Chapter 23

"Bloody hell," Spike said softly, "He's just a kid."

"Hey," Shinji protested, "I'm eighteen years old! I'm not a kid."

"Yeah, well, most men don't parade 'round in their knickers at night in the middle of the city," Spike countered.

"Give it a rest already, Spike, geez!" Angel snapped, "Sorry. So, who are you?"

"My name's Shinji," Shinji replied, "Shinji Ikari. I was actually trying to find you, Angel."

"You know who I am?" Angel asked.

"I know of you," Shinji corrected him, "I know someone that you rescued once."

"Yeah, that really narrows it down, dunnit?" Spike asked sarcastically.

"Be silent, Spike," Illyria said coldly, "Angel is not finished interrogating this person."

"Oi! Shut up, you!"

"Will both of you knock it off?!" Angel demanded, "Who was it, Shinji?"

"I don't know if you'd remember her," Shinji said uncertainly, "Misato Katsuragi?"

"God, it has been a while, hasn't it?" Angel said quietly, "Yeah, I remember her. A vampire killed her parents, if I remember right."

"That's right," Shinji said, "I'm living with her now, and…we could use your help with something."

"What is your difficulty?" Illyria asked. Suddenly, her voice seemed less cold.

"Well, as you've seen, I'm a werewolf," Shinji said, gaining a little bit of confidence, "But I've only really been a werewolf, you know, transforming and all that, since my eighteenth birthday, which was just a few days ago. Since then, I've been looking for answers as to why that is, since I'm assuming that I've been a werewolf my whole life. What's worrying me is that since my birthday, Misato and I, as well as a friend of ours have been attacked. A few nights ago, it was another werewolf, and just tonight, we were attacked by a vampire who almost killed our friend."

"So, what do you need us for?" Angel asked, "You sound like you're more than capable of defending yourselves already."

"Defense isn't what we need," said Shinji, "I need answers. I need to know why I am the way I am, where my family roots come from, and who is trying to kill me."

"D'you have any ideas about who's tryin' to have you offed?" Spike asked.

"Not many," Shinji replied, still feeling perplexed by this man's cavalier attitude towards everything, "The only group that I've ever received a real threat from is this cult I found info on over the Internet. They call themselves the…Moonwatchers Society, or something along those lines."

"The Council of Moonwatchers," Angel said, correcting Shinji's nomenclature error, "They're almost as well connected as Wolfram and Hart."

"The law firm?" Shinji asked, disbelieving, "They're connected in the occult world?"

"They pretty much are the occult world," said Angel with a scowl, "We've been fighting against them for years. We've lost some good friends as a result. It's down to just the three of us, now."

"The way it bloody should be," Spike chimed in.

"The Council is dangerous," Angel continued, "Don't underestimate them, and definitely don't do anything to piss them off unless you're prepared for a real war. They've dedicated their entire existence as a collective to the research and extermination of werewolves. Are there any other people or organizations that you suspect of trying to have you killed?"

"I just moved to L.A. last week!" Shinji exclaimed, "I don't even have that many friends yet!"

"Jus' take it easy, lad," said Spike calmly, "He's gotta ask the questions is all."

"Yes," Illyria chimed in, "you have nothing to fear from us, unless your intentions are hostile. If that is the case, we will show you no mercy."

"Way to calm the poor kid down, Miss Tact," Spike said sarcastically.

"How about you come back to our offices with us, and we'll talk it over there?" Angel suggested.

"What if another vampire shows up at the house while I'm away?" Shinji asked, worry surfacing in his voice, "I can't get back there to protect them."

"They're safe in the house, as long as they don't invite it in," Angel answered, "A vampire can't enter a house where it's not welcome."

"That's…why Misato had to invite you in," Shinji said quietly, realizing the truth. Then, a little louder, he added, "You're a vampire…aren't you?"

"We both are," said Spike, "Angel and I. He's my grand-sire."

"Why haven't the two of you tried to kill me yet?" Shinji asked, confused, "If you're vampires, you should be trying to kill me right now, shouldn't you?"

"They are different," said Illyria matter-of-factly, "They have been given souls. At one time, they were both creatures of unspeakable evil who wreaked mass slaughter across the whole of Europe and much of Asia. Angel was known by the name Angelus, called 'the demon with an angel's face'. The only thing that has changed about Spike is his hair color."

"Oi!" Spike interjected. Illyria continued, undaunted.

"After a period of several decades, Angelus was cursed by gypsies with a soul, as a means of penance for all of the atrocities he had committed. Spike entered the demon trials and fought to win a soul. They are, indeed, vampires, young werewolf. But they are something else, as well. They are champions of the side of light."

"Ah," said Shinji simply.

"Yeah," Spike drawled, "No one else we told it to believed us, either."

"It is a little hard to believe," Shinji admitted, "but I'm willing to go on a little faith, here. Now, if you don't mind me asking, what's her story?"

"She's, uh—," Angel began.

"I require no man to speak for me," Illyria interrupted proudly, "I am Illyria, one of the Old Ones. Long before the time of men, I was the commander of a great army and ruler of an empire that conquered half of the known dimensions. Then, after many millennia of imprisonment in the Deeper Well, a group of mortals conspired to secure my release. My sarcophagus was taken to the offices of Wolfram and Hart, where I escaped and inhabited a mortal's body. My essence overtook her and she died, leaving her body an empty shell. Angel and his allies had to find a way to remove some of my near infinite power, or else I would detonate and tear reality asunder. Still, they harbored ill feelings towards me, since the body I had inhabited had belonged to one of their close friends. However, once they realized that she was not coming back and that I would be a valuable ally in their cause, some of the animosity dissipated."

"Yeah, well," Spike said, "I still haven't forgot the beatings you gave me in the early days of our association."

"I merely proved my superiority over you, Spike," Illyria retorted coolly, "That is all."

"How did you move so fast earlier, Illyria?" Shinji asked, "I mean, my eyes are ten times sharper as a werewolf, and I still could barely follow you."

"She's a time-bender," Angel said quickly, "Back in the first days of our association with her, Illyria could actually freeze time, giving her the illusion of super speed. When we drained her, though, she lost the power to freeze time. In recent months, she's started showing signs of being able to alter her own personal time-space, making her move much faster than physically possible."

"Ah," Shinji said again, still confused, "So…let me see if I've got this straight. Angel and Spike are vampires who have souls, and Illyria is an Old One, which I'm assuming is some manner of demon--,"

"Correct," Illyria interrupted.

"And you all fight on the side of good," Shinji finished, "Sure. Why not? After all, I'm a werewolf who's only been a werewolf since my eighteenth birthday, I'm in love with a woman who's almost ten years my senior, and I've got another girl that's in love with me who was originally arranged to be the girl I was supposed to fall in love with in the first place, but I didn't, and now I'm talking with you all here on a rooftop in the middle of the night after killing a vampire and--,"

"Slow down and take a breath, mate," Spike said, "Bloody hell. I haven't heard a run-on like that since…"

"Fred," Angel finished, "I know, Spike. I still miss her, too."

"She tried to help de-ghost me, way back when," Spike said nostalgically.

"I'm sorry," Shinji interrupted, "but…who are you talking about?"

"Winnifred Burkle," Illyria answered, "This body that I inhabit. She was their friend. There are times when I feel…remorse…over depriving them of her."

"As bloody well you should!" Spike snapped, "She was the cheeriest little ball of life you ever did see, and you bloody killed her!"

"Easy, Spike!" Angel shouted, "I know how you feel, okay? Fred was my friend, too, and I knew her longer than you did. Just let it go, alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Spike replied resentfully, "I jus'… I jus' miss her's all, you know?"

Angel nodded. Shinji heard a moan. The group all looked around at the woman that Illyria had saved from the lizard-creature. She was stirring, but she still looked pretty beaten up.

"Shinji," Angel said, "Do you know how to get to the nearest hospital from here?"

"Yeah," Shinji replied, "Why?"

"Because she still needs medical attention, and you can carry her there faster than any of us."

"What about Illyria?" Shinji asked, "I mean, if she can bend time for herself, shouldn't she be able to move faster than me?"

"My abilities are still limited," Illyria replied, shaking her head, "It drains me to alter time too often. Your endurance and speed are more constant than my own. She depends upon you now."

"I'll try," Shinji said. Then, he transformed back into a werewolf and scooped the woman up over his one shoulder. He took a running leap over the side of the building and landed lithely on the pavement seven stories below. Shinji galloped to the emergency room of the city hospital and left her outside the door, and then left quickly. In a few moments, an orderly happened near the door and saw her lying outside. He called for a stretcher and doctor. Shinji watched these events unfold from a nearby alley with a smile on his face. He had just helped to save a stranger's life. There was something…rewarding about the experience. He looked up, sensing a presence watching him. Above him on the roof of one of the buildings stood Angel, Spike and Illyria. Angel was looking down at him with an almost fatherly smile adorning his features.

Shinji climbed up the side of the building, using his strong claws to dig into the brick. Soon, he stood up next to Angel and his crew and looked down at the hospital doors. Shinji reverted to humanity.

"You probably just saved that girl's life," Angel remarked.

"Yeah," Shinji replied, "it feels…good. I mean, I've saved lives as a werewolf before, but she's a total stranger. I've never saved a total stranger's life before."