All Hearts Can Melt 3
Questions
The characters you see on Sailor Moon are not mine, but the new ones in this fic are! Like Lydia, Lucky, just to name a few…
Madam Indigo stepped out of the cottage. She had seen something fall out of the sky. "What was that?" she asked herself, walking thorugh the snow. She saw something glowing up ahead and walked up to it. She shielded her eyes and found a snowflake-like crystal.
"Beautiful," Madam Indigo whispered, picking the crystal up. It fit inside her palm and as she walked inside, it glowed. She grimaced and clutched her chest. "Goodness…my heart…ooh, I had better get inside." She huddled inside, hung it up on a wall and sat down in her rocking chair.
"I do hope Lydia's having a good time." She said, sipping her tea.
Five of the six pre-teen sailor scouts and Rini were at the Cherry Hill Temple cooking potatoes over a pile of burning leaves. Lydia was sitting on the steps, looking quite glum with Lucky curled up in her lap.
“I just did some research," Ami said, "but there’s no record at all of the comet Luna mentioned.”
“Yeah, and even Amy’s computer didn’t have any information on it.” Raye added.
“These monsters are probably the cause of the comet, but where are they?" Lita asked. "Maybe they gave up.”
"I wonder if Fiore saw it," Lydia said suddenly, raising her head while petting Lucky.
"Huh?" the other girls asked.
"What do you mean, Lydia?" Serena asked.
"Fiore. Maybe he's seen the comet," she went on. "He's been in space for a long time. And if he's seen the comet, then I'm sure he's probably trying to warn us. What do yeh lassies think? Is it possible?"
"Yeah,” Lita said, “that makes sense.”
Lydia smiled, "Aye…I just hope, nothing happened to him out there." Her smile quickly faded and she looked down again. "If that comet--" she trailed off and shook her head. "Anyway, it is important we find out about that comet."
Serena bit her lip, "Oh, Lydia." She cleared her throat, "Hey, it's all right, Lydia. Come on over, it's warmer next to the fire."
"Yeah, Lydia," Rini added, running to her young godmother and taking her by the hand. "Why don't you cook a potato? They're really yummy!" She pulled Lydia over to the fire and Lucky jumped off her lap just as Mina was running to meet them.
“My bad I’m late, guys.” Mina said.
"So what's new?" Raye demanded. "You're always late."
"Hmm…" Artemis hummed, looking around. Knowing what he was thinking, Lucky cleared his throat and shook his head.
"Actually, I met a really cool guy on the way here and he…" Mina began.
"Hey, where's Luna?" Artemis asked.
"Not here, laddie," Lucky whispered.
“She didn’t come." Serena said. "She said she had something else to do. Is this ready yet?” She blew on her potato.
“Luna’s been acting really weird lately." Rini stated. "She’s been reading a book for doctors on medicine and eating star flakes for dinner.”
"Star flakes?" Artemis mumbled.
Lucky nodded, "aye."
“That’s right." Amy said. "She asked me if she could borrow my medical textbook the other day.”
“I saw her hanging around the planet observatory at the Space Agency the day before yesterday." Mina recalled. "I called to her, but she didn’t hear me. She didn’t quite seem to be herself.”
“How about that new yellow ribbon?" Raye asked. "What does it mean?”
“I’ll say she hasn’t been herself." Serena muttered. "She hasn’t nagged me about my schoolwork for days.” Serena stood. "I think she has a problem." She bit into her potato, but it burned her mouth. "YEOW!"
"What a dork!" Raye exclaimed.
"Serena…" Amy mumbled.
Lydia smirked, "care for some ice water, lassie?" she asked then laughed. The others looked at her while Artemis called Lucky over away from the girls.
"What?" Lydia asked, recovering from laughing.
"It's good to see you laugh again," Lita said.
"Even at Serena's expense," Raye smiled.
"Hey!" Serena shouted.
"Lucky, I need you to do something for me," Artemis said to the orange cat as they turned a corner for privacy from the girls.
"What can I do yeh for, mate?" Lucky asked, sitting on his back legs.
"I need you to talk to Luna for me," he said.
"You what?" Lucky nearly shouted. "You mean, pry whatever is going on with her? I'm not putting my nose where it doesn't belong!"
"Shh!" Artemis hushed. "Please, Lucky. She's like a sister to you, right?"
"Not exactly. Serena and Lydia are just very close so I guess it just seems that way that we have a sibling-like relationship too."
"And you're in the same house as she is," Artemis added, "You get to see her more than I do."
"Well, not now that she goes to the planet observatory very often," Lucky admitted.
"What for?" Artemis asked.
"It's not of my business," Lucky muttered. "I am not going to spy on her!"
"Please, Lucky. Talk to her."
"You're the one who is in love with her," Lucky insisted, getting up and stretching, "why don’t you talk to her?"
"I'm not very good with words," Artemis confessed, blushing.
"So kiss a blarney stone," Lucky shrugged.
"What?"
"Kissing a blarney stone will enable someone to speak with eloquence."
"Really?" Artemis questioned, sounding convinced, "are there any of these blarney stones nearby?"
"Only in Ireland," Lucky insisted, "and I'm not exactly sure if they work or not. I never kissed one."
"I'm willing to try it!" Artemis exclaimed. "Does Lydia have one with her?"
Lucky shrugged, "wouldn't doubt it. She has dozens of good luck charms."
"Wonderful!"
"But I think she left her good luck box at home," Lucky added.
"Ohhh," Artemis groaned.
Lucky smiled, "but I'll look for it."
"Will you still talk to Luna for me?" Artemis questioned. "Please? She'll listen to you!" Artemis propped his paws onto Lucky.
"All right, all right!" Lucky exclaimed, pushing his front legs down "I'll talk to her for you! Don't get yer tail in a not, laddie! The lassies will see yeh!"
"Oh, thank you, thank you!"
"Oi," Lucky mumbled, "why me?"
"When?" Artemis asked.
"I'll do it now so it'll be over with!" He went on his way home to talk to Luna.
Meanwhile, in Ireland, Fiore was stepping through a blizzard in the hills. Even with the prism's energy, he was still cold.
He saw through the snow a green valley. He squinted, “that is strange. That place is as green as spring.”
He walked down to the valley and looked around. There wre green trees all over the place and it felt warm. He walked to the largest tree in the middle of the forest. It seemed to be glowing.
“Strange,” he rubbed his hand over the bark and the tree to seem to have come alive.
“What are you doing here?” it demanded.
“Huh?”
Vines ensnared Fiore’s body, lifting him up in the air.
“How dare you trespass through here?” the tree said. “You are after the rainbow coins!”
“Rainbow coins,” Fiore mumbled, “wait, no! I’m not, but I know someone who is looking for them. Sailor Rainbow! She has already found the first two. She may have found the third by now. Please, if you let me take this one I can give it to her.”
“And why should I trust you?” the tree demanded. “The coins are for the Rainbow Princess. She needs to prove her worthiness. What proof do I have that you know her and you’re not trying to get it for yourself?”
“I do have something,” Fiore grunted, “She gave me a prism.” He wriggled his hand through the vines and summoned the tear shaped prism. “Here! Here is my proof! Now release me!”
The tree looked at the prism and paused before dropping Fiore on the ground.
“Why should I give you the coin?”
“Something very bad is going to happen to Earth,” Fiore said, “I saw something in space. An ice witch is going to freeze it. If you give me the coin I can give it to Sailor Rainbow so she can have the power to stop her! Please, I give you my word I will not use the coin for myself!”
“If I do give it to you,” said the tree, “she will have to prove her worthiness for it later.”
“But...you already know…because she’s the only one that can use them!”
“Perhaps, but she has to show us that she can protect them,” the tree said, “prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. We have to witness her power. I wouldn’t give you the coin unless the coin unless the Earth really was in danger. All right. I will surrender the coin to you but when she collects the others, she will have to fight me in battle, to prove her worthiness of it.”
Fiore sighed. “Very well.”
“You must use the prism she gave you to summon the coin. I cannot just surrenderit to you.”
Fiore nodded and held the prism out. The sun came through the clouds and into his prism, forming a spectrum that hit the tree. It groaned and set off a green energy as a crack opened up in the trunk. Fiore drew the green coin from the crack and he reached for it.
“Now, go.” The tree said as the greenness of the valley faded and became covered with nsow.
Fiore turned around, “I will not fail.”
Fiore pressed on through the trees until he came to a town. To keep from scaring the human race, he changed into his human form. He was able to walk around freely and no one knew the alien behind the human exterior. He glanced at each building and person.
'Must find her,' he thought. 'Wish I knew her real name. She didn't tell me.'
Fiore coughed and held his arms around himself.
"Are yeh all right, laddie?" an Irishman asked sweeping snow off his mat.
Fiore nodded, "I'll be all right. I am looking for someone. Have you heard of Sailor Rainbow?"
The Irishman grinned, "Know her? She's a legend around here! She put all the ghosts that were haunted the castles in their place and is looking for those legendary rainbow coins."
"You wouldn’t know her true identity, would you?" he questioned. "It is really important that I find her."
"We'd all like to know her true identity, laddie," the Irishman confessed, "but no one knows who she is."
"I thank you," Fiore said, and walked on, leaving the Irishman back to his work. Fiore saw up ahead a cottage and was, for some reason, drawn to it. He walked to the cottage and knocked on the door.
"Who can that be?" Madam Indigo asked, getting up from her rocking chair. She opened the door to find a tired-looking, young man with auburn hair and crimson eyes. "Can I help yeh laddie?"
"I am looking for…Sailor Rainbow," he mumbled, holding out the prism and the rainbow coin in his hand. His eyes closed and he fell forward.
"Oh my!" Madam Indigo exclaimed. She caught Fiore and pulled him inside. She set him next to the fireplace and put a blanket around him. Fiore opened his eyes again in a matter of moments. "How long have you been out in this storm?"
"A while," he replied, sitting up. "Does Sailor Rainbow live here?"
"How do you--" Madam Indigo began and then it dawned on her, "dear lord, you're, you're Fiore! That alien boy she fell in love with!"
Fiore smiled and nodded, "Yes, that's me. Who are you?"
"Madam Indigo."
"Is Rainbow here? I must speak with her. She and the sailor scouts are in danger."
"No, Sailor Rainbow, or as her real name is, Lydia, is not here," Madam Indigo said sadly.
"She is not searching for the rainbow coins right now is she?" Fiore asked, frightened, "it's dangerous out there!"
"No, she is in Japan with Serena and the other scouts." She replied. "For winter break. She's been really heartbroken since you two said your goodbyes."
"Then I should get to her," Fiore said, standing up.
"Wait, you must get some food," Madam Indigo said. Then she grimaced and grabbed her chest. "Oh my…my heart…argh!'
"Madam!" Fiore exclaimed, putting his arms around her and guiding her to a chair. Her pain stopped. "Are you all right?"
"Oh, it must be my age catching up with me," she replied offhandedly.
Fiore noticed the crystal on the wall. "What is that?" he asked.
"Oh, I found it outside, beautiful, isn't it?" she asked and once again, her pain came back. "Goodness…" She took in deep gasps of air and coughed.
Fiore knew what the crystal was. He grabbed the crystal.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
"Madam Indigo, I think this is the cause of your pain!" he exclaimed throwing the crystal into the fireplace. The fire burnt up the ice crystal and the flames changed to blue for a split second.
Madam Indigo suddenly felt much better. "The crystal…"
Fiore turned to Madam Indigo in his true form. "I have found the green rainbow coin. I must get it to Sailor Rainbow."
"How did you know about the rainbow coins?" she asked. "And about that crystal there?"
"Because I saw it in space," he replied. "With Princess Kaguya."
"Princess Kaguya?"
"Yes. She is on a comet of solid ice heading for Earth. She intends to freeze it up. Earth is in great danger!"
Indigo shook her head, "how horrible. Can she be stopped?"
"If I can warn the scouts in time," he said.
"Before you go," she said, "I need you to stay here a bit for something to eat and some rest."
"But time is wasting," he told her.
"Yes, but you would be no good to Sailor Rainbow if you are sick," she told him. "She needs you to be strong for her, Fiore. Lydia has always been strong, but now she is frail and weak. She's given up on the search for the rainbow coins shortly after finding the yellow one. She misses you horribly."
"I hate to be the cause of her pain," Fiore mumbled.
"She's afraid something happened to you in space," Madam Indigo went on. "She doesn't know if you were alive, dead, captured."
"I haven't forgotten about her," Fiore said, "I think of her always. I miss her too."
"Then you understand why you must be well before you journey to Japan," Madam said.
Fiore nodded.
"Besides," Madam said, "we'll have some time to get to know each other!"
"I'd like that," Fiore smiled.
Luna turned another page in Amy's textbook. “Too much. How will I ever know what is wrong with him?” she asked herself.
Lucky returned home and sighed before entering Serena's room. He heard what Luna said. 'I can't believe Artemis is making me do this.' he thought and walked inside.
"Wrong with who, Luna?" Lucky asked.
"Hmm, oh, Lucky!" she gasped, startled. "Hello! I didn't know you were back. How was the meeting?" she asked, changing the subject. "Are the others back too?"
He shook his head. "Just me. So, why are you looking through a medical book, Luna? Hoping to become a doctor?"
"Oh, well I," she blushed. "Ahem…I just wanted to learn more about physical aliments."
"I see," he said, laying on his stomach in front of her. "It is the cold and flu season."
'That's right,' Luna thought, 'maybe it's just the flu.'
"But if yeh ask me, Irish whisky cures everything!" Lucky joked.
"Do you have, um, something to do, Lucky?" Luna questioned.
"Nope," he replied. "How've you been, Luna? Over your cold?"
She nodded.
"I don't mean to pry," he said, "but I was just wondering, when yeh left for home the day of yer cold, yeh never made it home, did yeh?"
"Well no," she said.
"I hope yeh didn't get hurt or pass out cold in the middle of the road," Lucky said.
"Well, actually," Luna said, "I did."
"Oh, my," Lucky mumbled. "Artemis and I really should've gone after yeh."
"Don’t' worry, Lucky," she said, "Someone saved me."
"Oh, good," Lucky sighed. "So, who was this person?"
Luna made a face, "why do you want to know?"
He shrugged, "just in case I have a cold, I know where to go. Is this person a cat lover?"
"I think so," she said. "Kakeru. He's a scientist at the observatory."
"Oh, so that is why you go there a lot."
"Have you been spying on me?" she demanded.
"Eh? Oh, no!" he said, chuckling, "Mina just said she saw you there the day before yesterday."
"Oh," Luna whispered and blushed. "I see."
"I'm glad someone took care of yeh though," he said. "He got yeh that ribbon?"
"Yes, he did," she replied. "I'm sorry, Lucky, but I must get going now."
"Observatory?"
"Er, yes." She walked out of the room and Lucky hung his head and let out a big sigh.
"That went pretty well," he mumbled.
Luna went to the observatory to check on Kakeru. She put her paws on the glass door to look though it. Kakeru was coughing and bedridden as Himeko was taking care of him. Luna attempted to open the sliding glass door and Himeko heard it.
"Huh?" Himeko said. She looked up and saw Luna try to get in. She walked up to the door and opened it. "I'm sorry, little kitty. No cats in here today. Come again another time." She closed the door.
'But…' Luna thought, disappointed, 'Oh, I guess I'm just a cat.'
Lucky went to speak with Artemis about his talk with Luna. They were talking on the roof of Mina's house.
"So, how did it go?" Artemis asked impatiently.
"Well, she didn't yell at me," Lucky said, "So I guess that's a good thing."
"See?" Artemis muttered. "You can talk to her. She would've yelled at me."
"But she did seem a bit uneasy about me asking questions," Lucky added.
"What did you ask her?"
"About what happened the day she was going home," he said.
"And?"
"Said that someone took her in. Just like Lydia had theorized. That is were the ribbon came from."
"What else did she say?"
"Well, not much after that," Lucky explained. "She left for the Observatory. The person who saved her lives there."
"She went back to this person?"
"Aye. I think his name was Kakeru," he shrugged, "I reckon she goes there a lot."
"What for?"
"I dunno," Lucky said, "she didn't tell me."
"Why didn't you follow her?"
"Hey, I'm not spying on Luna!" Lucky hollered.
"I just want to know why she's going there," Artemis sighed. "Maybe he serves good cat food or something."
"Star flakes," Lucky mumbled.
"Star flakes?"
"She's been eating star flakes a lot," Lucky said, "that's probably where she started eating them, at the observatory."
"You've got to follow her," Artemis insisted, "and find out why she's going on there."
"Artemis, no!"
"Please, I'd follow her myself but…she'd get mad at me and I wouldn't know when she goes. You're staying at the same house."
"But Artemis," Lucky groaned.
"Maybe this man has a cat," he said, "and she likes him. What if she's bonding to that cat more than us? And what if they--"
"Hey, don't go there!" Lucky shouted. "All right, I'll do it! I will follow Luna down to the observatory the next time she goes. But I don't have to like it!"
"Thanks, Lucky."
"I'll prove to yeh that there's nothing wrong with Luna," Lucky shrugged, "nothing at all, then yeh'll see yer just stressing out over nutin'!"
When dusk came, Serena got a chance to be with Darien. She was sitting on a bench in the park, leaning against him, her hand around his arm. She was speaking to him about Lydia and Luna. "I'm very worried about her, Darien," she whispered. "It's just not like Lydia to be so sad. But she did laugh today. She was laughing at me, of course. It was the first time I saw her laugh in a long while, I think, before she met Fiore."
Darien didn't say anything, instead, turned the next page of the book he was reading.
When Darien didn't comment about Lydia's behavior, she turned the subject onto Luna. "And Luna's acting weird too. She was sick and didn’t come home. We found her shortly after we fought those ice freaks and that's when she told us about the comet. And so ever since that day she went missing, she’s been acting very strangely. Darien," she pressed, pulling on his arm, "what do you think?”
Darien closed the book, looking a bit miffed. “Serena, maybe Luna would just like some time away to be all on her own." He told her. "You should probably stop hanging around her so much and respect her privacy. Lydia too. I just talked to her not too long ago and she'll be just fine. All she needs is just some more time.”
“Uh, what do you mean hanging around?” Serena questioned. “Oh, I get what you’re saying. Thanks a lot." She let go of his arm. "You think I'm hanging around my cat and my best friend. Lydia would confide in you instead of me.”
"Huh?" Darien mumbled.
“You think that I’m just hanging around you, too, don’t you? I’m just annoying.” Serena covered her face and began to cry. Darien stood up.
"No, no, Serena!" He exclaimed. "I didn't mean that!"
Luna was now walking by, feeling dejected. 'If I were only human, windows wouldn’t be shut in my face, and I could actually help Kakeru.'
Then she saw Darien with Serena. She stopped and looked on in interest. However, Luna was not the only one who witnessed them together. Lydia was walking by too, playing with the Love Blossom.
'Still blooming,' Lydia thought. 'Fiore, where are yeh?' When she saw Serena and Darien, she stopped and hid behind a tree. She peaked around the tree and looked in on them. Her thoughts started to wander and she felt jealous. 'Darien and Serena in another silly fight. Serena doesn't understand Darien sometimes. She doesn't know what she has. She gets to see Darien whenever she wants when all the while….Fiore is floating around in space.'
“You totally misunderstood me, Serena.” Darien said.
“I still feel like I’m just a big bother to you all the time.” Serena mumbled.
“You’ve never ever bothered me!" Darien exclaimed. "I love to be with you! You gotta believe me!”
"You do?" she asked.
"More than anything else on Earth," he replied.
"Oh, Darien," Serena sighed and fell into his arms.
"Serena," Darien whispered. He pushed her back and then they kissed. Luna looked on, amazed, as Lydia was quite confused and angry.
Tears began to stream down Lydia's cheeks and she wondered if she had made a mistake in her past life, putting her two best friends together when she could've ended with Darien. She was reminded of all the sweet memories she and Darien shared together. After all, she had met him first and they shared more memories. Maybe she'd be the one in his arms right now and not Serena. 'I'm so stupid!' she thought. 'I could have Darien to myself! I've lost my best friend and…'
Lydia felt something happening to the love Blossom. "Wha?" She looked down at her treasure and a petal fell down. "No!" she bent down to pick the fallen petal.
Hearing Lydia, Serena broke the kiss. "Lydia?" she turned and called to her, "Hey, Lydia, what's up? You okay?"
Darien joined in. "Lydia, hey, why don't you join us?" He pushed Serena back a bit and gestured to the bench.
Lydia turned around and Serena saw the tears falling down Lydia's cheeks.
"Lydia, what's wrong?" Serena asked. "Oh, you still miss Fiore, don't you?"
Lydia looked at the petal down in her hand. It began to wilt because instead of feeling love for Fiore, she was feeling contempt and anger and jealousy toward Serena for a split second and wondering what might have been if she and Darien would ever be. But she knew that would never happen and she didn't lose Darien.
'If I have done the right thing those centuries ago,' Lydia thought, 'then why do I feel so bad?'
He was still here. If she didn't let Darien go, or introduce him to Serena, then she never would've met Fiore, her true love and Serena would be dead if it weren't for him. She would've lost both Darien and Fiore, the two men that were most important in her life. Her best friend, her big brother, Darien, and her true love, her beloved flower, Fiore.
Serena took a step forward, "Lydia--"
But Lydia stepped back. Even if she knew that Darien and Serena belonged together, she couldn't be with them now. It hurt to see them together, so happy, fearing that she'll never see Fiore again. Her lip trembled a bit and she bit down on it. Her body shook and she let out a loud, heart-wrenching sob.
"Oh, Lydia--" Serena sighed, walking up to her with open arms. Darien looked on looking concerned as well.
'Maybe I was wrong about Lydia being okay…' he thought to himself.
But before Serena could comfort her, Lydia turned around and ran away from them as fast as she could, her braided pigtails swishing around her face.
"Lydia, wait!" Serena shouted, running and then stopped. "Oh…"
Darien walked up to Serena at put his arms around her as they watched Lydia run off.
"It breaks my heart to see her this way," Serena admitted and Darien turned her around to console her as she shed her own tears of concern and heartbreak.
When night came, Serena was brushing her hair getting ready for bed and Rini was already tucked in asleep in the bed. Lydia was lying on the floor in a sleeping bag, unable to fall asleep just yet and Lucky was lying next to her, looking like he was asleep, but was listening to Luna. Luna walked up to Serena and smelt her leg. "Serena, what's that pretty smell?"
"It's just some potpourri," Serena replied, opening a jar of potpourri. Luna jumped upon the dresser and sniffed it.
“Um…when you and Darien are together," Luna asked, "what do you actually talk about?”
"It's usually something yeh can't understand," Lydia mumbled.
Serena laughed at both what her cat and her best friend said. "What do we talk about? Anything I guess, but he's always so busy reading something."
"Ain't that the truth?" Lydia remarked, hitting her pillow and lying down again. After her heartbreaking sobbing fit from seeing Darien and Serena together, Lydia was left feeling irritable.
Serena sighed and shook her head. She began to tap her fingers together. “When he talks, he speaks with such intelligence and passion about the things he’s interested in. Then after that…” She wiggled her pointer fingers.
"He has something important to do," Lydia groaned.
"After that?" Luna asked, remembering Darien and Serena's kiss.
"He usually just falls asleep on the sofa," Serena muttered casually.
"Darien can fall asleep anywhere," Lydia commented sitting up, "even in a tree."
"Oh bother," Luna said and fell off the sofa.
Lydia had a little laughing fit and Lucky, who was trying to look like he was sleeping, did his best to keep himself from laughing. He was more fixed about the questions Luna was asking Serena.
'Why is Luna asking these sort of questions?' he wondered inwardly.
"Oh, are you okay?" Serena asked.
"Yes, I'm okay," Luna replied.
Serena walked over to the bed, "my favorite conversations with him," she chuckled and lowered her voice to a whisper, "are when he confides in me." She sat down on her bed.
Lydia smiled faintly. She remembered the times when Darien confided in her. Now, he had someone else to confide in. She almost felt that Serena was taking her place.
"Oh…" Luna mumbled.
"When he does fall asleep," Serena said, "he looks like such a sweet little child."
"Aye, until he snores," Lydia mumbled, lying back down.
"Uh, um, when you guys kiss," Luna asked hesitantly, "what's it like?"
"Huh?" Serena asked, appalled. Lucky almost jerked up awake.
Lydia answered her question before Serena did. She tightened her fingers around her pillow. "Yeh become so full of emotion that yeh feel yeh are about to burst!" Lydia said, remembering the kiss she shared with Fiore before she had to leave. Maybe it had been in her head and that little world they were in wasn't real, but that kiss sure felt real to her.
'Full and bursting?' Luna thought. 'Sounds like a balloon.'
However, Serena's answer was softer. "Oh, it's the most sweet and wonderful feeling. You it feels like you're melting."
'Sweet and melting? Sounds like an ice cream cone.'
When all three girls were asleep, Luna walked over the bed Rini and Serena were walking in. The covers were pushed down and they were sleeping in a funny position on their backs, breathing loudly. Lydia was lying on her back, her face scrunched up and sweaty.
"Darien," Rini and Serena whispered as they turned on their sides.
"Fiore," Lydia turned on her side and grabbed the corner of her pillow. "Fiore, what is it? What's going to happen? What do yeh mean, Earth is in danger?'
'The things she talk in her sleep are getting odder by the day,' Lucky thought. He saw Luna walking quietly up to the dresser and she jumped onto it. 'Hmm.'
Luna tried to open the jar, but was having some trouble with it.
'Why is she trying to open that jar?' Lucky wondered.
She popped off the top, but fell off the dresser. "Oh!"
"oooh," Lucky winced.
Luna landed on her feet, looking as if she wondered how she got there and the potpourri began to fall down on her. The jar wobbled and fell down onto her head.
Lucky shook his head, 'Poor Luna,' he thought.
After gathering her bearings, Luna walked up to the window and Lucky pretended to be sleeping again. The moment Luna escaped from the window, Lucky walked up underneath it, jumped up to it and watched Luna run down the street.
"I bet she's heading for the observatory again," Lucky said and walked down the porch. "Well, let's observe what's so interesting there."
Every so often, Luna got the feeling she was being followed and Lucky hid behind trashcans, mailboxes, trees and other things until Luna continued onward to the observatory. Lucky witnessed her go up the steps and open the sliding glass door and enter.
Lucky peered around the corner. "Hmm."
Luna hopped onto Kakeru's bed and he woke up to see her looking at him.
“Luna, how nice to see you.” He said.
Luna meowed.
'So this is Kakeru,' Lucky thought. ' I wonder how he guessed her name.'
“I was dreaming. Same old dream about becoming an astronaut. I always wanted to fly to the moon in a rocket, but I was never really healthy enough…and now…it’s even worse.”
The crystal glowed and Kakeru struggled, holding his chest. Luna gasped in concern and Lucky's eyes widened, remembering Luna's words.
'How will I ever know what's wrong with him?'
"The man's sick," he whispered, "and she…oh my…"
After the episode, Kakeru pulled out a photo of him and Himeko with a space team. "Oh my love, I wish I could at least watch you lift off."
Luna gasped again.
“Himeko can make my dreams come true for me. Oh Luna, I hope it’s an exciting trip for her and that she comes back safely.”
Luna mowed and he petted her.
“It’s funny…but when I talk to you, it seems like you really understand me, like you’re almost human.”
Luna blushed, meowed, and wagged her tail appreciatively. Lucky had some trouble taking this in.
“It would be an amazing thrill to see the Earth and Moon from a different perspective in space. I wish I could show you, Luna.” Kakeru went on. He opened his arm, "come here."
Luna didn't mind if she did. She walked right on him and settled comfortably.
"I don't believe it," Lucky whispered. "I think a cat is not the reason why Luna's been coming here."
“What a pretty scent." Kakeru commented, "It reminds me of…potpourri.” He fell asleep and Luna looked up at him and remembered Serena's words.
“When he does fall asleep, he looks like such a sweet little child.”
Then Lydia's.
"Aye, until he snores."
Luna paused to wait and see if Kakeru snored. But he didn't. He just made soft little breaths as he slept.
“Oh Kakeru, I’d love to go up in space with you. If only I weren’t stuck in this cat body.” She got up and came close to his face. Lucky knew what was about to take place.
"Luna," Lucky mumbled, "What do you think yer doing?"
Luna planted a soft, gentle kiss on Kakeru's cheek. She began to blush and her eyes twinkled. After witnessing this, Lucky stepped back and ran down the steps. 'Why did I let Artemis talk me into this?' Lucky wasn't sure how to explain this to him now, or whether to confront Luna. But one thing was for certain--after seeing this--he had to do something. He knew what Luna was getting herself into and only because, he had been there himself.
To Be Continued