Chapter 2:

Realizations

"Emochan! Supper is ready!"

Emochan took a deep breath and hid the broach in her pocket. She walked downstairs and joined her mother in the kitchen. "So how was school today, dear?" She asked. The young teen looked at her mom and smiled hesitantly.

"It was alright, I guess," she said. "I finally got my uniform." Emochan sat down at the table along with her mother.

"Have you seen Usagi yet?"

"Not yet. I'm thinking about visiting her after school to catch up, though," Emochan replied as she took a chopstick full of rice. She didn't say a word to her mother about what happened on her balcony, in fear of being accused to being crazy.

The rest of the weekend went by pretty slowly. Emochan wrote a little and hung out with Reiko and Sakura that Saturday. Most of Sunday, she sat on her bed and stared out her window. "What should I do? This whole thing has to be a joke or something." she said. A strange pain pierced her head and while she clenched her temples, everything went black. She saw a young man on a motorcycle speed down a street with a black shadow-like creature following him. He fell off his motorcycle and screamed as the shadow engulfed him. The vision ended as fast as it started and Emochan stumbled from her bed. "What the HELL was that?" she gasped. Her pendant felt hot against her chest, making her wince. Pulling it off, she felt as though her body was moving on its own. The hand holding the pendant rose in the air.

"EARTH CRYSTAL POWER MAKE UP!" She screamed and her clothes melted into ribbons, just like her dream. Her sailor fuku appeared and she ran onto her balcony. Her wings sprouted from her back and spread wide as she leaped into the cool night air.

Moments later, she spotted the shadow and motorcyclist from her vision. She landed swiftly just as the young man fell from his bike. Before the shadow could get to him, Sailor Earth stood in the middle of the two, glaring at the creature. "I will not allow you to harm the innocent." she said. The shadow looked at her with its glowing red eyes.

"Who are you?" It asked in an eerie voice.

"I am the protector of this planet. I am Sailor Earth and on behalf of my planet, I shall punish you for your crimes!" Sailor Earth exclaimed. Wow! Where did that come from? She thought to herself. She turned to the young man and smiled. "Get out of here. This isn't the place for you," she warned. The young man got up and scrambled out of sight. The shadow started to laugh as Sailor Earth returned her attention to it.

"You cannot harm me. I am far more powerful than you, human," It said and shot at Sailor Earth with energy. Sailor Earth rolled onto the ground, dodging the shot. Shit! What do I do? I don't know how to fight! The newborn senshi bit her lip in fear. Again, a wave of familiarity engulfed her and she stood up, her body once again reacting on its own. She held out her hand as her face became solemn and daunting.

"I summon thee, my Mystical Dragon Glaive. Come to my side and aid me in this battle!" She cried and a tall, green handle materialized in her hand. Energy swirled up the handle d and formed into a large silver blade in the shape of backward '6'. "What power..." Sailor Earth said in bewilderment. The shadow hesitated for a few seconds then floated higher into the air, sending another bolt of black energy at her. Sailor Earth flew into the air and swung her glaive at the shadow's head. It screamed in pain as it was sliced in half. It fizzled into nothing. Sailor Earth landed back on the ground and her glaive dematerialized. She looked at her hands in shock. "I really am a sailor senshi…" she said. "Oh God! What time is it? I need to get back home!" Sailor Earth leapt up into the night and flew back to her house.

Once back, Emochan de-transformed and sat on her bed. "This is so strange...my head feels so heavy..." her eyes closed from being overwhelmed. Within moments, she was asleep.

"Serendipity....I love you so much....never forget that, my princess..." A man's voice softly said.

"Zecon! No! Don't leave me!" A woman cried. There was a blast of light and Prince Zecon was engulfed in flames. Everything grew dark and a small chain floated around Princess Serendipity. She opened her hand and a small locket in the shape of a heart landed in her palm. She opened it and a small photograph of Prince Zecon and her lie inside, while a sweet soft tune played over and over.

"Remember my love for you..." Zecon's voice said.

"Always and forever, my love..." Serendipity said into the locket, and then a blast of green energy seized through her…

"Zecon..." Emochan said as she jolted out of bed. She looked at her clock, and it was a few moments before her alarm would go off. With a yawn she turned off her alarm clock and got out of bed. She jumped into the shower and put on her new uniform with a grumble. Stupid uniforms...why can't we just wear whatever we want? I liked it better in America when I could wear my own stuff, she thought. Once that was done, Emochan walked into the kitchen and fixed herself a quick breakfast and left for her walk to school. The sun started to rise, relaxing her as she strolled on the sidewalk. A roaring engine nearby sole her attention. A motorcycle sped past her down the road to school. Immediately she recognized it as the same man she saved in the battle the previous night. I saved a student? Uh oh...what if he recognizes me? I can't let anyone know my secret. Not even Reiko and Sakura. It might put them in danger. If more of those shadows appear, they might go after them because of me... Emochan thought to herself.

As her classes progressed, her heart began to feel heavy. Thoughts of the previous night and jilted memories of the past caused her to become depressed. Reiko and Sakura were out of town that day so Emochan decided to eat alone outdoors. As she ate, images of Prince Zecon swam in her head."Why do I feel so sad? Is it because of that Zecon guy? I can't be like this. I better visit Usagi and talk to her about all this…"Emochan said to herself. Tears started to roll down her cheeks.

"Hey, are you alright?" A male voice asked. Emochan glanced up to see Toshira gazing at her with worried eyes. She wiped her eyes quickly and sniffled.

"Yeah I'm alright, Toshira. I just had a stressful weekend and I have a lot on my mind, " she said.

"Mind if I sat down?"

"Sure, go ahead." Toshira sat down and smiled at her. Emochan's heart started to pound. "Why would you want to sit with me, Toshira?" Emochan questioned bluntly, looking down at her lunch.

"What do you mean?"

"…I'm a 'half-breed'..." Emochan said.

"What's a 'half breed'?" Toshira asked. Emochan looked at him.

"Everyone is calling me a 'half breed' because I am part Japanese and part American. I'm a freak," she said.

"Well, you being Japanese and American doesn't bother me in the least. I find it really cool, actually. I'd love to know more about America," Toshira replied with a smile. Emochan sniffled again. He handed her a napkin. "Here. Dry those tears of yours. Is that why you were crying?"

"No," Emochan said as she wiped her tears away.

"Then what's the matter?"

"I…I don't really want to talk about it."

"All right then..." He said and sighed. Emochan bit her lip as she looked at him. His eyes brightened. "Hey, I have a cool story to tell you! You won't believe what happened to me this weekend!" Toshira exclaimed. "Last night, I was doin' some night riding on my motorbike and this weird looking shadow thing started to follow me. I thought I was done for! But then this weird girl with wings flew by and battled the monster and saved me!" He said. Emochan's eyes widened. "I know it sounds fantastic, but I tell you it was real."

Oh...my...God... She thought as he continued,

"She was amazing! But she left before I could thank her. I wish I knew who she was. You believe me, right?"

"Uh...yeah. Sure. Anything can happen," Emochan said. She turned and forced a smile at him. Toshira grinned.

"Cool. You know, you're a cool girl," he said.

"Really? Arigato," Emochan replied. Toshira smiled and stood up.

"Hey, can I eat with you tomorrow?" He asked. "There's a great spot inside the school that we can eat at, if your friends wanted to come too."

"S-Sure," Emochan replied and waved to him as she left. Her heart skipped a beat as she returned to class. Lennichi-sensei seemed to jump as she smiled at the class.

"I almost forgot to remind you! This Friday night, we are having our annual Autumn Festival. Please come and participate in the festivities! It should be fun."

Festival, huh? Emochan thought to herself. I should make it a goal to speak with Usagi by then. Who knows if something weird will happen.

That night, Emochan called the twins and told them about Toshira's invite. They both sounded excited about it. She gave them the assignments that they had missed and said goodnight to them before going out onto her balcony.

"We are so small," Emochan said to the stars. "…just small specs on the planet. Why do forces want to conquer us? Can't everyone live in peace? The universe seems plenty big enough…" Emochan said as she took out her broach and examined it. "Such a small crystal...it holds such a grant power. Daichi...I don't know who you are, but Io have to find you," Emochan said and looked back out at the stars. "Stars in the night sky, guide me on my mission. Please, help me..." she pleaded.

"So, you must be Reiko and Sakura. It's a pleasure to finally meet you," Toshira said as he joined the girls in the school's atrium the next day.

"Hi..." Reiko said, a blush growing in her cheeks. Sakura smiled and giggled a little. Emochan smiled at her friends and gazed back down at her notebook, writing.

"Writing again? What is in that book of yours?" Toshira questioned. Emochan blushed a little.

"It is a love story between a vampire named Isabella and a human named Christian," she explained.

"Yeah! It's a really cool story," Sakura commented as she took a bite out of her sandwich. Toshira laughed.

"Sounds like a great tale. I can't wait to read it," He said. Emochan blushed slightly at his comment and continued writing. Some upperclassmen walked by and one gasped at Toshira.

"Hey Toshira-san, could I speak with you for a minute?" One asked. Toshira excused himself and walked over to his friend. Emochan watched them talking and could hear faintly what they were saying.

"What are you doing with those creatures?" The boy asked aggressively.

"Why do you care, Homiki? I felt like sitting with them. They aren't 'creatures', either."

"They must've brainwashed you. That Emochan girl is a half-breed! How can you stand hanging around a girl who pretends to be one of us?"

"Look, Homiki," Toshira said, his voice filling with rage. "I like Emochan. She is a very nice and sweet girl. She is much more talented and mature than you obviously are. She isn't a half breed, and if I hear you call her that again or tease her friends, I will rip that mouth of yours off and shove it up your ass where it belongs." Homiki looked at him in surprise.

"Fine then. If you want to treat me like that, I'll have you off the baseball team!" He scowled and walked off. Emochan's eyes widened.

He stood up for me? And he likes me…Me? She thought as he returned to the table and sat back down.

"Sorry about that girls. I had to tell a friend something," Toshira said and looked over at Emochan. "Emochan, are you alright?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Emochan recovered. Reiko and Sakura smiled as they finished eating their lunches. The bell rang and the group departed and went to their classes. As Emochan walked home, she heard the familiar sound of a roaring engine and gasped as Toshira pulled over to her on his motorcycle. He took off his helmet and flashed her a nervous smile.

"Hey, Emochan. Could I talk to you for a moment?" He asked. Emochan blushed.

"Is something wrong, Toshira?" Emochan asked. Toshira shook his head.

"No. I kinda wanted to ask you...uh...something..." He stuttered. "Um...would you...like to uh, go to the Autumn Festival with me?" He said. Emochan's eyes lit up in surprise.

"You want me to go with you?" Emochan said.

"Yeah. Would you like to go as my date?"

"Um...sure..." She replied. Toshira sighed in relief. Emochan gulped as she twirled her foot against the cement beneath her. "Um…I have a question, Toshira."

"What is it?"

"During lunch, I heard your conversation with that guy. You're gonna be taken off the baseball team because of me, right? Why would you do that?" Emochan asked. Toshira smiled at her, running a hand through his messy hair.

"I hate it when people make fun of others. Homiki is one of those bully types. I never liked his attitude. At any rate, I don't really care about the baseball team anyway," he said. Emochan blushed bright red. Her watch beeped and she looked at the time. "Uh oh! I need to go!" Emochan exclaimed. "I'm going to see my cousin. I'll see you later, Toshira!" she said and ran straight for Usagi's house. She knocked on the door and her aunt Ikuko answered it.

"Oh Emochan! I'm so glad you're here!" she said and gave her niece a hug. "You've grown so much!Emochan smiled. "Usagi is with her friends up in her room."

"Thanks, Aunt Ikuko," Emochan replied and ran up to Usagi's room. She opened the door and saw Usagi talking with five girls.

"Hey Emochan!" Usagi exclaimed with a smile. Her friends all waved and said hello. "You know Rei, Mianko, Makoto, and Ami from what I told you!"

"Hi," Emochan said shyly. Suddenly, she felt piercing pain in her head. Images of the five girls before her flashed in her head. First they were battling in their senshi fukus, and then they were in flowing gowns and tiaras. "You...you're Sailor Mars." she said to a raven-haired girl. Her finger went to another blonde. "And you are Sailor Venus. And you are Sailor Mercury." she said as she turned to a blue haired girl. Then she pointed to a brown haired girl. "And you are Sailor Jupiter. All of you are in Usagi's court when she is Sailor Moon." she said. The other girls all gasped.

"How do you know that?!" The raven-haired girl exclaimed cautiously.

"I know about you. I know who you are and what you are, because I am one of you, Rei." she said. She took out her broach and held it up.

"You're a senshi too??" Usagi said. "How could we not remember that, Luna?" She asked a small cat which was sitting on her bed.

"Not all of your memories have returned. I only started remembering recently…" the small feline said.

"I found out a few days ago. I was Princess Serendipity in the Silver Millennium. My mother ruled part of Earth while Endymion ruled the other." Emochan explained.

"Then you know about Morgana?" Luna asked. Emochan nodded and sat down on Usagi's bed.

"Yes. My mission is to find my brother Daichi, who was also reborn with us. And I also need to find my court. Then I can help you guys fight Morgana and her minions," she said.

"History enjoys repeating itself…" Ami said. Usagi shrugged.

"Wow...I can't believe you're a senshi, Emochan." Usagi said.

"I still can't believe it! I hope you guys can help me get used to this whole thing."

"We'll do our best!" Usagi exclaimed. She stared blankly into the distance for a moment before jumping up into the air in excitement. "Hey! Any of you guys got dates to the Festival?"

"Um…I'm going with Toshira..." Emochan said.

"REALLY?!" The other girls screamed.

"He's so hott!!!" Minako exclaimed.

"He reminds me of my last boyfriend…" Makoto said. The other girls sighed.

"What else is new, Mako-chan?" Rei said.

"He has a great body..." Minako said.

"He asked me today to go with him..." Emochan said, blushing.

"What are you going to wear?" Minako asked.

"I'm not sure. I don't really have anything fancy or dressy to wear…"

"WE HAVE TO SHOP!!! We can show you the cool stores!" Usagi shouted. The other girls all jumped up and nodded. "Tomorrow we'll go shopping!"

Emochan nodded. She looked at her watch. "Oh, I need to get going! Dinner's gonna be soon! I'll see you guys tomorrow!" That night she constantly thought of her past life. Even in her sleep, her dreams were filled of jilted memories and diluted conversations from the past.

After school the next day, Usagi and the others dragged Emochan to the local mall. They all went into different stores to try on dresses. Emochan liked a couple but most of them were either too expensive or not her style. In the final store, Emochan saw a golden dress with purple on the bottom like flames. The sleeves were like funnels, starting out arms size, and then increased in width The brown-haired teenager fell in love with it and bought it. She picked out a pair of golden high heels and a black necklace with an angel on it. The angel held a red rose and it was smiling. The others found dresses of their own and Emochan returned home, happy with her dress.

"Now I can't wait for the Festival!" Emochan exclaimed and watched TV, daydreaming.