Chapter 4:

The Mysterious Duo

A blaring noise disturbed Emo's peaceful sleep. Her weekend of anxiety had ended and it was time for her to face Toshira for the first time since she asked him to be hers. She rushed to get ready and stood outside of her house. Checking her watch, she smiled as she heard a faint sound of a roaring engine. Strands of her long hair flew around her face as wind blew around her. Extreme cold bit at her. Her hands fidgeted, dropping her texts. He comes for you...for she wants you....help us... A strange voice whispered in Emochan's mind. Her eyes grew heavy and closed. A figure appeared with bright green eyes and fire-red hair. Fangs shined from her mouth as a grin appeared. "I want you, Princess..." the woman demanded. Her claw-like hands reached out for the girl. There was a louder roar nearby, causing Emo to open her eyes. She looked around her and took a deep breath. Everything was back to normal. As Toshira pulled up to her, she picked up her books and sighed.

"Hey there, beautiful," Toshira said, making Emochan blush. Her body felt warmer when she got onto his bike behind him. She laid her head on his back and closed her eyes, feeling the presence leave as they began to move. The couple arrived at Juuban earlier than expected. Emochan spotted Reiko and Sakura gabbing with Usagi and Makoto. Her hand was holding Toshira's. She felt butterflies in her stomach as all their eyes lay on the two. Toshira saw a friend and excused himself for a minute. Emochan shrugged and walked up to the girls.

"Why are you all grinning at me?" She asked, noticing their wide smiles.

"We were just saying how cute it was…" Reiko whispered.

"Huh?"

"About you and Toshira..." Sakura whispered. Emochan glanced over at Toshira. Her hand shook slightly as she pulled back some of her thick hair. Their eyes caught each other and he winked at her. She quickly turned back to the girls and blushed.

"So, are you two really an item?" Usagi asked, giggling. Emochan nodded.

"How kawaii!" Reiko said. Then the other girls walked into the school and Usagi ran to them, telling them the gossip. Emochan started feeling embarrassed and turned bright red. Then Toshira reappeared at her side with the boy he had been speaking to.

"Hey girls, I'd like for you to meet a good friend of mine. This is Homoto. Homoto, this is Emochan, Usagi, Reiko, Sakura, Ami, Rei, Makoto, and Minako," He said. "I got all your names right?"

"Yup! That's everyone!" Usagi gestured a thumbs up.

"Hello," Homoto said.

"He's an upperclassman as well. He just transferred here from his old school..." Toshira started to explain. Emochan looked at Homoto, feeling déjà vu. His brushy brown hair and brown eyes seemed familiar to her in some way. He smiled at her and she shook herself out of her feeling.

Classes went slow that morning, making Emochan restless. She could not get the vision from earlier that morning out of her head. As she sat down in the atrium for lunch, she felt light-headed. A pair of lips touched her cheek, making her smile a little. "Hello, Emochan," Toshira said. He examined her expression and frowned meagerly. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Everything's perfect," Emochan replied and took his hand and flashed him a more genuine smile. He sighed in relief just as Sakura and Reiko arrived.

"Hey there, you two." Reiko said.

"Hey, Reiko," Emochan sighed. Sakura sat down and yawned. Reiko joined her sister and grinned, opening her new Sailor V lunchbox. Emochan smiled at the ironic concept. Her skin started shivering suddenly as the same cold sensation as before returned. Time seemed to slow down to the point where everyone around her was frozen in place. In the distance, her eyes caught the sight of a strange man. He was tall and wearing golden armor with a matching helmet. She could not recognize him but felt as if she knew him. There was a long sword on his hip and a golden pendent around his neck.

"Sister...please find me...." the man pleaded. Emochan stood up slowly to inspect the stranger. He held out his hand in longing. Her feet moved on their own as she walked towards him.

"Daichi?"

"Serendipity...please...awaken me...before it is too late..." he replied as Emochan took his hand. Her pendant began to glow as well as his. She felt his eyes on her and her grip on his hand tightened.

"I will find you, Brother. I promise," Emochan softly said. The man started to fade away as time returned to normal. She closed her eyes with a sad sigh. "Brother..."

"Emochan?" Toshira asked. "You sure you're okay?"

"Hai! I'm fine, silly," Emochan replied as she ran back to the group and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek. As the day wore on, she decided it was time to pay Daichi a visit.

Emochan sighed a little when she got home. She told her mother that she was going to hang out with the girls and rushed out of the house moments later. The paper that Daichi wrote his address on flapped in the wind as Emochan ran to Daichi's street. She stopped at a nice-looking house. It was a light shade of orange and had flowers around it. There was a black car in the driveway. She walked on the cement trail in front of the house that led up to the front door. The front door was black and had a lightly orange tint color in the glass. Emochan pressed the doorbell and she heard it ring in the house. A couple minutes passed and Emochan heard footsteps by the door. Daichi's warm smile appeared from the opening door. "Hey, Emochan! What brings you here?" He asked in a cheerful voice.

"Um...can I talk to you?" She inquired.

"Sure. Come on in," he replied. Emochan walked inside and saw his walls covered in different kinds of artwork, martial arts belts, and certificates.

"Are you an artist?" Emochan asked, looking at the work. Daichi blushed slightly and nodded.

"Yeah. I do oil paintings in my spare time when I'm not taking karate," he said. "Please sit down." Emochan nodded and sat down in a chair in the living room. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well...This might sound weird but…I was wondering...do you have any siblings?" She asked. Daichi looked at her strangely for a moment.

"No, not that I know of. I've been on my own for a while. My parents were killed when I was young," Daichi sighed. Emochan frowned at the sad information, but noticed that he was wearing a pendant.

"Where did you get that?" She asked, pointing to it.

"Oh, this? I'm not sure. I've had ever since I could remember. I can't open it, though. It's sealed too tightly." Emochan stood and started to walk over to him. But her head felt a stinging pain as she sensed danger nearby. Not now! Damnit, she thought angrily. She sighed and looked at Daichi.

"I'm sory, but I have to go. I forgot I have to go do something for my mom. I'll visit again soon! Ja ne!" Her voice carried in the air as she ran out of the house, leaving a stunned Daichi.

"I was so close!" She grumbled to herself as she ran to the area where the trouble had been sensed. She heard a beeping and took out a small blue communicator that Luna had given her. She turned it on and saw Luna's little black face.

"Emochan, there's trouble at the shopping mall. A couple shadows are flying and stealing energy from the shoppers. Get down there quick!" She informed before her face disappeared. Without hesitation, Emochan ran behind a nearby building and henshined into Sailor Earth. Her body took to the air and she flew to the local shopping mall.

"AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" Peoples' screams were everywhere. Sailor Earth was almost trampled as she landed onto the scene, with crowds of people scattering about. Sailor Moon and the other senshi were already inside fighting the shadows. Sailor Earth summoned her glaive and joined the battle inside the food court. Just as they neared victory, the shadows froze in place, giggling wickedly. Suddenly, the shadows were multiplying in mass numbers all around the group of senshi.

"These ones are stronger than the others we have been fighting," Sailor Mercury. Sailor Earth glanced over and saw her visor appear, with sensors and data about the creatures appearing on the glass. Sailor Mars jumped into the air and threw scrolls at the new enemies.

"AKURYO TAISON!" She cried as the scrolls exploded, killing the shadows. The remaining shadows laughed as more multiplied in their place. A few formed a group and shot out purple energy at the fire senshi, blasting her across the area. She screamed as her back hit the glass of one of the many windows. She lost consciousness as she slumped onto the floor. A couple shadows flew over to her body and started draining her energy. Sailor Moon ran to the shadow sand tried to get them off of her.

"SHABON SPRAY!!" Sailor Mercury cried out, her attack creating a fog around the shadows. Sailor Jupiter helped Sailor Moon in getting Sailor Mars up and laid her on a bench. Another shadow flew at Sailor Venus, and Sailor Earth sliced it with her glaive.

"SUPMREME THUNDER!" Sailor Jupiter snarled as she shot electrical energy at some of the shadows. But the shadows began to multiply even more and more!

"There's too many of them! What are we going to do?" Sailor Venus exclaimed.

"MOON PRINCESS HALATION!" Sailor Moon screamed into the fog, using her wand to dispose of the shadows. The laughter of the enemies filled the air. "It's not working!"

We're horribly outnumbered! Sailor Earth started to panic as impending doom loomed over her head.

"CHAINED FATE!"

"SAKURA TWISTER!"

Chains of pink energy coiled around the shadow creatures, holding them in place. Then swarms of flower petals covered their bodies, smoldering them to death.

"Who did that?!" Sailor Moon cried. The fog from Sailor Mercury died down, revealing two strange sailor senshi. They looked familiar to Sailor Earth.

"We are the protectors of Serendipity, and we will not let Morgana's minions harm her," They said in unison.

"I am Sailor Estineon, the senshi of futures. I see that Morgana's future will soon be destroyed," The yellow-haired one said.

"And I am Sailor Astinia, the senshi of beginnings. Together we kill those that are evil," The pink-haired one stated. They turned to Sailor Earth and both bowed. Sailor Earth tilted her head slightly.

"I remember you…" she said as images of the two fighting off soldiers in the past flashed through her head.

"Welcome to the group, Sailor Estineon and Sailor Astinia," Sailor Moon said. "Looks like we found some of your court, Sailor Earth."

"Thank you, Sailor Moon," The two said and walked over to Sailor Earth. Sailor Mercury looked around, making sure the shadows were all gone. The people who had lost their energy slowly woke up in a daze around them.

"I think our job is done here. Let's get Mars home so she can rest." Sailor Jupiter said, picking up the unconscious girl and holding her in her arms.

"Yeah I'm beat!" Sailor Moon exclaimed. "Lets go," she said and the other senshi said goodbye and ran off in the distance. Sailor Earth turned back to Estineon and Astinia, but found that they had run off as well. She sighed and de-transformed.

Who were those two? They looked so familiar…she thought as she returned home.

That night, she looked out her window, deep in thought. "You have to be my brother….I have to get you to remember me, Daichi. You have to awaken," she said. "And those two new senshi….are they really my protectors? Why didn't they stay and reveal themselves to me? There's so many questions I have to find the answers to…" Emochan sighed.