Vol. 15
A New Journey Begins

Everyone, long time no see! I'm Aino Minako! This year, I want to get a boyfriend, and advance to the next grade. I'm at the peak of seventh grade, and age 13.

"Good morning!"

"Morning, Minako!" says one of her classmates. "Hey, did you buy the Sports News?"

"Of course!" says Minako. "I never miss an article on Ace!"

She opens up the newspaper:

The popular idol Saijou Ace storms through Asia!
Moving on to Hollywood!?
A joint Japanese-Chinese movie
World CD sales total fifty million!

"Wow!" says Minako. "Kaitou Ace is in a joint Japanese-Chinese movie!? Filmed on location in China!? And his CDs sell all over the world!?"

"At first he was just worshipped as Kaitou Ace," says Hikaru, "but now he's an idol around the world!"

This is my best friend Hikaru-chan. She calmly confronts society as vice-president of a volunteer organization.

"What!?" says Minako. "An intimate relationship has been discovered between Ace and his project coordinator!?"

"With his foster parent producer?" says Hikaru. "It must be a gimmick to sell movies."

"Oh! Look! Look!" says Minako. "They're searching for the part of Ace's love interest! A Chinese princess! Maybe I'll go to the audition! And if I'm chosen, I'll be in China with Ace!"

Until now, I've been showing you my self as a nice, fresh junior high girl. But...

The pen in her shirt pocket beeps.

Minako runs outside and takes it out.

"Boss!?"

"Mina!" says the voice. "It's trouble! Meet at the command center at once!"

"Understood!"

This form is my assumed form to hide in the world.

Minako runs to the Crown Game Center.

She takes out a handful of hundred-yen pieces, and drops them into the UFO catcher.

"O-nii-san!" she says.

"Oh, Minako-chan!" says Motoki.

This is the guy at the game center who takes my breath away.

"The catcher is stopped up! Please fix it!"

Motoki sees Sailor V dolls stacked up along one of the glass walls, and tries to move them out of the way.

"While I've got the chance..." says Minako.

She walks up to the Sailor V game, and looks around. She drops a coin in and starts to play.

The words appear on the screen:

Game Endless

The game machine disappears, and the floor opens beneath her.

That's right. I, Aino Minako, have the other form of...

She lands in the basement, wearing a mask and sailor suit.

"Code name: Sailor V. I am here."

The soldier of justice, the sailor-suited beautiful soldier, Sailor Venus!

"That was fast, Mina!" says Artemis.

This is Artemis, the preaching cat of unknown age (he must be an old man). He's supposed to be my partner.

The basement of the Crown Game Center! This is our secret command center.

"Sailor V! This is trouble!" says the voice. "Until now you've pursued a great number of mysterious events domestically. However, recently similar events are occurring frequently across Asia. Is this the work of an unknown enemy syndicate? Or is it the remaining members of the defeated Dark Agency?"

"What?" says Minako. "Is the Dark Agency still around?"

"Looks like it," says Artemis.

"Your next target," says the voice, "is the entertainment producer spreading over the world, Avex Trax Productions!"

[The letter 'A' is read as 'Ace', but the word is written in English as 'Avex Trax'. Avex Trax is a Japanese production company, so this is kind of the same name as the real company, but not exactly.]

"Avex Trax Productions?" says Minako. "Ace!? No way!!"

"Yes," says the voice. "It is the production company the mysterious idol Saijou Ace belongs to. Ace is at the head of a list of a thousand talent managed by Asia's top producer, the Chinese president of the company, Linlin."

A graph appears, showing two jagged lines rising.

"Corresponding with the advance of these talent, I've confirmed sudden rising instances of mass disappearances and strange monster appearances!"

"There's no volcanoes without fire!" says Minako.

"Mina, you said that on purpose..." says Artemis.

[As in, "there's no smoke without fire."]

"Sailor V!" says the voice. "This time your duty is to infiltrate the audition for Ace's movie sponsored by Avex Trax, and win the role of Ace's love interest by whatever means necessary."

"What!?" says Minako.

"Then fly to China where the numerous events are occurring, uncover the truth, and solve the incidents! Good luck!"

"All right!" says Minako. "I can use any means necessary! I'll do it!"

"You're really getting active in your mission, Mina!" says Artemis. "Could it be because of my special training? You're splendid as a soldier of justice."

"Wonderful battle! Cock-a-doodle-doo!" says Minako. "I have a feeling. This coming battle will not be like all the others! And it's in China, as a Chinese princess! An idol! Ace's love interest! Love! Who's this company president... It's my first love! On mainland China, I'll get Ace's heart!"

Fireworks light up behind her as a banner unfolds:

First love number 5000! Congratulations!

"I'm home!" says Minako. "I'm starved! Oh, that smell! We must be having gyoza today."

The phone rings, and Minako answers it.

"Hi, this is the Aino Restaurant! I want to get some genuine Chinese cooking!"

"Is that voice Minako-chan??"

Minako grimaces.

"How are you doing! It's me, it's me! The superintendent-general of the Metropolitan Police Board, Sakurada Natsuna-chan! Minako-chan, I mean, Sailor V, how about it? Have you reached a decision about joining the police??"

The caller is the superintendent-general of the Metropolitan Police Board, Sakurada Natsuna o-nee-san. We met in a kind of a strange way... It was the biggest blunder of my life as Sailor V. She saw where I transformed, and found out I'm Sailor V! Since then, she calls once every week...

"So?? Will you join the police force? For Minako-chan, I'll give you special treatment. You can work together with me! Come on, how about it?"

And asks me that. She's a huge fan of Sailor V. But I like talking to her, so maybe the police would be all right.

Saijou Ace sings on stage as the audience cheers.

The banner reads:

Avex Trax
Final Audition for The Chinese Princess Story movie

"That was Ace-san singing the movie's theme song," says the hostess. "Now to continue with the costume judging."

Minako watches in the crowd of contestants, the number 23 pinned to her shirt.

"Well, shall we ask Ace-san here?" says the hostess. "Ace-san, which girl would you like to play the role opposite you?"

"They perform well for amateurs," says Ace. "I would like a girl who is innocent yet sexy." He smiles. "But I'm being selfish."

"Here I go!" says Minako, running out of the room.

She holds up her compact.

"Crescent Moon Power Transform! Change me into a sexy new model!"

She is cheered by the crowd in the swimsuit competition, and then the performance competition.

"And now to announce the grand prize!" says the hostess. "Number 23, Aino Minako!!"

"I did it!" says Minako, holding the trophy. "An easy win!"

"And now, receive the flower bouquet from the president of Avex Trax Productions, Mary Linlin."

A woman hands a bouquet to Minako.

"Congratulations, Miss Minako," she says. "You did well. Ace and I have high hopes for you, yes."

"Oh!" thinks Minako. "So this is the Chinese woman president I've heard about."

"Congratulations, Minako-chan," says Ace.

"Wow! It's Ace!"

"The heroine is a strong princess who rescues Kaitou Ace when he's in trouble," Ace says. "You fit perfectly. October 22nd. Your birth flower is the dahlia."

He hands Minako a dahlia flower.

"In the language of flowers," he says, "it means fickleness."

He kisses her cheek.

"I ask of you earnestly, don't be unfaithful."

A figure reaches out through the mist.

"Venus, help me!"

"Who is that calling me?"

Minako's eyes open.

"Could it be... Ace!?"

She looks at her framed picture of him.

"Today's the day I set off for the mainland with you. This isn't a dream! Ace, wait for me! I'm coming to help you now!"

Natsuna and Wakagi stand in the south terminal of Narita Airport.

"What!?" says Natsuna. "An incident in China!? And the company Ace belongs to could be an enemy!?"

"Keep your voice down, Natsuna o-nee-san!" says Minako.

"I can't, it's dangerous, Minako-chan! Going into enemy territory all by yourself!"

"It's fine, it's fine," says Minako. "I'm traveling the world again. I'm the passport-carrying soldier of justice, Sailor V!"

"This time, you should have police backup to protect you," says Natsuna. "And let us work with you too!"

"I'll be all right," says Minako. "Leave things to me. Besides, I've got Artemis."

A teenage girl with short blue hair passes behind her.

"I'm not alone," says Minako.

The girl approaches another woman.

"Good luck at the scientific convention, Mom."

"Thanks, Ami," says the woman. "I'll call you."

"That's right, Sailor V!" says Natsuna. "You're not alone! You've got us with you. If anything happens, be sure to contact us!"

"Yes..." thinks Minako. "I'm not alone."

She turns and looks around the terminal behind her.

"I wonder why I thought that just now..."

"Minako-chan," says Wakagi. "Take these good luck charms. A Metro Police original high tech Poppy-kun keychain and phone card. Do be careful."

"Wakagi!" says Natsuna. "I got it! How about if you go to China instead of Minako-chan!?"

Minako looks at them as she boards the plane.

"Those two make such a cute couple," she thinks. "Yes... While I was thinking I was in love with Wakagi-sama, truly, in my heart I knew he wasn't the one. My destined partner... Will it be you now, Ace!?"

"Wow!" says Minako, looking around. "The smell of China! Everyone's riding bikes! How come, how come!?"

She sees the crowd cheering.

"Oh, you've got followers in China too! Look at all them."

"What do you think of China, Minako-chan?" says Ace.

"Oh, I've been waiting for this!" says Minako. "The flavor of five thousand years of China! Santou, and Szechwan, and Kouso, and Canton! Ah, I'm hungry!"

Linlin shoves Minako away from Ace.

"They say the Chinese will eat anything that flies but an airplane," she says, "and anything with four legs but a table, yes. They even barbecue cat, yes."

Artemis panics, packed in Minako's suitcase.

"Regrettable, yes," says Linlin, as she eats. "That girl's an amateur, but her chemistry with Ace is perfect. How impudent, yes."

"Linlin, message!"

"Be right there!"

She stands up.

"After we, the Dark Agency, expand as Avex Trax, we will have all of the Far East in our hands. Our plans are progressing more favorably than expected, yes. With the world idol Ace as bait, she will sniff out our plans. Our hated enemy, Sailor V, will surely appear, yes! I, Linlin, will put an end to that eyesore Sailor V! For the lovely Danburite-sama, I will take care of this, yes."

The filming begins with TV China.

It is the 30th century. In the Ranran Kingdom, the First Order Royal Princess, Princess Runrun, would not bestow her glance on her assembled suitors. She was devoted to the criminal, Kaitou Ace.

One night, Ace sneaks into the royal palace vault.

"Who is that before the vault!?" says Minako, holding out a lantern. "Well, it's Kaitou Ace. Did you come to steal the royal family crest, the jade jewel??"

"No," says Ace. "There is another treasure I came to steal."

He picks up a shining white stone.

"What?" says Minako. "A pearl?"

"This is the Venus Droplet," says Ace. "When you were born from the foam of the sea of Venus, a droplet spilled from your body and became a jewel. Don't you remember, Princess Venus?"

"What!?" thinks Minako.

Artemis stands back aghast.

"Cut!" shouts Linlin. "Great, great. Ace, your idea was really good, yes."

Ace takes the mask from his eyes.

"Wasn't it?" he says. "We'll go with the plan of the Chinese princess truly being the princess of Earth's twin planet, Venus."

"Ace!!" thinks Artemis. "How does he know of Venus...!?"

"Could he have uncovered my identity?" says Minako. "Speaking of which, in the first chapter you said Venus was my mother planet. How is Venus the mother planet of a Tokyo girl like me?? Could it be, was I a child found under a bridge!?"

"Anyway, Mina," says Artemis. "We must have a change in strategy. We'll return to Japan at once. Ace is an enemy! This is dangerous! And I have something important to tell you..."

He looks around, alone.

"Mina!?"

"It's okay with me," Minako thinks. "Even if he's an enemy. Even if he's uncovered my identity."

"Ace!" she calls.

"I know," she thinks. "If I tell him the truth about my identity, he might show me who he really is."

"Ace! There's something I want to tell you."

"Minako," says Ace.

"What!?" Minako thinks. "No suffix all of a sudden!?"

"I bought you a ring," he says.

He slides it onto her finger.

"It's 24 karat gold."

"Wow, it's so pretty!"

She looks up at him.

"Why are you giving me this?"

"Because, Minako..."

He kisses her lips.

"I love you."

Minako swoons.

Ace holds out a deck of cards.

"I'll tell your love fortune," he says. "Pick a card you like."

She takes a card and holds it out.

"The ace of clubs," says Ace. "A crossroads in fortune. Do you love me?"

"I- I love you!"

"A lie."

He drops the card to the ground.

"You never are serious. You always choose something more important than love."

"No, that's not true!" says Minako. "I'm always serious about love! Love is the most important! Nothing else is ahead of it! You are the most important, Ace!"

"Although..." she thinks. "Being so busy with my job as Sailor V day after day, I haven't had a chance to get a boyfriend. Being a soldier of justice... Like Artemis and Boss say, there's nothing I can do about it... Is there nothing I can do? No... My life now is staked on the love of Sailor V. Compared to that... That time..."

"Hey, Mina-chan!" says Motoki.
She grins. "Hi o-nii-san!"

"A big, red ribbon," says Higashi.

"And that time..."

Saitou kisses Minako deeply.

"Your teachers at school may let you get away with that," says Wakagi, "but the police won't!"
"Oh! He's cute!" thinks Minako. "Even with that angry face, he looks like a nice guy!

"Have I really staked my life on love?" Minako thinks. "I always do it only halfway. Have I never been serious?"

"Even if it's just to take a look," Minako tells Otonaru. "How about it? Okay?"

"But this time I mean it!" says Minako. "I swear on my life, I love you Ace! I do love you, don't I?"

"Why are you asking me," he says.

"Because... I don't really know..."

Ace flicks his finger across her forehead.

"You're a child," he says. "Haven't you awakened yet?"

He turns and walks away.

"Ace...!!"

Linlin watches from behind a corner.

"Oh..." she thinks. "I let my eyes off him for one moment, and that little girl... A ring!? A kiss!? A love fortune!? I won't allow it! I'll remember this!"

Minako sits up groggily in bed.

"You had a nightmare last night," says Artemis.

"Oh? Really?"

A feminine figure reaches out through the mist.

"Venus, help me!"

"I saw it again..." Minako says. "A dream, and somebody telling me to help them... It must be Ace. I can never see the face clearly..."

Artemis opens his laptop computer.

File 15: Saijou Ace
Date of birth: Unknown
Age: Unknown
Gender: Unknown
Blood type: Unknown
Native country: Unknown
Date of first appearance: Unknown
All data: Unknown
Company: Avex Trax Productions
Most famous work: Kaitou Ace

"Mina," says Artemis. "Right now Boss is investigating Ace for us. Be very careful at today's filming."

"Ace is not an enemy!" says Minako. "Nothing's happened at the filmings so far!"

She looks out the window.

"Artemis! Look! Where all those fans were gathered for Ace, now there's not one!"

She looks around.

"There are none of Ace's fans, not a sign of life in the city!"

"It seems the enemy has started to move," says Artemis. He points to a map on his computer screen. "Look! People are rapidly disappearing in the surrounding areas... Damn!"

"Artemis! It's time for the filming! I'm going!"

"Mina!"

"I'll be all right! Leave this to Minako-sama!"

Minako opens the door to her dressing room, and finds the entire room sacked. The mirrors are broken, and the floor is littered with her shredded costume.

"This is horrible!" she says. "My outfit! What!? There are thumb tacks in my shoes!? I don't believe this!"

Linlin peeks in the door.

"Heh heh heh," she says. "A good feeling, yes. She'll be sorry, yes! When the movie bearing my name is completed, she will no longer be needed. Shall I boil her and eat her? Or shall I bake her and eat her?"

"This really pisses me off!" says Minako. "Let's go! Crescent Moon Power Transform!"

"What!?" says Linlin.

"Change me into the greatest female pirate of the China Sea, Chin Shi!"

"She transformed!?" says Linlin. "This power, could it be, this little girl is... Sailor V!?"

"Who's there!?" says Minako.

Linlin runs down the hall.

"Wait!"

Minako runs through the doors at the end of the hallway.

"Ace!?"

Ace turns around.

"You're..." he says.

"She must have escaped back here," thinks Minako. "No way, is it you? Are you my enemy after all!?"

A vase falls from a ledge above them.

"Look out!" says Minako.

She shoves Ace out of the way, and they fall to the ground.

She lies over him.

"Is that you, Minako?" he says.

"Huh?" says Minako. "H- How did you..."

"I know. I told you, didn't I? Because I love you, I know everything about you."

"Everything?" thinks Minako. "Then, even that I'm Sailor V?"

He reaches up to touch her cheek.

"Being protected by you like this," he says. "It's like a dream. You always protect me."

"Of course," says Minako. "I'll always protect you. Because I am Sailor..."

"'I'll always protect you,'" she thinks. "I vowed that once before..."

A feminine figure reaches out through the mist, her two tails of hair flowing behind her.

"Venus, help me!"

"I'm happy," says Ace. "Now we're finally lovers. I love you, Minako."

"Why am I so uneasy?" Minako thinks. "This isn't it either."

He pulls her face close to his.

"This love isn't the real thing either..."

She stands up.

"This person is not the one I'm supposed to protect!"

She shoves Ace away.

"No!!"

Linlin runs to his side.

"Danburite-sama!!"

She turns to Minako.

"You bitch! Throwing him down, and knocking him across the room! Show me your true self now, Sailor V!!"

"What, I got discovered again!?" says Minako. "Well, then you show me your true self, too! Moon Power Transform!"

She appears in her sailor suit and mask.

"I am a single flower of the dahlia tree, a lovely native of Tokyo in end-of-the-century China! Code name: Sailor V! The messenger of justice, the sailor-suited beautiful soldier, I am Sailor Venus! Trying to capture all the 28 million square kilometers and 1.3 billion people of China! The New Democratic Theory of Moutakutou in 1940 and the People's Liberation Army may allow it, but I, Sailor V, will not!"

"So you showed, Sailor V!" says Linlin. "The Chinese people are about a fourth of the world's population. By conquering here our plan will be halfway to completion, yes! The Dark Kingdom's conquest of Earth is before your very eyes, indeed!"

"The Dark Kingdom!?"

"The flavor of five thousand years of China!" says Linlin. "I, the beautiful heart of the Dark Kingdom, Princess Linlin, will be your final match, yes indeed!"

A crowd of people begins to gather behind her.

"The 1.3 billion population versus the one Sailor V!?" thinks Minako. "I don't think there's any way I can win this one! Ace!!"

She turns around.

"He's gone! Oh no, did they take him!?"

"Danburite-sama!!"

"Linlin called him by that name. Is that your name!? Was it my imagination!?"

"Sailor V!!" says Artemis. "You can't be pondering the mysteries of life! Hurry and fight!"

A cage closes around him, and Linlin picks it up.

"Mmm," she says. "This cat looks delicious, yes. I'll have to barbecue it and eat it later, yes."

"Artemis!?" says Minako. "This is Sailor V's ultimate pinch!!!"

"I wonder if Minako-chan is sleeping or awake, absorbed in China right now," says Natsuna.

She reclines in her chair reading a magazine about China, as Wakagi holds her drink.

"Say, Wakagi, did you know this? They have barbecued cats in China. Doesn't that sound delicious!"

"Sailor V!! This is my five thousand year old Chinese ritual! Take this, yes indeed! Linlin Ranran Dragon Blade!"

"Hiyah!" Minako cries, catching the blade between her hands, inches from her face.

"Damn, you impudent little girl, yes!" says Linlin.

"Stop saying yes all the time!" says Artemis in the cage. "Let me out!"

"But I'll be kind with you, yes!" says Linlin. "Linlin Ranran Ramen!!"

Strands of noodles shoot at Minako, wrapping around her.

"Mmm, I'm getting hungry, yes! I'll barbecue you with the cat, yes!"

"Oh no!" says Minako. "If we're barbecued, Artemis and I will be Peking duck!"

"Chinese cooking shows the power of heating!" says Linlin.

"By myself I can't defeat the five thousand year old flavor of China!" says Minako. "Artemis!! Ace!! Somebody!!"

"Venus!!"

She turns around and sees three girls in sailor suits running toward her.

"Everyone!?"

"Huh!?" thinks Minako. "Wh- What!? This vision... Everyone!? Who is everyone!?"

A playing card flies at her, slicing away the noodles trapping her.

It cuts across Linlin's face, and flies back to the hand of the man standing above them.

"Ace!!" says Minako.

"Danburite-sama!!" says Linlin. "Why!?"

"Ace saved me!" thinks Minako.

"Mina!" says Artemis. "The five thousand year old flavor of China... No, the 1.3 billion people of China! Protect them!"

"Leave it to me, yes!" says Minako. "The million horsepower of strong valor! Venus Love Megaton Shower! Expose the truth, yes!"

The shining light destroys Linlin, and blasts through the roof of the studio.

"Mina!" says Artemis, as the building begins to crumble.

"Oops! I used too much power!"

She turns to the people gathered.

"Everyone, hurry and get out of here! The place is collapsing!"

"Mina!" calls Artemis, trapped in the cage.

"Artemis!" Minako shouts. "Everyone!"

Minako runs through the rubble and falling pillars.

"A crumbling palace set... I've seen this somewhere before... I've shouted that once before..."

"Sorry, Linlin," says Ace. "I will defeat Sailor V!"

"Ace, look out!" calls Minako, as blocks fall from the ceiling around him.

A falling pillar lands on Minako, knocking her to the ground.

"Uh..."

She looks up as fires burn all around.

"Ace!? Artemis!! I can't save them now... The people I love are caught in the flames... This can't happen..."

Selenity runs through the falling palace.

"This can't happen again! It can't! No!!"

Her sailor suit vanishes, and her body is bathed in light.

She opens her eyes.

"This memory... Flowing in... This memory..."

Selenity laughs as Artemis jumps into her arms, her four guardian soldiers watching and smiling.

Ace stands on a ledge at the end of the roof, the ground disappearing in fog below them.

"Hey..." he says. "Are you all right, princess of Venus? This place where the filming studio is, it often gets foggy around this time."

"I remember when I look at the fog..." thinks Minako. "My still young planet, covered in the fog of thick sulfuric acid from the volcanic activity. Surrounded by the sulfur fog, my Magellan Castle. And the beautiful morning glow of my other planet..."

"Good morning, Venus!" says Selenity.

"I am not a princess," she says.

She drops her mask to the ground.

A jeweled tiara covers her forehead.

She stands in a new sailor suit, white and orange, with a blue bow.

"I am the guardian soldier of the planet Venus, Sailor Venus."

"Mina!" thinks Artemis.

"I was born a soldier, to protect my single precious person!"

Ace hands her the script to The Chinese Princess Story.

"Shall we film the climax?" he says. "The scene where the princess, an abandoned child who has lost her memory, is taken to her homeland. From your line, Princess."

Minako reads the script.

"This is my true land?"

"No," he says. "The land you loved, the people you loved, are no more."

He takes her in his arms.

"They were destroyed by the enemy."

"Stop it!" says Minako. "Ace! Just who are you!? How did you know I was born of Venus!?"

He takes off his mask, and looks into her eyes.

"I am Adonis."

The mark of Venus shines on his forehead.

"I burn with passion for you. We were supposed to love one another. I am your mystical lover."

"The sign of the guardian of the planet Venus!" thinks Minako. "Is he also Venus's...!?"

"But you do not know me," he says. "In my previous life, I had no rank. I was a miserable soldier in a remote region. You lived in a palace overlooking Venus. The chosen strongest sailor soldier, shining brightly. Before long, for your mission, you went to the ruler of the solar system, the moon. That planet, radiating unsurpassed light. A planet eternally unreachable to us. Then, we were borrowed for the war taking place on the chief planet. By the soldiers under direct supervision of the Prince..."

The young Adonis stands among Endymion's soldiers.

Venus holds Selenity in her arms.

"Finally meeting you... The lovely goddess of beauty and war..."

He sees Venus staring into Kunzite's eyes.

"That reminds me, you've been falling in love with people since way back then!"

"Hey now!" says Minako.

He touches her face.

"I knew then... If I changed one wheel of fate, the two of us might fall in love..."

He stands back.

"But... There is only one fate. I was born into this world again. And it seems I've raised to the status where I can confront you."

He raises a playing card to the sky.

A field of electricity appears. A sphere forms around him, and another around Minako, separating them.

"I believe you," says Minako. "But haven't you always, always come and saved me, Ace!?"

"I will soon achieve domination of the whole world, of Earth! I am the soldier under the four generals of the Dark Kingdom, Danburite!"

"The Dark Kingdom!?" thinks Minako. "The four generals!?"

"And, Sailor Venus, you are my enemy!"

He throws out a stream of playing cards.

"Mina!" says Artemis.

Minako jumps at him, knocking him back with a beam of light.

"Yes..." he thinks.

"Ace!!" calls Minako.

"There is only one fate..."

He falls over the ledge of the roof.

"My path ends, without ever reaching you... That is my fate..."

Minako grabs his hand, holding him from the roof.

"Is your fate to yourself defeat the ones I've fallen in love with?" says Minako.

He throws a card to her.

"The ace of hearts!?"

It tears apart before her eyes.

"I'll tell your final love fortune," he says. "Your love will be hopeless for all eternity."

She stares at him, eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" he says. "You should look happier. Now you can go on living, without having to torment yourself over the ultimate choice, your love or your duty. Your fate is to continue fighting."

His body slowly disintegrates as she tries to hold onto him.

"Your true battle begins now..."

Artemis approaches her.

"Mina...!"

Tears drop from her face.

"My self before now has all been before awakening," she says. "A temporary form, for my true mission."

She gets to her knees, looking out over the ledge.

"I must search for my precious allies. They're in Tokyo. I feel it. Perhaps I am awakening now."

"Yes," says Artemis.

"Together, we will defeat the Dark Kingdom and protect this planet! Then, we must find that most precious person. That is why I was born."

They arrive in Japan at Narita Airport.

"However..." Minako says. "That was a dramatic trip abroad, but I didn't get one souvenir! But there's nothing I can do. I'm broke, as always, and it was a free trip."

"You have lots of souvenirs, Mina!" says Artemis. "You have the memory of your previous life back, and you discovered the true identity of the enemy! And most importantly, you've returned a fully realized sailor soldier!"

"That's great, Mina!" says the voice from her pen.

They board the train.

"But still, Boss, Artemis," says Minako. "How am I supposed to find these allies?"

"You said you felt them, Mina!" says Artemis.

"Right!" says Minako. "It was just a feeling!"

A tall girl with brown hair looks over at them.

"Wow..." she thinks. "Bringing a cat inside a train..."

The train slows to a halt.

"Tokyo," the announcer says. "Tokyo."

The girl steps off the train.

"This will be hard all by myself," says Minako. "I should get some backup. I need collaboration!"

"And information!" says Artemis.

"Right, right," says the voice.

"And while I'm at it, funds!" says Minako, stepping off the train. "I should take advantage of being a soldier of justice! Speaking of which, didn't Natsuna o-nee-san say I could get a nice salary?"

"Huh?" says Artemis.

"Well, I'm going to home and call her, and tell her I'm going to get a part-time job with the superintendent general!"

"What!?" says Artemis.

Minako runs out into the street with a smile.

The end.