Alright so I should be working on one of my many other existing fics before even considering a new one. And I would be if I had easy access to the previous chapters. New computer and no wifi in the area mean I can't just pull them up. I'm also lacking my favorite word program and it took me a while just to figure out how to find the notepad program in a Mac. Anyway I had a brilliant idea for a story and had to get it down. I admit its going to be short, but I hadn't seen anyone even attempt this crossover, and it fits nearly perfectly... even if only by a strange stretch of the imagination. Be forewarned to make this work I will have to warp both worlds just a bit to merge them but you will be rewarded for putting up with it. Now on to the story...
Summary: Why does Lina Inverse go so far out of her way to blow up bandits? Any more would spoil it.
Prologue
At the age of twelve Lina was already a graduate of the local sorcerer's guild. She had studied for years and worked herself ragged in hopes that she could show her parents that she was just as good as her sister, but she wasn't. Her sister you see was Luna Inverse the famous Ceiphied Knight that everyone respected. She even made Mazoku back down with a look. So it was no wonder to anyone that when a note arrived for Luna from the famed Bandit King stating that he would steal Ceiphied's Treasure the she was hardly worried at all.
This only served to add to Lina's ire though. She certainly didn't know what this treasure was that the Bandit King was after nor did she really care. The only thing she cared about was that if she managed to catch this Bandit King then she would prove that she was just as good as if not better than her older sister. And so with this idea planted firmly in her mind Lina headed out into the vineyard so she could keep an eye out for this Bandit King.
"Stupid Luna, she should be setting up traps out here like I've been doing. And who does this Bandit King think he is thinking he can slip past the beautiful genius sorcerous Lina Inverse!" She was only mumbling this to herself as she looked around the boundary between the forest and her family's vineyard.
"Hey there, these are some fine grapes you have growing here."
"Huh?" Lina looked up at the boy lounging in one of the trees eating a bunch of grapes that she could only assume came from her family's vineyard. "Hey put those grapes down this minute, those are our grapes and we certainly didn't give you permission to eat any!" Lina couldn't believe the nerve of this guy.
The boy finished off the grapes before replying and gave her a roguish grin as he did, "Ah, come on there's no harm in little old me having one small bunch of grapes, now is there?" He hopped down from his perch and gave Lina a disarming smile.
Taken slightly aback by his behavior Lina nodded in a agreement with him before turning her nose up slightly, "Fine, whatever. just don't take anymore and stay out of my way. I can't have someone like you getting in my way while I try to catch the Bandit King."
The boy smiled slightly, "Oh, you're planning on catching the Bandit King, I hear he's a pretty tricky bandit though. You sure you can catch him?"
Lina glares at the boy for even thinking she couldn't do it. "I can and I will."
"Alright, no need to get so angry. So how do you plan to catch him anyway?" He gives her an innocent, placating smile.
"Uh, well, I'm setting up traps, even if they don't catch him they'll tell me where he is so I can blast him."
"Well that makes sense at least. Well I'll leave you to setting your traps then." He grins and walks off towards the forest with a wave.
"Hey, wait. What's your name anyway?"
He pauses and thinks for a moment before looking over his shoulder and smiling broadly at her, "It's Jing. And your name Miss?"
"Huh, oh, its Lina." She watches him walk off into the forest for a bit before going back to her trap setting.
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Over the next several days Lina goes out and sets up more traps in hopes to catch the Bandit King. She also checks all her previous traps and finds that they haven't even been disturbed by local wild life. Growing more and more frustrated she takes it out on the only other person she sees daily. Jing. He had been showing up and lounging in trees watching her and making idle conversation. Occasionally she would get upset because her traps weren't working and shout at him.
"You aren't helping!" She growled out.
Jing just grinned at her, "I thought you wanted to do this yourself though. Weren't you trying to show up your sister?"
Quelled by his argument Lina drops it but doesn't release her anger entirely.
"Hey Jing, who's the cutie?" Jing smiles slightly at seeing Lina blush faintly at the black albatross's words.
"Oh, that would be Ms. Lina Inverse. She's setting up traps to catch the Bandit King, so I thought I'd keep her company." She smiles at his friend and the bird nods.
"Ah I see, so why aren't you helping the nice young lady, Jing?"
"Well she doesn't really seem to want my help all that much, Kir." He smiles at he sound of a branch snapping, knowing it had been one Lina was trying to use in her latest trap.
"Why don't you just go find someone else to bother then?" She snubs as she looks for a replacement branch.
"But that wouldn't be nearly as much fun, would it?"
"Hmph."
Kir turns to Jing and says in a quiet tone so that Lina can't overhear, "I thought you were going to be checking out their mansion and trying to figure out where the treasure was hidden Jing. Why are you just hanging around with this girl?"
Jing grins at his companion, "Just taking my time I guess."
Kir sighs and shrugs at Jing, "Fine do whatever, I'll be in town whenever you're ready." And with that Kir flies off toward the town.
"So who was that bird anyway?"
Jing looks a bit surprised by the question but answers with a smile, "Oh him. That was Kir, my traveling companion."
"Is he mad at you?" She looked curious and slightly concerned. Jing couldn't help but smile.
"Nah, he'll get over it. I just need to give him some space." He leans back a bit further on his branch to watch Lina set up more traps.
Lina had been thinking about what the bird had said, 'He called me a cutie.' She blushes slightly and then peers up at Jing, reclining on a tree branch looking to all the world to be asleep. Her blush deepens and she accidently sets off the trap she was setting, which led to her being hung upside down in the tree near to where Jing was laying.
Jing grins up at the bright red red-head, holding in laughter, which causes said red-head to blush even more before turning her embarrassment into anger and lashing out at Jing. "Don't you dare laugh, Jing." When he snorts and puts a hand over his mouth to hold back his laughter Lina begins to swing her arms around angrily. "Don't laugh, help me get down. Jing!" At that point she made an attempt to stomp her foot while hanging upside down and Jing lost it.
Jing was laughing hard enough that he fell from the tree and wound up getting caught by another of Lina's traps. His look of surprise at having been strung up in the same manner as Lina was priceless and Lina couldn't help but break out into peals of laughter. The surprise left Jing's face and was replaced with a his trademark smile. He then crossed his arms as he raised an eyebrow at Lina who had not stopped laughing. "You know with me strung up here like this, who do you think is going to get us down?"
That got Lina to stop laughing and puff out her cheeks in frustration, "How should I know?" She huffed.
Shrugging Jing flicks his wrist and draws out his concealed sword. He first slices the rope holding him up and then cuts the one holding Lina, being sure to catch her so she doesn't hit the ground. Setting her down he takes in her surprised and shocked face before withdrawing the blade. "I told you I was traveling. It wouldn't be very wise to travel without some form of defense." He smirks at her and her face brightens with a slight blush.
"Yeah I suppose that makes sense." Flustered Lina turns her back on Jing. "You know what, these traps aren't working at all. Its been three days since the Bandit King sent that message to my sister and no one has seen hide nor hair of him. Maybe he isn't coming." Her shoulders slump and she looks thoroughly beaten.
Still Grinning Jing steps forward and takes Lina's hand and continues on past her, dragging her with him. "Why don't we go have some fun then? You can show me around." He looks over his shoulder to smile at her, causing Lina to blush brightly. Averting her eyes from his she nods and mumbles an agreement.
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The two spent the rest of the day together going around the town and having fun. When it was getting close to dinner time Lina realized it was going to have to end. The two were sitting on a hill over looking the ocean. The sun was low in the sky but not quite ready to set. Jing was leaning back on his arms a light breeze ruffling his hair. Lina sat next to him, her knees were up to her chest and she had her arms wrapped around them and her head resting on her knees so that she was looking at Jing. "Thank you for today."
Jing looks over at her and smiles, "You're welcome, I had fun spending the day with you." He noticed how she turned her face away from him while a slight blush formed on her cheeks. He smiles.
Lina eventually gets up, "I should be getting home, its dinner time and I don't want my mom to worry about me."
"I understand. Why don't I meet you tomorrow morning in the usual place."
Lina smiles and nods, "That would be great. See you there. And don't be late!" She waves as she runs off towards home.
After she is gone from sight Kir flies down and lands next to Jing. "So you planning to have her help you get the treasure Jing?"
Jing smiles at his companion, "Well you could say that."
"Hey Jing. What is this Ceiphied's Treasure anyway?"
Jing looks thoughtful for a moment, "Cephied's Treasure is something that can only be stolen once. It is treasured by all young maidens and at the same time is much more powerful."
Kir looks at Jing skeptically, "Quit talking in riddles already Jing. What is it?"
Jing smiles at Kir before looking up into the sky, "Lina is the treasure Kir, well more accurately her heart."
"Huh. Wait so you mean all this time that you've been hanging around that girl you've actually been stealing her heart?"
"Yep."
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Lina rushed out the door of her house as soon as she was dressed and ran all the way through the vineyard to the edge of the forest where she always had met Jing. She was happy, excited and looking forward to seeing him. Images of his roguish smile ran through her mind as she came upon the spot and she looked up into the tree he was always lounging in. "Ha, I must have beaten him here." She smiles triumphantly.
After a few minutes of waiting she hears shouting coming from her house and makes out people yelling about the Bandit King. "Aw man, I'm missing my chance." She then realized that the shouting was getting closer and smirked. "They're chasing him right to me." She prepares a fireball and watches for him to break through the vines. The shouting people were getting closer now and Lina was ready, she'd show everyone.
Then she saw Kir fly out of the vineyard and hot on the bird's heels was none other than Jing. Lina faltered and lost the fireball spell she had prepared for the Bandit King. "Jing what... The Bandit King is coming this way, I'm going to catch him."
Jing smirks and walks up to Lina, whose back had been to the tree he was always lounging in. "Looks like you caught me, Lina." She stood there in shock as Jing leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. "I had fun." And with that he was gone, racing off into the forest. Lina stood there for a moment and then fell to her knees, blushing uncontrollably but still too shocked to really acknowledge anything.
That was how her sister, Luna, found her. Luna knew at that moment that the Bandit King had won and she cursed him for doing this to her sister.
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Lina spent the next year or so coming to terms with what the Bandit King, no Jing, had left her with and late in her 13th year she left home to begin her journey and to explore the world. Not long after leaving home she found herself surrounded by bandits, her first encounter with a bandit gang. She shocked the bandits when, instead of being scared and begging to be released unharmed, she flew into a fury, toasting every bandit that was there. "Bandits! You call yourselves bandits. You make a mockery of what it means to be a bandit." She then realized that they probably had some decent money on them and went around collecting from their pockets. "At least they gave me some decent traveling money for my trouble." Grinning she walked off, leaving the burnt and battered bandits behind. And thus was born the infamaous Bandit Killer.
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So what did you think? Was it good? Bad? I thought it was a cute idea. I mean she is the Bandit Killer, so what would happen if she had met him before she left on her journey, before she became known as the Bandit Killer. I think having her fall for Jing and then have him leave like that, with no explanation, would certainly create the basis for her dislike of bandits. Its not like Luna would have told her what the treasure he was really after was anyway, she's scary not cruel. And if anyone was lost on who the Bandit King was check out King of Bandit, Jing. It is a really good series.
Alright, that may have been a very long and involved prologue but that really is all that it was and without even creating a new document I'm starting in on Chapter two. Whether this is posted that way or not is still up for debate. This next chapter takes place after they battle Darkstar, but before the gang really splits up to go their separate ways. Philia is the only one that is not still with them. And while I love the new season of Slayers, Revolution will not be happening as far as this story is concerned.
Chapter One
It was another beautiful day, clear blue skies, birds singing, bandits getting blown away by a gleeful and beautiful genius sorcerous.
"Fireball! Flare Arrow!" Lina stood among the burning ruins of the latest bandit camp to cross her path smiling smuggly. She was now 18 and still enjoyed blowing up bandits and raiding their loot, which she was just turning to do as her companions sat by and watched.
"Why does Lina always go after bandits? Even when she's upset she tends to cheer right up after blasting a few bandits."
"I always assumed it was the appeal of stealing their treasure that appealed to her."
"Even so she is doing the Just thing and making it safer for innocent people to travel without fear of being attacked."
All three sweat-dropped and sighed, they had been puzzling over Lina's obsession with blowing up bandits for a few years now and stress relief was at the top of their list so far. None of them ever thought to ask Lina for her reasons.
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Later that day the group entered into the town of Leona, well they tried to enter the town.
"What do you mean you aren't letting anyone in!" Lina was irate at the guards refusal to let them in. "Do you know who I am? I demand to see whoever is in charge here!"
"Look little girl we can't let anyone in, no matter who they are. Our lord received a letter from the Bandit King this morning claiming he was going to steal the lord's precious Blue Pearl. Until this threat has past he has ordered that no one is to enter or leave the city."
Gourry, Zelgadis and Amelia had panicked and backed up a good fifty feet when the guard had called Lina a little girl and were shocked when she grinned happily at something the guard had said. She didn't blow him up or even look angry, and that for some reason scared them more than anything else they had ever faced. "We're doomed, aren't we?"
Amelia and Zelgadis nodded in affirmation.
Back to Lina though. "Well, I can't blame His Lordship for his actions then. But I would like to offer my services to capture this Bandit King."
"Wha... but Lina, they aren't even going to let us into the city." Lina shot a look at Gourry that shut him up before he could say anything else.
"Gourry Im sure the nice guard would be more than happy to send someone with a message to their Lord that Lina Inverse is here and offering to help catch the Bandit King."
The guards looked at her with shocked faces before one stuttered out, "You're really Lina Inverse, the Bandit Killer?"
Lina grins at them and nods. "Yep."
The younger of the two guards jumps for the gate, "I'll go inform our lord immediately."
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Within half an hour Lina was in the main reception hall of the lord's mansion. The lord stood before the group welcoming them.
"I welcome you Lina Inverse to the town of Leona. I'm sorry for any trouble you had at the town gates."
"Don't worry about it." She waves it off. "Anyway I hear the Bandit King has threatened to steal from you. Is that correct?"
The lord nods, "Yes. I'm afraid so. If you would capture him for me and protect my Blue Pearl I would reward you greatly for your services."
Lina again waves him off, looking slightly bored. Her companions look at the lord as if looking at a condemned man. Knowing Lina as they did they knew to expect her to ask an enormous sum in exchange for her services. "Don't worry about paying me. I'll gladly deal with the Bandit King free of charge."
Three loud thuds resounded through out the hall as Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis facefaulted at her statement.
"Are your friends alright Ms. Lina?" Everyone in the hall was staring at them as Lina's eyebrow twitched.
"They're fine, I assure you."
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Later the four were spread around the room in which the lord kept his Blue Pearl. Lina was sitting down at a table that had been set up for them eating an apple. Zelgadis was sitting across from her sipping on a cup of coffee, though he was worriedly looking over the rim at Lina at every opportunity. Amelia was pacing around making random poses and convinced that Lina had finally seen the light and come to the side of Justice. Gourry was just hovering around Lina like a mother hen and asking if she was feeling alright.
"I'm fine Gourry." Her eyebrow twitching at his constant worrying.
"But, Lina you told that guy you didn't want any money. You never do anything for free if you can avoid it." Gourry had stopped fussing to answer her and Lina sent him a glare.
"What you think I'm too greedy to actually want to do something for no reward."
All three turn to her and nod, "Yeah."
"Pretty much."
"Absolutely."
Lina glared at all of them. "Fine whatever." She crosses her arms and turns away from them.
"Lina, you have to admit that it is a bit strange that you wouldn't take that lord up on his offer to pay you for catching this Bandit King. But you never do anything without wanting something in exchange. What are you getting out of catching this guy." Zelgadis sent a pointed look straight at Lina.
Heaving a sigh Lina shrugged her shoulders and turned back to them. "Six years ago the Bandit King managed to steal something from my sister." She smirks at their shocked faces. "And if I manage to catch him then I will finally prove that I am the more powerful of the two of us." She throws a triumphant look out at her friends and they seem convinced that this is all there is to it. However Gourry was not entirely convinced. Something about how she threw bravado out at them after her declaration caused him to think there was more to what she said then just wanting to show up her sister.
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Several hours of waiting later, the group heard the door open and prepared to pounce on the intruder. Gourry, Zelgadis and Amelia held their fire when they saw a young man was the one that opened the door. Lina however showed no mercy. "Fireball!"
The young man managed to dodge the attack and wiped out his concealed sword to deflect any other attacks.
"Wait Lina, Its just a kid and his pet." Gourry tried to calm the angry sorcerous and prevent her from hurting an innocent boy.
"Gourry get out of the way I know what I'm doing!" Lina was trying to knock Gourry out of her way.
"My, my Lina, you haven't changed much have you?" The young man smiled handsomely at her while his bird landed on his shoulder.
"Shut up Jing! I'm going to get you for stealing from my sister." Lina finally managed to get Gourry off her and took aim at Jing again.
"Hey Jing I think she's serious about this." The three that were unfamiliar with Kir stared in shock at the talking bird.
"Fireball!" Jing dodges out of the way again and laughs nervously.
"Come on Lina. You can't be that mad about it, its not like I stole anything from you." Lina had managed to corner him and was preparing another Fireball.
At Jing's comment Gourry, Zelgadis, and Amelia were surprised to see Lina blushing to the roots of her hair. "You, you..." Her embarrassment quickly turned into anger, "You stole my first kiss! Fireball!"
Jing had taken advantage of Lina's slight hesitation to merge Kir with his arm, "Give me a Kir Royale!"
The ball of red fire and green energy hit in the middle and negated each other. However Jing found he had little time to react to the swordsman that was suddenly in his face and just barely avoided being cleaved in half by his attack.
Gourry had not reacted well to hearing what the Bandit King had stolen from His Lina. He saw red and attacked without mercy.
By Gourry's second swing Jing had managed to release Kir and draw his blade to defend against the enraged swordsman.
"Gourry! Get out of the way! This doesn't have anything to do with you." Lina nearly stomped her foot in anger as Zelgadis and Amelia just stood by and watched. "That's it. Fireball!" Lina threw the attack right at the two, not carrying if it hit either. Jing managed to evade being burnt since he was facing towards Lina. Gourry was not so fortunate as his back was to the sorcerous. The now charred swordsman lay on the ground as Lina sent a glare at Jing, who was holding his hands up in a placating manner.
"Now Lina, it couldn't have been that bad." His lip twitched into a smirk but he dropped it when he heard Lina growl at him and sweat-dropped instead.
"Oh, the kiss was wonderful Jing. It was the fact that as soon as you kissed me you ran off and I never heard from you again." Lina stalked forward and Gourry twitch off to the side at the comment. "To be honest I could really care less what you stole from Luna, but you broke my heart when you left like that." Lina had clenched her fists into tight balls that shook. Her face was angled towards her feet, Gourry had managed to recover some and was sitting up looking at Lina forlornly. A single tear splattered the ground at Lina's feet as she raised her face to meet Jing's. Tears rolled down her angry and hurt face.
"Lina..." Gourry stood up looking helplessly at Lina. Zelgadis and Amelia were just as shocked by her reaction.
Jing looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it and turned for the door. "Come on Kir. Let's leave." Just before he left he turned back to Lina with a look of remorse on his face, "I'm sorry I hurt you so deeply Lina." And with that he was gone.
Lina collapsed, tears still rolling down her face. Amelia took the initiative and kneeled beside her to comfort her. Gourry reached out towards her but stopped and lowered his hand, fisting it at his side. Zelgadis watched Gourry, probably the only one of the three that knew how strongly the swordsman felt for the small red-head in their group, and saw his clenched fist shake with rage at what the Bandit King's mere presence had done to Lina. Without a word Gourry turned and strode out.
As Gourry left, the lord and a few of his guards came in to see what the commotion had been about. Zelgadis intercepted them.
"What's happened here?"
"The Bandit King made his appearance."
"What! Did you capture him? Is the Blue Pearl safe?"
"No we didn't manage to capture him but he didn't steal the pearl."
"Oh thank god." The lord runs over to the Blue Pearl and inspects it without even noticing the sorcerous on the floor. "In thanks for protecting my treasure allow me to put you up for the night. I know you didn't want any payment but it's the least I can do." Zelgadis nods in acceptance and looks to Amelia who is helping Lina to her feet. "Is she going to be alright?" The lord asks with concern in his voice as he notices the state that Lina is in.
Zelgadis takes his gaze from his friends to the lord. "I hope so. Hopefully a good nights rest and a good breakfast and she'll be back to her old self."
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After settling Lina and Amelia into a suite the lord showed Zelgadis the suite he was providing for himself and Gourry.
"By the way, where is your other companion?"
"He's probably at your guard's training grounds working out his frustrations. I'll go and get him and let him know about the rooms. And thank you for your hospitality."
"Ah, don't fret about it, if it weren't for you and your friends that Bandit King would have made off with my precious Blue Pearl. It's the least I can do."
After parting from the lord Zelgadis made his way down to the courtyard where Gourry was taking out his frustrations on a training dummy. "Are you going to be alright Gourry?"
He takes a few more swings before responding, "I don't know. How would you feel if you found out suddenly that someone you loved already loved someone else and was in tears over that person." The dummy shatters as Gourry angrily thrashes it.
"I don't know, but I wouldn't leave them alone to cry over the other person. Have you even told Lina how you feel?"
Gourry stops and looks slightly crestfallen, "No. I haven't." He sits down, "It just never seems like the right time to tell her."
"I suppose I can understand that." Zelgadis sits next to him on the ground. "Lina needs you right now Gourry. Whether either of you wants to admit it, she needs you to support her through this."
Gourry nods and gets up to head to Lina's room then stops, "Uh Zel. Where is Lina staying?"
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Wow, I didn't quite get to where I wanted, but I really wanted to post this so I am. The next chapter shouldn't be too long. Please write a review with constructive criticism.