Gaijin 

	Part 26

	Alone in the dark.

+++++++++++++++++

	Ami Mizuno knew she was in a very bad situation. Something was killing
people in the hospital and she was fairly certain it was on the same
floor as she was. The total darkness gave little hope of finding a way
out quickly, and her hand was still unusable. The only positive thing in
her situation was the fact that her communicator lit up the hallway for
about five feet in front of her. 

	No one was picking up.

	"Come on. Damn!" she whispered urgently. She had her hand pulled up
against her chest; the spike was still lodged in it. Pulling it out
would have to wait until she found a way to bandage it up properly. That
wouldn't be too hard, after she escaped that is.

	She could hear things moving in the darkness. The hallways stank of
bedpans and stale air. "Please. Someone answer me. I'm in trouble damn
it."

	"Your mother would scold you for using such language."

	"Oh no," she muttered quietly as she turned. 

	"Ami?" a small voice crackled through the air. "Are you there?"

	"Rei!" cried the girl as she backed into a wall and looked into the
screen. "I'm..."

	"You broke the rules. No radios allowed. Guess what your punishment
is?"

	Ami screamed in terror as something grabbed her wrist in the shadows.
She never saw what it was that grabbed her and pinned her armed to the
wall.  She hung there suspended by one hand with her feet dangling
inches above the ground.  Her communicator clattered across the ground
noisily. "No! Get away from me!"

	"Hmmm. So young, so sweet."

	She could hear Rei's desperate attempts to reach her, and the monster's
heavy breathing. It looked like nothing more than a living shadow, a
silhouette against the light from the faint light of her lost
communicator. It was simply holding her against the wall. Slowly it
raised a clawed finger and gently scraped down the side of her cheek. 
"Sorry. She can't take any calls right now." It pointed at the tiny
device on the floor, and the room was once again flooded with darkness.

	"I don't want to die," she whispered fearfully.

	"Who really wants too?" replied the thing. "Death comes for us all,
some sooner than others."

	"I can't die like this," she whispered through her tears.

	"Oh, but you will."

	A sharp pain exploded down her arm as she felt the flesh of her
uninjured wrist being torn into by what felt like sharp spikes. The
monster was giving her tiny stabs while he held her. She gritted her
teeth, unwilling to scream despite the pain.

	The monster paused as if something had caught its attention. 

	"I will not...I will not die this way!"

	"What?!" snarled the thing as the temperature in the room dropped
suddenly.

	"Shabon Spray!"

	A silvery mist filled the air and the creature cried out in angry rage
as it clutched its face, releasing her. She hit the ground and rolled to
the side. The sound of the wall beside her being torn to shreds in an
instant filled the air and she could feel the tiny chunks of plaster
flying through the air as she struggled to crawl away. Both of her hands
were now useless and she pushed her chest along the ground by pedaling
her feet. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity she managed to get
to her knees and push herself up to her feet. Her wrist was slick and
hot despite the chill that now filled the air, she could feel her hair
beginning to mat itself down from the cold mist that filled the air now. 

	The monster was whipping itself around violently, and smashing anything
it touched just behind her. She could hear the sound of metal being
ripped apart and felt the dull thump of holes being smashed into the
walls behind her.

	She tried desperately to control her breathing as she staggered away
from the thing as it continued its tantrum. She could barely feel
anything, there was no pain registering from either one of her hands,
and her legs had gone almost completely numb. She could barely stagger
away from the scene in the darkness and repeatedly ran into
unidentifiable things in the hallway as she simply pushed herself to
walk in any direction.

	She leaned against the wall, hoping to find some stability to keep
herself standing. She took three steps and collapsed into a swinging
doorway onto the ground. It slammed back into her ankle and she almost
screamed again in pain. She pulled herself along the floor and grabbed
something thin and cool as she crawled further into the darkness. It
clattered to the ground noisily and she heard the sound of small metal
objects clattering across the ground. A large metal pan filled with
water impacted on her back, but it didn't hurt much. 

	The girl struggled to sit up as she found herself next to what seemed
to be an operating table. With her back against it she closed her eyes
and gasped for breath in the pitch black. A small whimpering escaped her
lips as she simply remained still for a moment. Both of her hands were
resting on the ground on either side of her. She shifted her left hand
in order to stop irritating the spike that still impaled the remains of
her flashlight into her hand. The pain lessened somewhat once the hard
sharp object was no longer in contact with the floor. 

	"What am I going to do?" she thought to herself. She had no clue how to
deal with this situation. She couldn't even run away in her condition.
She shifted her left hand again and realized that it was resting on top
of something soft. She seemed to realize all at once that she was in an
operating room of sorts, and for the moment she had lost that monster.

	She reached down with her other hand and grabbed a small roll of
something soft. She'd just found a roll of bandages, probably knocked
over from her entrance. Her right hand was still functioning somewhat.
The thing hadn't cut the artery, and most of the damage was superficial.
Her left hand was another matter, and neither one would support any kind
of weight. Still, if she was in an operating room. That meant there
would be enough to at least temporarily bandage her wounds. She started
to wrap the bandage around her right hand carefully. She'd need more
before she could pull the spike out of her other hand. She'd already
lost a lot of blood, and she wasn't getting any stronger. Still, this
would at least help keep her alive a little longer.

	After she'd finished wrapping her wrist, she started to fumble around
looking for the far wall. She found it easily enough and began to tear
through the drawers of a large cabinet. After several moments she found
what she was looking for, gauze and bandages, lots of them.

	She grabbed an armload and felt around for a counter. It didn't take
more than a few seconds to find one. Once there she spread her supplies
across the countertop. 

	She paused for a moment as she laid her left hand on the counter and
gripped the sharp spike with her other hand. She couldn't grab it very
firmly at all. "Okay Ami. You can do this," she whispered to herself.

	She closed her eyes and tensed her body as she gripped the spike as
hard as she could. She knew that what she was about to do would really
suck.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

	"Ami?" muttered Rei as she looked down at her communicator.  "Hey! Hold
up!"

	Minako, Makoto, and herself were all navigating the destroyed streets
of Tokyo. They had all decided to keep moving towards the distant
explosions. Jumping across the rooftops didn't give them the speed that
the other combatants had though and they fell miserably behind.

	"What the hell is going on here? Are you sure that was Usagi?" grumbled
Makoto as she and Minako moved in closer to their comrade. 

	Rei frowned at her. "We'll deal with that when we get there." She
opened her communicator and spoke to the face on the other side. "Ami?
Are you there?"

"Rei!" cried the girl as she stared into the screen with horror clearly
written on her face. "I'm..."

	"You broke the rules. No radios allowed. Guess what your punishment
is?"

	Ami screamed in terror as something knocked the device to the ground.
Her communicator clattered across the ground noisily and left no clue
about the other girl's fate except for the audio. "No! Get away from
me!"

	Rei was as white as a sheet by this point. 

	"What's going on?" asked Makoto as she seemed to realize something was
wrong. "Rei?"

	"What's wrong with Ami?" cried Minako as she pushed herself against Rei
in order to take a look.

	"Hmmm. So young, so sweet."

	"Ami! Ami pick up!" cried Rei as she shoved the blonde away and tapped
the buttons repeatedly.

	"Sorry. She can't take any calls right now."  The line went dead
immediately after that.

	Rei fell to her knees a she clutched the small video communicator in
her grasp. "Ami! Ami! Answer!" Her cries were met with nothing but
static.

	"We have to help her!" cried Makoto as she rushed up to Rei's side and
forcefully pulled her to her feet.

	"What's going on?" asked Minako in a small and frightened voice.

	"Where was Ami supposed to be today?" asked Rei as she pulled away from
Makoto.

	"She said something about spending the day with her mother. She's still
grounded remember?" offered Makoto. 

	"The hospital," muttered Rei as she started running.

	"Let's go!" snapped Makoto as she followed after Mars instantly.

	"Hey! Where are we going?!" called Venus in confusion. "What's going
on?"

	"We'll explain later! Ami is in trouble!" snapped Rei as she glanced
back at Venus. The girl's confusion wasn't something they needed to deal
with right now. "We have to find her."

	"I hope she's there, we don't really know if she ever made it to the
hospital or not."

	Rei's frown deepened, the background was pitch black in the image she'd
seen.  She could only hope that was where her friend was. 

+++++++++++++++++++++++

	Ami Mizuno stumbled through the darkness yet again. She couldn't just
hide and wait for it to find her. Whatever it was, she'd pissed it off
royally and it would hunt her down. She had to keep moving and hope she
didn't run into it again. 

	The air was dry and stale throughout the building. Losing power had
basically cut off any airflow in the building. It was growing hot, and
every breath she took seemed to take in less oxygen. She fumbled into
another doorway along the hall and ran her hands across it. 

	It was a stairwell door. She quickly pushed it open and dove inside.

	"I knew if I waited by the stairs long enough you'd stumble your way
across me again."

	Ami froze with her hand on the guardrail. There were seven stairwells
that covered most of the building. She had found this one.

	"I'll bet you're wondering so many things. How did he know I'd pick
this one? Is he above me or below me?" The thing let out a hissing
chuckle as it laughed at her. "Make your choice kid. You've got ten
seconds to run. Oh, and by the way. In case you haven't figured it out,
I can see in the dark."

	Ami growled angrily as she looked up and down the stairs. She had to
figure out where she was going to run. A single thought made the
decision for her. "Mother." She was here, in the building with this
thing.

	Ami raced up the stairs as fast as she could. She was winded and hurt,
holding the guardrail was rubbing her injury and she raised her other
hand and put it against the wall to help keep her balanced. The pain was
an afterthought though. Her entire focus was on keeping her legs moving.

	"Time's up!" called the thing from below her. 

	She stopped suddenly as the hand she was brushing along the wall
impacted on something, sending new waves of agony down her arm. She
grunted and fell to her knees as she clutched her wrist.

	"Aw, did you fall down?" it was closer now, slithering after her at a
lazy pace once again. "That cold trick is neat, but it won't save you
little girl. Not from me."

	Ami stood up and braced her back against the wall. She jammed her elbow
into what she now realized was a fire hose. Gripping the nozzle she
jerked the lever and turned on the flow. The remains of the hose
inflated and flew out of the small cabinet that housed it. "Come on!"

	"What are you going to do with that?" hissed the thing.

	The girl narrowed her eyes; it was right in front of her. "This." She
blasted the area with water and heard the beginnings of an unimpressed
laugh. 

	It stopped laughing when she placed her hand over the stream of water
as a soft blue light formed around her bandaged palm.

	Ami could hear the crackling of the ice forming. Slowly she backed
away, while spraying a thick coat over the area behind her. Within a
minute, a solid wall of ice blocked the stairwell. She turned the water
off and tossed it to the ground. 

	Gasping for breath she fell to her knees and clutched her chest. Tears
began to fall down her face as she tried her best to catch her breath.
She froze and stopped her panting the instant she heard the first crack.
"Oh no." Staggering to her feet she turned around and started to push
herself into running up the stairs again. 

	In the darkness, the black ooze began to seep through the growing
cracks on the chunk of ice, pushing the cracks slowly open.

+++++++++++++++++++++

	Jupiter was looking off into the distance at the huge smoking area near
the bay. "What the hell was that?"

	Rei stopped long enough to grab her arm and push the distracted Minako
forward. "Worry about it later! Ami needs us!"

	"R-right," muttered Jupiter as she focused her attention on the current
mission. 

	"Hold on Ami, we're coming," said Rei quietly.

+++++++++++++++++++++

	"Come on Ami. You have to keep going..." muttered the girl to herself
as she leaned against the guardrail. It was the second time she had
almost collapsed. She struggled to pick herself up and wobbled on her
feet for a moment.

	She pulled her head up and shielded her eyes as she found a light
shining directly onto her face. "People?" she muttered hopefully.

	"Hey! What are you doing in...?" said a male voice as the door opened
in front of her. "A Sailor Senshi?"

	Ami ran towards him, pushing him back through the door. Other people
with flashlights were standing around in the hallway and quickly
diverted their attention towards the scene. 

	"What's going on?" said one of the nurses as she neared the growing
crowd of men. She paused when she saw the condition of the girl in front
of her. "What? Are you all right?"

	Ami was struggling to speak through her tears. "There's no time. We
have to get away. It's coming here."

	"Hey. What happened?"

	"You don't understand. There's something in the stairwell," the girl
turned her eyes towards it fearfully and tried to scramble away from the
door a bit more.

	Three men were keeping her pretty much in place though and they tried
to calm her down. "It's all right. You're with us now. What happened
down there? Have you heard anything? We've sent people down, but they
haven't come..."

	Ami slapped him hard across his face; it took a moment before she spoke
any more for her to bite down the pain from doing it. "Shut the hell up
and listen to me! Anyone you sent down those stairs is dead! There is
something down there, and I couldn't stop it! I've slowed it down, but
it's coming up here and it will kill all of us. I am not wearing this
outfit because it looks pretty!"

	The men around her backed away a bit in reaction to her outburst. 

	She calmed considerably and stared them all down. "If we don't get out
of here quickly we'll all die. Is that clear enough for you?"

	"I think you've explained things quite well. The quiet was fun, but now
it's time for the real panic to start."

	Ami slowly turned to look in the stairwell doorway. Several flashlights
fell to the ground, but most of them stayed trained on the thing that
stood before them.

	It seemed almost like it was made of liquid. It's skin jumped of and
back onto it's body excitedly, occasionally taking on sharp edges as it
did so.

	"Oh shit," said one of the men in the hallway.

	The monster jumped forward and stabbed him in the back with its
fingers. They elongated and extended several inches out of his chest.

	Ami followed the example of the rest of the crowd, she ran. The group
didn't stay together and she found herself running just behind two
flashlight-carrying men. She could barely keep up, and the two men
weren't in the best of shape. Both of them were in their forties and a
little overweight. 

	"Come back little girl! We're not through playing our game yet!" cried
the monster as he dragged the headless body of the nurse through one of
the fallen flashlight beams. It dropped its fallen prey and jumped after
Ami. "You'll not get away this time!"

	The senshi screamed as the hissing sound of small darts filled the air.
One of the men fell forward in front of her. She couldn't stop in time
and tripped over his body. Her legs exploded in pain as they raked the
half dozen large and very sharp projectiles that were jutting from the
man's back.

	She grabbed his light as she staggered to her feet and turned away from
the survivor. "What floor am I on?" she gasped as she twisted and turned
through the hallways. She could hear it behind her, but it was still a
good distance behind her. 

	She stopped and shined her light on the stairwell door that was now in
front of her. She could hear people screaming behind her. It was
actually taking the time to stop and kill other people while it was
chasing her. She turned away from the stairwell door walked down the
hallway slowly, shining her light above each door.

	She smiled as she saw several hazard decals on one of the doors. It was
exactly what she needed. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++

	"There it is," muttered Jupiter as they looked up at the towering
hospital. People were running around screaming and crying as they
pointed up towards the building. There were no police vehicles in sight
yet, but they could be heard in the distance.

	"The police will be here soon, we need to work fast," said Rei firmly
as she started towards the doors. They were open, and only darkness
could be seen inside. People were rushing out of the building in a hurry
in a trickling flow. Most of them were screaming in terror. 

	Minako swallowed nervously as she followed after her friend. 

	Makoto put a hand on her shoulder. "If Ami really is in there, she
needs us."
 
	"That doesn't make it any less scary," muttered the girl as she started
jogging with Makoto in order to catch up.

+++++++++++++++++++

	Ami stood with a frown on her face in the doorway. Her flashlight was
shining down the hallway and she waited patiently. "Come on." There was
no other way into the hallway, and no way out should her plan fail.

	"I know you're standing there waiting. I've been here for a while you
know." It stepped around the corner and simply stared her down with its
cold white eyes. "What are you going to do with that oxygen tank little
girl?"

	Ami frowned as she readied the nozzle and pointed it at him. She had
attached a hose to it and the tank started to make a low hissing sound.
She also managed to get a lighter from one of the desks and held it
ready in one of her hands.

	"Oh. I get it, a flame-thrower, very neat trick. However, I think
you'll find it kind of hard to get me from way over there. I'm betting
you're not strong enough to drag that after me either."

	"You're right," said the senshi firmly as she lit the torch, the
plastic tube quickly started to burn away. She kicked the tank onto its
side and glared at the monster. "That's why it makes a better bomb."

	The thing jumped over the tank and back around the corner. A clanging
sound caught its attention as the tank rolled into a handcart with four
more of them piled together. "Ouch."

	Ami dove into the storage room and rolled away from the door. A split
second later the hallway was torn to shreds as the tanks went off. A
giant ball of fire engulfed everything outside the door. The girl
screamed as she cowered behind the wall and clutched her head. 

	She breathed heavily as she pushed herself to her feet. The monster
definitely wasn't happy if he lived. She had to get out of there now.

	She staggered through the door clutching her shoulder. It was just a
scratch, but a piece of shrapnel actually penetrated the door and put a
long gash across her shoulder. 

	Slowly she stumbled across the small fires that still burned in the
hall, mostly flaming debris. The far wall was gone, revealing the
remains of an office on the other side. She swept her flashlight across
the floor as she walked, looking for some sign of the creature.

	Something on the floor twitched and she stared at it for a moment. A
small burning piece of rubble was sitting on top of a small puddle. It
was emitting a tiny high-pitched squeal that she could barely hear. The
stuff was moving around wildly, but appeared to be pinned down and
helpless. Slowly it started to relax and the movement died down. The
liquid started to boil and smoke in the flame.

	"Fire," she whispered as she watched it die.

	Her head snapped up as she heard something moving. It appeared to be
only debris shifting around from the blast. A few chunks of ceiling fell
away and she walked towards the disturbance while shining her light
upwards.

	She froze and stared at the huge hole that had been ripped into the
ceiling to the floor above.

	Her mother was on the next floor up.

	"Oh god no!" she whispered in horror as she turned towards the
stairwell.

+++++++++++++++++++++

	"What the hell is going on down there?" grumbled Dr. Mizuno as she
rubbed at her temples in frustration. She felt so damn helpless. No one
had come up with any information about what happened. A few of the lower
floors had actually sent word of expeditions to the lower floors to find
out. No one was coming back. Whatever that boom was couldn't be good
news. 

	Everyone had been taken surprise by the explosion that had taken place
a moment before. It was growing more difficult to keep everyone's nerves
calm.

	She was sitting in a waiting room with about a dozen other staff
members.

	"Something is wrong," muttered one of the nurses nervously.

	"That doesn't matter. We need to stay calm; there are a lot of people
in this building. It would do more harm than good if we all started
panicking."

	"Good. That's what I'm here for," said a menacing voice in the
darkness.

	"What the?" said one of the male doctors as four or five people turned
their lights towards Dr. Mizuno.

	"Holy shit!" screamed one of the other men at what they found. Two of
the nurses started to scream as well.

	Dr. Mizuno was being held by some kind of monster. It had its claws
wrapped around her chin and was pinning her arm behind her back. The
woman was too frightened to speak or fight back.

	"Hmmm. You look familiar..." whispered the thing into her ear. "Much
better developed though," it hissed as a tendril of whatever it was made
of squeezed her right breast. 

	A firm voice filled the room. "Let her go."

	"Ah. If it isn't my new favorite toy," chuckled the monster. "You're
quite inventive little girl. I almost didn't escape that last trap of
yours."

	Sailor Mercury was staring the monster down hatefully. It was
protecting itself with her mother. 

	"If you hurt her..." growled Ami.

	"Don't be foolish. I'm going to kill her and there's nothing you can do
to stop me, then I'll kill you."

	The older woman's eyes were staring forward. "Ami, run!" she screamed.

	"No," replied her daughter simply. "You let my mother go, right now."

	"Or else what? You seem to be out of oxygen tanks. Maybe you'd like to
freeze your mother to death for me?"

	The girl was shaking with rage. She was helpless to stop what was
taking place before her. Her powers were weak; she couldn't protect them
with fog. She clutched at her head. "Stop it!"

	"No," said the monster as it began to cut a line down her mother's
chest, starting just below her neck and cutting through her clothes as
he moved his finger down between her breasts. The woman struggled
violently, trying to escape the pain. She screamed and kicked, but the
monster held her firmly.

	Something inside Ami Mizuno snapped. The thing didn't know it, but she
wasn't speaking to it. "I am the senshi of Mercury." Her voice became
calm and almost cold.

	"Big whoop. I'm gonna skewer your mommy!" The monster poked its finger
through the woman's skin three times as it said this.

	Ami stood tall and her gaze was firm. The ring of doctors and nurses
watching backed away a big more as a soft blue glow began to form around
the girl's body. She pointed her hand at the monster and frowned.
"Shiva's Needle."

	"Eh?" muttered the monster in confusion.

	Dozens of sharp ice spikes shot forward from Mercury's hand. Her
mother's eyes went wide as they froze in place and actually hovered in
front of her chest. The monster had moved her mother to block the
strike.

	"Now that's impressive. I'm still in control though."

	"Are you?" hissed Mercury coldly. The room felt like a freezer now.

	"Rrrrrrrr," growled the monster as it backed away and pulled Ami's
mother with it. It jerked to a stop as its hand actually slipped off the
girl's mother. It looked down at its claws. "Ice?"

	Ami's mother was becoming completely covered in ice and the girl walked
forward with her eyes full of rage. 

	The creature slipped back, but quickly regained its footing as it
realized that the ground was being covered in a thin layer as well.
"Neat trick."

	"Thank you." She raised her hands again and blades and spikes of ice
began to shoot from the walls and floor, all of them aimed at the
monster.

	The creature flipped around them and smashed through them with it's own
tentacles and claws. A few of them caught it and knocked the thing
around a bit. The sharp edges didn't penetrate, but the monster was off
balance and unable to counter as it took a heavy beating from the
attack.

	"I've had enough of this playing around!" roared the thing as it jumped
through another gauntlet of ice spikes directly towards Ami with claws
extended.

	The girl started to step back as the thing crushed through her
defenses. She growled and pushed her hand forward again. This time two
sets of a dozen large ice spikes shot from the floor and ceiling at an
angle, directly into the thing's chest knocking it back.

	The monster was laid out across the ground but quickly recovered. "Not
good enough!"

	Ami tensed herself as a shield of ice came up in front of her body.
Several dangerous looking shards of the monster became stuck in the
shield. Most of them stopped no more than an inch away from her. "Damn!"

	"Ami! Get down!"

	The creature Hissed as the girl ducked and her barrier melted away in
an instant. Its eyes went wide at what it saw. 

	Sailor Mars was standing just behind Mercury with what looked like a
flaming arrow held ready. 

	"Uh-oh," grumbled the monster.

	Rei let the projectile fly and it slammed into the monster. It burst
into flames and screamed in agony as it went into a violent fit and
began swinging itself around the room. The thing staggered down the
hallway and broke into a run as the flames slowly dissipated. 

	"Another time then!" it snarled.

	"After it!" cried Jupiter as she rushed by Rei. Minako knelt down
beside Ami; the girl couldn't stand up after she went down to avoid the
attack. 

	Rei nodded at the blonde and chased after the monster.

	"Ami? Are you all right?" asked Minako gently.

	"Do I look all right?" said the girl with a strained laugh.

	"Not really no," replied Venus with a heavy sigh.

	Ami pushed herself upright. "Mom!" She grabbed Minako's arm and pulled
herself up while ignoring the girl's discomfort and confusion.

	The doctors had started to gather around the frozen Dr. Mizuno. They
parted for Ami as she staggered into the block of ice. The girl placed
both her hands on the surface of the slowly melting chunk and the soft
blue glow returned very briefly. 

	The woman gasped for breath as the ice shattered away, becoming little
more than ice cube sized pieces in an instant. She fell forward onto her
daughter's shoulder and the pair fell to the ground next to each other.

	Her mother coughed a few times and shivered. 

	Ami looked up at one of the doctors who was kneeling next to her. "Get
my mother a blanket, then worry about me."

	He stood up and nodded slowly. As he walked away he pointed out one of
the nurses and she immediately moved down to replace him and look at the
injured girl.

	"Will she be all right?" asked Minako nervously.

	"She's not going to be running around for a while, but yes. I think
she'll be fine," replied the nurse gently. She was applying new bandages
to the newer wounds on the girl. Ami had done a good job of wrapping her
hands up and it would have to do until they got some more help.

	Ami's mother looked over at her daughter with a weak looking smile.
"So...these are your friends?"

	The girl merely smiled and closed her eyes. She actually felt relieved
by the darkness for once.
 
++++++++++++++++++++++++

	Haruka simply stared. She didn't know what to say, or do. "My god."

	Tokyo was a mess, there were riots going on. The path the battle had
taken cut right through the heart of the city. It was easy to see as
well, rubble covered the streets in some places. Police were trying to
navigate through the maze of streets and backed up traffic. 

	All of the flashing lights she could see below her were heading in the
same direction. The hospital, she could see units trying to move in from
every direction. There were a few dozen cars and firefighters by the big
fire at the docks where she assumed the fight had ended. It looked
almost like a meteor hit and skipped through the city before landing at
the docks.

	"Maybe I should take a look?" she muttered to herself as she glanced at
the hospital. She turned in the air and dove towards the building.

+++++++++++++++++++++

	Rei and Makoto raced after the monster through the dark hallways of the
hospital. Rei a small flame burning in her palm as they chased the thing
through the darkness. 

	"There it is!" snarled Makoto as her arm actually crackled with small
energy bolts. "You won't get away!"

	The hallway wall exploded, sending a large cloud of dust into the air. 

	"That looks like it might hurt," muttered the monster as it glanced
over its shoulder at the damaged wall. The girls were angry, but
wouldn't risk chasing it into somewhere they couldn't see it. "It's time
to leave."

	The dust cleared into a heavy haze and both girls continued forward. 

	"Damn, I missed," groused Jupiter irritably.

	"This way," said Mars as she started running again.

	The monster was standing in a well-lit hallway now. The sunset in the
distance sent a dark looking orange glow into the rooms from the
windows.

	"I've got you!" cried Rei as she threw a ball of flames at the
creature.

	The window of the hospital blasted outward, showering the street below
with glass and small debris.

	"Did you get him?" gasped Makoto as she tried to catch her breath.

	"Only one way to be sure. Come on," said Rei through her own gasps.

	The pair jogged up to the hole in the window. There was no sign of him
in the hallway anymore.

	Both of them stood together looking out the hole in the window at the
street below.

	"I think we got him," said Jupiter with a relieved looking smile.

	"That was too close," agreed Rei with a rather serious looking frown.

	"This is getting dangerous," said Makoto with a heavy sigh. 

	"It's a lot closer than you think!" snarled a vicious sounding and
dangerously familiar voice.

	Rei screamed as she was jerked off her feet and out the window.

	"Rei!" screamed Makoto as she fell to her knees and reached for her
friend.

	"You little bitch! Do you know how much that hurt?" snarled the monster
as he hung her by her ankle. One of his tendrils lashed out and stabbed
her in her side causing her to scream in agony. He promptly let her go
and jumped off the side of the building. "Don't worry! It's only twenty
stories give or take!"

	Makoto screamed as she reached out helplessly. "No! Rei!"

+++++++++++++++++++++

	Haruka had watched the scene unfold since the explosion. She had picked
up speed as it progressed. Almost as soon as she started to dive towards
the building one of the windows near the top floor had blown outward. 

	She was still too far away to do anything. "I'm not gonna make it!"
That monster was going to pay dearly.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

	The wind ripped through Rei's hair as she turned to face the thing as
they fell together. It was just a few seconds before they hit. "Die."
She pointed her hands towards the thing with a somewhat dazed look in
her eyes.

	"Eh?" said the thing in confusion. 

	A gigantic bird of flames shot from the girl's extended palms. It
flapped its wings once and turned its head back towards Rei.

	A huge ball of flames engulfed them both as the bird raised its head in
a call and exploded. The pair were tossed like rag dolls through the air
to either side of the blast.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

	The sky was still a bright orange as she lay there looking at the
beginning of the night sky overhead. There was a woman floating overhead
in the sky above her. She seemed frozen in horror as she looked down at
the pavement where she was lying.

	"So. This is what death is."

	"Still alive?" muttered the woman in horror.

	"Kill it."

	Haruka floated down. The girl's head had fallen back. A pool of blood
began to form beside her.

	She spun around with a rage in her eyes. Her face went white as a sheet
at what she saw. 

	It was gone. A slightly askew manhole cover near the impact crater the
thing had made was the only clue she needed.

	The woman screamed in rage and ripped the street open with her bare
hands as she tore her way down into the sewers.

	She floated above the filth and scanned her surroundings quickly. It
was some sort of junction with pipes leading in almost every direction.
The creature was gone.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

	Carrot sat up and gasped. Sweat covered his body as he stared forward
at the wall in front of him. He grit his teeth as his body responded to
such sudden movement. His hand went to his side and he slowly lowered
himself back onto whatever he was laying on.

	"I'm in somebody's room?" he muttered in confusion.

	"Oh! You're awake!"

	Carrot turned his head and realized where he was all at once. "Ummm.
Hi."

	"You were a little late last night."

	"I got tied up."

	"I would have understood you not showing up," she said with a small
sigh.

	"Yeah, if I got the chance to explain myself before you shot me,"
grumbled Carrot under his breath. "Ahem. Sorry, I was a little..."

	"Don't worry about it," she said as she sat down next to where he was
lying and put a washcloth across his head. "You've got a bit of a
fever." It was pretty obvious she wasn't really angry about it. She
almost seemed pleased with him for some reason.

	"Well, I think my problem is a bit bigger than that," he muttered as he
inspected some of the bandages and started trying to count his wounds.
Nothing was broken, but he was almost completely covered in bruises or
burns of one kind or another. 

	"You look much better," said the girl as she leaned in to look at him a
bit closer in the face. His face actually looked somewhat normal again,
aside for a few discolorations and small bruises. 

	"Hopefully I'll be normal again in a few days," he muttered with a
small sigh. "How long have I been sleeping?"

	"Just through the night," she said cheerfully. "I'm glad you're up.
We've got to change some of these bandages. You were bleeding a little
last night."

	"Only a little?" asked the boy in genuine surprise.

	"Well, maybe a bit more than a little, but it wasn't really bad."

	"Must have healed up some before I made it here," he commented a little
sourly.

	"Oh. That sword of yours is in the hallway. As soon as you can get up
would you mind putting it away? It's kind of in the way, and I can't
touch it."

	"You can't?" he asked dumbly.

	"No. It keeps shocking me. It really hurts too."

	"Oh. I just picked it up last night. I don't know much about it. It was
hanging off someone's wall."

	The girl blinked, unsure of how to respond to that. "Oh."

	"I had a really bad night last night. Even I can't make much sense of
some of it," said the boy as he frowned at her. 
	
	"I can see that," she replied as she held up the remains of his
costume.

	Carrot simply looked at it for a moment. "I'm naked under these sheets
aren't I?"

	Michiru simply nodded.	

	"I think that asshole Venom stole my change of clothes too."

	"I'm driving you home in a little while."

	"I don't know if that's safe, Michiru," replied the boy seriously.	

	"Why not? Who's Venom anyway? Is he a friend of Spike's?"

	"You haven't heard about what happened?"

	"Why? What happened?"

	"Half the city is in ruins Michiru. I had to stop a monster that threw
bombs around town yesterday. Plus I ran into almost everyone who hates
me while that was going on. It was a real mess."

	"Oh."

	The boy sighed and laid his head back. "Go turn on the television. I'm
sure it's still a mess."

	"After I change these bandages I will." She kissed him on the cheek and
gently forced him to sit up.

	He simply sighed and obeyed. 

	She ran her finger down his back and sucked in a quick breath. He was
covered in scars. Most of them were pretty small, but it was obvious
they weren't from the battle he had yesterday. 

	"Something wrong?"

	"I didn't realize you had this many scars."

	"I've been shot at, blown up, thrown around, beaten, covered in all
sorts of disgusting substances, cut, sliced, nearly impaled, burned, and
crushed." He paused and thought about it for a moment. "And that was
just yesterday."

	"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that, it's just I never noticed
before."

	He smirked at her from over his shoulder. "You know. Some people
actually fantasize about having a life like this? What the hell are
those assholes thinking?" 

	She found herself smiling at that despite it all. "You don't like
having an exciting life?"

	"Hell no. I was happier when things were quiet and predictable. At
least then no one was trying to kill me."

	She made him put his arms up and started unwrapping his chest. "Looks
like we won't need another bandage for that one."

	"Good this hurts," he replied as he put his arms down.

	She wrapped her arms around his chest and whispered into his ear. "It's
not all bad is it?"

	"I..."

	She kissed him as he turned his head to reply. It was a good thing too,
because his brain had just frozen up a little. It was a pretty good kiss
too.

	He found himself a little dazed as she put him back down onto the
mattress and started to work on the bandages on his arms and legs. 

	He was really trying to control himself, really he was. He was however
male and nude.

	"We can take care of that when you're feeling better."

	The boy swallowed and tried to push his head further into his pillow.
It wasn't really a bad feeling he was having, but it was somewhat
uncomfortable.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

	Ami Mizuno stood staring into the glass of a well-lit room in front of
her. She said nothing and simply stood there in silence. 

	Minako and Makoto stood vigil just behind her. Neither one knew what to
say and both remained silent.

	The girl's hair was shorter than it was before along the back of her
neck and on the sides. They'd had to cut her hair to get at a small
piece of shrapnel out of the back of her neck. The area was bandaged,
and she was wearing normal clothes and standing under her own power. 

	She had no idea who the other woman standing with them was. She had
flown up at the horrible scene at the hospital just as it ended. Neither
party tried to introduce themselves. All of them were wearing street
clothes at the moment. The whole world now knew who they all were. 

	Ami imagined they were quite a bit tougher while in their senshi forms
than normal. Far from invincible though, as the cast on her left hand
proved. Her entire body ached and throbbed. Still, she was well enough
to move about relatively normally. It shouldn't have really been
possible at all. Magic had a way of making the impossible possible
though. The doctors wouldn't let her leave the hospital yet, not that
she minded. She'd be standing right where she was anyway. 

	Rei Hino was being operated on ten feet in front of her. 

It had taken almost three hours to bring enough power to the hospital to
even begin treating patients again. Things were relatively normal now.
They had to route power into the building from an outside source.
Basically rig something until they could get the mess that the monster
had made of the generator room cleaned up and fixed. 

	The woman had flown down and tried to save Rei, but she was too far
away apparently. While she was distracted, the creature had slipped away
into the sewers. If what she'd heard Rei had done was true, the monster
wasn't very happy right now.

	A newspaper rested in the chair behind her. The room was arranged
almost like a small theater. The headlines differed, but two events
crossed the top of each rag. The hospital, and the two hundred people
who had been murdered, and the battle through town that had left a
hundred and thirteen people injured and caused twenty-three deaths.

	Neither one seemed related, but Ami Mizuno knew better. She had seen
something like the rouge monster that fought Spiderman and the Goblin.
It killed two hundred people in the hospital. They still hadn't
identified most of the remains yet.

	Rei's survival was still up for grabs. The girl had fallen nineteen
floors and landed on her back. By all accounts she should have been
dead. The wound in her side took almost half of her blood away. Once
again, the impossible was possible. Her transformation was still holding
strong although her costume had been removed for the operation. It was
keeping her alive somehow.

	Her spine had shattered near the base on impact. Not even the magic
that kept her alive could fix that.

	If she was lucky, Rei Hino would probably never walk again. If she
wasn't lucky, she'd survive, and spend the rest of her life paralyzed
almost completely. 

	The clock continued to tick away on the wall behind the four girls. It
was the only sound in the room.

++++++++++++++++++++

	Carrot stretched his arm a bit more as he sat up and glanced around the
room. Everything still hurt, but it was becoming more like sore muscles
than anything else. He could move; he just really didn't want too. None
of his injuries were especially serious. 

	"Wait a minute. I know I broke my ribs," he muttered as he rubbed his
hand down his side. A quick jolt of intense pain told him they were
still broken. His body had just healed the bruising. That area still
needed a few more days or so to work itself out.

	"Ouch," he muttered painfully as he put his head back down. He turned
his head towards the window. It was getting dark. Michiru had said
something about driving him home later. 

	As if on cue the girl entered the room and smiled at him warmly. "How
are you feeling?"

	"A lot better, but it's going to be a day or two before I can do
anything that requires any effort. My ribs are broken."

	"There's no bruising," said the girl as she peered down at his chest.

	"My body heals itself pretty quickly. The bruising is gone because of
that, but trust me it still hurts."

	"Oh," said the girl with an uncertain looking frown.

	There was a somewhat awkward pause for a moment and Michiru walked up
and kneeled beside the bed. "You've been sleeping all day."

	"Sorry," he muttered softly.

	"I'm glad you're feeling better," she said softly as she turned her
eyes away from him.

	"Uh-oh. She's up to something," thought Carrot instantly.

	"It's kind of late. I guess you can stay here again tonight. Is there
someone you need to call?"

	Carrot hesitated for a moment. Finally he hung his head. "I guess I
should call them."

	"I'll get the phone for you," said the girl as she walked over to her
dresser and picked the whole thing up. She placed it on the bed next to
him and he picked it up and started dialing.

	"Thanks," he said as it started to ring.

	The girl smiled and went to her closet to rummage around, presumably
for a change of clothes for later. Apparently he was going to keep
sleeping here. She was probably using her parents' room for the night.
He was about to offer to move when the other end picked up.

	"Hello. Dr. Mizura's office," said Mei Lin cheerfully on the other end.

	"Hey. It's me," he said. "I'm not gonna be back tonight. I'm over at
Michiru's."

	"All right. I'll tell Gia," said the girl with a small sigh. "She's
been watching the news all day anyway. I think something's getting to
her."

	"I'll let you fill me in when I get back. I'm in no condition to make
the trip myself. Michiru said she'd drive me there tomorrow."

	"All right. She's just sitting there staring at the television with a
cigarette and a drink. I don't think she's going anywhere for a while."

	"When she feels like talking she will."

	"So you're staying for the night?" asked the girl in a light tone.

	"Mind your own business," he growled.

	"Whatever. She bandage you all up already?"

	"Yeah. She was a lot gentler than Gia. You can tell her I said that
when she snaps out of whatever is wrong with her."

	"See you tomorrow then."

	Carrot Glanced at Michiru, she was still rummaging around. Seemed like
she was looking for something. Finally she pulled out a rather skimpy
looking set of panties, there wasn't much too them. A moment later she
pulled out a matching bra. The boy choked for a moment and turned away. 

	"Are you all right?" asked Michiru as she glanced over at him.

	"Yeah. Fine," he muttered. His voice was still harsh from the coughing
fit he'd gotten.

	"I'll be back in a little while," she said sweetly as she winked at him
and walked out of the room.

	"My ribs are broken, she'll kill me," muttered the boy. All and all,
not too bad of a way to go. 

	"Ha! Face it tiger, you just hit the jackpot!" cried Mei Lin on the
other side of the line.

	Carrot thought he was going to go into seizures. "Don't ever say that
again!" He slammed the receiver down and clutched at his chest as he
gasped for breath.

	"I'm back," said a silky sounding voice from the doorway.

	Carrot pushed his back against the wall by the bed. Apparently Michiru
wasn't planning on sleeping in her parents room tonight. "My ribs are
broken�" he whined as he stared at her.

	She was wearing what she'd pulled out of the drawer, and nothing else.

	"Don't worry. I'll be gentle," said the girl as she strolled towards
him.

	The boy pushed himself down as he tried to back away from her approach. 

	"Are you afraid of me?" asked the girl as her expression changed into a
somewhat pensive one.

	Carrot's face was about four inches away from her cleavage. "Resist!"
screamed his mind. His brain ground down to a halt. "Wait a minute. This
is your girlfriend idiot!" Whether he wanted it or not.

	His resolve was fading fast as she brushed her hand down his face.
Maybe it was time to quit pushing back and give in?

	Giving up wasn't so bad after all.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

	"Kei is still missing." Hakage frowned. He had no one to report too.
His clan was gone, leaving only him and the missing kunoichi behind to
carry on.

	He was standing in Hisami's office alone and in the dark. The sword was
gone, the windows were shattered, and two men were taken away on
stretchers.

	He was the only one in the room now. Everyone in the office was busy,
spinning the reports to be released to the public. The company would be
taken over by someone else, probably Hisami's son.

	As if summoned the man walked into the room. He had a slim build and
slicked back hair. A pair of glasses rested on his nose and he pushed
them up the bridge impatiently. Behind him, Hisami's former number two
man stood with a deep frown on his face. 

	"Welcome back," said Hisami coldly.

	"Hisami, Yoshida," replied the shinobi as he nodded at them both.

	"My father is dead. You failed."

	"My clan is gone, my ties with this place went with it, and that
sword." He calmly pointed at the wall.

	"What?" stammered Hisami as he sputtered in anger.

	"I do not work for you. I worked for your father."

	"You'll do as your told! Whatever agreement he had with you still
stands!"

	Yoshida wisely stepped back as the massive shinobi merely grabbed the
younger Hisami by his face and lifted him off the ground. "You are
mistaken. Our clan's master is no longer the Hisami family."

	"Betrayer!" growled Hisami despite his position.

	Hakage merely kicked him in the stomach. "You are all that remains of
the one who sent my friends and family to their death." The shinobi leg
go of the man's face and snapped his hand around his neck before he fell
away.

	Yoshida simply stood and did nothing. He was silent and calmly watched
the scene.

	"You're brave to still be here."

	"I wouldn't think of leaving without permission. If you want me dead,
there is nothing I can do to stop you at the moment. Running away would
be futile. As you recall, I have seen you work before."

	A wise decision then. Stand there until I've finished with him and
you'll remain unharmed. I'd hate to leave this place in chaos. This
family is unfit to lead it."

	The man simply nodded calmly and continued to watch.

	"As for you," growled the massive ninja as he choked Hisami
mercilessly. "I serve the one who possesses that blade. Right now, that
isn't you. Now I'll show you what happens to those who think they can
order me around without it." He stalked over to the window and held the
man outside the building.

	Hisami was clutching his arm desperately but weakly. He couldn't
breathe and his face was completely red. Spit flew from between his lips
as he simply stared forward in terror.

	"Goodbye Hisami. Your family line ends here."

	"And mine begins," whispered Yoshida to himself as the shinobi finally
let the man go.

	"I know you can contain this mess Yoshida. See too it."

	"Thank you old friend. If you ever need a bit of money, call me up. I'm
sure I can find a job or two for you, or your new master."

	"Kei may return here. See too it she isn't harmed. I'll deal with her
myself if need be."

	The man smiled. "Good luck with your clan. I hope your plans go well."

	"I am not alone, we were greatly weakened, but there is still the
school."

	Yoshida merely nodded and turned to look out the window. As he
expected, once he turned back again, the ninja was gone. He smiled to
himself and walked up to the desk. Casually brushing aside a bit of
glass with a folder from the desk he sat down in the chair and chuckled.
"A lucky day indeed."

++++++++++++++++++++++

	She simply glared into the darkness with feral eyes. Murky light peeked
through the boarded up windows of the building she was in. She was
simply clinging to the shadows in the corner, staring forward hatefully.

	The boy had done the impossible. He had escaped her, naked and chained
to a table. She'd checked every inch of him for weapons or tools of any
kind. There had been nothing.

	Somehow he slipped a coil of that wire through her careful search. The
hardened spike on the end had been bent into a lock pick. He'd freed his
hand while she was fucking him.

	That had been a moment to savor. She was through with him now. She
could finally kill him without losing her concentration. She spun her
knife between her hands. The perfect balance kept it going for some
time. Blood dripped down her left palm and she ignored it as she simply
sat there spinning the knife.

	"How? How did he do it?" she growled to herself. Her gaze became even
more intense. "It's not possible!"

	The boy could make weapons out of nothing? No magic she knew of was
that strong.

	As she spun the knife on her palm it began to glow with a dull red
light. It seemed to burn like flames as she spun it again and again.

	"I must kill him. I'm running out of time," she whispered without
looking at the blade.

+++++++++++++++++++

	TBC�

	Heh. ^_^ See how that one sits with ya.

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