Love Will Find A Way

Melesse found herself atop a high cliff, staring out at the endless blue sky, the warm winds blowing her chocolate hair back. Below, waves crashed against the rocks, spraying soft foam.

Melesse closed her eyes, listening to the roar of the sea. It was so peaceful and serene here, and she smiled as the rays of the sun enveloped her and kissed the waters, making them sparkle. No greater paradise could be found...

Suddenly though, she felt the rock beneath began to crumble! Slowly at first, but it quickened as she tried to step back, opening her eyes to show a look of terror. She looked behind her, having heard a strange stretching and crashing sound, and saw the rock behind her was crumbling at rapid speed. Then she looked in front of her, down at the sharp rocks below. There was nowhere to go but down. The last of the rock gave way underneath her, and she was sent flying towards the rocks below. She opened her mouth to cry for help, but it only came out as a terrible scream.

Then it stopped. She wasn't falling anymore, but seemed to have just... stopped. She looked below and saw the sea and the rocks, but... she then noticed she was being held across someone's arms, kind of like you would a baby. Her head and eyes rose, following a handsomely-decorated figure, and soon met the eyes of her savior. They were warm and of a color that changed grey to hazel in the sunlight which seemed to surround him like a heavenly being and his silver hair blew gently in the wind. He smiled down at Melesse and brought her closer to him, speaking not a word... closer... closer...

AHHHH!!

Melesse cried out (though to those not in tune with the Force it looked as though she had just shot up and opened her mouth, miming a scream) and shot up in her bed as the cold water splashed against her face. She coughed and blinked to clear her eyes, which soon focused on the small creature fluttering in midair at the end of her bed that was holding a now-empty jug.

Q!!!!

Melesse growled and dove for Q, who quickly darted higher up.

"Q?" Q asked, cocking his head to the side.

Why am I upset? How would you feel if I threw freezing cold water on YOU when you were trying to sleep?

"Q, Q Q Q..." Q said in a guilty, apologetic tone.

That's alright, no harm done I suppose. But why the big wake-up call?

"Q!!!" He suddenly exclaimed urgently, his ears perking up and his eyes widening "Q, Q Q!!"

What?!?!

Her hand shot out so quickly Q was unable to evade her this time and soon found himself eye to eye with Melesse and explained rather nervously...

Are they sure of it? It could be just a rumor, couldn't it? I mean, why attack Mimban?

"Q! Q! Q! Q..." the little creature explained.

Melesse quickly got up and hurried towards the door, but was stopped by Q, who had grabbed onto her collar and was trying to pull her back, flapping his little wings with all this might.

"Q! Q Q!"

Melesse finally gave in and turned around to ask, What do you mean 'I can't go?' I'm a Jedi, Q! And I have to protect my planet!

"Q Q Q," Q said, hovering in midair before her.

Melesse looked down at herself and realized she was still in her nightgown and smiled, embarrassed, at Q.

Oh... Good call.

With that, she quickly got dressed in a black bodysuit, put her hair up in two heart-shaped odango and ran out the door.

Q began to follow her but quickly stopped and flew back, seeing Melesse's lightsaber peeking out from under her bed. Her flew down and grabbed it with his tiny, mouse-like paws and started to fly it to Melesse, the weight of it causing him to be forced downward a few times.

Melesse ran out into the jungle lands of Mimban, through the brush and canopy, and it was some time before she realized she had no idea where she was running. She looked around and walked about the area calmly. Mimban WAS her home planet, but after being away from it so long, she now felt lost.

Melesse, her mother Magena, and her father Yasuo were in hiding on Mimban. Though they did not know who, someone wanted them all dead. Melesse, being the curious girl that she was, found it strange that they would be hiding like this, she and her mother being Senshi and her father being a Jedi. Soon, reports had come in that the assassins had some way of tracking them when either Magena or Melesse tranformed. So from then on, Melesse had been forbidden to use her Senshi powers. This wasn't like her parents... not at all... They were defenders and champions of Justice! What or who could warrant such measures and panic?

AHHH! Melesse screamed in suprise, jumping up at the sound of a breaking twig, unsheathing the lightsaber that wasn't at her side.

She let out the equivilent of a sigh, putting her head in her hands and sitting down on a moss-covered rock.

I forgot it AGAIN! she moaned. Of all the stupid things! Oh! I'll never be a great Senshi OR Jedi!

All of the other children on Mimban didn't believe her when she told them she was a Senshi and were even more skeptical when she told them she couldn't transform. So she tried to prove it in other ways, by showing them she had all the characteristics of a Senshi. Oh! How she failed at that! The only thing she had earned now were nicknames, like
"Scardy Senshi!"
" 'Fraidy Cat."
"Melesse! Senshi of Cowardace and Stupidity!"

Okay, so she wasn't the bravest Senshi, or the brightest, but she wasn't a dummy and a coward!

She jumped up quickly and ran from that rock, feeling something slimy crawl across her leg.

A figure, cloaked in black, hid among the tall grasses, watching a woman gathering water from a well. At first her back was to him, her silver hair bouncing as she walked. The figure watched her for a time, holding his breath once when she appeared to look in his direction. If the woman had dismissed whatever feeling she had or not, the figure in the cloak didn't know, but she had returned to her work as if nothing had happened. As the woman picked up the buckets of water and began to leave, the figure silently tossed back his robes and placed his hand on the hilt of a lightsaber. He watched the woman with the eye of a wolf, poised for attack.

And then, he heard it...

Hear those bells ringing soft and low;
Bringing peace to the twilight low.
Fall unto everyone; Night has begun.
Hear those bells ringing soft and low;
Bringing peace to the twilight low.

It was a simple melody, a lullaby, but what had caught the figure offguard was the fact that the voice was in his head. The voice continued to hum the sweet little melody, and soon the figure began to feel a distant presence that was coming nearer and nearer to him. His other prey long forgotten, the figure watched as the girl stepped out of the brush.

She was very lovely, with chocolate brown hair put up in two heart-shaped odango, her green eyes dancing in the sunlight, herself walking with a spring in her step. (She had dismissed her feelings of embarrassment and regret before, deciding she had better things to worry about.)

Melesse, the daughter, a young girl of about sixteen years. She always wears her hair, which is of a brown color, up in heart-shaped buns and will often be seen in the company of a strange mouse-like creature she calls "Q". This one hasn't got the brains to power a droid, Hitohiro; she will pose no problem for you.

While the creature his master had mentioned was not in sight, Hitohiro was certain this was the girl. Strangely though, he found himself remaining still when he knew he should've already attacked and done away with the girl.

"Q, Q!"

A small voice sounded in the distance. Melesse had ran back into the brush, and it seemed the strange spell that had come over the man had vanished. He stood up then. If he was going to kill her, now would be as good a time as any.

Melesse hooked the lightsaber to her belt, with Q taking a much-needed rest on the top of her head.

"Q, Q Q Q Q?" Q asked, leaning upside down over Melesse's face, cocking his head to the side.

Why did I come here? She stopped and thought a moment, opening her mouth a few times as if to say something, then finally sighed in defeat. I really don't know, Q. It's like... like I was just walking, ya know... and not think of where I was going. Like I was being lead here...

"Q, Q? Q Q Q?"

What do you mean, 'just daydreaming again?' I'm telling you Q, I sense something... something...

She suddenly spun around, withdrawing her lightsaber at lightning speed. The two lightsabers clashed.

...evil, she finished, glaring into the eyes of her attacker.

Who are you? she asked.

Q, meanwhile, had darted away when Melesse had spun around without warning and now perched on a tree branch.

The man smiled beneath his hood, a black scarf covering the nose down. "I don't think you'll be alive long enough for that to matter."

He attacked with furious blows, and Melesse quickly countered.

"You're better then I thought," Hitohori observed aloud, thrusting this lightsaber at Melesse.

Melesse quickly somersaulted over him, landing on his other side, but with equal speed he swept around, aiming for her legs. She evaded him again, jumping up backwards and landing on a branch. The man swung his lightsaber at the base of the tree, cutting it neatly. Melesse jumped back down to the ground, and the fight continued.

Q watched this for a while, jumping up a few times in suprise as a few of Hitohori's blows came too close to home. They couldn't go on like this forever. Q knew he had to get help.

He flew across the treetops, beating this bat-like wings as fast as he could.

"I still cannot believe you did not tell me or anyone else what was going on or where you were going, Magena."

"I know, I know," Magena said, stirring a cup of green tea she had just made for her and Nom. "I just thought it would be wiser. I mean, if you guys knew nothing, then you would say nothing."

Nom put down her own untouched cup of tea.

"Get serious, Magena. You know we are all your friends and you can trust us with anything. You should have known you would have our protection."

Magena stood up and rested her hands on the table. "But who'd protect you?"

Nom raised her brow, then asked "Why are you acting like this, Magena? It is not like you."

"I -"

Just then, Q flew in through the window and started talking to them frantically in his native tounge.

"Woah, Woah! Slow down, Q-chan. What is it? What's going on?"

Q continued to explain, forgetting in the heat of the moment that only Melesse could understand him.

"Q. What are you trying to say? Is it something about Melesse?" Nom inquired, taking a stab in the dark.

Q nodded his head vigorously and pulled on Magena's robes for her to come, then darted out the window again.

The two women looked at each other for a moment, and in that moment they both knew Melesse was in great danger. Without another moment's hesitation, they ran out the door after Q.

Magena and Nom arrived, and it looked as though the two opponents were just getting warmed up.

Nom began to call out her henshin when Magena stopped her.

"NOOO!" she shouted, grabbing Nom's arm.

"What are you, crazy?" Nom shot "Do you want to save Melesse?"

"Of course I do!" Magena retaliated. "But if we transform, they'll know we're here! I have a feeling this one is by himself."

The man smiled. "Oh, how could you be sure, Magena?"

Magena narrowed her eyes and brought out her own lightsaber, as did Nom.

"You have a LOT of explaining to do," Nom said. "But right now, let us kick some Sith butt!"

Melesse ran over and joined her mother and Nom, and now the three seemed to be one... an impenetrable force.

"You are out numbered," Magena said. "Give up."

The man narrowed his eyes, and his light turned from single to double sided. "Never!"

Nom stepped out in front of Magena and Melesse, her saber at the ready.

"You don't have to do this, Nom," Magena said. "It's me and Melesse he wants, not you."

"Do not you see," Nom said, eyes still trained on Melesse's attacker. "That is why I have to fight. If this piece of scum wants you two, he will have to get through me first. And if kills me, then so be it. My life is forfeit."

"How touching," the man said in a sarcastic tone. "But petty words won't save you or your friends."

Both combatants ran into battle. Nom's skill with the lightsaber was far more advanced than Hitohori's, but the Sith matched them all the same.

"Is that the best you have?" Nom asked during a hesitation in battle.

"I have no quarrel with you," he said.

"Oh, you REALLY expect me to believe that trash? I will eat a Hutt before I find an honest Sith!"

Melesse watched the battle, but now that she was outside of it, something seemed very different about that man...

She looked into his eyes, which shone cold with anger, but...

...but they seemed so familiar.

She had been so lost in this thought that she didn't notice when Magena jumped into the battle and now saw Magena's lightsaber at the man's throat, Nom on the ground. It had all happened so fast that even Nom looked suprised.

"Sheath your weapon," Magena ordered, and he complied.

"Now, take off your mask and tell us who you are and who sent you."

He pulled off his hood and the scarf covering his face, letting his long, silver hair rain down with an elegant shake of his head.

"I am Yami Hitohori."

Melesse gasped.

It was him... the man from her dreams.

Melesse blinked her eyes, wondering where she was. It had all happened so quickly, and then...

It all came to her in flashes.

They were leading Hitohori away.

Magena and Nom were forcefully thrown to the sides.

A lightsaber blade was at Melesse's throat.

She felt something sharp hit the center of her spine, then cold, then all was black.

Everything around her came into a blurred focus. One moment she was looking out at a steel wall, and the next she was looking at thick metal bars. Something inside of her told her that she was in trouble, but her senses didn't totally want to come back to her. She could hear sounds in the distance, a roaring and then a few beeping sounds that make her head ache and almost caused her to faint. She tried to stand, but for some reason her limbs didn't cooperate with her and left her with a sharp pain, like trying to jump and stay still at the same time. She fell forward, unable to keep herself steady, and held onto the bars for support.

Through the dream-like state she was in, she heard a clanking sound which was both muffled and amplified in her mind. She moved her head to look over in the direction of the sound, the scenery around her seeming to move more quickly than her vision. When her eyes focused again, she saw it was Hitohori who now joined her.

"I see you are awake."

What happened? Melesse asked drowsily.

Ignoring Melesse's question, Hitohori pulled out a small, syringe-like device, then grabbed Melesse's arm through the bars and injected a bluish liquid into it.

AHHHH! she cried out, feeling a stinging pain rush through her body.

She fell back and now sat with her knees to her chest, leaning against the bars.

I feel cold...

Hitohori, who was putting the syringe back in a cylinder-shaped case which he then put back inside his cloak, said, "It will not last long, and you'll feel stronger in a moment."

He was right. All of a sudden the disoriented feelings and the weakness she was feeling went away, and she felt like her old self again. She remained on the floor though, and looked up at Hitohori who was, in turn, looking down at Melesse.

What's going on? Where am I? Where are you taking me?

"What's going on is that you're my hostage, so you'd better behave. To answer the second question, you are on my ship, Felix Chasus. As for where I'm taking you, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until we arrive there. I've been ordered to bring you in alive, but if you give me any trouble you'll wish you were dead."

Why do you call your ship that?

"What?"

The question seemed strange, especially after he had threatened her with torture.

Felix Chasus, why did you name your ship that?

A small yet charming smile graced Hitohori's face, and he chuckled slightly. There was something in this small action that puzzled Melesse.

You're not really a Sith, are you? she asked.

"You're a clever girl. No, I'm not a Sith, but I am in training."

So you're a padawan?

"Why do you want to know?" he shot at her.

Melesse smiled, then replied, Oh, I know you're a padawan. If you were an apprentice you'd have a sith name - ya know, like Darth something or other.

She paused a moment, then stood up and walked over to him.

I can sense something about you. You're not as bad as you want people to think you are. Take me back to Mimban, Hitohori. Take me back, and you can join the Jedi and fight with us, against the forces of evil.

Hitohori put out his hand quickly, and Melesse was thrown against the back of the cage.

"You'd do well to remember that you are my prisoner!" he growled at her, withdrew and extended one end of his lightsaber and pointed it at her between the bars. "One more word out of you, and I swear you'll regret it!"

They were both caught in an intense silence then, and after a moment Hitohori deactived his lightsaber and turned away from her.

Showoff.. she grumbled.

In an instant, Hitohori had moved behind the cage and had grabbed Melesse's hand through the bars, igniting his lightsaber as well. Hitohori had Melesse's arm in an unnatural position, and she felt that her arm was on the verge of breaking. At first she thought that was what his intentions were - to break her arm - but then she saw the lightsaber.

NO! PLEASE! she pleaded. She tried to pull away, but that put her arm in greater pain.

Without so much as a word, Hitohori brought the lightsaber down upon Melesse's wrist. The cut was quick, but the pain was still agonizing. Hitohori had released his grip on her, and she now cradled the bloodied stub that was once her hand, sobbing.

Hitohori still held Melesse's hand in his own, and said to her in a rather cocky voice, "I'm sure your mother is missing you... Maybe I oughta send her a souvenir..."

Melesse said nothing but stared up at him with a look of helplessness.

Hitohori had begun to climb the ladder leading to the main deck, having pocketed the hand, but now paused and said, "By the way, to answer your question... I won her in a game of chance... that's why I call my ship Felix Chasus."

And with that, he disappeared.

"How could I have let that happen? How could I have let him take her?" Magena sobbed into Yasuo's chest, the two holding each other.

"I'm sure she'll be fine." He raised Magena's chin with his finger and brought her eyes to meet his. "She's got too much of you in her, so trust me, she'll make it. We all will."

"You have a special delivery, Magena," Nom called, rushing in with a package.

The three went into the kitchen, where Nom put the package down on table.

"There was no return address, and we scanned for poisons and explosives. Everything came up negative. Still..."

Yasuo withdrew this lightsaber.

"You'd two better get some cover, just in case."

Nom and Magena complied, noting that 'nothing you can say will change my mind' look in Yasuo's eyes, and watched as he brought his lightsaber up, cutting the paper around the package. The paper fell, revealing an intricate black box.

Magena didn't know why, but something made her walk towards that box. Everything inside her told her something wasn't right, and her hands trembled as she placed them on the box, lifted the latches, and raised the lid.

She stared into the box, and the trembling that was in her hands spread throughout her whole body. Then, suddenly, she let out a terrible scream and fainted.

"MAGENA!" Yasuo cried out and ran to her side.

Nom, meanwhile, walked over to the box and looked inside. The sight of the hand made her cringe slightly, but then she noticed a note inside the box. She took it out and read it.

"If it's any consolation, the rest of her is alive and well... for now."

Nom and Magena had gone to a secret underground rebel base while Yasou stayed behind on Mimban, just in case they got any new word about Melesse.

"What do we have?" Nom asked one of the men.

"A ship blasted off from Mimban illegally about an hour after you said Melesse was kidnapped. It followed a thirty-eight-west by eighteen-west trajectory, then went into hyperspace. After that we lost it."

"Hmmm..." Nom said, looking at a large, transparent map in front of her. "If he is still on the same course, he would be headed right for Wayland."

"Wayland?" Magena asked, now looking at the map as well. "Why would he want to take her there?"

"I do not know, but whatever motives this guy has are bound not to be very good."

Melesse sat in her cage, still favoring her severed hand, whose pain had lessened some, when she heard Hitohori's footsteps coming down the ladder.

She said nothing but watched as he made his way down to her, carrying a covered tray, which he slipped in to her.

Melesse didn't move for fear that if she did, he would attack her, but then began to wonder if he wanted her to move, and if the fact that she wasn't moving was making him mad.

"It's food," he said to her, almost as if she were a frightened, wild animal. "Go on, have some. You'll need your strength."

Melesse inched towards the tray and uncovered it, revealing a strange yet somewhat distinguishable dish. Melesse drew back from it, saying, I'm supposed to eat that?

"Hey, I didn't have time to go and prepare a gourmet meal, alright?" he shot at her. "It's your choice to take it or leave it, but trust me, they'll expect you to be in peak condition the moment we arrive."

"You'll find out as soon as we get there."

GET WHERE?!?! PLEASE TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE TAKING ME!

Hitohori turned around and climbed up the later and called down when he had reached the top, "You should eat something."

Melesse looked at the food again, then poked it with the fork Hitohori had given her. She dipped the ends of the prongs into the food and sampled a bit, almost expecting to keel over and die or something of the like. She was kinda hungry, but...

Hitohori leaned back in his pilot's chair after adjusting a few controls. The cockpit of the Felix Chasus was only big enough for one person and had various controls on the walls and ceiling, as well as the main panel, with a large veiwing port in front that switched to an infrared screen.

It had happened just after he had picked up Melesse. Someone had left him a message saying that he must bring her to Wayland unharmed. How someone knew he had captured her when he did, still baffled Hitohori a bit, but he figured he hadn't been the only one doing some spying on Mimban. But what intrigued Hitohori about the message were these simple words:

"You shall be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams."

Now, with an offer like that, he couldn't refuse. True, he was sent to kill her, but this way he got to up the ante.

The Felix Chasus entered normal space, and the planet Wayland came into view. After a moment, Hitohori managed to land in a clearing.

He opened up the bottom hatch of the ship, automatically releasing a ladder, and walked around the ship, looking for someone. Then he saw it - a small, flashing device lying on the ground. He rushed over to it and picked it up. When he did, a woman's voice spoke.

"Take the child and lead in her an easterly direction. That should be the way you are facing now. After a while, you shall come to a large boulder. I have left the next clue for you there. Ta ta."

Great, Hitohori thought. Now I have to go on a scavenger hunt.

Hitohori entered the holding room where Melesse was being kept and immediately noticed the empty tray.

"Well well, looks like you finally gave in, eh? Well, come on."

Where?

"We're going on a little trip - now come on."

Hitohori brought Melesse out the ship, binding her wrists, and led her through the jungle in the direction the woman on the recorder had told him to.

Melesse looked around. For some reason this place seemed so familiar, like a dream long forgotten. She could've sworn she had been here before, and yet she knew she had never set foot on this planet before in her life.

Please, won't you tell me where you're taking me now? she pleaded with him.

"To tell you the truth," he said. "I don't know either."

They soon came to a large boulder, and after a moment of searching, Hitohori found a device like the one he had found before.

"Ah, I see you've made it. Good lad. Walk south until you come to a small creek."

Who was that? Melesse asked as Hitohori pocket the device and led her on, this time in a southern direction.

"That's who I'm taking you to. And don't ask me who she is or what she wants with you, because I don't know. All I do know is that I'm getting paid for it."

Money? Is that all you care about?

Hitohori thought a moment, then replied, "No, but it's up there. Now be quiet."

The two trudged on through the unmarked path, Melesse looking around at all the trees and vines and moss-covered rocks all around them, the sun peeking through the leaves, and listened to the calls of strange, unseen animals. Despite the sun that peeked through here and there, the canopy above them made the place eeriely dark and secluded.

Suddenly Melesse felt something snap on her ankle and looked down to see a broken piece of vine. She paid no mind to it, until she heard a strange rumbling sound...

Do you hear that? Melesse asked.

"Of course I do, now be quiet."

Both were quiet as the rumbling became louder and the ground began to quiver. Suddenly, it came into veiw, having rolled up the hill and jumped a few feet in the air despite its size.

It's a large boulder! Melesse screeched. WE'RE GONNA DIE!!!!!!!!!

Hitohori pulled her along, saying, "Yeah, if you stand there and wait for it to crush you! Come on!"

They both ran down the path, the boulder picking up speed, until at last in a desperate attempt to escape, Hitohori picked Melesse up and jumped out of the way. Both toppled to the ground, Hitohori on top of Melesse.

You- you saved my life, she said. Thank you.

Hitohori was hesitatant for a moment, and one would be able to see him blush if it weren't for all the hair that had fallen in his face. After that moment, he got up quickly, brushed himself off, and said, "Yeah yeah, no problem. I mean, do you think I'd risk losing you after all the trouble I went through to get you? We'd better hurry up."

Melesse got up and walked with him, and for some reason could not help smiling...

They at last reached the creek and listened to the next message.

The woman's voiced tsked, then said, "We're getting impatient, Hitohori. To find us you simply have to follow the little birdy." At this, Hitohori looked around for the said bird, but turned back when the woman spoke again. "Oh, and I wouldn't recommend taking any more detours like that again."

"How...?" Hitohori asked, looking around to see if they were being spied on.

Melesse also looked around, but not for a spy.

I don't see it anywhere.

"What?" Hitohori asked.

The little white bird. The woman said to follow the little bird.

"Well, it's bound to show up."

He walked around, Melesse in front of him, and both looked for the said bird.

"This is insane!" Hitohori said, sitting down on a log and making Melesse sit down on the ground infront of him. "This is a joke!"

Maybe that's it... Melesse said, still looking around.

"What's what?" Hitohori asked, a little irritated.

Maybe it's all a joke... a riddle or something. Maybe it's not an actual bird we're looking for...

Hitohori stood up now, throwing his hands up into the air. "Okay! Fine! Then if we're not looking for a bird, then what are we looking for, hmm?"

I... Melesse hung her head. I dunno...

"Great. It's almost nightfall already, and I'm stuck here trying to find a bird that may or may not ex-"

All of a sudden, a small white bird landed on Hitohori's head. He rolled his eyes up to look at it, but it flew off him and onto the log he was sitting on before.

"Ha! There, you see? Bird. So much for your 'riddle' theory," he said.

Melesse stood up now and glared at him.

You're never gonna let me live that one down, are you?

"Nope," he said, and offered a rather charming smile that made Melesse blush.

They followed the little bird through the jungle, taking many twists and turns, until it brought them to an ancient stone temple.

The temple was made of a dark stone, with vines coming out of the cracks and moss covering the surface. At first glance, actually, you couldn't tell the temple was there, as it was well-camoflauged, but the doorway gave it away.

Hitohori lead Melesse up the steps and stepped into the dark temple.

Inside, they could see the shadowed figure of a man approach them.

"You've made it. Wait here a moment - let me get a light."

All of a sudden, the torches that lined the walls ignited, and their attention was drawn to a large number of pillows lying on the far wall and a woman lying amongst them.

"Welcome, Melesse," she said. "I am Lady DragonFlower."