I don't own anything used in this fan fiction.

Yay! Are you people happy I'm back!? Sorry for the wait, my computer crashed, I had to get a new one, my files were lost, and it was just awful.

NOTE: Everything from now on is in Rukia's POV, in the year 2009, unless I say otherwise. 1944 is done and over, although there's going to be a lot of flashbacks!
Flashbacks will be in third person.

Epilogue: Strange ANGELS

I mention you when I say my prayers
I wrap you around all of my thoughts
Boy, you're my temporary high
I wish that when I wake up you're there
To wrap your arms around me for real and tell me you'll stay by side
Clouds filled with stars cover the skies
And I hope it rains
You're the perfect lullaby
What kind of dream is this?

-Sweet Dreams

2009

They say that first loves always stay in your heart. That you can never move on from that one person. That isn't exactly a lie, but it certainly isn't true, either.

I know from personal experience. Now, that I'm nearly… what? Eighty, ninety years old? I've lost track through the years. All I know is that I can never live happily with my new boyfriend, Jason Barry, a lawyer from Louisville.

He had come here about three years ago, wanting to be away from America. He doesn't know my real age. He thinks I'm a young, successful, twenty-eight year old wannabe dancer.

I'll have to leave the poor sap before I 'turn thirty'. He's nice, that's for sure, and I'm sure we could have been a great match, under different circumstances. But he's just too… perfect. The kind of guy Internet dating websites like Perfect Match or eHarmony would match you up with.

We had met in a bar, as cliché as it seems. It was… the anniversary, and thought that drinking my troubles away would be the easiest option.

He had, for the first time in God knows how long, made me laugh, although bitterly. I had decided I lived alone for far too long, and, to his joy, dated him. Sooner or later, like all human men did, he would ask me to marry him.

Rukia Barry. It didn't fit. It wasn't… me.

Rukia Kuchiki. Better, much better, but it reminds me too much of my lonely days.

Rukia Kurosaki. That name always brings a bittersweet smile to my face. I loved him. I still do.

I will, forever.

---

Mitsuki was doing much better than I was, and so were Toshirou and Karin. Mitsuki had, as Hitsugaya always said, altered destiny, and now, instead of a Kyoto mental institution, she was living in Manchester with her new boyfriend, Dimitri Meyers.

Dimitri had lived in London all his life, meeting Mitsuki on her recent trip there. She had left looking for Demons, and had stayed with a new beau up in Manchester.

I really don't think Mitsuki ever got over one dude she met while on the Council. His name was… Hisagi, I think. He was a Hunter. They would be together, if it weren't for Head General Yamamoto. Slayers and Hunters being together were almost as bad as a Vampire and a Slayer.

So, at least she could fine some happiness with a human.

She'll break it off sooner or later. With her never-aging appearance, she couldn't keep using the 'Skin Genesis Cream' excuse anymore.

Yup. Within the next year, probably, she'll be back in Japan, maybe back to the Council Elders.

Karin and Hitsugaya were terrific, as always. They already have their first kid. They've been married for well over sixty years, but are just now getting a baby. In Immortal years, that's pretty short, really.

It's a cute, bright blue-eyed baby girl. They named her Hope. I love that name. It just spells out the future for our kind. Really, all Vampires are riding on it.

'Hope'.

Karin was really jittery the last time I saw her, about a month ago. Maybe they're expecting another, and she wasn't sure, yet. I never call them. I wouldn't know.

Ichigo… Ichigo Kurosaki. I don't know where he is. After… after the war, after he found me, he left. I think Karin told me he moved to Las Vegas, I think.

I think Mitsuki's talked to him once, when she went up to Nevada on a call. The Slayer Union up in America had to split their forces, due to some whacko occurrence in Manhattan. I think a harbor was overrun with Shifter Demons.

That was twenty years ago.

Apparently, he owned a huge string of American hospitals.

I was a Slayer in Kyoto.

What very different lives my lover and I lead.

---

Rika… my sweet daughter, Rika. She's sixty-five, with the appearance of a ten year old.

Jason knows nothing about her. As far as he knows, he's the first man I've ever been with.

…Ever.

She lives in Manchester with Mitsuki. Dimitri adores her. Mitsuki uses the excuse 'goddaughter' all the time. If Dimitri were only immortal, then maybe Rika could have a real family, if just once.

I'd wish nothing more.

I'm still looking for Mikoto. The Slayers are still searching, but there are no leads. I refuse to believe she's dead. I won't accept the possibility until a body is discovered.

Until a body is discovered…

Dianne lives in San Francisco, still as young as ever. She's got men groveling at her feet all the time. She's the Megan Fox of San Fran.

And me? I just want to go back. I want to have everyone back.

----------------

Manchester, England

"Come on, Mi… do you seriously have to go?" Dimitri whined. Mitsuki smiled softly and walked up to him, brushing some dirty blond hair out of his face. His blue eyes shimmered with sadness.

"I'm sorry, hon, the… office, needs me. You can get me anytime, anywhere, on my Blackberry. I'll be back in a couple days." She was heading to Florida. The Miami division needed some help, and the Tampa, Palm Beach, Orlando, Georgia and Alabama divisions were already flooded with work, as were the other states and cities. The U.S had been targeted a lot, lately.

Dimitri just thought it was another business trip.

"But what about Rika?" He asked, using another approach. "She was really looking forward to the zoo. Last night you got her all hyped up over the tigers, and the petting zoo's rabbits."

Mitsuki smiled ruefully. "I know. But can you take her? She loves you, and you two hardly spend any time together anymore. Now, I got to go." She kissed his cheek, right before her ringtone buzzed. Cowboy Casanova by Carrie Underwood played, and she jumped, startled.

Dimitri chuckled.

Mitsuki flipped out her Blackberry Storm.

"Yeah? Oh, hey, Angela. Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm on my way to the airport. No, I'm still in Manchester. I'll be there. I know, I'll call you when the plane lands. You still got another hour before Nicholas has to be there. Okay, see you later."

"Bye." She said, kissing him on the lips this time. "Love you!" She called, leaving the bedroom.

Dimitri groaned.

--

"Bye, Rika." Mitsuki grinned, kissing the top of the young girl's head. "I love you. Dimitri's going to take you to the zoo, get ready!"

Rika looked at her painfully. "Is it another demon?" Mitsuki's grin dropped, and she sighed, putting down her Louis Vuitton suitcase. "Yes, sweetheart. It's a demon. Some Lizards. They won't be too hard to take out. I'll be back in a few days."

Rika considered this. "What about daddy? Didn't you say he helped us? Why can't he do this? I want you to stay." She pouted.

Mitsuki offered a smile. "Your father… only takes care of the demons and vampires in Boston. He doesn't worry so much about every going-on in Miami. I'll be back soon!"

Rika blinked.

"Alright."

Kyoto, Japan

"Jason. Jason!" I yelled, effectively getting his attention. He smiled warmly at me, like he always did. It bothered me. It was… too nice. Almost fake.

I missed Ichigo's half-assed smiles, his angry scowls, and his concerned, yet equally annoying quips and jokes.

I knew I had to break it off. Now. He would be crushed, but I could always move. Maybe back to Tokyo. Or… even Chicago. I love cold weather.

I sighed.

"We need to talk."

---------

Miami, Florida

"Um…"

"Yes, Angela?"

"Miss Warren, Mitsuki Kuchiki from the Kyoto division has just arrived."

Avery Warren, Lieutenant of the Miami division, raised a brown brow. The brunette's green eyes were clouded with confusion. "Kyoto? I thought I called in for Slayers in Manchester."

Angela nodded, her blond hair bouncing with every movement of her head. "Y-you did, ma'am. She lives there. She's been going back and forth the past forty years."

"Ah, now I get it," Avery laughed. "So she's the half-vampire! Interesting… she's supposed to be one of the best."

Angela nodded. "Yes, she is. She is a Kuchiki, after all."

Avery snorted, fingering one of the pens on her desk. "Pfft. Please, my grandmother worked with her brother, Byakuya, for years until he fell in love with some stupid Tokyo girl." Her eyes turned cold. "He threw it all away for that brat. The fame, the wealth, the glory that came with the Kuchiki name. If you ask me, the Kuchiki's are nothing more than selfish wannabe's."

Angela gulped. She knew better than to argue with Avery Warren, even if she strongly disagreed. She was a sucker when it came to love.

"Yeah, but if he loved her… wouldn't it be okay?"

Avery, once again, snorted. "That's just it, Angel. He didn't love her. He thought he did." She turned, facing the window. "Like I said, the Kuchiki's just…"

"The Kuchiki's just what, Ave?"

Avery stiffened, and Angela gasped. "Oh my God, Mitsuki!"

"Hey, O'Shea!" Mitsuki said, using Angela's surname. The two women hugged.

"I heard you talking 'bout my big bro, there, Ave. Don't judge a book by its cover! Not all Kuchiki's act like there's a stick up their ass! My brother was just special."

"Yeah… you most certainly aren't your brother." Translation: You're annoying, loud, and I just want to rip that stupid Gucci purse out of your hands and stuff it down your throat.

Mitsuki grinned. "Yeah, and you're nothing like everyone says the Warrens are." Translation: You're just bitter because you know the Warrens are weaklings and I'm smarter, stronger, and can take you out with half my body paralyzed.

"What do they say?" Avery asked, worry in her emerald eyes. Mitsuki snickered inwardly. "Oh, you know. That they're spineless, weak, and would rather save themselves than an innocent, civilian child."

Avery's teeth gritted together. "Oh, really, Kuchiki? Well, I'll tell you what-"

"O-kay!" Angela laughed nervously. "That's enough. How about I show you to your hotel, Mitsuki? Unfortunately, unlike the city, our division's fairly small, and we don't have housing, yet."

"That would be terrific! Bye, Warren!" She sang, leaving behind a seething Avery.

She roared.

"KUCHIKI!!"

Miami Beach, Florida
Albion, South Beach Hotel

"Nice," Mitsuki smiled as she walked into the lobby.

"Ha," Angela laughed. "Glad you like it. One of our agents is around here somewhere… maybe you know him. He lived in Japan for a few years… oh, there he is! Mr. Kurosaki!"

Mitsuki almost fainted.

"Ichigo?!"

---------

"Oh, great. You two do know each other. Now we can skip awkward introductions!"

Ichigo stayed calm, while Mitsuki stuttered and shook. "Hello, Ms. Kuchiki. I trust Toshirou, my sister, and… your in-law are well?"

Mitsuki looked away, scowling.

Ichigo chuckled softly, shaking his head. Some things never change, now.

"I wouldn't know." Mitsuki finally said, growling. "Karin and Hitsugaya are still in Tokyo, and from what Rukia told me, they've got a daughter, now. They named her Hope. Rukia's in Kyoto, with her new fiancée." She sneered the word, and turned her blazing eyes on him.

It was an exaggeration, sure, but one little white lie won't hurt. "I haven't been in Japan for nearly ten years, Ichigo. But I assume they're all perfectly happy."

Ichigo had tensed at the word, fiancée. "Rukia… is getting married?"

Mitsuki nodded stiffly. "Yes, and she's beyond happy."

Angela was now genuinely confused. Mitsuki rolled her eyes. The similarities between Inoue Orihime and Angela O'Shea were just too great.

"I see." Ichigo said quietly. "Give her my congratulations, when you talk to her again."

Mitsuki glared. "Oh, don't worry, I will."

"Well," Angela started again, "I just hope you two won't be like this forever. You've got to stick together, if you're going to work together!"

Mitsuki's eyes bulged.

Ichigo sighed heavily, preparing his poor ears for the explosion.

"Excuse me?"

Boom.

-------

"Listen, Mitsuki, I know you're mad…"

"Oh, I'm not mad. I am furious." They were seated on two cabana chairs beside the pool. Ichigo wore a purple tee shirt with the words 'nice vibe' written clearly on the front, and swim trunks.

Mitsuki wore a bikini top and a yellow skirt, her Prada sunglasses hiding her blue-gray eyes from the sun.

"How dare Avery Warren do this to me? Just because her old, selfish, bitch of a grandmother couldn't get my brother in the sac, she's had it out for me! You know, it can't just be her grandmother… maybe she's got a thing for the Meyers, and she's mad because I'm dating Dimitri! I did hear she stalked his brother when they went to the academy…"

Ichigo sighed. Even after sixty-some years, she still managed to get horribly sidetracked.

"So…" Mitsuki started once her rant was over, "Why are you here, working with the Slayers? I thought you lived in Nevada. Weren't you the owner of a huge Las Vegas hospital?"

He nodded. "Still am. But I heard rumors of a Kuchiki coming out here, to Miami. I just…"

"You just got the wrong Kuchiki, huh?" She whispered, looking sympathetically at him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped earlier."

He smiled. "It's fine. I can… understand."

"He's not her fiancé." She suddenly said, blatantly ignoring the screaming twelve year olds in the background.

"Huh?"

"He's just a boyfriend. And I don't even think she likes him like that." Mitsuki looked at him, her eyes begging for forgiveness.

"That's… good to know." He chuckled.

"Yeah." She wiped her brow, and glared at the sun. "You know, we're so lucky the old human myths were wrong about vampires and the sun, otherwise, we would be dead."

Ichigo laughed. "You're right. But, we are more likely to get skin cancer. Wow… no one would ever guess you were nearly one hundred, by the way you look."

She scoffed. "Save it for Rukia, Kurosaki. Because, this time, you're not leaving before you kiss her at least once."

But they did so much more than that, Mitsuki's inner voice chided. They love each other so much. You remember the kiss, the tears, the long goodbye… he thought she was dead for so long. And, she had to leave, right after he found her.

Memories flashed through Mitsuki's subconscious.

An office, a balcony, a cracked doorway, promises and vows…

Rukia stood, wiping away tears. "I can't stay. I can't…"

Ichigo stood, his eyes hurt.

"Mitsuki?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Well, what's the case, huh?"

Ichigo cleared his throat, pulling out a file. "You remember the Turok Han? Well, they've reproduced. With humans."

"H-humans?" She stuttered. "Gross."

"Yeah. And they've reproduced with… hybrids, and normal vampires."

Mitsuki stopped breathing.

"It's more like a cult, than a breed. They're calling themselves… Angelus."

"Angelus is Latin for Angel," Mitsuki said blankly. "Angel… Tenshi…"

Urahara's words echoed.

"Codename: Tenshi."

"Why angel?"

"Lately, that's all they've been saying. Angel, angel, angel…"

"They're rapidly multiplying…"

"It's the Winter War all over again…"

Ichigo just nodded.

"Oh, God… we've got to go… I'll call Toshirou, and Rukia, and Karin…"Mitsuki just kept rambling.

Ichigo shook his head. "No." He said sternly, his eyes turning that awful blood-shade. Compulsion. Something only the highest rank of Vampire could achieve.

It was then that Mitsuki realized how hard he had trained. How much he worked for.

But compulsion didn't need to convince her.

"Okay, I get it. It's too dangerous."

"Listen to me, Mitsuki. Rukia, Karin, Toshirou, and all the rest of them are last resorts. Are we clear? These… things are part human. The Turok Han are extinct. They shouldn't be that hard to kill. Although… it may feel like murder. These things can sometimes get too human. You can't hesitate. Run, kill, and run. That's the new philosophy."

"Alright. I get it."

"This is no dream. Do you remember what Sage, Hisana, and Hisagi told you? There's greater danger up ahead. And this is it."

"I got it."

How do you like it? It's the end of Angel, for now. But seriously, you didn't think I'd just leave it here, did you? A whole different saga's up next!

Stay tuned…

Summary:
And just when I thought my life couldn't get any more difficult, I learned the meaning of being 'shadow touched'. Sequel to Angel. IchiRuki. HitsuKarin.

Title: Shadows in the Light

Rating: M (To be safe!)