Chapter 7:

Being Watched

That evening, Emochan dressed herself nicely for a Christmas dinner-date with Toshira at his apartment. As close as they were, Emo had not yet been to Toshira's home. Her eyes were wide with awe as she arrived to his seemingly-lavish home.

"I'm going to go cook us some dinner. Make yourself comfortable, Love," Toshira said with his trademark smile as he walked into his kitchen, leaving Emochan to admire the environment.

For a young man who lived on his own, Toshira kept himself very organized. The apartment itself was simple: single bedroom, cornered kitchen, single bathroom, a small balcony, and a wide living area. The living room was modern-style, with glass tables and silk-covered, black chairs. A black, leather couch sat in the middle, facing the fireplace. Emochan approached the mantel to admire the various photographs that decorated it. There were photos of the couple embracing, of Toshira playing baseball, and even a couple of him as a young boy. One specific photograph caught her eye; one of Toshira with his twin brother. The two were sitting on a teeter-totter together. Toshira's face was radiant and bright with a child-smile spread across his young face. His brother was pale, with a deep sadness in his big eyes as he limply sat on the playground ride.

How sad…Emochan thought as her fingers grasped the frame. Toshiro looks like a lost puppy. Is he the same even now?

"Dinner is all set! Join me in the kitchen!" Toshira's voice rang. Emochan sighed as she let go of the picture and joined him in the kitchen. As they ate, Emochan tried to figure out what to do about Toshiro. It made her head hurt. She decided to stop worrying about it, and by the time they finished eating, Toshiro was far from her mind. They spent the rest of the evening hours lying by the fireplace, cuddling and talking about memories past. When Toshira returned Emochan home, she felt a strange sense nearby, but could not pin point where it came from.

The next couple days were peacefully, yet busy. Daichi and Toma joined Emochan and her friends at a movie and snowboarding in the park. Emochan never knew that Tomaru was skilled on a board! Toma's band started to pick up more regularly-scheduled shows and invited Emochan and the girls to come watch them rehearse. When Mai (the leader singer) would perform, Emochan could sense something strange, but she often shrugged it off. As winter break passed, Mai became a part of the gang.

Finally, there was a great event to look forward to! There was to be a Split Time concert at the local café on the last Friday of vacation! The band practiced for hours every day leading up to the event. The day before the concert, while everyone was at Mai's house watching Split Time practice, Toshira brought Homoto with him. Homoto had been out of town and had been battling a very bad illness, but he had recovered enough to visit everyone. Emochan waved him over to join the rest of the group, happy to see that he had recovered.

After the rehearsal, the group ventured to the club where Split Time was to perform that night. Toma and Leon pulled out the equipment from David's truck while Mai and Wes helped them set up. Meanwhile, Emo and the others found prime seats and ordered drinks. "So how have you been, Homoto? I haven't seen you in a long time." Emochan said. Homoto smiled and sighed.

"Well, I had this really bad illness. I was in the hospital for a few weeks, and people thought I was going to die. But I pulled through. I stayed with some relatives over the holiday to recover. I'm just glad I'll be back in school in time for mid-terms."

"Well I'm happy to see you're alive and healthy," Toshira said as everyone else nodded.

"So…tonight they're performing at the club, and then tomorrow night they're doing the Christmas Jam at the KoubashiiCafé by the high school, right?" Minako asked. Daichi nodded.

"Yeah. Tonight they're going to try out some new songs and see how the audience likes them. Then what they audience likes, they'll play tomorrow night," Daichi informed with a smile.

"This is so cool!" Usagi exclaimed. "We know celebrities!" Everyone else laughed at her comment and Daichi sighed. The club started filling with people. As the band finished setting up, Emochan began to feel a little strange. It was if she could feel everyone's auras in the room. And for some reason, the same feeling from when Toshira brought her home on Christmas returned.

So many questions still left unanswered…I hope something does not go wrong. How can I go on pretending when I know that the others are in danger and aren't aware of their powers? She bit her lip at the thought. Please…someone help me figure this out…I don't know what to do…

A nudge against her arm pulled her from her thoughts. She turned and saw a concerned Toshira. Flashing him a smile to reassure him, she watched the band start their performance.

"Come on everybody! Clap your hands! Sing with me!" Mai cried out to the crowd and everyone cheered. She began singing as Toma and the others began to jam on their guitars. Mai's voice filled Emochan's ears and all the worries she had left her head.

"This is great!" Minako exclaimed. Makoto and Ami nodded. Rei and Usagi were singing the songs and dancing in the crowd. Daichi watched them and glanced at Toma every once in a while with a smile on his face. While Toshira and Homoto walked to the bar area to get more refreshments, Emochan joined her friends in the dancing crowd. After a few songs, the sense of being watched grew stronger until she felt a presence nearby. She stopped dancing and glanced around the crowd cautiously until her eyes met a pair of bright-green ones.

Toshiro! What is he doing here? Emochan thought as she raced through the crowd towards Toshiro. His eyes disappeared in to the back of the crowd. Emochan grunted as she slid herself past the sweaty, grinding, dancing bodies of those around her. She followed the force out into the night, finding herself in an alley beside the club. "Toshiro!!! SHOW YOURSELF, YOU COWARD!" She screamed, hearing her voice echo into the street. "Damn it!" She cursed herself when there was no response. The presence was gone but she couldn't help but feel hair standing at the back of her neck. Sharp pain struck her palms as her fingernails dug into her skin.

"Emochan! What is going on?!" Ami's voice echoed around her as she turned to see her friends running up to the alley. Emo's shoulders fell in defeat.

"Toshiro was here. He was watching us!" Emochan said angrily.

"What?! Where is he now?" Makoto growled.

"Gone. He's gone now….that coward is planning something," Emochan sighed.

"We aren't safe. We better have a meeting after the concert." Rei suggested. "Let's meet at the shrine." The others nodded in agreement.

"Come on, we should go inside before the others get suspicious," Minako said. Usagi took Emo's hand and pulled her inside. After the concert, the girls all congratulated Mai, Toma and the rest for their performance. The girls all pretended to be exhausted and excused themselves. Toshira and Homoto left for Toshira's apartment, Daichi joined Tomaru in cleaning up, and Reiko and Sakura left for home before curfew. Emochan followed suit, leaving the club. Without haste, she sprinted towards the Hino shrine to join the others. Hey assembled in Rei's bedroom, sitting in a circle on the floor.

"What should we do?" Usagi said with a yawn.

"There has to be a reason why Toshiro followed us," Minako said.

"Maybe he was targeting you again, Emo?" Makoto wondered.

"It has to be more complicated than that," Luna said. "Toshiro is working under Morgan, after all. Who knows what she is planning…"

"He is going to pull something tomorrow night at the café," Emochan said out of the blue. After a moment of silence, the other girls agreed.

"How terrible!" Usagi whined.

"We'll have to be on guard," Rei said.

"Everyone must keep a good eye on the exits and on the band," Luna said.

"Keep your communicators close to you in case something happens," Artemis instructed.

"Right!" Everyone said.

"Any luck with Daichi, Emochan?" Ami asked. "Seeing as you've been getting closer with him and all." Emochan frowned slightly and shook her head.

"No. I'm not sure how to bring his memory back. Believe me, I've been trying my best… but nothing seems to work."

"Don't feel discouraged, Emochan. I'm sure you'll find out a way," Artemis said.

"He will come around soon enough," Luna said.

"Thanks, guys. It's getting late, so I better head back home," Emochan said, standing up.

"Okay. See you tomorrow, Emo!" Usagi said.

"I'll meet up with you at the high school before the concert; I have some things I have to do beforehand," Emochan said before leaving.

The crisp, night air was refreshing as Emochan walked home. The full moon above showered light all around her. To think that at one time, Usagi was to rule the moon. It must've been so wonderful to live there, she thought as she passed sleeping homes. I hope that one day I can be just as good of a ruler, if that ever comes to pass.

Her mother was already in bed when she got home, so she silently tiptoed up to her bedroom and went to sleep.

"Emochan…Princess…why can I not see you? I feel so alone…" She heard a voice in a void of darkness. "Sister….I am near….find me please….awaken my power….great danger approaches….let me fight….." The voice said. Then with a flash of light, two shadowed figures appeared.

"Princess Serendipity, we are your protectors. We would gladly sacrifice out lives for you..." One said. The other figure took a step forward. The two were silhouetted by a radiant gold glow from the distance.

"Princess, we are sworn to be your body-guards; your court. But you are missing two of us. In order to fully protect you, the court must be complete…" The other figure said. Suddenly, it grew cold around Emochan and a dark figure loomed above the two figures; piercing green eyes glowing evilly. The two figures below shrieked in pain as they faded away. The looming figure only laughed in triumph.

"You will not win, Sailor Earth! Morgana will crush your power and steal your souls for energy. I will enjoy ripping your flesh to shreds and turning your bones into dust," the figure laughed.

"NO!"

Emochan cried as she woke up from the horrid nightmare. She looked outside and saw the sun glimmer through her curtains. Just a dream…no….a nightmare, the brunette thought as she got out of bed. She couldn't help but shiver as she got dressed. When she put on makeup, her eyes took a deep look at her reflection in her mirror. I won't let you win, Toshiro. You will be disappointing your master tonight, she thought to herself.