Thursday, November 6: New York City, 3AM
"No," Hikaru whispered hoarsely, backing up until she bumped into Wheeler.
The trio of gigantic figures towered over the stunned girl by several feet, misshapen mouths widened into terrifyingly vicious smiles. Three pairs of sulfurous eyes glowed with malevolent pleasure at her obvious fear and confusion. They were hideous creatures - heavily-muscled bipedal gargantuans with a nasty yellow-green tint to their hides, slouching forward in an ape-like fashion to accommodate their over-long arms. Sharp horns thrust forward above their pointed ears through black, stringy hanks of hair, grotesque complements to the tusks sported between heavy lips. They wore nothing but poorly-tanned loincloths bound about their hips, hairy torsos bare to the crisp autumn chill. Hikaru's horrified eyes were drawn to the rusty, pitted swords held threateningly in the creatures' huge hands, and she froze.
"Who . . .," she began, her voice faltering . . . .
"Hikaru?" She heard Zach calling from the back of the van. "What do they want? I don't do autographs."
Hikaru forced herself to move, reminded that the two precious people back there - her friends, her adopted American family - were in danger. She jumped agilely onto the hood of Wheeler and sprang for the monster in the lead, not allowing herself to think about the pointy, rusty sword that could so swiftly end her life . . . .
"YAAAAAAHHHHHH!" She yelled in desperation, thrusting a fist forward with all the strength twenty-five years of practicing kendo had built. The massive figures paused in puzzlement, unsure now of their prey. In their hesitation, the swords sank slightly, brutish idiocy clearly evident on their faces as their grips loosened. *SMACK!* Hikaru drilled her punch into the leader's evil yellow eye, the entire combined force of her weight and momentum sinking into the fragile orb.
"RAAAAAAAWWWWWLLLLLLL!!" The creature's head snapped backwards and he roared in bestial pain and fury. Hikaru gagged at its foul breath and, desperately grabbing onto the sharp horns for leverage, hoisted herself up, swinging in the air directly in front of the monster's pain-filled visage. Unaware of the beast's powerful hand flying towards her, she smoothly pulled her knees in to her chest and thrust them outward with a quick *snap!* Hikaru grinned tightly at the sound of nasal bones shattering, although her victim was not equally pleased. He staggered backwards with another anguished, inhuman bellow, blundering into one of his astonished companions and knocking them both down onto the ground. Hikaru rode the lumbering giant to the pavement, then swiftly launched into a forward roll over her two prone enemies, aware that the third creature was still standing and was now behind her.
"Hikaru?! Holy - what the hell?!" Zach's panicked voice penetrated the monster's cry, and he ran impulsively forward into the nightmare.
"No, Zach! Run! Just get Jo and get out of here!" Hikaru yelled frantically, jumping to her feet. She leaped back towards her friends, trying to place herself between the current threat and the young man rushing to his death. The brute snarled and sliced his sword at her head in a crude cross-body chop, forcing her to drop flat onto the pavement to avoid it. Zach ignored her entreaty and sprinted closer, almost invisible in the shadowy alley. "Get away from her, you freak!"
Recovering ponderously from his overpowered swing, the creature brought his weapon high above his head, preparing to hack the prone woman into pieces, his face once again radiating cruel delight. Jo, standing aghast by Wheeler in shocked indecision, shrieked in terror, "No!! HIKARU!!!" The young drummer dashed after her brother, tears streaming down her pale cheeks, and wrenched her drum sticks out of a back pocket, preparing to strike with the feeble, makeshift weapons.
Hikaru groaned in despair, watching the two race towards her, knowing in her heart she would not be able to save them . . . . *I will not let my friends die!!* She clenched her teeth, a blinding white fury overcoming her consciousness. . . .
The scene inexplicably paused, decelerating in time. Hikaru absently watched the sword dropping one millimeter after another . . . the previously fallen monsters struggling to rise, almost unmoving . . . Zach and his sister running in slow motion, fear locked onto their faces as they drew closer, inch by inch . . . but it was so hard to concentrate . . . .
She found herself floating a few feet above the ground, radiating an intense, shimmering light from every pore in her body. Her head was thrown back, scarlet hair flowing like it was drifting in a river's constant current, her arms thrown wide as if to embrace this overpowering phenomenon.
She could feel . . . heat . . . like she was on fire; the cleansing glow burning through her veins . . . it was almost like that time . . . before . . . so long ago . . . when she had possessed the mystic powers of the legendary Magic Knights . . . .
*What . . . .* Hikaru thought distractedly. It was so hard to think . . . to breathe . . . she didn't want to breathe; she craved only to feel the sweet burn of the compelling flames as they ran down and through her essence. Slowly, gradually, the burning light faded, and she touched gently back down onto the pavement. She staggered slightly, coming back to herself with the disappearance of the powerful fire, and raised a trembling hand to her forehead. *The hell . . . .* As her eyes focused, she glimpsed a strange . . . no, a familiar glove . . . with a large ruby inset on the back. She froze in shock at the sight, dropping her gaze to her torso. *It couldn't be . . . .*
Her clothing had evaporated in the flames, replaced with the evolving armor of the Magic Knight of Fire.
&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&
Thursday, November 6: Tokyo, 5 PM (A/N: NYC has about a 14 hour time-differential from Tokyo, so this is all happening simultaneously.)
Fuu inhaled sharply. "My God," she breathed in horror.
She whipped her head back around the corner, praying that they had not seen her. *What . . . what ARE those things,* she thought in a panic, pressing her back against the corridor wall. The three monstrous forms she had espied were lumbering haphazardly about her living room, smashing apart Fuu's carefully-chosen furniture with negligent, brutish strength. The shattering crash of a broken window resonated through her apartment, and she choked back a terror-filled sob. *They don't sound very friendly, whatever they are . . . .* She nearly yelped aloud at the nearby sound of a lamp breaking against the wall, and forced herself to ruthlessly choke down her fright. *The apartment isn't very big . . . and it sounds like they're looking for something . . . or someone.* Her wide eyes, though still dilated in fear, gained a determined glint as she thought furiously, while the ungainly beasts came ever closer to her rather open hiding place.
*The bedroom . . . there's a phone. I have to call the police.* She shook her head impatiently, discarding the idea even as she formulated it, and began retreating carefully back to her office. *They will not make it in time, and the neighbors have most likely done so already.* She had barely disappeared into her office when the first of the creatures stuck its ugly face around the corner, a thick swath of pastel green cloth hanging unheeded from a sharp tusk. It snorted and paced forward, oversized sword at the ready, following the weak, feminine scent of his prey . . . .
Fuu searched frantically around the room for something - anything - that could be used as a weapon. Abandoning the pretense of silence, she rashly shoved furniture aside and pulled drawers open, finding only her neatly organized office supplies. She had begun hyperventilating in a panicked realization of her vulnerability when a beast thrust its head and shoulders through the doorframe, grinning maliciously and clutching a rusted sword. Fuu shrieked and began throwing whatever objects were closest at hand - pens, pencils, stapler, the as-yet ungraded stack of tests. The monster smirked at the writing utensils that bounced harmlessly against its skin, grunted sharply as the stapler careened off its thick-skulled forehead, and then retreated a step from the flying papers, swinging the sword to clear them from his line of vision
One of the other brutes roared loudly with impatience. The creature in the office with Fuu craned its thick, bull-like neck around to growl back, and Fuu grabbed her last chance with desperation. She raced to the single, waist-high window opposite the door and thrust it open, allowing the cool night air to rush inside and alerting the wrangling monsters to her actions. As she frantically hoisted herself out of the room and onto the narrow stone ledge, the wall adjacent to the door suddenly burst inward with a shower of chalky drywall and splintered support beams, allowing all three intruders to enter.
Fuu didn't allow herself to think about the six-story drop only inches to her right as she stood, the frigid wind whipping her short hair about her face, and began to edge carefully along the limestone causeway, brushing her fingers lightly against the red brick outer wall for balance. Her heart was pounding and her breath was still coming in gasps, but if she could just make it to the next window . . . . A sword was propelled with brutish strength through the window behind her, and thrust into the unprotected skin of her hamstring. She screamed as her leg buckled involuntarily, blood pouring out of the puncture, and she flew helplessly into an uncontrolled tumble into the sky . . . .
*FWOOSH!* Fuu's eyes streamed with unchecked tears as she fell to her death, the wind becoming stronger and stronger as she plummeted . . . then she gasped with amazement. Though the wind grew in strength, buffeting her from all sides, she dropped no further, hanging effortlessly in midair a mere handful of feet above the impenetrable sidewalk concrete. Pedestrians and car drivers alike gaped at the spectacle; a girl surrounded by green- glowing gusts of strong winds, suspended motionless above the ground . . . .
Fuu's emerald eyes fluttered shut as the winds flowed into her pores and filled her veins. A sure, undeniable power channeled through her, regenerating the torn muscles of her leg, forcing her to remember . . . . *Windom?* she thought distantly, every cell in her body reveling in the remembered energy from long ago. *I - This is . . . my healing magic. But I am on Earth . . . I can't heal on Earth . . . what is happening?* Her eyes slowly opened once more as she touched the ground softly with her booted feet. Fuu glanced down, confused . . . *My feet were bare moments ago . . . .*
She gasped in shock as she took in the green-plated armor she had worn a lifetime ago . . . when she had fought for the future of a distant world as the legendary Wind Knight.
&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&
Thursday November 6: Tokyo, 5 PM
"Who are you?" Umi yelled angrily through her inner scream of fear.
The gargantuan figures snarled in reply as they rose shakily, hands automatically finding the hilts of the swords sheathed at their hips. Umi gasped in terror when they glared at her in cruel, twisted amusement. She was finally able to make out their brutal faces in the subdued lighting of her sparse office. "O-Ok, then WHAT are you?" she asked shakily, fear- filled eyes growing wider with each passing moment. The only answer she received was a bestial roar as the three strode forward with malevolent intent. Umi backed a few paces involuntarily. *This has to be a dream, Umi,* she told herself, trying to be logical in the face of the three nightmare creatures striding towards her. "Wake the hell up, Umi!!" she yelled frantically, pinching her arm. Nothing.
"Dammit!" She quit her efforts with a frustrated hiss and sprinted to her desk, flying on the winds of her desperation. She could hear the beasts' heavy breathing as they lumbered closer, taloned feet tearing into the gray carpet with little ripping noises.
*GettheswordsGettheswordsGettheswords!!!* her mind babbled incoherently as she vaulted nimbly over her wide, wooden desk to the wall beyond, upon which a pair of crossed sabers rested. She grabbed both of them by the hilts and yanked them off the elegant wall mount before spinning around to face the threat once more, her face clenched into a rigid mask of fear and determination. "Whatever the hell you are, you're in the wrong office," she growled threateningly, automatically balancing her weight in a defensive stance, swords pointed to the fore. She jerked her head towards the door. "That bastard Tetsuo is five floors down. Go eat him."
The monsters paused momentarily in confusion, cocking their heads almost simultaneously as they attempted to understand her words. *Oh for the love of . . . .* Umi rolled her eyes in exasperation. *Just how stupid can you be?* She screamed a challenging war-cry and charged forward, running unerringly for the brute closest to the exit. *If I can just get through him . . . .* she thought, slashing her sword across its fingers with perfect form. *Nahoko would be so proud.*
The monster bellowed in protest and pain at its stinging fingers, dropping its weapon from the sudden shock. It glared furiously down at the saber- wielding woman and raised its taloned hand to strike in return. Umi ducked agilely under the swooping hand and thrust the point of her sword into the lumbering creature's back with all her strength. "RRRAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWLLLLLLL!!!!!!!" it bellowed as dark blood poured out of the rent in its yellow-green hide. "Ha!" Umi yelled in triumph, jerking her sword out of the wound and quickly dodging another wild swipe.
*I'm out of here,* she thought, giddy with adrenaline and elation. She bolted for the door, dropping one of her sabers as she reached for the handle. *THWACK!!* Umi jumped back; a seven-foot sword was now quivering in the doorframe beside her head. *Dammit!* She looked over her shoulder at the two hulks coming toward her, much closer than she thought they'd been . . . . *Now what, genius?* she asked herself, backing against the blocked door with her weapon ready, eyes flicking back and forth as she tried to figure a way out . . . .
*FOOOOOM!!!!* Umi was suddenly thrown back into the wooden portal by an unseen force, punching her through the obstacle like it was paper. Her fingers loosened, and she dropped her sword, although she was past noticing such trivial matters. . . . She floated in the air in her secretary's empty office, her head thrown back, eyes closed. *Huh . . . .* A shimmering pool of crystal-clear water formed under her feet and began creeping up her body, soaking into her skin and zipping through her bloodstream. *So . . . cool . . . refreshing . . . *she thought with a vague smile. The liquid flowed upwards until it reached over her head, creating a perfect cylinder around her body. Umi breathed it in, the relaxing fluid, feeling her muscles slacken. *Nice . . . .*
She opened her eyes again as she landed gently on the ground, and staggered to Kadiri's desk, leaning on the solid surface for support. "What . . . the HELL . . . was that?!" she gasped, shoulders heaving in synch with her labored breath. She glanced quickly to the splintered door, remembering at last the clear and present danger, and shoved herself up onto her feet. *Get to the phone and call security, you ninny!!* she scolded herself, reaching across the desk. She froze as she finally focused on the white glove now adorning her hand, and followed the line of her arm to the powerful, lightweight covering she now wore. *Oh . . . my . . . .*
Umi was speechless at the sight of her returned armor, the blue-tinted protective shell of the Magic Knight of Water. *Seles . . .? *
"No," Hikaru whispered hoarsely, backing up until she bumped into Wheeler.
The trio of gigantic figures towered over the stunned girl by several feet, misshapen mouths widened into terrifyingly vicious smiles. Three pairs of sulfurous eyes glowed with malevolent pleasure at her obvious fear and confusion. They were hideous creatures - heavily-muscled bipedal gargantuans with a nasty yellow-green tint to their hides, slouching forward in an ape-like fashion to accommodate their over-long arms. Sharp horns thrust forward above their pointed ears through black, stringy hanks of hair, grotesque complements to the tusks sported between heavy lips. They wore nothing but poorly-tanned loincloths bound about their hips, hairy torsos bare to the crisp autumn chill. Hikaru's horrified eyes were drawn to the rusty, pitted swords held threateningly in the creatures' huge hands, and she froze.
"Who . . .," she began, her voice faltering . . . .
"Hikaru?" She heard Zach calling from the back of the van. "What do they want? I don't do autographs."
Hikaru forced herself to move, reminded that the two precious people back there - her friends, her adopted American family - were in danger. She jumped agilely onto the hood of Wheeler and sprang for the monster in the lead, not allowing herself to think about the pointy, rusty sword that could so swiftly end her life . . . .
"YAAAAAAHHHHHH!" She yelled in desperation, thrusting a fist forward with all the strength twenty-five years of practicing kendo had built. The massive figures paused in puzzlement, unsure now of their prey. In their hesitation, the swords sank slightly, brutish idiocy clearly evident on their faces as their grips loosened. *SMACK!* Hikaru drilled her punch into the leader's evil yellow eye, the entire combined force of her weight and momentum sinking into the fragile orb.
"RAAAAAAAWWWWWLLLLLLL!!" The creature's head snapped backwards and he roared in bestial pain and fury. Hikaru gagged at its foul breath and, desperately grabbing onto the sharp horns for leverage, hoisted herself up, swinging in the air directly in front of the monster's pain-filled visage. Unaware of the beast's powerful hand flying towards her, she smoothly pulled her knees in to her chest and thrust them outward with a quick *snap!* Hikaru grinned tightly at the sound of nasal bones shattering, although her victim was not equally pleased. He staggered backwards with another anguished, inhuman bellow, blundering into one of his astonished companions and knocking them both down onto the ground. Hikaru rode the lumbering giant to the pavement, then swiftly launched into a forward roll over her two prone enemies, aware that the third creature was still standing and was now behind her.
"Hikaru?! Holy - what the hell?!" Zach's panicked voice penetrated the monster's cry, and he ran impulsively forward into the nightmare.
"No, Zach! Run! Just get Jo and get out of here!" Hikaru yelled frantically, jumping to her feet. She leaped back towards her friends, trying to place herself between the current threat and the young man rushing to his death. The brute snarled and sliced his sword at her head in a crude cross-body chop, forcing her to drop flat onto the pavement to avoid it. Zach ignored her entreaty and sprinted closer, almost invisible in the shadowy alley. "Get away from her, you freak!"
Recovering ponderously from his overpowered swing, the creature brought his weapon high above his head, preparing to hack the prone woman into pieces, his face once again radiating cruel delight. Jo, standing aghast by Wheeler in shocked indecision, shrieked in terror, "No!! HIKARU!!!" The young drummer dashed after her brother, tears streaming down her pale cheeks, and wrenched her drum sticks out of a back pocket, preparing to strike with the feeble, makeshift weapons.
Hikaru groaned in despair, watching the two race towards her, knowing in her heart she would not be able to save them . . . . *I will not let my friends die!!* She clenched her teeth, a blinding white fury overcoming her consciousness. . . .
The scene inexplicably paused, decelerating in time. Hikaru absently watched the sword dropping one millimeter after another . . . the previously fallen monsters struggling to rise, almost unmoving . . . Zach and his sister running in slow motion, fear locked onto their faces as they drew closer, inch by inch . . . but it was so hard to concentrate . . . .
She found herself floating a few feet above the ground, radiating an intense, shimmering light from every pore in her body. Her head was thrown back, scarlet hair flowing like it was drifting in a river's constant current, her arms thrown wide as if to embrace this overpowering phenomenon.
She could feel . . . heat . . . like she was on fire; the cleansing glow burning through her veins . . . it was almost like that time . . . before . . . so long ago . . . when she had possessed the mystic powers of the legendary Magic Knights . . . .
*What . . . .* Hikaru thought distractedly. It was so hard to think . . . to breathe . . . she didn't want to breathe; she craved only to feel the sweet burn of the compelling flames as they ran down and through her essence. Slowly, gradually, the burning light faded, and she touched gently back down onto the pavement. She staggered slightly, coming back to herself with the disappearance of the powerful fire, and raised a trembling hand to her forehead. *The hell . . . .* As her eyes focused, she glimpsed a strange . . . no, a familiar glove . . . with a large ruby inset on the back. She froze in shock at the sight, dropping her gaze to her torso. *It couldn't be . . . .*
Her clothing had evaporated in the flames, replaced with the evolving armor of the Magic Knight of Fire.
&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&
Thursday, November 6: Tokyo, 5 PM (A/N: NYC has about a 14 hour time-differential from Tokyo, so this is all happening simultaneously.)
Fuu inhaled sharply. "My God," she breathed in horror.
She whipped her head back around the corner, praying that they had not seen her. *What . . . what ARE those things,* she thought in a panic, pressing her back against the corridor wall. The three monstrous forms she had espied were lumbering haphazardly about her living room, smashing apart Fuu's carefully-chosen furniture with negligent, brutish strength. The shattering crash of a broken window resonated through her apartment, and she choked back a terror-filled sob. *They don't sound very friendly, whatever they are . . . .* She nearly yelped aloud at the nearby sound of a lamp breaking against the wall, and forced herself to ruthlessly choke down her fright. *The apartment isn't very big . . . and it sounds like they're looking for something . . . or someone.* Her wide eyes, though still dilated in fear, gained a determined glint as she thought furiously, while the ungainly beasts came ever closer to her rather open hiding place.
*The bedroom . . . there's a phone. I have to call the police.* She shook her head impatiently, discarding the idea even as she formulated it, and began retreating carefully back to her office. *They will not make it in time, and the neighbors have most likely done so already.* She had barely disappeared into her office when the first of the creatures stuck its ugly face around the corner, a thick swath of pastel green cloth hanging unheeded from a sharp tusk. It snorted and paced forward, oversized sword at the ready, following the weak, feminine scent of his prey . . . .
Fuu searched frantically around the room for something - anything - that could be used as a weapon. Abandoning the pretense of silence, she rashly shoved furniture aside and pulled drawers open, finding only her neatly organized office supplies. She had begun hyperventilating in a panicked realization of her vulnerability when a beast thrust its head and shoulders through the doorframe, grinning maliciously and clutching a rusted sword. Fuu shrieked and began throwing whatever objects were closest at hand - pens, pencils, stapler, the as-yet ungraded stack of tests. The monster smirked at the writing utensils that bounced harmlessly against its skin, grunted sharply as the stapler careened off its thick-skulled forehead, and then retreated a step from the flying papers, swinging the sword to clear them from his line of vision
One of the other brutes roared loudly with impatience. The creature in the office with Fuu craned its thick, bull-like neck around to growl back, and Fuu grabbed her last chance with desperation. She raced to the single, waist-high window opposite the door and thrust it open, allowing the cool night air to rush inside and alerting the wrangling monsters to her actions. As she frantically hoisted herself out of the room and onto the narrow stone ledge, the wall adjacent to the door suddenly burst inward with a shower of chalky drywall and splintered support beams, allowing all three intruders to enter.
Fuu didn't allow herself to think about the six-story drop only inches to her right as she stood, the frigid wind whipping her short hair about her face, and began to edge carefully along the limestone causeway, brushing her fingers lightly against the red brick outer wall for balance. Her heart was pounding and her breath was still coming in gasps, but if she could just make it to the next window . . . . A sword was propelled with brutish strength through the window behind her, and thrust into the unprotected skin of her hamstring. She screamed as her leg buckled involuntarily, blood pouring out of the puncture, and she flew helplessly into an uncontrolled tumble into the sky . . . .
*FWOOSH!* Fuu's eyes streamed with unchecked tears as she fell to her death, the wind becoming stronger and stronger as she plummeted . . . then she gasped with amazement. Though the wind grew in strength, buffeting her from all sides, she dropped no further, hanging effortlessly in midair a mere handful of feet above the impenetrable sidewalk concrete. Pedestrians and car drivers alike gaped at the spectacle; a girl surrounded by green- glowing gusts of strong winds, suspended motionless above the ground . . . .
Fuu's emerald eyes fluttered shut as the winds flowed into her pores and filled her veins. A sure, undeniable power channeled through her, regenerating the torn muscles of her leg, forcing her to remember . . . . *Windom?* she thought distantly, every cell in her body reveling in the remembered energy from long ago. *I - This is . . . my healing magic. But I am on Earth . . . I can't heal on Earth . . . what is happening?* Her eyes slowly opened once more as she touched the ground softly with her booted feet. Fuu glanced down, confused . . . *My feet were bare moments ago . . . .*
She gasped in shock as she took in the green-plated armor she had worn a lifetime ago . . . when she had fought for the future of a distant world as the legendary Wind Knight.
&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&^&
Thursday November 6: Tokyo, 5 PM
"Who are you?" Umi yelled angrily through her inner scream of fear.
The gargantuan figures snarled in reply as they rose shakily, hands automatically finding the hilts of the swords sheathed at their hips. Umi gasped in terror when they glared at her in cruel, twisted amusement. She was finally able to make out their brutal faces in the subdued lighting of her sparse office. "O-Ok, then WHAT are you?" she asked shakily, fear- filled eyes growing wider with each passing moment. The only answer she received was a bestial roar as the three strode forward with malevolent intent. Umi backed a few paces involuntarily. *This has to be a dream, Umi,* she told herself, trying to be logical in the face of the three nightmare creatures striding towards her. "Wake the hell up, Umi!!" she yelled frantically, pinching her arm. Nothing.
"Dammit!" She quit her efforts with a frustrated hiss and sprinted to her desk, flying on the winds of her desperation. She could hear the beasts' heavy breathing as they lumbered closer, taloned feet tearing into the gray carpet with little ripping noises.
*GettheswordsGettheswordsGettheswords!!!* her mind babbled incoherently as she vaulted nimbly over her wide, wooden desk to the wall beyond, upon which a pair of crossed sabers rested. She grabbed both of them by the hilts and yanked them off the elegant wall mount before spinning around to face the threat once more, her face clenched into a rigid mask of fear and determination. "Whatever the hell you are, you're in the wrong office," she growled threateningly, automatically balancing her weight in a defensive stance, swords pointed to the fore. She jerked her head towards the door. "That bastard Tetsuo is five floors down. Go eat him."
The monsters paused momentarily in confusion, cocking their heads almost simultaneously as they attempted to understand her words. *Oh for the love of . . . .* Umi rolled her eyes in exasperation. *Just how stupid can you be?* She screamed a challenging war-cry and charged forward, running unerringly for the brute closest to the exit. *If I can just get through him . . . .* she thought, slashing her sword across its fingers with perfect form. *Nahoko would be so proud.*
The monster bellowed in protest and pain at its stinging fingers, dropping its weapon from the sudden shock. It glared furiously down at the saber- wielding woman and raised its taloned hand to strike in return. Umi ducked agilely under the swooping hand and thrust the point of her sword into the lumbering creature's back with all her strength. "RRRAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWLLLLLLL!!!!!!!" it bellowed as dark blood poured out of the rent in its yellow-green hide. "Ha!" Umi yelled in triumph, jerking her sword out of the wound and quickly dodging another wild swipe.
*I'm out of here,* she thought, giddy with adrenaline and elation. She bolted for the door, dropping one of her sabers as she reached for the handle. *THWACK!!* Umi jumped back; a seven-foot sword was now quivering in the doorframe beside her head. *Dammit!* She looked over her shoulder at the two hulks coming toward her, much closer than she thought they'd been . . . . *Now what, genius?* she asked herself, backing against the blocked door with her weapon ready, eyes flicking back and forth as she tried to figure a way out . . . .
*FOOOOOM!!!!* Umi was suddenly thrown back into the wooden portal by an unseen force, punching her through the obstacle like it was paper. Her fingers loosened, and she dropped her sword, although she was past noticing such trivial matters. . . . She floated in the air in her secretary's empty office, her head thrown back, eyes closed. *Huh . . . .* A shimmering pool of crystal-clear water formed under her feet and began creeping up her body, soaking into her skin and zipping through her bloodstream. *So . . . cool . . . refreshing . . . *she thought with a vague smile. The liquid flowed upwards until it reached over her head, creating a perfect cylinder around her body. Umi breathed it in, the relaxing fluid, feeling her muscles slacken. *Nice . . . .*
She opened her eyes again as she landed gently on the ground, and staggered to Kadiri's desk, leaning on the solid surface for support. "What . . . the HELL . . . was that?!" she gasped, shoulders heaving in synch with her labored breath. She glanced quickly to the splintered door, remembering at last the clear and present danger, and shoved herself up onto her feet. *Get to the phone and call security, you ninny!!* she scolded herself, reaching across the desk. She froze as she finally focused on the white glove now adorning her hand, and followed the line of her arm to the powerful, lightweight covering she now wore. *Oh . . . my . . . .*
Umi was speechless at the sight of her returned armor, the blue-tinted protective shell of the Magic Knight of Water. *Seles . . .? *
