For all of this Friday and possibly all of next Saturday, I am going 
to be in Conneticut to train at using a projector for my new job at a 
movie theater that will be opening here in mid-December.  I'll be out 
of contact for that period of time, but I won't leave without doing 
one last thing...

Here is a preview of an upcoming work (Warning: Not Spell Checked) 
and, if at all possible, I would like a good amount of C&C for it 
when I return.

(Puppy Dog Eyes) PLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAASSSSSSSEEEEEE!!!

The Flashman
May The Spirit Preserve You!
________________________

[THE NORTH POLE]

	The giant sky fortress hovered only a few feet over the deep, 
eternal snow.  The pilot looked at his instruments and called back to 
the large man standing at the open door and paying no attention to 
the freezing winds that blew in.  "Master," the pilot said, "it is 
inadvisable for us to stay here.  Our engines will freeze over in 
five minutes if we remain in this hover."
	"Then leave me," the man replied, "Return in two hours."
	"But, master..."
	"Are you disobeying me?"
	"Never, master.  We shall return in the time specified."
	The man jumped out of the plane's open door and then stopped by 
hovering mere inches over the snow banks.  As he flew forward, 
towards the opening of a dark cave, the man thought, "There is power 
in there... and power is MY birthright."
	The man could feel a source of dark forboding within the cave, a 
sense that something evil would claim his soul for some other purpose 
if he was not on his guard.
	It invigurated him.
	Only a few steps into the cave, waves of black energy flowed out of 
the shadows, seeking to overwhelm him.
	<I am Metalia.>
	<I am Beryl.>
	Both voices spoke at once. <You have broken the seal that has kept 
us trapped within the void of nothingness.  Now, we will use your 
mortal shell to rebuild our Dark Kingdom.>
	The man laughed, loud and long, as purple arcs of energy began to 
crackle over his form.  "I think not," he said to the air, "For 
though your true power is immesurable, you are weak from your long 
sleep and are easy prey to MY power."
	An explosion rushed out of the mouth of the cave and caused a two 
mile high tidal wave of snow in each dirrection.

[TWO HOURS LATER]

	Two men dressed in red armor with face covering silver masks, 
entered the cave.  "Master," the one on the left called out, "we have 
returned for you."
	The two of them gasped as a purple pillar of fire errupted to life 
in front of them.  The men felt their knees go weak and began to 
silently mouth prayers as a large, muscular, human figure moved 
within the flames.
	A familiar voice within the fire said, "Look apon me and fear not, 
my loyal soldiers.  For now, with this new power, the time of 
Shadowlaw has come!"
	"Vega-sama..." the two soldiers whispered.

PRETTY SUITED STREET FIGHTER:
SAILOR MOON
(With a grand nod to both Naoko Takeuchi and CAPCOM)
By: The Flashman (MXJK67C@Prodigy.com)

Short Translation Note: I am using the original Japanese names for 
the bosses so, for those not in the know, here's a little guide to 
who's who.

[American = Japanese]
M.Bison = Vega
Balrog = M.Bison
Vega = Balrog
Sagat = Sheky Rimshot [^_^]

[TOKYO]

	"No... stop!" the little girl cried, trying to place the black cat 
behind her back.
	The group of four high school boys, gang members, laughed and the 
leader, a young man with a scar running parrallel with his chin, said,
 "C'Mon kid, give us the cat so we can continue havin' our fun and 
we'll let you run home to mommy without any trouble."
	The small child stood resolute, with her chin stuck out in a defince 
that looked almost comical.  "No..." she repeated, "You're BAD!"
	"Ya got THAT right," another one of the toughs said.
	"Excuse me..." a voice behind the group said, "I have to go by here 
to get home."
	Suddenly, a teenaged girl drove the point of her right elbow into 
the stomach of the nearest gang member.  "Mind if I make some 'elbow' 
room?" she asked.
	"That's not very funny," the boy she had elbowed gasped.
	"Well then," the girl said, "if you don't like my side splitters, 
then how about..."
	The girl then slugged the boy in the face.
	"... my punchline?"
	"That's... not... funny... neither..." the boy said before his eyes 
rolled back in his head and he passed out.
	"Who the hell..." the lead gang member said, then got a look at the 
girl.
	"Let's see," he thought, "Age, about fifteen or sixteen.  Short 
brown hair.  Wearing a sailor fuku, red fighting gloves and a white 
headband.  Annoying smirk.  Fast mouth.  Even faster fists.  
Underdeveloped..."
	"Oh my GOD!" he cried aloud, "IT'S SAKURA THE BULLY DESTROYER!"
	The other two gang members went pale.  Sakura looked at them and 
said, "I suggest you appologize and then leave."
	The three nodded and with hurried, "I'm sorry"'s to the small girl, 
they picked up their friend and ran off, leaving a large cloud of 
dust behind them.
	Sakura sighed.  She HATED that title but it WAS effective in dealing 
with punks like them.
	Kneeling down in front of the little girl, Sakura asked her with a 
gentle smile, "You okay, kid?"
	The little girl nodded and held up a small black cat with a bandaid 
on the center of it's forehead.  "They were trying to hurt her," the 
child said, "I patched up her boo boo."
	Sakura took the offered cat and ripped off the bandaid.  At the 
little girl's protest, Sakura said, "I'm only checking to see how bad 
it is.  If it's real bad, we'll have to take her to a vet."
	Underneath the bandaid, there was a crescent moon.  Sakura blinked 
and then muttered, "That's gotta be the weirdest bald spot I've ever 
seen... OW!"
	The "ow" was because, at the words "blad spot" the cat unsheatehed 
it's claws and scratched her on the arms.  Sakura dropped the feline 
and the cat hopped up a near by fence.  Sakura turned to watch the 
cat go, but stopped as her eyes met with the cat's.  There was 
something in those feline eyes... something that seemed to be curious 
about her, judging her.
	Then, the cat ran off and the moment was broken.

[TEN MINUTES LATER]

	Sakura pushed open the front door and called out, "I'm home!"
	No answer.  Not that she had expected any.
	With a weary sigh, Sakura went to her room and placed her book bag 
on her bed.  That completed, she picked up a large locket, walked 
back outside, pausing at the front door again to call out, "I'm going 
down to the river.  I'll be home in time for dinner."
	Without waiting for a response she knew wouldn't come, Sakura left.
	However, she didn't notice the black cat that had begun to follow 
her.

	Sakura took her time getting to the river, using her slow walk as a 
way of going through an informal meditation.  She took in the chaotic 
order of the cars as they battle through rush hour traffic.  She took 
in the sight of children playing in the yard of a day care center.  
When she reached the park, she took in the beauty and magisty of the 
tall cherry blossem trees that were her namesake and the sturdiness 
of the thick oak trees.
	When she had finally reached her destination, she felt calm and 
collected enough to continue her self-training.
	Placing her locket around her neck, Sakura began a simple kata, 
losing herself in both the fluidity of the movement and her focus on 
what she would do the day she met Ryu.
	Two quick jabs, an uppercut, a forward kick, a roundhouse kick, a 
jump kick, a series of spinning elbow strikes and then to finish it 
off...
	"SHO-O-KEN!"
	Sakura rushed forward, fist at her side and then leaped into the air,
 performing the Shoryuken before landing on her feet.  "Someday," she 
thought, "I'm gonna be able to do it without having to get a running 
start."
	Sakura paused, wondering if she should try again what she had 
finally managed to pull off, for the first time, only a few days ago. 
 She hesitated because the power involved had been so intense, that 
she got the impression that only a Guardian Angel had allowed her to 
control it just long enough to release it.
	"Well," she muttered, "How else am I supposed to learn if I don't 
try?"
	Sakura began to inhale and exhale slowly, regulating her breathing.  
She closed her eyes, focusing only on the calmness of the moment.
	When she thought back on it, it was amazing that it had taken her so 
long to figure the secret out.  She had seen videos of Ryu, moving 
his arms in the way that she was doing, but had not been able to 
understand how he gathered that... energy, that he was able to.
	Then, watching a new video of Ryu that had a close-up of his face as 
he readied the move, she noticed how calm he appeared, how lost in 
the moment he seemed.
	The next day, she began practicing the arm motions again, but this 
time, she let herself go, slipping into a deeper medatative state of 
calm then she had ever reached before, focusing only on completing 
her task.
	That was when, as it was doing now, the small blue spheres of ki 
began to gather around her.
	Sakura continued moving her arms in opposite circular motions, 
crossing them at chest level and extending them until they were as 
far apart from each other that they could be, then bringing them 
forward until they crossed again.
	All the while, more of the small energy balls gathered around her, 
orbiting the upper part of her body, forming around the invisible 
circle her arms made.
	Then, Sakura felt a small jolt from deep within her.
	It was time.
	When Sakura's arms were once more at the farthest distance apart, 
she brought them dirrectly towards each other, until there was only a 
small space between them; a space that contained the ki energy she 
had gathered.
	She grunted with effort and grit her teeth as she went into a 
croutch and brought her hands to her side.  Her arms felt like they 
were on fire and she could feel the energy ball swelling... it was 
even stronger then the first one she had formed.  It had only been 
pure luck that she had been able to get rid of it before it blew up 
in her face, how could she get rid of this one in time?
	Then, like the first time, her vision unconsiously focused on a 
single point on the other side of the river, a tree.  Still in the 
croutch, she twisted her upperbody back and then whipped it, and her 
hands, forward.
	If someone had held up a mirror at that moment, Sakura would have 
noticed a glowing crescent moon on her forehead for a brief second.
	"HADOKEN!"
	The Wave Motion Fist blasted forth from Sakura's extended hands...
	... and sputtered out halfway across the river.
	Sakura sighed.  How did Ryu get so much distance out of it?
	From behind and below her, a shocked voice said, "You ARE the one 
I'm looking for..."