Somewhere - L.A. USA - year 2001
Usagi Tsukino slowly browsed through her notes from the days visit to a gallery downtown. She and three other students at the college she currently studied at had been commissioned to arrange a coming exhibition as a part of their exams, and she was looking forwards to finally getting to practice her choice of profession, even if it would be a while until she had finished her studies.
She had been in LA for almost a year now, spending the first half-year taking a thorough course in English while living with one of her father's business associates. It had been hard, especially as languages weren't exactly her favorite subjects, but she did have to admit it helped a lot. Now, she spoke English rather well, if with an accent.
It had been lonely to be all by herself in the US at first, that she had to admit. Not to mention that it felt incredibly weird to not fight youma all the time. But in the end, she couldn't help but feel relieved that she didn't have to fight yet. She wasn't ready yet. However, she knew she would return eventually to take up her position as Sailor Moon. In the meanwhile, she got running reports from her friends in Japan on the current situation. So far, they managed rather well, even with the sudden appearance of the four generals and the mysterious prince Endymion.
With a sigh, Usagi rose. She had to get back to the dorms now to type up some assignments on her laptop. Life as a college student sure wasn't all fine and dandy…
The roof of a building - L.A. USA - year 2001
Angelus stared into the setting sun, relishing in the feeling of not burning. It was finally done; he had managed to get himself together, both literally and figuratively speaking. Angelus and he were no longer separate beings as they had been for over two hundred years since that foolish day he let his depression overwhelm him. They were one being, demon and man entwined, making a strong being without the weaknesses of man or demon. The darker side of him was still there, but it was a part of him now, it could be suppressed until needed. As it had been in the beginning.
Ironically, the woman who made him separate into two beings was the one who made place for the fusion. Buffy Summers the woman both parts of his soul loved to obsession. The woman who could hurt him beyond words and had done so already. It had been necessary both times it happened though, and Angelus knew that no one were to blame.
The reason for his sudden mental turn around was the quarrel they had just a few hours ago. It had been about all and nothing, but it wasn't what had been said that was important. It was the fact that they for the first time had hit each other in malice. A fact that still made him shudder with guilt. It had woken him up though and made him smell the roses. There was no use in going around like a depressed maniac after all.
Turning around to go inside, Angelus couldn't help but smile. Before, he had been to wrapped up in his own guilt and depression to understand what it meant that the reincarnations had begun. Now it did, and it made him feel hopeful. The time of change had finally come!
Vampire Hunters High Quarter - L.A. USA - year 2001
The black teenager going by the name Charles Gunn was no ordinary street kid. He was a part by a gang of orphaned and homeless teenagers who had devoted their lives to hunting vampires, the leader in fact. Not too common in LA. Or anywhere else in the world for that matter. Especially as the mortals fighting the evil creatures of the dark has a tendency to die very quickly. And the teens even more often than the adults. However, he, they, had help. They would've died a long time ago if Angel hadn't been. The souled vampire with a guilty mind trying to make amends for something he couldn't rule over.
The young boy, seventeen years old or so, rose from his bed and looked out over the streets, then pulled on his all black cloths to walk out of the warehouse he and his gang lived in. He was feeling restless, and he knew then, that something or someone was out there, needing him. Years had gone by since he first had learned to trust his guts. He jumped into the rusty old pick-up they used in their job and started to drive, following the feeling deep inside him, leading him to a dark alley deep inside the middle class part of town, close to one of the colleges.
As he hopped out of the car, he heard a rustle from the darkest corner as two vampires attacked someone. Quickly dodging into the alley, Gunn found himself face to face with three vampires attacking a college girl in his own age. She seemed to have some basic knowledge about the martial arts and was holding out on her own rather well. But he knew that she couldn't go on forever.
He quickly threw himself at the closest vamp and was promptly kicked away.
"Take the other," he gasped to it. "I'll take care of this one."
She nodded and attacked the other vamp, keeping it away from it effectively by using martial arts moves.
"Can't you guys get enough?" the girl panting after hitting the vampire in the head using an acrobatic kick.
Gunn huffed.
"They won't," he shouted at her while staking his vampire and going after the next one. "It's a vampire, stick something wooden and pointy through it's heart!"
"Well" the girl said, glaring at the vamp and kicking it in the family jewels "I didn't know it was a vampire."
Then she swiftly vaulted backwards (somewhat wobbly though, as if it was something she had just learned how to do) and grabbed a piece from a fence, throwing it like a Frisbee into the vampire's chest, making it explode into ashes. She turned to him.
"Need help?" she asked as he punched his opponent in the face.
"No" he smiled and produced a stake from a pocket, dusting the vamp. "I'm ok."
She grinned and nodded.
"So I see," she said, then gave him an intense look. "Who are you? And what did just happen?"
Gunn sighed. He wasn't the right man to explain this to her.
"I'm Gunn" he introduced himself. "If you have nothing against it, I can take you to someone who can explain better than I can."
She shrugged and stepped into the streetlight.
"Why not?" she said.
"Come" he said softly. "My car is over there."
Angel's apartment - L.A. USA - year 2001
Angelus sat in his private library chronicling the last days of his life in one of the huge volumes he kept around for that very reason. It wasn't quite a diary or journal, rather a way for him to remember what had happened during his all too long life. And when you had lived for as long as he had, it was rather nice to have some help to remember all those millennia.
His sensitive ears suddenly caught the sounds of two sets of feet walking down the stairs to his cellar apartment. Frowning, Angelus put down the chronicle zoned in on the approaching guests. The first was most definitely Gunn, he knew no one else who knew the secret signal made up by whistling the theme to 'Xena: Warrior Princess' to show your peaceful intentions who would come at night. Not to mention that his scent was rather distinctive.
Concentrating on the second person, Angelus made a double take. He recognized that walking pattern, that scent of roses and the unique scent given to the descendants of the original Selenians. Could it be…?
"Angelman?" the boy asked softly. "You there?"
Angelus smiled a little.
"Yes," he replied." Come on in with your friend. I'm in the library."
The door opened, and the boy entered together with his companion, a young woman he recognized all to well. She looked just like she had done all those millennia ago with the important difference that the small hair knots she used to wear was replaced with a simple braid reaching her upper thighs. But there was no doubt about her identity. This was the incarnation of the Imperial Princess, now Empress, Serenity, or as she called herself nowadays, Usagi Tsukino.
"Konbanwa," he softly said in Japanese, directing the words to the girl. "I am Angelus Lamia. It's nice to meet you."
The girl gave him a surprised smile and offered her hand.
"Konbanwa," she said quietly. "I'm Usagi Tsukino. Have we met before?"
"Briefly," he replied with a smile. "I doubt you remember it."
He shook her hand, then turned to Gunn and raised an eyebrow. Understanding his unspoken question, Gunn answered.
"She had a fight with a couple of vamps," he answered. "And fought them. She wants to know. I took her to you as I have a feeling that you're much better at this than I. Can I leave her with you? I have to leave, or the others will send a search party for me."
Angelus nodded.
"It's all right," he said and turned to Usagi. "Is it all right with you, Usagi-san?"
"Hai," she nodded.
Gunn nodded to them and disappeared, leaving Angelus alone with the strange yet familiar girl. He smiled at her.
"Do you want to talk now, or do you want to take a shower and get clean cloths?" he asked softly. "I'm aware that fighting vampires can be rather hard on the cloths."
Usagi gave him a radiating smile, the kind that Buffy usually gave him. A pang of loss ripped through his body, but he quickly concealed it.
"Hai, arigatoo!" she exclaimed. "If it's not too much trouble of course?"
"No" he assured her. "It's fine with me. Just follow me, and I'll show you to the bathroom. There are clean towels in there, and the shampoo and soap stand next to them."
Usagi nodded and then he led her through the basement to the bathroom. She entered, and a few minutes later, he heard the shower turn on. Angelus nodded to himself, then took it on himself to find some of the cloths he always kept in the office for emergencies. Choosing a pair of drawstring pants in blue and a soft tee, he then grabbed a hairbrush and Cordelia's mirror to return to his apartment. There, he placed the articles outside her door and then went into the living room, turning on some music to wait for her arrival.
It didn't take long. Within ten minutes, she entered the living room, carrying the brush, trying to brush her long blonde hair, failing miserably.
"Give me a minute," she smiled weakly before engaging in battle with another tangle. In the end, she decided it was a lost cause. "Think you can help me with this? It's kind of hard brushing it by myself..."
"I'll do it," he gently said. "Just sit down on the chair over there. We can talk while I'm brushing your hair."
Usagi went over to the chair as he asked, and he positioned himself behind her, beginning to brush through her long hair, beginning at the bottom.
"So" he started. "What do you want to know?"
"Well" she answered. "The young man told me that those creatures I fought were vampires. You can start by explaining that one."
Angelus smiled a little. Right to the point.
"I guess we'll start at the beginning," he said. "The story starts millions of years ago, when Earth still was ruled by demons. However, due to a Great War ending, other humanoids came to Earth, finding and helping the humans.
"Slowly, their number increased, and soon their masses were almost as big as the demons. And at the same time, a woman came to Earth from outer space, from the Empire of the Moon, an empire with humanoids, to help the humans overpower the demons. And with the power of a talisman, the mighty Ginzuishou, she started to banish the demons.
"But the strongest of the demons, the leader and lord of demons, Acathla, wouldn't give up that easy. He chose a strong human man; a man called Vampiros, and mixed his own demonic blood with his mortal, so creating a new race, called vampires after the first one, Vampiros. Part demon, part human, they wasn't exactly human, but not pure demons either. They were different, having gotten things from both species.
"A typical vampire is allergic to sunlight, stakes, garlic, holy things and fire. They can be killed by beheading, burning, exposing to the sunlight and a stake through the heart. But they're also unable to have children, and has to mix their blood with a human to create more vampires, usually by biting them in the neck, drinking their blood, then letting them drink theirs.
"A vampire has to eat blood to survive, and as he's technically dead, he has no breath or heartbeat. He casts no reflection and has extraordinary senses, strength, healing, speed and powers. However, he also looses his soul, the very thing that makes a human, and in its place, a demon comes. Therefore, a vampire's only desire is to overtake the world and bring hell to Earth once more. But so far, they've never succeeded. Partly because of the human strength, even as most human doesn't even know of their existence, but mostly because of the Slayer.
"A Slayer is a girl born with the strength and skill to hunt and kill the powers of the night. She was created in the moment Vampiros was killed, and since then, a girl has always been here to fight them and protect humanity. When she dies, another comes in her place. But there's only one at a time, as another Slayer isn't called until the one that existed before her has died. That is, until a couple of years ago.
"Back then, Buffy Summers were the Slayer, and she still is. But in her second year of Slaying, she died temporarily, but was revived. Another Slayer was already called though. So now, there are two. Buffy and a girl named Faith.
"For every Slayer there's also a watcher. That's a wise man or woman with knowledge about demons, that record everything a Slayer does to save their deeds for the teaching of coming Slayers. They also help the Slayers with their training and research for them so they will know how to kill the demons they bump into. I think that's all."
Angelus looked down at the golden girl and smiled. He had finished her hair a couple of minutes ago and braided it for her again.
"I see," Usagi mumbled. "How come you know all of this?"
Angelus smiled amusedly. Everyone he met seemed to ask him that.
"I'm a
vampire," he simply said.
