Sailor Moon Fan Fiction ❯ A Knight's Work Is Never Done ❯ Accidental Discoveries ( Chapter 17 )

A Knight's Work Is Never Done

 

Chapter 17: Accidental Discoveries

 

 

By: GINSAN

 

 

The long ride back was relatively uneventful. He didn't know about the other's, but Jordan's passengers all fell asleep somewhere between getting onto the highway, and getting to the outskirts of town. Not that he minded. The quiet gave him time to think things over. And Mina's snores were rather amusing. He was almost tempted to record her, so he could hand it over, along with photos from this morning, the next time Malcolm bugged him about her. But, he didn't have a recorder at the moment, and didn't feel like making a pit stop just to teleport to retrieve one.

 

He thought over the afternoon's events, particularly the shock on Trista's face after Darien's display. He was actually surprised that she hadn't know his Memory Lock had been unlocked. Considering she had helped put them in place, she should have been one of the first to know about it. Maybe there was a bit more to the Locks than he first thought. He'd have to examine someone's. Morgan never had one, and neither had he. He'd have to get someone to volunteer.

 

Ami would be the obvious choice. They had at least developed some trust between each other. If he promised nothing bad would happen to her, then she'd probably agree. Amara and Michelle were also choices, but he doubted Amara would agree to it. He wasn't even sure if they had memory Locks, since they had been tossed into Serenity's Spell along with himself. His powers had prevented the Spell from putting a Lock on his memories. He'd try and ask them later.

 

He switched gears as he thought back to how Darien had unlocked his memories. The Prince was lucky to still be alive after what happened. If that that Devourer hadn't gone back to chasing people, then Darien would be dead right now. If that was what it took for the Locks to be undone naturally, he had to find a safer alternative. Just imagining Ami on the brink of death again, simply to regain her stolen past, was too much for him to consider. He'd do what ever it took to prevent that having to see that again. Even if it meant breaking some of the promises she had forced out of him.

 

* * *

 

He made sure that everyone was wide away before they reached the hotel. He sent everyone up to their rooms to clean up, before leaving the keys to the Jeeps with the hotel valets. Darien said his goodbyes, before catching a cab back to his hotel. He and Nathan had to catch a flight early in the morning. Nathan had been invited to come along, but had opted out, claiming he had a meeting with a local Professor about a possible job once he got his degree.

 

Jordan quickly placed dinner orders with the concierge, before heading up to his room to get cleaned up himself. He enjoyed the fun he'd had, the first time in a long while he could remember being able to actually say so. He certainly hadn't felt this carefree since well before the shooting. He frowned, as he started to think about Fran. Maybe it was time for her to have a little fun herself.

 

* * *

 

When Jordan stepped into the Penthouse, he wasn't sure what to make of things. Either he had stepped into a warzone, or the middle of a catfight. Either way, he was pretty sure he didn't want to interrupt until he knew what was going on.

 

Pillows and cushions were strewn all over the living area. Furniture was over turned, but thankfully not damaged. Ami appeared to be hiding behind a fort made of said furniture. Morgan, Rini, and Hotaru appeared to be guarding her, chucking pillows at Mina, Lita, Rae, and Serena as they tried to get closer. Amara, Michelle, and Trista stood off to the side, well out of the firing line. He wasn't even going to ask why the Chibi's had bandannas in their respective colors, wrapped around their foreheads.

 

He cautiously made his way around the edge of the room, and sidled up to where the Outers stood watching the spectacle with mixed looks.

 

“Do I want to know what's going on, or should I just go hide in my room while I have a chance?”

 

Amara chuckled as Rini got knocked over by a well aimed cushion thrown by Mina.

 

“You should be safe enough. They all seem rather focused on each other at the moment.”

 

“I can see that. Still doesn't explain the why.”

 

“As soon as we got back, the vultures waited just long enough for Ami to grab a shower and change clothes, before trying to interrogate her.”

 

“Ah. And the reason the Chibi's are defending her?”

 

“Figure that out, and we'll both know.”

 

“Morgan's irrational mood swings. Got it.”

 

They watched for several more minutes, before Jordan finally had enough.

 

“LADIES! And I do use that term loosely right now. Dinner will be here in,” he paused to check his watch. “Ten minutes. You have two choices. Keep this up, and let the staff see this mess. Or, clean this up, and no one will have to pay me back the security fee on this room. Here's a hint. It's more than what any of you made at the party.”

 

As he figured, the thought of loosing their spending money was enough ti get their attention. They all stared at each other for several minutes, before Lita stepped forward at the same time as Morgan.

 

“Truce?”

 

“Truce. For now.”

 

Jordan shivered at the smirk on Morgan's face. That was never a good sign.

 

Jordan was just putting the last of the cushions on one of the sofas when Room Service knocked.

 

Ami was closest, and quickly opened the door. By nor, they were all starving. Especially the hurried cleaning they had just done.

 

Two Bellhops stepped into the room. They rolled their carts over to the dinning table, where they quickly set out the platters. They set the carts off to the side, before excusing themselves from the room. Jordan met them at the door on the way out, and gave each of them a tip, telling them he'd let them know when they were done.

 

“OK kiddies. Plenty for everyone, so dig in. Keep Morgan away from the Portobello Mushrooms. She'll eat them all.”

 

Morgan shot him a dirty look, while everyone sat at the table, and started to uncover the dishes.

 

There where plenty of the stuffed Portobello's for everyone. There was also Fettuccine with Chicken, Lasagna, and three different kinds of Ravioli. There was also enough Caesar Salad to go around. There was also dessert, but Jordan made sure it remained untouched on the carts, until it was time.

 

There was little in the way of conversation, as everyone stuffed their faces, enjoying the food. Somehow, Morgan and Rini managed to coat their faces in sauce. Jordan was going to pick on them for it, before he noticed that everyone but himself, Amara, and Michelle all had sauce on their faces to varying degrees. He made a mental note, never to let any of them get this hungry every again. He found himself surprised that they hadn't complained about how hungry they had been.

 

He leaned over to ask Ami a question, before he stopped, and tried his hardest to keep from laughing at her. While the cleanest by far compared to the others, she was still a site. She had sauce on the tip of her nose, and all over her chin. At her confused look, while he continued to try and control his laughter, he finally took pity on her. He leaned in close to her ear, and whispered so that only she could hear him.

 

“You might want to use your napkin. Little sauce on your nose and chin. Course, you don't look near as bad as certain pigs at this table.”

 

He glared purposely toward his sister, giving her a chance to discretely use her napkin, and cover her blush at the same time. He shook his head in shame, as he finished off his plate. A few minutes later, certain unnamed bottomless pits finished off the last of the food.

 

“Now that that's out of the way, if Amara and Michelle could help me and Ami clear off the table, we'll set out dessert, while everyone else cleans themselves up.”

 

Jordan gave the girls a smirk as the blushed in embarrassment, and excused themselves to go clean up. While they were gone, Jordan quickly got the table cleaned off, and the dirty dishes stacked up neatly on the carts. It only took a few more minutes for them to pull the desserts from the bottom of the carts, and spread them out on the table.

 

Jordan himself didn't have a large a sweet-tooth as the others, and had gotten a slice of Strawberry Cheesecake for himself. The others, he had special ordered three Godiva Chocolate cheesecakes. He knew he had picked right, simply from the look on Amara and Michelle's faces.

 

“I know. Be patient, while the pigs get cleaned up. Might as well cut yourselves slices though, while we wait. Privilege of having manners if you will.”

 

Amara smirked at him, while Ami smacked him in the shoulder for his pig comment.

 

* * *

 

Everyone had gathered around the living area, taking seats where they could get them. Most where half asleep by this time, from a combination of the day's activities, the heavy Italian food, and the rich cheesecake. But, no one wanted to miss out on what Jordan had to say, and they were all doing their bests to stay awake.

 

“I suppose, the main question, is what the Memory Blocks are?” Nods all around, considering how obvious the question was. “Simply put, Queen Serenity thought it would be best for all of you, if you had no memories of your previous Incarnations. Especially from your original lives During the Silver Millennium.”

 

Silence for several minutes, before Serena spoke up.

 

“I understand her wanting to protect us, by sending us forward through time, but why block our memories? Wouldn't we have been better off, remembering about our powers, and how to use them?”

 

“That's the tricky part. Think back to when you were first dealing with Beryl and the corrupted Generals. How long do you think you would have been able to hold off the Negaverse, if everyone knew you were the Princess? Not very long. You'd be the prime target, and Beryl wouldn't have hesitated for a moment to sacrifice all four Generals just to kill you. The fact that two of them were already dead by the time she found out, with the third dying immediately after, played in your favor. All she had left, was Malachite, and a brainwashed Tuxedo Mask.”

 

She paled slightly at that, having not realized exactly how close the battle had been back then. They all knew the fight with Beryl had been hard, but they hadn't before realized how much they had going for them at the time.

 

Ami spoke up next, her brow furrowed in thought as she thought over her question.

 

“If we have these Blocks, then why do you remember so much? I know you said something before about setting it up so your powers restored your memories. Would the same work for us?”

 

Jordan shook his head, and he thought carefully about his next words.

 

“I'm a different case. I never had the Memory Block to begin with. I'm not sure, since they haven't mentioned anything, but I'm fairly sure that neither Amara, nor Michelle have them either.” The two looked at each other, before hesitatingly nodding their heads at Jordan in confirmation. “I suspected as much. As far as I could discern, only those who were actually on the Moon at the time Serenity cast her spell, were effected by the Blocks. We came along later, and were 'pushed' into the Spell. As for your powers being able to restore your Memories. I honestly don't know.” He smirked as he looked at Trista. “I could Time Jump, and ask Serenity, but I know at least three people who would kill me for even trying it.”

 

Trista gave him a death glare from across the room, still upset over being 'attacked' by seaweed at the beach.

 

“Just give me an official excuse. Please.”

 

Jordan waved her off. He was in no mood to try fighting her when she was really serious. Besides, even if he did beat her, there were still two more waiting for a change to pound on him.

 

“If someone volunteers, I can take a peek, and see what I can do about your Locks. I know how Darien's was unsealed, and I'd rather the rest of you didn't have to go through that. Best option, is that they simply tale care of themselves, but I rather not risk it, and wait for that to happen.”

 

Morgan immediately shot her hand up. Jordan hung his head before glaring at her.

 

“In case you forgot, dummy, you never had a Memory Lock. You've only had one previous Incarnation as well.”

 

“Oh yah.”

 

“I'll do it.” Jordan turned to look at Ami, who was currently looking down at her hands. “If it will help the others, I'll do it.”

 

Jordan smiled, before hugging her.

 

“Don't make it sound like you're going to die. It won't even hurt. I'm just going to poke around at your powers, and have a look in your mind. I won't even be able to see your memories while I'm in there. Well, I could, but that would get a whole different set of people after me.” He shuddered, even thinking about it. “I'd rather not risk it.”

 

He stood up and stretched, still a little stiff from the drive back from the beach. He yawned as he did, then laughed.

 

“Looks like it's bed time for me. But, I want to take care of this as quickly as possible. No sense putting it off, if we'd all like to have results now.” He paused to give all the girls a once over, before shaking his head, and looking down at Ami. “Maybe we better do this is my suite. Morgan and the Chibi's can guard the door, so SOME of us can sleep peacefully tonight.”

 

Serena and the girls tried to look innocent, but failed, miserably.

 

* * *

 

“So, what is this going to entail, exactly?”

 

“On your part? Nothing. I just need you to relax, and stay as calm as possible. I'll be doing all the work.”

 

Ami and Jordan were currently sitting on his bed, opposite from each other. Jordan had a small pile of crystals sitting on the bed between them. He quickly arranged the sapphire colored stones in a small circle pattern. He then made a smaller, triangle pattern inside, with the tip pointed toward Ami.

 

“Now, close your eyes, and just relax.”

 

He waited until she did as he told, then paused. It wasn't that he didn't want to do this, he just wasn't sure if he could live with the consequences afterwards. If he used it now, then he wouldn't be able to stop. He'd be bound by the contract he made over a thousand years ago with Vulcan.

 

He took a deep breath, before holding out his hands over the stone circle. He'd have to acknowledge the contract at some point anyway. Might as well do it now, instead of delaying it anymore.

 

He focused his power, and concentrated on his outstretched hands. A moment later, an oddly formed staff appeared.

 

It appeared to be made of five different types of wood, all coiled and braided together, yet there didn't appear to be any actual cuts in to wood. Rather, it simply melded together at each end. The staff itself was approximately six feet in length. Capping it was globe made of green crystal, about six inches in diameter. Currently, the globe showed indents that made the raised parts look like the continents of Earth. Attached at opposite sides of the globe, was a pair of silver wings, currently in a closed position. He knew from experience, that the wings would flare open once he actually used it's powers.

 

“Here I go. Remember to keep your eyes closed, and relax.”

 

He held the staff upright, before touching the bottom to the center of the triangle formation. He focused his power through the staff, which caused the globe to begin glowing softly. Ever so slowly, the wings flared open as the sapphire stones surrounding the staff began to glow.

 

* * *

 

Jordan found himself surrounded by gray fog. The staff in his hands glowed just enough for him to see himself. A few moments later, sapphire lights lit up on the ground. Smirking, he started walking in the direction they indicated.

 

Several minutes later, he noticed he was suddenly walking down a hall. Doors were on either side as he walked, but he ignored them. None of them had locks, and quite a few of these were open to some extent. Recent memories he guessed.

 

Tempted as he was, he refrained from looking into any of the open rooms. These weren't his memories, and it would be a violation of the trust Ami currently had with him. He continued walking, until he finally arrived at a barred door.

 

It completely sealed off the hallway, locked tight by a lock that was almost as big as himself. The door was a light blue color,l appearing to be made of ice. Even though he could see several cracks in the door, he knew better than to assume it was as fragile as the mundane version of the material. The Lock was what held his interest.

 

It had a single hole in it's center. He didn't even have to think to hard about what would fit there, based on Darien's own description. But, he knew using Ami's Star Seed was out of the question. One, he didn't have access to it, and two, it would be too much work to get Ami inside her own memories like this, and to the door.

 

Instead, he walked closer to the door to get a better look. Almost immediately, a faint, blue energy appeared to block his way. It was vaguely shaped like a Senshi, and he had a feeling, it was a manifestation of Ami's powers.

 

“Lovely. I did want to play with her powers, and see if I could use them on the Lock.”

 

He took one step back, and the energy vanished. Experimenting, he stepped forward again, and it reappeared. He reached out to touch it, and it lashed out. He quickly pulled back his hand, and found it encased in ice. So much for being nice.

 

He planted the staff on the ground between himself and the energy apparition, focusing his power through it again.

 

“By the pact of Vulcan, God of Forges, I, Jordan Mallone, current Guardian of the Staff of Worlds command you to cease your resistance. I command you to manifest and submit to my Authority.”

 

The thing began to crackle like breaking ice, it's form slowly solidifying, before suddenly vanishing completely. Stubborn little thing.

 

He focused his powers through the staff again, and repeated the command. On the third try, it finally manifested.

 

It looked like a ice sculpture of Sailor Mercury, only about one third her size. This time, when he reached out to touch it, it didn't attack, allowing him to make contact. He used the staff as a channel, as he tried to sort through the manifestations powers, to find the answer he wanted.

 

After several minutes, he felt he was close to something, just not what he wanted. He finally severed the connection to the apparition, letting it vanish. He took a few steps back from the door, before pondering what he had discovered.

 

There was a link between Ami's powers and the Lock. But, it wasn't strong enough to break it. Only to occasionally slip past it. The cracks in the door were from previous occurrences, when a combination of her powers, and the Imperium Crystal would force their way out. He was surprised to find the door was actually as fragile as it looked. Apparently, she'd had her memories forced to the surface several times. But, he didn't have the power necessary to break it down.

 

Staying any longer would just be a waste of time. He turned around, ready to leave. The closer he got to her current memories, the more uncomfortable he felt. He wasn't quite sure if it was from his real body or not. It just felt, strange.

 

He was almost out, when he first heard the voice. It was a moment, before he realizes it was Ami's voice.

 

-I wonder how much longer this is going to take.-

 

He frowned. He shouldn't be able to hear her from here. Something wasn't right.

 

-I'm so tired. I hope he'll let me sleep here tonight. I'd rather not think what the girls will try and pull during the night.-

 

A sudden chill went down his spine, as he realized he wasn't hearing her voice at all. No, he was hearing her thoughts. While he had been an Empath even before he gained the Phaeton Powers, that was ll he ever was. An Empath. Able to read emotions. Not thoughts.

 

His Phaetonian memories provided him the only answer, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Scared, definitely. Beyond that, he also felt happy, and just a little sad. And quite angry, but for other reasons.

 

Sometime while he had been bonded to the apparition of her power, his mind had bonded to hers. But, it was more than that. He could read her thoughts now, and she could have read his, if not for his training, and mental blocks.

 

He started walking again, knowing he had no choice but to accept what had happened. There was nothing he could do to reverse what had happened, he simply had to learn to live with it.

 

He and Ami were now Lifebonded.

 

* * *

 

Jordan came out of the ritual, and stared at Ami for several more minutes, watching as she fidgeted, and 'listening' to her wondering how much longer she had to wait. There wasn't going to be an easy way to explain this. He wasn't even sure why, or how it had happened. He let the staff vanish back to where he had summoned it from, while he thought over his options.

 

Quite simply, there weren't any. All he knew, was that Lifebonds were unbreakable once forged. Death was the only thing he knew that could break it, and even there, there were repercussions. He knew that only Phaetonians could have them, but he couldn't remember ever hearing of them happening with non-Phaetonians. But, he reminded himself, he didn't have that much first hand information about Phaetonian's anyway.

 

-I really need to use the bathroom. I hope this is over soon.-

 

He winced. This really wasn't fair to make her wait, while he tried to figure out how to handle this. He might as well get it over with.

 

--I'm done. You can use the bathroom if you need to.--

 

“Finally. No offense. I'll be... right...back.”

 

She stared at him, eyes going wide in surprise as she realized he hadn't spoken out loud.

 

“What? How did you do that?”

 

He was silent for a few minutes, before he smiled at her weakly.

 

“I'll tell you when you get back. Go ahead.”

 

He refused to meet her gaze, instead, focusing exclusively on gathering, and putting away the stones. After a moment, she finally got off the bed, and hurried to the bathroom.

 

When she came back a few minutes later, he still hadn't figure out how to tell her.

 

“For what it's worth, I'm sorry.”

 

“You're not making much sense Jordan. What's going on?”

 

“Something happened when I was examining your powers. I don't think I caused it to happen, it simply did.”

 

“Jordan, what happened?”

 

He finally looked up at her, honestly feeling sorry for how badly her had ruined her life.

 

--We're Lifebonded. I'm sorry.--

 

Ami blinked at him in confusion, trying to figure out what he meant, and how he was talking in her head.

 

“I still don't understand what's going on. What's a Lifebond, and how are you talking in my head?”

 

“It's complicated. Basic meaning, is that our Souls are bonded together. From now, until the day we die, our lives are forever entwined.” he could tell he was confusing her more, and tried to clarify things more. “We can share our thoughts with each other, like how I was speaking inside your head. You can speak to me to if you concentrate hard enough. We can also feel when each other is in pain, and we'll always know where the other person is, no matter how far apart we are.”

 

“I. I still don't understand. How did this happen?”

 

“It's a Phaetonian thing. I'm not sure what causes it, only that it's unbreakable. I'm sorry.”

 

She frowned as she quickly thought this over, trying to absorb what he had said. Bonded together until death? It was so strange. It was almost like being married to him. Her eyes suddenly widened in shock at that thought.

 

“Yes, technically, for Phaetonians this does count as marriage. But we're not on Phaeton.” He smirked at this, a slightly dark look flashing across his face. “We're on Earth, and I'm not about to force you to physically Marry me. I've done quite enough I think.”

 

Ami's mind was frozen in shock, trying to get past the knowledge that they were technically married, Earth or not. She slowly recovered, as deep down, she realized that a part of her accepted this. Encouraged it even.

 

“I just need some time to think about it.”

 

Jordan nodded as he stood up, and grabbed one of the blankets off the bed. Ami frowned at him.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“To sleep on the sofa. You can sleep in here for tonight. Better than letting you go back upstairs, where the girls can get their hands on you.”

 

“No.”

 

Jordan paused, looking at her quizzically.

 

“Pardon?”

 

“Please, I don't think I want to be alone. Stay with me.”

 

Jordan looked at her for several moments, before setting the blanket down. He walked around the bed, and sat down next to her. He reached out, and cupped her chin, turning her head slightly to look into her eyes.

 

“Are you sure you wouldn't rather be alone? I did just rather spectacularly, ruin your life.”

 

She shook her head, and reached up to hold his hand against her face.

 

“I want you here. Don't think I could stand being alone right now.”

 

He looked in her eyes for a few more minutes, before wrapping his arms around her, and pulling her closer. She leaned into his embrace, trying to seek comfort for the riot of emotions she was feeling.