Mamoru awoke, sweating and alone. It took him nearly a minute for his eyes to focus on the dim, green lights. But it only took him a second to feel the pain. Sharp, deep points of metal were penetrating his ankles that were connected to two large manacles with cinder blocks chained to the end of them. A short intake of breath across the room startled him, and his blurry eyes met a pair of bright blue ones.

"Usa?" he croaked, but was unable to receive an answer when three stage lights flickered on. One shining on Usagi, who was chained to the floor by a collar around her neck, one on another corner that he hadn't yet looked upon to see what was residing there, and one on him.

A door slid open, and to both of their confusion, a creepy looking puppet on a tricycle rolled out.

"Hello, Mamoru. Let's play a game," it said in a rasping voice. "In one corner is your beloved girlfriend, and in another, your chocolate stash wrapped up in your green jacket with two packets of coffee in each pocket. Now, in sixty seconds, the ceilings over each of their heads are going to collapse, crushing them. But, you have an opportunity to save one. If you direct your attention to the back wall, there are three keys hanging there. The one in the middle will release the bonds on your ankles, although you need to pull the spikes out yourself. The one on the far left will allow you to retrieve your jacket and chocolates, and the one on the far right will release your girlfriend. The decision is yours. Begin."

The clock started counting down as Mamoru painfully began to drag himself over to the wall. The spikes were practically splintering his bone, and when he finally reached the key in the middle, he nearly collapsed from exhaustion. Unlocking his feet, he managed to stand on wobbling knees, allowing his calves to support his weight more than his feet. Then he made his choice.

"MAMO-CHAN!"

"Coming...coming..." he said with a sigh, turning around and dragging himself away from the key on the left.

I went to see Saw 3D and this is what happened...my God.

Whoa...it's the last one. I can't believe it. First off, thank you to all the reviewers, which I've got a little after post to add in for you guys. Secondly, now I have ultimate free time to work on Standing Aside!

Yeah!

One last thing. I read an awesome story recently and I want to recommend it to you. It's called "Freefalling," by Sailor Raspberry, and it is now currently my favorite Sailor Moon fanfic out there so far. It's well written, and you'll love the characters, so check it out!

Now, hope you guys enjoy this one...the last one...

Bottom of the Barrel

5g) Element

by sakanascales876

Mamoru often took advantage of his powers. Being connected to the Earth was probably the coolest thing ever. He could travel by wind, make horrible warm water cold, shake the ground a bit when he wanted to freak someone out, and he could even mess around with people's dreams; it was awesome.

He especially liked to travel through wind because Usagi always liked it. Half the time when they were together she'd always ask him to take them somewhere through it. She said she felt like she was on a roller coaster and it got rid of headaches pretty well.

She'd been asking him for some time to take her to the top of Eiffel Tower, but he'd always been nervous about appearing at the top of an international landmark. But tonight, her pleading had finally become too much, for the next thing he knew they were both overlooking the city of Paris. Usagi clung to him, pointing out almost every single rooftop in the area, gawking appreciatively at all the night lights about. Mamoru smiled down at her. It had taken a lot of energy, but he managed. They'd have to wait for a little bit before returning to Tokyo because it'd take at least a couple of hours before he had enough strength to return.

A loud crack resounded through the air, echoing around the city like a gun-shot. Mamoru and Usagi turned at the presence from behind, a familiar aura surrounding them. He grunted when he was met by a firm fist in the stomach, nearly knocking him over.

"I know it's hard for you to keep it in your pants, Chiba, but quit using the wind to travel places! You're not the only one that controls it and I swear to God you're giving me a headache!"

With that, Haruka stormed away, disappearing with a gust of wind.

And thus, I conclude my first anniversary challenge. Hooray! Thanks for sticking to it until the end!

Please review!

-Fishyscales ;)