the Yang Triangle of Light, Originator of the Gold Magic!" A golden circle appeared behind him to the left, forming a triangle which started glowing a white light.

"The Element of the Freezing Ice, Deity of the Light, Spirit of the Yin Triangle of the Light, Originator of the Indigo Magic!" An indigo circle appeared this time, directly behind him.

"The Element of the Blowing Air, Deity of the Light, Mind of the Yin Triangle of Light, Originator of the Silver Magic!" A silver circle came into being, opposite of the orange one.

"The Element of the Shifting Earth, Deity of the Light, Body of the Yin Triangle of Light, Originator of the Brown Magic!" The final circle, glowing brown, appeared to his front-right. That too formed a triangle which began emitting a dark light akin to black.

Purple took another step back. Justin had watched as she and her team tried to approach Aqua as he spoke, but every bit of their movement was slowed as if they were fighting buffeting winds, though Justin could see none.

"By thy names I now invoke, appear on this plain..."

"Retreat!"

By Purple's call, the six Shadow Elementalist Rangers teleported away. The Aqua Ranger sighed and fell to his knees, the sound of repressed tears audible as his magic circles faded away.

"I invoke the Elementalist Treaty, Precept Number Five: 'All landscape destroyed in any battle will be recovered upon the defeat or retreat of either party,'" intoned the Aqua Ranger after a few moments to himself. A bright light spread through the area and the school was returned to its state before the battle, right before Justin's eyes. "I invoke the Elementalist Treaty, Precept Number Six: 'All memory of the neutrals who either the Good or Evil sees fit will be erased.'" A wave of energy spread across the area, but Justin's necklace flared and coated both him and Fred in a bright blue aura, protecting them from the effects of the... whatever it was.

The Aqua Ranger took one last look around, touching the bracelets on his left wrist before teleporting away in a stream of white-tinted aqua light.

Justin turned to Fred, unsure of what to say. The teen merely shook his head, turning and leaving. Justin looked back once before walking away as well...

...but not before saying a prayer to five fellow Rangers now deceased... and the one left behind.

OoOoO

Justin slept fitfully that night. The dying screams of five Rangers echoed throughout his mind, unwilling to let him rest even as they broke through the numbing pain he tried to surround himself with. The reality of Rangering he had tried so hard to deny before finally accepting struck him hard. And this was how he slept for two weeks, always watching as the Aqua Ranger fought by himself in his solitude. He half-wished he could help the person behind the helmet, but every night he returned to his nightmares filled with pain and sorrow and death, remembering how close his own team came to total annihilation.

A warm orange light entered his dreams one night and banished his nightmares, if only for that small time.

And Justin returned to a peaceful rest...

...not noticing the orange on his left wrist.

OoOoO

Revised since original posting