"We can't visit Minako?" asks Usagi incredulously at Azabu Public hospital.

Makoto leans in next to her. "Is she that bad?" she asks.

"No," replies Minako's manager, "she's tired from anemia, so there's no worry, but right now it seems she doesn't want to see anyone. Sorry."

The girls exchange glances, worried and disappointed.

"Aww," complains Usagi as the girls walk out of the hospital, "and we made the effort to come and see how she was. After finally learning that Minako is our ally, I can't do anything."

Ami speaks up, "She's put distance between her and us from before, so..."

Usagi continues, "Even though I'm a huge fan, I didn't notice."

No one says anything and keeps walking, so Usagi glares at them. "Everyone, you're so mean!" she says, "You didn't tell me! In any case, you thought I would do something fanatical, didn't you."

"Sorry," apologizes Ami.

Usagi's firm look melts and grudgingly she says, "Well, I think I probably would have."

She walks away, and Ami and Makoto exchange a laugh before following.

Rei starts to follow behind more slowly, then pauses and looks back at the hospital. "Venus..." she thinks.

Beryl turns around angrily, and raises her arms. Dark energy shoots from her hands and towards Kunzite and Zoisite, who both raise their cloaks and brace themselves. Mio and Jadeite watch on without expression. Finally, Beryl stops, and the two fall to their knees. "Won't you notice soon that defying me is useless?" Beryl asks. She turns, "You should thank me for not taking away your lives!" She raises her hands again and Kunzite and Zoisite disappear in a flash of light. "Now," she continues, "about Endymion..."

Jadeite flinches and steps forward. "Forgive me! If I wasn't hindered by Kunzite..."

Beryl cuts him off, "Enough. If Endymion's memories are returning, there is another way. This way may be better."

Mio breaks into an oily smile.

"Nephrite!" calls Beryl, "You're there, aren't you. Come out."

Jadeite and Mio turn to look as Nephrite emerges from just beyond the entrance to the chamber.

He steps forward hesitantly, trying to keep his face under control.

"It's been while hasn't it," asks Beryl, "Are you a bit tired?"

"Queen Beryl..." he begins with some effort.

"No doubt, you're resentful of me," she says.

Nephrite quickly steps forward to stand near Jadeite. "No," he insists, "if I can be by your side again, I pledge you my loyalty even more!"

Beryl smiles, "As I thought, the Shitenno are a treasure. I guess I should treasure you, then." Jadeite and Nephrite drop to their knees in a respectful bow. A deep, amused laugh bubbles from Beryl's throat.

"Tomorrow, won't you go shopping with me?" Usagi's talking on the phone as she enters the dining room, and Ikuko's ears perk up at the conversation. "I got it," continues Usagi, "Well, 11:00, okay! Bye!" She hangs up.

"Usagi!" calls Ikuko, "That's your boyfriend, isn't it? I know about it, you started dating recently!"

"Huh?" exclaims Usagi as Shingo chokes on a mouthful of food.

"You aren't going to hide it from Mama, are you?" Ikuko bumps Usagi teasingly with her hip. "Hey, what kind of person is he? What's his name?"

"What kind of person..." starts Usagi, and Ikuko listens in closer. "His name is..." she goes on, embarrassed, "Chiba Mamoru."

"Mamoru?" repeats Ikuko, "Huh, then, you call him 'Mamo! Mamo!' or something, right." She turns and asks, "'Mamorin?'"

Shingo makes a gagging sound.

Usagi glares at him. "We don't call each other anything!" she insists.

Ikuko just continues on, "Then, Usagi, you're 'Usa! Usa!'? Wow, how passionate!" She laughs and heads back to the kitchen.

"I said we don't call each other anything!" Usagi shouts after her.

"Ugh, I'm gonna be sick," declares Shingo. "I said she's wrong!" Usagi tells him angrily.

Shingo just moves his placemat further away from Usagi and makes more disgusted noises.

Usagi ignore him and thinks to herself, "I still can't call him by his name. When I look at his face, somehow..."

Usagi walks down the street the next day, thinking to herself out loud. "What should I bring her when I visit? Minako's tired, so then, something nourishing would be good!" She pauses, seeing Mamoru leaning lazily on a tree ahead, waiting for her. "Ah!" Usagi raises her hand to greet him, Ma-" She stops, and her mother's teasing haunts her, "You call him 'Mamo! Mamo!' or something, right." Usagi pauses and then tries again, "Mamo-" but once again, her mother's teasing comes back to her, "Mamorin?" Usagi pauses, sighs, and then decides. "Heey!" Mamoru turns and smiles when he sees Usagi running towards him, arm waving.

Holding hands, the two go shopping. Usagi pauses at a shop window and pulls Mamoru into a store. Inside, she rifles through the clothes on the rack and pulls out a dark pink jacket, holding it up first to Mamoru, then to herself. Mamoru shakes his head. He plops a black hat onto Usagi's head and the two laugh. Mamoru's examining a mannequin when it topples forward onto him. Laughing, Usagi helps him right the mannequin. At a flower shop, the two pick various flowers -- Mamoru even has a couple of large feathers at one point -- and hold them out to each other.

At Azabu Public Hospital, Minako is in bed, working on her Nakonako branded laptop. Artemis is looking on at her work as a knock is heard at the door. "Come in!" calls Minako.

Rei slides the door open and pokes her head in. She looks worried.

"What's wrong?" asks Minako, "Come inside!"

Rei makes her way to Minako's bed, asking, "Are you okay? I heard you were tired, but..."

"I want to say 'I'm fine,'" Minako replies, "but I think I should tell you the truth, so I asked you to come. I've come to the point where I need your support."

"'The truth' you say?" asks Rei.

"About my illness."

Rei's eyes widen and a flower petal falls from a vase of flowers arranged nearby.

"I probably only have about 2 to 3 months left to live," admits Minako.

Rei's eyes dart around. "What?" Artemis looks crestfallen.

"It's something I've known before I became a sailor senshi," Minako says, "The problem isn't that. It's that there's a possibility that the senshi will be lacking a person before you defeat the enemy. That's me, the leader."

"Hold on a second," Rei says, "You're telling me so suddenly..." She leans in to Minako and asks, "There's a possibility you'll be cured, isn't there?"

"Even if I have surgery, the probability of success is near zero. It's like it's all promised out, I can't help but laugh."

"This isn't a laughing matter," Rei says mournfully.

"That's why I've stopped using my time uselessly," says Minako. "From the time that I remembered the Past, I've understood that the thing I must do is this." We see a flashback of Minako's. She's standing on a roof, looking at the city's night lights, when Artemis drops from the sky. She catches him without thought and then, eyes wide, stares at him as he talks to her. "That's why," she continues, "in order to finish my mission, I'll use the life I have left. But, from now on, sometimes I'll get like this I think. That's why I want you to support me."

"Wait!" insists Rei, "Is it so necessary that you have to live the rest of your life as a senshi? If there's even a small possibility..."

"I don't want to make my life useless," cuts in Minako, a hint of desperation creeping into her voice.

Rei stops and looks shocked.

"Mars," asks Minako, "Do you understand why we've been born, burdened with the memories of our past lives? Isn't it so that we won't repeat the tragedy of the past? The Princess and Endymion are going against that mission. I want you to be careful. The enemy is also becoming stronger."

Rei looks down, like she's about to cry.

Minako smiles and says jokingly, "What a miserable face. I'm okay. I can still fight, after all. I don't trust you to take care of everything yet."

Rei looks at Minako.