Sailor Moon - Rise of the Exalted Knights

by Lisseas

Chapter Twenty-Six: Into Tokyo; Minako's Self Discovery

Posted: 28/09/2018

The devastation Chaos had inflicted on Tokyo was even more heart-breaking up close. The creature's monstrous central spire loomed above, even at this distance, dwarfing everything still standing. Sailor Moon kept waiting for some small mercy or sign of hope, but it never seemed to come. The damage only worsened the closer they got to the city centre; they had yet to see any survivors.

But there must be someone, she told herself, leaping onto a pile of debris blocking her path. It can't have killed everyone. There must be some survivors! Then, calamity! She let out an involuntary shriek as the rubble gave way underfoot. She hung there in limbo, arms pinwheeling in a desperate attempt to stay upright.

"I've got you!" A familiar gloved hand reached for hers, and Tuxedo Kamen pulled her back from the brink. "There."

Her cheeks grew hot as his free hand pressed into the small of her back. "Thanks. Falling never gets any less embarrassing." He was close. Very close. There'd been very little time for just the two of them lately, and god only knew this wasn't exactly the time, but he was just…so…close…

"Well?!"

A certain miko's impatient shout took care of that. Moon flinched, pulling away from her boyfriend almost guiltily. "What?!"

"What do you mean, what?!" Mars snapped back from below. "How does it look up there, Odango?"

Oh, right. The reason I got up here in the first place. She stepped gingerly around Tuxedo Kamen and peered ahead, assessing their options. The smouldering remains of yet another fallen building blocked the street completely. Plumes of smoke still billowed out from within; they weren't getting through it easily.

"Well?!"

Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Moon slid back down the pile to re-join her friends. "No good," she said, as her boyfriend landed beside her. "This street is blocked, too. We have to find another way around."

Chibi Moon's frustration was clear. "This is taking too long!"

"We already tried Sailor Teleport," Mercury reminded her calmly. "Consider yourself lucky we could even transform at all with the amount of negative energy those spires are putting out."

"What are they anyway?" Saturn wondered aloud. "What purpose do they serve?"

"Some sort of foci for Chaos' power, perhaps? A decent scan has proved problematic for the same reasons." The blue-haired Senshi looked to Chibi Moon. "What do they do in Crystal Tokyo?"

"I never asked." The younger girl seemed distracted, likely still upset by Crystal Tokyo's early appearance. "Sorry."

Moon's heart went out to her but they couldn't afford to dwell on that now. She started back the way they'd came, retracing her steps towards the last corner. "We'll just have to circle around and try the next street over. They can't all be blocked!"

"Don't be so sure," Venus countered, falling in beside her. "I know we decided against the rooftops, but we may have no choice."

"The rooftops expose us to the enemy," Pluto pointed out, "And navigating the various hazards will only waste energy best put to use against Chaos. It makes perfect sense to be cautious."

"I'm not so sure, Pluto," Uranus said, with a snort. "Chaos called us out. It knows we're coming. What difference does it make if it sees us or not?"

Moon turned and shushed them quietly. "A little professionalism, please!"

"Really?" Mars asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's rich coming from you!"

Somehow, despite their grim situation, the exchange felt just a little like old times. "Cram it, Pyro! You-"

"Eyes up!"

Moon's mouth snapped shut at Jupiter's warning. She pressed tight against the nearest wall, looking to make herself as small a target as possible.

"What is it?" Chibi Moon whispered, creeping forward.

There, up ahead, was a ragtag group of people. The Senshi had come across bodies already…so many bodies…but these were the first real survivors they'd found. There were about twenty of them, men and women alike with the youngest in their mid-twenties. They were limping across the street in a ragged line, moving slowly towards them.

The pink-haired teen started to rise. "We should see if they need help."

Pluto placed a hand on her shoulder, guiding her back down. "Caution, Small Lady."

"Yeah," Uranus added. "Are you forgetting Chaos' little offer to the city? Could be they're looking for a fight."

Venus made a rude noise. "Oh, please. Look at them! They're hurt, and there might be more of them nearby. I'm with Chibi Moon; we need to at least offer."

Sailor Moon glanced at her friends one by one and, receiving several hesitant nods, pushed off the wall to step forward. The lead survivor spotted her almost immediately; a mousy-haired woman in blood-stained EMT coveralls, she seemed almost frightened…though not necessarily for herself.

"Look, I don't want any trouble here."

Moon frowned in response. "Trouble? We just wanted to see if anyone needed any help."

"We're fine," the EMT stammered, with a nervous glance over her shoulder. "Just…move on!"

Something was wrong; it was written all over her face. She spoke in a hushed, harried tone, as if worried about someone or something...behind her?

"Who are you talking to?" An older man pushed his way through the front row of people, practically knocking one older woman to the ground. He had a large, heavyset build, possibly from many years of manual labour…and he reacted with fury upon seeing the Senshi. "You!"

"Please!" the mousy-haired EMT hissed. "A lot of these people are hurt and angry. In shock. Just go! We'll be fine!"

The bear-like man stomped forward, forcing her aside to loom over Sailor Moon. She took a reflexive step back as Mars and the rest of the Inner Senshi closed in around her. "You brought this on us!" he spat, thrusting a finger at her face. "This is your fault!"

"You were supposed to protect us!" cried a woman from within the small crowd. "We needed you!"

"You abandoned us!"

Mercury leaned in on Moon's right side. "This isn't good. They're only riling each other up further."

"I…" The ponytailed blonde barely heard her; she had no idea what to say. Encountering a group of survivors had always been a possibility, but she was no more prepared for it now than when they'd first left the school. "We were-"

"Do us all a favour and turn yourselves in! Then, maybe that monster will leave us alone!"

Another man, probably about forty, stepped forward. She couldn't help but notice the piece of pipe in his hands. "You all heard that thing before. What it offered." There was a dangerous look about him. "Maybe we should-"

Uranus stepped up and got right in his face. "Maybe you should forget what you were about to say before you get hurt."

He glared back at her, unfazed. "I've already been hurt Senshi. I've lost everything; what more do you think you can do to me?!"

"Plenty," she said with a menacing growl. "Try something and find out!"

Sailor Moon reached for her as more people appeared from the surrounding buildings. "Uranus, you need to-"

A blinding golden light flashed between them as Justice appeared. He'd been following them from a distance as a sort of rear-guard; she'd forgotten all about him in the confusion. "Back it up, both of you!" The translucent disc of his shield sprang up between Uranus and the angry man, physically dividing them.

The Sky Senshi was quick to listen, seething but not unreasonable. The agitator from the survivors persisted, however, pushing right up against the shield instead. "Who are you to give any of us orders?!"

"My name is Justice." The Knight didn't address him directly, instead speaking to the growing mob behind him. "I know you're hurt. I know you're scared. You feel let down, maybe even betrayed, but lashing out in anger and fear won't save you."

More shouting broke out. Sailor Moon could hear cries for restraint or even peace among the din, but others still called for violence like the first man. Chaos has done it again, she realised despondently. It's still one step ahead of us.

Flames began licking up Justice's forearm, finally converging to surround his gauntlet-clad fist. A basic parlour trick on his part, it quietened the crowd regardless. "Chaos is evil. Pure evil. Much of Tokyo is already in ruins. Do you really think doing its bidding will spare the rest?" His tone made clear what he thought of that particular notion. "It lies. It always lies. If you give up the Senshi, you give up your only real hope of surviving this madness. Who'll stand against Chaos when they're gone?"

"He's right," said one poor woman, dried blood marring her features. "We can't fight it ourselves."

"What good is fighting?" argued someone else. "It's pointless! All we can hope for now is a quick and painless death!"

"Hope is never pointless," Justice declared in an authoritative growl. "You can survive this. Just let us pass unhindered, please." He lowered his arm slowly, letting his shield dissipate in the air. "Let us take the fight to Chaos. Let us end this before more lives are lost."

Moon stepped up beside him, determined to end the standoff peacefully. "Please, listen to us! Justice is right! Chaos won't stop, even if we're dead. It wants to end the world, and it will do so unless we're able to stop it!" She faltered a moment, unsure of herself. "We know how bad things are. We were just as horrified as anyone when it…when it…"

"Shut it!"

A bottle appeared as if from nowhere, smacking into Venus' temple with a loud 'thwack'. She went limp immediately, Justice barely able to catch her before she hit the street. His other hand snapped up, summoning his shield anew as the mob surged forward, thoroughly incited. The moderates found themselves caught up amongst those thirsty for blood and carried along for the ride.

The Guardian Knight was visibly struggling to contain them, even after his recent increase in power. "We need to leave. Now!"

Sailor Moon hesitated, caught off-guard by the mob's sudden ferocity. Was it genuine, or was it just another by-product of Chaos' influence? Mercury said the city was flooded with negative energy. Could that be causing this behaviour? Her gaze shifted back and forth from the injured Venus to the EMT. Despite her small stature, she stood front and centre between the Senshi and the mob, her back pressed against Justice's shield as she called in vain for calm. As Moon looked on, she was knocked to the ground by an errant elbow, now at risk of being swallowed by the shifting mass of humanity.

"Justice!" Mercury cried, seeing it too. "She'll be trampled!"

"Here!" Impressively quick, he half-handed, half-tossed Venus to Jupiter and reached down through his own shield. His fingers closed around the woman's wrist and he pulled her to safety. She stood with his help, wrist twisted and clearly broken but otherwise okay. He gave her a nod and, after returning it, she staggered off to safety. Once again, the Guardian Knight looked over his shoulder. "Can we please get out of here now?!"

"Right!" As much as it hurt to admit, they weren't going to calm anyone down by staying. With a heavy heart, she waved her friends into action. "Come on! Up and over!" She leapt skyward, a blur of motion as she bounced off the nearest building and used the momentum to sail over the crowd. Open street awaited behind them; she led the way to safety, her friends close behind. "This way!"

Initially, some among the mob seemed inclined to give chase. They had no hope of keeping up with the Senshi, however, and quickly fell behind. So too did their shouts, but Moon couldn't help but hear a final cry as they rounded another corner.

"This is all your fault!"

Yes, she admitted silently. It is.

"This is a dream. Right?"

There were a few not-so-subtle hints that Minako was indeed correct. For starters, she was standing in the middle of London…and she was sure she'd just been in Tokyo a few seconds prior. The street was empty around her, the surrounding ones too, and there was no sign of the destruction that had been inflicted on the real city.

"And then there's the sky," she told herself, looking up at a clear and vibrant purple expanse, several swirls of lilac cloud scattered across it. "Yep. Definitely a dream; one of mine to be precise. It's way too pleasant for Chaos' handiwork."

It all seemed somewhat familiar, in fact. There was a nagging sensation in the back of her mind that she had been here before. Not here as in London, but 'here': this dream world version in particular.

"Who says you're an idiot?"

Minako jumped, startled by the unexpected interruption. She swivelled at the very familiar voice and came face to face with… "Sailor V?" Again, she was struck by the feeling of deja vu. "How are you…?" Her eyes narrowed slowly as it started coming back to her. "Wait. I have been here before. I've talked to you before."

Her masked self was somehow different, though. Older than she remembered, maybe? "Give it a minute. You'll get there."

She snapped her fingers in excitement as it all clicked. "V-chan, from that time after Galaxia. Artemis broke my mind or something. Only...you're older. You look like me now!"

"You think?" V certainly hadn't lost any of her snark. "You've been me since then, genius. Thirteen-year-old you isn't your only point of reference anymore."

"Right, right," Minako agreed, giving her another look over. "It's crazy seeing myself from this angle. I really fill out the old suit well, huh?"

"You sure do. I mean, hey!" The Senshi abruptly shifted gears, folding her arms across her chest. "Don't change the subject. I'm mad at you!"

"What? Why are you mad at me?!"

"Because you stopped listening to me!" V tipped her head back with an angry sniff. "Back before all this quite literal chaos started. Usagi trying to kick Titus off the team, her plan to run headlong into the Order of Black's base!" Her eyes narrowed behind the mask. "I told you those were bad ideas, but you tuned me out and ignored me!"

"Well, I wouldn't say you literally told me, but-"

The masked Senshi was fuming. "Semantics, Minako!"

She pressed her index fingers together in a meek display of nerves. "I, uh…I figured it out eventually though, right?"

"But not because it was the right thing to do." Another Minako stepped into view, clad in an elegant gown of orange and gold. The name Princess was quickly dismissed, for she now remembered her previous life as Princess Mina of Venus. "Not at first, anyway."

Minako opened her mouth to object, but something else entirely came out. "Hey, you can speak like a normal person now!"

"Yes, well, you actually remember me now," said Mina, with a decidedly unladylike snort. She tipped her head back with an exaggerated, even regal sniff of disapproval. "I'm offended."

Another aspect upset with her. Great. "What? Why?!"

"You made me a caricature!" The princess rolled her eyes in a very familiar manner, raising a gloved hand to her chest. "Oh, kindly stranger, pray wouldst thou aid me in mine quest? I doth regret mine memories hath been stolen from me, imprisoned by a scoundrel most ginger behind yonder wall."

I did do that, Minako conceded, feeling a blush coming on. "I mean, I'm sure you didn't sound that bad…"

"You get my point!" Mina snapped, stamping her foot before making a visible effort to calm herself. "I digress, however. You remember Corval now, and you know how Corey feels about his own past."

"Uh-huh…?"

The princess sighed wearily. "Really? I...I just…ugh."

"That's really not very regal," V pointed out cheekily.

"Quiet you!" Mina struggled to compose herself again. "Just listen. Corval let his love for me blind him to the perils threatening our kingdom. He was so focused on me, on what I might think, that he unable, perhaps even unwilling to perform his duty. And you, Minako, have fallen into exactly the same trap."

"What?!" she protested, forgetting for a moment that she was quite literally talking to herself. "How?!"

"I would never have asked him to compromise his beliefs for me," Mina said flatly. "Not only did you do just that, you did the same thing to Usagi later…and flipped on those beliefs again for Corey!" She shook her head emphatically. "I am aghast. Aghast, Minako!"

"You...you're right." The blonde stood there a moment, digesting this surprise revelation as hot shame bubbled up within her. "I did do that. Twice, without even noticing. No wonder Rei and Makoto are mad at me."

V stood beside her Silver Millennium counterpart, joining her in a righteous nod. "You can't afford to fall back on selfish habits anymore. Usagi. Corey. Everyone needs you at your best. You need to learn how to be a leader again, and fast."

"Now, now…"

Minako sighed morosely as yet another her appeared. "Exactly how hard did I hit my head?"

Her third doppelganger wore a simple green dress and sandals, a favourite outfit of hers back in the day. "Let's not get crazy here, girls. A little selfishness is fine."

Minako finally gave up and, with a casual shrug, embraced the dream fully. "How've you been, Goddess?"

"I was great. We were right there, Minako, on the verge of achieving our idol dream…until that big fat jerk Chaos destroyed the whole city!"

"Are you serious?" V sputtered.

Mina stared at her in abject disbelief. "How can you worry about that when-"

"Oh, shut it!" Goddess growled, dismissing them both with an irritable wave.

After waiting a few awkward moments, Minako cleared her throat. "In their defence, it does seem a little...um...on the nose to worry about my own dreams while Tokyo's under threat."

"Please," her selfish aspect muttered, rolling her eyes. "We're all you, Minako. Let them be concerned for the city; you're allowed to be a little upset!"

"Well, I did have some promising work lined up, and…wait!" She looked about in confusion, having something of an epiphany. "There was one more of me last time. Where's-"

"Yoo-hoo!" Right on cue, 'Other Minako' appeared a little ways down the street. She was reclining in a huge orange armchair, a bowl of popcorn in her lap.

"Other Me, you are here!"

Her overly-energetic self offered a little wave. "I didn't really have anything useful to add, so I thought I'd just sit back and watch you four fight it out." She tossed a piece of popcorn into her mouth and grinned. "Aren't breakdowns fun?"

Minako gasped in fright. "Breakdown?! I thought this was just a-"

"It is a dream," V said with a groan. "She's just teasing you."

Goddess glared at their armchair-occupying counterpart, a crack of thunder sounding in the distance. "Only one person is allowed to call me crazy..."

Minako, however, was starting to feel antsy. "Uh, girls? How bad is this really? Am I in a coma, or...?"

"How should we know?" Other Minako asked with a shrug. "This is your head."

"That's it," V agreed. "We're not actually separate people this time round."

Mina nodded serenely. "You're quite literally talking to yourself."

"And why not?" Goddess observed, with a snicker. "Talk about great company."

Minako opened her mouth to respond when it all hit her at once; a flurry of whispering, disembodied voices, too many to make out anything meaningful. She staggered, suddenly quite sleepy...and sore. "My head..."

…can you hear me?

…she's coming around!

Other Minako stuffed a handful of popcorn into her mouth. "Oh. Looks like you're waking up after all."

…some space…crowding her…

…Minako?

Mina grabbed her suddenly. "Listen carefully, Minako. Don't you dare forget what we talked about! Understand?"

"I…" She considered a moment, then nodded. "I get it. I'm as much to blame for all the infighting as anyone. I need to do better. Be better."

"That's my girl." The princess pulled her in for a quick hug...before planting a surprisingly deep kiss on her lips. "Give that to Corval...er, Corey for me!"

Caught completely off-guard, Minako pulled away, startled. "Okay…?"

V blinked slowly. "Wow."

Eyeing her Silver Millennium self warily, Minako wiped her mouth off. "I, uh...I still have a few issues to work out, don't I?"

Mina shrugged. "Beats me. This is your dream, and I'm you."

"Right..."

The very air itself seemed to turn white. London faded from view, replaced with an empty void…until Sailor Venus opened her eyes. Ruined buildings lay before her, stretching out into a distant, smoky…sky? No, she realised, feeling silly. That makes no sense. I must be on my back.

Sure enough, Sailor Mercury leaned into view, computer in hand. "Oh, good! You're awake." Her tiny palm-top chirped a few times, prompting a frown. "How do you feel?"

Right on cue, the cobwebs started to fade…leaving her with an aching skull. "My head hurts."

Mars let out a curious snort-laugh. "I'm not surprised."

"What happened?"

"Someone threw a bottle at you," Jupiter said, matter-of-factly.

"Maybe," Mercury countered, flipping her computer shut. "It was probably aimed at Sailor Moon."

"Maybe," the brunette echoed. "Anyway, Justice caught you when you fell, then I carried you out."

Venus sat up, rubbing the back of her neck. Things had been - and still were - quite awkward between them...and now she had the added burden of realising her own failings to deal with. Still, she decided, I need to start making amends from my end. "Thanks, Mako."

Jupiter seemed surprised, but a quick smile flashed across her lips all the same. "Don't sweat it."

Sailor Moon popped into view, mustering a small smile of her own. "We managed to avoid any more violence, at least."

"Too bad we couldn't avoid all of it." Venus shooed Mercury away as she flashed a torch in her eyes. "Geez, Ami. Quit it, will ya? I'm fine!"

The budding doctor sighed irritably. "Suit yourself. Just don't come complaining to me if you start feeling strange." The conflict was obvious on her face, and she quickly gave up on her bluff. "No, really, please do let me know if you start feeling dizzy or nauseous. A concussion is nothing to laugh at, and-"

"She's already nuts," Uranus said with an affectionate snicker. "A bottle to the head is nothing!"

"Well, that's not very nice," Venus observed, mildly annoyed regardless. "Although...I did just have a dream conference with four other mes, so fair point." She reached out to slap Mercury's computer shut again before it could open. "Really, Ami?!"

"...sorry."

Jupiter shook her head. "I don't even want to know."

"Nope," Mars agreed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Venus brightened up quickly as Justice wandered into view. "Hey, cutie!"

She couldn't see his face, but the guilt was clear in his voice. "I'm sorry. If I was just a little faster getting my shield up again-"

"Hey, don't feel bad," she cooed, finding his display, frankly, adorable. "You can't be everywhere at once." Accepting his outstretched hand, she rose to her feet and adopted a familiar pose; one leg raised slightly behind her, a hand to her chest. "Besides, I've taken worse hits than that in my time as the beautiful and talented Sailor Senshi of-"

"She's perfectly fine," Pluto declared, with a morose sigh. "Knocked right back to her old self, it seems."

"That's all well and good," Uranus grumbled, clenching her fists, "But I still say we should've given whoever threw that bottle a taste of his own medicine. Nothing to serious. Just a quick punch to the face or two."

"No, no," Venus said soothingly, remembering her own advice - in a weird sort of way - from a few minutes prior. "Whoever they are, they're just scared and angry like all of us. They made a mistake in the heat of the moment, and I won't hold that against them."

Clearly surprised, a smile blossomed on Sailor Moon's features. "Exactly."

Princess Mina's little 'pep talk' had convinced her of something else as well. Something she'd struggled with that she could now state with certainty. "Faye's wrong. It doesn't matter how good her intentions are. We can't just plough through anyone who gets in our way." She smiled up at Justice. "We need to be more like my cutie. Try to figure out the situation, consider the other side's feelings, and aim for a peaceful solution."

Justice felt a smile coming on, but it didn't last. He had to correct her. "As happy as I am to hear that, it's important to understand that Fury's not entirely wrong."

"What?!" Venus sputtered, along with several of the others. "But I thought you wanted-"

"The people fighting for Chaos," he clarified, with a measured tone. "Some of them might turn on it if given the choice, but not everyone. There are some who won't just give up because you ask nicely. They're going to keep fighting, coming at you with everything they have, and you…we…may have no choice but to…" He paused a moment, considering his next words carefully. "…stop them for good."

Sailor Moon wrapped her arms around herself tight, shuddering noticeably. "Corey…"

"It's unavoidable, and you all need to understand that…and accept it." He locked eyes with her. "All of you." She didn't respond, but he could see her mulling it over. Hopefully she gets the message.

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Mars asked, in a not-quite-accusation.

"I've always accepted the possibility I might have to take a life, but where I draw the line is in sinking to Fury's level. She's accepted having to kill, true, but she's also given up on giving them a chance to reconsider."

"It's true," Venus agreed sadly, matching Moon's posture. "She means well, and she is trying to be good in her own way, but…she's wrong about this."

"That's the difference between you. She sees this conflict in black and white when the reality is very different." Justice remembered Titus' original explanation of the concept and decided it fit. "We live in a world made of infinite shades of grey. Cutting down your enemies without thought, or warning, or any chance at surrender? That makes you as bad as them, as bad as Chaos, and that isn't who you are. You're better than that. Better than them." He mustered a faint smile of his own. "You're the Sailor Senshi, and I'm very happy to see you acting like it again."

He'd pictured smiles, maybe even applause in his admittedly naïve mind. God, I hate speeches. There was only silence, however…until his girlfriend finally spoke up. "Aww…"

A frown followed, for she was looking at him with a big, goofy grin. "What?"

"You say you're no good at speeches," she explained, with a wink and a V-sign, "But that right there was downright inspiring."

"It was," agreed Moon, with a smile of her own. "Sir Justice."

"Ha!" Chibi Moon giggled, almost snorting.

"Aw, hell…" Justice groaned, dying a little inside. "Please don't start on that again."

Mars folded her arms across her chest. "You know, it feels pretty good to be in agreement with you again." She even managed a wan smile. "I missed it…and you."

"Ditto," Jupiter said, with a grin of her own.

"Me too." He tried to match their smiles, and even succeeded…on the outside. But no sooner had he done so did he hear it: a cold whisper, barely there. Ethereal…and eternal. A dark stain on an otherwise perfect moment; one that he was beginning to realise might just follow him forever.

…Cleansing…

AN: Wow, a rare two-week turnaround! Not a whole lot to say about this one, really. Just that I've worried a little about things getting almost TOO grim-dark of late, and after re-reading my older fics I felt inspired to give myself (and you) a bit of a rest with some fluff. Obviously the plot continued moving as well, and I was able to shore up a little character development for some characters to boot, but the main thing was having fun with these characters again and remembering how to balance that fun with the darker stuff. Also, my Head Trip mini-fic is officially canon in this universe now, haha! Thanks as always for reading. Until next time!

Lisseas