Usagi slept.

  In her dreams, she saw a door. The dark wooden door looked ancient and heavy. Intricate patterns and designs decorated its surface. It stood open just a crack, tantalizing hidden knowledge just beyond its threshold.

  She couldn’t help herself. She pushed the door open and stepped through.

  Then there was light, light everywhere.

  Usagi stood in the center of a destroyed apartment. Light poured from her body and toward the heavens. She could feel the assault against her barrier of light. Each attack felt like a physical blow. Still, she stood firm. Still, she shielded the Earth from invasion.

  Usagi was herself, but she was also a different version of herself. She could sense her other self’s emotions, almost hear her thoughts.

  It’s her. Chibiusa’s mother. I’m in the future.

  She was so worried about Chibiusa. Exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her. Every fiber of her being cried out in pain.

  Usagi glanced to the left and saw Mamoru there on the ground, bathed in light. His breaths were shallow, but he was alive.

  Thank God!

  Usagi wanted to reach out to her future self, to let her know Chibiusa was fine. Before she could try, a voice called out to her.

  “Princess, it is time to go. You may not remain here.”

  She tried to glimpse the owner of the high, melodic voice, but saw nobody. Instead, the door filled her view. It blocked out the apartment, Mamoru, her future self.

  Reluctantly, she stepped through the door once more and returned to the present and her restless sleep.

  ***

  It took a long time for Ami to fall asleep, but when she did, the door was waiting for her. Once again, it stood open, just a crack.

  Ami hesitated. She knew if she stepped into the future, that other Sailor Guardian would try to stop her again. Still, it was an opportunity to learn more about her death, to gather data that might prevent it.

  With a determined shove, she opened the door and stepped through.

  Darkness greeted her. Darkness and pain.

  Oh my God, it hurts so much!

  She lay on a hard surface, that much she could feel, but she could see nothing. Worse, her body was broken. Her limbs felt twisted into unnatural positions. Bones lay shattered. Blood filled her mouth.

  Her breaths were unsteady and came in short bursts. Each breath took Herculean effort. The fluid in her lungs made normal breathing impossible.

  This…this is it. I’m dying. I’m dying all alone.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Panic gripped her heart. She had made a horrible mistake. She had slipped into her future self at the moment of death. What would happen to Ami if her future self died while she was stuck in this failing body? Would she die, too?

  “I thought I told you to not come back, Ami Mizuno.”

  The voice was high and melodic. The smell of jasmine filled the air. Ami tried to speak, but only a rasp escaped her lips.

  “Why do you keep coming back?”

  Ami swallowed hard.

  “I…don’t…want to…die…”

  The voice sighed.

  “Time is a storm in which we are all lost, Ami. What must happen will happen.”

  Ami coughed. She could feel warm blood running from her lips and down her chin.

  “Please…”

  For a moment, Ami thought she saw a face in the darkness. It was a beautiful face. A dark green mane of hair framed its young, delicate features. The eyes, however, were ancient.

  Then the door appeared in front of her.

  “You and your friends need to stay away from the Door of Time. No good can come from these glimpses.”

  The door seemed to grow larger until it filled her entire field of vision. Only the door existed now.

  “Enjoy what little time you have left.”

  Ami woke up in her bed. She leapt to her feet in a panic and checked over her body. No injuries. She was fine. For now.

  She lay back down on the bed and cried.

  ***

  Makoto dreamed of turtles. There were turtles everywhere. They were crawling all over her flower shop. She was chasing them with a net, determined to put them back into their terrariums.

  She ran between two shelves and spotted Kamekichi sitting in front of a large, ancient door. It stood between the shelves, its hinges unattached. Light spilled through the open crack. It was mesmerizing.

  “Should I open the door and see what’s on the other side, Kamekichi?”

  The turtle looked up at her.

  “You won’t like what you find.”

  She approached the door with great caution, then yanked it open in one quick motion. The smell of antiseptic wafted back at her.

  “What will I find?”

  The turtle blinked its eyes.

  “Life…and death.”

  With that, he turned and crawled away from the door. For a moment, Makoto considered following her fiancé’s pet. Instead, she turned back to the door and stepped through.

  “Dr. Kobayashi, please report to the trauma unit. Dr. Kobayashi to the trauma unit.”

  Makoto found herself walking down a long corridor. The hospital was modern and state-of-the-art. Fluorescent lights illuminated her path. In the distance, the chatter of nurses and the beeping of monitors echoed.

  Makoto clutched her purse and strode down the hallway at a fast clip. Her heels clicked and clacked on the polished floor.

  She was herself, and yet she was also her future self. This future version of Makoto was worried. Somebody who meant a great deal to her was in the hospital. Again.

  It was difficult for Makoto to get a clear sense of her future self’s thoughts. She only caught glimpses and feelings. It seemed Makoto had spent a lot of time in this hospital, a lot of time caring for somebody very ill. It was exhausting.

  Now, though, it was all coming to an end. She was about to bear an immeasurable loss. She knew she would have to live with the shame that a small part of her would be relieved when the end finally came.

  Makoto stopped in front of a door but hesitated. Her hand rested on the doorknob. It was as if she was trying to gather the courage to enter.

  “That’s far enough, Makoto Kino.”

  Makoto stopped and looked around. She could see nobody.

  “Who’s there?”

  A high, melodic voice responded at once.

  “I’m the Guardian of Time and you are violating its laws.”

  Makoto ran a hand through her hair.

  “I don’t understand. Is this real?”

  She heard the voice near her shoulder, as if this Guardian were whispering in her ear.

  “This is the future. Your future.”

  Anger gripped Makoto’s heart. She seized control from her future self and punched a nearby wall, hard.

  “Then who is sick here? Who is…dying…?”

  The voice returned, farther away this time.

  “I can’t tell you that. Then again, you already know, don’t you?”

  Makoto was quiet for a long moment.

  “Send me home. I don’t want to see this.”

  The door appeared in front of her.

  “Remember, time is like a river, Makoto. It flows in only one direction. One day, you will stand here again.”

  Makoto didn’t wait to hear more. She stepped through the door and slammed it shut behind her.

  When she woke up, sweat poured down her face. She turned and looked at Motoki, who slept peacefully beside her.

  Makoto crept closer to her fiancé and laid her head on his chest. A sob shook her, but she stifled the sound.

  Oh, Motoki…