*to the tune of Gilligan?s Island* Just sit right back, And you?ll hear a tale, A tale of a fateful storm, That swept on through Japan one day, Born from waters quite lukewarm. The storm raged down on the shore Of this uncharted fanfiction. With Angela, And Aimee, too. Tuxedo Mask, And his car. With Sailor Moon, Who belongs not to Us, don?t sue! Here on "Tempest Ardor!" * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * Tempest Ardor By Angela and Aimee Chapter One The air outside was thick with humidity as Darien Chiba sipped his morning coffee on the balcony of his apartment. His piercing blue eyes were serious as they surveyed the dark clouds building over the waters of Tokyo Bay. The clouds billowed, dark and ominous, plaguing the population of the five islands of Japan with fear and uncertainty. Darien skeptically scanned the impressive formations with the mind of a scientist. "Cumulonimbus," he muttered to himself, analyzing the seriousness of the slightly greenish cloud formation. "We're in trouble." Stepping back into his apartment, Darien's attention fell on the television where a camera crew was stationed near the coastline, struggling against pressing winds. Daring surfers could be seen behind them, riding enormous waves and invariably getting thrashed when the volatile surf forced them off of their boards. Shaking off the blow, they simply laughed, exchanged high-fives, and tried again. "This just in..." the newscaster announced, his toupee flapping wildly in the ocean breeze. A small television window opened up on the upper right hand corner of the screen, flashing up-to-date satellite images of an enormous circular cloud formation swirling in a counterclockwise motion towards the islands. "The National Weather Service has issued a Typhoon Warning for the northern regions of the island. This does include the city of Tokyo. I repeat, a Typhoon Warning has been issued. Conditions will decline rapidly over the next few hours. Winds of over 100 kilometers per hour are expected within the next 36-hour period, and storm surges in excess of 8 meters, or 20 feet, are possible. This is a Category 5 storm on the Saffir Simpson scale. Government officials have declared a state of emergency for..." The phone sounded, jolting the preoccupied Darien into reality and causing him to burn his tongue with an excessive sip of coffee. The young man stole away from the television, a finger or two in his mouth, gingerly inspecting his injuries. "Hello?" he spoke into the phone. "Chiba? Chiba, is that you?" "Uh...yes, sir," Darien said, straightening his posture as he recognized the resounding voice of his boss on the line. "I was just about to call you. What time will you need me at the office?" "Are you out of your mind, Chiba? Or simply suicidal?" boomed the demanding voice on the other side of the phone. "There's a typhoon out there! The office is closed!" A resounding clunk issued through the receiver, informing the slightly frazzled Mr. Chiba that his boss had hung up on him. "Thank you, sir. Have a nice day, sir. Please be careful, SIR," Darien murmured derisively as he carefully placed the phone on the receiver and arranged it perfectly on the desk. "I repeat," the newscaster continued, his toupee having completely abandoned him, his overcoat flapping in the gusty winds. "This is a very serious situation. Take all the necessary precautions. Canned food, water, and a safe shelter are vital in..." Darien clicked the television off and ran his fingers through his hair nervously. Swallowing the bitter remains of his coffee, he headed for the kitchen to wash out the offending glass and check his water supply. * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * "Give it a good whack, right dead in the center, Sammy," Ken Tsukino instructed his son, who was wielding a hammer in his right hand, his tongue sticking out of the corner of his mouth as he secured the final boards over the windows of the household. "This is so cool!" the giddy ten-year old exclaimed, hopping from the ladder and handing his dad the hammer and extra nails. "It's really gonna hit us this time?" Ken tried to keep his tone light to avoid frightening his son. "That's what the forecasters say. Tokyo could get hit head on this time. Hasn't happened since before you were born, and sis was a baby, but we've had plenty of close calls and loads of damage since then." He stepped back into the grass of the front yard to survey the work they had hastily thrown together. With an approving nod, he added, "Sure is good to have your help this time, son." Sammy grinned up at his father through sandy blonde bangs that were being whipped by the steadily increasing wind gusts. "Sammy! Kenneth! Are you two finished yet? You boys are making me nervous with all this thunder and lightning. Have you looked at the color of the sky?! Come inside this instant!" Irene Tsukino exclaimed from the front porch. Her stern tone lost all amplification with the steady, low rumbling of thunder and the losing battle she fought with the long dress that billowed about her legs. To her relief, her husband and son finally turned and bounded up the steps as another clap of thunder resounded throughout the neighborhood, accompanied by a jagged streak of lightning that lit up the sickening green-gray hue of the sky. A squeal from inside the house and the *thump* *thunk thunk* *thump* of footsteps down the stairs met the rest of the family as they hustled in the door, heaving it shut against the howl of the wind. Serena's eyes were a tad wider than usual as she clutched her stuffed rose-colored bunny, and they shone with something akin to the same emotions as her younger brother. But within that twinge of excitement, her deep sapphire eyes alluded to an inner battle between reality and doubt. She did not believe that an actual *typhoon*, at its peak of activity, was going to strike at the hub of the island, but she could not completely dismiss what she heard the weatherman say. Besides, she had watched as the man's hair was ripped unceremoniously from his head! "Serena, honey, take a load of canned goods and carry it into the storm room," her mother urged her gently. The 'storm room' was actually an interior room in basement of the Tsukino household that Serena's father had made sure was constructed for this very purpose. Reinforced with concrete cinder blocks, it had no nearby windows or electrical outlets to threaten lightening jumps. "But dad!" Serena exclaimed as they scrambled down the stairs with armfuls of non-perishable items. "What about flooding?!" "Sweetheart, where we're located, flash-flooding is the least of our concerns. We're not in any low-lying areas." "Okay..." "Tornados, you twit!" Sammy hissed. "They come in with the rain bands, and we're on a hill! It's like wavin' a torch and saying 'come and get us'!!" Serena swallowed the nauseous lump that lodged in her throat. "I *know* that, you brat!" she shot back, following her parents and brother through the basement and into the room. As their parents set up shop, Serena and Sammy huddled in the middle of the floor, silence enveloping them as harsh reality beat upon them with each creak of the house and crack after crack of thunder. * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * Darien struggled to close the sliding door of his balcony, having to put his whole weight into the task as gusty winds wildly blew unruly hair into his eyes. Taping up the windows and glass doors had proven to be quite the feat in the subtle fury of the approaching storm, but it would be worth it not to have broken glass blow in on him as the powerful inner walls of the typhoon swept the island. A resounding boom shook Darien's apartment as lightning struck nearby. The ruckus set off every car alarm in North Tokyo, filling the late morning air with a colorful plethora of beeps and honking horns. Darien cursed, digging in his pockets for his keys. His alarm was no doubt happily chirping downstairs in the parking garage, as it liked to do, especially in the wee hours of the morning. The phone rang just as the overwrought young man was about to leave for the garage to take care of the problem. "CHIBA!" roared the voice on the line. Darien recognized the voice of the apartment manager with a quiet groan. "Turn that damn car alarm off NOW!" "Uh...yes, sir. I'll be right down," Darien managed weakly. "You're a fool for staying up there in that apartment! A suicidal FOOL, I tell ya!" continued the old man who was no doubt shaking a fist at the heavens indignantly. "These typhoons aren't to be taken lightly!" "I know, and I..." "And another thing, you can't...when a storm..." Static buzzed and crackled through the line, breaking up the man's animated voice. Darien grimaced, shaking the phone in his hand lightly. "Uh, sir? You're breaking up. I can't hear what you're saying." "...car alarm...when I call the...come tow that piece of..." With a pathetic whine, the phone went completely dead in Darien's hand. Sighing deeply, he replaced the useless piece of equipment on the receiver and brought his aching head to rest in his palms. "Well, at least the lights are still on," he reasoned, trying his best to look on the bright side of things. Another deafening boom shook the young man's already raw nerves. The lights flickered off with a surge of power, and the sound of a transformer blowing in the distance could be heard. The apartment plunged into darkness, dimly lit only by the green-gray hue of the late morning sky through his balcony doors. Darien groaned, cursing himself for speaking too soon. "Great. Just PEACHY," he growled as he searched blindly for the door. "Looks like I'll have to take the stairs." * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * "Don't worry, kids," Ken offered reassuringly, as the storm room plunged into darkness with the power failure. Clicking on a camping lantern, he continued to fiddle with a small battery-operated radio. "We're perfectly safe down here." Serena frowned into her bent knees, which were drawn tightly to her chest, her two pigtails wrapped around her legs. 'I guess mom and dad are old hat at this...' she thought, gaining a miniscule amount of comfort. "...directed at...northern...of the main island. Again...excess of 100 kilometers per hour... accompany this extremely severe tropical storm, which could...surges..." More static washed out the man's voice before clearing slightly to muffled noises and the rage of the storm. The hair on the back of Serena's neck pricked instantly. Over the broadband, she heard screaming. The innate sounds of panicked cries sent her instincts into flames, and she nearly leapt to her feet without thinking. "Maniacs, those news people...standing out there to issue a live report until the very last minute," her father was muttering as he whacked the side of the radio a few times in an attempt to gain better reception. As he fiddled with the antennae, muttering about how it 'served them right', Serena pressed her knuckles to her mouth, staring intently at the floor. She could hear the broadcaster's screams as plain as day, even though in reality she knew they were barely audible over the crackle of white noise. Sammy's ears were pricked, too. "Hey!" he exclaimed suddenly. "I heard them say 'youma'!" Horror washed over Serena's now shivering form. A youma?! 'Of course,' her mind screamed. 'You even sensed it!' she gulped. 'Oh my God...' she whimpered inwardly as her fumbling hand clutched at the brooch at her chest. 'Could a youma cause all of this?' No... 'But it could keep helpless people from escaping to shelter...!' Anger flooded in with her panic as she realized what a situation had arisen. She had to... wait. Had to what? In THIS mess?! How in the world could she get away to transform herself, let alone, LEAVE the house? Serena's mind raced over her options, transforming in front of her parents not being one of them. But what else COULD she do? The other two senshi, Amy and Raye, had evacuated the island with thousands of others yesterday, and Luna was safe at Central Command. It was doubtful any of them had heard the screams issuing through the static of the broadcast. There was no other choice but to hasten to the aid of the idiotic news team. But how could she leave the house with her parents sitting only a few feet away? An idea slowly formed in her head. It would be risky, but if she played her cards just right... Without another thought, Serena leapt to her feet with wide eyes. "Luna! I forgot about Luna!" she cried out in alarm, knowing very well her kitty was perfectly safe. Her mother glanced at her disapprovingly. "Sit down, Serena. I'm sure Luna will be fine, and... come back here this instant! Serena!!!" But the golden child was already halfway up the basement stairs, and the heavy door slammed shut, drowning out the angered cries of her parents. Rushing outside into the windy mist of light, pelting rain, Serena threw up her hand, calling out the familiar henshin words. "Oh...my...gosh..." Serena?s mother breathed in shock as she stood on the porch, having run up the stairs in hot pursuit her daughter. "Whoa..." Sammy murmured, close behind. "I don?t believe it..." muttered the wide-eyed breadwinner as he stumbled up behind the stunned pair. Blinding lights and ribbons flashed through the air in a brief but spectacular moment, and the transformation overtook Serena quickly, leaving her momentarily breathless. Without another thought, the girl tore down the street. Whimpering, Irene wilted to the floor in a dead faint. "Serena..." Ken blinked, his voice cracking with an unmanly squeak as he gaped at the shrinking form of his daughter. At least, he THOUGHT it was his daughter... "DUDE!!! AWESOME!!!" Sammy shouted in excitement. He began merrily humming the melody of his Sailor Moon video game as he danced around the unconscious body of his mother. As she continued running down the frighteningly darkened street, Sailor Moon's ear picked up the muffled cries of her father as he frantically called out her name. * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * Darien managed to restrain himself from kicking the wretched car as it persistently honked a blaring horn at him. "Shut UP! For the love of God! I'll trade you in! I swear I'll do it!" Darien struggled to get his key into the lock, but since the garage had been plunged into darkness, it had proven to be quite a task. He shuddered to think of the undesirable scratches that the metal key would leave on the perfect paint. After a sea of curses and threats, the key thankfully slid into the lock, and the horn ceased its angry calls. "Finally..." Darien breathed with a sigh of relief. His ears were ringing painfully as he locked the opened car door and closed it carefully. "I just hope I don't have to do THAT again." Another deafening boom of thunder tore through his raw nerves, echoing loudly through the walls of the parking garage, and the car alarm promptly restarted with refreshed vigor. Darien leaned back on the hood with a petulant sigh of defeat. "God, have I done something to upset You? Why don't we talk this through? We can work this out, I'm positi--Oh!!!" Pain suddenly shot through his chest with a fury, cutting off his words with a cry of shock. He staggered in astonishment momentarily as he struggled to regain his composure. "Sailor Moon..." he whispered hoarsely, bringing a shaky hand to remove a single rose from the inner pocket of his jacket. The transformation into Tuxedo Mask was instantaneous. Unlocking the still-honking car, the masked man threw open the door and sped off into the storm, not knowing exactly where he was going. His sixth sense led the way. * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * The youma was not amused. After completely draining the energy of Mr. Toupee and a few unfortunate surfers, the horrified cameraman was on his knees in the wet sand, pleading with the scaly monster for every thing he was worth. "Oh pleeease, Mr. Youma! Don't kill me! I...I have money! I'll give it to you!" the scrawny man claimed in a voice plagued with a feminine lisp. He flashed his checkbook with shaky hands. "See? Lots of it! Surely the NegaVerse has bills to pay!" The youma responded with a grunt. "Shoo!" the panicky man cried, waving his arms frantically. "SHOO! Get outta here!" He squealed in terror as the massive form closed over him. Leaching onto his body with scale- covered tentacles, the youma proceeded to drain the man's life energy with blissful glee. "Hold it right there!" cried a challenging voice. A short-skirted girl stepped onto the wet beach, her long hair waving wildly in the strong gale. Angry eyes flashed at her, and the youma quickly abandoned the sputtering man to take care of more important matters. Whipping a long tentacle through the air, it struck the unsuspecting Sailor Moon brutally in the side, throwing her into the sand with a strangled cry of surprise and pain. Towering over the small girl's whimpering form, the youma attached its tentacles to her body and proceeded to drain her energy. * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * "Come on...COME ON!" Tuxedo Mask hollered as he raced towards the coast. He could feel her losing energy. She needed him. Badly. And if he didn't hurry, it would be too late. The dark man cursed loudly in frustration as a policeman standing in front of a roadblock waved his car to the side of the road. "I'm sorry, sir, but roads are closed because of the sto..." The flabbergasted man's words trailed off abruptly as he peered through the half-opened, rain-speckled window to see Tuxedo Mask glaring at him with wild eyes. "Move the damn roadblock," the masked man growled in a low voice. "NOW!" The policeman faltered. "I'm sorry, but..." The car door flew open, and Tuxedo Mask stormed out. Abandoning the car, he took off in a dead run towards the coastline. Towards her. "Hey! Get back here! You're committing suicide!" the police officer called out to him. "The first band of the storm is about to move in! HEY!!!" But the roar of the waves in the distance drowned out all other sound from the masked man's ears with the exception of the wild pulse pounding in his head. The dark clouds overhead unleashed their blinding rain, and the strong wind pushed him back, away from the coastline. He pushed onward regardless. "Hold on, Sailor Moon! I'm coming!" * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * Sailor Moon's vision was swimming dangerously as the youma continued its relentless assault. Lying helplessly in the wet sand, foaming spray from the angry waves and heavy rain quickly drenched her vulnerable body. A crashing wave overtook the struggling pair, and the youma held her head under the water viciously. The wave receded, and she choked on salt water as she thrashed under the youma's grip. But her struggling grew weaker by the second as her life energy seeped out of her body. The roar of the waves drowned out the sound of pounding footsteps on the sand, and neither the weakened girl nor the youma heard the fast approaching individual. Red lightning flashed through the darkened sky as a rose flew at the unsuspecting monster with startling speed and precision. It implanted itself deep in the youma's chest, and an unearthly shriek sounded over the rising fury of the tempest. The fiend fell back into the waves, away from the weakened Sailor Moon. Momentarily considering the impending danger of the storm, Tuxedo Mask decided to skip the witty speech. "Get the HELL away from her!" he roared, advancing rapidly upon the sputtering youma. A cane materialized in his gloved hand, and the enraged man dealt a severe blow to the side of the monster's head, driving it back further in the surf. "Tuxedo Mask...I can't...!" choked Sailor Moon, overtaken by a huge wave, which tossed her body mercilessly. "Help...!" The masked man cursed and abandoned the half- drowning youma. Fighting his way through the raging water, his arms surrounded the weakened girl, lifting her up. She pressed her sand-covered face to his chest, coughing and choking. Tuxedo Mask tightened his grip around her and turned his back on an incoming wave, struggling to stay upright as the water crashed into them. Gasping for air as salt water stung his eyes, Tuxedo Mask waded towards the shoreline, only to stop short as he felt his boots fall on a surface far removed from the feel of sand beneath the water. Concrete. "Sailor Moon..." he called out against the howl of the wind. "I think we've run out of beach!" The recovering senshi who was gripping the lapel of his tuxedo coat with clenched fists shifted in his arms to look at the ground. She squinted, then gasped as she realized with fear that the ground had been swallowed with swirling green-blue water and foam. "Come on!" Tuxedo Mask was shouting as he set her on her feet, taking her hand and tugging her through the torrent of water that had flooded over the beach and was now threatening the boardwalk and nearby streets. He nearly toppled backwards as she halted abruptly, her voice carrying over the roar of the ocean. "WAIT! Tuxedo Mask, the victims! We've got to help the victims!" He blinked behind the shield of his mask, dumbfounded with the weight of her cry. They were running out of time... He cursed long and fluently under his breath as he pushed through the flooding waters after Sailor Moon's back. Several feet down they could make out a few bodies, a prone Mr. Toupee and two others being tossed in the waves near the now nonexistent shore, and a weak, yet hysterical cameraman desperately trying to keep his head above. As Sailor Moon grasped one of the surfers by his long brown hair and began tugging him towards dry land, Tuxedo Mask plunged after the shrieking cameraman. His arm closed around the flailing man's chest, and even though he was weakened from the youma's attack, Tuxedo Mask strained to keep them both from being sucked under. He choked, gagging wretchedly as a bitter mouthful of salt water found its way into his nose and mouth, filling his protesting lungs. Another wave crashed down and sloshed the pair further up, giving the masked man an advantage in more shallow water. He grunted and hauled his cargo further, spotting Sailor Moon's form in front of him. She was already splashing in for another body before he could stop her. Tuxedo Mask gripped the sputtering cameraman by the shoulders and shook him. "How many were in your crew?" "Oh, my goodness, you have *saved* me!" cried the man, "Oh, yes, thank you, *thank you*..." "How many in your crew?!" Tuxedo Mask bellowed, panic gripping him as water had already begun to splash his legs where they stood. "Oh me, oh my...there were just the two of us!" the cameraman whimpered. Tuxedo Mask growled and hurdled back into the rising surf, his soaked cape weighing heavily upon his shoulders. Sailor Moon was nearly up to her neck now, kicking desperately in the raging water with the second of the surfers embraced in her grasp as she struggled to find the ground. Tuxedo Mask snagged her by the arm, pulling her towards him so that her boots finally contacted something beneath her. His cape and her long golden ponytails thrashed in the angry waves, and they could hear nothing but the incessant roaring of the ocean and the accompaniment of the growling skies. He was pushing her towards land once more, when he realized she was screaming silently at him. He peered at her moving mouth, trying to make out what she was saying as they fought the dancing waves. "One more!!" she was pleading. "There was one more!" He swung his gaze towards the blackened sea in terror. He couldn't make out anything any more. He shoved her and pointed resolutely in the direction of the street, making sure she was on her way before urging himself back in. Lightning lit his way precariously, his limbs betraying him in the cold depths. Sailor Moon bit back terrified sobs as she pressed forward, afraid for Tuxedo Mask as he dove back in, afraid for herself as she taxed herself beyond compare, afraid for the men they'd pulled from the clutches of the storm. Miraculously, she reached the water's edge, much further than the last time. The hyper cameraman had managed to drag himself and the unconscious surfer to safety. She dropped her water-logged bundle and stumbled around to look for Tuxedo Mask, relieved to see his shadowed form in the distance, something in tow. She pushed herself towards him, her heaving breaths joining his own as she gripped the long lost newscaster by his other arm to ease the burden. They cried out in shock as they were suddenly tumbled through a moving wall of water, their last survivor nearly ripped from their grasp. They were barely dragging themselves towards the quickly flooding street when the flashing of red and blue caught them by surprise. A Coast Guard Search and Rescue team had actually braved the first bands of the tropical storm, and was quickly shoving the attack victims into a single ambulance. "You two are SUICIDAL!" the emergency technician screamed at them as he pulled the last man from their trembling grasp. He did not catch the dangerous flash in Tuxedo Mask's eyes. And none of them saw the looming form that thudded against the drowning pavement and bashed into the side of the vehicle with an abominable shriek. The ambulance skidded to the side, hydroplaning easily on the water as it wobbled dangerously on two left wheels before it came crashing back down. "Get out of here!" Tuxedo Mask cried as he was knocked aside. "Go on!" he screamed at the driver, who was leaning out of the cab window and staring aghast into the driving wind and rain. "GO!!!" The vehicle teetered as the driver stomped on the gas, sending a wash of muddy water into the youma's face as it sped away. "Tuxedo Mask!" Sailor Moon yelped, rising slowly from the pools of incoming seawater. "Moon... Tiara..." Tuxedo Mask rolled adroitly to the side as two slimy, scaly tentacles slapped the flooded pavement where he had just been. The youma screeched in anger, desperately lashing out in need of energy to sustain itself. "Mag--OW!" A powerful crack ripped through the gales of wind and rain, jagged streaks of lightening illuminating the smoke-black sky as it opened up to drop balls of ice into the mix. "Hail!" The wind was whipping all about them in every direction, casting ice and rain upon them mercilessly. Tuxedo Mask grunted and held his arm above his head in a vain attempt to block the pelting of ice. The youma was screeching and stomping in a wild fit with the latest threat, barreling towards Sailor Moon as she wielded her tiara. "Sailor Moon--" Tuxedo Mask's cry was drowned out by another clap of thunder that shook the ground. The hair on his neck suddenly leapt on end, and his eyes grew wide as a white hot streak shot from the heavens to impale a nearby lamppost. The sizzling boom that resounded nearly knocked all of them off their feet, the metal post creaking and whining in protest as it came crashing down...a horrified Sailor Senshi in its path. She gasped, eyes widening in terror as she took in the sight of a snarling youma and shrieking metal both speeding towards her vulnerable, frozen body at the same time. "Oh..." "SHIT!!!" Tuxedo Mask cursed at the top of his lungs, finishing the weakly whispered statement for her. He ran like he?d never run before. Barreling into the stunned girl, he brutally slammed her body to the ground before the lamppost crashed into the flooding, hail-covered pavement with a deafening shriek of twisted metal. The wind was knocked out of the frightened girl as Tuxedo Mask?s weight crushed her into the ground, and she struggled momentarily against the demanding grip, pushing against the firm chest, thinking she had been pinned by the youma. Her eyes flew open to meet with her heavily breathing savior face-to-face. Their eyes met for a mere second as they lay on the ground, limbs interlocked and twisted, noses brushing together slightly, and Sailor Moon?s pupil?s wavered at the face hidden behind the mask. Tuxedo Mask broke the brief gaze, searching frantically through the heavy rain for the youma. A long breath was released from his heaving chest as he beheld the sickening but welcome sight only a few feet behind them. The trembling girl peeked over his broad shoulder, and her eyes widened at what she saw. Crushed under the heavy weight of the lamppost, the youma lay unmoving and silent, black blood seeping from its mangled body to mix with seawater and rain. "Well, that?s one way of going about things...!" the exhausted man commented, having to yell his words over the roar of the storm as he pulled himself and his companion to their feet. Closing a hand over her wrist, he yanked her possessively under his wet cape, shielding her from the rain and hail that poured from the black sky. "We need to find shelter! Fast!" "What?! I can?t hear you!" Sailor Moon shouted practically in his face. "Huh?! What did you say?!" Tuxedo Mask yelled back. The rain and hail ceased suddenly, and a frightening silence filled the empty street. "I SAID...!" the irritated girl shouted before falling silent in mute surprise, looking with huge, wavering eyes at the suddenly hushed black clouds that billowed and swirled overhead. "Where...where did the rain go?!" "I don?t know...but I don?t like it..." Tuxedo Mask muttered suspiciously, pulling the shivering girl closer to his body under the cape. A deep, guttural groan echoed in the distance, over the churning waves, and the blood of the two wide-eyed individuals ran cold at the sound of it. They turned as one body towards the raging surf that lapped at their heels, fixing unbelieving eyes on the tempestuous horizon of the ocean. A tiny finger of a cloud stretched down from the black depths of the tempest, inching its way towards the raging waters below. "Run..." a gaping Tuxedo Mask breathed as a low roar began to build, issuing from the twisting cloud. A sudden gust of hot wind blew at his face. "Tuxedo Mask..." Sailor Moon managed to whimper, fear pounding through her veins with a raging fury she?d never known. "RUN!!!" he shouted, pulling her with him as he turned on his heel and flew in the opposite direction. They struggled, stumbling and fighting their way through the shallow water that was now flooding Oceanside Boulevard. Behind them, the funnel cloud lightly touched the water, rose a few feet teasingly, and then joined with the churning sea once more. The black cloud lit up as ocean water was sucked into the waterspout. The low roar became a deafening scream, clanging and clashing like shrieking metal. Violent wind pushed the pair forward, and then dragged them backwards again. They struggled and battled against the volatile air stream as their feet pounded onto dry land. Sailor Moon screamed as the tornado slammed violently into the beach, turning black as sand and rocks were sucked up into the towering cloud. Tuxedo Mask?s eyes frantically searched the buildings before them, and he cursed loudly in fury. None of them would withstand the powerful winds of a twister. The flimsy, fiberboard buildings would be reduced to mere splinters once the violent cloud overtook them. But as the pair rounded a corner, a larger building came into focus in the distance. The masked man?s eyes narrowed, target in sight. Oceanside Mall. Home of Tokyo?s largest merry-go-round and future storm shelter for two seriously desperate superheroes. They raced down the long parking lot, the tornado pounding and wailing at their heels. "Your tiara!" Tuxedo Mask shouted to the sobbing girl he drug behind him. He cried out in pain as a piece of unidentifiable debris slammed into his side. "WHAT?!" Sailor Moon wailed in confusion, gasping for air as they pounded across the wet pavement. She squealed as she slipped and stumbled on the slippery concrete, but the strong hand that had affixed itself to her wrist pulled her up before she could hit the ground. "Power up your tiara! Aim for the doorway!" he ordered, his words nearly lost in the roar of the shrieking cloud that tailed them. Sailor Moon?s tear filled eyes saw the boarded- up and no doubt locked entrance of the mall and immediately understood that hitting it with her tiara would be the quickest way to get inside. She claimed it from her sweaty forehead and quickly took aim. The desperate cry of her attack was washed away as the billowing cloud ferociously tore and ground its way down the parking lot, twisting light poles and tossing street posts as it headed straight for them. The golden disk wavered slightly in the violent wind as it was released from Sailor Moon?s trembling fingertips, but it remained on-target nevertheless. Clashing head-on with the boarded-up glass doors of the building, the tiara tore through the entrance with a loud crash that was barely audible over the deafening shriek of the cyclone. Dragging her through the mangled opening the blessed tiara had left, Tuxedo Mask threw himself down upon the screaming girl, bringing them both crashing to the mercilessly hard tiled floor. Sailor Moon?s head hit the ground with a sickening thud. Glass and heavy debris showered down upon them as the tornado overtook the building with insatiable fury. * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * * @}->-- * *Angela and Aimee cackle in glee* BWAHAHAHAHA! Feel free to e-mail the insane duo to thoroughly chew them out for their annoying flair for cliffhangers. That?s moonlit_eclipse@hotmail.com! Hurry now! Operators are waiting. http://www.geocities.com/moonlit_eclipse/