Chibiusa was furious.

  Ami had dropped her off at Minako’s apartment and dashed for the door to go help Usagi. Chibiusa had insisted again and again that she should come, too, but Ami wouldn’t hear it. It was Chibiusa they were after. She had to stay hidden.

  The apartment was silent. Luna was still sleeping in the back bedroom. Artemis kept watch over her. The two plush cats were her only company.

  She looked around for a moment, unsure of what to do. She was worried about Usagi. That made her more angry.

  Usagi…mama. You lied to me all of my life! How can I ever trust you again?

  A beautiful bouquet of carnations stood on the small table near the door and caught her eye. Curious, she removed the card.

  “Welcome home. Rei.”

  Chibiusa allowed herself a small smile. At last, there was something going right for a change.

  She lay down on the uncomfortable leather couch and all but vanished from sight.

  ***

  Minako hummed under her breath as she returned to her apartment. In one arm, she carried a bag of groceries. Since Usagi, Mamoru, and Chibiusa would have to stay with her for now, it was time to stock up. She considered it a significant victory that she had sneaked through the grocery store unrecognized.

  Breakfast with the Chiba’s had been quite the experience. For the first time, her apartment didn’t feel so empty. Minako enjoyed the chatter, the laughter, even the occasional bickering of everyday life more than she had expected.

  She smiled as she sat the bag down near the door. A bouquet of carnations caught her eye. It sat on the small table just inside the apartment door.

  That’s new.

  She pulled the small card from between the stems and read it.

  “Welcome home. Rei.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. She ran a finger over the soft petals of the flowers. Carnations. Rei knew her so well.

  She turned back to her groceries; her smile was wider than before. There was a knock at the door. She opened it. There, to her surprise, stood Rei with a small bag of her own.

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  “Rei?”

  The two women shared an awkward look.

  “I’ve brought some clothes for Chibiusa. She didn’t exactly come from the future with a full suitcase.”

  Minako blinked. There was a tension in Rei’s body language that had not been there before. Something had changed.

  “Why don’t you come in?”

  Rei hesitated, then entered the apartment.

  “Thanks for the flowers, by the way. They’re lovely.”

  She nodded at Minako, then strode further into the apartment. She wandered over to the large floor-to-ceiling window and looked out at the Tokyo skyline.

  Minako realized they were alone. It was the perfect opportunity to have a long overdue conversation.

  “Did you have any interesting dreams last night?”

  Rei whipped around to look at Minako, her face flushed, her eyes wide.

  “What?”

  Oh, I struck a nerve.

  “There was a door in my dreams last night. When I stepped through it, I saw…the future, I guess. There was a voice. A woman. She told me I couldn’t use the Door of Time.”

  Rei stared at Minako for a moment. Was that relief in her eyes?

  “I had a dream like that, too. I think Chibiusa cracked time somehow when she traveled here and now…all these visions are spilling through that crack.”

  Minako hesitated.

  “The voice of that woman sounded familiar, Rei. It was like…an echo from our past lives. I think it might have been another Sailor Guardian.”

  Rei gasped.

  “Is that even possible?”

  Minako shrugged.

  “There are a lot more guardian planets in the solar system, and our memories are far from complete.”

  The silence that followed hung between them for a long time. When Rei spoke again, her voice was small, almost shy.

  “What did you dream about?”

  Minako hesitated again. This was the crux of the matter, wasn’t it? This is what they needed to talk about.

  “I dreamt I was here. In this apartment. I was writing a song…for my girlfriend, I think.”

  Minako waited for Rei to say something, but Rei remained silent, her eyes transfixed on her. Minako pressed on.

  “I spoke with Usagi yesterday. She said that when she got her powers back, it was because she accepted how much she loved Chibiusa. Love, she said…love is the key to reawakening our powers.”

  Rei blinked. Something in her eyes gave Minako hope that this was it, that this would be the moment the walls between them would finally crumble.

  Emboldened, she moved toward Rei. Her hand trembled as she reached out and cupped Rei’s face.

  “There is somebody I could love, Rei. I think if I stop holding back, if I accept that love…it could be the key to my future. It may even be the key to my powers. What do you think I should do?”

  For a moment, Rei softened. She reached up and put her own hand over Minako’s. Then something shifted. She gently pulled Minako’s hand from her face. Her voice was flat when she spoke.

  “I don’t know, Minako. Love is a big word. People use it a lot, but in the end, it rarely means what they say it does.”

  Minako’s heart sank. She wasn’t sure if she had stopped the hurt she felt from flashing across her face.

  “I see.”

  The two women stood in silence for a moment. Minako tried to think of something else to say, but she knew Rei. Her walls were up, too tall to climb.

  Suddenly, a small voice piped up from behind them.

  “What are you two doing? This is all wrong!”

  Rei and Minako spun around, surprised. Chibiusa sat up on the couch, her face scrunched in frustration. There were tears in the corners of her eyes.

  “Don’t you get it? You two are meant for each other! In the future, you are married!”