[hr][i][h1][color=salmon]Haruka[/color] & [color=cornflowerblue]Shizuka[/color] [color=fa8072]T[/color][color=e78381]a[/color][color=d58591]k[/color][color=c288a0]a[/color][color=af8bb0]s[/color][color=9c8dbf]h[/color][color=8a90ce]i[/color][color=7792de]r[/color][color=6495ed]o[/color], & Akemi Shinoda.[/h1]
[sub]([@Mr Allen J])[/sub][/i]

[hr][hider=Mobius Final Fantasy OST - Track 17][youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgfBNNmFAfw[/youtube][/hider][hr]

After Henry left, Shizuka took the liberty to clear the leftovers on the table, even asking the waitress to pack the half-eaten glutinous chicken rice for takeaway - it would be such a waste if he didn't (those were some expensive shit he would never get to eat with his current savings). As he exited the restaurant, a sudden chill shot down his back - he narrowed his eyes at the gathering storm clouds above, growing bigger and bigger at an alarming rate. [i]Here we go again,[/i] he ruffled his hair and let out a frustrated sigh. [i]Another creepy, disgusting shower to spoil a good day---[/i]

Or worse.

Fissures appeared on the rumbling ground, which was lit up with a violet glow; soon the whole area was filled with screams of terror, with people scrambling madly away from the cracks. Tentacles rose from the damaged roads - it was them, those slimy, purple-eyed monsters that tried to kill him and Cindy previously...but this time it wasn't just five but an army, [i]literally[/i]. The creatures crawled up onto the streets, grabbing onto the nearest person and wretched out their heart before ripping them apart. Some tried to fight back, but there were just too many of them - those people stood no chance against their sheer numbers. The spilled blood mixed with the rain, and soon Shizuka found himself running through the ankle-deep red flood. Some of these minions went after him, forcing him to evade them with his intangibility power.

He felt oddly calm facing such a situation - duh, he didn't have the time to waste on these annoying pests now. He took a shortcut to the red-brick shophouse; it was just a few steps away before him...

He let out a gasp when a monster landed on the roof of the home he had only settled down in for a month, then yelled, "[i]Haru! Akemi![/i]" He sprinted towards the front door, where his aunt and brother came out of just in time. The elder twin threw his arms over his younger counterpart. "[i]Shizu! [abbr=Thank goodness!]Yokatta![/abbr][/i]"

Akemi looked grimly at the chaos around them. "[i]Save the teary reunion for later - let's get out of here first. And fast.[/i]"

One of the creatures was heading straight for the trio - Akemi merely flicked a hand and its tentacles were blocked out of their reach, as if they had rammed into an invisible wall. Her nephews stared at her with disbelief; she responded with a shrug. "[i]No time to explain - now move![/i]"

Akemi took the lead, throwing out psionic shields to knock the monsters off their path as they ran down the streets of bloody water and messy remains of the people; followed closely by Haruka, with his younger twin bringing up the rear. As they reached a crossroad, a tentacle shot towards them from the right - Shizuka quickly grabbed their arms and shouted, "[i]Don't breathe![/i]" and they phased through the barrage of slimy hands.

It was Akemi's turn to give the younger nephew a curious look; Shizuka, on the other hand, spotted a car not far away from them and his mind whirled - they wouldn't get anywhere on foot at this rate. He gritted his teeth and they ghosted into the vehicle, gasping for breath. The good news: the engine was already running, which saved them the trouble of having to jump-start the car - without a key, they would have to use the old-fashioned and time-consuming manual way.

However, the bad news: that was the last time the twins ever wanted to take a ride with their aunt as the driver - they were thrown around in their seats when Akemi floored the accelerator and made sharp turns around the corners, soon leaving the havoc of Chinatown behind them.

"[i]W-What are we going to do now?[/i]" Haruka asked from the backseat weakly - he was getting carsickness from Akemi's berserk driving. Shizuka, who sat beside him, turned on his mobile and was sending a text to Cindy:

[code]Shizu here. Are dem minions flooding your area with blood too?[/code]

Akemi shook her head; the car was now speeding towards a bridge that would lead into the Priscilla Isle. "[i]Knightdale will be a little bit safer than the areas in the Estella Isle - that's where the main 'castle', NEST Headquarters, is.[/i]" She squinted her eyes - something was not right. She pulled the brakes suddenly, causing the twins to headbutt into the back of the front seats. Shizuka rubbed his forehead before he looked up, following his aunt's gaze. There was a long line of vehicles before them, but most were abandoned - and crawling with the same slimy things as those back in Chinatown.

With only one exception: someone was still fighting the creatures.

"[i]Lihua...Vuhong?[/i]" Akemi uttered the name in a soft whisper. While she couldn't make out the face of the person from such a distance (plus the heavy downpour), there was no mistake of the concrete ability - that woman's specialty.

The twins raised their eyebrows at the name. Shizuka let out a whistle. "[i]You mean...that ladydude there is Meifeng's NESTie mother?[/i]"

Some of the monsters - especially those nearer to them - now turned their attention to their vehicle.

"[i]Right,[/i]" the silver-haired teen didn't bother to hide the irritation in his tone. "[i]They are telling us to get out of the car too.[/i]"