Legal Disclaimers (my lawyer made me:)
Sailor Moon is property of Naoko Takeuchi, Toei Animation, DiC,
Bandai, Mixxine and a lot more probably.  Bottom line is:  Sailor
Moon and it's characters are not mine so don't sue me.  You should be
use to the disclaimers by now.
______________________________________________________________________


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Remember When?  (2)
Rolling Rolling Rolling (the troubles are really rolling...)
Lady Jupiter (ladyjupiter@sailorjupiter.com)


	Although she had better nights of sleep, Lita was surprised 
she woke up in the morning feeling refreshed.  The trouble she was 
in didn't usually permit her to sleep so soundly.
    "I'm beginning to get Serena's sleeping habits.  Maybe it's 
contagious,"  Lita wondered to herself.  Quite collectively, she was 
able to go on with her daily morning ritual, ending it by  putting 
her earrings on.
    Seven in the morning read the clock mounted on her off-white 
wall.  It was time to anticipate who was going to arrive first -- 
the two police who dropped by last night, or the nanny her uncle 
Drake had called. 
	The chime of her door bell told her it was time to face up to
the trouble.  Lita crossed her fingers, praying it was the nanny who
was ringing the bell.  Insistently, the door bell chimed, shouting at
her to get the door.
	When Lita opened the door, her hopes fell and sunk down to
the bottom of her stomach.  It was the same two police men who had
come for her yesterday.
	"What a surprise, our little orphan didn't run away."  The
tall one Lita still remembered as Craig said, baring his yellowing
teeth her way.
	"Pick up your stuff and let's go,"  the shorter one, Jonen,
instructed.
	"I-I-I-,"  Lita tried to come up with some explanation.  She
tried to think of something to stall with, but then, thought "What
the use, they're going to take me one way or another."
	"Well?"
	"I'll get my stuff,"  Lita sighed.  But as she turned around
and took a look around her, she knew it would be impossible for her
to leave.  The coffee table was the same one her father and her would
sit and play Chinese Checkers on.  The sofa with all the right places
softened in was the same sofa her mother and her would sit every on
every Friday to watch the weekend news wraps.
	There was that one special stain on the rug she still
remembered.  She was five at the time and was trying to bring some
breakfast her mother made to her father, who liked to stay in bed till
ten on Sundays reading his paper.  When Ken came bursting through the
door, she was startled and dropped the cup and made a large stain in
the carpet.  It was faded by now, but if she looked carefully, she
could still see residue from the stain.  Every smell, every crack,
every nook and cranny in that apartment was a part of her and she
didn't want to leave it behind.
	"C'mon, girl.  Don't get sentimental.  We don't have time to
baby-sit you all day, you know."  Craig complained, leaning on the
door frame.
	"Excuse me, is this apartment two hundred six?"  A parched
voice asked coming from behind the policemen.
	The short one looked at the door and nodded, "Last time I
checked, it was.  What can I do for you?"
	"I'm here to see Lita Kino,"  the old woman replied and made
her way into the apartment.
	Lita gaped at the small petite woman.  She was barely five
feet, but had the posture of the most powerful woman on Earth.  Her
hair was neatly pulled back into a tight bun and not a stray lock of
hair was in place.  The skin on her face, unlike other women of her
age, was taught and tight, giving her a vibrant look.  
	As Lita stared, she estimated the old woman could be no less
than a hundred and sixty years old.  She was holding a simple black
purse and wore an ankle length cotton dress that hid her small and
frail figure.  Although guessing by the age, Lita would call this
woman frail, simply looking at the composure of this woman, she
looked strong as an iron rod.
	"I'm Lita Kino,"  Lita said, stepping forward.
    "Good morning, I'm Mrs Pross."  
    "Well isn't this fine and dandy?  Now will you get a move on or 
not?"  Craig snapped.   
    "I'm afraid this young lady will not be able to go with you two 
gentlemen."  Mrs Pross declared.
    <Gentlemen,>  Lita thought, <If that's what she calls gentlemen, 
I'd like to see what she would call the real gentlemen.>
    "Now wait a minute!"  Craig cut in, "No old lady is going to 
tell me what to do.  We have a duty and that's to bring this little 
lady to the orphanage and if you-"
    "I'm sorry, but that's out of date."  Mrs Pross replied, not in 
the least daunted by the two bigger men.  "I am Mrs Pross, hired 
babysitter of Lita Kino.  Hired by Mr Drake Kino, her uncle and 
therefore legal guardian."
    Jonen looked at Craig, Craig looked at Jonen.  They both 
shrugged.  Finally, Jonen spoke, "I guess if that's who you really 
are, we have nothing else to say."
    "So why don't you beat it?!"  Lita shouted at them.  She was 
surprised by that sudden outburst, but it had been lodged in her 
throat for quite a while.
    "Wait a minute!"  Craig stopped, "Why haven't we seen you around 
before?"
    "You see,"  Mrs Pross explained, "Mr Drake Kino is a business 
man and he's often in and out of the country, therefore leaving his 
niece, Lita at home most of the time.  I come around whenever Mr 
Kino has to be gone for more than a week or two."
    That was a lie, but this was one exception Lita had no objection 
to.
    Satisfied with that answer, Craig and Jonen started to leave.  
Jonen turned and warned, "We'll be keeping an eye on you."
    After the door closed after them, Lita let out a huge sigh of 
relief.  "Whew, if they could get into the police academy, anyone 
can."  She commented.  With a smile, she looked back at Mrs Pross to 
thank her for saving her life.
    "I don't care if you like me one way or another," Mrs Pross said 
in a cold tone, "But I do demand respect.  There are a few rules I 
want to lay down.  Before that, though, I must go fetch my bags."
    The small lady walked out the door into the hallway and came 
back with two suitcases.  A hand held suitcase and one on wheels.  
She pulled the wheeled one easily enough, but she looked to be 
struggling with the other one.  Lita, after her initial shock of Mrs 
Pross' first impression, went to go help her with the bags.
    "I can handle this myself,"  she insisted and finally lugged the 
bags into the living room.  There, she stood erect and tall as a 
statue and started to speak with an air of authority, "Your uncle 
Drake has called me and asked me to stay with you for how ever long 
it takes him to make his way back here.  During my stay here, I am 
your guardian, I expect and demand that you will abide by my 
rules.  Rule number one, respect.  You respect me and I will respect 
you. Number two, sanitation.  I see that you have kept this 
apartment in top shape and it's fairly clean. I'd like for you to keep 
it that way.  Number three, you mustn't stay out past nine, on 
weekdays and eleven on week nights.  Four, young people of today 
spend too much time socializing and not enough time doing their 
school work.  I demand that you can only spend an hour a day on the 
phone, a minute amount of time in front of the television, and you 
must dedicate the rest of your time to school work.  Number five, do 
not invite friends over unless you have spoken to me first about 
it.  I will not allow you to bring all of your friends home one day 
without any notice.  Number six, by no means are you going to let a 
boy even step into this apartment.  Number seven, I expect you to 
carry yourself with dignity, and not embarrass yourself.  Is that 
clear?"
    All the rules and regulations were spinning around Lita's head.  
She was still trying to get over the fact that this small woman is 
actually a guest here, yet she's the one laying down the law.
    "Am I talking to a wall?  It is rude for you to just stand and 
gape like that."  Mrs Pross asked.
    "Yes, Mrs Pross."  Lita finally replied.
    "That is exactly how you must address me while I am here.  I am 
Mrs Pross to you and I shall call you Lita.  Is that good for you?"
    "Yes, Mrs Pross."  Lita said again.  Although she was out of the 
situation with the police, she was sinking deeper into another one.  
She just hoped that her uncle would come back soon.  How could he 
stick her with a strict lady as this?
	"You may now proceed to show me where I shall stay and 
please show me where the bathroom, closet, and kitchen is."  Mrs 
Pross said.  It wasn't as much as a question than an order.
    She didn't live in a large apartment, so Lita wondered why Mrs 
Pross wanted to know where the bathrooms were.  It wasn't like this 
was a mansion or anything.
    "This is the living room,"  Lita said, indicating the room they 
were in right then.  She pointed to various closets seen from the 
living room.  Then, she led Mrs Pross out into the small room which 
served as a dining room when there were a lot of people over, but 
most of the time as a study room.  She showed her the closet and 
where everything was.  Later, she showed Mrs Pross her room, the 
bathroom next to her room, and the room Mrs Pross would be staying 
in, which was on the other side of the bath room.
    Every room had a specific taste.  For example, Lita's room was a 
pastel pink, with matching pink curtains and white furniture.  Her 
bed was white wood, polished to have swirls of pink on some sides 
and a light pink cover over it.  The other bedroom used to be her 
parents'.  It was a mauve color with various matching furniture to 
go with it.  
    Mrs Pross nodded her head mysteriously with an intriguing look 
on her face.  "The taste of each room is quite different."
    "Mom had many tastes. She decorated the whole apartment."  Lita 
explained.  
    "Too bad some of her tastes were bad,"  Mrs Pross shook her head.
    "Wait a minute,"  Lita snapped, "Who do you think you are? 
Coming into my apartment, telling me how to act, when to come home, 
how to live my life?  Now you're saying my mom has bad tastes? Just 
how do you know bad taste from good?!"
    A lingering smile came on Mrs Pross' lips.  She raised an 
eyebrow, "True, I am a guest here.  But you cannot do without me 
because if I am gone, you will be gone from here also.  As I 
mentioned before, I don't expect you to like me, but I do demand 
respect.  I'm going to teach you how to act proper if it's the last 
thing I do."
    "What do you mean respect?  You call the way you downplayed my 
mother's tastes respect?  Act proper?  I am proper!"  Lita was 
getting infuriated.  She tried to calm down, knowing Mrs Pross was 
her last and final chance if she wanted to live in the apartment.
    "You have been living by yourself for the past five or so 
years.  Are you saying you have no wild ways?  No demeaning 
habits?"  Mrs Pross interviewed.
    "I don't have any bad habits at all!  I don't have wild ways!  
Look, just because I'm not little Ms Perfect or a fairy princess 
doesn't mean I don't have manners."  Lita stated.
    "It looks like I have to work on you more than I thought."  Mrs 
Pross mumbled.


    Toward the afternoon, when Lita and Mrs Pross set boundaries 
around each other, Mina called to see what was up.  For a whole half 
hour, Lita talked explaining everything, from what happened when she 
visited Ken to how Mrs Pross has come to live in the apartment with 
her for the time.
    "Whew,"  Mina whistled, "Sounds like you have a lot on your 
hands.  Do you want me to help you with anything?"
    "No, that's alright."
    "Oh, that reminds me, there's another meeting tomorrow.  Are we 
going to have it at your place as usual?"
    "No, better not.  It's not safe with you know who around."  Lita 
said.
    "Okay, then we'll go to Rei's. I think I heard her say her 
Grampa is out at some convention and Chad's at some concert."  Mina 
told Lita.
    "I'll see you there then,"  Lita said and hung up. She didn't 
mean to cut the conversation short, but Mrs Pross had entered the 
room with a warning look in her eyes.
    Not wanting to spend another minute in the apartment with Mrs 
Pross, Lita picked up her keys and started out the door.
    "Where do you think you're going?"  Mrs Pross asked, crossing 
her arms.   
    Lita put the keys into her pocket and shrugged, "Just to the 
Mental Hospital on the outskirts of town."
    "What are you doing going over there?"
    Briefly, Lita explained what happened to Ken, leaving any fact 
that would give the scout business away and replacing it with a 
couple of white lies.  Basically, she told Mrs Pross Ken had fell 
and got amnesia.
    "I don't want you to spend too much time there.  It's not proper 
for a young lady to be there.  It's even less proper for her to be 
there visiting a boy."  Mrs Pross said full of scorn.
    Just as Lita was about to explode, Mrs Pross spun on her heels 
to head back into her room. Before closing the door, she warned 
Lita, "Dinner will be promptly at seven.  You had better be back by 
then."
    Without an answer, Lita stomped out of there.


    After another small session with the doctor, Ken felt ready to 
break out.  Although he still couldn't remember anything much, he 
couldn't stand staying there any longer.  He started to read a book
the nurse had brought him to pass the time, but was interrupted by a
knock at the door.
	"Come in,"  Ken mumbled, without looking up.
	As soon as Lita walked in, Ken put the book down and looked
at her.  It wasn't till he realized he was staring when he looked away
quickly.
	"Am I interrupting anything?"  Lita asked.
	Ken shook his head.  
	Lita nodded over to the wheelchair still in the corner, "I
was thinking that if it was alright with you, I can take you out for
a stroll in the park."
	"Park?"  Ken asked.  He didn't know there was a park around
here.
	"I guess you don't get out much.  There's a small park
connected to the facility."  Lita explained.
	"Why do you come?"  Ken asked suddenly, then blushed at his
frankness.
	"I like coming and helping people,"  Lita replied.  It wasn't
a lie.  She did like helping people, but she didn't mention that she
came because of him.
	"I'd like that,"  Ken finally said.
	"Like what? Oh the stroll?"  Lita said, snapping back.
	Looking into her eyes like that, Ken could almost see what
she was thinking.  Her eyes were like a foreign book, that he forgot
the language to.
	"Hop in,"  Lita said, pushing the wheelchair to him.
	"I don't need that, I'm not handicapped."  Ken replied and
got up easily from the bed.  He noticed he was still in the drab
light blue shirt and pants they had given him to wear.
	"Don't worry, all the patients look like that." Lita assured
him after catching him look at himself.
	This was the first time Ken had stood next to her, or even
stood in the same room as Lita and he couldn't help but notice how
tall she was.  Almost about his height actually.  Again, catching
himself staring at her, Ken turned away.
	The two of them walked out of the room, with a few surprised
looks from nurses and attendants around them, since Ken wasn't
usually out of his room.  Step by step, they made it down the stairs
and into the park.
	The fresh air was reviving to Ken and he inhaled it deeply
while closing his eyes.  Just as he closed his eyes, a quick fleeting
picture flashed by his eyes:  someone in a light school uniform
holding out a bento box to him.
	"Ken, are you okay?"  Lita asked, suddenly in front of him to
catch him if he fell.
	Blushing, Ken nodded his head.  All of a sudden, he didn't
feel so good.  He didn't want to go back into the stuffy room, so he
didn't mention any thing of what he was feeling.
	"Let's sit over there,"  Lita pointed to a wood, painted blue
bench under the shade of many trees.
	Under the tree, they were in their own worlds.  Ken was
struggling to hold on to the loose ends of string and tried hard to
pull everything back together again.  He felt like one of those men
in the parks with thousands of balloons with them to sell to little
kids.  As soon as he grabbed tight on one string, another balloon
would come loose, then when he tried to keep that one, another one
would break free.
	Lita couldn't be much of company right then.  On her mind
were too many things.  Mainly, the person at her house right then. 
She didn't like the thought of a stranger alone in her apartment. 
She could just imagine Mrs Pross right then, with her strictly
pulled bun and white gloves, running them through everything and
inspecting every inch of her apartment for a flaw.  It wasn't that
she was afraid of any imperfection, Lita knew she had been a good
housekeeper and kept the apartment in top condition.  
	Hardly a couple of words had been passed back and forth
before an attendant came out to look for Ken.  The attendant told
Lita visiting hours were about to end and dinner would be ready soon.
	"I'll try to come tomorrow,"  Lita promised and walked out
through the back gate.
	Ken stood there watching after her.  He couldn't help but
wonder why she kept coming day after day.  He hadn't seen her visit
any of the other patients, or even mention of them.  He wasn't
questioning why she came, he actually was starting to enjoy it.
	"Would you like to have dinner downstairs with the others
today?"  The attendant still standing there asked.
	Ken looked at him for a minute, to make sure he was still
there.  Then, he nodded, "Sure."
	In the patient's cafeteria, it was the usual atmosphere. 
Half of the kids there could feed themselves, the other half had
their own problems.  As Ken clutched the tray close to him, he
searched through the tables, looking for an empty spot where he could
sit alone.  Finally, he caught sight of a seat in the corner of the
room.  Rushing over there, he put his tray down and sat.  As he sat,
and closed his eyes, he could see Lita's haunting green eyes in front
of him.  They were trying to tell him something, but he just couldn't
place a finger on it. 
	Dinner was undisturbed and when Ken made his way up to his
room, he felt he had a lot more accomplished that day than yesterday. 
When he returned to the empty room, his sheets were changed and the
blinds were closed.  Thankfully, they no longer had to strap him down
onto the bed.
	By the bed side was a table, on which there was a small
notepad.  On his third session with the doctor, he had been given the
notepad to write down every thing that he could remember.  Dreams,
random thoughts, anything that he wanted to. 
	Sitting on his bed, Ken started to write down everything he
remembered that day.  There were only two significant discoveries. 
The flashing image of someone offering him something from a bento
box, and the vision he had in the morning.  Five figures standing
in front of him, shouting something to him.
	As it grew later, Ken's eyelids started to droop.  He put the
note pad down and stretched out on the bed.  For almost a week and a
half, he had been in this mental institution, although the doctors
didn't like it to be called that.  They preferred to call it the "Home
of the Mentally Disturbed."  Whatever it was called, Ken had been
staying in it for almost ten days and never once had his parents come
or even called.  He was beginning to wonder if he had any parents at
all.  With the troubled thoughts, Ken fell into a deep but disturbed
sleep...
	
	...as he wandered through the halls of the palace, he could
hear the echoing footsteps of the past.  His steps mingled with
others that died away.  All the windows were drawn open and the
sunlight flooded into the delicately woven rugs.  Just like other
days, the thick atmosphere of that planet collected the heat from the
sun and made it nice and cozy all around him.
	Door after door, room after room, he finally found the right
one.  A great oak door with a large green jewel in the center of the
door knob.  There was no need to turn the door knob, since one of the
great doors were already opened.  He walked in quietly, which was the
only way since the thick atmosphere and the fluffy royal carpet was
so absorbent to sound.
	Seeing her for the first time, he felt his breath catch in
his throat.  For a moment, he stood there, watching her, at what she
would do.  From his perspective, he could see the side of her.  She
was curled up on a large arm chair, she seemed to sink into it with a
book in her lap.  Her delicate long fingers ran over the pages,
reading it intensely.
	He watched her delicate facial features turn this way and
that.  The high brow frowned as she read on, then loosened up.  Her
lips smoothly went over the words in whispers as she read.
	The intense moment was broken when she lifted her eyes off
the words as she turned the page.  She realized she wasn't alone and
turned to face him.  The second her green eyes turned on him, he was
gone.  He felt his heart beat rapidly and was speechless.	
	In a flash, she gracefully put the book down and stood up. 
At her full height, she looked absolutely gorgeous.  Her Indian red 
brown hair, tied in a high pony tail accented her swan like neck and 
let her sparkling green eyes show its true colors.  Her lips were 
slightly parted in a small smile.
    All those years of hard work and etiquette finally rushed back 
to him.  Without loosing any more of his wit, he extended his hand 
to her, "Good afternoon, Princess."
    A knowing smile came to her face as she nodded.  Gracefully, her 
hand left her side and slowly touched his.  He raised her long thin 
fingers in his gloved hand to his lips and kissed it.  A very 
flattering blush came to her cheeks as she looked down.
    "Please, don't call me that,"  the Princess insisted as she 
took her had back. She clutched her hands together behind her.  
"Call me Makoto.  May I ask, who are you?"
    The way she stood, with her hands clasped behind her and her 
eyes so empty of suspicion, jealousy, guilt, hate, anger, or any of 
the other things that would age a person, she was purely innocent.  
The warmth of her hands still lingered in his fingers.  Abruptly, he 
did a grand sweep with an arm and bowed to her, "Shinozaki Miyake, 
at your service, Princess."
    "Mr Miyake, please call me Makoto."  she insisted again, a frown 
coming to her.
    "If you insist, Makoto."  he replied, then added, "On one 
condition."
    "What is that?"
    "You call me Shinozaki.  Don't call me Mr Miyake.  That's what 
they call my father."
    "Are you looking for something, Shinozaki?"  she asked, 
gesturing to the shelves and shelves lined with hard cover books, 
most of them leather bounded.
    "Nothing in particular."
    "That's quite odd.  Most people to stumble into the library are 
looking for something.  A book or two, maybe three."
    Shinozaki looked out the window at the glistening flowers and 
the bright and burning sun.  It had rained the other night, which 
made this day wonderful. He didn't know what was it, but every time 
it rained, the day after would be spectacular.
    "It's such a beautiful day out.  Would you care to join me for a 
stroll in the gardens?"  He asked, hoping she would accept his 
offer.  Although she didn't look like the aristocratic snob type, a 
person of her rank probably had tons of things to do other than take 
a stroll with him.
    "I'd love to,"  she answered.  Before they left, she carefully 
book marked her page in the book and set it on a table.

    It was already dark when he started to leave the Estate.  He 
said his good-byes to the king and started to walk out to two horses 
prepared for them.  On their private walk to the horses, Shinozaki 
and his father conversed.  They talked about their visit here with 
the King and Queen, of politics (which was a bore to Shinozaki), the 
weather and other things.  
    They didn't see each other regularly as other father and sons 
did, because one of them was always off on an expedition or 
another.  It was one of those few times they could actually talk 
uninterrupted by anything.
    "Have you met the Princess?"  his father asked, straddling his 
horse and pulling on it's reins.
    "Makoto?  Yes, I've met her.  I saw her in the library and we 
had a little walk."
    "What do you think of her?"
    "She's....I...." he tried to find words, but realized that mere 
words weren't enough to really describe her.  "She's perfectly 
gorgeous."
    His father chuckled.  "I see that you have in interest in the 
princess, then. Good, it's your duty to protect her in the future."
    "In the future," he echoed.  Their horses were making a steady 
pace back home.
    "One more question.  Don't answer it without thinking about it 
long and hard."  the elder man started.
    "I have a feeling I know what this question is going to be."
    "You are to protect her.  Would you die for her?"  he asked 
gravely.
    In a second, Shinozaki responded, "Without hesitation, I would 
do it in a second."
    The elder man nodded and pulled on the reins for the horse to go 
faster.  "The greatest love of all, is the unselfish love of self 
sacrifice for a friend."
    

    Soaked to the bones in cold and clammy sweat, Ken bolted up from 
the bed.  After lots of pestering and persuasion, he had asked the 
nurse for a small clock to put on his bed side table.  He looked at 
that clock and saw it was three am.  Beads of sweat occupied his 
forehead as he caught his breath.  His sheets were twisted and the 
air suddenly smelled like a murky basement.
    When he walked to the window to open it for some fresh air, he 
was reminded again that he was almost a prisoner here.  There were 
iron bars from the top to bottom of the windows.  The cold night air 
soothed him enough to get back in bed.  It wasn't until he was back 
in bed did he remember what had woke him up. 
    As all dreams are, the dream he had woke from was like smoke.  
It was barely impressionable in his mind, but he could remember a 
thin outline of it.  He couldn't remember if he dreamed in color or 
not, but he knew that this dream in particular was odd.  The dream 
itself had nothing odd about it if it stood alone.  But compared to 
others, it was strange.  For one thing, the dream was too normal. 
Nothing out of the ordinary like green eyed monsters, purple people 
eaters had popped out in the middle of the dream and there were no 
floating objects.  Another thing that made it odd was the normality 
it had, although something distinct he could remember was that it 
didn't take place on Earth.  The dream was now so clear, he could 
have sworn it was a memory.
    "Great, the insanity in this place is rubbing off on me."  Ken 
mumbled to himself.  He didn't bother to write this down in the 
journal he had been given.  It was all a bunch of nonsense. Before 
going back to sleep, he reminded himself to ask the doctor in the 
morning again where his parents where.
    
    
    Instead of telling Mrs Pross she would be going out, Lita 
decided to just sneak out.  If Mrs Pross happened to see her, then 
she would explain, but if no one asked a thing, then it wouldn't be 
her problem.  She hated to be so sneaky, but it was the only way.  
Being a scout, she had to be in and out of the house constantly, and 
it was something Mrs Pross wouldn't stand for.
    "Young lady, where are you going?  Tip toe-ing your way around 
the house is a sure give away that you're up to no good."  Mrs Pross 
asked, putting a hand on her hips and holding a mixing spoon in the 
other.  Despite everything Lita disliked about Mrs Pross, she had to 
admit, she was one hell of a good cook.
    "I was just going over to my friend Rei's house."  Lita replied.
    "Why are you sneaking there?  Why didn't you confirm it with 
me?"  Mrs Pross demanded.
    "I didn't think I had to.  You're not my mother, you know."
    "But I am your guardian until Drake arrives and as a guardian, I 
have the right to know where you are twenty four hours a day.  
Teenagers these days don't take on any of their responsibilities and 
instead, run wild like hooligans around the streets.  I don't need 
you to become one of them."
    "Where are you getting these crazy ideas that everyone who's not 
an adult is irresponsible and wild?!"  Lita shouted.  She put her 
hands on her hips and returned the cold stare.  
    "There are a few responsible kids out there, but not many.  
It's more likely that you will run into the less responsible than 
the others."    
    "And what if I do?"
    "Bad things will happen to you. They might kidnap you, rape 
you, mug you, kill you-"
    "Listen, Mrs Pross.  I've been living on my own for almost six 
years now and I'm fine!  I can take care of myself without any help 
from you.  I've been taking care of myself for a long time and 
nothing has happened!"  Lita gave it to her.  
    Even at her petite height, Mrs Pross seemed large and looming 
with authority, "Nothing has happened to you?  You're grades are 
barely satisfactory.  You have no etiquette, you behave like, like-"
    "Go ahead say it!  Someone without parents to bring them up!  
That's what you were going to say, huh? Well it's true!  My parents 
are dead and they've been dead for a long time!  But that doesn't 
mean I can't take care of myself.  If you would just let go of your 
dogmatic ways and open your eyes, you'd see kids have a lot more 
responsibilities and qualities than you give them credit for."  Lita 
finished, tired.  She was tired of constantly getting into these 
arguments with this old lady.  She wondered why Mrs Pross haven't 
just picked up and left her yet.
    "Dogmatic?  I didn't think that would be in the boundaries of 
your vocabulary.  Maybe I've underestimated you."  she offered. It 
was the closest she would ever get to a complement, Lita knew.
	"I don't have time to stay here and argue with you,"  Lita
said and grabbed her keys off the table to leave.
	"Young lady, if you think you have the right to-"
	"I have every right to walk out.  This is my apartment and I
can do what I choose.  I'll be back for dinner."  Lita fumed.
	"I am not a servant!  You want dinner, make your own.  You
forget that I'm staying here out of my own free will.  If you
continue to ignore my directions, I will perfectly pick up and leave
you at the orphanage."  Mrs Pross threatened.
	That stopped Lita dead in her tracks.  Could it get any worse
than this?  "Fine then."
	"Fine then what?  You think that just because you apologized
I will forgive you?  I want you to ask properly for permission to go
out."  Mrs Pross said, practically making her grovel on the ground.
	Lita's pride didn't like this, but she knew if she was going
to make it through the next month, she would have to play the game by
Mrs Pross's rules.  Swallowing her pride, with a bitter taste, she
said, "Mrs Pross, may I please go out for a while to my friend's
house?"
	"And which friend is this?"
	"Rei."
	"Where does she live?"
	"At the Shinto Temple."
	"When will you be back?"
	"Before dinner to help you with it,"  that wasn't too bad. 
Lita honestly liked helping with dinner.  It gave her a chance to
learn new techniques and recipes.
	"Be sure that you do. Go ahead,"  Mrs Pross, without an extra
word, returned to the kitchen.
	Breathing a sigh of relief, Lita quickly left the house
before Mrs Pross changed her mind.  

	"C'mon, Lita.  She can't be that bad, can she?"  Rei asked,
disbelieving the atrocious description Lita had of Mrs Pross.  All
the girls were sitting cross legged on Rei's floor, except for Ami,
who was sprawled out on the bed with a chemistry book before her.
	Lita shook her head, "You have no idea how bad she is.  She
thinks everyone in the world has absolutely no morals at all."
	"Maybe it was just a bad first impression,"  Serena offered
in between bites of food.
	"Eww, Serena!  Don't talk with your mouth full of crumbs! 
You're spreading them all over my floor. I just cleaned my room this
morning too!  Can't you ever sit through a meeting without stuffing
something in your face?"  Rei burst out.
	"But I'm hungry!"  Serena whined.
	The age old battle was about to start again.
	"Wait, before you two start fighting, could you please step
out of the room?"  Ami requested.
	"We're not going to fight!" Both Serena and Rei shouted
spontaneously at Ami.
	"Girls, we're straying off the subject."  Ulna instructed. 
In every meeting, when there was a particular subject, they would
always stray as far away as they could from it.
	"What were we talking about again?"  Mina asked, looking up
from her comic.
	"We were talking about if Lita's dilemma would effect any of
her scout business."  Artemis reminded.  For once, he had stayed
awake long enough to be of use.
	"Well, I think it would effect us.  It looks as if Lita's
being restricted rights outside of the house. That means she won't be
able to come to all of the youma emergencies or any other non-crucial
things."  Ami stated.  Although she had been studying for the
chemistry exam next month, she had kept an ear out on what they were
talking about.
	"Non-crucial?  As in how non-crucial?"  Lita asked.
	"You know, those random attacks by youma or false drills. The
usual."  Ulna explained.
	"If those are non-crucial, then what would you call crucial?" 
Serena joined in.
	"If we suddenly have to go into the Negaverse, or any
general/scout battles."  Ulna told her.
	"Wait, what about Ken?  What are we going to do about him?"
	"There's nothing we can do about him but let time take it's
pace."  Lita sighed gloomily.
	"Oh, that reminds me."  Ami said, putting her book down.  She
took off her glasses and looked ready to start a serious discussion.
	"Uh oh, I don't like the looks of this."  Mina said.  She
also put her comic book down and started to pay attention.
	"I've been doing some extra research-"
	"And when are you not?" Serena interrupted.
	"Stop cutting in!  Let her explain,"  Rei quieted her down.	
	"Like I said, I've been doing some extra research on Ken's
case and I've come up with a few problems."  Ami continued.
	"Uh oh, I don't like problems."  Serena interrupted again.
	"Shh!"  Rei snapped at her.
	"Problem number one, he will undoubtedly have his memories
back.  But just as Lita explained, they should be acquired by himself
and not forced upon him because then there's a high risk that he
might reject the information and go into a relapse."  Ami said.
	"Just like blood transfusions right?"  Ulna offered.
	"Kind of. Number two, he might be kind of edgy at times
during or after the shock wears away."
	"He's already kind of edgy,"  Lita told them.
	"Number three, this one isn't in the books.  His past is
going to interfere with his recuperation."  Ami released.
	"What do you mean interfere?" Artemis asked.	
	"Well, you know how if one of us, like Darien for example has
amnesia, he's plagued by dreams, flashes and other sorts of ways to
make us remember our past, right?"  Ami asked.
	They all nodded.  
	"Surely, he's going to have those too.  But that would be the
same as forcing the information on him.  At first, he might reject it
and dismiss them as merely illusions, but eventually, he will realize
they're true and the rest is history."  That was all Ami had to say.
	"Wait, I don't get it. What's the point?  There's nothing we
can do anyway right?"  Lita asked. She frowned at what Ami was trying
to tell them.
	"I'm just warning you that Ken might not act like Ken for a
while."  Ami said.
	"I'll remember that,"  that was the last that was said in
that week's meeting.


	Ken yawned.  This session so far was going no where.  The
doctor wasn't being of much help in helping him bring his memories back. 
Still no word on where his parents were at.
	"Why haven't my parents come to see me yet?"  Ken asked
again.
	"It's best they should remain at home until you can remember
exactly who they are and what they look like.  It's only for your
benefit."  the doctor explained.
	Exasperated, Ken tried one more time, "What if it was your
son who was me?  Wouldn't you want to see him and have him recover as
quickly as possible?"
	A thoughtful look appeared on the doctor's face before it
vanished with all signs of feeling.  He shook his head, "No, I would
want what's best for my son and this is exactly what I would do."
	He gave up.  There was no point in pursuing the issue any
farther.  Either the doctor was right, he didn't have any parents, or
his parents didn't give a damn where he was.
	The doctor took out several large poster boards all white
with something black in the middle.  "These are ink spot pictures. 
Look at them and tell me what you see."
	The first one was mostly white with a minute drop of random
ink on the board.  	
	"Looks like a polar bear in a snow storm,"  Ken replied.	
	"This one,"  the doctor held up another one.
	"Three dogs and a cat chasing a chicken."
	The third one struck him in particular.   Ken looked at it
carefully, but the more he studied it, the more it looked like what
he was picturing.  "You're going to think I'm really crazy."
	"No I won't.  Tell me the truth, what do you see?"  The
doctor asked.	
	"It looks like one of Lita's earrings."  Ken didn't think he
would notice such small and insignificant objects, but he knew from
memory what that volunteer girl's earrings looked like.  
	"Interesting,"  the doctor mumbled and jotted something down
on the paper.  "You have quite an eye for detail, I see.  Not
everyone would notice earrings and remember them."
	"Well, she's been coming here for almost two weeks with the
same earrings.  I can't help but remember them."  Ken replied after
another yawn.  "Why does she always come?"
	The doctor smiled a knowing smile, "She's special."
	After the session, Ken was left in his room.  A television
had been moved in and he just stared at it blankly.  After twelve
hours of TV, everything looked the same, if not clones of each other.
He flipped it to an all-the-time-news-channel to find out what was
going on around the outside world.  He was one of the few patients
who could have a peek at the outside world even if it is through a TV
only.
	"The Sailors Scouts save hundreds again.  This year's Cherry
Blossom Festival was interrupted by terrorist, but it was all taken
care of by the five pretty suited soldiers of love and justice."  A
brief amateur picture appeared on the screen.
	Although the picture was brief, Ken almost felt as if he
could identify every girl in the short skirts.	They felt like close 
friends of his or something.  If he closed his eyes and thought hard 
enough, and imagined with all his might, he could even make out 
pictures of him and those pretty suited soldiers fighting together. 
    "Yeah, the next thing I know, I'll be claiming to be one of 
them."  Ken mumbled sarcastically and shook his head.  More than two 
weeks had passed and he still couldn't remember much. The doctor 
said he was making rapid improvement.  But if this was what they 
called rapid, he'd like to see what they would call slow progress.
    "Knock-knock,"  A voice called from his open door.  Lita stood 
there with a lunch box of some sort.  As usual, she was in the lace 
up blouse and tan skirt she always came in.  When Ken asked her once 
why she always wore that, she explained it was because she came 
straight after school to the mental institution.
    "Hi, come in." He said quietly.  Most of the shyness had gone 
away, but he still wasn't as outgoing as he was before.
    "I brought you some stuff to munch on. Home made. Sorry they're 
kind of cold.  I made it for lunch and kind of overdid it."  Lita 
said, holding the bento box out to him.  She had already pulled up 
her usual chair next to him in bed.
    "Thank you,"  he said graciously and took the box from her.  For 
a moment, he just stared at the pearly white plastic box with 
various drawings of flowers on them.  He had seen it before 
somewhere.  Was it one of the nurses who had the exact lunch box?
    "Well, aren't you going to eat it?  No use for it to get colder 
than it usually is."  Lita asked, handing him a pair of chopsticks.
    "You made all this?"  Ken asked after lifting the top off the 
box and discovering the delicious feast before him.  It looked like 
something a sushi restaurant would call a combo.
    "It's not much, but there's no sense in letting good food go to 
waste."  Lita said modestly.
    "Not much?  One day, I'm sure you'll become a world famous chef 
or own a chain of great restaurants."  Ken predicted.
    "Thanks,"  Lita tried to hide her blush.  She couldn't help but 
notice the gleam in his eye.  It was almost like that spark that 
would always be there when he was happy.
    "It's wonderful food," he said between bites.  He couldn't 
explain the feeling he felt whenever she came to visit. It was like 
he could leap the tallest buildings for her.  His eyes started to 
wander, and he let himself linger a bit longer on her face.  "You 
wear those earrings awful lot.  Are they some family treasure or 
something?"
    Her eyes cast down, Lita nodded. "They're special to me.  
Someone gave them to me."
    "Let me guess, your mother?"  Ken asked.
    Lita shook her head.
    "Your boyfriend?"  He tried again. This second question didn't 
feel as favorable coming from his lips.
    "Yes, I guess you can say that."  Lita said softly.
    A tremble in her voice had caught his ear.  Did he imagine it or 
was it really her voice?  He put the chopstick down, after finishing 
his snack and handed the box back to her.  "Thanks for the food.  I 
haven't had any home made stuff in a long time.  I wish my parents 
would come visit me.  They're probably busy, and don't want to come 
anyway."
    Taking the box, Lita couldn't help but want to hug him.  He 
looked so vulnerable in those oversized shirts and pants they made 
him wear and the large bed didn't make him look too big either.  She 
just gave him a lopsided grin.
    "It's probably doctor's orders that they keep away so you can 
get your memory back the right way."  Lita offered.
    Violently, Ken shook his head and grabbed something so fiercely 
off the bed side table that the lamp shook.  He flipped open a page 
and held it out for her.  "You want to know how much the doctor's 
orders helped me?!  Look at this!  Three things, three items, three 
sentences.  That's all I can remember from before I ended up here.  
Not even enough to fill a page.  There are holes in my head that I 
can't fill.  There's this great emptiness inside of me that's just 
aching to be filled."  He stated.  
    Lita read the fine masculine handwriting on those three 
sentences and smiled inwardly:
    "When I closed my eyes, I could picture someone over me.  Someone 
who would stay with me when I'm not happy.  Someone that would be 
happy with me, feeding me back to health."
    "I have absolutely no idea where that crazy thought came from 
and not many are coming back now."  He sighed flatly.
    "Why don't we go outside and get some fresh air.  There won't be 
nice weather for a long time after today.  That's what the weather 
forecaster predicted."  Lita suggested.
    As usual, they took their common bench outside under the shade 
of a giant tree.  Ken thought quietly to himself while the birds 
chirped around them.  No matter how hard he tried, the doctors kept 
every little bit of information from him, even the most mediocre 
fact from his knowledge.  It was like a conspiracy, the nurse and 
doctor had against him. They wouldn't answer any of his questions, 
but if he actually did pry something from them, they would answer so 
vaguely it was hard to tell what they were saying.  He had come to 
think that the doctor and nurse, the same two people he would ever 
see were specially assigned to him.  It would always be the same 
nurse who would wake him up on mornings, change his sheets, and give 
him clean towels.  It was the same doctor who he would have sessions 
with, talk to, and make appointments with.
    Lita, lost in her own thoughts didn't notice the sudden 
quietness of the company next to her.  She tried to think of a 
battle strategy against Mrs Pross.  No matter what she did, reverse 
psychology, the straight on approach, or even the blackmailing, she 
would never win.  Already there had been three youma attacks, and 
she hadn't been able to help out with even one since Mrs Pross made 
it strict that she was to come straight from school every day and 
she was prohibited from going out at night.  Even the visits here 
were done in secret, or blanketed by a lie such as going to the 
cemetery. Lie after lie after lie.  Lita was getting good a lying, 
but that wasn't something she would brag about. 
    Finally, Ken was aware that Lita wasn't her usual talkative 
cheery self.  He looked at her with concerned eyes and asked, "Is 
there something wrong?  Did I do something?"
    Blinking, Lita felt tears in her eyes.  She didn't mean to start 
crying, but she couldn't help it.  It was so easy to keep herself 
from crying when she was with everyone else, but not Ken.  Whenever 
she was with Ken, her solid front would always melt away.  Instead 
of letting him see her, Lita turned away with her back to him and 
shook her head.
    "No, I'm alright.  Just got a little something in my eye."  she 
replied with a shaky voice.  She rubbed her eyes with one hand.
    Her other hand was still between her and Ken, supporting her on 
the bench.  Ken looked at it, the smooth ivory skin and the well 
groomed nails.  He had this sudden urge to hold it.  He couldn't 
help himself.  He placed his hand on top of hers softly and pulled 
her gingerly to face him.
    Reluctantly, Lita turned and looked at him through tear streaked 
eyes.  Whenever she was with him, she felt safe and comforted.  
<Why is it that everytime I'm with him, even when he's the one worse 
off than me, why do I feel so protected?>
    Maybe it was his eyes, those dark blue eyes that would seep into 
her soul, turning her inside out and warming her inside.  Maybe it 
was his mellow voice that would fill every crack, every nook and 
cranny of darkness she had inside of her.  Whenever she was with 
him, she felt like a better person, like someone admired.
    "It's okay to cry," he said to her and reached into his pocket 
for a tissue.  He gently wiped her tears away with the tissue.  He 
searched in her eyes, trying to find something.  Her eyes were like 
a looking glass into her heart, if only he could read it.  Like a 
one way mirror, he needed something that would turn on the light on 
the other side so he could finally read what was in her eyes.
    "No,"  Lita said, pulling away from him and shaking her head, 
"This isn't right.  Not yet, not now."
    "What?"  Ken asked, standing up with her.
    "I really have to go. I'm not even supposed to be here."  Lita 
said and fled through the back way, which was mostly covered by 
trees and bushes.
    Before going home, she stopped at the cemetery so it wouldn't be 
a complete lie.  By heart, she knew the way to the two tombstones 
which were her parents'.  When she found them, she kneeled down and 
bowed her head in respect.
    "Mom, Dad.  I know you can hear me.  You taught me that honesty 
is the best policy.  I don't want to lie, but I have to.  If I 
don't, then how will I see Ken?  Mrs Pross won't let me do 
anything.  You've always let me live my own life and raised me to be 
responsible and street smart.  But Mrs Pross is taking away all my 
privileges.  I know she's only temporary, but I feel like she's 
going to stay for a long time.  Uncle Drake postponed coming back 
with the papers for another month.  I have to live with Mrs Pross 
for another month?  I try to be respectful to her, but she just 
won't give me any privileges.
	"I thought I was able to handle the scout business and living
without you guys pretty well.  But now, it's falling apart.  Ever
since the scouts and I got rid of Boronite and Scandite, everything
in my life is going into chaos.  You know I'm not superstitious, so
why should I believe that stupid blood curse Scandite put on me?  She
was crazy, she was crazy and dying and that's all there is to it. 
I've never done anything horrible or unjustly wrong in my life, why
am I punished like this?" Lita finished.  She closed her eyes and took 
in the peacefulness. This was about her favorite place to think.  
Here, she felt she could tell her parents everything and not anyone 
else would be able to hear.
	Suddenly, Lita's head snapped up in sudden realization.  She
clutched her hands into fists as her breath quickened. Why didn't
she think of this before?  "I know what this punishment is for now.
But why?  Is it because of Leo?  Why am I punished because of him? 
Is it wrong to love two people at the same time?  I chose the right
one, didn't I?  Why are you punishing me for opening my heart?  I
thought this was the right thing to do!"  Lita started to silently
shake as she thought about how it all started.  The lost summer of
romances.


*************************************************************************
	Is it me, or do I constantly keep writing about Lita and her
problems?  Well, this one came out pretty fast.  I have a feeling
this is going to be one whopper of a story to write.  Hey, maybe I'll
publish it.  But you know the disclaimer:  Sailor Moon characters are
not mine.
	It's once against time for me to thank everyone who have
given me support:  LordTalon, StromDakth, LadyAngel, MorganSkye,
Scott, Angel, and I lot of other people I can't seem to remember at 
this moment.  If you're one of them, mail me and I'll personally 
thank you.
       
			Ladyjupiter@sailorjupiter.com
**********Copyright 1998 Lady Jupiter  (All Rights Reserved)*************