The time came to part ways all too soon. It was nearly dawn and the gargoyles had been flesh for more than thirty-six hours. Soon, they would be stone again and when they awoke, the Senshi would be on an airplane heading back to Japan.

Lita had objected to this very loudly. She was even prepared to take the skiff back to Avalon and hope that she was needed in Japan rather than fly. But with a lot of convincing and a bottle of valium as a going away present from Fox she had finally consented to fly home.

The Senshi again found themselves gathered at the tower, but this time it was to say goodbye. No one was happy about this turn of events. Broadway and Lita were quickly swapping as many recipes as they could while Raye and Brooklyn were trading insults with a rapidity that failed to mask the fact that they were both upset about parting ways.

Serena saved saying goodbye to Goliath and Angela for last. Goliath knelt and held her close, gently stroking Serena's hair. She had been like a daughter to him and he would miss her greatly. 'Take care of yourself…Dumpling Head," he said, making a conscious effort to use her nickname.

"I will Goliath," said Serena.

Serena finally came to Angela. For a moment they both stood there saying nothing. Angela was the first to break the silence. "I'll write as often as I can," she said. "My name is common enough here that your parent's shouldn't be too suspicious."

"And I'll try to find a way to come back to visit you," said Serena. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes and she could not contain herself any longer. With a sob she threw herself into Angela's arms and buried her face against her chest. Angela wrapped her arms and wings about Serena, the tears streaming down her face and mingling with those of her friends.

They pulled away after they had both fully expressed their grief at parting. Angela wiped Serena's cheeks dry and gave her a brave smile. "Until our next meeting," she said.

At last Harlem stepped forward to pay his respects. He dropped to one knee and looked at the floor. "Your highness, it has been my pleasure to serve thee for the short while that thou hast been under my protection. Although I am reluctant to send thee unescorted to the gargoyles in your realm of Tokyo, I know that they shall protect thee as diligently as I."

Raye snorted at this. "There are no gargoyles in Tokyo. The nearest clan is over two hundred miles away from us."

"What?!" exclaimed Harlem. "But her highness needs gargoyles to protect her! This cannot be so!" Harlem dropped to both knees and gook Serena's hand. "Your highness, with thy kind permission I beg thee to let me come with thee as thy guardian!"

Serena smiled, moved by a display of gallantry that Harlem gave her. "Goliath?" she asked.

Goliath merely shrugged. "If Harlem wishes to go with you I cannot stop him. The choice is yours."

Serena grinned. "Hudson, can I see your sword for a moment?" Hudson handed Serena his massive Viking blade with a bewildered look. Serena took the sword and gently touched Harlem on each of his shoulders and took on a regal, almost supercilious tone. "You may come with me, Harlem. I name you Sir Harlem, protectorate of the heirs of the Silver Millennium and knight of the future Crystal Tokyo. You may rise, Sir Harlem."

Raye rolled her eyes. She had been looking forward to getting away from Harlem's bizarre mannerisms. She could not believe that Serena was willing to indulge this misguided eccentric.

Harlem looked absolutely delighted. He bowed low and kissed Serena's hand. "Knighthood and the noble charge of thy protection; her highness could not have bestowed any greater honor on me."

Goliath stepped next to Harlem and, to everyone's surprise, kneeled before Serena. "When we meet again, I suspect that we will be in much the same position as Harlem. Remember, Serena, gargoyles protect, it is in our very blood. When the time comes, we would be honored to protect you, my Queen Serenity." Goliath placed both hands on his knees and bowed his head. As one, the rest o the gargoyles did the same. As they all knelt facing Serena, the sun rose and the gargoyles turned to stone with a crackling sound.

"Until we meet again, Goliath," said Serena. "We'll have to make arrangements with David to have Harlem brought with us."

-:-:-

"It's no problem at all, Serena," said David as he leaned back in his chair and propped his feet in his desk. "I am more than happy to do this fore the future Neo Queen Serenity."

"You know, putting your reputation aside," said Serena, wryly, "most people I have met aren't the type to show a tremendous amount of generosity to someone of importance unless they expected something in return. You have said that my gratitude is mine to give, but what do you really want from me Xanatos?"

Serena fully expected David to get offended. She was certain that he would insist that he was just being an altruist for once. She was not expecting a satisfied smile. "I like the fact that we are now being open with one another, Serena," he said. "Let's just say that the future Neo Queen Serenity owes one David Xanatos a favor for helping her out when she was a stranger in a strange land."

Serena nodded. "Fair enough," she said dryly. She extended her hand to David who shook it in a business-like way.

"Owen has all your luggage in the limo, and is ready to take you to the airport. Detective Maza will also be accompanying you. She wanted to say goodbye before you all left."

"Until we meet again, David-San," said Mamoru.

-:-:-

John F. Kennedy international Airport was always exceptionally busy this time of year. With Christmas only days away people were drying to beat the holiday rush and leave early. Apparently enough people though of this and the airport was jam-packed. The Senshi would be leaving on one of Xanatos's private jets, but is would be taking off under official functions to avoid arousing suspicions. Because this was a non-commercial flight, it had been pushed back three hours and the pilot had recommended that they not board yet so as to remain comfortable.

Elisa was waiting with them in the terminal. She wanted them to have a friendly face see them off, but secretly she had an ulterior motive. Almost as soon as they arrived she had pulled Mina aside for a private talk. "You know, you aught consider a career in law enforcement. With a little training you could be one swell detective."

Mina grinned and adjusted her bow. "Thanks, but no thanks, Elisa," she said. "My dream is to become a famous pop-singer. I really have no desire to give up on that."

"Well if there's anything I could do to get you to change your…what is she doing here?"

Mina spun around to see a very familiar looking woman in her early thirties. She had brilliant red hair that matched her business suit perfectly. Her eyes sparkled a brilliant green.

"Hello, Demona. Have you come to see us off?" asked Mina coldly. All the Senshi spun around and stared.

Demona was carrying a rather large rectangular object wrapped in brown paper. "Actually, I came here today to make one of your number an offer," said Demona, matching Mina's iciness. She walked purposely to where Raye was sitting and planted herself down next to her. "When I first met you, Raye Hino, I recognized in you an aptitude for magic that I have not seen in a human in almost four centuries. You could be great sorceress, with the proper training. That is why I would like to take you on as an official apprentice. The greatness is there Raye; it just needs some guidance to bring it out."

Raye cocked one eyebrow. "I'm not entirely sure I should trust you Demona," said Raye. "Given your history, you can understand why."

"Not taking everything at face value is a good trait to have, never stop using it." Demona frowned slightly. "I don't want an immediate answer. Like all offers, you need time to consider it." She handed Raye the brown package and a business card that Raye read carefully,

Dominique Destine

Nightstone Unlimited

"This is my contact information," said Demona. "Once you have given my offer some thought, give me a call to let me know your answer."

"And what is this for?" asked Raye, hefting the package. It was quite heavy, which was unsurprising given its bulk.

Demona stood up and straightened her skirt. "A little something to help you get started, regardless of your answer." She gave a short bow to each of the Senshi. "When you are the rulers of the greatest empire in this world, remember what the gargoyles have done for you." And with that, she walked back into the crowded airport and was gone.

"Well that was weird," commented Elisa. She looked at the package that Demona had given Raye. "I personally would not recommend that you open that in the airport," she said. "Knowing Demona, it could be something bad."

Raye began poking the package around the edges. "It feels like a hard-bound book," she said.

Elisa raised an eyebrow. "Demona was offering to take you on as an apprentice," she said slowly. "I'd bet my next month's salary that the book in there is a grimoire, an ancient book of magic."

Raye set the packaged book on the seat next to her. Her thoughts were swirling. She had touched magic the night that they had destroyed Metaria. She drummed her fingers as she stared at the book.

"Are you expecting it to do a trick or something?" asked Serena into her ear.

Raye gave a shout of surprise. "What are you trying to do, Meatball Brains, give me a heart attack?!"

"Sorry," said Serena meekly, "but you've been staring at that book for almost an hour-and-a-half. We take off in fifteen minutes."

Raye looked at the clock. Had she really been lost in thought for that long? She had been weighing the pros and cons of learning magic in her mind. She resolved to have a few hours alone on the plane to really look through that book.

She glanced at Lita who looked rather pale. "You gonna be Ok, Lita?" she asked, desperate to change the subject.

Lita stood up, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's better to face one's fears, inst it?" she asked. It was not a statement, it was a plea.

Serena smiled and patted her friends back. "Of course it is Lita. Now, lets get going. I'm ready to go home."

-:-:-

The flight was pretty uneventful. They had been in the air for almost five hours and it was still quite a ways from sunset. Xanatos had arranged for the flight to arrive in Tokyo after sunset so that Harlem could sneak off the plane without being seen. It was up to the Senshi to inform him of such and Xanatos had made sure that there was a door leading to the cargo area.

Raye was reading through a few texts of the grimoire during the flight. There was a letter between the book and the wrapper that she had set aside. She really did not want another invitation to become Demona's apprentice just yet.

"How we doing Raye," said Serena who popped her head over the seat in front of her.

Raye scowled. "You know Dumpling Head, you can be almost as annoying as Don Quixote in the cargo hold down there," she said, stamping the floor with her foot.

Serena's eyes lit on the envelope. "What's that?" she asked picking it up.

"Demona left it in the package. I'm not really interested in reading it just yet."

Darien leaned over the seat as well and gently took the envelope. "You mind if I read it Raye, just to give you a heads up about it's content?" he asked.

"Knock yourself out," said Raye. Mamoru and Serena disappeared from behind the seat and Raye returned her attention to the grimoire. She was overcome with a sudden desire to try a spell out. She chose a short one that looked to have some very simple instructions concerning hand gestures. It indicated that the caster point to an enclosed dark area to cast it. The overhead storage bins seemed to fit the bill. Raye carefully pointed at one bin and began chanting the Latin inscription. "Ex occultus obscurum voco a effervo chiroptera."

"What did you say, Raye?" asked Amy. "It sounded like you used some sort of spell."

"Well I wanted to try one and-."

"What was that sound?" gasped Darien. A thumping could plainly be heard from all of the overhead bins."

"Raye," said Amy slowly. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but the word 'chiroptera' was in that spell wasn't it?"

Raye glanced and the overhead bins that were beginning to vibrate as something banged them from the inside. A sound of squealing could plainly be heard from several of them

"Yes. Why do you ask Amy?"

"Because 'chiroptera' is the scientific name for-."

Amy was not able to finish he statement before the bins burst open and a flood of little winged mammals came flying out into the cabin.

"Bats!" screamed Serena. She covered her head and dove under the seat. Darien began swatting at the mouse-sized creatures as Trista and Amara tried to force the bins closed. Mina, Hotaru and Michelle quickly followed Serena's example and dove under the seats.

Raye began fumbling through the pages of the grimoire. She had seen the reversing spell somewhere. Finally she found it. Brushing aside a bat that had landed on the page she waved her hand and shouted the incantation. "Laxo veneficus!" With a pop the bats all burst into a dark vapor that quickly dissipated.

Lita woke up and wiped her mouth. She had taken a full dose of Valium and the effects had not worn off yet. "What? What'd I miss?"

Trista patted Lita on the shoulder. "It was nothing. Raye just made a swarm of bats appear out of thin air is all."

"Oh, ok," said Lita groggily. She yawned and turned back over. In less than a minute she was snoring again.

There were one or two burst of relieved laughter but mostly there was anger at Raye. "Did you have the slightest idea what that spell would do when you cast it?!" shouted Mina.

Raye looked at the page that she had cast the spell from on the bottom there was a brief description. "Yeah, I guess I probably should have read that," said Raye slowly.

"You should have also read this," said Mamoru as he handed her the letter that Demona had included in the package. Raye began to read.

Dear Miss Hino,

This book is a collection of spells I have acquired over the centuries. I give it to you in the hopes that perhaps you will make some use of it. The choice is yours. This book can get you stared on the path of magic and will help you along the way, but it will not help you to become a full fledged sorceress.

I hope that you will read this letter before you being reading the book. Magic is a wonderful tool but it can be dangerous when used incorrectly. I have described the spells as accurately as possible and I would urge you to read what they do before using them. Be cautious, you have the capability of spell casting but may not be able to control the spells just yet. That will come with time. Remember, with power comes with responsibility. Do not make my mistake and use magic to a bad end.

I hope that you will find this book useful. In your hands, you can do great things with it. If you chose not to, please keep the book as a token of my esteem.

Know that I have come to think highly of you and your friends. I still believe that there is no hope of human-kind accepting my kind for what we are, and this is still a dangerous world for gargoyles. Keep what has transpired a secret and see to it that your friends do the same.

I look forward to hearing your reply to my offer, whether it is yes or no. Please show me the courtesy of an answer.

Yours in faith

Demona

Raye set the letter down. She had been expecting a push for apprenticeship, but there did not seem to her to be one; only a plea to try out the magic within her and consider the possibilities.

"I'm going to accept Demona's offer," said Raye. "I will not leave Tokyo to learn from Demona, however. If she want's to teach me, she will seek me out."

"You sure about that Raye?" asked Darien. "It sounds like it's going to be a pretty big commitment on your part to learn it."

Raye clutched the grimoire to her bosom. "I am sure of this. I want to learn how to use this book properly."

Amara squeezed Raye's shoulder. "You have a natural gift for magic. It probably is best not to let it go to waste."

From her seat, Serena sniffled and Darien put an arm around her shoulder. "Hey, what's the matter Serena?"

"Do you think this is the last adventure we'll have with the gargoyles?" she asked. "I mean, I know that we'll have them around all the time when we become king a queen of Crystal Tokyo, but it won't be quite the same then."

Darien chuckled and leaned back. "Actually, Serena," he said, "I get the feeling that this journey, our relationship with the gargoyles, and whatever challenges we face together have only just begun."