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The recent snowfall in Destiny City gave even the most run-down places a sort of new life. Garbage that was one strewn about was now hidden beneath a thick blanket of snow, and buildings that showed age seemed to take on a less haggard appearance. Nevermind that the busier sections of Destiny City's sidewalks were now a mire of dirt-brown slush and ice, populated by people buried in layers of clothes. Even if their eyes were locked on the ground, there would always be an occasional suspicious glance up and around, just to make sure that there weren't any terrorists lurking nearby.

Those people made Carter uneasy. It didn't matter that nobody could recognize him as Sailor Merope – the guilt and suspicion was there all the same. The worry and sense of anxiety grew little by little each day that passed to the point where he hurried away from school, not wanting to linger and meet up with friends. No, the back streets and alleys of the city seemed to beckon to him, calling him with a siren's lure away from the civilians and youma to the quiet back alleys where no one would see him and – wait.

What.

A low rumbling growl was more than enough to cause the teenage boy to look around slowly. Cruel, reptilian eyes stared at him as the growl increased in volume, its large saurian mouth opening to display hand-sized teeth. It was a youma. It looked hungry. And it was looking straight at him.

Like any sensible civilian caught in the situation, Carter did the first thing that came to mind: he yelled and took off running.

If Carter had remembered to watch any Jurassic Park movies, he would have known that the proper action to take would have been to stand still and wait. Or, hell, even if he saw How to Train your Dragon he should have remembered about the blind spot and how good it was to stay in it. Instead, he opted to throw caution to the wind and use the ancient technique of run like hell.

THMP.xxxxxxxx THMP.xxxxxxxx THMP.

He didn't need to turn around to know that the tyrannosaurus-rex youma knock-off was following him. Thankfully the creature's cold-blooded ancestors passed on this blood-type to its more recent and youmonic cousin, who seemed to stomp sluggishly through the snow after him.

Running wouldn't last forever, however. The boy flailed at Bell appeared, trying to unsuccessfully stop. “MOVE! MOVE! MOVE!” He cried. Or tried to. It came out as “MOVE! MOV- askldfjskf!” instead as he ran smack into her.

Carter was happy that they didn't fall in a tangle of limbs. He wasn't sure who bounced off of who, but his injured pride and dignity were oddly silent when he made impact with the ground. The boy scrambled to his feet and fell again before he skittered to one side and stood, this time off of the ice.

At her question, Carter gestured over his shoulder. “That! It's a you-er, demon! One of those demon things! C'mon, let's get out of here!” He took a step, almost walking past her before he stopped and smacked his forehead with his palm. This palm was then lowered to Bell to help her up. “It's pretty slow but – crap there it is!”

The large, hulking creature seemed to peer comically around the corner, its pale eyes staring intently towards the pair. It seemed to hiss as it opened its jaw, head lowering as it worked to maneuver around the narrow corner.

Okay. So. There was a chick with him now. Under different circumstances, the situation would be worth mentioning to his teammate Orion later on (come to think of it, it still would be -- later, that is, after this was all taken care of). For now, though... He had the same idea as Bell: ditch the other, transform, then go deliver a smack-down.

But where? There was a phonebooth over there, except it was one of those modern ones without the "booth" part. Weren't booths see-through, anyway? Damnit Superman! Okay. Uh. Building? Carter ran towards a building, shaking the door. It was locked. "I think we can lose it inside here!" He called out, unsure if Bell followed him in his flight away from the youma. "Is there a broken window?"

The youma had managed to squeeze through the corner, and was now making its way toward where they were. It seemed puzzled that the prey that was here was no longer there, but... It lifted its head and sniffed the air, swinging its boxy head this way and that. Where did they go?

As soon as the laptop bag went through the window, Carter had new respect for the civilian. In addition to a bit of jealousy, of course: the last time he broke a window, he was grounded for three months and didn't get an allowance for awhile. Stupid baseball. Stupid window. Stupid adults.

Either way, he gave her a quick nod before following her, broken glass crunching beneath his snow-soaked sneakers. The building itself seemed to be recently abandoned: the lights turned on as soon as the motion detectors sensed Bell's entry. Thankfully the alarms were no longer present -- or they were silent, for all intents and purposes.

Carter took off running, trying to find a secluded area to transform into Sailor Merope.

The youma, meanwhile, was following their trail. It was slowly stomping its way after them, its reptilian brain focused in on the hunt. It probably wouldn't reach the building for several minutes. Luckily for the two senshi, it wasn't a big bad wolf: unable to huff and puff and blow the house down, most likely the reptile would try to squeeze into the window, only to be blocked by its tiny arms and really big head.

Diving into a building seemed to be a good idea to the boy at the time. Even if it was occupied, occupied people meant cellphones which meant police, right? He's head of police officers gunning down youma before, and the one chasing them didn't seem too dangerous for an armed civilian. Not to mention that buildings had the added benefit of taking up space. If Carter couldn't transform here, then it was easy enough to jump through another window or find a backdoor, transform elsewhere, and double-back to take care of the beast.

He didn't know where the girl went, preoccupied with finding a place himself. Behind those boxes? No, someone could still see. Did henshining up give off light? He wondered, then shook his head. Focus! Over there? No, too visible. He heard a door slam -- a door! That's what he needed! Some place enclosed that he could transform in.

Carter managed to find the restrooms and burst into the nearest one. He didn't pay attention to the sign on the door, only paying close attention to the stalls. Did he see shoes? Legs? No? Good! He had the place to himself, transforming into Sailor Merope and leaving the women's bathroom without a thought.



The youma had reached the window and was busy unsuccessfully trying to shove its way in. The frame of the portal shook as the dinosaur tried to push its way in, growling. It tried to shake its head free, growling in confusion. This growl, however, sharpened as it caught sight of Bellatrix. The youma's clawed feet scraped at the snow as it tried to force its way in, the wall beginning to buckle under its pressure.

The dinosaur roared as the golden energy-chakram appeared, its cry of surprise freezing in its throat as the attack made impact. Its tiny reptile brain went into shock: brightlight to self. Brightlight fast. Hurts. Pain. Stuck.

Its little mind completely failed to comprehend what happened next.

"I'M GOING TO PUNCH THAT DINOSAUR IN THE FACE!" Merope yelled as he ran up from behind Bellatrix, charging recklessly forward towards the creature. His right hand curled into a fist before he punched, yelling, "WAVE FIST!"

And what to you know? He punched that dinosaur in the face, causing it to reel backwards and be shoved out of the window-trap. It seemed to waver in place like a drunken man desperately trying to stand up, its limbs still paralyzed from Bellatrix's attack.

Merope jumped back, putting distance between himself and the youma. He stared at it, raising an eyebrow. "Did... is it broken?" He asked, "I mean, it's not moving or anything..." he trailed off, taking a step forward to poke the youma. Aside from an unhappy gurgling growl, the creature didn't do anything.

With a shrug, the boy turned to Bellatrix and grinned. "Thanks! I'm Merope, punching is what I do best. Did you, uh..." An empty gesture was given to the still petrified youma, "Break it? I think I heard you shout earlier, but I missed it."