AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ack! Technical difficulties on my end kept me from posting this chapter sooner. And I had to retype it because part of the technical difficulties was my computer deciding NOT to save it when I was done. GRR! Anyway, here you go, sorry it took so long and enjoy!

CHAPTER3 : Tempest- A Powerful Storm Or Event

"Himeno, hurry up!"

Himeno scowled at the door that Sete was shouting through. Hayate was sprawled out on the bed, dressed up in dark jeans and a pale blue dress shirt that was untucked and fit him VERY nicely. And...the jerk's eyes were closed! "Hayate, you better not be asleep!"

No answer came from the bed. Not even a twitch of fingers to show he was conscious.

"Hayate!" Himeno rolled her eyes and jammed her feet into the strappy heels Mawata was letting her borrow. She wobbled a bit, steadying herself on the wall. She didn't mind heels...just not heels that were THIS big! No need to stand on tiptoe to kiss Hayate tonight. Speaking of which...Himeno walked across the carpet to the bed, standing where Hayate's legs hung over the side, hands on her hips. "Hey, ya big goof! Get up!"

Still no sign of any life, intelligent or otherwise. Scowling fiercer, Himeno nudged his leg with one foot. And almost fell over. "Yeeahhh! Whew, that was close! Hayate, are you gonna get up now or what?" Damn, she knew the guy slept like a log, but this was ridiculous! She glanced back at his face...and her eyes narrowed. Was that a smile? The bastard was faking! Smiling to herself, Himeno said, "Fine, sleep, I don't care. I'm just gonna go out in my cute little skirt and-,"

"What? You, in a skirt?" Hayate sat up, more in shock that she said she was in a skirt than to actually check her out in it.

Himeno grinned and poked him in the chest. "Pervert, I knew that would get your attention!"

"You liar! You're not wearing a skirt." He looked almost disappointed.

She pushed his legs further apart until she was standing between them, staring down into his eyes. She leaned forward, watching as his eyes began to close, expecting a kiss. Her lips were just above his when she said, "You dork, when do I ever wear skirts outside of school?"

Hayate shoved her back, only to catch her again when she began to fall. "Himeno, are you alright?"

"Yeah...just hating these shoes already." She grimaced and looked down at the bright red evil-things in question. "Why did Blaise have to pick a dance club tonight?"

"Because he won the draw and got to pick first. Come on, let's get going."

"That's what I said fifteen minutes ago," Sete shouted from the other side of their door.

Himeno jumped and stomped over to the door, throwing it open to find Sete sitting on the floor across from them, long dark hair brushed to a high shine and hanging straight down her back. "You were there the whole time!"

Sete stood up, stretching her arms over her head. The dark silver tank top rode up to expose her flat stomach, the black pants low enough to show her belly piercing, which made both Himeno and Hayate wince. The little silver quarter moon winked back at them from her navel. "Yep, and getting ready to break the door down and drag you two out. Everyone else is downstairs waiting."

Sure enough, the rest of their group was waiting for them at the bottom of the steps by the front door. Feryn and Yayoi were staying at the house that night to watch the younger three.

Blaise, his red and white hair covered with what he called a 'pimp hat', was tapping his foot impatiently. "Sweet Jaysus, you two to yer bloody time!"

They ignored the Knight of Flowers, Hayate turning to Kei to say, "Is Feryn set with instructions and stuff?"

Kei rolled his eyes. "Yes, he is, for the millionth time! I gave them Mawata's cell phone number in case they can't summon one of us. They're in the game room playing Candy Land right now." Candy Land was Hajime's favorite game.

"Sounds fun," Himeno said. Maybe if she said that...

Laughing, Blaise wiggled his eyebrows. "Not as much fun as Tempest, I'm sure."

Tempest was the name of the club they were going to. Kei had researched it online and discovered that it was the most popular club on the boardwalk, and the only one with a permit to remain open until four in the morning. There was only one small problem..."Hey, Blaise?" Kei asked.

"Yep?" Blaise paused with the door open and holding it for Mawata.

"How are you expecting to get these two in?" 'These two' as in Mawata and Himeno.

Blaise snapped his fingers as if suddenly remembering that same thing. "Right, almost forgot!" Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out his wallet, and pulled out two small cards, handing one to Mawata (who looked at it and almost choked in amusement) and the other to Himeno.

Himeno squinted and looked at hers more closely. "A fake id? And I'm twenty-SEVEN? Blaise!"

"Hey, it's the best me man could do in three days notice! Looks just like you, she does."

"But...I don't know about this."

Shrugging, Blaise said, "You don't have to use it if you don't wanna. But this place is supposed to be bloody brilliant, I tell you. Three floors, a huge deck, beach property in the back for volleyball and the sorts. Not to mention...I've got it on good authority the Black Eyed Peas are gonna be makin' an appearance tonight."

Even Sete's eyebrows went up at that. "Really? If this turns out to be a load of crap, Blaise..." She left the threat unfinished.

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, the same ol' threats. Yer gonna wear me guts for garters or somethin' of the kind, right? Fine, if I'm wrong I'll personally start the cuttin' meself. So, ladies, still not sure?"

Mawata and Himeno exchanged looks and slow smiles that soon turned to grins broke out across their faces. They tucked the ids into their wallets without another word.

"Right, let's get movin'. Oi, bye Frenchie! Bye, poppets! Bye Yayoi, and sorry but I can't marry a taken lady!"

As they shut the door, Himeno smiled when she heard Feryn's muttered, "What is that crazed man talking about?" before she took the hand Hayate held out for her and walked (sort of) with the rest of their group to the club.

When they got to Tempest, the bouncer looked at their ids, squinted a little at Himeno's, took the cover charge (which Kei argued was way too high) and let them in. This was after they'd stood in line for almost a half an hour to begin with. As they kept getting closer and closer, the bass levels rose higher and higher until they could feel it throbbing in the pavement. Blaise was all kinds of excited about it, going on and on about the dj battles Tempest supposedly hosted and other such things with Mawata. They passed through the doors, and even Blaise had to blink a little before continuing. The noise difference to being outside and actually going in to the club was insane. One minute Himeno could hear the pulsing bass throb in the air, and the next, it was all she could hear and feel. Flashing lights, people all crammed into a small room. A typical dance club.

Blaise hollered something and was pointing in the vague direction of the bar, taking Mawata's upper arm and guiding her through the mad press. Kei and Sete exchanged wry looks and were talking close to each other over the loud music.

Himeno turned a little when Hayate tapped her shoulder. She shivered when his lips brushed against her ear and he said, "Where the hell did Blaise run off to?"

"Um...no idea," she answered. She used the close proximity to place a quick kiss to his cheek, which he answered by wrapping one arm around her waist and hugging her. He didn't release her, though, and she didn't complain in the least. In a place as crowded as this, keeping close was necessary, right?

Kei and Sete came up to them, Sete glaring at any man who so much as looked ready try and squeeze up against her. Kei and Hayate exchanged a few quick words and then the first two began to weave their way onto the dance floor. Hayate leaned in again and sort of half-shouted, "There are some chairs over there if you want to sit down. Or, we can dance if you feel up to it in your Barbie heels."

Himeno jammed her elbow back playfully. "Hey, these heels can easily find their way in your ass, you know!"

"What?"

She shook her head. It was too much trouble really to try and repeat it. Taking a deep breath, she held on to his hand for dear life and stepped onto the crowded dance floor. No surprise Sete was dancing beautifully to the crazy remix music. Her slim body twisted in ways that made even Himeno stare. It was surprising, though, that Kei was dancing just as well. He had taught (or, rather, tried to teach) her ballroom dancing before summer started, but ballroom was a far cry from what they were doing now. And they were making it very obvious to any guys watching that Sete was off the menu.

Himeno and Hayate stood facing each other a little awkwardly. Neither of them felt very comfortable here. It wasn't that the place wasn't fun, but it was a different type of fun than what they liked. Waitresses moved around the edge of the floor, passing out long tubed drinks that people were downing like it was water. Both of them declined when one came up to them. She shrugged and continued on her circuit.

"Oi, love, this is a dance club, not a garden statue convention. Move yer hips!"

Himeno jumped and yelped at the warm breath by her ear and feel of someone's hands on her hips. Hayate had to grab her wrist to keep her from punching Blaise out of instinct.

Blaise and Mawata were standing behind them, grinning. Making a motion with his hand, he led the way over to Kei and Sete. Once their group was back together, Himeno didn't feel so stupid dancing. Mawata wasn't very good either (she knew how to dance ballet and that was it). She took small comfort in the fact she was finally better at something than her perfect step-sister. Blaise was taking it upon himself to try and get Mawata to dance better, and naturally it required a lot of body and hands touching, much to Himeno's delight. She was kind of hoping they might hit it off on the trip.

The music sped up faster and the crowd of people got more intense, forcing them closer together. Kei managed to snag some of those drinks, handing them out to himself, Sete and Blaise. Hayate again passed on it. He almost never drank anyway. Blaise shared a sip of his with Mawata, who nodded to tell him she liked it, and he grabbed two more for them. The bass was heavier on this song, driving its way into Himeno's chest like a sledge hammer. And it was getting really hot in there. Still, it was fun anyway, even with Blaise making fun of her for stepping all over Hayate's feet (she secretly thought Hayate looked gorgeous dancing), Kei and Sete arguing over the music, and Mawata trying very awkwardly to relax her perfect posture and move more freely. And to think she almost offered to stay home and miss this!

Feryn opened the microwave and pulled out the popcorn, shaking it before opening the bag and dumping it all into a big bowl. Yayoi had just taken drinks out into the game room for their third round of Candyland. He would never admit it out loud, but he was actually enjoying himself very much. His parents had been very strict when he was growing up, so he had never experienced board games before. And for some reason Yayoi was taking great pleasure in teaching him. He smiled when he thought of the time she had tried to teach him Uno. He still didn't fully grasp it, but c'est la vie. Stealing a few quick pieces of popcorn, he went back into the game room and found they had already started without him.

"Hi, sorry, Hajime was getting antsy," Yayoi explained, making room for him to sit next to her. She adjusted her glasses, took a handful of popcorn, and sent it down to Mannen.

"Here, Feryn, your turn," Hajime said, sitting back against the sofa and munching on food.

Feryn drew a color card and moved his piece there. "After this game, can we play something else?" he asked.

"Ooo, Trouble! Let's play Trouble," Yayoi said excitedly.

"Yeah! That game's fun," Mannen added, drawing a card and moving.

Shin got to his feet and ran suddenly from the room. It was his turn.

"Where did he go?" Feryn asked.

"Oh, probably to get his teddy bear," Hajime said absently. His tongue was sticking out of his mouth and he was concentrating hard on snapping a corn kernel across the room.

"No, he's doing something for Hayate," Yayoi explained. "He won't say what it is, but I bet it's terribly romantic! I bet anything it's a surprise for Himeno and he'll whisk her away into the moonlight on the beach and give it to her. Oh, Feryn, won't that be wonderful?"

Feryn smiled and kissed her. He adored how strongly she believed in the power of love. "Oui, ma fleur, c'est tres romantique."

Yayoi blushed as red as if he had truly said something shocking. She had told him once that hearing him speak French was like rolling around on a poem and feeling the words absorb into her skin. He still did not fully understand what she meant by it, but the look of absolute rapture on her face was worth it. It did not matter what he said, so long as the accent was heavy and the tone was soft. Though, now that she was learning French at an alarmingly fast pace, it made it impossible to slip in silly comments about cheese or foot fungus.

"Ew...they're getting mushy again," Hajime whispered to Mannen.

"Yeah, I know! Quick, sneak a turn!"

"It is still Shin's turn, I believe," Feryn said without once taking his eyes off of Yayoi.

"Crap, he heard," Mannen muttered.

A high pitched scream echoed through the house followed by footsteps pounding down the stairs. Shin came running into the room, eyes wide and tear filled. "It's there, it's there! Hajime, it's real!"

Hajime almost choked on his popcorn. "No way! I thought you said it was a dream!"

"It was, but now it's not and it's angry! I'm scared!" He began to cry, rubbing his eyes. Yayoi went over to him and hugged him, rubbing his back to calm him down.

Frowning, Feryn turned to a wide-eyed Hajime. "Explain what is going on," he ordered sharply.

Glancing quickly at Shin, Hajime swallowed heavily and said, "Well, two nights ago, Shin had a nightmare about a scary black dog with red eyes. And he didn't tell anyone about it until today."

"And?"

"And? That's it!"

Feryn's brow drew together. What did all this mean? "Perhaps it was your imagination, Shin. The mind...it does strange things when you are scared, non? Maybe-,"

"No, it WAS there! I just SAW it! It was just like my dream," Shin insisted.

"You should have told someone right away, dummy, that way it wouldn't come true," Mannen exclaimed.

"I still do not understand what is going on. Why should he have told someone about a silly dream?"

"If you have a dream and you don't tell someone about it, the dream comes true. It's a superstition," Yayoi explained, still trying to calm Shin down.

Laughing, Feryn shook out his blonde waves. "This is such nonsense! It is only a story, mon petit dauphin, nothing more." Shin looked up at his nickname (The Little Prince, which was his favorite story) but the usual smile did not accompany that look.

"He's shaking, Feryn. Should I call-,"

THUD!

Everyone froze at the loud sound. Shin whimpered and buried his head in Yayoi's chest. Hajime looked almost panicked and Mannen jumped to his feet. The noise had come upstairs, from the bedrooms. It sounded almost like-

THUD!

-Like someone was trying to break through a door. Feryn stood slowly, heart pounding and listening. Was that...it sounded like snarling. A dog snarling in the house! "Yayoi, go out the back door with Mannen and the others. Call Mawata and do not, no matter what, come back inside until I call for you."

"But, Feryn-"

THUD!

"Go, now!"

Yayoi gave him one last panicked look and then picked Shin up, following Hajime and Mannen out the back door.

Taking a deep breath, Feryn started gathering leafe to him and began the walk upstairs. Lightening crackled a little in the air around him. The thudding got louder and more insistant, and he was certain of the growling noise, the scrabbling of nails against wood. Could it possible be...no! He was being silly, it was only a dream. The lightening surged against the walls of the hallway, responding to his growing anger at whoever would dare break into their house. "Whoever you are, you have until I count to trois and then you will wish you never set foot in this house," he threatened.

THUD, THUD! CRACK!

The door was beginning to splinter! "Une"

CRACK! SNAP! THUD!

"Deuxe"

The hinges to the door bent and the broke away, sending the door into the ground. And stepping over the threshold was a hulking shadowy shape that paced out on paws bigger that Feryn's face. The whole thing was the size of a pony, with flashing white teeth and eyes glowing a dull crimson. Saliva hung from it's jaws in glistening strands, the thin tail ending in sharp spikes swishing angrily behind it.

"Mon Dieu...a hellhound," Feryn whispered moments before the hellhound charged. Feryn flooded the hallway with lightening, sending it racing at the hellhound.

The hellhound barked, jaws snapping as it ran him down, bowling him over and down the stairs. Feryn screamed as the teeth closed around his arm, breaking the bone and ripping through flesh. Blood splashed down into his eyes as he fought to keep that fearful mouth from coming down further. Gritting his teeth, he managed to get his free palm up against the hellhound's chest and sent a blast of lightening into it.

It howled and let go of his arm, hitting the front door and sliding down onto it's feet again, shaking it's head. Feryn got to his feet, arm burning in pain. He had to keep it here, keep it in the house until the other's-

"Feryn?" Yayoi rounded the corner hesitantly. And froze dead in her tracks when those crimson eyes whirled on her, a low growl trickling from it's clenched jaw.

"YAYOI!" Feryn ran and grabbed her arm, yanking her out of harm's way in the nick of time. Unfortunately, his momentum carried them right through the window in the dining room and outside. Exactly where he didn't want the hellhound to follow. Why did she come back inside the house?

Yayoi moaned, pushing herself up weakly. Her glasses had fallen off and a shard of window glass had cut her cheek open, but it was Feryn who had taken the most damage from the trip through the window. "Feryn? What...?"

"Run, Yayoi, and do not look back." Feryn stood up, putting himself between Yayoi and the shadow filling the window.

"What about you?" she asked desperately.

"LEAVE NOW!"

She backed away, slowly at first, and then ran into the night. He watched her go until the shadows swallowed her up.

Feryn turned back to the snarling dog before him and prayed that the others would arrive very quickly.

Himeno stopped dancing, clutching her stomach. Her head...the room was spinning...the lights...it was so hot...

"Himeno?" Hayate shouted into her ear, holding her up.

"D-Demon...larva," she whispered, even thought she knew he wouldn't hear her. No, it wasn't demon larva. It was something else, something darker and far more powerful. What was it? "We need to leave. We need to leave now!" The lights were spinning wildly, making her stomach churn like she was going to be sick. And it was so hot in here!

Hayate caught her as she began to fall, the lights and the heat finally overcoming her. And that sharp pain, too! As she fell, faces of the people on the dance floor whirled and mingled. She saw Blaise and Mawata laughing, unaware of what was happening, saw Sete nudge Kei, and Kei turning to them, almost like it was slow motion. And there...in the background...what...? No, it couldn't be...

"Goh." The last thing Himeno saw were those familiar brown eyes winking with laughter.