Passionate Fire
Chapter One

(disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or claim it as my own. I am only inspired by the characters and write about them. After all, isn't that what fanfiction is? I write for others to enjoy! So please do!)

(UPDATED: 5/22/09)

"Get everyone inside, now! The storm's coming in fast!"

Children and women ran by the man who was shouting, disappearing into the mouth of a deep cave. The men stayed outside, chasing after fluffy white animals that were running around in confusion. The sand was blowing up all around them, stinging the men's skin like needles, and they pulled their scarves up to cover their faces.

"Get the herd in quickly!" the man continued to bellow, chasing a few stray sheep into the cave. As he watched the flock flood in, he saw a woman fighting the flow, her face tear-streaked. "Shakaku? What's the matter?"

"Our daughter! She's not here! Okibi, she's still by the campfire!" The woman named Shakaku clung to her husband's robes, her eyes pleading. "My baby! She will die out there!"

Okibi left Shakaku crying on the dirt ground of the cave. He ran past the last of the sheepherders, and headed out into the flurrying sandstorm. Okibi shielded his eyes, calling out for his daughter.

"Kasen!" another voice called from the sand.

Okibi moved towards the voice, and found Shikka, one of the men in his tribe.

"Shikka!" Okibi called out, grabbing his arm. "Who are you looking for?"

"My son, Kasen. He chased a lamb and got lost in the sand. I can't find him."

Okibi looked around, but the glimmering gold veil around them blinded everything. "We'll have to search for them after the storm. Our children have learned how to survive; they'll be okay."

"No!" Shikka yelled, yanking his arm away. "My son needs me."

"Shikka!" Okibi called out. "Have faith in your child!"

Okibi started to head after him, but he could not tell where he went. He turned around, knowing that if he headed straight back, he would find the cave. He said a prayer for the children and for Shikka as he entered the cave.

The other tribal women had taken Shakaku down inside the cave, where they were consoling her. Okibi looked around. Their entire community was here, except for the three out in the sandstorm.

Okibi was the leader of the sand dwellers, or the 'Ningai' as the city dwellers called them. The city dwellers lived deep down under the surface, where it was warmer. The city was ruled by a king and queen, much like the Ningai. But the underground kingdom was advanced in technology, so the city was always lit with artificial lights. Okibi had only been to these cities a few times in his life, taking the tunnels that ran along the caves he and his tribe used.

The Ningai were thought of as uncivilized, and were outcast from the underground kingdom. Okibi didn't mind living above ground. Although the nights were cold, he and his children could experience life: plants, rivers, mountains, fresh food, and most of all, a beautiful sunrise and sunset.

One of the woman who had been attending Shakaku approached Okibi. "Sir, your wife is very disturbed. Were you able to find any signs of your daughter?"

Okibi looked down at the woman and sadly smiled. "I'll let her know she'll be all right. We have taught her well." The woman nodded, and Okibi followed her back to his wife.

Everyone listened in silence to the sand beating against the wall of the cave. The only thing that broke the silence was the bleating of the sheep and Shakaku's occasional sobbing. Eventually, everyone was asleep, except for Okibi. He sat beside his wife's sleeping form, watching the entrance of the cave. The wind was beginning to settle down, and soon he would be able to go looking for his daughter. He had already lost his other children to storms and droughts and one in childbirth. His daughter was his only blood. She must survive.

Okibi awoke suddenly from his short sleep. Someone was touching his face, ever so gently, but it was enough to wake him. He jumped, looking into the wisest violet eyes he had ever seen. Okibi sat up, a warm smile on his lips. "Rei!" he cried, embracing his daughter.

Shakaku awoke, her tears returning once more. "My baby!" she shrieked, pulling Rei away from her father, hugging her tightly.

"I'm not a baby, mother," Okibi heard Rei mutter.

Okibi looked around, seeing everyone waking up. Near them was Kasen, his blonde hair dirty with sand. His face and arms had scratches all over, but they had already begun to heal. Okibi looked at Rei, and noticed she didn't have a mark. He marveled at the thought that she was unharmed by the deadly wind.

Okibi saw that Kasen was close to crying, and wondered why. He approached the boy, placing his hands on his shoulders. "What is it?"

Kasen looked up at his leader. "My father...we found him..."

The ladies that were around him fell silent, and Okibi hung his head. "Then today we will have a burial ceremony."

Rei stood beside Kasen during the funeral, never letting go of his hand. She had spent the entire night holding his hand, protecting him from the storm. Kasen had slept through the entire ordeal, yet she had remained awake. Rei had been captivated by the storm, not because she liked the wind, or the heat. But because it wasn't touching her at all.

She had found Kasen wondering around blindly in the wind, trying to find his way back to the tribe. All around Rei, the sand blew away from her, as if she was reflecting it. Rei took his hand, and then the sand went around him too, but he was too worn to find their way to shelter. So they stayed the night in the middle of the storm, a miracle in itself.

As her father lit the wood lying under Shikka, Rei became lost in thought. As the flames dance around, and the elders of the tribe did their ceremonial dance, she couldn't help but wonder. How was an eight-year-old girl capable of such a feat?

Kasen breathed in sharply, as if fighting back his tears. The eleven- year-old boy was now on his own, and Rei admired him for putting up a brave front. But she could sense that he was scared. Lonely.

As the flames licked at his Shikka's body, Rei squeezed Kasen's hand affectionately. He looked down at her, and she could see his eyes glistening in the light. She smiled at him sadly. "You are not alone," she whispered.

Kasen nodded, his lips trembling with emotion. Rei could only imagine how it would feel to lose someone close to her. She was born years after her older siblings had passed, so she had no memory of them. This was the first time someone in the tribe had died since she was three.

"You'll never leave me, will you?" Kasen whispered back, his gaze never wavering from her face. His hold on her hand was growing tighter, as if he feared losing her.

"Don't be silly," Rei whispered, her smile turning a little warmer. "You're my best friend. I'm not leaving you."

As head of the tribe, it was Okibi's duty to take in Kasen as a part of his family. Every night since the burial ceremony, Rei could hear Kasen sobbing from his part of their tent. When she was certain her parents were asleep, Rei would quietly pull back the dividing curtain and crawl into Kasen's mat, hugging him to her and rubbing his hair until he fell asleep in her arms.

She did this every night, despite if he was crying or not. She found it a comforting feeling to have him lying securely in her arms, knowing she was the one who made him feel safe. But as she grew older, Rei wondered if she would be able to continue this nightly ritual.

"Rei! Go help Kasen with the herd. They're on top of the hill."

"Yes, Papa," Rei replied, grabbing her water pouch and starting the grueling trek up the hillside. She found several stones that made helpful footings, and made a note to remember them on the way down. The twelve-year- old beauty stopped at the top, watching Kasen from a distance.

Kasen's hair had grown long, reaching his shoulders. He hadn't cut it since his father's death, a reminder to him of his loss. He was maturing very nicely, his fifteenth year fast approaching. Then, he would be given is own tent, his own flock: he would be a man.

Rei felt saddened by this thought. She had grown accustomed to having him near her. And now, seeing him in the fields with the sheep, she suddenly felt like she was going to lose him.

Kasen turned suddenly, and he smiled at her, waving her over. "Come sit with me, Rei. There's a lovely view."

Rei smiled back at him, and walked over to him, sitting down on the large boulder he had claimed as a resting place. Supporting herself on her arms, she leaned back and looked over the hill, down on the camp below. Beyond that, a canyon that seemed to spread for miles. And a beautiful sunrise.

She could feel Kasen's hand on hers, and she looked over at him. He was looking at her strangely. In fact, he had been giving her that look for a long time now. His violet eyes met her own, and she suddenly felt nervous.

"Rei, you know as well as I that we are growing older."

"Of course," she replied. "It's only natural." She smiled wittingly.

He half smiled before continuing. "Soon, I'll be on my own, a man of the tribe."

Rei nodded, wondering what he was trying to say by stating the already obvious facts. "Kasen, what's the matter? Is something bothering you about the ceremony?"

Kasen shook his head, but his gaze once again lingered on her. "You've always been by my side, and I'm grateful for that."

Rei leaned against his shoulder, smiling. "I like being with you. You're like the brother I never got to have." She could feel Kasen's body shrug suddenly, and she could sense that her words had hurt him. "What is it?"

"I was hoping you saw me as more than a brother, Rei." He stood up, stepping toward the end of the hill. The sheep were grazing and bleating softly behind them, and the sunrise was illuminating the sky in brilliant colors. His hair was glowing, and she realized how handsome he looked. He was truly becoming a man.

"Of course I do, Kasen. You're my friend."

He turned back towards her, looking over his shoulder at her. "When you become fifteen, you'll be a woman, Rei." Rei nodded in reply. She decided it would be best to remain silent, so Kasen could speak his mind.

"I will be seventeen then, nearly eighteen. I'll have been on my own enough to raise a large flock, and I'll be able to pay your father."

"Pay my father?" Rei was suddenly very puzzled.

"It is required, Rei. You should know. When a man wants to marry a man's daughter, he must give her father a gift." He blushed slightly, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Rei, I want to marry you."