Thorny Remembrances

CHAPTER ELEVEN

	When Rose had walked to the end of the street, she saw Kite 
leaning against her motorcycle waiting for her.
	?Well, did he admit to anything?? Kite asked.
	?No, but he did tell me a different story than the one you told 
me, about the night we all came to the future.?
	?I?m not surprised.  Divide and conquer, its part of Earth?s 
military history.  He?s trying to turn us against one another,? 
assured Kite.
	?Darien said that he and the Scouts don?t absorb energy to 
live here.  How come??
	?They don?t?  I thought they would.  I?m sorry.  I didn?t know.?
	?Oh.  He also said that when we absorb energy, that we might be 
hurting people.?
	?Sometimes people might get dizzy or pass out, but I don?t 
think it hurts anyone to share a little energy.  You know, kind of 
like donating blood.?
	?Kite, what do you think is causing all the violence that?s 
been going on lately?? she asked.
	?So many questions?.  I have no idea.  If it?s anything, it?s 
a result of those Scouts,? he exclaimed.  ?Don?t forget, they would 
have killed you today if I hadn?t been there to protect you.?
	?Darien said he?d protect them.?
	?He?s been brainwashed into thinking that way.  After we 
eliminate them, he will be out from under their influence. And, 
Princess, he will remember you.?
	?Do you want him to remember me?  I thought you said you loved 
me.?
	?I do, but above all, I want you to be happy.  You love him.  
You have always loved him.  I admit I?m jealous, but I?m satisfied in 
serving you as a brother,? answered Kite. ?Come on, let?s go home.  
I?ll see you there.?
	Kite disappeared into the night.  Rose had never considered the 
idea that he could be her enemy.  He?d always been with her.  He?d 
always helped her.  He taught her to use her powers as they?d slowly 
developed. 
	?My powers!? she laughed to herself.  She didn?t have any idea 
what her true powers were.  She was remarkably quick.  Her aim was 
exact.  But these seemed more like skills.  Her ?skills? had gotten 
her the courier job.  
	She thought again how Kite could not possibly be the enemy.  
He had tried to talk her out of going to work earlier that day, 
concerned about her safety.
	Rose worked for an electronics firm as a courier of sensitive 
information, not all of it legally gained.  She had never stolen 
anything, but was not above carrying documents purchased or stolen 
from rival firms.  Kite was right to worry.  The job was dangerous.  
She?d been followed and shot at more than once.  But the element of 
danger is what had attracted her to the job in the first place.  
Maybe that?s what made Kite worry the most.
	With any hint of danger Kite would emerge from the shadows to 
protect her, not that she always needed his help.  She knew he 
couldn?t be her enemy.
	Still, she couldn?t shake the feeling that Darien was not her 
enemy either, and his memories of that night.  What were her 
memories?
She could remember the princess of the Earth?s moon.  Did she hate 
her?  She couldn?t remember hating anyone.  She remembered being 
happy.  She remembered the princess and prince together, and it 
didn?t make her angry.
	Rose was confused and tired as she pulled into her garage and 
parked.  She was relieved that Kite had already turned down the bed 
for her.  There was a single rose on her pillow.  The door to the 
balcony was slightly open.  She didn?t know where Kite went at night, 
but she knew he was watching her from somewhere.
	
	Serena and Lita were at Darien?s place when he arrived home.  
Lita had prepared some tea.
	?So, how?d it go?? asked Serena nervously.
	?I don?t know.  I gave her all the information we had.  I asked 
her to think about it.  She has to make the decision whether or not 
to be our enemy.?
	?Darien, are we going to have to fight her?  I talked to Ami.  
She?s absorbed enough energy that we may not be able to defeat her 
without destroying her.?
	?I hope we don?t.  I believe Kite is manipulating her.  He?s 
given her a different version of the truth than we know.?
	Darien proceeded to tell them the story Rose had relayed to him 
in the coffee shop.  When he?d finished, Serena sat silently looking 
into her lap.
	?What?s wrong?? Darien asked.  ?You know it?s not true.?
	Serena responded quietly.  ?Then why does she believe it?  Why 
do you believe it??
	?I don?t,? said Darien.  ?Not all of it.  But why do you 
suppose she was left behind?  Is it possible I was betrothed to her??
	?Look, there?re a lot of questions we don?t have answers for.  
We?ll find out.  But we know that you two will end up together.  
What about Rini?? said Lita, referring to the future daughter of 
Darien and Serena's, whom they'd already met.
	?Yeah,? agreed Darien.
	Serena fell into Darien?s arms crying.
	?I know,? she sobbed, ?but I know there?s something true about 
her story.  She?s in love with you.?
	Lita excused herself to the bedroom to sleep, telling Serena to 
join her when she was ready.
	Darien held Serena, rocking her gently.
	?Shhh?don?t cry.  I?m in love with you; nothing can 
separate us. Haven?t you figured that out by now?? he whispered to 
her.
	?I know, but something is wrong.  Your heart is unsure.  I can 
feel it.?
	Darien didn?t respond, but held her until she fell asleep in 
his arms.  He wondered how Serena was so certain about his heart.  
But he knew the answer; she knew his heart the way he had always 
known hers.  He held her closer until he too slept, deeply.
	Darien woke early the next morning and fixed breakfast for 
Lita and Serena.  Mina had called a noon meeting at the temple.  
Luna and Artimus had important news to share.
	Serena, Darien and Lita did as well.
	
	Rei brought out some tea before Serena and Lita told everyone 
about their ordeal, and the new enemy, Kite.
	Darien filled in the details about his initial encounter with 
Rose.  And he told them about the meeting in the coffee shop the 
previous night.
	?This is amazing in light of what we?ve found out,? said Luna.  
?Darien, there may be a reason you are so conflicted about this 
enemy.?
	Artimus chimed in, ?a big reason.  Darien you may have been 
betrothed to her in a manner of speaking.?
	?What?  That?s impossible,? he said knowing that it wasn?t.
	?Well, not you, your twin brother.?
	?No,? said Darien closing his eyes, not wanting to hear what 
he knew was coming.
	?I?m sorry, but we?ve got to tell you.  It?s important to our 
being able to save the planet from this new enemy,? said Luna.
	Serena put her arms around Darien.  He sobbed into her shoulder,
glad that she was strong enough for both of them.
	Artimus explained how they found the information; ?We were 
piling through the files we?d received from the Moon?s old database, 
trying to find out something about the new princess.  We ran across 
some references to her being betrothed to Prince Damien of the 
Earth.?
	Luna finished for him.  ?Darien, your twin brother was named 
Damien.  He was born before you and was in line for your father's 
thrown.  He knew his temperament was not suitable for a ruler and 
bequeathed the kingship to you.  He was a warrior.  He led the 
armies during the attack by Beryl.  It seems he disappeared in the 
battle.  I?m so sorry you have to remember this.?
	?No, no,? said Darien.  ?It?s good that I remember him.  I do 
remember him.?  Tears streamed down his face.  ?I understand now, 
what Rose is talking about.?
	?How sad,? said Mina.  ?She must think you?re Damien.  She must 
think we're keeping you from her.?
	?But to destroy the Earth?? said Rei.
	?I don?t think she knows she?s destroying the Earth.  She 
thinks we?re the enemy.  She believes she has to destroy us to save 
the prince,? said Lita.
	?Somehow, we have to reach her.  We can?t let this pain she?s 
feeling destroy everything,? said Serena.
	?That?s not all we found out, Scouts,? cautioned Luna.  ?The 
princess from Europa had a cousin.  Her family was interrelated to 
the royal family on the planet Jupiter.?
	?Lita,? said Artimus seriously, ?you were Rose Mason?s cousin 
in a past life.?
	?No,? gasped Lita.  ?I felt a connection with her, but I never 
dreamed??
	?Then it?s settled,? Serena said standing.  ?We are going to 
help her.  She?s not the enemy.  She?s one of us, and Kite is using 
her.  He?s the enemy.?
	?Do we have any information about Kite, from the computer?? 
asked Ami.
	?Do we know if he has any weaknesses?? asked Rei.
	Luna shook her head.  ?No information and no known weaknesses.?
	?We didn?t even get a chance to try anything yesterday,? added 
Lita.
	?We do have a plan,? said Artimus.  
	Luna outlined what needed to be accomplished.  ?It seems both 
Rose and Kite draw energy from the people they come in contact with.  
Kite probably draws a great deal of energy from Rose.  Possibly the 
energy they are taking from their victims is being replaced with 
negative energy.?
	Ami responded.  ?Like positive and negative poles attracting.  
As they draw the positive out the negative charge rushes in.  That 
would account for all the violence in the news.?
	?It sure would,? said Mina.  ?Can they control the negative 
energy??
	Artimus nodded.  ?We believe once they have enough power 
they?ll be able to.?
	?This could be catastrophic,? Ami said running some numbers.  
?They could take the city in no time, not to mention the planet.  
It?s like an epidemic with no cure.?
	?I know a cure,? said Serena.  ?We?ve go to stop them.?
	They all agreed, except Darien who sat quietly staring off in 
the distance.
	Ami and Luna began to collect data on the violence, trying to 
figure out a way to counteract the negative energy.
	Mina, Artimus and Rei started planning some sort of battle 
strategy that might work against Kite.  Lita helped by explaining 
the long knives that had protruded from his fingers.
	Suddenly Darien remembered something, ?Sometimes when I touched 
Rose I could feel a tug of energy and other times a shock.  What 
about you Lita??
	?When I touched Rose I felt a tug.  When I touched Kite, a 
shock.?
	?What if the tug is energy being taken and the shock is 
negative energy being returned.  But somehow our bodies won?t accept 
the negative energy so we feel a shock,? he suggested.
	Ami rolled the thoughts over in her mind.  ?That?s possible.?
	?That would explain how Kite knew to watch me after I?d left 
the note for Rose.  He knew my body wouldn?t accept the negative 
energy,? said Lita nodding.
	?So, can we use that against them in some way?? asked Lita.
	?Maybe,? said Luna.  ?I wonder if they can accept negative 
energy.  A big enough shock could do a lot of damage.?
	?To them, or to us?? replied Mina.
	?You?ve got a point,? nodded Artimus.
	?What about an overload of positive energy, like blowing a 
circuit board?? asked Ami.  ?Could the Moon Crystal put out enough 
energy to do that??
	?Guys, I?m going home for a while,? interrupted Darien.  
?I suddenly feel a little drained, with all this revelation.?
	?Sure,? said Rei smiling.  ?I know you?ve been under a lot of 
stress.?
	?I?ll go with you,? said Serena.
	?No, they need you here.  Just walk me to the car.?
	?Okay,? she said getting up.
	He held her hand as they walked down the temple steps.
	?A twin;" mused Darien.  "It makes so much sense.  I remember 
some things about him.  I remember his temper.  I remember how he 
looked, almost exactly like me, but his jaw was stronger.  A lot of 
memories that I thought were of me, were of he and I together.?
	?I?m so sorry you have to find him and lose him all in the 
same hour,? said Serena touching his cheek.
	?No, I?m going to be fine.  I don?t work today or tomorrow.  
I?m going to go home and rest.  Call me if anything is decided.?
	He smiled and pulled her close.
	?Serena, I can stand anything except losing you.?
	
	?Lita?? said Serena when she returned to the group.  ?Do you 
think Rose will meet with you??
	?Maybe, probably not.?
	?We could call and ask?? suggested Rei.  ?All she could do is 
say no.?
	?I could try telling her about he cousin thing. Someone get me 
a phone.?
	Rose agreed to meet with Lita in the park.  She insisted it be 
a very public place so they would not try anything.  She seemed 
paranoid.
	?Should we call Darien?? asked Ami. 
	?No, let him rest.  We?re just going to talk with her,? said 
Serena.