I: First Senshi Chapter 3: Sailor Mars, a sailor moon fanfic

Sailor Mars

Hinoko was afraid of fire, trapped in her burning home which claimed the lives of her mother, father and baby brother. The scars on Hinoko's body are a permanent reminder of the night she lost her family at the age of three. Sometimes at night, Hinoko can still feel the flames licking at her flesh. She often wonders why Kami left her alive but took her family from her. The local temple tired to take her into care for her but as soon as she saw the fires that lined the temple walk, she became very violent and injured three adult men.

Some say Hinoko was the only one found alive because it was she who started the fire. Others say that the fire had been for Hinoko's father who had made too many enemies and finally made an enemy of the wrong person.

Hinoko's mother knew her and her family, except for Hinoko, would die in a fire because she possessed the sight. Hinoko's mother knew that one night a fire would claim her and her family's life but she did not know what night that would happen. That was why Hinoko's mother always looks sad and cried when Hinoko's brother was born for she knew her vision would come true soon before her newborn son's first birthday.

The only place, which would take Hinoko and care for her was the local healers, which is where she remained for the past twelve years with the other people that her people did not understand.

"Hinoko please," one of the healers said holding the pills out to her, "take these…. It will help ease your dreams." Hinoko shook her head. "Child, why won't you speak?" the woman asked. "Do you even remember how?" she thought. Hinoko only stared at her with blank eyes. "Well at least you have quit hurting yourself," the healer smiled before leaving and closing the door to Hinoko's room.

"I can talk," Hinoko thought, "but I have nothing to say and no one to talk to. No one heard my screams then so why talk now?" Hinoko curled up in a ball on her bed and cried herself to sleep as she had done every night since the fire.

"Do you think they would test any of us," asked a young girl with fire red hair referring to the tests that had occurred to girls their age since a power had awakened in a girl on Earth's Moon.

A girl with pinkish red hair shook her head. "No Momoko," she said. "You know we are considered too dangerous to be around other people." Momoko looked at the other girl. "At least that is what they say."

"If you ask me it is the other people who are strange," replied Momoko. "Between you and me Seaku," she whispered. "I think Hinoko is the strangest of us all. I have been here six years and I have never heard her talk."

"I heard she has been here over ten years and never said a word except when they brought her in her. For awhile all she would say is 'burn'," Seaku told Momoko in a hushed voice.

"Where did you hear that?" Momoko asked.

"I heard some of the old healers talking one day when they thought they were alone," Seaku replied.

"Do you know what the test is suppose to be?" asked Momoko

"You have to touch fire," Seaku replied. Hinoko's eye went wide and she ran from the room not wanting to hear anymore.

"Touch fire," Momoko stated. "Why on Mars would anyone want to do that?"

Seaku shrugged. "If you touch the fire and do not get burned then that is who they are looking for."

"It is strange they are only testing girls," Momoko said thinking aloud.

"Yeah," agreed Seaku, "but apparently people think only girls will have this power as the two so far have both been girls."

"How do you know all this?" Momoko wondered. Seaku just smiled and shrugged.

"Time for bed girls," a healer told all the girls in the room. "Get to your rooms. In five minutes the doors lock." The healer turned to Seaku, "Seaku," the woman held her hand out, "give it to me." Seaku gave a sheepish grin and handed over a stone from the wall, which she had managed to dig loose. "Let me bandage your hands first," the healer told her looking at her bloody nails.

"You have tons under your bed," Momoko said when Seaku got back tot their room with her hands bandaged. "Why do you keep doing it?"

"They are pretty," Seaku said in a singsong voice as she pulled a different stone from her chest area under her shirt and placed it under her mattress.

Hinoko was fighting sleep. She had not slept for days. Over the years, she had given herself insomnia because every time Hinoko closed her eyes she saw fire and heard her mother's screams. Hinoko twitched when she realized the pills the healer was trying to give her earlier were gone. "How do they keep getting me to take the pills?" she thought as she lost the battle and sleep over came her.

Hinoko was three years old and her brother was a few months old. Hinoko sighed, knowing she would watch the dream in third person until the point came where the fire trapped her.

Hinoko saw her playing with her baby brother and then she saw herself eating dinner with her family. Finally, after she helped her mother put her little brother to bed her mother tucked her in while her father looked on from the door. Hinoko's mother came to the edge of her bed and sat down. "You want me to sing you a song?" Her mother would ask. Hinoko would smile and nod then her mother would sing as Hinoko drifted off to sleep.

Hinoko watched herself sleep for a while and then would always try to wonder the house in hopes of discovering how the fire started. As always Hinoko found out that, you cannot dream of memories you do not possess and Hinoko would always end back in her room watching herself sleep.

Finally, the cries of her baby brother awoke young Hinoko. Hinoko ran to his room to find his crib surrounded by fire and then a beam fell blocking the doorway. Now at this point in the dream Hinoko and her younger self's body became one.

"I don't want to see this," she thought covering her ears and curling in a ball as the flames raged around her. Hinoko wanted to scream and cry from the pain of the flames licking her but she wanted to be strong for her younger brother whose cries had already stopped.

Then Hinoko would black out and wake up back in her bed at the healers covered in sweat and her arms bleeding where she had clawed herself in trying to get the flames off her in the dream.

This time when she awoke the healers were already around her trying to heal her wounds as best as they could. Still dazed she only heard parts of the conversation, "We need to restrain her at night so this does not keep happening again," one healer said.

"This time was the worse yet," another said.

There was yelling outside and something burst through the window. "Let's burn the freak out," someone yelled as something else came through the window but this time it was on fire and landed on Hinoko's bed.

Hinoko could only stare as her bed burst into flames and the first came towards her. The healer closest to her grabbed an unburned edge of Hinoko's sheets and threw them back. "Come on girl," she said hearing more windows breaking and as the other healers left to get the others out.

The fires were small but in Hinoko's mind, she was back in her burning home. Hinoko's eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed on the floor in the hallway. The healer had to get someone to help her carry Hinoko, as she was now dead weight.

Hinoko woke in a field of flowers. Everywhere she looked, there were fire flowers as far as the eye could see and the sky was dark red. Hinoko turned around to see a woman in strange clothes standing behind her. "Mother?" she asked then shook her head. "The hair is all wrong." Hinoko cocked her head to the side. "You look like me."

The woman nodded. "I am you," she said.

"I do not own any strange ware such as that," Hinoko told the woman who claimed to be her.

"You will," she replied. "I am a vision of things to come," she paused. "I am a vision of what you are meant to become."

"Who are you?" Hinoko asked.

"I am the spirit of Mars and you Hinoko are the destined warrior of Mars." She held her hand out. "If you accept there is no turning back."

Hinoko began to reach for the woman's hand but the woman burst into flames, which started at her outstretched hand and quickly consumed her whole body. "No," screamed Hinoko closing her eyes and covering her head with her hands as she fell to her knees, "Stop!"

"Child," the woman spoke calmly even though she was on fire. "Look through the flames, see what is really there."

Hinoko looked at the woman and then around them. She noticed that even though the woman was on fire nothing else was. Hinoko took a deep breath and reached for the woman's hand again. As Hinoko got closer, the fire flared but Hinoko did not waver. As soon as she touched the woman there was a bright red flash and Hinoko was back in the hallway of the healers place and the fires where out.

Later the healers would tell Hinoko that she had glowed with a red aura and a ghostly image of a strange red and white outfit over laid her body. The fires flared when the aura appeared around Hinoko's body but the fires extinguished around the same time the ghostly image appeared on her. In addition, while she was in a trance Hinoko said, "Fire will no longer burn me," and then an eight-pointed crystal appeared above her and vanished into her chest.

When Hinoko awoke, she had two healers by her, one on each side of her bed. "Child you are awake," one said with a smile.

"We were worried about you," the other said. "You have been out for five days."

The first healer looked at Hinoko and touched her hand gently. "You collapsed in my arms when we were trying to get out from the fire." Hinoko nodded. "Do you remember anything after that?" the old healer asked. Hinoko shook her head. "The image of a strange outfit appeared over you. Also you said the fire would no longer burn you."

"Those are the first words you have spoken since you came here," the second spoke.

"Feel different," Hinoko crocked out in a scratchy voice.

"I think I know what is going on," the first healer said. "Well not everything but I think I can tell you why you feel different." Hinoko looked at her. "A strange crystal entered your body before the fire vanished. I think you are the warrior of Mars."

"Me," Hinoko whispered and both healers nodded.

"Rest young one," the second healer told her. "You have a long journey before you."

Hinoko still had not spoken much but she had talked somewhat more than she had before. It was time for her to leave for Earth's Moon and she was saying goodbye to the healers in the form of hugging them.

One healer saw her upper right arm near the shoulder had a bandage over it. "Dear what happened?"

Hinoko took off the bandage to reveal the symbol of Mars surrounded by flames. "Fire can't burn me anymore," she said and smiled.

The whole time in the shuttle Hinoko played with the small ball of fire, which had formed in her hand and she was making it change shape but never size. As she stared at the fire, she remembered the first time the fire had appeared after she had woken up. Hinoko was scared and in trying to get away from the fire, she fell off the bed with a loud crash. Some healers ran in to check on her and Hinoko noticed the fire was on her hand but nowhere else. A healer ran to put her bed sheets out which had caught on fire when she fell from the bed.

Hinoko arrived on Earth's Moon to find a woman with blonde hair streaked pink and silver waiting for her. "Hinoko," the woman said and she nodded. "I am Queen Serenity but I want you to call me Selene. I know you do not talk much, if at all. I hope your stay here in the Moon Kingdom will help you over come that." The Queen of the Moon did a personality switch and grabbed the Martian's hand as she began dragging her toward the palace. "Come on I want you to meet Kaori, Sailor Mercury."

Strangely, Hinoko began to feel and sense warmth and kindness she only remembered sensing from her mother. "Okay," she whispered realizing that the Moon Kingdom was going to be nothing like the Kingdom of Mars and maybe that was a good thing.

Here is your room," Selene said throwing open a white door with the symbol of Mars on it. Noticing Hinoko staring at the room Selene wondered if she had made the wrong decision. "It is white because we know you did not like fire," Selene said quickly. "Originally I had told them the room should be done in red and orange but I was advised against it."

Hinoko continued to stare at the white room thinking how much it reminded her of the healers place where she had spent most of her life.

"Let Artemis know what colors you want for your room and it will be done," Selene finally said.

"Thank you," Hinoko said softly

Selene smiled. "I hope you will be comfortable around me and the other so that you will eventually not keep everything to yourself." She began to leave and then turned around. "You still have not met Kaori. Will your join us for a meal?"

Hinoko nodded. "As you wish," she said in a quite voice.

Afterward Kaori and Selene sat in Kaori's study. "Well that was interesting," Kaori said. "I thought I was quiet."

"Just give her time," Selene told her blue haired friends. "She has been through a lot which has caused her to voluntarily not speak. I am hoping you and I can show her kindness which will help her be who she is inside."

"You have been talking to Luna again," Kaori smiled. Suddenly there was a soft knock on her door. "Enter."

To both Selene and Kaori's surprise and delight, it was not a servant but Hinoko who poked her head around the slightly open door. "May I join you?" she asked. Hinoko got whiplash from Selene jumping up from Kaori's couch and grabbing her hand to lead Hinoko to sit with them.

"What is on your mind?" Selene asked noticing the way Hinoko was looking at her.

"Sorry," Hinoko shook her head. "I get the same calm and loving feeling from you that I only remember seeing in my mother." Then she took a deep breath. "I am worried about training tomorrow. I do not fight and I do not understand these powers you spoke of earlier."

Kaori put a hand on her shoulder. "Neither did I before I came here," she told Hinoko. "Now I can do this." Kaori held her hand out as a swirling ball of water formed in her hand.

"I can do something similar," Hinoko said holding up her hand as a ball of flame danced in her hand. Then she concentrated and turned the flame into the shape of a Martian cat.

"Wow," Selene said then pouted. "Wish I could do something like that."

"How did you learn to do that?" Kaori asked.

"It just happened once I got these powers," Hinoko said. "A lady came to me in a dream. She said she was me and that if I took her hand and accepted the Spirit of Mars into my body then fire would no longer burn me."

After Selene and Kaori had transformed into Sailor Moon and Sailor Mercury, respectively, Sailor Moon smiled at Hinoko. "Now it is your turn."

"How?" asked Hinoko.

"Close your eyes and the words will come to you," Sailor Moon replied.

Hinoko closed her eyes and waited for the voice that would tell her what to say. Softly words began to form in her mind. Her eyes flew open and she threw her hand above her head as a red pen appeared in her hand. "Mars Fire Power!"

For the first time in her life, Hinoko embraced the fire that surrounded her instead of reacting in fear. Rings of fire encircled her arms, legs, torso, waist, head and hair changing her from a frightened girl into a powerful warrior. The smaller rings around her torso formed a white body suit. The rings on her feet formed red high heels while the rings on her arms formed white gloves with three red bands on the cuff. The two medium rings around her thighs formed her skirt. The large ring of fire around her waist formed a purple bow on the back of her skirt while the large ring of fire around her chest formed a purple bow and a red circular brooch. The symbol of Mars disappeared from her brow and in its place was a red oval jewel in which a silver tiara formed around the jewel. The last ring of fire was around Hinoko's neck formed a red chocker with a silver symbol of Mars and now in Hinoko's place now stood the fiery warrior of Mars, Sailor Mars.

Sailor Moon and Mercury noticed that Sailor Mars seem to have an air of confidence about her that Hinoko did not. "Now I just have to bring her out of her shell when she is Hinoko," Moon thought.

Sailor Mars noticed the white haired man that walked in. "Mars," he bowed. "I will help you and the others with your physical combat training."

Mars barely heard Mercury tell her to get ready as Artemis came after her. "I don't know how to fight," she yelled as Artemis threw a punch.

"Use your intuition," he told her.

Mars closed her eyes and a wall of flames formed between her and Artemis.

"Shabon Spray!" Mercury yelled dousing the flames on Artemis' clothing.

"Like Mercury, I think Mars would benefit from combat training in her non-warrior form so that she will be stronger in her warrior form," Moon suggested. "Do you agree Mars?"

When she did not answer the others in the room looked at her to see a large flame dancing in Mars' hand rapidly changing shape. Mars stared transfixed into the flame, which finally settle on a shape, which looked humanoid before the flame disappeared. Almost as if remembering to breathe Hinoko let out a breath she did not know she was holding. "I believe I just had a vision," Mars told them.

"What did you see?" Moon asked.

Mars shook her head. "I am not sure but I saw a girl and a strange looking symbol above her."

Selene noticed that Hinoko had changed for the better in the days since she had arrived at the Moon Kingdom. Hinoko had redone her room in shades or purple, red and some orange. She had even gotten permission to set up a fire shrine as Kaori had her own study. Transforming into Sailor Mars seemed to have given Hinoko a confidence she did not have before and she had began to read images in the flames.

Selene sat on her throne thinking of these things when a guard came in. "Your majesty," he kneeled. She nodded at him and he stood. "The warrior of Jupiter has been awakened."

"Thank you," was all Selene said. The guard bowed again and left. "It is happening," she thought.

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Original May 2008 First Mars fic (Just thought my readers might be interested in seeing how it originally started out.)

The head priestess of Mars, Hinko, was praying to the fire to find out who was the warrior of Mars.

CHANT

The fire flared and then calmed as Hinoko waited to see if the fire would answer her. She saw a vision of a girl who could command the flames to dance at will.

As Hinoko left the mediation room she called for her assistant. "Atsusa where are you?" she asked coming into the temple's main room.

"Here Hino-sama," replied Atsusa walking toward the priestess.

"The flams have spoken to me," Hinoko told the girl. "I have seen a vision of the warrior of Mars which Queen Serenity spoke to me about."

Atsusa smiled as she watched Hinoko walk away. She knew she had been lucky to get this position under the high priestess. Atsusa admired Hinoko not only because she was the high priestest of Mars but she was also the crown princess to the throne of Mars.

****

Even though Hinoko was the crown princess of Mars she loved being in the temple ever since she was young. She had been surprised a few years ago when the high priest asked he is she wanted to train under him. Some said she was asked because she was the princess but she knew that was not the case. Hinoko had always been fascinated by the fire and that was one of the reason she loved the temple. When the priest had asked her she had declined at first stating she did not want to be asked just because she was the crown princess. The priest told Hinoko that the flame had told him she held a special gift inside her. Normally it took years of training but the princess of Mars became high priestess in two years as the sacred flame seemed to live in her and opened itself to her more than anyone before.

Coming out of her memories Hinoko whispered, "What did the high priest see in the flame at that time?"

****

Hinoko lay in her bed and watched the flames dance on the candles. "Now that I think about it," she spoke aloud to no one, "Queen Serenity is no older than myself. Also goes the same for the girl that turned out to be the warrior of Mercury. I think all the warriors will be around the same age. The girl in my vision looked to be around that age as well." Hinoko closed her eyes but could sense the shadows created by the flames dance on the walls.

Originally written in May 2008 but got extremely stuck with writing First Mars' story. I did not pic it up again until May 2009 in which I trashed what I had written the year before and completely started over. Then wrote some between May and Jun of 2009. Then got stuck on it again and in the mean time wrote First Uranus and First Neptune. For some reason First Mars will just not flow like the other First Senshi fics will.

First Uranus and First Neptune were written back in May and Jun 2009 but will not be posted until I get First Jupiter, Venus and Pluto written.

The First Senshi by DavisJes