Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon.

A/N: Well it's been a while but I finally made it back! Hope everyone's been well the past year!

Chapter 11: Storm

-Distant Future: Juiter-

Hotaru faced Makoto squarely, both waiting for the other to make the first move. She concentrated on her breathing, shutting out everything except the woman before her. They'd sparred together thousands of times over the years and, while this opponent wasn't really Makoto, she was sure that the basic style would be the same. After a few seconds, Makoto tensed and struck out toward her. She was merely testing her defenses, evaluating her the same way Hotaru was doing. She took a half step to the side.

Hotaru moved to match her, but couldn't lift either of her feet. She glanced down quickly, registering that her feet were anchored in the ankle deep mud. When she looked back at Makoto, it was just in time to duck a heavy swing at her head. With a huge effort, she managed to pull up one foot and take a half step back. In an instant, Makoto had darted forward. Hotaru looked down at the brunette's feet. She wore polished leather boots that seemed to be coated in some sort of oil. Her feet slipped effortlessly through the muck, allowing her to move as though she were on solid ground.

Hotaru managed to block the next two swings, but Makoto was working her way closer. A mid-level jab had her inside Hotaru's defense. She grinned wildly and took aim at Hotaru's face. Hotaru managed to summon a wall between them in time but still flinched back as Makoto's staff struck the barrier. Hotaru wrenched her feet out of the mud and staggered back, keeping one hand up to maintain the wall and keep Makoto at bay.

Close to the base of a tree, the ground was a little more solid, but the position left her without room to maneuver. Across the small clearing, Makoto had begun to pound on the barrier between them. With each strike of her staff, sparks flew in all directions and the wall shimmered as though it would crumble under the onslaught. Hotaru knew she didn't have long before the strain of maintaining the wall would be too much.

Chibi-Usa was standing near her. Her staff was clutched in white knuckles and her eyes were wide as she followed Makoto's movements.

"Usa," Hotaru shouted, "If I can get you close enough you've got to try again to use the crystal."

Chibi-Usa shook her head, keeping her eyes on the raging woman ahead of her. "I can't," she insisted. The tremor in her voice was noticeable through the storm. "It didn't work. I can't do it."

Hotaru shook her head, tossing her soaked hair away from her face. Her whole body shook with the effort to keep Makoto back. She banished her glaive, using both hands to hold the wall. "You have to try!" Chibi-Usa shook her head again in response. "Your mother is depending on you," she reminded the princess. It was cruel to bring her up now, but it was the only option Hotaru had left. "She gave you her power, you've got to find a way to use it."

Chibi-Usa looked at her finally with eyes that were swimming with tears. Hotaru met her gaze and felt her resolve waver. There were few things in the world that hurt her more than seeing the princess upset. Knowing that she had caused the tears herself was an extra blow. She moved closer, thinking vaguely of offering some word of comfort.

Chibi-Usa's eyes widened in alarm and Hotaru realized that she'd let her focus slip too much. The barrier had vanished. Through the rain, Makoto's bulky form was bearing down on her. She lifted her hands to summon her glaive, but the brunette's staff was already swinging toward her midsection like a baseball bat. The blow knocked her off her feet and threw her back several yards. She slid through the mud and landed on her back. Pain coursed through her body but the rush of adrenaline was quickly overtaking any awareness of her injuries. She rolled onto her side and pushed herself into a sitting position.

A few feet ahead of her, Chibi-Usa had engaged Makoto. Her garnet eyes were steely as she expertly ducked and countered the heavy blows aimed at her. Makoto didn't seem to have any sort of strategy in mind as she attacked, simply throwing her strength into each swing. Chibi-Usa was keeping her back, but alone she would not be able to beat her.

Hotaru managed to struggle to her knees, sinking her hands deep into the swampy ground to push herself to her feet. She called her glaive and was about to rush back into the fray, when she realized who was missing. Looking around wildly, she found Ami standing at the edge of the clearing. Her back was pressed against the base of a tree and her arms hung limply at her sides. It was hard to read her expression from the distance, but she seemed to be in a daze.

"Ami!" Hotaru shouted. The bluenette didn't move or respond. Furiously, Hotaru took a few steps closer to her and shouted again. Ami jerked her head around at the second call, looking at Hotaru in confusion. Behind her, Hotaru heard a grunt of pain from Chibi-Usa. "What are you waiting for, damn it!" Hotaru screamed. "She needs our help!" With that she spun around, moving as fast as she could back toward the battle.

Ami watched numbly as Hotaru slogged away from her. She was right. Ami could see that, even together, the two of them wouldn't be able to beat Makoto. They were barely managing to block her wild, heavy attacks. Ami closed her eyes, trying to find the calm that used to always come during a crisis. She let the heavy rain wash over her and allowed it to drown out the sounds of battle. She dropped her head and opened her eyes to stare at her hands. The air cooled and blue light glittered at her fingertips as her long knives began to form.

Her head jerked up as Makoto bellowed in pain and the half-formed weapons melted between her fingers. The brunette was doubled over, clutching her ribs and grimacing. Without thinking, Ami started toward her. Then she stopped as Chibi-Usa reached her first. The princess hesitantly reached a hand out and held it over Makoto's heaving back. She squeezed her eyes shut and mouthed words silently, willing the power of the silver crystal to come to her.

Nothing happened.

Chibi-Usa looked back over her shoulder at the others. Hotaru had one hand braced on her knee and the other clutching her glaive tightly. Her shoulders heaved as she panted for breath. The princess shook her head, a look of despair in her eyes. Ami saw Hotaru's lips move, but her voice was lost in the storm. Chibi-Usa turned her attention back to Makoto. Ami saw her shoulders lift as she took a deep breath, then she dropped her hand onto Makoto's shoulder.

The instant she felt Chibi-Usa's touch, Makoto reared back, shoving the girl away in the same move. Chibi-Usa stumbled back into Hotaru, knocking them both into the mud.

Makoto clutched one end of her staff and raised it over her head. Ami could see lethal thorns adorning the end cap. Hotaru had managed to struggle to her knees and she had an arm around Chibi-Usa's back, trying to pull the winded princess out of harm's way.

Ami looked again at Makoto's face. It was so twisted with rage it seemed as though there was nothing familiar in it. Her black eyes made her look inhuman. She was beyond their reach.

Ami shut out any thought of the past, any memory of the woman she used to know. Quickly, she slipped her rifle from her back and jammed the stock against her shoulder. "Makoto!" She screamed her name, drawing her attention away from the others. With her thumb, Ami turned the power on the gun as high as it would go. The staff dropped a fraction as Makoto turned to face her. Ami closed her eyes and fired.

Hotaru and Chibi-Usa took advantage of Makoto's distraction to scramble back to the base of the tree. Hotaru looked up at Ami, but her expression was as cold as it had been on Mercury. She squeezed the trigger and Hotaru twisted away, using her body to shield Chibi-Usa as much as possible.

The report from the weapon was as loud as the thunder around them. Hotaru felt Chibi-Usa's arms tighten around her as she buried her face against her shoulder. There was a second crack almost immediately, and she felt the ground shake beneath her knees. She'd never seen Ami use the rifle at full power, but she could imagine the result.

Hotaru chanced a glance up at Ami first. The bluenette held her weapon loosely in one hand. Her eyebrows were drawn together and her head tilted as though she were studying something fascinating that she didn't quite understand. Her reaction was appalling and Hotaru turned her head back quickly, wishing she hadn't seen. Chibi-Usa looked up at her. Her tears disappeared the moment they left her eyes, washed away by the pouring rain.

Hotaru was shaking from both adrenaline and shock, but she made herself look back at Ami. If there was still darkness in her as well, it was better to know now.

When she looked back, Ami was trembling violently and had raised the rifle back to her shoulder. Hotaru raised a hand in a futile effort to stop her, but she was already squeezing the trigger again.

Hotaru jerked back from the blinding flash. She slipped on the wet earth and ended up with her back against Chibi-Usa. She flinched automatically as she faced the direction Makoto had stood, expecting to see a smoking crater.

To her amazement, Makoto stood before them, completely unharmed. A ball of pulsing energy glowed between her palms and she grinned as she threw it down in front of her feet. The ground shook from the impact and a wave of water sprayed over them. The mud oozed back to fill in the hole left behind.

Makoto sneered at her, shaking her hands to dispel the last few sparks. "Really, Ami," she teased mirthlessly, "You of all people should know better."

Hotaru felt Chibi-Usa's hands dig into her shoulders as the two of them watched the exchange. Ami's eyes narrowed to slits and her lip pulled into a snarl. She tilted her head to the scope and fired two more times. Makoto never stopped laughing as she caught both bursts deftly and held them in her hands.

"Electricity," Chibi-Usa gasped in Hotaru's ear. Hotaru nodded grimly. The attacks were having no effect on the soldier of thunder. She glanced back at Ami, but she didn't seem to realize what was happening. "Ami, stop," Chibi-Usa said louder. "It's not working!"

Ami shook her head forcefully and kept the gun trained on Makoto. "It has to work!"

"It won't," Makoto shouted back. "Just like your detection system at home was never as good as Rei, that thing will never be as strong as me! You shouldn't have tried to replace us in the first place!"

"Replace you?" The muzzle of the gun dropped slightly as Ami lifted her head to look at Makoto fully. "I never wanted to replace any of you. Everything I did was to help you."

"You wanted us out of the way," Makoto insisted. She threw the balls of lightning away from her, blowing huge holes in two trees in the distance. She stepped closer and her expression darkened.

"I wanted us all to be together! Even when things started to fall apart, I believed in all of you! I believed in you, Makoto! I loved you!" She raised the rifle again and her voice dropped dangerously. "But it wasn't enough to make you stay."

Chibi-Usa flinched back, gripping Hotaru's shoulders tightly as Ami fired again. The blast of the gun was nearly deafening. She reluctantly looked back at Makoto. Ami's words seemed to have rendered her speechless, but she was looking at the bluenette with loathing. Her fingers curled around the ball of energy like claws and her teeth were bared, giving her an almost feral look.

Makoto cocked her arm behind her shoulder and Hotaru threw herself forward the instant she moved. The ball of deadly energy was hurled toward Ami and exploded against the shimmering purple wall in front of her.

Hotaru was on her knees, bracing herself up with one hand and using the other to hold the barrier. "Ami, are you alright?" She chanced a glance behind her. Ami had lowered the rifle and, after considering it for a moment, tossed it toward the base of the tree nearest them.

"I'm fine," she said quietly. She gazed at Makoto, meeting her furious black eyes through the violet haze. "You were right." her voice was disturbingly calm as she moved forward. She caught Hotaru under her arm and helped her to her feet. Hotaru shot her a quick sideways glance before backing up to where Chibi-Usa stood, keeping her focus on holding Makoto back.

Ami let out a breath and held her hands out. This time the knives formed easily, cool in her hands and glistening in the rain. She knew with sudden clarity that Makoto was gone. This thing before her was nothing more than the monster that had taken her. And it would pay for her loss.

Ami looked down at the ground between her and her former lover. Their footprints had already flowed together on the swampy ground. Using her thumbs to press her knives to her palms, she stretched her fingers out and swept her hands forward. A shockwave of blue light pulsed around her and the ground instantly hardened as the muddy water froze solid. She moved her foot across to test it. It was still slick from the rain, but the ground was rough enough for traction. She lifted her head and raised her weapons, bracing herself to fight.

Hotaru's whole body trembled and she felt as though her knees would give out at any moment. She was losing strength and so was her barrier. She could see it beginning to fade.

"It's alright, Hotaru," Ami called. She and Makoto had moved to within a few feet of each other. "You can let go."

Hotaru let her arm fall and dropped wearily to her knees. The instant the wall came down, Ami and Makoto's weapons met in an explosion of frost and sparks. Hotaru dropped her head, listening to the sounds of the fighting as she tried to catch her breath. She braced her hands on the icy ground to push herself to her feet, but stopped when she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

Chibi-Usa knelt beside her. "Are you okay?"

Hotaru nodded wearily. She looked up at the princess and gasped, momentarily forgetting the battle. "You're bleeding!" She lifted a muddy hand to Chibi-Usa's face, stopping just short of touching her split lip.

Chibi-Usa touched the cut gingerly and shook her head. "It's nothing." She dropped her hand and Hotaru caught it as she studied her face.

"Usa…"

Chibi-Usa squeezed her hand and offered a half smile. "Taru, I'm fine, I promise." Her eyes moved past her friend and she frowned. "Ami needs our help."

Reluctantly Hotaru pulled her gaze from the princess and turned back toward the fight. Despite Chibi-Usa's words, Ami seemed to be holding her own against Makoto. Ami's movements were precise and fast, nearly impossible to follow. Her hand flashed up, leaving a slash of crimson across Makoto's cheek. The brunette winced and dropped her guard for an instant. Almost as though she'd expected it, Ami was already pulling back to strike again. A vicious kick to the abdomen dropped Makoto heavily to her knees. Ami didn't hesitate as she moved forward and drove her knee into the side of Makoto's head. She fell heavily, just managing to roll enough to avoid Ami's heel as it aimed for her throat. Ami stared down at her fallen opponent without mercy and raised her knives for a killing blow.

A deafening clap out thunder sounded, so loud it seemed to come from all around them. Huge leaves began to rain down around them, brown and shriveled. Hotaru stopped beside Ami, both looking up into the trees. A creaking sound echoed around them and Hotaru saw that the trunks of the trees were turning an ashy gray.

Ami frowned, looking around as the color seemed to wash away from everything around them. "What's happening?" Hotaru shook her head, torn between wonder and fear.

"She's doing it." Chibi-Usa had moved closer to them and both women turned to her. Her expression was pained as she stared down at Makoto. "She's taking power from them."

Hotaru followed her gaze. Makoto had managed to struggle to her knees and held her palms flat against the ground. She could see wisps of ethereal color flowing across the ground in all directions toward her.

Abruptly, Ami's foot flew out and struck Makoto in the chest. The blow knocked her back several feet and the color began to bleed back into the plant life aground them.

Chibi-Usa raised a hand to stop her but Hotaru caught her arm. "She's right. If Makoto gets any stronger we'll never be able to beat her."

Ami kicked Makoto's ribs again, knocking her onto her back. Her eyes were squeezed shut in pain and she didn't even try to protect herself from the next blow. Ami hesitated. She hadn't seen Makoto vulnerable like this in centuries and it was painful to watch. She reminded herself what was at stake, but the reasoning seemed feeble now as she stared down at her lover, bleeding and broken.

Lightning flashed overhead just as the thunder started up again in a continuous roar. Makoto opened her eyes, meeting Ami's gaze for a moment before lifting higher. Ami followed her gaze to the sky. The clouds were thickening rapidly and soon the only light came from the lightning flashing overhead. Several bolts seemed to converge in the sky and Ami jumped back as they arced toward the ground.

The bolt struck Makoto's staff, still weakly clutched in her fingers and the weapon began to glow a sickly greenish gold. Makoto got stiffly to her feet as a second bolt descended. Her wild hair began to lift around her shoulders, the ends crackling as the power began to build within her. Ami stepped back sharply as the lightning struck again and seemed to pool in Makoto's staff.

The weapon was nearly blinding now and Ami could hear the menacing hum of electricity over the falling rain. "Makoto, stop," she warned, backing away a few steps. "It's too much, you're not going to be able to control it."

Makoto straightened to her full height and lifted her staff in one hand, grinning as another bolt filled it. "I can control it," she assured her. "I'm more powerful than I've ever been."

"No one is that strong." The glow was so intense it lit the entire clearing. Ami felt Chibi-Usa and Hotaru move closer behind her.

"We have to stop this," Hotaru whispered furiously. "She's going to kill herself and all of us with her."

"How are we supposed to fight her?" Chibi-Usa's eyes were wide and fearful.

Ami considered the younger girl, then looked at Hotaru on her other side. She made up her mind. "We can't" she said simply. "We're not going to get through to her. She's too far gone." She caught Chibi-Usa by the shoulders and jerked her around, shoving her roughly against Hotaru. Hotaru arms wrapped reflexively around the princess. Ami met Hotaru's eyes, hoping that the soldier would understand what she was doing.

"Ami-" Chibi-Usa began to protest but Ami talked over her.

She kept her gaze locked on Hotaru. "Protect her."

Hotaru's eyes widened but Ami had moved away before she could argue. Ami walked slowly up to Makoto, squeezing the hilts of her knives tightly to reassure herself.

"What are you doing?" Makoto had to shout to be heard over the ugly snapping sound of the current running through her staff. "You want to face me alone?" She smiled cruelly. "You can't stop me. You'll never be as strong as me."

Ami didn't stop until they were face to face, mere inches from each other. "You were stronger before. Your strength was your heart, your loyalty. Your love. All you are now is a monster."

Makoto scowled and gripped her staff in both hands. The light angled to cast jagged shadows across her face, erasing any semblance of humanity. She raised her weapon, preparing to call down even more power.

Ami let one of her knives fall and raised her empty hand to cup Makoto's cheek tenderly. "I'll always love you," she said softly, sliding her hand down the side of her neck to grip her shoulder. "And you're wrong. I can still stop you."

Ami braced her hand on Makoto's shoulder and drove her remaining knife up and under her ribs, pushing it in to the hilt. Makoto's mouth opened but no sound came out. She looked down at the rivulets of blood flowing over Ami's fist. A flash overhead gave an instant of warning and their eyes met one last time as another bolt of lightning struck them both.

The shockwave of the explosion knocked Hotaru off her feet, even through the wall she'd been holding. The purple barrier faded to nothingness and for a moment she stayed still, lying on her side in the mud. She registered that the ground was no longer frozen and that the storm had died down to a calm, heavy rain. She pushed herself up on one elbow, looking over to where Chibi-Usa was sprawled beside her. She leaned closer to the princess, sinking into the ground as she moved.

Chibi-Usa blinked and slowly sat up. Her eyes scanned over her friend. "Are you alright?" Hotaru nodded, looking over the princess as well. Chibi-Usa simply sat for a moment before her eyes widened. She struggled to her feet and moved forward. "Ami!" She slipped in the muck and had to crawl the remaining distance to the fallen soldiers. "Makoto, no!"

Hotaru got wearily to her feet, walking carefully after her. Her body was beginning to ache as her injuries made themselves known and she wrapped a protective arm around her cracked ribs.

Chibi-Usa knelt beside Ami, lifting her limp form by the shoulders. Hotaru felt her heart break as she listened to the princess plead with her to wake up. She watched the rapid rise and fall of Chibi-usa's shoulders as she laid her carefully back in the mud. "Taru, we have to do something!"

Hotaru reluctantly sank down beside her, taking in Ami's pale countenance and still body. "Usa," she said quietly, "I don't think…" She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence as Chibi-Usa shifted her attention to Makoto. The brunette's breathing was shallow and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. At the sound of Chibi-Usa's voice, her eyes cracked open. They were still full of darkness, but a few glints of emerald were visible now. She managed to turn toward Ami before dropping back with a shuddering gasp.

Chibi-Usa had her hands over the deep wound in Makoto's abdomen in a futile attempt to stem the flow of blood. Hotaru gazed at the wide red stain already surrounding the brunette and knew it was hopeless.

"Chibi-Usa," she said, moving closer to the girl. "I'm sorry. But this…" She gestured vaguely, trying to find the right words. "Setsuna told me that there was a chance we wouldn't be able to save them." She laid a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. "She said-"
"No!" Chibi-Usa threw her hand off and moved back to Ami's side. She positioned her hands over her chest and started CPR.

"Usa…"

"No," she said again, panting from her efforts. "I'm not giving up on them. I'm not leaving them here." Hotaru sat back, knowing there was nothing she could say. She watched sadly as Chibi-Usa gave up and instead, clenched her hands together and began beating on Ami's chest. "We were supposed to come home together, all of us! This isn't what was supposed to happen!"

She stopped, sobbing, and gathered Ami into her arms. She pulled her closer so she could reach for Makoto's limp arm as well. Hotaru felt utterly helpless as she watched Chibi-Usa rock forward in grief, clutching her friends to her tightly. "It's not fair," she whispered brokenly.

And it wasn't. Hotaru stared down at the blood staining the ground. The rain was still coming down hard and the rusty smears were starting to disappear. It seemed that the sun was even coming out. She closed her eyes, letting the light and warmth wash over her.

It felt almost hot now and the sound of the rain seemed further away. Her eyes snapped open and she realized that the entire clearing was bathed in bright white light. Light that was radiating from Chibi-Usa.

Hotaru didn't move or speak, afraid that if she did she would break the girl out of whatever trance she'd fallen into. She laid a hand on her ribs and pressed, feeling that they seemed to be knitting back together. She looked at Ami and saw a faint tremor run through her body. From the corner of her eye she saw something black slip past her but, when she turned, it was gone. Instead, Makoto was slowly sitting up, looking at her with confusion. Looking at her with the soft emerald eyes that she remembered.

Ami gasped and sat up suddenly. The light vanished as Chibi-Usa's head whipped around to her. "Ami," she breathed. They stared at each other for a moment before the princess lunged at her, pulling her into a fierce hug. "You're alright!"

Hotaru let out a shaking breath and turned back toward Makoto. "How…?"

Her voice drew the attention of the other two. "Makoto?" Chibi-Usa asked, staring at her hopefully. "Is it really… are you okay?"

Makoto nodded slowly, but her expression still seemed pained. Chibi-Usa leaned closer, looking into her eyes, before laughing wildly and throwing her arms around the thunder soldier. "It really is you! I knew you would come back to us!"

Hotaru looked at Ami. The bluenette ran her hands over herself, seeming awed that she was alive. Her eyes lifted to meet Hotaru's briefly before she was pulled into Chibi-Usa's embrace as well.

Hotaru simply sat back, giving the princess the moment she so deserved. They had a lot to talk about but at least now they were one step closer to going home.