A Shinto temple;

The temple was deserted, like it always was a dusk.  Only a priestess in red and white robes was visible within the grounds.  Her long, black hair swayed as she lovingly swept the courtyard.

Two black crows cawed quietly as they watched the beautiful priestess go about her work.

A sudden commotion at the step as a girl with blonde meatballs for hair tripped on the top step and came tumbling across the courtyard.

The priestess laughed as the girl came to a halt in front of her.  "Serena!  Be careful!"

Serena got to her feet and brushed off her pale blue skirt.  "Easy for you to say Ray.  You're the beautiful, calm, collected priestess!"

Ray laughed and put her broom down.  "You could come and work here if you wanted."

Serena stared at Ray, then scowled.  "Don't tease me like that Ray!  It's not nice.  Anyway, why would *you* offer me a job at your grandfather's temple??"

Ray snickered.  "Never mind silly.  Oh… by the way, Amy called me a few minutes ago to inform me that she's tried *everything* she can think of with her computer and still hasn't come up with our new transformation words."

Serena sighed.  "I can't believe this… the brain of the team can't do something!"  Serena giggled, "But I don't blame her one bit... it' must be tough to try and find something that obscure."

Ray's violet eyes widened, "OBSCURE???  Did you, the meatball head, just use the word OBSCURE correctly??"

Serena snickered, "Yes... and don't expect it again!"

Ray shook her head, "What did you want meatball head?  You must have had *some* reason to come and bug me."

Serena snapped her fingers, "Yes!  I wanted to borrow your latest Sailor V comic books!"

Ray put one hand to her forehead with a "Smack".  "I don't believe you Serena!  You come here, at night!, just to borrow my comics!?"

Ray pointed into the temple and Serena ran in, grinning.

"I swear!  Serena's is such a twit!" Ray said, then picked up the broom and resumed sweeping the courtyard.

From within the temple came the sound of laughter and Ray shook her head.  "I can't believe this.  She's going to read all of them here!"

Ray sighed, then frowned and looked around.  "All right.  Who ever is here, show yourself!"  She took up a fighting stance with the broom as if she was going to join into a staff fight.

Evil laughter was heard from all directions along the wall surrounding the temple.

"Oh shit," said Ray and reached into her subspace pocket for her crystal.

A large, nasty looking half bird, half human sprung from the bushes near the walls and landed smack-dab in front of Ray.  "I am your worst nightmare!" screamed the ugly looking..... thing.

Ray laughed in it's face and hit it over the head with her broom just as the two crows, previously quiet and calm, suddenly launched at the bird thing so that Ray could get her crystal and hide.

Ray did just that and eyed her crystal worriedly.  "I don't know how to activate the damn thing, so I'm screwed."

Suddenly, words appeared in the crystal, "Mars Flame Rose"

Ray looked puzzled, then let out a ragged breath and held up the crystal.  "All right.  Let's try that."

MARS FLAME ROSE!

Nothing happened.

Ray let out an angry sigh and hurled the crystal at the ground at her feet in an uncharectaristic display of anger, muttering "mars flame rose!" and snorted in disbelief.

As the crystal shattered at her feet, flames licked at her feet, slowly climbing, but not burning.  Only changing her clothes.

The first change was her feet.  Ray was now wearing bright red sandals with red straps that crisscrossed up to her knees.  Next, she had on the normal, exceedingly short, just a shade darker red, skirt.  But she had no bows… Just like the Rose scouts.  Next came her body armor.  And it *was* armor.  Blood red, soft as butter, but stronger and harder then steel.  Her shoulders were capped with the same material, only bright like her sandals.  Her wrists had thin, dark red, ribbons on them.  Her throat was bare, which was stranger then the lack of bows.  Her earrings where small suns and her black hair was braided tightly, and her bangs framed the Mars symbol on her forehead.

The Bird-thing took note of the fire behind a bush, ignored the crows, and leaped up and over to see what it was about.

There stood Mars, just finished with her transformation.

The Bird-thing grinned evilly and lashed out at Mars with a clawed foot.  Mars jumped backward and held the broom, which she still held, in a defensive position.

The nasty looking bird lashed out with wings and talons, trying to slash Mars… but to no avail.  All it did was knock Mars unto her back and force her to wiggle backwards to block the claws with the broom.

Suddenly, she remembered something, glanced at the broom she held, nodded slightly, and called out...

MARS FLAME STAFF!!

The broom burst into bright red flames, causing the Bird-thing to jump back, startled.  The bristles of the broom burned away, leaving just a wooden staff.  The wood flamed brightly, but didn't burn!!!

She quickly jumped to her feet, whirled around, and lashed out at the Bird-thing with the flaming staff.  She caught it upside the head, setting the feathers/hair on fire, which caused the Bird-thing to jump around and brush frantically, and futily, at it's burning feathers/hair with it's wings.

Mars closed her eyes, concentrated, and shoved the butt of the staff at the Bird-thing's chest... the flames and hot wood enabled the staff to pass through the thing.

It screamed out in pain as it was engulfed in bright, red flames, and then it turned to dust.

Mars looked at her staff, willed the flames to die, shoved the butt into the ground, and leaned heavily on it as she detransformed.

The shattered crystal remained shattered and Ray closed her eyes.  "I had one chance… and I used it only to save my own life!" she wailed quietly.

Just then, Serena came out of the temple, then stopped dead as she looked at Ray.

Ray was, basically, still wearing her Scout uniform!  Only, her hair was down.  Even the Mars symbol on her forehead remained!

"Mars!  What..?" she asked, totally bewildered.

Ray's head snapped up.  "Mars?" she asked, then looked down at herself and groaned.  "Oh no… I thought I detransformed!" she said as she let go of the staff and reached back to tug at her hair, and run her hands over her uniform.

Serena blinked.  "How..?"

Ray smiled faintly.  "I figured out how to activate my power, Meatball Head," she said.  "But I can't figure out how to Deactivate it!"

Serena, for all that she was a total ditz, nodded and said something reasonably intelligent.  "Let's get Amy!"

With that, she pulled out her communicator, called Amy, and had her on her way to the temple in no time at all.

Ray gapped at her, then just threw up her hands, grabbed the staff out of the ground, and stomped into the temple.