Ami Mizuno tapped her foot as she waited for the small elevator to ascend to the 15th floor. Her nerves frayed and her patience was wearing thin. Somebody had attacked her best friend, and Ami was worried.

  The text she had received from Usagi had told her next to nothing.

  “Someone attacked us today. They injured Mamoru. Please call me when you can.”

  Call? No way. I’m on my way, Usagi!

  The elevator dinged, and Ami stepped out into the hallway. She hesitated when she realized she had never been to Usagi and Mamoru’s apartment. She had been so busy, first with her schooling in America, then with her new job at the hospital.

  Ami patted the bag slung over her shoulder. No time to be embarrassed about her failures as a friend. Right now, Usagi needed her.

  She turned right and hurried down the hallway, checking the apartment doors as she passed them. Concern for her friends dominated her thoughts. Who had attacked them? How badly were they hurt? Was the Dark Kingdom back?

  Finally, she found the right apartment door. She knocked, then adjusted her glasses as she waited.

  The door opened just a crack at first. Ami recognized Usagi peeking through the narrow opening. When their eyes met, she heard her friend gasp.

  “Ami!”

  Usagi swung open the door and Ami dashed inside, overwhelmed with emotion. Before Usagi could say another word, Ami pulled her into a tight embrace.

  “I’m so sorry, Usagi! I just saw your message!”

  She stepped back to give her friend a quick look over. Worry tinged her voice as she searched Usagi for signs of injury.

  “I was in the middle of a shift and couldn’t check my phone. When I saw your message, I came over as fast as I…wait. Why are you holding a frying pan?”

  Usagi gave her a sheepish smile as she tried to hide the frying pan behind her back.

  “It could have been anybody at the door…”

  Ami let out a sigh of relief, then crinkled her nose.

  “What’s that smell?”

  She tried to mask her reaction with a polite cough, but the stench was overwhelming. Usagi’s face flushed.

  “That…that would be me…”

  Mamoru spoke up from the couch.

  “Let’s just say the princess led me on a tour of Tokyo’s sewer system today.”

  Usagi’s face went from red to bright-red as she turned toward Mamoru and once again brandished the frying pan.

  “Hey, I got us out of there, didn’t I?”

  He raised his hands in mock surrender.

  “That you did, Usagi.”

  Ami blinked in surprise, then giggled.

  “You two haven’t changed a bit.”

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  Ami noted the cut on Mamoru’s forehead, crusted over with dried blood. She moved into the apartment and knelt down next to him. Her medical training took over.

  “Let me look at that.”

  She rummaged through her bag and produced a small first-aid kit with bandages and antiseptic. She soaked a cotton ball with the antiseptic, then dabbed at Mamoru’s wound.

  Mamoru winced. Ami suppressed a smile at the sight of tough, stoic Mamoru recoiling from the sting of a disinfectant.

  “I’m sorry, but it needs to be cleaned.”

  She produced a small flashlight from her bag and shone the light into his eyes.

  “Any dizziness? Headache? Drowsiness? Vomiting?”

  Mamoru sighed.

  “Yes.”

  Ami put the flashlight away.

  “You have a mild concussion. Take it easy, alright? Lots of rest.”

  Mamoru nodded.

  “Thank you. I won’t ignore the doctor’s orders.”

  Usagi hovered nearby. She fidgeted with her hands as she watched Ami tend to her husband.

  “Is he going to be okay?”

  Ami waved her hand at Usagi, as if to let her know it was no big deal.

  “Yes. He just needs some time to recover.”

  She glanced around the apartment. Cozy and clean, it was a fine home for her friend. There was, however, an undeniable tension in the air.

  “Usagi, what happened? Was it the Dark Kingdom?”

  Before Usagi could answer, a little girl of maybe eight years shuffled into the room. She had a freshly scrubbed face, and her clean, black hair hung loosely down to her shoulders. She wore one of Usagi’s “Minako Aino” t-shirts as a nightgown. It was much too big; it swallowed her whole and hung down to her knees.

  She hugged Luna, Usagi’s plush cat advisor, to her chest. Luna was pretending to be an ordinary plush cat.

  Ami blinked at the girl, taken aback. She tilted her head.

  “Usagi, when did you…? I wasn’t gone that long…was I?”

  Usagi shook her fist in Ami’s direction, more playful than angry.

  “Now, you just wait a minute! Don’t make me get my frying pan again, Ami!”

  Chibiusa’s eyes widened in shock when her eyes fell on Ami.

  “Miss Mizuno?”

  Ami’s eyes widened in return. How did this child know her name? Chibiusa took a little bow and looked at Ami with an earnest expression.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  Ami smiled.

  “Well, aren’t you just the most well-mannered small lady?”

  Her tone was friendly, but Chibiusa’s polite greeting and knowing eyes had left Ami puzzled.

  Mamoru rose from his seat on the couch and walked over to Chibiusa. He offered her his hand.

  “Come on, let’s get you settled in for the night. It’s been a long day for you, too.”

  Chibiusa nodded and let Mamoru lead her to the spare bedroom. Luna winked at Usagi and Ami as they left the living room. Usagi could rest easy; Luna would monitor the girl overnight.

  Once they were out of earshot, Ami turned to Usagi. Curiosity dominated her face.

  “Usagi, who is she?”

  Usagi lowered her voice.

  “You’re going to think I’m crazy, but… she says she’s our daughter. From the future.”

  Ami’s eyes widened in surprise.

  “Your daughter? Usagi, that’s… unbelievable. I know we’ve seen some incredible things, but…”

  “I’m not sure what to believe. She appeared out of nowhere, and she’s in danger, Ami. A monster was after her tonight. It almost killed us trying to get to her.”

  Ami’s expression turned grave.

  “Was it the Dark Kingdom?”

  Usagi sighed.

  “No. I don’t think so. The monster had a mark on its forehead. A black moon.”

  Ami went silent. A new enemy had emerged, and there were no Sailor Guardians to protect the Earth. A thought occurred to her.

  “Usagi, have you thought about testing her? I can take samples from each of you. I have a friend at the hospital who can run the tests discreetly.”

  Relief flooded Usagi’s face.

  “Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  They sat in silence for a moment. Usagi noticed a new weariness in Ami.

  “How are you holding up, Ami? I can’t imagine how busy you must be with work.”

  Ami sighed and leaned back in her seat.

  “I thought I knew what I was signing up for, but it’s harder than I ever expected. We lost a patient this morning…”

  Her voice trailed off. She loved Usagi with all of her heart, but she wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened. She didn’t want to discuss that her mentor believed she might be too soft-hearted to work as a doctor. It was too much to think about right now.

  And now there was the girl. If she was from the future, why had she reacted so strangely to seeing Ami? What did it all mean?

  “Let’s take one challenge at a time.”

  Usagi placed a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder.

  “Whatever comes, we’ll face this together, right?”

  Ami managed a small smile.

  “Right.”

  A glimmer of hope sparked in Usagi’s eyes.

  “We’ll get everyone together tomorrow. The girl…Chibiusa…she’s told me some things. If she is from the future, all of us have a decision to make. We can meet at Crown Karaoke.”

  Ami raised her eyebrows.

  “Crown? I thought it closed down.”

  Usagi’s lips curled into a smile.

  “Let’s just say I have a surprise to share.”

  Ami chuckled. Their tensions eased as they leaned into the familiar comfort of their friendship. Whatever the future might bring, they would be ready to face it.