Standard disclaimer - I don't own Sailor Moon or its characters. All OCs belong to me.
"If you want to act as judge, jury and executioner, you're welcome to try! But I warn you…I won't make it easy!"
Usagi was nervous. She'd only ever heard Corey this angry once before; back at the arcade, just before she saw him transform into Justice for the first time. Right after Terror's constructs had attacked her and Minako. She rushed over to stand between him and the Outers Senshi, arms wide.
"No!" she ordered. "Stop this at once!"
"You can't actually trust him, Usagi!" Neptune scoffed, clearly in disbelief.
Uranus apparently agreed. "He's a traitor! I mean, for god's sake, Usagi, he tried to murder your mother! How can you stand there and defend him?"
As Usagi was about to fire back with an angry retort, Justice stopped her. "It's alright, Usagi," he assured her. His hand rested gently on her shoulder, guiding her around behind him. "They want a fight, and I'm more than happy to give them one!"
"Please, Corey…don't do this," she implored him. "It won't help."
"Maybe not," he shrugged, "but it'll make me feel a whole lot better."
She shook her head. He'd stopped listening to her, settling into a defensive stance with his sword held vertical before him. The three Outer Senshi spread out, slowly encircling him.
Usagi groaned in frustration and retreated to a safe distance. It seemed there was no stopping them.
"We're just going to let this happen?" Minako asked cautiously.
"Nobody's listening to me right now," Usagi muttered. What good is being the Princess if nobody pays attention to you?
"Well?" she heard Justice call. "What are you waiting for? A written invitation?"
Uranus responded by charging in, sword in hand. Usagi had forgotten how fast she was – she closed the distance to Justice in a second. The clash of metal on metal rang out through the clearing as he deflected her strikes one after another. At first, it looked to Usagi as if the two were evenly matched but she soon realised that Justice wasn't fighting back. He just continued to block the Sky Senshi's attacks, matching her blows perfectly.
"He's really a lot faster than he looks," she observed.
"This isn't good, Usagi." Luna had made her way over, and was now sitting beside her, watching the battle with disdain. "They're going to kill each other!"
"Corey wouldn't do that. He promised."
"Uh, oh!" Minako groaned, pointing. "Look out, Corey!"
Neptune was calling one of her attacks. "Deep Submerge!"
Usagi watched as the rolling aqua orb sped through the air towards Justice. He was caught between a rock and a hard place; Uranus to his left, trees behind him, and the attack barrelling down on him from the right. He wobbled uncertainly on his feet and pressed a hand against his helmet, as if in pain. What's wrong, she wondered. He's going to be hit! At the last second, the Guardian Knight extended his right hand, and a shimmering transparent barrier appeared before him. Neptune's attack slammed into it at full force, breaking over it like waves against the shore, leaving Justice unharmed behind it.
"What was that?" Jupiter asked, shocked.
"I don't know," Usagi replied, speechless. Somehow, Justice had just blocked Neptune's attack completely. "He didn't mention anything like that before." Her gaze turned briefly to Titus. Perhaps he knew something about this newfound power? The ginger cat was watching carefully, but he didn't seem nervous. No, he looked almost…wary? Why would that be? More sounds of clanging metal drew her attention back to the battle. She looked on with a quiet nervousness as Saturn moved in, swinging her Glaive. "Can she actually hurt him?"
Mars joined them, her curiosity piqued. "If anything can damage his armour, I'd be willing to bet it's the Silence Glaive."
Justice parried Saturn's swing, knocking her weapon aside and delivering a kick to her abdomen that dropped her to her knees. Usagi winced sympathetically. Hotaru would feel that one later on. Uranus had sheathed her sword, and moments later, fired off an attack of her own.
"World Shaking!"
The amber orb accelerated towards Justice. Just like the first time, he extended his hand and the same barrier sprang into existence. Uranus' attack hit it and exploded, momentarily blinding the onlookers. When the smoke cleared, Justice was still standing, but the barrier seemed to be wavering.
"I guess there's limits to how much he can stop with it," Minako murmured, sounding nervous again.
"Must be," Usagi agreed. Why did you want this fight, Corey? What's your plan? She watched as Justice feinted towards Neptune, drawing Uranus' attention again quickly.
"He's testing Uranus," Jupiter noted. "He must have picked up that she's staying between him and Neptune." Mars nodded in agreement with the brunette.
Justice shouted something Usagi didn't make out, but Uranus had clearly heard it, and was offended. She sprinted in and slashed furiously at him with her sword. Justice continued blocking her attacks but again refrained from advancing on her.
"What's he doing?" Minako asked, frustrated. "Why won't he attack?"
She got her answer moments later; Uranus lunged forward with her sword, apparently seeing some kind of opening. Justice reacted immediately, closing the gap between them with surprising speed and trapping her sword-arm under his own. He spun, stripping her sword from her hand as he did so, and hurled it into a nearby tree. The blade lodged itself deep in the wood, quivering from the force of the impact. The Guardian Knight followed up with a forearm to the side of the Senshi's head, dropping her to the ground.
"Deep Submerge!"
Usagi tried to call out a warning, but it was too late. Justice had forgotten about Neptune. He turned into the attack and his barrier appeared, but it looked far less impressive this time; Usagi was sure she could actually see a crack. The swirling energy orb crashed into his defence and then through it, striking the Guardian Knight and knocking him backwards. He was able to maintain his footing, but failed to see Sailor Saturn descending from above until it was too late. Her Glaive cut through the armour above his right shoulder and into the flesh beneath it. Justice cried out in pain, the first time Usagi could remember hearing him do so. Even so, he somehow stayed on his feet, spinning to the left and away from Saturn…right into Uranus' line of fire.
"World Shaking!"
"Corey!" Usagi cried.
The full brunt of the attack hit him head-on, knocking him backwards into a tree with enough force to dent his armour. Uranus and Saturn closed in as Neptune watched over them, her eyes focused and alert.
"Usagi! We can't let this continue," Minako insisted, clutching her transformation wand.
Justice struggled to stand, moving sluggishly. Minako's right, Usagi decided. This has gone on long enough. If they won't listen to Usagi, perhaps they'll listen to – wait, what?! Suddenly, without warning, the Guardian Knight disappeared in a flash of golden light.
"Dammit, where'd he go?" Uranus swore.
A startled cry came from Sailor Neptune. Justice had reappeared behind her. He seized her by the back of the head and slammed her into a nearby tree, leaving the aqua-haired Senshi leaning dazed against the trunk. The moonlight reflected off his sword as he whirled about and swung the blade down towards her. Usagi's hands flew to her mouth. He wouldn't!
"Neptune!" Uranus screamed, her eyes wide with fear.
Justice's sword bit into the wood with a loud 'thwack', the blade resting barely an inch from Neptune's neck. She looked up into his helm with wide eyes, breathing heavily. He raised a finger up to her face and waggled it back and forth.
"You underestimated my ability to reach you." Slowly, he turned to face Uranus and Saturn, prying his sword from the tree with considerable effort. "If I wanted to kill her, I would have," he declared, sheathing his sword. "I hope I've made my point. This fight is over."
"Like hell it is, traitor!" Uranus barked, readying another World Shaking.
"Enough!" Usagi ordered. "Moon Eternal, Make-Up!" The newly transformed Senshi of the Moon pointed her Tiare directly at Uranus. "This ends now!" Her weapon changed targets, now pointing at Justice. "Both of you!"
"Usagi…Princess!" Uranus protested. "You don't-"
"I said you're done, Uranus! It's over!" Moon ordered. "Justice is my friend. If you wish to harm him, you'll have to go through me!"
"You tell 'em, Sailor Moon," Justice called.
She turned her angry gaze on him. "And you! Stop antagonising them! You may be my friend, but so are they! Don't think you get a free pass; this fight was as much your doing as it was theirs!"
He fell silent, bowing his head contritely. "Sorry."
The short-haired blonde hesitated. "But he's-"
"Your protest is noted," Moon interrupted, cutting her off. She fixed Uranus with her best attempt at one of Mars' withering glares, and silently thanked her political science classes. All the research she'd been doing for them was really helping with her 'regal' vocabulary. "However, I am the leader of the Sailor Senshi and, beyond that, your Princess. You will obey my commands!"
Uranus stared at her for a few seconds longer. "You'd really fight us to protect him?"
Moon stared right back at her. "You know me, Haruka. What wouldn't I do to protect a friend?"
Uranus looked to Neptune, and then Saturn. They nodded slowly. Uranus sighed, and sheathed her sword. "You've made your point…Princess."
Justice uttered an audible sigh of relief; He was noticeably unsteady on his feet.
"You okay?" Jupiter asked.
Venus ducked behind him to inspect the damage. "Ugh…nasty!"
"I assure you, it feels much worse than it looks," he replied, deadpan. The blonde just rolled her eyes and ducked under his other shoulder, helping him upright. He turned to Sailor Moon, his helmet dipping in a slight nod. "Thank you...your highness."
"No more fighting," she repeated, her expression softening. "Okay?"
He nodded in agreement. "No more fighting."
"Good. Now, let's go inside and get everyone patched up." She looked over to Uranus and the others again. "We've got a lot to discuss."
Ami stood, inspecting her needlework. "There. That ought to do it."
Corey glanced up at her and gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Ami. I appreciate it." He gingerly removed the wadded up gauze from his nostrils. The blood seemed to have stopped. God knows what that was, he thought. It felt like my head was imploding.
"You still have no idea what caused the bloody nose?" she asked.
Some, but I don't have all the answers yet, he thought. "No…it must have happened when I hit the tree."
The blue-haired girl smiled gently and gathered up her medical kit before heading out to join the others.
He worked his shoulder around in a small circle experimentally. The skin pulled a little tight, but the stitches were holding. Ami had really done some great work. He felt a hand rest gently on his forearm, and turned to find Minako crouching beside him.
"How're you doing?" she asked.
"Much better now, thanks to Ami." He shot her a tight smile. Her touch felt almost electric.
"Good." She winked. "It was starting to look like we'd have to scoop you out of your armour!"
"Hey!" he protested, feigning annoyance. "I was winning…kind of."
"Uh, no," she giggled. "I'm sorry to have to break it to you, but you 'kind of' got your ass kicked."
"Yeah," he admitted, actually feeling a blush coming on. "I kind of did, didn't I?"
"Yeah," Minako agreed. "So badly."
"Oh, well. I think I made my point to them, at least." He gestured through the half-open bedroom door. "So…how's it going out there?"
"Luna, Artemis, Titus and Usagi are all explaining the events of the past week to the Outers. I mean, Haruka, Michiru and Hotaru. It's slow-going, because none of them can decide which order to cover it in. I think they're about up to our new friend the Shadow-Knight."
"Sounds riveting."
"Okay, so maybe Artemis and Titus can be a little…dry," she allowed.
His eyes widened. "A little? I can't speak about Artemis, but when Titus really gets going he can put an insomniac to sleep in a heartbeat!"
She laughed. "Okay, if that's really true, he has Arty beaten." Minako fell silent, looking uncharacteristically shy. "So…I'm glad you're okay."
He winked. "I'm glad I'm okay too."
She sighed loudly. "Wow…way to ruin the moment." She stood and gestured towards the door. "Come on, let's get out there. I'm sure they'll have questions for you."
Corey rolled his eyes. "Sounds great."
Terror stared down at a veritable army of Constructs beneath him – it had taken a long time to grow so many, but now he had the numbers to absolutely crush the Sailor Senshi. And their ally, the Pretender. Yes…he would enjoy choking the life out of this new 'Justice'. His former comrade may be out of reach now, a thousand years dead, but he would exact revenge on this new namesake.
:Terror…:
A faint shadow appeared before him, its arms folded across its chest.
He immediately took a knee and bowed. "My lord Revenant!"
:Your lack of progress is…disturbing. I require much more energy to continue my journey to Earth.:
"My apologies, my lord. I have encountered unexpected…difficulties."
:Yes…I know. The Sailor Senshi somehow survive in this time.: The shadow gestured, summoning an image of a Sailor Senshi in red. :This one reached out and touched me…she of the raven-black hair.:
"Yes…Sailor Mars. She knew more of you than she should have."
:She has a strong mind…and keen senses.: It pointed to him. :You will not harm her.:
"My lord?"
:I am sending a sliver of myself on ahead, to oversee your progress personally. This child of Mars will make an excellent host.:
Terror froze. "You're coming here…now?"
:You will secure her in anticipation of my arrival, Terror. It loomed over him. Need I remind you that I gave you life again? I can take it away just as easily. Do not fail me again!:
He bowed again. "Yes, my lord Revenant. As you command." He slowly stood, feeling his master's presence fade.
"My, my…that sounded ominous."
Terror whirled about to find a second Shadow-Knight leaning against a nearby pillar. "Wrath! What are you doing here?"
"I just stopped by to see how you were doing, brother…not well, from the sound of things."
"Everything is under control," Terror insisted. "Did our lord send you to check up on me?"
"No…he has no idea I'm here. I just thought you might be in need of some…assistance. That's all."
"I don't need anything from you, Wrath!" He turned away.
"Even against our former comrade, Justice?"
Terror spun about, raising his fist angrily. "That man is not Justice! He's a pretender, nothing more, and I will destroy him along with his Senshi friends!" Terror disappeared in a puff of black smoke.
Wrath watched the vaporous tendrils slowly curl and fade in the air. "Your arrogance always was your undoing…brother."
Corey sat at his table. He groaned and rubbed his face with his hands. What a night.
"I take it you didn't sleep so well?" Titus asked, jumping up to sit on the tablet before him.
"No." He stifled a yawn. "I had the craziest dreams…"
"Oh?"
"Yeah…I was fighting someone. Maybe two people…I can't really remember. In the end, I cut them down, but instead of relief I felt…sorrow?"
Titus digested that for a moment. "Well…it's nothing to be concerned about. It was only a dream, after all."
"I don't know about that," Corey said, closing his eyes. "Ever since I met up with the Sailor Senshi, I've been having these weird headaches…"
"Headaches?" Titus cocked his head to the side. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. They don't seem to last very long."
"Have you gotten many of these…headaches?"
"A few, in the last week. The most recent was last night, during my fight with the Outer Senshi. Just before I used my Shield. I was standing there…watching the attack approach. I felt this sudden pain and just like that, 'Shield' popped into my head. Suddenly, I knew exactly what to do." He looked up at Titus, a frown forming on his lips. "I think these headaches are tied into my memories of the Moon Kingdom. Slowly but surely…I'm getting back pieces of my previous life."
"Really?" Titus asked with wide eyes. "That's most intriguing. When you couldn't remember anything at all after first awakening as Justice, I assumed they were lost forever!"
"So did I. I'd pretty much given up on ever getting them back." He pushed his chair back and stood, starting to pace. "That's what makes me think these dreams I've been having are memories trying to resurface! They're so real, so vivid…"
"Well…try not to worry about it. If these are your old memories, I'm sure they'll sort themselves out, in time."
"Perhaps…" Corey agreed, not feeling convinced.
"Anyway…I notice you and Usagi are quite friendly lately. Minako too."
"What?" Corey was surprised by the sudden topic change. "Well, yeah…they've both been really nice to me ever since we met. If it wasn't for them, I'm not sure I'd have been able to stick it out with the other Senshi."
"Of course." Titus peered at him curiously. "I just wonder, though…how genuine are they being, really?"
Where are you going with this? "Just say what you mean, Titus…you know I hate double-speak."
"I don't think they trust you," Titus said bluntly. "That first day we met them - when I stayed back to talk with Luna and Artemis - Usagi asked me all sorts of questions. About you…and what I knew of you during the Moon Kingdom."
"What?" Corey shook his head. "No…she trusts me. She told me she does."
"She asked me whether you had really tried to kill her mother."
Right after she told me to my face that she trusted me? "No…that doesn't make any sense. Why would she lie?"
"I don't know," Titus sighed. "I do have a theory…but you won't like it."
Corey nodded. "Go on."
"Well…they saw you were effective against the Constructs, right? That footage from the first fight was plastered all over television, newspapers, the internet…everywhere. I'm just saying…and it's a theory, nothing more…having you around may be a calculated risk. You help out with the constructs, maybe take down this Shadow-Knight…after all, less risk to the Senshi, less risk to the Princess."
Is that possible? No…Usagi wouldn't use me like that. "You're wrong."
"I hope I am, Corey, truly I do. But I was asked those questions…that doesn't change."
Corey glanced sidelong at it. "What did you tell Usagi? When she asked you about me?"
"What does it matter?"
"Because I've always had the feeling that you know more about my past than you let on, Titus. You say you're my friend…so tell me what you know."
The cat frowned. "Corey…as I've told you before…knowing will only cause you pain."
"I don't care, Titus." He sat again, fingers interlocked beneath his chin. "Please…I have to know."
"For three years, you haven't cared at all about your past life. Why the sudden interest now?"
"Because I'm starting to think that what they're saying must be true!" Corey snapped. "Everyone who remembers the Moon Kingdom believes I betrayed it, and turned on Queen Serenity. How can so many people be wrong, Titus?"
The cat sighed. "Are you sure about this, Corey?"
"Yes…tell me. Please!"
"Fine." The cat took a breath, and began. "Prior to the final battle commencing, the Guardian Knights disappeared. Nobody knew where they'd gone; somehow, they just left the palace without anyone noticing them." He chuckled. "I was only a Foreign Adviser in the queen's court, Corey. Nobody important. But I had a chance encounter with one of her spies, who'd been wounded. He told me that the Guardian Knights had returned. That they were planning on killing Queen Serenity, and taking the Silver Crystal for themselves. I immediately ran to the Chamber of Prayer to warn her, but I arrived too late. The Guardian Knights were dead, somehow struck down. The Queen, although bloodied, was alright. She'd already begun summoning the power of the Crystal to save everyone."
Corey stared at the table in shock. So I did betray Queen Serenity. Sailor Uranus was right…I'm a traitor. He laughed bitterly. "So it's true. How the hell did I end up getting resurrected along with everyone else?"
"I don't know. I always assumed it was some kind of…glitch."
"A glitch."
"In simple terms, yes. You were caught up in the Silver Crystal's power and brought here to be reborn as well."
"I just…" Words failed him. It was like he suddenly didn't know himself.
"It doesn't change anything, Corey. That was a different life. You were a different person then. Here, now, you are a good man."
"What should I do? Should I tell the others it's true?" Corey asked quietly. "Usagi would never forgive me if she found out I really did try and hurt her mother…"
"She already knows," Titus said softly. "I couldn't lie to her Corey…she's my Princess too, after all."
"She knows? Oh, god…why hasn't she said anything?" He clutched his head in his hands. "I suddenly don't know what to do…how to act, what to think…"
"Perhaps…you should withdraw a little? Help out with the Constructs, and this Shadow-Knight Terror, of course, but otherwise keep your distance. Give them space. Let them sort it out for themselves. I'm sure they'll see that you're a friend in time, and come around eventually."
Keep my distance…from everyone? Usagi. Minako. With what I know now, about who I was…maybe it would be safer for them to stay away from me. "I…maybe."
"You've still got me. I'm always here for you."
"Yeah…thanks, Titus," Corey mumbled, standing and heading for the bathroom.
"Not at all, Corey."The cat watched him go, a satisfied smile slowly forming on his face. I'm sorry, Corey, but you're just no good to any of us the way you are right now. All the warning signs are there. The Revenant Knight is returning from his exile, and we need the Guardian Knight of Justice of old. Justice is cold…justice is emotionless…just like you'll need to be. Selene forgive me…but if the only way to make you stronger is pain…then pain you'll get!
AN: The plot thickens! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed it. I always wondered whether Usagi could really pull off being a queen, and I got to show what I feel her more authoritative side could look like in this chapter. We're picking up steam now – some big battles coming up! As always, let me know what you thought, good or bad. I love hearing from you!