Rei adjusted her purse strap and picked up her pace as she left Crown Karaoke. Her dark hair swayed with each hurried step. She looked like a woman fleeing the scene of a crime; she never once looked back.

  “Rei, wait!”

  The familiar voice stopped her in her tracks. Rei closed her eyes and steeled herself before turning around.

  Minako stood a few feet away. Her brown hair caught the sunlight, which gave her face an almost otherworldly glow. She carried that undeniable aura of star power, even in her jeans and casual blouse. She gazed at Rei with soft, vulnerable eyes.

  Step by step, she came closer. Rei felt her heart pounding in her chest.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

  Rei shook her head.

  “Don’t apologize. I was out of line, too.”

  Rei sighed.

  “Seeing everyone again was… weird. I’ve been so focused on my priesthood training, on my solitude, I just wasn’t ready for it.”

  Minako tilted her head.

  “I remember a time when you chastised me for keeping to myself.”

  Rei let a small, wry smile touch her lips.

  “Maybe so, but I think it’s what I need right now.”

  Minako hesitated. She could sense that Rei was trying to keep her at arm’s length.

  “What about that girl, Chibiusa? She called us her aunts. That was… something.”

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  Rei stiffened, but kept her composure.

  “It’s strange. I don’t know what to make of it.”

  She met Minako’s gaze for a moment, then looked away again. Her friend’s eyes were too intense to bear. Rei’s heart continued to pound in her chest.

  “I didn’t want to say anything back there, but I felt something during my meditation yesterday. There was something in the fire, something malicious. It’s coming for us, for Usagi, and we need to be ready.”

  Minako reached out, but she stopped just short of touching her friend.

  “Rei…”

  Rei interrupted, her voice sharp.

  “I don’t want reassurances. The last time something like this happened, I ended up in the hospital. Powerless. Useless. I can’t let that happen again.”

  Minako had heard enough. She closed the distance between them and reached up to brush her fingertips against Rei’s cheek.

  “You’re not useless, and I won’t let anything happen to you. Not again.”

  Rei froze. Her eyes widened. The warmth of Minako’s hand disarmed her. The gentle touch electrified her. For a moment, the world seemed to shrink until only the two of them existed together in a world all their own.

  The moment, however, stretched too long. They noticed what was happening and, confused, both stepped back, their faces flushed. A heavy silence hung between them.

  Finally, Minako broke the silence. Her voice was light, but trembled with nervousness.

  “By the way, thank you for the note.”

  Rei blinked, still off balance from Minako’s touch.

  “What note?”

  Minako gave a small laugh.

  “The one you left on my pillow. Last night, when I got home. It just said ‘I’ve missed you’.”

  Rei’s brow furrowed.

  “Minako… I didn’t leave a note.”

  The idol’s smile faded.

  “What do you mean? If you didn’t leave it, then who did?”

  Rei’s eyes darted around, her instincts kicking into high gear. Their flirtation was all but forgotten.

  “You need to be careful.”

  Minako swallowed hard.

  “Could this be what you felt in your meditation?”

  Rei hesitated.

  “Maybe. Whatever it is, it’s not like the creature that attacked Usagi. This thing is playing games.”

  Minako nodded.

  “Then we’ll just have to play to win.”

  Rei didn’t respond, but the corner of her lips twitched into a faint smile. She locked eyes with Minako, who winked at her. Rei could feel the heat rising in her face once more.

  Whatever this is between us…I’ve missed it.

  The two women stood for a long moment on the quiet Tokyo sidewalk. Neither made a sound. They simply enjoyed each other’s company. Their shared uncertainty bound them tighter than any words could.