Usagi leapt out of the bus, made sure her purse was secure on her shoulder, then hurried down the sidewalk at a quick pace. The brisk autumn air nipped at her cheeks and nose, but she paid it no mind. Naru was waiting.

  She arrived in front of Crown Karaoke out of breath and cold. Naru stood at the door and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She greeted Usagi with a teasing grin.

  “You’re late, Usagi! You’re always late!”

  Usagi bent forward and rested her hands on her knees. She dramatically tried to catch her breath.

  “Sorry! Sorry! I didn’t sleep a wink last night.”

  Naru playfully smacked her shoulder.

  “Oh-ho! Here are the tales of married life!”

  Usagi blushed.

  “Naru!”

  Naru fished a key out of her purse and tried to unlock the door to Crown. Behind her, Usagi noticed she had stepped into some gum. She tried in vain to scrape her shoe over the sidewalk to remove the sticky substance.

  “Besides, Chibiusa slept in our bed last night.”

  Usagi noticed Naru fiddling with the door. It was stuck. Naru chuckled.

  “Only you could go from childless to having an elementary school-aged daughter in a matter of days, Usagi.”

  Usagi huffed.

  “She’s angry with me. She saw me transform into Sailor Moon. Apparently, my future self never told her about…”

  Naru dropped the keys and turned around.

  “Wait…your powers are back?”

  Usagi looked at her, startled. She realized she hadn’t told Naru what had happened.

  “Yes, but…they’re different somehow.”

  Naru leaned in close and looked deep into her eyes.

  “You won’t destroy the world again, will you?”

  Usagi rolled her eyes.

  “Naru, that is not funny.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Naru laughed.

  “It’s a little funny.” She grew somber. “No sign of Princess Serenity, though?”

  Usagi shook her head.

  “Then I’d say having your powers back is a good thing.”

  Naru picked up the keys and finally opened the door. They stepped inside.

  “Did you call Makoto?”

  Usagi waved her hand through the air.

  “Of course. She’s on her way.”

  Usagi noticed with increased annoyance that some paper was stuck to her shoe. No doubt, it had gotten caught on that infernal gum. When she reached down and pulled it off, however, it piqued her curiosity.

  “What’s this?”

  She held a beautiful charcoal sketch of Naru in her hands. In it, Naru was looking over her shoulder, a small smile parting her lips. Her eyes looked almost seductive. In the bottom right corner, the artist had signed his work with an illegible, chicken-scratch signature and added ‘To Naru. Let’s sing through the apocalypse’.

  Naru came up behind Usagi and looked at the sketch. At once, she snatched it away. Usagi turned to look at her friend and saw her face had turned crimson.

  “Oh. My. God! Naru! Who drew that beautiful picture of you?”

  Naru stared down at the sketch in embarrassment, her back turned.

  “Umino. It’s just this nerdy college kid that wandered in here the other day. He must have pushed this drawing underneath the front door last night.”

  Usagi hurried around Naru and looked at her friend. Why was she so embarrassed?

  “You should go out with him! He clearly likes you!”

  Naru shook her head.

  “Trust me, the last thing I need right now is a date with a starving artist. I’m a businesswoman.”

  The soft creak of the door interrupted their conversation. Usagi glanced over and saw the tall and slender shape of Makoto enter. She looked tired. There was an aura of frustration about her.

  “Mako! Thanks for coming!”

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Naru smile at the charcoal sketch.

  Maybe a nerdy guy with a crush is exactly what she needs.

  Makoto rubbed her neck.

  “So, what’s the big emergency? I just finished setting up for a wedding, so I’m wiped.”

  Naru and Usagi exchanged an excited glance.

  “We want to hire you.”

  Makoto blinked.

  “What?”

  Usagi grinned.

  “We want you to help us redesign this place. The whole interior, not just flowers. We like your style and we want your help.”

  Makoto’s jaw dropped.

  “You want me to design this place?” She looked stunned. “I’ve never done something like that before.”

  Naru laughed.

  “That’s perfect, then. We’ve done nothing like this, either.”

  Makoto thought for a moment. The grumpy, exhausted woman from earlier seemed to disappear.

  “Alright.”

  Usagi’s phone rang. She checked the screen. It was Ami. Her stomach dropped. Ami was with Chibiusa. She answered the phone.

  “Ami? What’s going on?”

  Ami’s voice sounded panicked and out of breath.

  “Usagi! Someone’s coming for you! His name is Crimson Rubeus. He plans to kill you!”

  Before Usagi could respond, the front door of Crown exploded inward with a deafening crash. Shards of wood and glass flew across the lobby. Makoto dove toward Naru and pushed her to the ground.

  A man stood in the doorway. His presence was dark and imposing. He wore black. High boots, a black vest, and fingerless gloves made him look like a punk rock star from a bygone era. Messy red hair framed the black crescent moon symbol on his forehead. He wore a long, flowing red scarf that fluttered behind him like a cape. A pair of black crystal earrings dangled from his ears.

  Usagi froze.

  Crimson Rubeus. The man who will attack me in the future.

  She barely had time to react before he lunged at her and grabbed her throat in his icy grip. He lifted her up from the ground with ease. Her phone clattered to the ground as she struggled for air.

  The world spun out of control. She could make out Ami’s voice calling out to her, as if from a great distance.

  “Usagi? Usagi!”