Thorny Remembrances
CHAPTER TEN

	The stranger lunged at Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter, sharp 
blades flashing in the dim light.
	Jupiter pushed herself and Sailor Moon out of the way, only 
half missing his attack.  She grunted as the sharp knives scratched 
her arm.
	?You?re gonna pay for that one,? Jupiter said.
	Sailor Moon tried to get a better look at the man.  The knives 
seemed to protrude from the ends of his fingers.  
	?Watch out Jupiter, knives on both hands.?
	?You,? hissed the man, ?you daughters of the White Moon.  
You?re days leading this world are over.  We have already won.  Now 
lay down and die!? he lunged again.
	Serena?s moon scepter was already in the air and the 
incantation began when the front door opened and the room filled 
with florescent light.
	?What the?? Rose stood in the doorway, shocked.
	The knives disappeared and the man removed his mask.
	?I told you they?d come for you Rose; the children from the 
White Moon.  They were waiting for you,? said Kite.
	?No!? said Jupiter.  ?We saw him breaking in.  We thought we 
were saving you.?
	Rose looked at the three, standing in her living room.  She 
bent down to pick up a plant that had been knocked to the ground.
	?Kite comes and goes as he pleases,? she said tending to the 
plant.  ?He is my guest and my friend.  You two, I do not know.?
	?They?re the ones I?ve told you about; the ones who stole the 
prince from you, the ones who left you behind to die, the ones who 
will destroy you if you give them a chance. Let me kill them now,? 
Kite urged, pointing wildly at the pair.
	?No,? said Sailor Moon.  ?We saw a man in black drop onto your 
balcony and pull the door open.  He looked like a burglar.  We were 
afraid for you.  We?ve been looking for you.  I?m Sailor Moon.  
Fighting only for love and justice.  You have nothing to fear from 
us.? 
	Sailor Moon looked into the eyes of the other princess, trying 
to read her thoughts, as if she could.  There was no flicker of 
emotion, no acknowledgment, no recognition.  
	Rose didn?t respond.
	?We know who you are,? said Jupiter.
	?You?re the girl from the coffee shop,? said Rose, recognizing 
Sailor Jupiter as Lita Kino.
	?You?re that friend of??
	?Yes, it?s me,? Jupiter interrupted.  ?Ask your friend Kite.  
I came by earlier to apologize.  You had already left for work.?
	Jupiter transformed back to her school uniform.
	Rose and Sailor Moon stared at Jupiter in astonishment.  
	Serena knew that Lita had cased the place earlier, but didn?t 
know she?d been inside and spoke to Kite.  
	?To apologize?? said Rose.
	Kite spoke up.  ?She came by.  She wrote a note.  I watched 
her cross the street and go into the library.  I?m sure they?ve been 
watching for you from there.  They were planning to attack you.  
That?s why I was here, to help keep you safe.?
	He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
	?I promised that I would keep them from harming you, and I 
plan to keep my word.?
	Rose smiled at him.
	?I know you will Kite, and I will deal with these girls when 
it?s time,? she said assuredly.
	?As you wish,? Kite answered making a slight bow in her 
direction.  ?You two may go this time.  We will meet again.  Next 
time she will not stop me from killing you.?
	Sailor Moon tried to reason with Rose, but the other princess 
walked out of the room.  She had felt a connection with Rose, 
but not the one she?d anticipated.  She had felt her coldness, 
the lack of emotion.  Lita and Darien had described their brief 
meeting with her in the coffee shop as warm and inviting.  They?d 
agreed that it was hard to imagine her as the enemy.  She found it 
hard to believe this was the same person they?d described.
	?You should go now,? Kite reiterated coldly.
	Sailor Moon transformed back to her school outfit as well, 
after joining Lita in the hallway.
	?We have to get to a phone and call Darien.  He?s meeting with 
Rose to return the purse tonight,? said Lita.
	?What?  I didn?t know that?? said Serena more confused than 
ever.  Lita was running so fast, Serena had a hard enough time 
keeping up.  She didn?t have enough breath to ask any questions.  
When she finally caught up with her, Lita was already dialing the 
payphone.
	?Darien!? Lita exclaimed into the phone.  ?We had a run in 
with Rose.  She is definitely the enemy.  And, she?s not alone.?
	Serena listened.  There was silence occasionally broken with 
Lita?s ?uh-huh?s.?
	?But Darien, this guy, Kite.  He?s bad.  Okay.  Well, Serena?s 
here with me now.  Okay.?
	She handed the phone to Serena.
	?Darien, are you going to be all right?  Just tell me every-
thing is all right and I?ll believe you,? she said before he had 
time to speak.
	There was a long silence as tears welled up in her eyes.  She 
could see Lita was crying.
	Serena wondered if the silence was because Darien couldn?t 
answer her question.  His voice was shaky when he told her things 
would be fine.  Then he asked her to come over and spend the night, 
both her and Lita. 
	She agreed and hung up the phone.
	The two girls walked back to Lita?s apartment to call Serena?s 
mother.  She would tell her mom that she was spending the night with 
Lita.
	Serena didn?t ask Lita what had been going on.  She didn?t want
to know anymore.  She was afraid that the string she?d been so 
afraid to tug on had begun to unravel by itself.
	
	 Darien waited in the coffee shop for Rose.  He still didn?t 
know what he was going to say to her, how he was going to explain 
Sailor Moon and Sailor Jupiter being in her apartment.  He hoped he 
wouldn?t have to, that maybe she wouldn?t ask.
	He?d left Rose?s purse locked in his car so she?d have to talk 
to him.  
	Darien had telephoned her an hour ago.  She?d insisted she was 
going to be there as planned and hadn?t mentioned anything else.
	"What if Lita had been right?  What if Rose was the enemy and 
he was endangering all the people in the shop?" he thought to himself
while looking around.  
	He also wondered how many of the waiters and waitresses were 
ready to flip out and attack one another, or worse yet, patrons.  
The daily paper had been filled with the news of the record high 
number of assaults reported this week.  For no reason at all people 
were fighting one another.  The people had reported feeling
an intense rage randomly directed at those around them, causing them 
to try to kill.  In most cases they?d been stopped before they could 
achieve their goal?in most cases.
	Rose entered the front door and scanned the room.  She was 
alone.
	?Where?s my purse?? she asked while sliding into the booth 
across from Darien.
	?In my car.  I wanted a chance to talk with you.  I?ll get it 
in ten minutes, if that?s all right with you.?
	?Do I really have a choice??
	?No,? Darien answered flatly.  ?We need to talk.  It?s possible
our future as well as this cities may depend on it.?
	?Our future?funny you should mention that.  Darien, I don?t 
really have a future.?
	Rose seemed different to Darien.  Before she?d seemed warm and 
familiar, but not now.  She was hard and distant.
	?Tell me, Rose.  Tell me what you know about your childhood.  
Who are your parents?  Where did you grow up?? 
	Rose looked down, as if rememberong something painful.  It 
seemed to Darien that she let her guard down a little, as though she 
softened.  
	He tried a different approach.
	?Trust me, Rose.  Tell me about the other memories, the ones 
from another time, another place.?
	She looked up, surveying his eyes.  Hers were red as if she 
were holding back a flood of tears.  She reminded Darien of Serena 
for a moment, trying so hard to be stronger than she really was.
	?I don?t remember much,? she quivered.  ?I remember living 
somewhere else, somewhere with big gardens and flowers.  I remember 
people I cared about, that cared about me.  I don?t remember my 
parents, not then and not now.  Does this sound crazy?  Am I crazy??
	?No.  I promise you, it doesn?t sound crazy.  I live with the 
same kinds of memories.  There?s a group of us here on Earth who are 
from the past.  Our memories aren?t always clear.  Please keep 
going,? he urged.
	?I remember someone who watched over me.  He was my prince.  
Then there was some kind of a war and he disappeared.  I looked for 
him everywhere, but he was gone.  That?s when Kite found me.  He 
told me not to worry, that he knew where my prince had gone.  I was 
so tired and I was hurt.  I fell asleep in his arms.?  
	?My next memories are of being a child in a private school.  I 
don?t know anything about my parents. I was told they died.  But, 
Kite was still with me.  He was in my class at the school.  I thought
I?d dreamed everything, but I hadn?t.  Kite tried to explain every-
thing when I was old enough to understand.  I still hoped he was 
wrong, but he?s not, is he??
	Darien shook his head.  ?No.  The memories are real.  I 
remember you.  I remember watching you in a garden.  I was about to 
leave and wanted to check on you one more time.?
	Rose flushed looking out the window.
	?I can?t stay much longer,? she stammered.  ?Kite is waiting 
on me.?
	?Please, let me tell you what I?ve been told.  The Sailor 
Scouts??
	?No!  Don?t start in about them.  I?d hoped you had nothing to 
do with them.  Do you know what they tried to do today?? she said.
	?Yes, they were following you and thought you were in trouble,?
responded Darien.
	?No, they broke into my apartment in an attempt to kill me.?
	?Never.  They would never do that.  Please let me tell you what
I?ve learned about our past.?
	?You only have five minutes left,? informed Rose.
	?Okay, I know of a guide that was sent to help us.  According 
to them you were the Princess of Europa, a moon that circles the 
planet Jupiter.  When your kingdom was overthrown, you were the sole 
survivor.  You came to live with my family on Earth.  You were 
distantly related to my mother, the queen.  I was the prince.?
	?My prince??
	?I don?t think so.  I know that I?m supposed to marry the Moon 
Princess of this planet, Sailor Moon.?
	?That?s so similar to what Kite told me,? she whispered across 
the table.  ?But Kite told me that the prince of the this planet was 
betrothed to me and the Princess of the White Moon stole him.  Her 
mother, Queen Serenity, wanted her daughter to have everything she 
desired, so after defeating her enemies she sent her daughter, her 
royal court and the prince to the future, leaving me to die alone in 
the rubble of Earth?s kingdom.?
	?Rose, I have memories of that war.  Queen Serenity saved what 
was left of both kingdoms.  I died fighting the enemy.  Princess 
Serenity died trying to save me.  Her court died in the battle as 
well.  We were sent to the future so that we could find peace.  I 
don?t know why you weren?t with us, but you?re with us now.  We are 
not your enemy.?
	?Then why was I left behind to die?  Why is there trouble 
everywhere I go?  Why is Kite the only one who has ever protected 
me??
	?I swear I don?t know, but I am concerned about what Kite has 
told you.  It?s not true.  He may not be what he seems,? suggested 
Darien.
	?That?s ridiculous.  He?s taken care of me since I can 
remember.  He probably saved my life this afternoon.  It sounds like
it's your "guide's" word against mine.  Sometimes the truth wears
more than one face, you know!?
	?What do you think is happening in this city?  And, why are 
you stealing people?s energy?? Darien asked, changing the subject.
	?What do you mean??
	?You know what I mean.  When you touch someone, you take a 
little of their energy.  I felt it, when you touched me.  It may 
have something to do with all the violence that?s going on.?
	?That?s crazy.  Everyone from our time absorbs energy.?
	?I don?t.  The Scouts don?t.  Only you.?
	?Stop bringing up the Scouts, their time is almost up.?
	Rose looked as though she knew she?d said too much.
	?I don?t want to be your enemy.  I?ll help you find your 
prince.  But, please, don?t threaten the Sailor Scouts.  I will 
protect them.  I?d like to protect you too, if you?ll let me.?
	She was flushed.
	Darien reached across the table and took her hand.  He could 
feel the energy draining from his body to hers, but didn?t let go.
	?Rose, let me protect you.?
	Suddenly Darien wasn?t so sure that he was not the prince 
she?d talked about as being hers.  He felt a connection similar to 
the one he?d felt when they were alone in his apartment.  She looked 
lost and frightened.  He wanted more than anything to climb across 
the table and take her in his arms, but couldn?t.
	?Please, let go.  I don?t want you to?? she trailed off, not 
finishing the sentence.
	?You don?t want me to what?? he asked.
	?No, please get my purse.  Your ten minutes are up,? she said 
trying to regain her composure.
	?Okay, but will you consider what I?ve said?  We do not have 
to be enemies.  We can all live here in peace.?
	?Darien, I know nothing of peace.  I have never known peace.  
That?s what these Scouts have done for me.?
	Her jaw line hardened as Darien excused himself to retrieve 
the purse.
	Walking to car he could feel eyes watching him.  He knew Rose 
was not alone.  This Kite person she?d mentioned must be nearby 
watching him.  He got the purse and went back into the shop.  
	Rose was checking her makeup when he returned to the table.  
He handed her the purse, threw some money on the table to cover the 
bill and held out his hand to help Rose to her feet.
	She shook her head looking up at him.
	?I will not take your hand again.  I don?t want to take your 
energy.  If I?m the only one who needs to absorb energy to survive, 
then I won?t take yours anymore.  Eventhough you don?t believe me, I 
do not want to hurt innocent people.?
	She slipped out the door and walked into the darkness.