The Love Star

	Serena was on her way over to Raye's temple.  She was happy, but sad at
the same time.  She was able to talk to Darien, and see him, but she could
not touch his face, his arms, or any other part of him.  She thought by
going to Raye's she could get some insight as to what was going on.  
	Serena arrived at Raye's temple to find that Raye was sweeping the front
steps.  Serena walked up to Raye.  "Hey Raye!"
	"Hey Serena," Raye said as she looked up at Serena.  "What's up?"
	"I saw Darien."  Raye believed her, since she could have sworn that she
had seen Darien earlier.  "He's an angel."
	"You sure?  I mean, it could have been a dream," Raye said, trying to
sound like she really thought it was a dream.
	"Yes, I'm sure.  This was no dream.  It was definitely real."
	"So...how was it, seeing him again?"
	"It was weird, to tell the truth.  I passed right through him!"
	"So, how does he look with wings?"
	"He doesn't have any yet.  He's got to do a number of good deeds."
	"How long is he going to stay?"
	"I don't know."

				*	*	*

	Darien entered his apartment slowly.  He couldn't help feeling that
something was different about it.  There was good reason for this feeling. 
In his apartment was a tall, shadowy figure.  Darien thought it best to
disappear.  He did so, but still remained in the room.
	"What WAS  this guy?" said the shadowy figure.  "A pig?  This place is a
mess!"  The figure walked around the room. He picked up a vase.  This vase
was the one with the wilting rose.  "Dumb bastard."  Darien did not fell as
mad as he normally would.  This was due to the fact that an angel could not
feel anger as much as mortals, but they could feel love twice as strong. 
They could feel love to the point that it hurt, but anger was very hard to
feel.  This had already been explained to Darien.
	The shadowy figure moved around the room, and finally found the light
switch.  He flipped it.  Darien quickly moved to a place where the light
could not reach as well, which was another room.  He had already been
exposed to too much light.  If he was exposed to much more, he would fade
away.  This was just another perk of being an angel.
	The figure, which turned out to be a woman, looked around the room.  She
seemed to be looking for something of great value, but Darien had no idea
what.  He never really kept anything special in his apartment when he was
away.  So what could she be looking for?
	"Where is it?" the woman muttered to herself.  "Where is the Love Star?"
	"Love Star?" Darien asked himself.  "What the heck is the Love Star?" 
Darien did not ask these questions out loud, of course, but he thought he
had for a moment.
	"This is no use.  I must report back," said the woman.  She made sure to
turn out the lights, then she teleported away.  Darien had no idea where
she could have gone, but he did not really care.

				*	*	*

	Molly awoke from her sleep, still dreary.  She remembered Darien saying
that he was an angel, and that Nephlite was dead.  "What a weird dream,"
she said.
She got up, and walked to the kitchen.  She fixed herself a bowl of
Wheaties, and quickly ate it (the contents, not the bowl).  She then washed
the bowl, and sat down on the couch in the main room.  Her mother was
already gone, so she had the TV all to herself.
	She flipped it on, and saw a breaking news bulletin.  It was on the
mysterious disappearance of a young man.  His name was Darien.  Molly's jaw
dropped.
	"Oh my God...." she whispered.  "He really IS an angel...and
Nephlite.......really IS dead..."  Molly had a sudden feeling of nausea,
and fainted.

				*	*	*

	Darien waited until nightfall to go out of his apartment.  When the sun
finally set, he looked at the wilting rose.  Somehow, it had rejuvenated a
little.  He then went out onto his balcony, and jumped off.  He landed on
the ground below, with the most graceful landing anyone could ever do.  He
looked around.  No one had seen him.
	Darien decided to visit Raye.  He needed find out who the woman in his
apartment was.  He made himself invisible, and walked to her temple.  When
he got there, he saw no one.  He decided to go inside.
	Once inside, he still saw no one.  He then looked around, went in every
room except the bathroom, and saw only Raye's grandpa.  He then decided to
wait on her to finish.  After all, there were some things that he did not
want to see.
	He waited for over three minutes, then Raye finally cane out of the
bathroom in nothing but a towel wrapped around her, covering what was
necessary.  Darien waited for her to put on her night clothes, which
consisted of a sleeveless T-shirt and shorts.  
	"Raye," he said.
	"Huh?" Raye said as she looked around in confusion.  "Who said that?"
	"I did," Darien said as he made himself visible.  Raye was shocked. 
"Raye, I need you to do me a favor.  Could you do a fire reading?"
	"What?  Now?"
	"Yes.  There was a strange woman in my apartment today."
	"OK."  Raye went to read the fire.  She saw the face of the woman that
Darien had seen.  She was talking to a man.  Raye was able to get her name,
but not that of the man she was talking to.
	"Who is she?" Darien asked.
	"Her name is Katarina.  She has a black heart.  She wants to do away with
love all together.  The man must be her master."
	"Where is she from?  The Negaverse?"
	"No.  Definitely not.  But she is definitely from a similar place."
	"You mean like the Dark Universe?"
	"Yes, but not from there, either.  I have never felt a feeling like this
before."  Raye looked to where Darien was, only to see that he had
disappeared.  "Now where did he go?"

				*	*	*

	Darien appeared in front of his apartment building.  He stared up at his
apartment window.  It opened.  A woman walked out onto the balcony.  She
seemed upset.  She stared out into the city, and sighed.  Somehow, Darien
heard her sigh.
	Darien made himself invisible, and floated up to his balcony.  He heard
her speak.
	"This really sucks.  I have searched every square inch of this stupid
place, and still no Love Star.  Yet the Dark Crystal is reacting," she said
as she held out a black crystal, which had a black light emanating from it.
 For some reason, Darien seemed to know what the Love Star was.  Serena's
Star Locket.  But that did not explain why the Dark Crystal was reacting in
his apartment.  There was only one explanation for that.  It was reacting
to his love for Serena.
	The woman walked back into the apartment.  She looked at the Dark Crystal.
 "Shit."  The woman disappeared.  Darien entered his apartment.  He sat
down on the couch.  He sighed.
	"Just what I need," he muttered.  Darien just sat there for the rest of
the night, thinking about what he should do.

				*	*	*

	Serena awoke at the crack of dawn, which was very unusual for her.  She
had been dreaming again.  This time, the dream had been about Darien as an
angel.
				(Begin Dream)
	Serena saw Darien flying away from her.  He turned around, and held out
his hand.  He was reaching for Serena, and she was reaching for him.  They
could not reach each other.  He continued to slowly float away from her.
	"Serena...."
	"Darien...."  Darien turned into a bright light, and vanished.
				(End Dream)
	Serena knew it was only a dream, but it seemed to be so much more.  What
could it be?  Serena looked at Luna, who was still sleeping.  Serena laid
back down, and tried to go back to sleep.  She succeeded.

				*	*	*

	Darien went to his window.  The sun was coming up.  He quickly 
closed the curtain.  He checked the date.  It was Feb. 14.  This was his first
Valentine's day as an angel.  Actually, his first as a tortured angel.  He loved
Serena very much, but he felt that his presence around her put her in harm's 
way, especially with Katarina around.  He did not want Katarina to get ahold of
the Love Star.  But, he was not sure that Serena's Star Locket was the
Love Star.
	Darien went to the bedroom.  He felt very strange as he entered the 
room.  He closed his eyes, and saw Serena.  She appeared to be sleeping 
peacefully.  He opened his eyes.
	"I will not let harm come to you, Serena."

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