Ah so here we go, chapter 11. Sorry about my sporadic absences, but they couldn't be helped. As always let me know if there are any questions, other than that... enjoy.

Chapter 11

The cries of battle are nothing short of bittersweet, but I know that it is only because I recognize certain voices. Wiseman never stops smiling. His energy is by far the strongest of anyone here; it burns ten times hotter than any other flame that has ever touched my skin before. Jadeite yells in the distance, but I'm not sure if it is out of injury or because of the adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"I'll still find Serenity."

My blades barely miss his torso. "But not if I stop you here."

He reaches back and summons his own sword. "I think you are my most resilient target ever. No one has ever been able to evade me like you have."

I lunge forward. "Target?"

He nods. "All in due time, Makoto. Something tells me that our final confrontation will not be here today."

Two screams, simultaneously rip through the air. Both Wiseman and I are drawn to the explosion on the main road facing the palace. There, both Sapphire and Neptune stand bloody and without any sign of stopping. Rubeus flies through the air with Jadeite in pursuit.

"The past echoes all around us, Jupiter. Do you remember when the stars would speak to him?"

I turn back and face my opponent. "What did you just say?"

He laughs. "Time is a strange entity that I have learned to harness at will. You need only ask Endymion."

I go to move, but something wraps around my left arm. I look back and see a faded form standing with a whip in hand. "Avery?"

Before I know it I'm hit with a combination of ice, fire and black lightning. The force is enough for me to drop to one knee. "You may have killed them once, but nothing is stronger than vengeful spirits."

I look up to Wiseman. "Only a coward hides behind his soldiers."

He shrugs. "You call it cowardice, I call it strategy."

I watch as he disappears in front of me. The four sisters strike again and I can't hold in the shrilling scream. My swords fall from my hands and I feel the light tug on the back of my belt. I summon the storm and allow the lightning to strike my body, but it's already done. Wiseman reappears in front of me with the Jovian blade in his hand.

"Now we're on even ground."

I turn. "Jadeite!"

My orders are clearly conveyed with the mere sound of his name echoing through the skies. One arrow flies straight up and reflects off the light in the Crystal Palace. I hear the clicks of rifles in the distance, then a storm of bullets. Emerald screams and falls to the ground leaving Uranus time to help Neptune.

Wiseman smiles. "Now that was impressive. I guess I shouldn't expect anything less from one so experienced in battle."

The soldiers reload and aim for their next target. "You may be able to hide those men, but bullets fly in a straight line. It's all about angles isn't it?"

The amount of dark energy rises all around us. Shadows push up from the ground, and for that brief moment I'm helpless. I hear Nephrite's voice piercing louder than the storm and I feel my heart sink. What the hell is this?

I turn my attention for one second and see him stagger back with Diamond advancing. Everything seems to be happening in slow motion I clench my fists and summon the roots that lay dormant beneath our feet. They break through the surface of the ground and attack Diamond before he can deal the final blow.

"Even the mightiest warrior has a subtle weakness." Wiseman whispers into my ear and I know what's coming.

I struggle to turn, but his blade still pierces my left side between the plates of my armor. I look up to the sky and summon an onslaught of nature's power. Wiseman flies back and I watch as all four sisters disappear in front of me. I reach down and pick up my swords, but the blade still rests lodged in my body. The fighting seems to stop if only for a moment.

"Makoto!" Nephrite sprints to my side.

"Neph... can you pull it out?" My voice is so much weaker than I thought it would be. I can feel his hand wrapped around the hilt just before he pulls it out. I don't hear any more gunshots or screams.

"What's happening?"

The Black Moon Clan stands in front of me, but their injuries look minimal compared to the bodies on our side. I reach back and sheath my swords, but not without grunting in pain.

"Be careful." Nephrite helps me stand.

Jadeite stands just behind us, supporting Neptune over his shoulder with Uranus right behind. "Makoto, we should make for the shrine."

Defeat? That one word hurt more than anything else. Wiseman stands across from us and pulls his hood over his head. "Jupiter, as you can see, you've lost this battle."

I can't help but laugh. "No battle is lost until the storm subsides." And with those words, the thunder roars to life at the same moment that the roots break free of the concrete. I look to the others. "Take Neptune and circle back towards the palace."

Jadeite understands what I am asking. It's a faint retreat to draw them closer to the reserve men left at the palace, but Uranus shakes her head. She doesn't understand. "We're not leaving you."

I nod. "Please, Amara. Just follow Jadeite."

She turns to Wiseman. "There's no way I'm letting this guy win."

"Amara..." I can feel myself getting weaker.

Nephrite stays at my side. "Princess Uranus, I will stay with Lita."

Hearing him say my name from this era was strange to me, but it seemed to calm Uranus. "You're stubborn, you know that?"

Wiseman steps forward. "You are so quick to rush to your death, but I want to savor the moment your life ends. Perhaps I will go back and torture you slowly. Yes, lets do that. We have already destroyed too much of this planet. Diamond prepare Nemesis for a temporal jump."

One by one I watch them disappear, and that's when I realize that there is no time for my plan to work. Nephrite recognizes what I'm doing only a second after I move. Jadeite calls my name, but I'm focused on only one thing; Wiseman. I jump forward and drive my shoulder into his torso. Just like that our surroundings change, but our positions don't. Both of us seem to fade for a brief second. Teleportation.

The concrete shifts into this glossy black surface, and I find myself standing on unfamiliar ground with dark energy pulsing all around me. Moments later, Nephrite appears behind me with Rubeus knocked out at his feet. I'm hit back by Sapphire. "You dare step foot on Nemesis?"

So this is Nemesis? I scan the room and take in all the information that I can. Wiseman picks himself up from the ground and looks to Nephrite before stepping back. "That was foolish, Makoto."

"You think you can just run away because the planet isn't in the state you want it in?" That's when I feel a light shift in gravity. Nephrite doesn't seem to notice.

Wiseman only laughs. "I'm so glad you're predictable. I must admit that this wouldn't be any fun if you weren't here with us. I bet your past self wouldn't even recognize me."

My vision is fading. "You're despicable."

He shrugs. "It doesn't matter. The Earth will be ours and I want you to watch that happen."

My knees start to give out, but Nephrite is right there to support me. "Charge the ground and hold onto me."

At this point I know that this was reckless, but there's no going back. I broke the one rule I set for the others. With as much energy as I can muster I throw lightning into the ground and close my eyes. "What is this?" That sounded like Sapphire.

Nephrite helps me about ten feet to my right and swings his sword down. I hear the sparks and smell the smoke, but it is what I feel that makes me understand what he has done. There's this familiar tingling sensation that fills my body. "A teleportation pad?"

"Shh... save your strength. I don't know where we're going."

Still after all this I hear Wiseman's laugh. It is the sound of a madman and I have come to know it well.

There's salt in the air. We must be close to the ocean. "Ah..."

Nephrite carefully sets me down. "Makoto..."

"I'm fine."

He leans me back against the damp sand. "I need to stop the bleeding." I don't say anything. "Makoto?"

Nephrite's words are frantic, but I don't hear them. This sensation is familiar; the loss of consciousness.

I remember running through Jupiter's forests when I was a little girl. My father used to tell me that nature is always your greatest ally. When he died I couldn't stay in the Jovian palace. My uncle was the one to help me back onto my feet. I don't know why, but I've been thinking of him more often than usual.

I am accustomed to death, but not with dying itself. I realize now that all those times I protected Serenity never really can be considered moments when I died. I went too peacefully.

"Makoto?"

There's this warmth that I feel covering my hand. I can't be dead. I'd imagine that I would be much colder. When I do open my eyes, I'm greeted by a blinding white light. Nephrite sits at my side, but he looks different somehow. "Where am I?"

He squeezes my hand. "These people called it a hospital."

I pause. "Wait, how did I..."

"I carried you towards the city."

That's when I realized the absence of my weapons. "Where's my armor?"

His eyes fall away from mine. "I... don't know."

My eyes widen. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"They disappeared when I lifted you off the ground." He can sense the frustration welling up within me.

I go to sit up, but stop as a sharp pain shoots through my side. "Damn it."

"Hey, be careful." There's this frantic knocking at the door. Nephrite rolls his eyes. "This place is strange."

I look out the window and see buildings lining the streets. It's dark out, but I still recognize the lights of Tokyo. "We're in the past."

He nods. "I already realized that, but these people. They claim to know me."

"What?"

He sighs. "They called me Maxfield Stanton."

My eyes widen. That name, I had heard it before. Molly used to talk about him. That's when realization slaps me in the face. "We have to get out of here."

"What? Why?"

I pull the covers off of me. "Maxfield Stanton was a millionaire in this time. A celebrity from North America."

"And..."

I close my eyes. "He was also your human identity while you were working for Beryl. News of your sudden return will probably spread, and the others will go to investigate. At least... oh god I don't even know when you were supposed to have died. What's the date?"

He shrugs. "Where would I find that?"

"I don't know, a calendar."

He turns and picks up a small paper. "The woman that brought you here gave me this."

It looks like a notice of some sort. "This is the year we graduated."

Several knocks thud against the door. ", can we come in?"

Nephrite helps me to my feet. "We have to go."

He's holding at least half of my weight. "Hold on."

I say nothing has picks me up and starts running towards the window. I close my eyes, ready for the shattering glass to touch my skin. The crash is loud, and the door opens just as we touch the ground. Before I know it we're off into the city. I'm surprised that no one saw us.

"Where am I going?"

Cars drive through the streets and the two of us stick out amongst the crowds of people. "West, but we have to be careful."

He nods. "Just tell me when to stop."

Tokyo never looked as beautiful as it does in this time. Even with the rise of the Crystal Palace, there is this natural beauty that surrounds this city and its people. The pain in my side still throbs with each passing second. Today is the seventeenth of June. This day is so far into my past that I'm not sure what has or hasn't happened. Right now my mind is screaming for me to take us into a different direction, but I don't know where else to go.

"Is this it?"

I look up and see the dingy staircase that I must have climbed thousands of times. "Yeah. It's on the third floor."

The steps creek just like I remember them doing so long ago. It's quiet, and I intend to keep it that way. Nephrite lets me down as we make it to the door. He watches as I close my eyes and listen for any movement. "There doesn't seem to be anyone here."

I bend down, slowly, and jimmy the wood in the frame. Part of it shifts out of place, revealing a silver key. The lock clicks out of place just like I knew it would. "Come on."

I quickly replace the key and step inside, making sure to lock the door behind us. For a moment I'm trapped by a small bout of nostalgia. That is when I feel it, that familiar sensation.

"Jupiter."

Both Nephrite and I turn towards the main window. "Setsuna?"

She steps forward into the light, but something is different. "Makoto? How did you..." Her eyes turn to Nephrite. "You traitor."

That is when I understand. Time is skewed, this is not the Setsuna that had helped me through my memories during Crystal Tokyo. "Wait, Pluto stop."

But she raises her rod. "Dead Scream."