Standard disclaimer applies: I don't own Sailor Moon, etc. OCs are mine.

Usagi wrapped her arms around herself and shivered as a particularly cold breeze flowed through the courtyard of the Hikawa Shrine. Of all the times to hold a Senshi meeting, this was her least favourite. I should be asleep, she thought, not outside freezing to death! Stupid monsters! She glanced around at her friends; the Inner Senshi were all assembled, along with Luna and Artemis. Minako's request for an emergency meeting hadn't been unexpected; she'd seen the news, just like everyone else. Luna had been off with Artemis at the time, so she'd made the call to wait until morning to call everyone together. Apparently, Artemis had other ideas.

"Can someone please explain why we're doing this now?" Makoto grumbled, rubbing at her tired eyes absently.

Artemis jumped up onto a low wall, his face unapologetic. "It couldn't wait." He looked at each of the girls in turn as he spoke. "I assume everyone has seen the footage captured downtown today?" A mix of nods and yeses were given in response. "Well…we have two serious problems. One is the shadow creature. The other is this mysterious man in armour. He is called a Guardian Knight, and his presence here is just as concerning."

Usagi found the name vaguely familiar, yet she couldn't recall why. Guardian Knight…where have I heard that before, she wondered. Perhaps in the past? Could it be one of Princess Serenity's memories? Her past life as the heir to the Moon Kingdom was largely a blank. She knew the basics, of course; the daughter of Queen Serenity, who'd been deeply in love with Prince Endymion of Earth. She'd died during the final battle of the Moon Kingdom, taking her own life after Endymion was killed defending her. The blonde shivered. Every time she remembered her own death, she got chills down her spine. The rest of her previous life was just a jumble of random images. Sometimes certain sights, words or smells would jolt one of her memories – that's what seemed to be the case with this Guardian Knight.

"Usagi?"

She glanced up to see Rei looking at her, brow furrowed in concern.

"You okay?" the shrine maiden asked. "You kind of spaced out on us there for a sec. That hasn't happened for a while."

"I'm fine! Just tired." She forced what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Rei still looked suspicious but she didn't press the issue, to Usagi's relief.

"Usagi?" That was Luna. "Do you have something to add?"

"Uh, no…sorry. Go on."

"Okay," Artemis said. "We know that this shadow creature is a threat."

"Shadow creatures," Ami corrected. She held up her phone. "The police have confirmed that three more attacks occurred at roughly the same time. Eye witness reports indicate similar creatures were involved in all of them." She paused for a moment. "Nine people have been hospitalised with extreme fatigue. Two of them suffered serious injury after trying to fight the creatures off."

"So it's really happening," Makoto breathed. "After all this time, a new enemy has appeared."

"It would seem that way," Rei agreed. "Four separate attacks in different locations. It's a different strategy than the last few used."

Minako folded her arms across her chest. "Give them points for originality, I suppose. They caught us completely unaware." She glanced around at the others, looking uncharacteristically pensive. "When did we get so comfortable with our normal lives that we stopped paying attention to things like this?"

Usagi frowned. Minako's words echoed her own feelings. They had gotten comfortable with things the way they were. The two years of peace following Galaxia's defeat had been unexpected, but she couldn't lie to herself. She'd enjoyed being a normal teenage girl. Had they all gotten so comfortable with their civilian lives that they'd stopped looking for threats? Usagi knew the answer in her own case, and she didn't like it one bit.

She moved to stand beside Minako. "How did we let this happen?" Her eyes moved to each of her friends in turn. Nobody met her gaze. "When did we stop being vigilant? We're the Sailor Senshi. We're supposed to be better than this. Nine people are in hospital because we didn't see this coming." Her tone became angrier. "We need to do better!"

Luna shook her head sadly. "Usagi, there was no warning. None of us had any reason to suspect an attack was coming. You can't blame yourselves for this."

Usagi opened her mouth as if to speak, then snapped it shut. She was mad, but expressing it now wasn't helpful. The blonde forced herself to take a deep breath before continuing. "You're right, Luna. I just...I did get slack. I love having a normal life after so long, and I did stop thinking about Sailor Moon." She bowed her head. "And now nine people are hurt. I feel terrible"

"We all do," Makoto agreed, resting her hand on Usagi's shoulder.

Rei nodded solemnly. "We all stopped worrying about our lives as Sailor Senshi, to some degree."

Usagi looked up, fiery determination in her eyes. "Nobody else gets hurt! Now we know this enemy is coming, we have to find them and stop them before they harm anyone else!"

"Of course," Ami said, with a gentle smile. "I'll program my computer to scan for any kind of strong energy disturbances. The portal - if that's what it was - like the one in the news footage should generate a lot of abnormal energy. My computer will have no trouble picking it out amongst the normal background readings, now that we're looking for it."

Rei cleared her throat. "I'll perform a fire reading, too. I might be able to discern something about these creatures' origins. Once we know where they're coming from, we'll be one step closer to stopping them for good."

"Well," Minako observed, looking entirely too cheerful for the late hour, "it seems we have a plan for dealing with the shadows." She turned to Artemis. "Now, on to this Guardian Knight you're so worried about."

"Yes," Ami agreed, already typing away on her computer. "For starters, what exactly is a Guardian Knight?"

Luna shot a sidelong glance to Artemis. "Do you want to take this one, or shall I?"

The white cat shook his head. "I can explain it." He looked up at the girls gathered around. "You may want to sit down. This will require a little background to fully explain." After nobody sat, he sighed and began. "Two thousand years ago, the Moon Kingdom was founded by the first queen, Selene. After a long and successful rule, she died, and through the overwhelming love of her people was raised up into the heavens to become a goddess herself. There were no Sailor Senshi in those days; the kingdom relied on a standard army for defence. Not long after Selene's ascension, the Guardian Knights were formed; Queen Serenity the First selected the three strongest warriors in the Moon Kingdom for the honour. They forswore all claims - titles, land and even their own names - and took an oath before Selene to forever defend the kingdom from all enemies. Each assumed a new name, that of the virtue or ideal that they exemplified. Honour, Justice or Faith.

"Selene granted them extraordinary power in return for their oaths. Each Guardian Knight was already a skilled warrior, but with Selene's blessing behind them they became terrifying opponents in battle. Their armour was strong, their weapons could generate magical attacks in the same way you Senshi do, and each could summon the power of their 'aspect' in a devastating attack."

Makoto raised her hand and, after Artemis nodded towards her, spoke. "I may be missing something here, but so far these guys are sounding pretty great to have around."

"From the brief explanation I got on the way here," Minako answered, "it's not so cut and dyed."

"Cut and dried, Mina," Artemis sighed.

"Isn't that what I said?"

"Close enough, I suppose." He turned back to Makoto. "To answer that, I'll now skip ahead to the fall of the Moon Kingdom."

"Wait!" Usagi protested. "There's a thousand years in between. Were they immortal or something?"

"Not at all," Luna explained, taking over from Artemis. "As a Guardian Knight passed on, the remaining two would select a replacement, in much the same way the first queen did. This successor would take the oath before Selene, and be granted the same power as the knight he was taking over from."

"So…it's like a ceremonial title, then?" Rei asked. "Multiple men in the role, but one Guardian Knight throughout the history of the Moon Kingdom?"

"That's correct."

"That seems…confusing," Usagi said. "But I understand…I think."

Makoto yawned loudly. "If we could get to the part where the Guardian Knights are bad? Some of us have early classes!"

"Very well," Artemis agreed. "Here's the short version; the Guardian Knights of our time turned on Queen Serenity and tried to murder her. It is our belief they chose to side with Metalia and the forces of Earth."

"What?" Rei sputtered. "Why?"

Luna shook her head. "We don't know. Artemis and I went to the Chamber of Prayer to find Queen Serenity. When we arrived, she was alone, and the three Guardian Knights lay dead on the floor."

Usagi's eyes grew wide. "My mother killed them?"

"She didn't really go into detail," Artemis admitted. "Your mother told us that the Guardian Knights had entered the chamber and demanded she surrender the Silver Crystal. When she refused, they attacked. You must understand, she was busy channelling the power of the Silver Crystal at the time. Making the very wish that sealed away Metalia and the Dark Kingdom, and sent you all here to be reborn."

"It's possible the crystal itself responded to the threat of the Guardian Knights," Ami mused. "We've seen similar things happen before with you, Usagi, where it's acted to save you from danger."

"That's true," Usagi agreed. "I just…from everything you've told me about my mother, Luna, I can't imagine her killing anyone!"

"Nor I. However, that is what we saw when we arrived, and we heard it from her lips. Your mother had no reason to lie to us."

"No, she didn't," Makoto agreed, looking up at Usagi. "I think we need to take Artemis' warnings about this guy seriously. With this info in mind, he may be holding a grudge."

"But how could he be here, now?" Rei argued. She looked around, a cynical look in her eyes. "That would make him a thousand years old!"

"I don't know," Artemis admitted. "Perhaps he wasn't dead, and he somehow made it to a stasis pod similar to the ones Luna and I were sent here in. At any rate, the armour is unmistakable. The man in that footage is definitely a Guardian Knight, and until we can ascertain his true allegiance, we must treat him as a threat. For Usagi's sake."

"Why would he want to hurt me?" Usagi asked, a faint sliver of worry creeping into her voice. "I haven't done anything to him…"

"Revenge?" Minako suggested. "If your mother killed him…well, tried to kill him, going by his appearance…he may be out to kill you in return. Sins of the father…er, mother, in this case."

"I don't know for sure that he wants to harm you at all, Usagi." Artemis looked into her eyes, and she got the sense he was trying to reassure her. "I'm just stressing caution until we know for sure."

"Don't worry about him, Usagi," Makoto said. She shot the blonde a confident smile. "If he tries anything, we'll beat him down so hard he'll think he's back in the Moon Kingdom!"

"That's right!" Minako flashed her signature 'victory' sign. "He won't hurt you on our watch!"

Rei stretched and stifled a sudden yawn, before reaching out to pat Usagi on the shoulder. "I'll ask the great fire about this Guardian Knight as well. Maybe I'll be able to figure out what his next move is going to be."

"Thanks, Rei…everyone," Usagi said. She smiled. "I know we'll be able to handle anything that comes our way, as long as we work together."

A sudden electronic trill sounded. "I've got my computer set up and scanning," Ami announced. "If it detects anything, I'll let you all know by communicator."

"Great!" Makoto said, grinning. "You know, I'm actually looking forward to being Sailor Jupiter again. There must be something wrong with me!"

"Don't be too eager to fight!" Luna warned. "We don't know much about these shadow creatures either. We need to be careful approaching them." She paused. "We also need to consider bringing back the Outers."

Usagi considered it. The Outer Senshi. Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru. They were following Michiru's concert tour around Europe right now.

"Do we have to?" Rei groaned. "They'll just start attacking everything in sight."

"They'll listen to me," said Usagi, trying to sooth the shrine maiden. "But…I don't think we need to disturb them just yet, right? We can handle a few silly shadow monsters."

Artemis just shook his head slowly. "Don't get overconfident. It's not the shadow creatures themselves that worry me. It's whoever sent them here. But, yes, you're right. I don't think we need to panic just yet. Let's investigate further and see what happens. We can always call them back later."

"Okay then," Luna said. "We have a plan. Let's end it there, and let you girls get some sleep."

Usagi took one last look around at her friends. Makoto and Minako were almost smiling. Ami was her usual serious self, but even she seemed happy as she tapped away at her computer. It was just Rei who looked like this was all unwelcome. It was crazy, but this almost felt…right. The last two years of peace had been great. Usagi had enjoyed living a normal life, but there was a sudden excitement in her chest that had been missing even that morning. The blonde never thought she would admit it, but it was true; she'd missed being Sailor Moon.

The hooded man walked slowly down the street, unaffected by the cold night air. It was his first time in this strange city; he was already sick of it. He didn't like this world of glass, steel, concrete towers and fluorescent lights. It had no heart…no soul. Not like his home. His home which was lost to him, burning a thousand years in the past.

A dog approached and froze, its ears flattening back. A low growl emerged from its throat. He continued towards it, undaunted, and it backed down, whimpering and running away. His lips curled up into a cold smile. The dog was smart; likely much smarter than the pathetic Earthlings living in this city. His constructs had gathered a plentiful supply of energy from them already, in a single afternoon. Admittedly, they were not particularly smart either, but they didn't need to be. Only one of the four had gotten lost, or perhaps killed by a lucky human. It was of no real consequence.

He passed one of the city's many stores. This world's fascination with the accumulation of material possessions amused him greatly. This particular store sold 'televisions'; crude screens that displayed images with sound. He paused, as he caught a familiar sight on one of the screens. A man in armour, wielding a sword and fighting with one of his constructs. A low growl formed in his throat as he watched his construct fall, cut down by the armoured man. The growl became an angry roar, and he smashed a clenched fist through the shop window and into the screen, cracking it.

"Justice…" he breathed.

The hooded man stood in silence, staring at the now-black screen. It couldn't be. There was no way Justice could be here, now. Even as the thought entered his mind, he knew it was wrong. There was no mistaking his armour. His fighting style. Justice was indeed here in this world. Alive. He chuckled darkly. That was a situation he would soon remedy. He finally had the opportunity for vengeance he'd thought lost to him forever. A cloud of black smoke and ash whirled about him, and he disappeared, leaving the street empty once more.

Makoto entered the Crown Arcade, making a beeline for the games. It seemed like such a childish thing to do but, after two days of no attacks, she had a lot of pent up energy. She could at least beat up some virtual enemies. A familiar laugh gave her pause; she glanced around, looking for the source. That sounds like…Usagi? The brunette finally saw her, seated in a booth with an unfamiliar man. He looked foreign. What's she doing here, with him no less? Makoto was about to slip around the corner to continue observing the two when the blonde spotted her and waved.

"Hey, Mako, over here!"

Caught, she thought, sighing and making her way over. Usagi slid further into the booth, making room for her, and the brunette sat down.

"What are you doing here, Mako?" Usagi asked. "Feeling nostalgic like me?"

"I, uh…yeah. Thought I'd get some time in on the Sailor V game. For old time's sake."

"Oh, we should definitely play!"

The young man sitting across from them cleared his throat and looked pointedly at Usagi.

"Oh! Mako, this is Corey. Corey, Makoto."

He smiled politely and extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."

"And you." She took his hand and shook it. Firm grip.

"Yay!" Usagi cooed. "One friend down, that leaves three more!"

Corey rolled his eyes. "I'm getting the sense you won't be happy until I've met everyone you know."

"Not everyone! Just my best friends! Oh, and Haruka, Michiru, Hotaru and Setsuna, but she's never around when you want her to be…um…"

Makoto frowned as Usagi continued naming people she knew. She'd never even heard of this guy before, but it seemed he and Usagi were already fast friends. Their back-and-forth was entirely too familiar. He was staring at the blonde in mock-terror. Making her laugh. She clenched her fist beneath the table. "Usagi, could we talk for a moment?" She made a slight nod of her head towards Corey. "Alone?"

Before Usagi could respond, Corey slid out of the booth and stood. "I'm gonna go check the rest of this place out. You ladies take your time."

As soon as he was out of earshot, Makoto exploded. "What are you doing?"

Usagi blinked slowly, apparently confused. "Hanging out with two of my friends?"

"Oh, a friend, is he? I heard the way you guys were talking. How long ago did you meet him, huh?"

The blonde frowned. "Three days ago, and I don't think I like your insinuation, Mako."

"Three days, and you're already hanging out in the arcade, teasing each other, making lovey eyes across the table!" A thought occurred to her and the brunette looked at Usagi seriously. "Are you and Mamoru broken up again?"

"What?" Usagi screeched, immediately turning red as everyone in the arcade looked at her. She lowered her voice. "No! Mamo and I are fine! Mako, Corey and I met three days ago, and we're friends, really! Nothing more. You should know how easily I make friends!"

Makoto thought about it for a moment. That was true. She thought back to when she'd first met Usagi. Everyone else had been afraid of her, because of her size. While she'd deny it vehemently to anyone suggesting it, it had hurt her a lot. Usagi had been the first person at her new school to talk to her, and they'd become friends almost right away. The blonde definitely had a special talent for getting to know people fast. "Well…alright," she admitted. "I suppose that does add up."

"Of course it adds up!" Usagi hissed. "I would never two-time my Mamoru!"

Makoto raised her hands in surrender. "Alright, okay, I'm sorry!"

They lapsed into an awkward silence for a few moments, before Usagi spoke. "Corey is kind of cute, though. I guess."

Makoto laughed. "Yeah, I guess he is." And for a change, he in no way reminds me of my old crush.

Usagi's eyes widened, and she leaned in conspiratorially. "Oh, you think so, huh?"

Before Makoto could protest, a sudden beeping interrupted their conversation. The two glanced at each other, instantly serious, knowing what this likely meant. Usagi pulled her communicator from her bag, answering the call. Ami's face appeared on the little screen.

"I just detected an energy spike in the city! It could be the enemy. I'll send you the coordinates!"

"Okay, Ami, Mako's with me. We're on our way!"

They were halfway to the door when Corey appeared, looking confused.

"Going somewhere?"

"Oh!" Usagi froze, looking panicked. "Uh…I forgot…about a…uh…intervention? For a friend! Mako just reminded me, and we've got to get over there right away!"

Makoto just rolled her eyes. That excuse was terrible. There was no way he was going to buy it. She studied Corey carefully, and thought she saw a hint of suspicion in his eyes, before his expression went blank.

"Oh, okay. Well, I hope this friend of yours is okay. It sounds serious if it's at the intervention stage."

Usagi seemed surprised he accepted it so easily as well. "I'm sure she'll be fine! Thanks, Corey, talk to you soon!" She practically bolted out of the arcade.

Makoto sighed and followed, throwing a quick wave back at him as she went.

Corey watched them go, then immediately headed to the booth and grabbed his bag, heading for the door as well. Man, Usagi can be weird. A small grin appeared on his face. Her friend's cute, though. He banished that thought from his mind immediately. At any rate, their sudden exit means I don't have to come up with an excuse for ditching Usagi again. He raised his wrist and hit a button on the side of his watch. "Sorry, Titus, I had to get clear of some people. What's happening?"

"Finally!" the cat snapped. "I've detected an energy build up downtown. It looks like another of those portals may be opening."

"Give me the details, I'll head there now."

"Coordinates sent to your communicator."

"Alright, wish me luck!"

He ducked behind a nearby building, glanced around to ensure he was clear, and summoned his sword. Light surrounded him for an instant before fading to reveal Guardian Justice. He leapt straight up, climbing to the roof, before heading for the source of the danger.

"An intervention, Usagi? Really?" Makoto asked.

"It was the first thing that popped into my head!"

"After so many years of being a Sailor Senshi, I thought you'd be better at coming up with excuses!"

"So I'm a bad liar. I refuse to consider that a flaw!"

As the girls ran, their communicators started beeping again. Seeing Usagi fumbling around for hers, Makoto pulled her own out and answered. "What's up?"

It was Minako, as Sailor Venus. "I need a little help here! The portal Ami's talking about opened at my campus! There's one of those shadow thingies running around trying to drain people!"

"I thought the area was familiar," Makoto mumbled. "We're already on our way, Venus, keep it busy!"

"I'm trying!" Venus shouted, fading off the screen.

"We'll be faster if we transform!" Usagi called, making a sudden right turn down an alleyway. Makoto followed, and pulled out her transformation pen.

"Moon Eternal, Make-Up!"

"Jupiter Crystal Power, Make-Up!"

Sailor Venus ducked under the shadow creature's swing, rolling to the side and coming up on her feet. "Crescent Beam!"

The blast of golden light hit the creature square in the chest, leaving a dented crater behind as black smoke began seeping into the air. While it screeched in pain, it definitely wasn't dead, much to Venus' annoyance. Looks like these things aren't as flimsy as they look, she thought. She followed up with a high kick right to the shadow's 'face', knocking it back and to the ground. The creature was definitely as fast as its friend had looked on TV, but she wasn't impressed so far. They'd faced stronger opponents in the past, although it had managed to drain a student before she could intervene. Venus was operating on the assumption that if it died, the energy would return to its rightful owner.

"Is that all you've got?" she asked, a little disappointed. This felt an awful lot like one of her fights as Sailor V, back in London. Just her against a single opponent. That's what she thought, anyway, right up to the point she caught a blur of motion from the corner of her eye. Venus instinctively tried to dodge to the left, but it was too late. The second shadow creature was too fast. She shrieked in pain as something sharp tore into her side, and she was knocked to the ground. Venus pressed a hand protectively to her ribs, and it came away bloody. Two more of the shadows had come through the portal, and were now advancing on her. One of them had scratched her; she hoped it wasn't too deep.

The blonde flipped back to her feet, wincing as the movement pulled the skin around her ribs taut, and stared down her opponents. "Okay…try this one on for size! Venus Love Me Chain!" She summoned the golden chain and swung it like a whip. Her attack caught one of the shadows by surprise, tearing through its head like paper, and it collapsed into dust. Venus had no time to congratulate herself however, as the second shadow charged, claws extended. She leapt out of the way, barely avoiding it. She landed behind it, and brushed a hand against her side again. There was a lot of blood, and she was starting to worry. This cut's deeper than I thought!

What followed was a series of dodges as she played cat and mouse with the shadow creature. It was fast, and she was hurt. Try as she might, she couldn't create enough separation to power up another attack. Finally, just as she was starting to get desperate, she heard some very welcome words.

"Moon Spiral Heart Attack!"

"Jupiter Oak Evolution!"

The shadow standing before her was hit with a giant heart and practically disintegrated. Her first opponent, just now getting to its feet, was cut to pieces with a blast of leaf-shards. Venus glanced up to the roof of a nearby building to see Sailors Moon and Jupiter.

"What?" she called, managing a weak smile. "No speech?"

Sailor Moon dropped off the roof, rushing to Venus' side. She was shocked to see a bloody gash above her ribs, the right side of her fuku and skirt stained red.

"Venus…you're hurt!"

"Not gonna lie…I don't feel great right now." She nodded to her friend. "But I'll survive." Her hand raised, fingers apart in a 'victory' sign. "Seriously…no speech?"

Moon looked at her like she was insane. "You're bleeding, and you're worried about my speech?"

"It's been two years! I was really looking forward to it. In the name of the moon, and all that. Inspiring stuff!"

Moon couldn't help it, and laughed in spite of the situation. "I'll make sure I do it for you next time."

Jupiter inspected the portal carefully. "Guys, stay on guard. This thing is still open."

"Is everyone okay?" Sailor Mercury called, running up. Sailor Mars was with her. Both were out of breath. Mars immediately joined Jupiter beside the portal, gaze locked on its depths.

"Venus is hurt!"

Mercury rushed over and crouched to inspect the wound. "This is pretty nasty, Venus. It'll need stitches, at minimum." She brushed the cut with a finger, provoking a hiss of pain from the blonde. "It hasn't hit anything vital, at least, but if it had been much deeper you'd be in real trouble."

"You're supposed to avoid the enemy's attacks, Venus!" Jupiter teased.

Venus responded by sticking her tongue out, followed with another wince as Mercury prodded her again. "If you could stop poking it, that'd be great!"

Behind them, the portal began shrinking, fading away into nothing in moments.

"That was…easy," Sailor Moon observed. She turned her attention to Mars, as she seemed to wobble unsteadily on her feet. "Mars…are you okay?"

"Whatever that portal was," Mars said, "it felt like it was radiating pure anger and hatred. It…caught me unprepared." She was visibly pale.

"You gonna be alright?" Jupiter asked, concerned.

"Yeah…it'll pass."

"Guys," Venus whispered. "Don't look now, but the top of the administration building…it's him."

Sailor Moon glanced casually around, and saw him. The Guardian Knight was crouched atop one of the campus buildings, seemingly observing them.

"What's he doing?" Mars wondered, her eyes narrowed.

"Certainly not helping out," Jupiter growled. "How long has he been there?"

"I'm not sure. I only noticed him a few moments ago."

"He didn't help," the brunette muttered. "He stood by as you got hurt. In my books, that makes him as bad as one of those creatures!" She turned and glared directly at the knight. "Hey, you! Get down here!"

The knight remained motionless for a moment, before turning and disappearing from view.

"What was that?" Moon asked, frowning. "You scared him off!"

"I…got mad," Jupiter admitted. "He just sat up there, watching as Venus got hurt." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Sailor Moon, but based off that, I don't think he's a friend."

"It doesn't look good for him," Mars agreed. "It almost looked like he was watching us…studying our fighting techniques, perhaps?"

"Guys," Mercury interrupted. "It's a great conversation to have, and I think we should continue it, but we need to get Venus back to the shrine. I really need to clean and dress this wound."

"That would be good," Venus said, not able to maintain her cheery façade any longer. "I might take a nap, too. I'm suddenly feeling sleepy."

"That's probably a good idea, Venus."

Sailor Moon glanced up at the rooftop again. What game is this Guardian Knight playing? Why fight the shadows one day and ignore them the next? She sighed, and turned her attention back to her friends. Jupiter was picking Venus up, ignoring the blonde's protests, ready to carry her back to the shrine. She glanced back at where the portal had stood. At least these shadows didn't seem very hard to fight. They were almost too easily defeated. She turned to Mars. "Do you get the same feeling I am that this was all way too easy?"

Mars nodded slowly. "Jupiter filled me in. Two attacks, two takedowns, plus the one Venus finished off. After seeing the trouble the knight had with just one, I figured we'd be in for more of a fight."

"I guess it's possible we caught them by surprise, but…this doesn't feel right." Moon folded her arms. "Something tells me this is only the beginning."

The hooded man watched from afar as the Senshi leapt away, the injured Venus carried by Sailor Jupiter. He had learned much from that little engagement, not the least of which was the existence of the Sailor Senshi in this time. This…Sailor Moon was a mystery to him, however. There had never been a Senshi of the Moon before. He had hoped to confront Justice, but his old friend had not shown up. It was of no real consequence. This had been a useful exercise after all.

"Whoever you are, Sailor Moon…you are correct. This is indeed only the beginning."

AN: Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter, it was really encouraging to get such great feedback. I hope you enjoyed chapter two - it was a little light on Corey and Titus but it made sense that the Senshi get some attention - it's a Sailor Moon fanfic after all! I hope to have the third chapter up sometime next week. Thank you, and as always, whether you enjoyed it or not, feedback is always appreciated!