The city lights of Tokyo glimmered in the darkness outside of Minako Aino’s studio apartment. Streaks of colors cast across the enormous interior. Minako set down her luggage with a sigh. After months of stage performances and hotel rooms all across Europe, she was finally back in Japan. Was it good to be home, though?

  Minako turned on the light with a flick of her wrist and took in the grandiose space. It was a beautiful apartment, but it wasn’t truly hers. She could count on one hand how often she had slept here since she had bought the apartment last year.

  The only warmth came from Artemis, her ever-faithful plush cat companion. He leapt onto an armchair and eyed her with a curious tilt of his head.

  “Well, Artemis, we’re back. Home, I guess.”

  He could sense her melancholy and remained silent. Instead, he hopped down and weaved around her legs. It was a gentle, physical reminder to relax. She took a deep breath and tried to settle in.

  She wandered from room to room and glanced at the framed posters and strange decorations her manager had chosen. In moments like these, she felt the weight of her success. Somebody else had chosen the furnishings in her apartment. She shook her head.

  Her fingers trailed across the marble kitchen counter where she had never cooked a meal, then over the back of a leather couch that seemed too stiff to snuggle into.

  She realized she was aching for a sense of belonging, of homecoming. Her thoughts drifted to Rei. What excuse could she find to drop in at the Hikawa Shrine tomorrow? The idea of catching up with Rei, of losing herself in the familiarity of their friendship, brought a small smile to her face.

  Her phone buzzed. The sound jarred her back to the present. She dug it out of her pocket to see Ami’s name on the screen. Surprised, she answered.

  “Ami?”

  Ami’s voice sounded calm, but urgent.

  “Minako. It’s Usagi. Something attacked her and Mamoru.”

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  Minako felt her heart skip a beat.

  “Are they alright?”

  Ami sighed. There was a weariness in her voice that was unlike her calm, focused friend.

  “They’re okay. There might be a new enemy. Something we don’t understand yet. Usagi wants us all to meet at Crown Karaoke tomorrow night.”

  A new enemy? Now?

  Minako glanced around the apartment. For the first time since her arrival, she noticed the subtle disturbances: objects slightly moved, items in the wrong place. She shook her head. Was she here often enough to be certain that somebody had been in her apartment?

  Then she saw it. There, on the shelf, should be a picture. Taken on Usagi’s wedding day, it was a photo of all five Sailor Guardians together. It was one of Minako’s most cherished possessions, one of the few items in the apartment she had added to the decor herself. It was gone.

  Minako was the most high-profile member of the former Guardians. Had this new enemy already come looking for her? Could they still be in the apartment?

  She tensed up and stalked from room to room, looking for signs of an intruder. Artemis noticed her tension and followed suit, never straying far from her side as they searched the space.

  “I’ll be there, Ami, but what can we even do without our powers?”

  Ami hesitated.

  “Bring the Lunar Blade. I know it’s been dormant, but maybe it can help restore us somehow.”

  Minako pressed her lips together. She hadn’t touched the Lunar Blade since last year. A remnant of the long-lost Moon Kingdom, it had temporarily restored their powers so they could deal with a threat before Usagi’s wedding. Since then, it lay hidden away, a relic of another life. She doubted the sword would accomplish anything.

  “I’ll bring it. And…it’ll be good to see everyone. It’s been too long.”

  Ami’s voice softened.

  “Yes. Far too long.”

  They ended the call. Minako had searched most of the apartment and had found no signs of an intruder. Still, she felt tense. All that remained now was the bedroom.

  She entered her bedroom with caution; her eyes darted from side to side. Artemis followed at her heels. His fur bristled. It occurred to Minako that she may just be paranoid.

  When she reached her bed, however, her pulse quickened. Somebody had been in her apartment, after all.

  There, placed on her pillow with care, was a note. The handwriting was flowing and precise.

  “I’ve missed you.”

  She picked up the note and stared at it. Her mind raced. She could only think of one person who would do this, one person who cared enough about her return to Japan.

  “Rei?”

  As she whispered the name, a warmth stirred in her chest.

  Artemis jumped onto the bed and nudged against her arm.

  “Who else?”

  Minako’s grip tightened on the note. Tomorrow’s meeting might signal a new battle ahead, but tonight, she would hold on to the possibilities that Rei’s note implied.