AN: Okay! I didn't have any of these in my previous chapter, I admit, and I should have. Before we get on with the story, I will give you fair warning that I have the next installment but it's not entirely done yet and the actual warning part of this is that I may not be able to get it out for a few days because my parents are sending me to therapy for something concerning depression. I don't know, I wasn't listening at that point. But there, there's my AN's.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Sailor Moon (the superb Naoko Takeuchi does) and I DO NOT own any characters pertaining to the show Angle (Joss Whedon (I think that's it) does). I do, however, own my own little Tuxedo Mask plushie that was given to my by my very own Rei-chan (I love you!) for Christmas. Don't sue me. I'm going to NY in a few weeks and can't afford to lose the $284.66 that I do have to my name. Thank you.

NOW, ON WITH THE STORY!!!


I locked the silver clasp behind my neck, adding the finishing touches to my ensamble. Khaki capri's, a white, v-neck, short-sleeved shirt, white tennis shoes, and the engagemtn ring Endymion had given me, hanging from a silver chain around my neck.
School let out yesterday, leaving me free for the next two and a half months. My flight leaves for California in three hours.
I smoothed out any wrinkles in my outfit and tossed my silvery-blonde tresses over my shoulder and sat on my white and soft blue bed.
"Luna." I called in a soft, sing-song voice. Moments later, an agile black cat jumped through my open window and onto my bed.
"It's time."I said, gently scratching behind her ears. I stood, closing and locking the window and picked her up. I carried her out into my living room and set he down on top of her carry-cage.
"Get in. You know they won't allow you at the airport without being in a cage." I said, grabbing my carry-on bag and my suitcases. After a brief moment of pouting, she finally got in her cage. I gently pushed the door shut with my foor until I heard it automatically lock.
Grabbing her cage, I walked out the door. Harnesing my telepathic abilities, I closed my apartment up (anything left open or on), locked everything up, and was on my way to the airport.

I arrived in California seven hours later, stiff and bored out of my mind. I exited the terminal and scanned the waiting area for my ride.
Spotting a dark-haired man holding a sign that read 'Ren Mitchell', I adjusted the strap on my carry-on and walked towards the sign. Next to the man stood a beautiful woman with brown eyes and dark hair, highlighted in blonde.
"Hello." I said, approaching the two.
"Are you Ren Mitchell?" asked the girl.
"To an extent, yes."
"Shall we go then?" the man suggested, an air of impatience about him.
"We shall."I amswered. The man turned and began walking towards the baggage claim. I followed, walking next to the woman.
"So, what's your name?" I asked her.
"Cardelia." she answered.
"That's a beautiful name."
"Thank you. So what's your real name? 'Ren' just doesn't seems to fit you all too well."
"Serenity."
"Now that suits you. And it original." she said as we approached the baggage claim. We stood for only a few moments until my two suitcases and Luna came out. I quickly pulled my bags off the belt and carefully picked up Luna.
"Are you alright sweetie?" I asked her, recieving a growl in return. I shook my head and returned to my escorts. The man was barely holding one suitcase, I noticed, as I picked up the other one with ease, and the three of us exited the airport.

He was living in an old, rundown hotel, I found as the three of us drove up to the front. I immediately jumped out of the car and onto the hard pavement. I looked up at t he many stories in awe.
"You look as if you have never seen a place like this before." the man, Wesley, I learned earlier in the car, said, coming up me.
"I have," I started, turning to face him, "I just couldn't imagine him living in a hotel until I saw this place."
"I stepped to the open trunk and retrieved my two suitcases and closed the trunk. I stepped to a waiting Cordelia as she picked Luna's cage up.
"He doesn't like me much, does he?" I asked.
"He doesn't trust too many people from the boss's past."
"Perfectly natural reaction."
Cordelia and I walked into the hotel and I immediately began to scan the shadows, looking for my friend.
The elevator doors opened a few feet to my right and, standing within them, he stood. Tall, dark, and handsome.
"Tenshi*!" I all but yelled as I dropped my suitcases and ran to him. We hugged just as the elevator doors closed.

"You fell in love with a slayer?" I asked, sipping my Bloody Mary. Angel and I were in a kareoke bar, litered with demons of all different species.
"Yes. I thought we could have made it work." he answered. "At least it's better than your current situation." he nodded at the necklace around my neck. I lifted the ring and examined it.
"This is one of the reasons why I wanted you to track down Endymion for me. I wanted to give this back to him. I realized a long time ago that what we had all those centuries ago, is over now. The ties must be severed if either of us are to truely move on."
"Then why did you want to know what he was up to?"
"It's a favor I have to do for the Powers That Be. They told me I had to stop him from doing the inthinkable, but I didn't know what that was."
"So you hired me to find that out for you."
"Exactly. He's trying to find a 'cure' to his vampiric nature."
"He wants to be human again."
"Yes. And the Powers don't want that. They can't have it. I just can't figure out why they don't want him to be human."
"Something to look into."
We fell into a silence and just sat back and listened to various demons sing horribly.
"Why don't you go up there and sing? As I remember, you had a really good voice."
"I'm not doing kareoke."
"But why not?"
"Kareoke ~ Japanese for tone deaf!"
"Come on! You know you want to."
"No, really, I don't. Don't you remember the last time I sang?"
"Ren. Please?"
"You know I hate it when you plead."
"Then do what I'm asking."
"What'll you give me for it?"
"Information."
"On anything I want?"
"Anything."
"What do you want to hear?"

"He never told me!" I nearly screamed and Angel and I walked down the street, back towards the hotel.
"Calm down."
"The bastard never told me!"
"Ren. Calm down."
"Where is he?"
"You're not in your - "
"Where is he Angel!?"
"I'm not going to tell you."
"If you don't," I said, stopping and facing him menicingly, "I'll force it out of you."
"How about I take you to hime?"
"You don't trust me!"
"I don't want him dead if the Powers want him alive - so to speak."
"I won't kill him. Any more than he already is anyway."
"No."
"Fine, then. I'll find him myself."
"I'll follow!"
"I'm a day walker."
"Sewers."
"Mass transit."
"Fine! He has an apartment ten minutes east of the hotel. Lakevief Plaza, room 26E."
"Thank you. I'll be back later." I said, gently kissing him on his cheek and running in the direction he told me.

I calmly walked throught the lobby of the apartment complex ~ with the same disgusting floral print as most ~ and into the elevator, pushing the button for the fifth floor.
The ride up seemed to take forever, and I'm pretty sure the other passengers seemed to think so as well.
I lightly fingered my necklace and the ring at the end, thinking of everything Endymion and I had been through together. Then I began thinking of how much I was going to kill him for what he did to me.
I snapped from my thoughts just in time for the elevator doors to open on the fifth floor. I stepped out and walked to the right, following the increasing numbers.
"23 . . . 24 . . . 25 . . . 26E!" I said to myself, reading the numbers off the apartment doors. I stood outside the doors, contemplating my next move.
I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly, and knocked on his door. A few moments passed and, as my heightened senses began to kick in, I vaguely became aware of someone moving around in the apartment. Just as I raised my hand to knock again, the door swung open, revealing Darien, dark-haired and blue-eyed, and looking a bit disheviled.
"Serenity?" he asked, running a hand through his silky locks.
"It's Ren, Darien." I replied.
"Come in." he invited. Nodding politely, I stepped past him and into his apartment. It was decorated in various shades of blacks, whites, and greys with no appearant personal touches anywhere.
There was a kitchen to the right, and just past that, a hallway where I'm assuming his bedroom was. Straight ahead was the living room with a simple black, leather couch and chair and an entertainment system. On the other side of the living room was a sliding door, leading to a balcony.
"Nice place." I said, looking back at him.
"Thanks." he closed the door behind me. "So, what brings you here?"
"I heard you were trying to become human again."
"Is that all?" he asked. He walked past me and sat on the chouch, looking directly at me.
"No. I came to get the whole story and return this to you." I unclasped the chain around my neck and removed the necklace, reclasping it and tossing it to him.
"What? You want nothing to do with me anymore?" he asked, examining the ring.
"Not so much that. I kinda figured, despite whatever feelings I might still have for you, if you don't return them, then there's no point in dwelling on the past."
"Uh-huh."
"You never did give me an actual reason as to why you broke everything off with me."
"I don't want to get into that." he said, turning and looking out the balcony doors.
"Too bad, I wanna know."
"No, Ren, you don't." he stood from the couch and walked to the balcony doors, opening them and stepping into the crisp Los Angeles night air.
"Then allow me to take a stab at it." I said, following him. "You were sent on a mission by the Higher Powers and, not wanting me to get hurt, you broke any and all contact, leaving me in Japan. But that's not all! This mission soo presented you with an unknown and forbidden reward. Mortality. To be human again. So, here you are, so very close to figuring out the secret to mortlity, yet so ver far. And you won't truely figure it out because, other than the Higher Powers, you know of only one other person who knows its secret. You just don't know who this person is." I finished. He hadn't moved throughout my entire speech. Moments passed by before he finally did move.
"How do you know so much?" he asked, turning to look at me.
"Because the Powers came to me with vague bits and pieces of information about what you were doing. It was only a matter of time before I figured it all out."
"You always were too clever for your own good."
I walked over to the balcony rail, looking over the city.
"I know the secret you've been searching for." I said, quietly.
"What?"
"I know the secret. The key to unlocking mortality to any vampire that wants it. I have it, know it, whatever."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I know you want to be mortal again, and believe me, so do I. But I can't."
"Why not?"
"Something I didn't tell you is that, when I was mortal, I was dying. I had, maybe three years left. At most that is." Tears began streaming down my face.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, closing the distance between us and embracing me in a hug.
"I didn't tell you because I was afraid I'd lose you. Just like I am now. I know it's selfish, but that's just how it is."
"I wanted to be mortal so we could return to our normal lives. To have children and be what we should have been. A normal, mortal, married couple."
"You can still have that."
"I want it to be with you. No one else." I stepper from his embrace and walked into his apartment and towards the front door.
"Ren! Wait!" he quickly walked to me. I held my hand out, stopping him.
"The key is a pair of lovers. Not just any lover, though." I turned away from him and opened the door, stepping out. "The key is the guardians of the cup. They're soulmates, forever destined to be together." I left, shutting the door behind me.


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*Tenshi - it's pretty much Japanese for angel.
Another thing, Kareoke isn't Japanese for tone deaf, that's just a little joke I had to throw in. (You happy now Jafar?) It's actually Japanese for amature something, I can't remember what.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed and I will try to get the rest the next installment out as soon as I can.