WILD FIRE

A/N: Ok I greatly dislike long author's notes so I'll keep this short. This is a new idea I had a while back regarding an X-Men/Sailor Moon x-over. It is based after X-Men 3. If you'd like to know more, then please R+R. I will wait for 15 reviews before I update. Tell me what you all think.

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Wolverine sniffed subtly as he came to a dead stop in front of a tall set of stairs. That fragrance was one he never believed he'd smell again. It smelled like HER… but that was not possible. Logan knew it wasn't, because he had been the one to kill her on Alcatraz Island when phoenix had taken over and yet he still perked up and twisted his head in the direction of the familiar scent.

"What about Jean, Logan?" Storm whispered as she turned to face him. It was not unusual to here the large man whisper that name but Storm was surprised that he should speak of her here… half way across the world in Japan no less.

"Huh? What are you talking 'bout Storm?" ah he was in auto-defensive mode. So be it, she did not have time to handle his problems at this point. They were here with a purpose, and they needed to keep their focus on their objective. In this case, it was scouting suburban Japan for the two so called mutant factions fighting it out on the streets.

"Never mind Logan. Just keep your eyes open. Hank said that no one knows where these rogue mutants are based or why they are fighting."

"Well Furry sure don't know much does he…" he only smirked at Storm when she shot him a half hearted disapproving look. "All I'm saying is that he could have given us a little more information before sending us on this wild goose chase."

Deep down Storm agreed, but one of these two factions of mutants had been attacking innocent bystanders during these confrontations, completely unprovoked, and Ambassador McCoy had been formally approached by the Japanese government for help with the situation. "Regardless. Hank asked us to look into the matter as a personal favour, and besides, I thought you of all people would be glad to get out of the school for a while…"

He knew his silence spoke louder than any words he could think of, so Wolverine returned his attention to their bright surroundings. He did not budge as a few people ducked passed them and up the incredible amount of stairs to their left, and again did not move as some flittering, giggly girls came skipping down the steps holding papers with symbols he could not read written all over them.

Storm had begun to walk on but Logan could not tear himself away from the bottom of those steps… Her scent was coming from up the top of them. "Logan come on!" Storm's voice sounded and as he turned his head back to her with the intention of following, he noticed a new and very unusual scent. It was not human but nor was it mutant, and it was somewhere nearby. Storm stopped where she was when she saw him freeze and beginning to make a real show of smelling something he didn't like.

"That stench…" he trailed off as he swung around quickly, claws jumping out only to find there was no one behind him but those giggling girls making there way down the street. It wasn't them, they smelled human enough- he swung around again, ready to attack only to find the street, once full of people chattering amiably, had fallen deathly quiet because they had all dropped to the floor in what appeared to be a deep sleep. Storm rushed over to a small group of children who could be no older than ten and felt for a pulse. They slept deceptively peacefully and had they not just dropped in the middle of the street, even he would have been hard-pressed to tell that there was something wrong.

"No pulse! Wolverine I can't find a pulse on any of them!" Storm cried out in near panic. She had always had a soft spot for young children. "Who in their right minds would do such a thing to children? What kind of person-"

She paused as Logan raised his finger to his lips. "Its still here… somewhere" and he resumed sniffing the air trying to pinpoint the source of the foul odour.

A long silence passed. The winds blew and the sakura trees that lined the steps, now behind him, scattered their pink petals and fragrance everywhere. Then it settled and silence reigned again. With the wind gone, not even its whisper was heard, the sound of traffic in the distance vanished, the cars froze where they were… and just like that all hell broke loose.

The stench intensified ten fold as a creature akin to what one would find in their most feared nightmares materialised out of thin air. "Mmmm you don't smell like these pathetic humans do mortal." Its voice sounded dual- as though many beings were speaking at once. "You have the stench of power about you." It paused again as a smirk distorted its face, "Master will be pleased." And with that tentacles formed around it and shot out at Wolverine and Storm as more formed and attached to the prone bodies of people on the floor.

Wolverine began hacking at the vine like tentacles with fervour and Storm dodged those heading her way as she floated up, eyes glowing and lightning crackling at her fingertips. The more they destroyed the tentacles however, the more took their place and soon the number of tentacles attempting to latch around them had doubled. Storm began summoning a storm as intense as any she had ever called but the sight of the prone children on the floor who had begun to glow made her stumble long enough for a tentacle to slam into her ribs and send her flying up the stairs. "Storm!" Wolverine having been momentarily distracted by this shortly followed.

They had both been winded as they tried to get up desperately, Wolverine managing to stand faster because of his healing abilities. The blows had been powerful- too powerful for any creature to be able to swing with no momentum to speak of what-so-ever. Before he could react, the creature had wrapped a tentacle around Logan's arm and he suddenly felt very weak. He dropped to his knees as he too began to glow. Storm called out to him as a bolt of her lightning cut through the tentacle attached to Logan stopping the glowing. The creature bellowed out an ear splitting screech, the blow this time having, for some reason, seriously pained it.

Wasting no time Logan shakily got to his feet as wounds began opening over his whole body, grabbed the tentacle and used all the strength he could to hurl it over his head, sending the creature attached to said tentacle flying with it. Unfortunately Logan had not counted on it remaining connected to the thirty odd people still unconscious on the street, and they too took a trip down the street, landing with hard cracks against the concrete.

"Are you ok?!" Storm stumbled over to him watching in horror as cuts began forming all over his body. Cuts that were healed moments ago. He grunted as he crumpled to his knees again, Storm falling with him unable to sustain the heavy weight of his adamantinum skeleton. "Logan what's going on? Why aren't you healing?"

Logan grunted again, eyes focused only on the creature that was slowly rising, swinging the people in its grasp up into the air as their glowing intensified to a near blinding light. "Now you make Tenga mad. You'll pay for that!" and it flung several tentacles in their direction. Storm's eyes began to glow again as a storm brewed and thunder began to strike down the tentacles all around them with deadly accuracy. Wolverine could do little to help as he began to feel faint from blood loss but he knew that Storm could hardly keep up her current pace for long. They'd underestimated this threat in Japan, and now they would pay for it-

Fire suddenly shot passed Storm and Wolverine, engulfing the tentacles in a flame that was not being put out by the sudden rain fall. "You know what, we're really getting sick of this Nega-scum. Why do you lot insist on attacking when your master is dead?" the feminine voice sounded from behind the two X-Men as Storm's control finally gave way and the lightning vanished. Strangely the rain remained though.

"YOU! You hurt Tenga's master! You die first- then pathetic non-humans." The creature's attention seemed to have firmly fixated on whoever was behind them as Logan sniffed again, that wonderful fragrance filling his senses once more. Could it be-? He struggled to turn his head, but even the slightest movement hurt beyond anything he could articulate. He had to see her! He felt desperate to glimpse her, and yet he could scarcely move.

Yet again fire shot passed, this time engulfing the tentacles latched on to the thirty odd unconscious people. As soon as the flames severed the tentacles connecting the creature and the people the same ear-splitting screech sounded as the people stopped glowing and began to fall. Storm in a desperate attempt to save them flung out her hand as her eyes glowed, summoning wind strong enough to soften their landing. Again she collapsed onto her hands and knees, now completely spent.

"Thank you." The voice sounded so familiar to him. It HAD to be her! It had to be Jean!

Warmth engulfed both him and storm as a wall of flames shot up in front of them, just as an array of tentacles flew at them. They were instantly incinerated by the fire wall and Logan could do nothing but watch as a beautiful woman with pitch black hair, that reached passed the miniskirt she wore, and ivory skin encircled by flames stepped passed them and the barrier of fire, which parted for her to walk through and closed again. "I think- we- found- those- mutants." Storm heaved beside him as she tried to catch her breath. Logan did not bother to correct her, so engrossed by the image of the woman standing just beyond the flames now using what seemed to be telekinetic power to gently lower the cars full of people that the creature had taken to throwing at her in an attempt to harm her without getting to close.

"Enough!" she called as she raised her hand and seemingly bound the creature and its tentacles into a tight ball. "You have attacked innocent people and harmed even the most small and innocent of children Youma." The last word she had spat out as though it were the foulest of words known to man, "For these crimes against Earth and its people, your punishment is incineration!"

Had Logan not been in such immense pain he would have laughed at the strange scene- the frightened look that crossed the face of the massive creature as the small woman less than half its size spoke. "You wouldn't dare!" it seemed panicked… obviously it didn't even believe these words itself "You cannot kill! It's against the code of the Senshi!"

"No." though Logan could not see her face, by the sound of her voice he could definitely tell she was smirking, "It is against Sailor Moon's code to kill, yes. Unfortunately for you, she is not here. I am Sailor Mars. Senshi of fire, spirit and war and I assure you, I have no qualms with killing Nega-Scum." At this she seemed to release her hold on the creature as it fell to the floor and she took a step back, "MARS FLAME SNIPER!" what appeared to be a bow and arrow made of nothing but fire formed within her hands and she let it loose on the creature. The arrow flew true and struck the hideous being square between the eyes, on what appeared to be a crystal attached to its head.

The crystal shattered on impact and the creature let loose its hideous scream again as it turned to a black powder and piled to the floor. A gust of wind scattered the black ash that was all that remained of the creature as the girl seemed to relax some, turning her attention back to Storm and Logan. She quirked an eyebrow, waving away the wall of fire as Logan's wounds began to re-heal themselves. For the first time since she had arrived, Logan was able to finally see a clear image of the flame encrusted woman. He momentarily forgot to breathe as he took in the shimmering amethyst eyes that stood out almost frighteningly on her ivory skin which had yet to relinquish its fiery shield.

"Thank you for your help." Storm stated from beside him, having yet to stand up for fear of falling. Her energy seemed to have been sapped from controlling such a large storm for so long. When the woman did not answer, they both looked up only to find her no longer in front of them, but beside some of the fainted people checking them over- flaming skin having vanished.

Just then an old man came running down the steps behind them, dressed in the garb of a priest, frantically talking on the phone "Yes I need enough ambulances for about 30 people out front the Shinto Temple. There's been a Youma attack!" he was frantic, only stopping when he saw the woman kneeling beside a man chanting softly. "Sailor MARS! What an honour! By the fire you saved us again didn't you?!" he rambled completely forgetting he was on the phone with the emergency department.

The girl's concentration wavered and she stopped chanting, turning her gaze to the short, balding, old man dropping to his knees in a bow. "Get up Grandfather Hino. Do not bow to me." Her voice seemed almost- embarrassed? "These people need medical attention… They've sustained severe bruising, broken bones and a few concussions. Thankfully nothing life threatening though."

"But the children had no pulse!" cried out Storm, astonished by the impartiality that laced the woman's voice as she spoke of the people. The outburst had drawn the miniskirt-clad woman's attention as she stood again.

"People retain no normal human signs of life when the Youma begin harvesting energy from them. No responsiveness, no breathing and certainly no pulse. This is reversed if the connection is severed before a person is completely drained. They are in no life threatening danger any more." Her tone and expression suggested she was irritated at being second guessed but her features softened as she took in Storm's weakened state. "you on the other hand…" the woman trailed off as she made her way over to them, seeming to ignore Wolverine as she knelt beside Storm.

"What are you-" Storm did not finish her sentence as flames shot through her chest and she froze where she sat.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" bellowed Wolverine as he grabbed onto Sailor Mars' arm and wrenched her away from Storm. The frustrated look returned to her beautiful face as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to be lifted away from the snow haired woman.

Flame seemed to once again engulf her though this time it bore no heat, only seeming to radiate an orange glow and an overwhelming power. Wolverine was about to extend his claws when she opened her eyes and stared at him with a frankly irritated expression on her face. He almost dropped her in shock as he took in the effect the orange glow from the flames had on her appearance. Her hair appeared red and her eyes though not green radiated a familiar glow. The combination of these traits, the familiarity of her features, and that overwhelming scent that had engulfed his senses all lead to one conclusion in his mind "Jean?"

The woman raised a brow at the name and lost a little of the irritated look, "I'm not hurting your friend. I am simply lending her some of my energy until she recuperates her own. Her body must adjust to it though." She had completely ignored his question, though as he watched her expression and listened to her voice, he became so certain it frightened him.

"Jean- how-?" he could not coherently speak, so great was his shock as he pulled the girl against him and hugged her tightly to his body, being engulfed by that same flame that surrounded her.

Sailor Mars could do little but try to keep the flame from scorching the strange man that healed so quickly earlier, as he hugged her like his life depended on her presence. It seemed she reminded him of someone… She fought the urge to scorch him as her old insecurities about men began to kick in.

"Logan?" the white haired woman had drawn the wild looking man back to reality with her voice as she slowly rose to her feet. She watched as Logan turned his head in her direction and reluctantly released the still rather shocked Senshi of fire, spirit and war. The woman gasped as she stared at her and repeated the same name the man had. Apparently she bore no small resemblance to this 'Jean'. "This is not possible. You died! Twice!" whispered the snowy haired woman as she watched Sailor Mars close her eyes, reabsorbing the flames that licked at her skin. With the flames gone, the glow receded and Sailor Mars' hair returned to its natural ebony appearance and the unearthly glow receded somewhat from her eyes.

"My name is not Jean." Was her simple reply as she turned her head in the direction of the sirens as ambulance after ambulance turned onto the street. Suddenly flashes began going off as paparazzi began to snap photos of the three strangely dressed people who, apart from the old Shinto priest that had begun helping the ambulance personnel with the wounded, had been the only conscious people on this side of the street.

"Sailor Mars a few words for the people please."

"Sailor Mars could you answer a few-"

"A moment of your time Sailor Mars?"

Wolverine took a step between the flashing lights of the cameras and the ebony haired woman who was obviously becoming frustrated. "Maybe we should go somewhere these people can't hear us. You have so much to explain Jean-"

"Indeed, how did you manage to survive- and what have you done to your hair?" whispered Storm as she too slowly moved to block the media's view of Sailor Mars.

Mars watched the joy on the faces of the two people before her- the sudden growth of hope in their eyes and slowly sighed, hating to be the barer of bad news, but not wishing to deceive these people. "Look I've already told you, my name is not Jean-"

"Wait- Phoenix?!" a worried look crossed Logan's features and Mars once again sighed shaking her head 'no'.

"My name is not Phoenix either. Listen I'm sorry, you must have obviously cared for your friend, but I am not her-" she was cut off as again the man- Logan grabbed her, pulling her close in his arms, ignoring the flashes that had once again lit up the area behind him.

"Don't lie Red. I can tell the difference, and you still have the same scent. It has to be you!" His arms tightened as he whispered these words into her ear, his voice full of unspoken emotion as he buried his face in the shorter woman's hair, breathing in her scent with an overwhelming sense of calm.

Rei was unsure what the man was playing at but her mind was torn between her natural instinct of shoving the man away from her, and enjoying the feeling his muscular body was spreading through her. The deciding factor ended up being his dropping a kiss on her head followed by the woman's name again. He was not holding her; he was hold this 'Jean' person.

Mars suddenly pulled away feeling guilt, betrayal and rage. Guilt for allowing the man to believe even for a moment that she was this Jean, betrayal at the fact that he, a total stranger, had made her feel anything in his arms while he envisioned someone else, and rage at herself for remaining there for so long. "For the last time, I am NOT this Jean woman! I do not know you, you do not know me. Ever touch me again and I will personally remove all aspects of your body that make you male- understand?" she growled only just managing to keep her voice down so the reporters behind Logan and the snow haired woman could not hear her.

Not waiting for a reply, she turned on her heel and sprang up into the air, somersaulting onto a nearby rooftop and taking off down the street jumping from roof to roof to avoid the people below. The others would have had a field day if they'd seen that. Thank the Gods they had not been able to respond to the threat with her, each unavoidably detained.

Logan watched Sailor Mars land gracefully on a roof top and take off down the street, jumping with abnormal agility. Did she not remember them? There was no other explanation than her being Jean. Each individual had a distinguishing scent, and the woman smelled just like Jean! "Perhaps she was not Jean then…" Storms voice made his head snap towards her with a glare.

"Her scent and Jean's are identical. You think I'd go around proclaiming any look alike as her of all people?" the warning in his tone was not lost on Storm who decided it would be safer to drop the topic.

"Well at least we found the two mutant groups right?" again she watched Wolverine shake his head.

"No… that thing before was no mutant. Mutants have a distinct smell… and all that thing smelt of was something foul."

"Sir. Madam. Did you see how Sailor Mars dealt with the Youma?"

"Yes perhaps you could give us an interview!"

The media, having lost sight of Sailor Mars five minutes ago had turned their attention to Wolverine and Storm. Before Wolverine could hack into the humans verbally, Storm intervened- "Youma? What does that word mean?' her Japanese was shaky at best but they understood her enough to know what she had asked.

"Monster. It means monster." Said a soft feminine voice in perfect English as a young woman descended the stairs. She too was dressed in the Shinto garb of red and white, with ebony hair pulled back into a bun by a ribbon and amethyst eyes glittering with an almost innocent sparkle. It quickly faded when she passed them and went to the other Shinto priest. "Grandpa, you shouldn't be lifting such heavy things, the doctor warned you about strenuous movements after the surgery."

"I must help Rei-chan. Now be a good girl and go-"

"No, go back up to the temple Grandpa, I'll help in your stead. Go." The firmness of that voice contrasting with the gentleness of her actions seemed strangely familiar to both Wolverine and Storm. The similarities between this girl and the woman who had called herself Sailor Mars did not go unnoticed by them, but no one else in the hubbub seemed to make the same connection.

After escaping the media crew, Wolverine and Storm discretely left the scene, returning to the hotel Hank had booked them in. Immediately upon entering the hotel suite, Storm contacted him and relayed the events of the afternoon to the blue furred ambassador.

"This is most disturbing news. You say these creatures are more powerful than most mutants, but are not actually mutants in themselves?" When Storm replied affirmatively she heard her old friend sigh, "Very well, you've done well to locate them only two days after arriving in Japan... we still need more information however. I'll do what research I can from here. You should try to do the same. Perhaps you should also try and contact this 'Sailor Mars' character. She may provide us with useful information."

"I was planning on doing that with or without your suggestion Furry." Logan snorted, ignoring the aggravated expression that flashed across Hank McCoy's face momentarily.

"Very well, I must call a conference and relay this new development. I shall contact you in a week to check on your progress. Good luck.'

Ororo sighed as she closed the vid-link and turned to her animal like companion, "Did you have to do that Logan?"

"Yes." He responded as he turned and left the suite, heading for the buffet downstairs. His mind was still reeling with his encounter today, and her scent still lingered in his senses.

"Jean…"

Remember guys. 15 reviews for the next chapter so just tell me what you all think. Good idea? Bad idea? Any constructive criticism is welcome but unconstructive flames will be ignored. R+R people!

CHERRY