After 5 weeks, seeing Emi and Rage together was normal and they were referred to as 'Team Rage' or to impress people who have never been to the Burning Zone, 'Team Burning Rage'. Seeing the Team together, it was always assumed by everyone, including Emi, that there was something between them, and Rage acted it too in public and in front of Walt. Sometimes he would just hug her in public or just sit next to her at the Burger Bar and hold her hand or wrap his arm around her waist. This reinforced Emi's belief, and she was constantly cheerful, knowing she had someone there for her besides her younger brother.
One Friday night, Emi was window shopping with Walt for a birthday present for a friend of his. Emi was ecstatic that Walt had made so many friends in such a small amount of time. Choosing a nice skateboard and a gift certificate to a gaming store, Walt asked if they could eat and after paying, they went to a diner restaurant in the food court. As Emi and Walt waited to be seated, Emi began to look at the people inside, to get a general idea of where they might sit, depending on who was closest to finishing their meals. She looked near the windows and thought she recognized someone. As they were allowed in, the waitress seated then a few tables away from the one Emi was looking at. While Walt was choosing his meal, Emi struggled to see past waiters and other random people walking. Finally, she was able to see the table and she just stared dumbly.
Rage was sitting at the table (which was a booth) with his arms around a girl at his sides. He smiled while saying something, making them laugh and blush. Emi, not realizing what she was doing, got up and walked to the table. When she got there, the trio didn't notice her right away.
"Emi who?" Rage asked, laughing and pulling a girl closer and kissed her on the cheek, extremely close to her mouth. The girl giggled and pushed him away lightly, then was hugged closer again. Emi's eyes stung as she watched Rage flirt right in front of her and not even look up to see her. The one he kissed, who had long green hair, noticed a figure standing at the table.
"Waitress, I'll have another soda." she said, still not looking up. Rage nuzzled her closer.
"How about some fries with that shake?" he asked. The girls laughed again. Not saying anything, Emi slapped Rage across the face. He looked up, amazed and his smile disappeared for the first time as he looked at Emi. His jaw dropped, then he forced it into a smile.
"Hey Ems..." he said, erasing the astonishment from his voice. Even more upset, Emi whirled around, grabbed Walt's arm before he could order anything, or even ask what happened and was dragged out. Walt struggled to carry his things and catch up with Emi.
As they left the mall, Walt tried to get Emi's attention, but failed. Walt and Emi walked all the way home, with Emi silent and Walt trying not to drop everything he was carrying. As soon as they got to their apartment, Emi ran to her room, slammed her door and collapsed on her bed. Confused, Walt placed his things on the kitchen table and decided to quietly read in the living room until Emi calmed down a bit.
A few hours later the phone rang, which Emi answered, then slammed down a second later. Five minutes later, Walt's cell phone rang. It was Rage. Going into his room, Walt answered.
"Hey Rage, what's up?" he asked. Rage was silent for a moment.
"Did you see me at all today?" he asked Walt. Walt thought, then said no. Rage was silent. "How is Emi?" he asked.
"Shes upset about something. She hasn't come out of her room since we got home." Rage sighed, then said goodnight to Walt, promising he would visit tomorrow.
Rage hung up his phone and leaned way back in his chair. The last thing he expected was for Emi to be there. But why was Emi so upset? He wondered. They didn't even go out. He rubbed his cheek and looked at his calendar. He hoped Emi wouldn't ruin his next date...