With a blinding orange flash, Venus’ transformation failed, and she collapsed to the floor in her Sailor V guise, her Crystal Change Rod lying next to her with fresh signs of damage.

  “Minako!” Mercury cried, lifting herself off her protectees and rushing to the girl’s side.

  Minako was in bad shape. Her skin was red raw once again, and despite being unconscious, she was shaking slightly with a pained expression across her face.

  “Try to bring the others round, Luna,” said Mercury. “Artemis’ energy should return now that the monster’s gone, but since he’s not human, it may still be a while. I’m going to take Minako up to her apartment.”

  Luna nodded and mumbled affirmatively as Sailor Mercury scooped up the injured girl and her rod, then leaped into the night air. “Makoto? Makoto can you hear me?” Luna spoke as she leaned her front paws on the schoolteacher’s shoulder and rocked her gently.

  “Wha-what?” Makoto uttered groggily.

  Luna sighed with relief. Makoto had only been knocked out. Ami would have to check her for a concussion, but she would probably be up and around in no time. If what Ami said was true, Artemis should be okay too. Minako was another matter.

  After Mercury returned, she powered down with a soft flash of blue, and carried Artemis up to Minako’s apartment via the elevator, while providing a shoulder of support to Makoto.

  “What’s wrong with her?” Makoto asked, observing the sleeping Minako shake as Ami laid Artemis down on the other side of her bed.

  Ami didn’t answer. She was torn between telling the truth and respecting Minako’s wishes.

  “How could she have taken so much damage? With her powers, a monster like that should have been a pushover!”

  “It was stronger than it looked,” Ami asserted evasively.

  “Maybe physically, but other than its ability to reform, it didn’t seem to have any special powers. Why is Minako so red and bruised?”

  Ami fussed with Minako’s pillows, but Makoto pressed for an answer.

  “And what about that cut on her forehead? That’s not new, it’s been stitched up. Was she injured before tonight’s fight? And what were you even doing at the park tonight? Were you in the area to visit Minako? Or were you tracking the monster?”

  “Just tell her, Ami,” Luna urged. “Makoto needs to know what’s going on.”

  “Yes. I suppose it can’t be avoided any longer,” Ami sighed.

  “Tell me what?” Makoto asked with a note of frustration.

  “Not here. Artemis will recover naturally if he’s kept hydrated, but I need to fetch some equipment from the hospital to monitor Minako and administer medication. I’ll tell you everything on the way,” Ami explained. “Will you watch over them, Luna?”

  “Of course,” the black cat replied.

  “Your keys,” Ami said as she and Makoto approached the red hatchback ten minutes later.

  “What?”

  “Give me your keys.”

  “I can drive!”

  “You were knocked out. You could have a concussion. I’m not letting you drive.”

  “Fine, but you better explain what all this is about!” Makoto snapped as she reluctantly handed over her car keys.

  Makoto waited patiently until Ami started the car and they got underway, but after a few minutes of silence, she finally had to ask, “So, what’s going on, Ami?”

  Ami drew breath before responding, “Minako recently sustained wounds fighting two powerful enemies. That wasn’t the extent of her injuries, though.”

  “Why wasn’t she in the hospital, then?”

  “She also took severe energy damage, which was exacerbated by tonight’s battle. The hospital wouldn’t recognize the symptoms or know how to treat them.”

  “That’s why her skin was so red… You treated her?”

  “Yes. She was out for days. Her color had almost returned, but now it’s worse than before.”

  A thought occurred to Makoto, “So, she was still recovering during the attack on the school?” she asked. Ami nodded in confirmation, causing her to feel incredibly guilty about the earlier confrontation at Minako’s apartment. “Why didn’t she tell me?”

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  “I wasn't aware the two of you were speaking,” Ami said pointedly.

  “I guess we aren’t,” Makoto replied wistfully, staring out of the window. “I don’t understand how she got hurt in the first place, though. With the way her powers changed after Usagi…”

  Ami cleared her throat before answering, “Well, that’s the thing. Minako hasn’t been using those powers until now. She’s been operating as Sailor V all this time. She was forced to become Sailor Venus the other night because of the strength of her enemies. They wounded her, but the energy damage she suffered was a result of transforming.”

  “I don’t understand,” Makoto admitted.

  “Her full powers are amazing, but they’re unstable.”

  “What?”

  “You didn’t see tonight’s fight, but you saw what happened the first time she gained her strange power boost. Remember that aura that surrounded her? Well, it’s a sign of excess energy flow. It’s too much for her system to handle. Transforming using her crystal harms her body and causes her extreme pain.”

  “I don’t believe this,” said Makoto, considering the implications of Ami’s words. “So, it’s always hurt her? Right from the beginning?”

  “Yes. That’s why she’s been fighting as Sailor V. She only transforms as a last resort.”

  “But why did Minako ever offer to take over fighting?”

  “She knew how affected we all were after what happened…” Ami started. “Rei was out of action, and the rest of us were grieving.”

  “It’s been years! She could have said something since then!” Makoto reasoned.

  “Oh? Have you overcome your issues about fighting?”

  Makoto didn’t answer. The realization that her fear of fighting had affected Minako as well as herself was just sinking in. While she had ignored her destiny as a Sailor Soldier—and the friends who reminded her of it—Minako had been fighting so they didn’t have to. Would the upbeat girl who dreamed of being an idol have chosen a career as a private investigator if she hadn’t dedicated herself to protecting the city?

  Shaking her head, Makoto asked, “You knew about this?”

  “Not at first. It wasn’t until later, when I analyzed my computer readings from that day, that I understood.”

  “And after you learned that Minako’s power upgrade was unnatural?”

  “I’m ashamed to say I took advantage of the situation to my benefit. Had it not been for Minako taking care of business, I may not have been able to pursue my studies,” Ami explained.

  Makoto guffawed. “This is crazy! I can’t believe you’ve both been lying to me about something like this!” she exclaimed. ”I suppose Luna and Artemis knew too?”

  “Nobody lied to you. We simply agreed to omit the truth,” Ami differentiated. “Besides, what would knowing have done for you? It wouldn’t have fixed your aversion to fighting. Knowing would only have made you feel worse about not being able to help. You would have tortured yourself over it. Instead, you got to live your life and pursue your dreams. We both did.”

  “But at Minako’s expense!”

  “Consider yourself lucky that you didn’t have more guilt to deal with. As it is, you’ve already consigned yourself to life as a part-time caterer. Luckily, I was able to assuage mine with money.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Makoto said accusatorily.

  “While you’ve been cooking Minako dinners. I’ve been subsidizing her rent.”

  Makoto looked aghast at this shocking reveal.

  “Oh, come on, Mako,” Ami said. “Minako spends practically all her time patrolling. You didn’t think she actually supported herself as a P.I. with her minuscule caseload, did you?”

  Makoto simply shook her head as she tried to process everything she had been told. Ami was right. They had both used Minako for their own convenience, whether knowingly or not. A silence fell over the two young women as Ami drove through a busy intersection. “I suppose I should thank you for tonight,” said Makoto eventually in a more conciliatory tone.

  “I’m not sure that’s necessary,” Ami replied. “I failed in the end.”

  “That’s not true. The way you outsmarted them and took care of that battery monster was brilliant! It was kind of nostalgic, actually.”

  After a moment's pause, Ami said, “Even so, I miscalculated.”

  “Maybe, but you bought enough time for Minako to show up.”

  “The whole point of me being out tonight was so Minako wouldn’t have to get involved, let alone use those damaging powers again so soon after the last time!” Ami vented. “Now she’s in worse condition, and so is her crystal!”

  “Her crystal?”

  “Whatever the reason for Minako’s powers going out of control, it’s not just her body that can’t handle them. If she keeps transforming, it’s only a matter of time until her crystal breaks under the strain and her powers disappear—if she doesn’t die first.”

  “W-we’ll just have to make sure she doesn’t transform, then,” Makoto asserted.

  “That’s easier said than done,” said Ami. “For one thing, Minako wouldn’t allow it. For another, there is a new enemy at work; an organization calling themselves the Blood Moon Alliance. Her strange powers are the only thing keeping them at bay. As it stands, Sailor Venus is the strongest weapon we have at our disposal."

  "Weapon?"

  "The threat of Sailor Venus, that is. None of the enemies who have seen her full power have lived to tell the tale. All they know is that she defeats anyone who goes up against her. They’re under the mistaken impression that she is using the Silver Crystal.”

  “The Silver Crystal?” Makoto exclaimed.

  “Yes. Energy collection is just their secondary goal. The crystal is their primary target. If this Blood Moon Alliance learns that the Silver Crystal disappeared with Sailor Moon, the Earth could be in real trouble… Well, here we are."

  “Huh?” Makoto looked out of the window to see they had arrived at the hospital car park. “So, what are we going to do about Minako, and about these Blood Moon people?”

  “We?” Ami enquired with a raised eyebrow.

  Makoto frowned, but Ami had made a good point. What was she going to do now that she knew everything, and now that the world might be in danger once again? What could she do?

  Thankfully, Ami spared her the trouble of answering. “We’ll have to bank on the threat of Sailor V and the Silver Crystal for the moment, which should be stronger than ever after tonight,” Ami proposed. “So long as they think she has it and can use its power against them at any given time without consequence, they will be wary of making any big moves.”

  “Let’s hope so,” said Makoto, looking up at the dimly lit moon above.

  Far, far away, one of King Tanzan’s attendants entered his throne room with urgency, and announced, “My Lord, I have news!”

  “Is it Alexandri?” Tanzan asked, worried that his servant may have succumbed to his wounds, taking any information he may have gleaned from the fight with the Silver Crystal’s protector with him to the grave.

  “Yes, My Lord. The healers have confirmed that he has survived the life-saving measures. They are confident now that he will recover!”

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