Sailor Moon - The Order of Black

Chapter Seven: Machinations

Originally published 22/05/2015

"Ugh…" Rei groaned as she stared at her own reflection in the mirror; her left eye was still marred by an ugly purple bruise. It was healing, but not fast enough for her liking. Next, she lifted her top carefully to inspect the damage done to her hip. After only a day-and-a-half of healing, it was already down to a thin red line. I doubt it'll even leave a scar, she thought, with unashamed relief. I might be a Sailor Senshi, but I hate scars as much as the next girl. Thankfully, there are certain advantages to go along with the massively increased risk of injury! She turned away from the mirror as she reached for her familiar miko robes; it was time to get to her morning chores.

Rei stepped out into the sunlight and took a deep breath of fresh air. Much better. I think I've spent more than enough time in my room. An odd sound caught her attention, and prompted a confused frown. That's a broom. My broom! The sweeping sound led her to the courtyard, and her diminutive grandfather. He was sweeping the stone pavers.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded, as she stomped over. "That's my job!"

"I was sweeping this courtyard before you were born," he replied calmly. "I hardly think the world will collapse if I sweep it just this once."

"But that...that's beside the point!"

He sighed. "You're still recovering from your injuries-"

"You should be too!" she shot back. "You're old!"

"I won't dignify that kind of cheap shot with a response!"

Rei found herself at a loss for words. "Well…I...what am I supposed to do, then?!"

"Let's see," he mused. "You could have some breakfast, or read...you could even rest some more. I know it's a radical suggestion, but try to consider it."

She stared at him blankly. "Grandpa, I spent almost all day yesterday in bed. I need something to do!"

The old man stopped sweeping for a moment and rested on the broom. "Well, alright. Could you find Rinjirou for me?"

"What, he's gone?" she asked. "How do you know he hasn't run off to re-join his evil buddies?"

"Because his belongings are still here."

Damn it, she thought irritably. "Why me?"

"Because, as you pointed out so helpfully before, I'm an old man...and you have better eyes than me." He glanced around at the courtyard and smiled wryly. "Besides, how am I supposed to finish sweeping if I'm off looking for Rinjirou?"

"That's terrible logic, Grandpa...but fine. I'll find him and send him your way."

He smiled. "Thank you, Rei. You're a sweet girl - for the most part."

She ignored his backhanded compliment as she headed for the main hall. Nope, he's not here. The steps were next but she found them equally deserted. Could he be back in the guestroom by now? No such luck; the bed was neatly made up but there was no sign of Rinjirou. Grandpa's right. All his stuff's still here, so where did he go?

As Rei left the guestroom, she caught a flicker of movement in the treeline. She took a few cautious steps forward and spotted their guest; he was doing pull-ups on a tree branch. "What are you doing, you idiot?"

"Oh, good," he grumbled, as he dropped to the ground. "The annoying miko."

She locked an icy glare on him, telling herself to ignore his shirtless state. "That's not my name."

"Well, I don't know your name, do I?" he retorted. "You never gave it to me."

"You never gave me yours either!"

He met her stare evenly with one of his own; it only annoyed her more. "It's Rinjirou."

She rolled her eyes. "I know. Grandpa told me."

"Oh." He blinked, unwittingly ceding victory in their staring contest to Rei. "Right." Several seconds went by in silence before he spoke again. "So, are you going to tell me, or…?"

Her response was flat. "It's Rei."

"That's actually nice..."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing." He reached up to rub the back of his head awkwardly. "So…"

Rei raised an eyebrow. "So?"

He shrugged. "So…what do you want?"

"Who says I want anything?" she said irritably.

Rinjirou's eyes narrowed in confusion. "You're the one who came over here."

"Because you were being an idiot!" she snapped. "You got shot less than two days ago! Do you really think pull-ups are a good idea?!"

"Well, I had to do something, I was going stir-crazy in that little room!"

I guess I can understand that, she admitted to herself. "Well...my Grandpa wouldn't be happy if you hurt yourself, so cut it out."

"What a shock," he muttered. "The annoying miko is being annoying…"

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that." She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him icily. "I came over here because Grandpa asked me to find you. He wants to speak with you."

"Oh. Thank you." He hesitated a moment. "I'm sorry. About the annoying miko thing. You and your grandfather have been kinder than I have any right to expect."

Rei paused herself; she hadn't been expecting that last bit…or the nausea that had crept up on her – his aura was just too strong this close. "Well…I guess it must be tough for you-"

His face slackened into a neutral mask almost immediately. "I'll go talk to your grandfather."

Rei watched him go, relieved to find her nausea was leaving with him. That Chaos Sliver puts out a lot of negative energy; I don't know how I'm going to cope with him around. She headed back to her room herself, soaking in the sunlight as she went. I'm suddenly feeling tired again. The others won't be here until at least two…maybe I'll take Grandpa's advice after all, and start reading my next book.

Usagi glanced up as Rei's door opened; Corey and Minako walked in, followed by Artemis and Titus. She gave the tall American a brief nod - they'd be catching up afterwards, at his request; he wanted advice about their relationship. For once, I'm the one dishing out advice! She was actually looking forward to it quite a lot.

Luna stood to address the group. "Well, now that everyone's here…"

Grandpa jumped, clearly startled. "Rinjirou wasn't losing his mind after all. You really can talk!" Rei had convinced him to attend their meeting and brief them on the Order of Black.

Titus exchanged a pained look with Artemis and sighed. "Why do they always focus on that first?"

His white counterpart shook his head. "Who knows?"

"Well," Rei said awkwardly, "I guess re-introductions are in order. You all know Grandpa, I guess. So, Grandpa…these are my friends. Makoto and Minako, also known as Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Venus, and that's Corey; he's the Guardian Knight of Justice."

"A real Guardian Knight?" The old man looked him over carefully. "You don't seem all that tough. In fact, I think I could still take-"

Rei laughed nervously as she clamped her hand over his mouth. "Come on, Grandpa, don't go saying such crazy things! He's huge and he'd crush you!" She gestured to the three cats with her free hand. "That's Luna, Artemis and Titus. Our, um…guides, I guess you'd say...and of course you know Usagi. She also goes by Sailor Moon and her more formal title…Princess Serenity."

"You're the Moon Princess?!" he sputtered.

Usagi stared at him warily. "Is it really so shocking?"

"Well…you've been hanging around the shrine for years. I think it's fair to say I've seen a lot of you, and…you're just not very regal, are you?"

Rei snickered at his blunt observation, along with Mako and Minako; even Luna was struggling to hold back her laughter. "You really don't come with a filter, do you?"

Usagi just folded her arms across her chest and glared at them all in turn. "Oh, ha, ha!"

Corey cleared his throat loudly. "If it's all the same to you, sir, I'd like to hear about this Order you used to work for."

"Right, right." Grandpa rose to his feet and clasped his hands behind his back as he began to pace. "The Order of Black was founded more than a thousand years ago, following the collapse of their predecessors."

"Predecessors?" Makoto asked curiously.

"The Exalted Knights of the Undying Sun, more commonly known as the Golden Paladins of Elysion."

Elysion? Usagi sat up straighter, suddenly very interested. The capital of the Golden Kingdom. Were these Golden Paladins protectors of Endymion too?

The old man continued his tale. "The Golden Paladins eventually fell in battle, wiped out by an evil creature that swept across Earth like a plague-"

"Metalia," she said quietly. She destroyed Earth and then came for the Moon Kingdom.

"Er, yes...of course you know the history being who you are." Grandpa peered at her carefully for a few more seconds before continuing. "The leader of the Exalted Knights was the sole survivor, and he watched as the Earth was plunged into darkness. It was then that he struck a deal with Chaos. It would grant him and his new knights the power to defend the Earth, and prevent such tragedy from ever happening again. In return, their souls would be granted to Chaos upon their deaths. The Order of Black was formed that day...over the corpses of his fallen brethren. Their mandate was clear; to bring order to the darkness."

"A literal deal with the devil," Corey said, his distaste evident. "How was that ever considered a legitimate option?!"

"Desperate men seize the opportunities they're given," Grandpa retorted. "Not all of us have the benefit of a goddess watching over us, Sir Justice."

He responded with a pained expression. "Please don't call me that."

"What about Rinjirou," Titus asked curiously, "and the others like him?"

"Black Paladins; the successors to the original Exalted Knights of the Undying Sun. While they don't wear plate armour anymore, their mission remains unchanged; the defence of Earth from all threats, outside and within."

"Talk more about the Chaos Slivers," Rei murmured.

"Er, right. A Black Paladin is a normal human being, imbued with the power of Chaos. At the dawn of the Order, they received a shard from Chaos; a shard of itself…called the Oathstone. It's from that shard that they cut what they call Chaos Slivers. These slivers are implanted within the Paladins' bodies, and usually manifest in two ways. Dispel, an ability that allows the wielder to absorb or even deflect magic...and a Chaos Ability. This is a special power linked to the wielder's genetics or natural abilities."

Rei nodded slowly. "So that's how he managed his disappearance when we first met."

"Exactly," he said.

"That's all great," Minako called impatiently, "but why does this Order of Black hate Usagi...and us?"

"I'd like to know the answer to that as well," Luna agreed.

Grandpa sighed heavily. "Long ago, they were able to see into the future. I don't know how, but they know that Usagi will someday reform the Moon Kingdom here on Earth…and they will do anything to prevent it. They fear Earth and its people will be marginalised, treated as second class citizens under a resurgent Moon Kingdom."

"Where would they get a stupid idea like that?" Usagi demanded angrily. "The Moon Kingdom-"

"Had a lot of problems," Corey reminded her. "There were laws to prevent Earthborn and Moonborn from entering into relationships, Usagi; it's not so hard to see how the people of Earth might see the Moon Kingdom in a different light."

Minako reached out to squeeze his hand. "We know they did. A lot of people joined Metalia willingly because she promised revenge. Hatred has always been a powerful motivator."

"Earth had a lot of problems," Titus added. "There was a lot of resentment towards the Moon Kingdom in the end. It was seen as arrogant and hypocritical, claiming to watch over them but in reality doing very little to help them." He shrugged. "It might even be true…but as you now know, Queen Serenity had her own problems to deal with."

"The Moon Kingdom was seen as decadent and corrupt by many at the time," Grandpa agreed. "An opinion most in the Order continue to hold to this day."

The blonde found that quite troubling. "To be hated by so many people I've never even met…"

Makoto leaned over and squeezed her shoulder gently. "Don't worry, Usagi. We won't let anyone hurt you."

"That's right," Rei agreed. She turned to her grandfather and frowned. "What about Rinjirou?"

"What about him?"

She stared at him blankly. "Well, he can't stay here, can he?"

"Why not?" the old man asked, with a frown of his own.

"Because he wants to kill my best friend," she snapped, "and he already tried to kill me!"

"He's different now, Rei."

"Who says?!"

"I do," he said firmly.

Corey stared right into the old man's eyes. "If he's identified himself as our enemy, then letting him run around free in our midst doesn't seem all that smart."

"He doesn't know anything about you. Right now, he's lost and confused. Everything he believed in has been turned upside down!"

"Why do you care so much?" Rei demanded. "What is he to you anyway?"

"He…" The old man bowed his head. "His mother, Sawako, was my friend. I told you that."

The miko sighed impatiently. "Yes, but that doesn't explain-"

"I introduced her to...other ideas," he whispered. "There are two main factions within the Order, you see. The dominant one advocates the hard-line stance of the Order as a whole – most of the leading council belong to it. But the other - the one I belonged to in my days as a member – they believe the Order should return to its roots. That our loyalty belongs to the reborn Prince of Earth, Endymion."

"Mamo-chan?" Usagi asked, perking up at his mention. "You want to serve him?"

"Not in the strictest sense, no, but there are some who believe it isn't for the Order to determine the future of Earth. That we should act as simple protectors as the Exalted Knights did, and let the prince worry about the decisions."

"None of that explains why you care so much about Rinjirou," Rei grumbled.

"I feel responsible for him!" he snapped. "I introduced his mother to my beliefs. I opened her eyes to the true nature of the Order, like I did Rinjirou...and they killed her because of it! I got her killed, Rei, don't you see?!"

The anger Rei had felt evaporated in an instant, replaced with an almost crushing guilt. "I'm sorry, Grandpa...I didn't realise…"

"I see so much of her in him," he said softly. "This isn't the life Sawako wanted for him, and I owe it to her to try and guide him back from it now."

Usagi managed a faint smile. "You want to help him leave the Order the way she wanted to."

"Yes," Grandpa agreed, with a faint nod, "and I can't turn him away."

"Well…" Artemis glanced about cautiously as he rose to his feet and stretched. "That presents a bit of a problem, doesn't it?"

Corey chuckled. "That's an understatement."

"Rinjirou can stay on at the shrine as long as he wants to," Grandpa declared. "If anyone asks…he's my new student."

"Your student?" Rei held her head in her hands. "Please don't tell me you're actually going to start training him. I still have nightmares about your last experience as a sensei, with Yuuichirou!"

"What about us?" Usagi asked.

"What about you?" Grandpa retorted. "He doesn't know you. He's only met Rei and as far as he knows she's just some annoying miko!"

The 'annoying miko' didn't appreciate that one bit. "Hey!"

"Just act like you know nothing about him," the old man continued. "I would hope after spending so much time as Sailor Senshi you'd be good at keeping secrets."

"That's actually not a bad plan at all," Luna admitted.

Titus nodded. "I agree. No alter-egos, no secret identities...just be yourselves." He glanced up at Minako. "Though, perhaps you might like to try being someone else-"

She reached over and flicked him on the nose. "Oh, shut it, furball!"

"That settles it then," Usagi said quietly. "We carry on as normal. Rinjirou is just Grandpa's new student. We know nothing about Black Paladins...or the Order of Black."

Makoto raised an eyebrow. "But officially, what's our next move?"

"Well, we still don't really know anything," Minako observed. "Maybe we should work on that?"

Titus cleared his throat. "Rinjirou's seen me before; he knows I work for you, Usagi. Leave it with me. Perhaps I can convince him to share some information on the Order's more recent activities."

Corey looked down at him in disbelief. "Since when are you so optimistic?"

"I'll have you know I can be quite optimistic. Usually because I've tipped the odds in my favour."

"Well, we'll wait for you to bring us something then, Titus." Usagi rose to her feet and shrugged. "In the spirit of our new plan…study session over!"

Minako immediately wrapped Corey in a tight hug. "So, cutie, what should we do for the afternoon?"

He almost cringed. God, she's just so clingy lately. I'm never alone! "Uh…"

"Aw, come on...don't tell me you're gonna start doing that again!"

She pouted, and Corey had to admit he found it insanely sexy despite his discomfort.

Thankfully, Usagi chimed in to save him. "Actually, Minako, I'm borrowing Corey for an hour or so. I've got some questions that need a guy's perspective."

"And then I've got that late lecture," he reminded her. "Remember?"

"Oh." The blonde frowned, clearly unhappy but she relented anyway. "Okay, well, I'll see you when you get home, I guess. Have fun."

She took off with Artemis in tow, and Corey heaved a sigh of relief. "Nice save."

Usagi poked him in the ribs. "It's cute that you think I was kidding but my advice isn't cheap - I really do need to talk about Mamo-chan!"

"Of course you do," he muttered, as he gestured towards the steps. "Lead the way."

Within minutes, they were sitting at a nearby café, nursing their drinks. Corey cleared his throat awkwardly and gestured. "You, uh…you wanna go first, then?"

"Okay." Usagi took a deep breath and unloaded. "So, it's the night of the attack. Mamoru's fixing up Rinjirou, and we somehow wind up on the subject of us. We have what I thought was a really sweet moment…and then he says not to worry about us because we have the rest of our lives to spend together."

Corey stared at her blankly. "I'm not seeing the problem."

"That is the problem! Obviously, he does think about me long-term but he doesn't seem interested in moving our relationship forward to the next stage. Why hasn't he asked me to marry him, Corey? We should at least be engaged by now, right?"

Wow, that's a hell of a question, but Usagi needs a friend right now. I need to consider my response very carefully. After several seconds of deep contemplation, he nodded thoughtfully…and admitted the truth. "I have no idea."

Usagi's face hit the table. "Seriously?! Come on, I'm going to help you with your problems. The least you can do is try to help me!"

"But, Usagi, it's not a simple question!" he protested. "Marriage is a big deal. Maybe he just doesn't feel like he's ready for that next step yet?"

"We've been together for almost six years. How could he not be ready after that?"

"Well, you guys know you're going to be together forever," Corey said. "Maybe he's just not in that much of a hurry?"

Usagi stared at him silently, but he could practically see the gears turning in her head. "That…could just be it. Corey, you're a genius!"

"Somehow, I doubt that."

"No, you really are!" The blonde rubbed her hands together gleefully; it was terrifying. "The two of us are a sure-thing, at least that's how Mamoru sees it. That's why he's not moving forward with anything!"

"I…I'm not sure that's-"

"Think about it. He knows we get married and have Chibiusa sometime in the future. Mamo-chan's content to sit back and wait for that to happen, but I'm not. The future isn't set in stone; I've heard Setsuna say that many times before. We have to seize our futures for ourselves, Corey, and I'm gonna do just that!"

Corey rubbed his temples as a sudden headache developed. And I'm going to ask her for relationship advice?!

"He takes my love for granted…and maybe I've been doing the same." This was a different side to Usagi than he'd ever seen before; calculating and devious. "But what if my love suddenly wasn't there anymore? That would have to bring him back to me with a commitment!"

That sounds bad. Especially if this gets traced back to me. "Usagi…"

"But enough about my problems," she said abruptly, as her familiar smile returned. "Let's focus on yours. They're much easier to deal with."

"Oh, really?" he scoffed. "I haven't even told you what they are yet!"

"You and Minako are fighting more and more and you don't know how to get things back the way they were before."

He stared at her in confusion. Is she a mind-reader? "Uh, yeah. I guess that about sums it up."

"The answer to that one is simple," Usagi said. "You can't. There is no going back."

Corey couldn't resist rolling his eyes. "Well, gee, thanks very much for your help-"

"I'm not done." She leaned in over the table, as she took on a more sympathetic tone. "You're not actually addressing the problem. The fights are just a symptom of the real issue, Corey."

Now she had his attention. "And what's the real issue?"

"You keep indulging Minako's crazy side, giving in to all of her ridiculous demands. Just like the other day, at the shrine; you were fighting over stuffed animals! And then, you found out she'd been sneak moving in for weeks." Usagi shook her head sadly. "But what did you do?"

"Asked her to move in officially..."

"And were you really ready to have her move in with you?" she asked.

"Well, yeah. No. I don't know." He was getting confused again. "I'm…I want her to live with me, but I feel like I don't have any space anymore, you know? She's smothering me."

"Of course she is!" the blonde said irritably. "You're her first real boyfriend and the love of her life; she desperately wants everything to be perfect!"

Minako can be pretty obsessive about things, he admitted. Could she have been obsessing over us all this time...and I didn't even notice? "You think that's why she's been so clingy and crazy?"

"Yes, you big idiot!" Usagi rolled her eyes this time. "Honestly, it's been six months. Do you not know your girlfriend yet? She obsesses about everything. As if she wouldn't obsess the most over you!"

"She's so caught up in trying to ensure our relationship is perfect…that she doesn't realise she's driving me nuts in the process." It was an epiphany; Corey suddenly saw all of Minako's more recent insanity in another light. "All of it. She thinks shes making sure our relationship doesn't fall apart or stagnate."

"And…?" She waved him on expectantly.

"And..." He hung his head as the truth hit him like a stack of bricks. "I'm not helping us by just giving her everything she wants."

"Bingo!" Usagi declared. "You're really thick sometimes, Corey. You know that, right?"

"I know," he agreed, feeling his cheeks burn red. "So, the next question is how do I fix things?"

"It won't be easy, but you need to tell her how you really feel." She held up her hand to prevent his immediate objection. "Not in a confrontational way. In a…'make her see how crazy she's being' way. Minako's usually self-aware enough to see it for herself eventually, but in this situation she's obviously blind. That means telling her no, Corey. You have to stand your ground and be prepared to fight her because she's going to push back. She's going to argue that she's fighting for your love…but she needs to hear how you really feel." Her smiled returned. "A relationship needs communication, Corey. Tell her the truth."

"Couldn't we apply the same logic to you and Mamoru?"

"Huh?" She waved him off quickly. "Oh, I tried talking to him and he didn't listen so now it's time for more drastic measures."

"You do realise how much you sound like Minako right now, don't you?"

Her expression soured in an instant. "Oh, shut up."

It sounds like insanity, but hell…my methods aren't working. "You're right. I'm just as much to blame for this mess as she is. I just…" He shook his head. "It's gonna sound funny, but I don't like conflict all that much. Not with the people I care about, anyway. Maybe it comes from growing up watching my parents fight all the time but I just hate fighting with Minako. It always makes me feel like I'm the one being unreasonable…"

"It's not just you," Usagi muttered. "She's really good at making you feel like you're the crazy one when it's actually her the entire time."

Corey sighed softly, and nodded slowly. "Thanks, Usagi. I know what I have to do. Now, I just have to do it." His phone beeped, and he glanced down. "Oops. I've got that class to get to. Thanks for the pep-talk…and please, don't do anything crazy with Mamoru, alright?"

"Oh, it won't be crazy," she assured him. "It'll be a brilliant piece of strategy!"

"That's what I'm afraid of."

A little later…

"Thanks for doing this again so soon, Mako," Corey said, as he looked over at her. "I don't mean to hound you…"

"Oh, don't be silly," Makoto replied, with a smile; he sounded almost shy…which was ridiculous. "Not at all. It was my pleasure, believe me."

He hesitated a moment. "Alright. Time for your honest opinion. How was it?"

"It was really good," she said, as she swallowed one last time. "Much better than yesterday's effort. I don't know what you were so worried about, Corey, you're a natural!"

One of his eyebrows arched in surprise. "That's high praise indeed coming from someone as talented as you." He reached up to scratch at his stubbly chin. "So…you think Minako will like it?"

"How could she not? I can't think of anyone who wouldn't like this."

Corey smiled warmly. "Thanks again, Mako. It's really nice of you to do this for me."

"Well, what are friends for?" she replied, with a wink. "Besides, it's not like I didn't have any fun in the process." She stretched and patted her stomach contentedly. "Now, at the risk of ruining our great mood…I think we need to clean up before your girlfriend starts wondering where you are."

"Fair enough," he agreed, as he stretched as well. "I'll wash, you dry?"

The brunette smiled. "Deal." She grabbed up their plates as he filled the sink with water. He's really quite a good cook, she thought, once he got over his nerves. Only two lessons and he whipped up a pretty decent ramen. One or two more and he'll probably be able to make most of the basic dishes. And he didn't burn my kitchen down, which is always a plus.

Corey glanced over as he scrubbed one of the plates. "I've gotta admit, it's been nice just getting out of the apartment and hanging out with a friend. Minako's been a little…well, she's been crazier than usual lately."

Makoto winced sympathetically as he handed it to her. "I love her, Corey, but I don't know how you handle living with her."

"It's not easy sometimes," he admitted, "Though after my talk with Usagi today, I've got a game plan ready to handle her next outburst. Realising all the crazy's coming from a good place is a big help."

"Well, if she's concerned your relationship has stopped progressing she's gonna be amazed when she finds out you learned to cook for her."

"I hope so," he agreed. "I felt bad making her do all the cooking. It was that, or we ate take-out ramen; not the most romantic dinner around."

"Oh, so it's romance you want, huh?" Makoto set the plate in her hands aside and turned towards him. "How about this? You've made such great progress with ramen that I think you're ready for it. Next time, I'm going to teach you a quick and easy recipe for a chocolate lava cake that I guarantee will have Minako purring like Artemis. How's that sound?"

He offered a brief bow. "I'm eager to learn, Sensei."

She laughed at his unexpectedly goofy response and realised, for the first time in a while now, she was happy with her lot in life. Maybe I don't have that restaurant yet, or even a boyfriend to call my own, but here I am with a good friend, helping him smooth things over with another friend. And I'm even passing on some of my cooking knowledge along the way! To hell with the rest; it'll come in its own time.

AN: So, hands up. How many of you let your dirty-minds get the better of you and thought Corey and Mako were up to no good? Have you so little faith in Corey? He adores Minako! It was all just a bit of fun - I thought it'd be funny to put you guys in the same seat as the other girls and see things from an ambiguous point of view. Of course, just because you all know it's innocent doesn't mean the others won't find out and draw their own conclusions!

The plan's in place. For now, Rinjirou goes on not knowing the Senshi's identities and the Senshi will go on pretending not to know his. I thought there was maximum comedic potential this way as it still lets me introduce the girls to him without worrying about all the 'I hate you' angst he's got in his head. He'll find out eventually, of course, but I see the main plot continuing on two fronts for now; the Senshi vs the Order, and Rinjirou vs the Order (with Titus' help).

As always, thank you to everyone for your continued support. I think the kind words last time around are what helped me get this chapter out so quickly – half of the scenes wrote themselves, the Corey and Usagi chat especially. Look for an appearance by the Outer Senshi shortly. Back with more soon!