Story Title: Power Rangers Elementalists: Redux

Chapter Title: The Road Not Taken

Author: Mathais

Rating: T

Category: Power Rangers

Warnings: Justin Focus, Slash and Fem-Slash, AUish

Pairings: In this chapter? None, though maybe miniscule references to Justin/Nico if you squint and read too much between the lines.

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

Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers in all of its incarnations, Justin and the others that you recognize belong to whoever owns legal ownership of them now. It's just everyone that you don't recognize that are mine. Nico had appeared in two-plus episodes of Turbo and Kayla, whose name I managed to confirm as opposed to my "Jessica" guess, was one of Rocky's students in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Fred made his appearance in the movie featuring Ivan Ooze, and that movie will be referenced here as if it was canon, only the Ninjetti powers disappeared after the ending of the film, resulting in their need for Ninja powers.

Author's Notes: Hey people! This is a revision of the old Power Rangers Elementalists: Through the Eyes of the Young. Generally, I'm pretty much changing the flow of the story. This one is more Justin-based rather than the 5/6th OC one from last time. I will be using characters you've seen before, just before their time. Remember Adriana, Jace, Alex, Lina, and Cassy? You probably won't be seeing much of them. As I've stated, I'm replacing them with characters that already exist, though probably one-shots, save for this one character who was a main character in one of the Power Ranger shows. That said, I hope people enjoy this one much more.

OoOoO

Dear Journal,

Hey, it's me again. We've been through so much together, here in this life in Angel Grove. Through all the battles, all the shortcomings, you've stuck by me. You've been my rock in these ever-changing times. Even when the others left, all of them, from Rocky to TJ, Zordon to the Blue Senturion, you've been here with me. My dad and I are going to be moving to Boston now. My dad found a new job there, even though he promised that we wouldn't move. I guess I just have to accept it; there's nothing I can do. Maybe now, though, I can walk around without this pain in my heart. I... I miss them. Everyone. A lot. Even though they abandoned me. I guess that's just life.

There've been explosions on the moon lately. I'm worried about TJ and the others. They had to do what they had to do. It was my choice to stay behind; I can't blame them. They probably don't know how to contact me either, not from space. Not if they're going to Eltar. I just hope that they're all right.

Justin

OoOoO

Justin breathed deeply, ignoring the sting in his eyes. He was not going to cry, he really wasn't. Writing down all his thoughts was what kept his sanity through the long years of loneliness and isolation. Even so, seeing the words on the page made them all... Real, in a sense. And that realization made the emotions hard to bury. He could feel the tears burn behind his eyes, ready to be released, but he refused to let them fall. He'd cried enough. Far too much.

There was a knock on the door, his dad, Doug Stewart, opening it after a few moments. "Hey Justin. Are you ready to go?"

"Almost." He mentally winced at his tear-choked voice and cleared his throat. Moving with a grace born from fighting, Justin carefully placed the few remaining pictures, dog-eared from repeated wearing, into his backpack and sealed it with the same care. He stood, staring into the empty expanse of the room.

It was colored blue, something that was—had been—the physical representation of his power. His former power. The thought brought all the tears to the surface as he took a deep, shuddering breath. The pain was still fresh. Things happened too quickly for him to process, and he was still feeling some of the aftershocks.

He turned, wiping away the small tear which had managed to escape before it could trail along his cheek any farther. "I'm ready."

He didn't want to feel the emptiness anymore. Justin knew deep in his heart that he was running away, but he couldn't figure out what else to do. He wasn't strong. He wasn't brave. Those descriptions were for people like Rocky and Tommy and TJ, not for someone like him.

He descended the stairs of the house with a melancholy, ignoring the emptiness which echoed from the walls. He didn't need it now, couldn't handle it.

With one hand, he swung open the door, letting the sunlight briefly warm him. Two figures stepped in front of the door though—one, a boy, and the other, a girl.

"You're not planning on leaving without saying goodbye, are you?" asked the boy, folding his arms across his chest.

The girl adopted a similar pose, though it looked more intimidating on her. "That'd be mean."

"Nico, Kayla." Unwillingly, a smile crossed his face. "Of course not." He spread his arms wide in a familiar gesture. Nico and Kayla stepped toward him, being swept up into Justin's embrace.

These were people he would miss. They hadn't abandoned him after the fall of the Power Chamber, and they had stuck by him through thick and thin. The only thing that would have made their circle complete would have been Fred, but the other boy had moved after being attacked by a particularly nasty monster. Justin's eyes teared once more.

"I'm going to miss you," whispered the former Ranger.

Nico managed a shaky smile. "We will as well."

"You'd better keep in contact," Kayla mock-threatened.

"Don't worry." A smile which didn't quite reach his eyes appeared on Justin's face.

Doug came up and placed a hand on Justin's shoulder, his eyes sympathetic. "It's time to go."

"I'll be seeing you." He smiled sadly once more, releasing his friends. He slowly entered the car, a droop in his gait which couldn't be hidden.

Nico and Kayla stared at the car until it disappeared out of sight. Kayla turned away, a few tears pricking her eyes, but she then noticed the blank look in Nico's eyes and how he was rubbing his chest.

"Nico?"

"Can't you feel it?" the darker-skinned teen asked softly. There was a beat of silence before he continued. "Something going to happen... Justin isn't going to be the same when we see him next."

"Don't be silly." Kayla shook her head, ignoring the faint insistence in the depths of her mind that he was right. "Justin is... He'll be the same."

"I guess." Nico still looked unsure as the two walked away. "Maybe."

The boy stopped, letting the wind caress his face. Turning around, he whispered the words that wanted, no, needed to be said. "Justin... Whatever happens in the future, remember that we'll always be there with you. I'll be there for you."

With that, he followed Kayla, hoping to imprint the memory of this Justin in his mind.

For he knew that when they would meet next, they'd be completely different.

Both of them.

A few hours later found Justin on one of several flights on the way to Boston, his dad fast asleep. He couldn't blame the man; the last few days had been beyond hectic with packing and various other odds and ends to do. Doug had taken many late nights to make sure that everything would be fine. Justin carefully spread the blanket across his father's shoulders, tucking him in.

It wasn't his fault.

Now left alone, the former Ranger had time to contemplate. Most people on the flight had either fallen asleep or were too engrossed in what they had brought with them to notice what he was doing. Justin carefully brought out the final things that connected him to the Power Chamber, to his life as a Power Ranger. Held delicately by his fingers, the one last shard of his Turbo Morpher and the final piece of his communicator shined. Both had been irrevocably destroyed when the Power Chamber exploded, and they were all he could salvage. Seeing them again, Justin felt the burn of tears behind his eyes once more, but he again refused to let them flow.

If he cried now, he wouldn't be able to stop.

He was about to let a small whimper escape his lips, but then something caught his eye. In the light, the shards seemed to... turn a slight blue, a tinge which reminded him of his lost powers. The blue then shifted, changing into a bright orange before fading out completely. It had happened so quickly, so fluidly, that Justin wasn't sure that it happened at all.

Feeling like he had just witnessed something profound, Justin slipped the shards into a clear necklace he held around his neck, where it would stay for as long as possible, maybe the rest of his life. It was something he couldn't fathom letting go of.

Before he knew it, his eyes started drooping slowly.

"We shouldn't have any trouble. No one has attacked the Earth yet. Divatox is gone as well as Rita and Lord Zedd. Maybe, maybe Boston will be where I can begin. I'm feeling like it's where I have to be right now. Maybe my heart can finally heal."

In the dark sky among the clouds he had looked to for guidance more than once, he slipped into the soundest sleep he had ever had in weeks.

OoOoO

Sullenly, Justin looked out at the sky. It was a bright day, and he used to love the sunshine, but he preferred the night ever since the Power Chamber had been destroyed. He distinctly remembered the explosion that took his home, the only stable thing in his life for a long time, away from him. The flames from that day, the bright heat of the sun, the flare upon his skin burning away his clothes—they all made him prefer the night.

He realized that he was still running away from his problems, but there wasn't much he could do. Not when the pain refused to fade.

"Out!" Doug Stewart suddenly appeared, pointing toward the door. "You need get out and explore the city! Find new places to hang out! Make new friends!"

The teen turned empty eyes away from the window, sparks of emotion flickering slightly across the orbs.

"You've wasted away since we've got here! You need to get out more!" pleaded the father. "I expect you to leave and not come back until evening!"

"All right Dad." Showing no resistance at all, Justin stepped out of the room. The dead look in his eyes persisted as he walked down the steps, sliding his set of keys in the crisp pockets of his black cargo pants. The pants weren't crisp because they were new, but because they had never been worn. As any sort of blue made the memories even more painful, he had forgone his customary color, as evidenced by the pure red shirt he wore. He wore no blue in spite of the urge the remnants of the Power in his body instilled, and he personally donated all his blue clothing at his dad's request, though he'd rather have burned them all, and that only left some clothing from his orphanage days. The cargo pants were the only ones that he could wear in public anymore since they were designed to be loose and the rest, mainly black jeans and the like, were uncomfortably constricting. The shirts were okay, though a little tighter than he'd like, and they accented what muscles he had obtained as a Ranger and through puberty.

He did without a jacket, despite the cooler East Coast air. He didn't have anything less than a winter coat now, due to said donation of all his jackets.

Justin walked out into the sunlight, flinching slightly at warmth. He shuffled dully onto a bus and found a shadowed corner to put himself in. He ignored the people around him and was, in turn, ignored by them.

The trade wasn't entirely unwelcome.

An Asian boy around his age with headphones and a CD player attempted to talk to him at one point, but Justin merely ignored him. The boy soon got the message and turned away, talking to another boy who Justin gathered was his brother.

If only he had talked to that boy... Justin didn't know it, but, by that one action, he had changed the fate of his world. We all know what path he would have taken if he had become friends with that boy, but he didn't befriend him and would not walk that path. For better or for worse, he was traveling a path not before taken.

Once at the park, Justin found the largest tree he could find. A few deft steps and leaps he had learned from a time he wanted forgotten allowed him to reach a height that left him unseen by most of the park, even the sun. It was the perfect place to rest.

Briefly, he spied the Asian boy and his brother who he had seen on the bus, but he didn't allow himself to care. Before long, Justin found himself lulled to sleep by the swing of the tree's limbs. It was a quiet nap, one during which he didn't dream. Later, Justin would curse himself for falling into such complacency.

Justin was suddenly awakened by a strong gust of wind that forced him to grab onto the tree branches in order to avoid falling to what would likely be his doom. His necklace flew out of his shirt and sparkled as he tried to figure out what was going on.

His breath caught in his throat as he witnessed something drain green light out of the people who couldn't flee quickly enough. It was made out of a light brown wood, vaguely humanoid, with no discernible features. What Justin did manage to figure out was that it was carrying a very wicked-looking blade and was currently looking... straight at him.

"Shit," cursed Justin in his head as he slipped down the tree in as few steps as he could manage. As soon as his foot hit the ground, something surprising happened.

Flames jetted out of nowhere, forcing the monster to dodge. And Justin was in for the second shock of the day as he found the source of the attack.

A team of Rangers, Rangers, were standing off to the side, mostly in colors that Justin hadn't had the pleasure of seeing before. There was a Ranger in orange, though he was far enough that he couldn't see any more details save for a gun holder at his waist, at the head of the group. He was flanked to the left by a male Brown Ranger, who was in front of a female Indigo Ranger. To his left, there was a female Gold Ranger, who was in turn flanked by a female Silver Ranger, who had a male Aqua Ranger behind her.

Justin couldn't believe it. There was a whole group of Rangers in Boston. Why the hell hadn't he known about it?

He watched with a dazed sort of detachment as the Rangers quickly and efficiently battled the creature (without weapons save for those blasters even!) and managed to destroy it.

Justin fought the bile which suddenly rose into his throat. Rangers... He had moved right into a battle zone. Flashes of the final battle at the Power Chamber came to his head.

Fear.

Pain.

Anger.

Loss.

As the monster exploded in a burst of flame after one final shot from the Orange Ranger's blaster, Justin sunk to his knees, refusing to bring back the horror of that day.

He didn't want the pain. He didn't want to remember his home away from home's destruction. He didn't want to remember the day which equaled in pain to when his mom died and when his dad left.

Thus, he didn't notice as his necklace shined a bright blue color, protecting him as a wave of unknown energy flashed over his body.

OoOoO

Justin was more than a little confused both when he got back and the day after when there were no reports, however small, on the attack.

He slowly made his way out in the morning, making sure to leave before his dad woke in order to not deal with him. The morning's dim light was better than noon's bright blaze, though the comfort of the stars was better.

He walked around, aimlessly searching through the city. He... didn't know what he was looking for. Everything felt different after yesterday.

It was as if something was about to happen and the world was just waiting for it to be.

Justin shook his head, pausing at the corner of a building amidst the quiet streets.

A cry suddenly rang throughout the air and a voice shouted, "Justin!"

The ex-Ranger turned in time to be caught up in a hug by a boy who stood taller than him.

It was a person who Justin recognized very well.

"Fred?"

OoOoO

And here's the start of a new adventure. Yes, I've made Justin a bit more angst-filled, but this is more Justin focused. I realize that in the old one I made him a bit too... perky in the beginning. I want to rectify that. Also, as noted in the beginning, there'll be more changes. Such as a larger involvement with Nico, Kayla, and Fred. This is just the first chapter. The series will come in a batch after this, but that's way in the future just so I don't have the problems I had had with the old one. This had become my pet project. So, if anyone's interesting, sorry. ::winks::

Revised since original posting