Events Not Predetermined

“After tonight, no one will ever question our resolve and our commitment to peace. Humans and fairies are stronger together.”

Masahiro Ito

When Melody came to, she discovered rather quickly that the forest had not been damaged by the fires.

“What the…?” Melody asked herself. The last thing she knew was she was falling head first into a massive wildfire. And then there was nothing. None of the trees had any visible fire damage. For that matter, she had no visible fire damage. She ruffled her fingers through her fluffy blue hair only to reveal nothing. Even her tail was untouched by the flames. “What happened?”

“Melo!” Pinkie cried out as she ran over to Melody. After pulling her into a tight embrace, Pinkie told her, crying, “We were so worried about you! Why did you do that? That was so stupid of you!”

After they broke up their hug, Melody said to Pinkie, “It sounded like a good idea at the time.” 

Kenta walked up to them. “It's nice to see you made it in one piece.”

“Oh, right,” Melody replied. “A second high magic. Really, Kenta? Now it's basically impossible for you to lie low.”

“A second high magic?” Pinkie asked. “That's impossible!”

“Then explain the haiku,” Melody told Pinkie. “All high magic is bound by haiku enchantment. All natural magic is a simple five-syllable phrase.”

“You could hear that?” Kenta asked.

“I've got an ear for high magic haiku,” Melody answered him. “Helps when I need to make a quick escape.”

“Okay, but seriously,” Pinkie said, “why did you do that?”

Melody turned to see Zim staring at her in disdain. “I needed to prove something.”

“All you proved was how much of a fool you are,” Zim told her.

“Dad…”

“No, no… he's right…” Melody admitted. “I thought I could prove I could be a hero. But in order to actually do that, there's only one thing I can do.”

“Are you actually going to turn yourself in?” Zim asked her.

“There's someone I need to talk to,” Melody answered before standing up.

As Melody began to walk away, Pinkie asked her, “Where are you going?”

“Tokyo,” Melody replied. “Once I get to the station, I'm supposed to contact Saber Rider. There, I have a score to settle.”

“Then I'm coming with you,” Kenta told her.

“No, you're not,” Melody replied without even turning around. “Pinkie, can you take him back to Wakkanai?”

“You dragged me into this,” Kenta insisted, “quite literally, mind you. You're not getting rid of me that easily.”

Pinkie struggled to come up with her own response. “If he insists on coming with you, then I can't really stop him.”

“That's what you're supposed to do!” Zim told her.

“I'm going, and nobody is going to stop me,” Kenta said to the group.

Melody still had not turned around, but the others could tell she was starting to soften up. “Are you sure?”

“He called you last night,” Kenta admitted. “He thinks you stole me.”

“I mean… I did,” Melody replied. “What's his point?”

“No,” Kenta said. “He thinks you stole me from him. He knows about the trouble we've been getting into. We have until Friday to get me to Tokyo or he will find you and he will kill you. Like that one guy from that one movie.”

At last, Melody turned around. “Did he say anything in particular about how?”

“He said something about Fairy Heaven and Fairy Hell,” Kenta answered. “Old legends about flowing water and burning the body.”

“Even I admit, I wouldn't threaten to condemn someone to Fairy Hell over something like a failed job,” Zim told the group. “Not even someone I can't trust,” he added while glaring at Melody.

“Besides,” Pinkie added. “You can't get around much without some kind of transportation. My plane could get us to Tokyo much faster.”

Melody froze in place. Nobody had ever offered to work with her before. She always had to twist Zim's arm around to pull him into her schemes. Now, she had three people offering to join her in her quest to Tokyo.

“I don't know what to say…” Melody whispered.

“You could start with a thank you,” Kenta told her. “Whether you like it or not, we're a team now.”

“And believe me, I don't like it,” Zim added. “But you are family.”

“Well then,” Melody finally smiled. “Let's fly.”

“Actually,” Pinkie told her. “Let's do it tomorrow. We'll have the element of surprise. And also… I need to get fuel for the trip.”

“We have to do it now!” Melody insisted. “What if more agents come to try to capture us?”

“We'll be better prepared for that,” Pinkie replied. “I have some… friends… who work for the Barrier Mages. They owe me some favors.”

“Can we settle for midnight?” Melody asked. “We have a better element of surprise at night.”

“Alright,” Pinkie relented. “Deal.”

•

Approaching Tokyo

At 11:55 p.m., the Hoshino and its crew wasted no time whatsoever getting from Sendai to Tokyo. Pinkie was not kidding; her plane was much faster than walking and much faster than any mode of transportation shy of maybe the shinkansen. All those months she spent on modifying the plane to her liking had paid off. It seemed that for the first time in a while, everything was going right for the team.

“The weather's nice and clear,” Pinkie told her teammates. “We're making a nice southerly headway at 300 kilos. We'll be arriving in Tokyo shortly.”

“What's the plan?” Kenta asked her.

“Once we get to the drop zone, you and Melody will fly invisible into Tokyo Station. If we get the timing of this right, you'll arrive right as the shinkansen arrives from Osaka. It'll look like you were on the train this entire time.”

“Melody, don't screw this up,” Zim told her. “The news isn't looking too good for the fairies. In Sendai alone, over one thousand fairies were arrested today. The humans seem to genuinely think we want war.”

“She will do just fine, Dad,” Pinkie comforted him. “If we can figure out just how Saber Rider and today's attacks on the fairies are connected, we might be able to put a stop to it. We're entering the city limits. We're going lower.”

Pinkie pitched the plane down and to the left to fly over the water. The only way the Hoshino could get close to Tokyo Station was by using the water to their advantage. Once the Hoshino got down to four hundred meters, the team's plan went into action.

Melody chanted “Hide Me From The Eyes” first, followed by Kenta. She then opened the side door of the plane, allowing her and Kenta to jump out. As Kenta hadn't learned how to fly yet, Melody had to carry him while flying. From there, it was a two-kilometer flight to Tokyo Station. Nobody who might have been looking for them would have been any wiser. The plan seemed to work.

Melody and Kenta arrived at Tokyo Station right as the shinkansen train arrived and right as Melody's flight magic was about to wear off. The two of them gasped for air, rendering them visible once again. They gave each other a high-five in celebration.

However, there were people waiting for them after all. Two hooded figures ran up towards them and grabbed Kenta. Melody gave chase to the duo at once. Whoever they were, they were waiting, and they wanted Kenta.

And Melody was mad.