The world lurches to the side. A starburst of pain, Alice sounds hazy and muted all of a sudden.

Minako doesn't stop. Minako cannot stop. She is Venus and this is her sacred duty. She snatches for Alice's hairband, slips it low around her neck. Yanks hard on the ends. Even monsters have to breathe.

"I won't fall, demon, I won't fall as long as my bright planet shines in the sky!"