Four girls sat in the living room on Saturday, as they all though about the
past few weeks. This was how Luna found the inner scouts at eleven
o'clock. "What are you doing? Shouldn't you all be out looking for the
enemy?"
Four soft, "SHHHHHHHH!" made Luna pause and look at the little girl lying on the couch. Eyes huge in her head, Luna softly whispered, "What is Jessie doing here!? Shouldn't she be with her brother Kevin?!"
"Yes, Luna. Quite frankly, we don't know how she got here. We all got up about nine and came in here to talk about Melody finding out our secret and found her here. Asleep on the couch. What were we suppose to do? Wake her up and send her home?"
"No, you girls were right to let her sleep. I wonder how she got into your apartment, Lita."
"Don't look at me. I don't know how she got here, but I'm worried about Melody. She hasn't been up all day and its almost noon! She never sleeps this late! In fact, she's usually the first one up on Saturday and gone to practice when we do get up. But today she's still in bed. Dead asleep."
Just then, the phone rang. Mina raced to get it before it woke Jessie up and said softly,
"Hello?"
"Hi Mina? This is Sam, Melody's coach? Is she there?"
"Yes she is but she's still sleeping. I'm sorry she missed practice today, but I didn't have the heart to wake her up. You see, she ran into some problems at the airport the other day and is kind of burnt."
"OH, I'm so sorry! Is she okay?"
"Yes."
"Alright then, thanks Mina! Bye."
Hanging up the phone, Mina jumped when it rang again!
"Hello?"
"Hi, this is Kevin. Remember meeting me and my little sister, Jessie? I'm sorry to bother you this early but have you seen her? I though she might be with Melody."
"Yes, she's here Kevin. But we don't know how she got here or how she got in. You see we got in really late last night and locked the door. But when we got up this morning, she was here asleep on our couch."
"OH! I'm so sorry about that! I'll come get her right away!"
"Its no problem, really."
"Thanks Mina! Oh, the other guys want to know if its okay if they come over too?"
"Sure, the more the merrier!"
"Okay, bye!"
Hanging up the phone, Mina quickly told the girls they were going to have company. Jumping up, the girls quickly dressed and did hair and make-up while one of them kept an eye on the sleeping Jessie.
About twenty minuets later, the doorbell rang. Lita quickly opened the door and let all 5 guys in. "Wow Sam! You must have hustled over to Kevin's pretty quick."
"Actually, I called from Kevin's. We were all looking for Jessie when you guys said she was here."
"Uh, guys!"
Hearing a shocked voice behind them, the six turned to find Mina, Ami, and Rei pinned against the wall by air! Jessie was awake and standing on the couch with an odd look in her eyes. They seemed distant and unfocused and she softly said, "Where is my sister!?"
Just then, a loud "BOOM!" came from Melody's room and Jessie sagged to the floor, panting heavily. Ami, Rei, and Mina fell to the floor in ungraceful heaps. "What was that all about!? Jessie how did you do that?!"
Kevin and Chris quickly exchanged glances and then Chris said softly, "If you'll wait a minute, we'll explain everything."
Walking back to Melody's room, Chris entered and came out carrying a sweaty, but still sleeping Melody. Her breathing was harsh and her face looked troubled as she softly said, "No.you can't!"
Setting Melody on the couch next to Jessie, Chris smiled at the six-year- old and said, "It'll be alright Jessie. She's just remembering a few things."
Jessie smiled softly and said, "Really?" then lay down and cuddled into Melody's side and sighed. Chris turned to find four very angry girls staring at him. Glancing at the four guys, Chris saw that for now, he was on his own for explanations.
"Alright, Melody is not who you think she is. She isn't even who she thinks she is." Sighing, Chris said, "This is going to take a while."
"Go right ahead, we're not leaving until you tell us what is going on."
Settling into the only empty chair left, Chris began his story.
"Long ago, farther back than any of you could ever remember, there lived a queen who lived on a forgotten star called Thundra. This queen was young and wise beyond her years, and she married a young prince from the moon. This formed a bond between the two kingdoms, the Moon and the Solar, and when the rulers of both kingdoms bore their first children, both kingdoms celebrated.
The two children were beautiful girls, but the Solar Princess died a year later at the hands of the Black Knight. The Solar Rulers were devastated and cut all ties to the Moon kingdom for seven years. Then, a miracle happened and the Solar Kingdom was again blessed with a Solar Princess.
By this time, all of you were ten years old and already good friends with Princess Serenity." Smiling at their shocked faces, Chris continued with a nod for Rei who mouthed the words, "Are you the knights?"
"Since there was joy, in our kingdom again, ties with the Moon Kingdom were quickly reopened. There was a huge ball to commemorate the occasion. That was when you first saw, Princess Melody. She was a happy child, and everyone loved her. Ami, you made it your personal mission to teach the brat not to twirl her hair with her fingers! By the time she was seven, she could talk and frequently was found in the middle of one of your circles talking up a storm and making the five of you cry with laughter.
The Solar kingdom was again blessed with a child, the Princess Jessica. She was much more outgoing than her sister, but the two were inseparable. Wherever one was found, the other could be found. Jessica hated her name, and so Mina, with her huge heart, took pity on the little princess and gave her the nickname, Jessie."
Pausing to let all this information sink in, Chris saw that the girls were staring at Melody and Jessie as if they had grown two heads! Laughing softly, he said, "Is it so hard to believe? I mean, who would have thought any of us would be Sailor Scouts and Knights?"
Put in that light, each of the girls relaxed and turned back to Chris with questions in their eyes. Ami was the first with, "How is it that we didn't remember any of this when we became scouts?"
"That was a safety precaution, in case any of you were captured. But, let me tell you the rest of the story."
"Just about this time, Princess Serena fell in love with Prince Darien. Melody knew about this because she was constantly following Serena around the palace without anyone knowing it. Melody and Jessie thought this was very funny because the two seemed to become hot every time they saw each other. Well, to make this story shorter, two years later, the Moon Kingdom was attacked by the negaverse. You know what happened there. What you don't know is that we were there as well, fighting by your side. For you see, Melody had gone missing that morning.
She'd come to see Serena because her mother and father had told her she was betrothed to a prince from Heart. Melody didn't know what to make of a betrothal and was very scared because she was told she'd have to meet her betrothed that night at the Ball. As the battle raged, my friends and I looked for the little princess but couldn't find her. Then, our hearts stopped as we all watched Princess Serena and Prince Darien die together. What caught our throats, was the flash of lilac hair that was barely seen beyond Serena's white gown.
Before any of us could react, Queen Serenity sent us all to the future, where we've been looking for our princess." Chris took a deep breath as he tried to hold back the emotion that was clogging his throat. "Chris, it wasn't your fault what happened." A soft voice said. Looking up, Chris saw all the girls smiling at him. "Thanks Ami. But my tale is not finished yet."
"As you know we were all reborn on earth. None of us knowing about our past until evil arrived and we were needed to protect our planet. At the age of 15, I met Sam for the first time in Gym class. We became fast friends, and then one night he spent the night at my house. We were playing an innocent game of stare out when it happened.
Both of us, felt a jolt down our spines and fell to the floor in dead faints. While sleeping, each of us relived the past and remembered who we really were. It's a slow painful process. And its not pleasant reliving your mistakes.but we woke up the next morning and knew we had to find our princess. During the next year we met the others and all of us have relived our moments with the others.
That's what is happening to Melody right now. I don't know whose memories she's reliving, because it's usually with someone.wait a minute. Jessie? Did you see Melody this morning?"
Everyone turned to look at the little girl, who opened her tired eyes and said, "Hmm? Yes."
Nodding, Chris sighed and said, "Okay then, we might as well get comfortable. As soon as she gets up she'll need to do this with all of us. Its best not to drag it out. You inner scouts should enjoy this. Since you have experience with Serena and Luna this should be a piece of cake."
Now that he was through talking, Chris moved to the floor and sat near Melody. As the Scouts and Knights talked, Chris watched Melody for any change in her. Holding her hand tenderly, Chris softly swore, "I will protect you this time Princess. I won't fail you again."
Mina nodded her head towards Chris, as she and the others talked quietly. "He cares for her, doesn't he?"
"Yes," Kevin said, "very much. That's part of his problem. You see, what he didn't tell you was that he's the prince she was betrothed too. He'd been watching her for some time and had grown very fond of the little Melody. She just thought he was a boy from Heart. She never understood that he was a prince. Its funny for she never told him, she was a princess. I think, Chris sees her running to the moon as a sign that she didn't like him. But I know she did, for she told me. Melody and I were very close friends, but I was sworn never to tell anyone that she liked him more than she should."
"OH, that's so sad! Maybe this is their second chance as well."
"I don't know, for you see. Our enemy, is someone you all love very dearly.Dar."
"Quick! She's coming around!"
Rushing to the couch, Mina wondered who the knights were fighting. As Melody slowly opened her eyes, the first person she saw was Chris. Softly she asked, "What are you doing here?" Then she felt a warm body pressed to her, and looked down. There still half asleep on her, was Jessie. Smiling softly, Melody forgot anyone else was there and said, "Jessica?.Jessica wake up." Laughing at the brat, Melody sat up and hugged her as she said, "Jessica, if you don't wake up, I'll tell mom that you don't want breakfast."
"Yes, I do." was the soft reply. Jessie looked up through sleep-clouded eyes to see Melody smiling down at her. "You.remember me?"
"Yes brat. I do." Wiping her sisters eyes, Melody turned to the group and said, "Guys.I think I have some explaining to do. But." before she could finish, Melody met the smiling eyes of the Inner Scouts and a jolt ran through all the girls and they fell into memories.
"Well, I guess we'd better make some tea. This is going to take all day." Smiling at Kevin, Chris gently put Melody and Jessie back on the couch and put each of the other girls in chairs.
Floating through memories of parties, laughter, pain and sorrow, the girls slowly came back to reality one by one. Melody came last of all, being the one who had to remember everything. Groaning, she slowly opened her eyes to find a cup of hot tea placed before her. She also heard someone softly say, "Don't look at anyone. Just drink your tea. We'll answer all your questions later."
Nodding her head, Melody gratefully drank her tea and closed her eyes. Flashes of color still danced across her vision in the darkness. Opening her eyes, Melody smiled and looked at Rei who was seated across from her. "Well," she said to the smiling Rei, "I guess we are the perfect friends! We get into and out of trouble so easily when we work together!" Laughing, the seven girls smiled and relaxed for a few minutes. Looking at the clock, Melody blanched when she saw it was four o'clock! "Man, Sam's going to kill me." When she could see without seeing double, Melody looked towards the kitchen to see if someone could hand her the phone, and saw Kevin, Max, Will, and Sam standing in the kitchen doorway. Feeling a familiar jolt run through her, Melody groaned as she was once again lost in memories.
Chris and the girls quickly put the guys in chairs before they too were lost to the blackness. "This is interesting. Melody seems to be connecting easier each time. But each time she connects it takes her longer to get back. You're the only one left now Chris." Ami said aloud as she talked with Mina.
Chris silently nodded and said nothing. Moving to the window, he stared out into the darkening night as he thought about Melody. 'What if she blames me for what happened?' Jumping when he felt a small hand enter his own, Chris looked down to see Jessie looking deeply into his eyes. "Don't worry Chris," she said softly. "My sister doesn't hold grudges, and you might be surprised what you learn about her. Have a little faith."
Smiling, Chris knelt down and hugged the six-year-old and said, "Thanks." Then the two of them sat staring out as the stars slowly formed in the darkening night, while Melody and the Knights waltzed down memory lane.
Five hours later, Melody once again opened her eyes. Reluctantly, she softly said, "Okay, who's next?" Knowing deep in her heart the only one left to her. Getting up, Melody winced as she looked at the clock. 'Nine o'clock. Not good.' Walking towards the window, Melody gasped when she saw everyone asleep all over the room. 'They all waited up for me. They're such loyal friends.and I betrayed them all.' Looking down at the final two forms by the window, Melody noticed that only one of them was asleep.
Chris looked into Melody's tear stained face and saw the sorrow that was written in her eyes. Gently putting Jessie on the couch, Chris motioned for Melody to follow him and the two went out on the balcony.
Feeling the night air bite into their skin, the two looked at each other with hesitation and worry. Each had secrets they didn't want to share, but each knew that all would be revealed in the memory regain. Finally, when Chris noticed that Melody was about to faint on her feet from exhaustion, he said, "Why don't we wait until tomorrow?"
Smiling, Melody said, "I think that's a great idea. I just have so much bouncing around my head right now, I don't know if I could handle anymore. But I don't want to go back inside."
Knowing the feeling, Chris softly said, "Then lets stay out here." Sitting on a lounge chair, Chris motioned for Melody to come sit in the chair beside his. Smiling, the two sat in silence and watched the stars as they both fell asleep.
An hour before dawn, Chris woke up to a smothered sob and jumped to his feet. Blinking, he saw Melody with her back towards him crying. Not saying a word, Chris moved to Melody and touched her shoulder. Opening his mouth to ask what was wrong, he couldn't stop Melody from turning into his arms. As his arms closed around her, comfortingly, the two felt a painful jolt run down their spines as they fell to the concrete clutching each other. That was where Jessie found them an hour later, and she sat down to wait for them while the others slept. Softly she said, "This is your chance to start over. I hope you take it this time."
********* Melody smiled as she looked at her new dress for Serena's ball tomorrow night. Laughing, she felt the soft silk fabric and wondered how her mother had known her favorite color was lilac. Talking softly to herself, Melody wondered, "Mom said this was for a special occasion, but Serena has a ball every year this time. I wonder what's so special about this one." Hearing a knock at her door, Melody went to answer it and found her mother and father standing there. "May we come in?"
*** Chris stood in the gardens watching the brat pick flowers for her mother. Stepping close, he said, "Aren't you a bit young to be doing that?" Laughing at Jessie's shocked face, Chris said, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"Your not suppose to be here today. Mommy and Daddy have bad news for Melody. She's been crying all day!"
"Crying? Why, what did they tell her?"
"I don't know if I'm suppose to tell you but Melody's got a betrothal. She's got to marry and she's meeting him at tomorrow's ball."
"Thanks runt." Chris waved to Jessie as he slowly walked out of the garden and to the private balcony of Princess Melody. Climbing up the ivy that clung to her wall, Chris quickly reached her window and softly tapped the glass. Hearing a soft gasp from inside, Chris waited as Melody's face quickly peaked out, saw who it was, and opened the window.
Helping Chris in, Melody smiled watery at her friend and went back to sit on her bed. Chris knew something was up when she didn't say a word for five minutes. Chris watched his friend closely for a minute more before he realized she was still crying, but now they were silent tears.
Walking over to the bed, Chris sat down next to Melody and pulled her into his arms. Softly, he asked, "Melody, what's wrong? I can't bear to see you cry like this."
Melody could only sob into his chest for a few minutes, and when the answer came, it tore his heart into pieces. "My parents just told me who I'm going to marry. But.I don't want to marry him! My heart is already taken by another, and there's nothing I can do about it." Sobbing softly, Melody cried into her friend's chest as he gently rocked her.
'So its true. She does have feelings for Darien.I had hoped. I guess it wasn't meant to be.' "Hush now, I'll make it right. I promise. You'll marry the man who holds your heart, and no one else." Looking down into Melody's red watery eyes, Chris smiled when she said, "You really mean it? Promise?"
With his heart breaking in two, Chris nodded his head and said, "I swear it, Melody." Then he stood up and said, "But no more tears now. Tomorrow night, you'll be free of your betrothal." Then with a soft smile, and a look in his eyes that made Melody wonder if he knew her secret, Chris left her room the way he came.
'Oh, I hope Chris can pull this off. I don't want to marry a prince from Heart. I want to marry Chris! I want a love like Serena and Darien. Hey! Maybe Serena can help me. I'll leave early for the ball tomorrow and.' With devious thoughts cruising through her head, Melody wiped her eyes and went out to plan.
The next night, Melody was about to leave for the ball when a message came saying her sister wanted to see her in their private garden by the sea cliff. Knowing she was just trying to help, Melody sighed and rushed to see what her sister could want.
As she turned into the garden, Melody gasped at the sight of Jessie, bloody and unconscious, in the arms of a woman with flaming red hair. "Who are you and what did you do to my sister!"
Laughing the woman said, "Who I am is not important, young one. What is important is that you help me find the Chancellor of Hope. For if you don't, your sisters fish bait!" Seeing the defiant look in Melody's eyes, the woman tossed Jessie into the air and let her fall into the ocean. "NO! Don't do it! JESSIE!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Dropping to her knees, Melody did an unforgivable act. Singing, in a language long forgotten, Melody called on the chancellor to save her sister. Blacking out, Melody heard an evil voice say, "So that's who the chancellor is.who would have thought!"
Groaning, Melody opened her eyes much later to see that she was in a black room. Trying to get up, she found that she was tied to the floor and that she had a guest in the room with her. Crying at the site of her sister hurt, Melody's anger flared and the whole room began to shake. Suddenly, a voice filled the room and said, "No, no, no. If you bring down my palace, you will kill your sister. So pipe down and watch me destroy the moon kingdom with the Chancellor's power, that thanks to you, I am in complete control of!" Crying, Melody watched as the attack on the Moon Kingdom began. She was shocked to find that all of her friends, including Chris were Sailor Scouts! They fought bravely, but Melody knew they didn't have a chance. Then she saw Serena and Darien fighting together. Seeing her own enemy hurting Serena, something inside Melody snapped! Ignoring the pain and blood she was spilling, Melody pulled her arms free of the chains that held her captive on the floor. Picking Jessie up, Melody screamed in anger and teleported herself to the Moon Palace just as her own prison erupted and exploded with some unknown power.
When she opened her eyes on the Moon, Melody put Jessie in a safe place and went to find the red haired woman. Just as she spied her target, Melody saw Prince Darien being taken by a horrible shadow monster. Jumping from the balcony, Melody saw Princess Serena follow her idea and the two raced for Darien. Just as Serena's fingers touched Darien's, the red haired woman spotted Melody and shouted, "You little monster! You destroyed my palace! Shadow, kill her now!" Then all was darkness. Just as she felt herself falling away, Melody thought, 'I've betrayed them all, I've killed them all.'
Chris fell to his knees as he watched Serena and Darien die together. He felt time stand still as everyone looked at the fallen couple. When he thought he could stand no more, Chris turned to look at the cause of this death and stopped cold! There floating dead beside the Moon Princess was Melody!
He heard his friends calling him, telling him to move for the red woman was aiming directly for him, when a bright white light surrounded them all. As his eyes closed, Chris heard a voice say, "Let them go to the future and start anew." His final thought before darkness was, 'I failed her. I broke my promise.'
******
Lita sighed and stretched as she slowly opened her eyes. Looking around, she wondered why she was sleeping in the living room, when the events of yesterday caught up with her. Gasping, Lita looked for everyone and found them all sitting on the balcony. Walking quickly to the open window, Lita knew why. There on the floor, were Chris and Melody, holding tight to each other like if they let go, the world would end.
"Morning everyone. How long have they been like that?"
"No body knows. Jessie was up first at dawn and they were like that then. Its noon now. Do you think we should take them inside?"
"No, We need to leave them. I think they're almost done. Look!"
Mina, Ami, and Lita all peered down as the two began to cry soft crystal tears. Rei, Jessie, and the four men nodded their heads. "They'll be up soon. Chris before Melody. Why don't we move them into the house now." Everyone nodded, and Max and Kevin quickly separated the two. Kevin picked up Melody and set her on the couch, Max got Chris and set him in a chair. It was a mutual agreement by all to leave them there, and so the nine of them traipsed into the kitchen for breakfast. Soon the smell of frying bacon, and baking bread filled the air.
Chris groaned softly as he slowly opened his eyes. 'That was harder than I thought it would be. Ouch, I need an Advil.' Looking around, Chris saw that he was no longer outside and Melody was no longer in his arms. Worried that something had happened to her, Chris sighed when he saw she was still out on the couch. Sniffing the air, Chris' stomach gave a growl, as he smelled his favorite bread cooking.
Getting slowly to his feet, Chris felt a soft weight in his pocket. Shrugging his shoulders, Chris went to grab a plate and was surrounded by nine worried faces as soon as he rounded the corner. Smiling at them all, Chris grabbed a plate and then said, "Okay, let me eat first then I'll talk!"
There was mutual bad grumbling about this suggestion but they let him eat in peace. When he had finished, Chris quickly explained how he'd waited up for Melody and how she'd not wanted to remember any more that night. He explained how they'd both fallen asleep outside and to waking to her soft crying. When the girls heard of how Melody and Chris had started their memory walk, they cringed with pain.
Nodding his head, Chris said, "I wouldn't be surprised if Melody sleeps the whole day. She's been through hell the past day. I think she's earned a rest." Everyone agreed and set about the table talking and laughing at the memories they all had now. Pranks by the knights to the scouts, old teachers, and secret crushes were all coming out in the open when a soft voice said, "Hey guys."
Heads turned and mouths stood open at the site of Melody standing in the kitchen doorway. She looked bruised and battered and there were new shadows in her eyes but she was smiling at them all. Giggling at their shocked faces, Melody said, "What? Do you really think I'm that big of a wimp?" Seeing the bacon and bread, Melody waltzed over to the oven and softly said, "Gotcha!"
Laughing, everyone hugged Melody and pestered her with questions about what she remembered until she'd had enough. "Guys! Can I eat please? I'm starving!" Jessie laughed and said, "Your worse than Serena!" That started a new round of laughter and the day was soon wasted away with the sharing of stories about the past day. The knights pestered the scouts about past battles and the scouts pestered the knights with questions about their enemies until Jessie fell asleep in Melody's arms.
Taking that as their cue, the guys all stood up and said goodbye to the girls. Walking Chris to the door, Melody blushed red as she said, "So, what do we do now?" Chris shrugged and said, "Take Queen Serenity's orders and live our lives." Feeling something burning his leg, Chris reached into his pocket and turned white as a ghost.
Melody was scared and asked, "What's wrong Chris!?"
Shaking, Chris said, "Nothing. Just a bad memory. Goodnight, Princess." Kissing Melody on the cheek, Chris quickly walked out of the room and down the stairs, leaving a shocked and saddened Melody behind for the scouts to deal with.
When he caught up with the other knights, Chris quickly pulled them into an alley and pulled the object out of his pocket. The other knights grew as white as Chris when they saw what he held in his hand. "I thought that was lost long ago?" Max softly said.
"It was," said Will.
"The question now," Sam said, "is how did it get into Chris' pocket and who does it belong to?"
Chris shook his head and stared at the crystal in his hand. It didn't look like much, only a small crystal fairy incased in a clear light blue heart. Chris knew who the crystal belonged to. "Guys."
Just then a scream filled the night and set the knights hair on end. Turning back, they all saw a sight they'd never thought to see again. A dark haired man holding Melody in a death grip. "Hello boys, did you think I'd forget her as well? Now we have the key to the chancellor of hope. See you in hell!" As the two vanished from site, the five men saw Jessie step out into the air.
Hearing her soft voice drifting in the wind, Chris cringed as Jessie's eyes locked with his. "Melody, you still do not understand your past. Thankfully, someone you love has a brain, if he'll use it."
Nodding his head, Chris floated up to Jessie with the knights behind him. The sailors quickly joined them, each wondering what Jessie had meant by her mysterious words.
Chris opened his hand and showed everyone the crystal. "I didn't understand but now I do. Melody isn't the keeper of the information to the chancellor of hope. She is the chancellor. But our enemies don't know that and that is our advantage. We also have the first of three treasures we must have to save Melody." Blushing, Chris recited,
"A crystal gift from long ago, The first of three you'll need. To seal the demon down below, To let all love be freed.
A tiny heart with a little pal, A shiny chain to match, And a place you'll need a towel, Will hold the gates latch.
So now, brave hero, this is your task, Should you fail, it will be your last.
Take nine friends with you, To find one who is frail, All of you be true, And this finish the tale."
Jessie looked at Chris and smiled. "I remember the day Melody wrote you that poem. I think even then she knew what was coming."
Chris nodded and said, "I think your right Jessie. So tomorrow, we start our search for the final two treasures." Everyone nodded and walked back into Lita's apartment. By unspoken agreement, they were a team now and wouldn't be separated until Melody was back!
Four soft, "SHHHHHHHH!" made Luna pause and look at the little girl lying on the couch. Eyes huge in her head, Luna softly whispered, "What is Jessie doing here!? Shouldn't she be with her brother Kevin?!"
"Yes, Luna. Quite frankly, we don't know how she got here. We all got up about nine and came in here to talk about Melody finding out our secret and found her here. Asleep on the couch. What were we suppose to do? Wake her up and send her home?"
"No, you girls were right to let her sleep. I wonder how she got into your apartment, Lita."
"Don't look at me. I don't know how she got here, but I'm worried about Melody. She hasn't been up all day and its almost noon! She never sleeps this late! In fact, she's usually the first one up on Saturday and gone to practice when we do get up. But today she's still in bed. Dead asleep."
Just then, the phone rang. Mina raced to get it before it woke Jessie up and said softly,
"Hello?"
"Hi Mina? This is Sam, Melody's coach? Is she there?"
"Yes she is but she's still sleeping. I'm sorry she missed practice today, but I didn't have the heart to wake her up. You see, she ran into some problems at the airport the other day and is kind of burnt."
"OH, I'm so sorry! Is she okay?"
"Yes."
"Alright then, thanks Mina! Bye."
Hanging up the phone, Mina jumped when it rang again!
"Hello?"
"Hi, this is Kevin. Remember meeting me and my little sister, Jessie? I'm sorry to bother you this early but have you seen her? I though she might be with Melody."
"Yes, she's here Kevin. But we don't know how she got here or how she got in. You see we got in really late last night and locked the door. But when we got up this morning, she was here asleep on our couch."
"OH! I'm so sorry about that! I'll come get her right away!"
"Its no problem, really."
"Thanks Mina! Oh, the other guys want to know if its okay if they come over too?"
"Sure, the more the merrier!"
"Okay, bye!"
Hanging up the phone, Mina quickly told the girls they were going to have company. Jumping up, the girls quickly dressed and did hair and make-up while one of them kept an eye on the sleeping Jessie.
About twenty minuets later, the doorbell rang. Lita quickly opened the door and let all 5 guys in. "Wow Sam! You must have hustled over to Kevin's pretty quick."
"Actually, I called from Kevin's. We were all looking for Jessie when you guys said she was here."
"Uh, guys!"
Hearing a shocked voice behind them, the six turned to find Mina, Ami, and Rei pinned against the wall by air! Jessie was awake and standing on the couch with an odd look in her eyes. They seemed distant and unfocused and she softly said, "Where is my sister!?"
Just then, a loud "BOOM!" came from Melody's room and Jessie sagged to the floor, panting heavily. Ami, Rei, and Mina fell to the floor in ungraceful heaps. "What was that all about!? Jessie how did you do that?!"
Kevin and Chris quickly exchanged glances and then Chris said softly, "If you'll wait a minute, we'll explain everything."
Walking back to Melody's room, Chris entered and came out carrying a sweaty, but still sleeping Melody. Her breathing was harsh and her face looked troubled as she softly said, "No.you can't!"
Setting Melody on the couch next to Jessie, Chris smiled at the six-year- old and said, "It'll be alright Jessie. She's just remembering a few things."
Jessie smiled softly and said, "Really?" then lay down and cuddled into Melody's side and sighed. Chris turned to find four very angry girls staring at him. Glancing at the four guys, Chris saw that for now, he was on his own for explanations.
"Alright, Melody is not who you think she is. She isn't even who she thinks she is." Sighing, Chris said, "This is going to take a while."
"Go right ahead, we're not leaving until you tell us what is going on."
Settling into the only empty chair left, Chris began his story.
"Long ago, farther back than any of you could ever remember, there lived a queen who lived on a forgotten star called Thundra. This queen was young and wise beyond her years, and she married a young prince from the moon. This formed a bond between the two kingdoms, the Moon and the Solar, and when the rulers of both kingdoms bore their first children, both kingdoms celebrated.
The two children were beautiful girls, but the Solar Princess died a year later at the hands of the Black Knight. The Solar Rulers were devastated and cut all ties to the Moon kingdom for seven years. Then, a miracle happened and the Solar Kingdom was again blessed with a Solar Princess.
By this time, all of you were ten years old and already good friends with Princess Serenity." Smiling at their shocked faces, Chris continued with a nod for Rei who mouthed the words, "Are you the knights?"
"Since there was joy, in our kingdom again, ties with the Moon Kingdom were quickly reopened. There was a huge ball to commemorate the occasion. That was when you first saw, Princess Melody. She was a happy child, and everyone loved her. Ami, you made it your personal mission to teach the brat not to twirl her hair with her fingers! By the time she was seven, she could talk and frequently was found in the middle of one of your circles talking up a storm and making the five of you cry with laughter.
The Solar kingdom was again blessed with a child, the Princess Jessica. She was much more outgoing than her sister, but the two were inseparable. Wherever one was found, the other could be found. Jessica hated her name, and so Mina, with her huge heart, took pity on the little princess and gave her the nickname, Jessie."
Pausing to let all this information sink in, Chris saw that the girls were staring at Melody and Jessie as if they had grown two heads! Laughing softly, he said, "Is it so hard to believe? I mean, who would have thought any of us would be Sailor Scouts and Knights?"
Put in that light, each of the girls relaxed and turned back to Chris with questions in their eyes. Ami was the first with, "How is it that we didn't remember any of this when we became scouts?"
"That was a safety precaution, in case any of you were captured. But, let me tell you the rest of the story."
"Just about this time, Princess Serena fell in love with Prince Darien. Melody knew about this because she was constantly following Serena around the palace without anyone knowing it. Melody and Jessie thought this was very funny because the two seemed to become hot every time they saw each other. Well, to make this story shorter, two years later, the Moon Kingdom was attacked by the negaverse. You know what happened there. What you don't know is that we were there as well, fighting by your side. For you see, Melody had gone missing that morning.
She'd come to see Serena because her mother and father had told her she was betrothed to a prince from Heart. Melody didn't know what to make of a betrothal and was very scared because she was told she'd have to meet her betrothed that night at the Ball. As the battle raged, my friends and I looked for the little princess but couldn't find her. Then, our hearts stopped as we all watched Princess Serena and Prince Darien die together. What caught our throats, was the flash of lilac hair that was barely seen beyond Serena's white gown.
Before any of us could react, Queen Serenity sent us all to the future, where we've been looking for our princess." Chris took a deep breath as he tried to hold back the emotion that was clogging his throat. "Chris, it wasn't your fault what happened." A soft voice said. Looking up, Chris saw all the girls smiling at him. "Thanks Ami. But my tale is not finished yet."
"As you know we were all reborn on earth. None of us knowing about our past until evil arrived and we were needed to protect our planet. At the age of 15, I met Sam for the first time in Gym class. We became fast friends, and then one night he spent the night at my house. We were playing an innocent game of stare out when it happened.
Both of us, felt a jolt down our spines and fell to the floor in dead faints. While sleeping, each of us relived the past and remembered who we really were. It's a slow painful process. And its not pleasant reliving your mistakes.but we woke up the next morning and knew we had to find our princess. During the next year we met the others and all of us have relived our moments with the others.
That's what is happening to Melody right now. I don't know whose memories she's reliving, because it's usually with someone.wait a minute. Jessie? Did you see Melody this morning?"
Everyone turned to look at the little girl, who opened her tired eyes and said, "Hmm? Yes."
Nodding, Chris sighed and said, "Okay then, we might as well get comfortable. As soon as she gets up she'll need to do this with all of us. Its best not to drag it out. You inner scouts should enjoy this. Since you have experience with Serena and Luna this should be a piece of cake."
Now that he was through talking, Chris moved to the floor and sat near Melody. As the Scouts and Knights talked, Chris watched Melody for any change in her. Holding her hand tenderly, Chris softly swore, "I will protect you this time Princess. I won't fail you again."
Mina nodded her head towards Chris, as she and the others talked quietly. "He cares for her, doesn't he?"
"Yes," Kevin said, "very much. That's part of his problem. You see, what he didn't tell you was that he's the prince she was betrothed too. He'd been watching her for some time and had grown very fond of the little Melody. She just thought he was a boy from Heart. She never understood that he was a prince. Its funny for she never told him, she was a princess. I think, Chris sees her running to the moon as a sign that she didn't like him. But I know she did, for she told me. Melody and I were very close friends, but I was sworn never to tell anyone that she liked him more than she should."
"OH, that's so sad! Maybe this is their second chance as well."
"I don't know, for you see. Our enemy, is someone you all love very dearly.Dar."
"Quick! She's coming around!"
Rushing to the couch, Mina wondered who the knights were fighting. As Melody slowly opened her eyes, the first person she saw was Chris. Softly she asked, "What are you doing here?" Then she felt a warm body pressed to her, and looked down. There still half asleep on her, was Jessie. Smiling softly, Melody forgot anyone else was there and said, "Jessica?.Jessica wake up." Laughing at the brat, Melody sat up and hugged her as she said, "Jessica, if you don't wake up, I'll tell mom that you don't want breakfast."
"Yes, I do." was the soft reply. Jessie looked up through sleep-clouded eyes to see Melody smiling down at her. "You.remember me?"
"Yes brat. I do." Wiping her sisters eyes, Melody turned to the group and said, "Guys.I think I have some explaining to do. But." before she could finish, Melody met the smiling eyes of the Inner Scouts and a jolt ran through all the girls and they fell into memories.
"Well, I guess we'd better make some tea. This is going to take all day." Smiling at Kevin, Chris gently put Melody and Jessie back on the couch and put each of the other girls in chairs.
Floating through memories of parties, laughter, pain and sorrow, the girls slowly came back to reality one by one. Melody came last of all, being the one who had to remember everything. Groaning, she slowly opened her eyes to find a cup of hot tea placed before her. She also heard someone softly say, "Don't look at anyone. Just drink your tea. We'll answer all your questions later."
Nodding her head, Melody gratefully drank her tea and closed her eyes. Flashes of color still danced across her vision in the darkness. Opening her eyes, Melody smiled and looked at Rei who was seated across from her. "Well," she said to the smiling Rei, "I guess we are the perfect friends! We get into and out of trouble so easily when we work together!" Laughing, the seven girls smiled and relaxed for a few minutes. Looking at the clock, Melody blanched when she saw it was four o'clock! "Man, Sam's going to kill me." When she could see without seeing double, Melody looked towards the kitchen to see if someone could hand her the phone, and saw Kevin, Max, Will, and Sam standing in the kitchen doorway. Feeling a familiar jolt run through her, Melody groaned as she was once again lost in memories.
Chris and the girls quickly put the guys in chairs before they too were lost to the blackness. "This is interesting. Melody seems to be connecting easier each time. But each time she connects it takes her longer to get back. You're the only one left now Chris." Ami said aloud as she talked with Mina.
Chris silently nodded and said nothing. Moving to the window, he stared out into the darkening night as he thought about Melody. 'What if she blames me for what happened?' Jumping when he felt a small hand enter his own, Chris looked down to see Jessie looking deeply into his eyes. "Don't worry Chris," she said softly. "My sister doesn't hold grudges, and you might be surprised what you learn about her. Have a little faith."
Smiling, Chris knelt down and hugged the six-year-old and said, "Thanks." Then the two of them sat staring out as the stars slowly formed in the darkening night, while Melody and the Knights waltzed down memory lane.
Five hours later, Melody once again opened her eyes. Reluctantly, she softly said, "Okay, who's next?" Knowing deep in her heart the only one left to her. Getting up, Melody winced as she looked at the clock. 'Nine o'clock. Not good.' Walking towards the window, Melody gasped when she saw everyone asleep all over the room. 'They all waited up for me. They're such loyal friends.and I betrayed them all.' Looking down at the final two forms by the window, Melody noticed that only one of them was asleep.
Chris looked into Melody's tear stained face and saw the sorrow that was written in her eyes. Gently putting Jessie on the couch, Chris motioned for Melody to follow him and the two went out on the balcony.
Feeling the night air bite into their skin, the two looked at each other with hesitation and worry. Each had secrets they didn't want to share, but each knew that all would be revealed in the memory regain. Finally, when Chris noticed that Melody was about to faint on her feet from exhaustion, he said, "Why don't we wait until tomorrow?"
Smiling, Melody said, "I think that's a great idea. I just have so much bouncing around my head right now, I don't know if I could handle anymore. But I don't want to go back inside."
Knowing the feeling, Chris softly said, "Then lets stay out here." Sitting on a lounge chair, Chris motioned for Melody to come sit in the chair beside his. Smiling, the two sat in silence and watched the stars as they both fell asleep.
An hour before dawn, Chris woke up to a smothered sob and jumped to his feet. Blinking, he saw Melody with her back towards him crying. Not saying a word, Chris moved to Melody and touched her shoulder. Opening his mouth to ask what was wrong, he couldn't stop Melody from turning into his arms. As his arms closed around her, comfortingly, the two felt a painful jolt run down their spines as they fell to the concrete clutching each other. That was where Jessie found them an hour later, and she sat down to wait for them while the others slept. Softly she said, "This is your chance to start over. I hope you take it this time."
********* Melody smiled as she looked at her new dress for Serena's ball tomorrow night. Laughing, she felt the soft silk fabric and wondered how her mother had known her favorite color was lilac. Talking softly to herself, Melody wondered, "Mom said this was for a special occasion, but Serena has a ball every year this time. I wonder what's so special about this one." Hearing a knock at her door, Melody went to answer it and found her mother and father standing there. "May we come in?"
*** Chris stood in the gardens watching the brat pick flowers for her mother. Stepping close, he said, "Aren't you a bit young to be doing that?" Laughing at Jessie's shocked face, Chris said, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."
"Your not suppose to be here today. Mommy and Daddy have bad news for Melody. She's been crying all day!"
"Crying? Why, what did they tell her?"
"I don't know if I'm suppose to tell you but Melody's got a betrothal. She's got to marry and she's meeting him at tomorrow's ball."
"Thanks runt." Chris waved to Jessie as he slowly walked out of the garden and to the private balcony of Princess Melody. Climbing up the ivy that clung to her wall, Chris quickly reached her window and softly tapped the glass. Hearing a soft gasp from inside, Chris waited as Melody's face quickly peaked out, saw who it was, and opened the window.
Helping Chris in, Melody smiled watery at her friend and went back to sit on her bed. Chris knew something was up when she didn't say a word for five minutes. Chris watched his friend closely for a minute more before he realized she was still crying, but now they were silent tears.
Walking over to the bed, Chris sat down next to Melody and pulled her into his arms. Softly, he asked, "Melody, what's wrong? I can't bear to see you cry like this."
Melody could only sob into his chest for a few minutes, and when the answer came, it tore his heart into pieces. "My parents just told me who I'm going to marry. But.I don't want to marry him! My heart is already taken by another, and there's nothing I can do about it." Sobbing softly, Melody cried into her friend's chest as he gently rocked her.
'So its true. She does have feelings for Darien.I had hoped. I guess it wasn't meant to be.' "Hush now, I'll make it right. I promise. You'll marry the man who holds your heart, and no one else." Looking down into Melody's red watery eyes, Chris smiled when she said, "You really mean it? Promise?"
With his heart breaking in two, Chris nodded his head and said, "I swear it, Melody." Then he stood up and said, "But no more tears now. Tomorrow night, you'll be free of your betrothal." Then with a soft smile, and a look in his eyes that made Melody wonder if he knew her secret, Chris left her room the way he came.
'Oh, I hope Chris can pull this off. I don't want to marry a prince from Heart. I want to marry Chris! I want a love like Serena and Darien. Hey! Maybe Serena can help me. I'll leave early for the ball tomorrow and.' With devious thoughts cruising through her head, Melody wiped her eyes and went out to plan.
The next night, Melody was about to leave for the ball when a message came saying her sister wanted to see her in their private garden by the sea cliff. Knowing she was just trying to help, Melody sighed and rushed to see what her sister could want.
As she turned into the garden, Melody gasped at the sight of Jessie, bloody and unconscious, in the arms of a woman with flaming red hair. "Who are you and what did you do to my sister!"
Laughing the woman said, "Who I am is not important, young one. What is important is that you help me find the Chancellor of Hope. For if you don't, your sisters fish bait!" Seeing the defiant look in Melody's eyes, the woman tossed Jessie into the air and let her fall into the ocean. "NO! Don't do it! JESSIE!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Dropping to her knees, Melody did an unforgivable act. Singing, in a language long forgotten, Melody called on the chancellor to save her sister. Blacking out, Melody heard an evil voice say, "So that's who the chancellor is.who would have thought!"
Groaning, Melody opened her eyes much later to see that she was in a black room. Trying to get up, she found that she was tied to the floor and that she had a guest in the room with her. Crying at the site of her sister hurt, Melody's anger flared and the whole room began to shake. Suddenly, a voice filled the room and said, "No, no, no. If you bring down my palace, you will kill your sister. So pipe down and watch me destroy the moon kingdom with the Chancellor's power, that thanks to you, I am in complete control of!" Crying, Melody watched as the attack on the Moon Kingdom began. She was shocked to find that all of her friends, including Chris were Sailor Scouts! They fought bravely, but Melody knew they didn't have a chance. Then she saw Serena and Darien fighting together. Seeing her own enemy hurting Serena, something inside Melody snapped! Ignoring the pain and blood she was spilling, Melody pulled her arms free of the chains that held her captive on the floor. Picking Jessie up, Melody screamed in anger and teleported herself to the Moon Palace just as her own prison erupted and exploded with some unknown power.
When she opened her eyes on the Moon, Melody put Jessie in a safe place and went to find the red haired woman. Just as she spied her target, Melody saw Prince Darien being taken by a horrible shadow monster. Jumping from the balcony, Melody saw Princess Serena follow her idea and the two raced for Darien. Just as Serena's fingers touched Darien's, the red haired woman spotted Melody and shouted, "You little monster! You destroyed my palace! Shadow, kill her now!" Then all was darkness. Just as she felt herself falling away, Melody thought, 'I've betrayed them all, I've killed them all.'
Chris fell to his knees as he watched Serena and Darien die together. He felt time stand still as everyone looked at the fallen couple. When he thought he could stand no more, Chris turned to look at the cause of this death and stopped cold! There floating dead beside the Moon Princess was Melody!
He heard his friends calling him, telling him to move for the red woman was aiming directly for him, when a bright white light surrounded them all. As his eyes closed, Chris heard a voice say, "Let them go to the future and start anew." His final thought before darkness was, 'I failed her. I broke my promise.'
******
Lita sighed and stretched as she slowly opened her eyes. Looking around, she wondered why she was sleeping in the living room, when the events of yesterday caught up with her. Gasping, Lita looked for everyone and found them all sitting on the balcony. Walking quickly to the open window, Lita knew why. There on the floor, were Chris and Melody, holding tight to each other like if they let go, the world would end.
"Morning everyone. How long have they been like that?"
"No body knows. Jessie was up first at dawn and they were like that then. Its noon now. Do you think we should take them inside?"
"No, We need to leave them. I think they're almost done. Look!"
Mina, Ami, and Lita all peered down as the two began to cry soft crystal tears. Rei, Jessie, and the four men nodded their heads. "They'll be up soon. Chris before Melody. Why don't we move them into the house now." Everyone nodded, and Max and Kevin quickly separated the two. Kevin picked up Melody and set her on the couch, Max got Chris and set him in a chair. It was a mutual agreement by all to leave them there, and so the nine of them traipsed into the kitchen for breakfast. Soon the smell of frying bacon, and baking bread filled the air.
Chris groaned softly as he slowly opened his eyes. 'That was harder than I thought it would be. Ouch, I need an Advil.' Looking around, Chris saw that he was no longer outside and Melody was no longer in his arms. Worried that something had happened to her, Chris sighed when he saw she was still out on the couch. Sniffing the air, Chris' stomach gave a growl, as he smelled his favorite bread cooking.
Getting slowly to his feet, Chris felt a soft weight in his pocket. Shrugging his shoulders, Chris went to grab a plate and was surrounded by nine worried faces as soon as he rounded the corner. Smiling at them all, Chris grabbed a plate and then said, "Okay, let me eat first then I'll talk!"
There was mutual bad grumbling about this suggestion but they let him eat in peace. When he had finished, Chris quickly explained how he'd waited up for Melody and how she'd not wanted to remember any more that night. He explained how they'd both fallen asleep outside and to waking to her soft crying. When the girls heard of how Melody and Chris had started their memory walk, they cringed with pain.
Nodding his head, Chris said, "I wouldn't be surprised if Melody sleeps the whole day. She's been through hell the past day. I think she's earned a rest." Everyone agreed and set about the table talking and laughing at the memories they all had now. Pranks by the knights to the scouts, old teachers, and secret crushes were all coming out in the open when a soft voice said, "Hey guys."
Heads turned and mouths stood open at the site of Melody standing in the kitchen doorway. She looked bruised and battered and there were new shadows in her eyes but she was smiling at them all. Giggling at their shocked faces, Melody said, "What? Do you really think I'm that big of a wimp?" Seeing the bacon and bread, Melody waltzed over to the oven and softly said, "Gotcha!"
Laughing, everyone hugged Melody and pestered her with questions about what she remembered until she'd had enough. "Guys! Can I eat please? I'm starving!" Jessie laughed and said, "Your worse than Serena!" That started a new round of laughter and the day was soon wasted away with the sharing of stories about the past day. The knights pestered the scouts about past battles and the scouts pestered the knights with questions about their enemies until Jessie fell asleep in Melody's arms.
Taking that as their cue, the guys all stood up and said goodbye to the girls. Walking Chris to the door, Melody blushed red as she said, "So, what do we do now?" Chris shrugged and said, "Take Queen Serenity's orders and live our lives." Feeling something burning his leg, Chris reached into his pocket and turned white as a ghost.
Melody was scared and asked, "What's wrong Chris!?"
Shaking, Chris said, "Nothing. Just a bad memory. Goodnight, Princess." Kissing Melody on the cheek, Chris quickly walked out of the room and down the stairs, leaving a shocked and saddened Melody behind for the scouts to deal with.
When he caught up with the other knights, Chris quickly pulled them into an alley and pulled the object out of his pocket. The other knights grew as white as Chris when they saw what he held in his hand. "I thought that was lost long ago?" Max softly said.
"It was," said Will.
"The question now," Sam said, "is how did it get into Chris' pocket and who does it belong to?"
Chris shook his head and stared at the crystal in his hand. It didn't look like much, only a small crystal fairy incased in a clear light blue heart. Chris knew who the crystal belonged to. "Guys."
Just then a scream filled the night and set the knights hair on end. Turning back, they all saw a sight they'd never thought to see again. A dark haired man holding Melody in a death grip. "Hello boys, did you think I'd forget her as well? Now we have the key to the chancellor of hope. See you in hell!" As the two vanished from site, the five men saw Jessie step out into the air.
Hearing her soft voice drifting in the wind, Chris cringed as Jessie's eyes locked with his. "Melody, you still do not understand your past. Thankfully, someone you love has a brain, if he'll use it."
Nodding his head, Chris floated up to Jessie with the knights behind him. The sailors quickly joined them, each wondering what Jessie had meant by her mysterious words.
Chris opened his hand and showed everyone the crystal. "I didn't understand but now I do. Melody isn't the keeper of the information to the chancellor of hope. She is the chancellor. But our enemies don't know that and that is our advantage. We also have the first of three treasures we must have to save Melody." Blushing, Chris recited,
"A crystal gift from long ago, The first of three you'll need. To seal the demon down below, To let all love be freed.
A tiny heart with a little pal, A shiny chain to match, And a place you'll need a towel, Will hold the gates latch.
So now, brave hero, this is your task, Should you fail, it will be your last.
Take nine friends with you, To find one who is frail, All of you be true, And this finish the tale."
Jessie looked at Chris and smiled. "I remember the day Melody wrote you that poem. I think even then she knew what was coming."
Chris nodded and said, "I think your right Jessie. So tomorrow, we start our search for the final two treasures." Everyone nodded and walked back into Lita's apartment. By unspoken agreement, they were a team now and wouldn't be separated until Melody was back!