A/N: It took me forever to type this, and almost half as long to edit it, so I really hope you enjoy it! This story was based off of something I came up with where Lina and Zelgadis exchanged letters, and from there it evolved into something totally new and a lot more...complex.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Slayers, but I do own a few OC's in here, such as Aark and Grace. Please R&R, fellow readers.

Opening My Eyes: Letters.

~Zelgadis~

Seven days. That's how long I gave her. I told her that if I'm not back within seven days, then she should follow my letters. This is how our system has always been. If we don't return within a specific number of days, then the other will come looking. We follow a path of letters that was left along a set route. The first letter is left in their grasp, to be read as the other is leaving. At the end of the path of letters is their destination. If you don't find them along the way or in the city or area destined, then you'll know that your companion is dead.

Yes, it can be devastating if such a thing were to happen, but that is why we always spend so long on our very last letter. We pour our hearts and souls into that last tidbit of information, just in case. The last letter is never written the same, because by the time we go on another trip, we have matured more, grown closer together.

That last letter is always either held by whichever one of us went or is about to be delivered by someone who was requested to deliver it, just in case they couldn't get it to you on time.

Here are the contents of my first letter, which holds information on where to find the second letter, where I am headed, and information for when she should start looking.

Lina,

Find my second letter at the oak outside of town; it's the large one that rises up over the rest of the trees. There is a hollow at the bottom. Reach inside to find my next letter.

I am headed to Laarika, a rather large kingdom just outside the boundary. I have heard that it is a hostile territory, and was sent on behalf of Seyruun to discuss a peace treaty, as I am their most...diplomatic...man in charge.

If I do not return within a week, get both Amelia and Gourry to come with you when you begin to search for me. Do not come alone.

As a reminder, don't barge in and throw some Fireballs. Have Amelia speak to the king beforehand.

Best wishes,
Zelgadis

Before you ask, I do not have any romantic feelings towards Lina. She is the only one of whom I can actually share an intelligent conversation with.

I could always talk to Amelia about something over a game of chess, but...well, let's just say that she spouts sugary rainbows and yet stings like a hornet. In other words, she speaks of Justice and Love...and defeats me every time.

Like Amelia, I could share a conversation with Gourry about swordplay. It's the only thing he knows about, as far as I can tell. However, after a while, Gourry ordinarily gets hungry, and I quickly tire of swordsmanship.

With Lina, we could spend entire days talking about things ranging from food to the Lord of Nightmares, although food is generally her favorite subject.

Well, that just leads us back to the story, correct? Here I am, walking down the road to Laarika.

I enjoy walking in silence. It always gets much too loud and uncomfortable with the others around. No matter where we go, monsters and lesser demons always find us.

Then again, I guess another reason behind that is because I still have yet to rid myself of Rezo's scent, which has clung on to me apparently because I'm simply his great-grandson. Any troll would recognize Red Priest Rezo just by catching a whiff of him, so they must end up highly disappointed when I turn out to be someone else. However, even if they do figure out that I'm not Rezo, most monsters don't care. Either way, they always attack when they see Lina. She is quite famous by now, having killed Shabranigdo twice.

Sometimes I wish it was I who killed Rezo, even if it included killing myself in the process. Seeing Lina kill him the first time had wrought some sort of...jealousy upon me. I rather envied her the first time, but the second time I remembered who I was, and the fact that no matter how strong I become, I will never surpass Lina Inverse. Besides, I laid my eyes on her once and realized how taxing it must be, to wield the power and being of the Lord of Nightmares. Her hair always turns stark white, so beautiful, even if it is a reminder of how much power she is forced to control and use.

I was very surprised, that second time, when even Xellos had to admit that we were running out of options and Lina was tuckering out. I was surprised she still had enough energy to cast the Giga Slave. Maybe that's why her hair turned white; while she was trying to avoid casting the Giga Slave, she cast multiple Dragon Slaves. If I remember correctly, she had planned to cast a Ragna Blade after drawing out the ghost's power with Dragon Slaves.

But Lina Inverse is no slouch, and no matter what you may think, you should never doubt her capabilities.

All of this is running through my head as I walk down the path. Of course I'm not walking slowly—I have a deadline to meet—so it surprises me when I hear someone following me as I am about to write my fourth and hopefully last letter Lina will have to read, if at all, outside the capital of Laarika.

I don't even turn to look at my follower. I simply say, "So what brings you all the way out here?"

My pursuer flinches, even though they have obviously been trying to get my attention, snapping a twig before becoming silent.

"Might I ask the same for you, traveller?"

Female. I'm not surprised, considering the rather light footfalls, even though they're not well placed and were easily noticed. She also has a slight accent that I can't quite place...I believe that it's the general Laarikan accent.

"Well, I believe I asked first. What's a girl as young as you doing all the way out here?"

Judging by her voice, I would assume that she is just a bit older than Amelia, but younger than Lina. Then again, Amelia's voice is still rather high and childish for her age, so they could be the same age, considering Amelia is...what? Eighteen?

Even with my back turned to her as I am writing the letter, I can sense her fury at being treated like a child. "I am going to my grandmother's house. She is sick and cannot take care of herself, especially where she lives. She keeps telling me that a big, bad wolf keeps trying to blow down her house, but it is made of bricks," she replies sarcastically. "My grandmother is terrified of wolves, because her two younger and more foolish siblings built houses out of straws and sticks, which the wolf blew down. After he blew them down, he ate her siblings."

I chuckle. "Do you really believe me to be so gullible?"

She huffs. "Of course not. In actuality, I was coming back from an ocean voyage when my ship was attacked by a sea dragon. The boat sunk immediately, and only a few of my crew survived. We were forced to swim back, and even fewer were able to do such a thing. After we got here, to the mainland, my remaining crew died and I was the only one left, so here I am, coming back to my hometown, Laarika."

I smirk, even though she can't see it, as I cast a spell to send the letter into the tree and turn toward her. "That is a bit more plausible, but I can't imagine you swam across an ocean. As you should know, all six oceans are home to many sea creatures, most of which are larger than Seyruun. Were you to swim in one of them, you would either die of thirst, because of the high amount of sodium in the water, or be eaten by one of said sea creatures. I would imagine that you flew back, barely managing to survive even above the ocean."

She gives a short chuckle. "You are smarter than you seem. Yes, I am a sorceress. Do you happen to be a sorcerer?"

"Oh, she has some wits after all."

I take in her appearance for a moment as she tries to come up with a witty retort. She's a brunette with icy blue eyes, and she's wearing thick clothing, made from mostly cotton. Her skin is a coppery bronze color, almost glinting in the sunlight. She seems to love navy blue, as her entire outfit is composed of it: dark blue top with sparkling rhinestones sewed in, lighter but still dark pants, and traveling boots so dark that they're almost black in color. She has a thin cloak draped across her shoulders, held in place by a silver-encrusted moonstone. Her hair is French-braided over her shoulder in a million twists and turns.

She decides to give up on trying for a witty retort and asks me, "What are you doing here, then, wise one?"

"I'm here on behalf of Seyruun to discuss a treaty with the king of Laarika," I reply simply. "King Phillionel of Seyruun wishes to form an alliance, and being his right-hand man, I had to come to discuss it." At this point I'm sure I sound doubtful.

She bursts out laughing, her face turning pink as she runs out of air. "Oh, my, does your king not know that Laarika has not been allied with any kingdoms since the War of the Monster's Fall?"

"I told him that, but he would hear nothing of it. So far he has even managed to get Ragna on his long list of alliances, and they don't accept many alliance requests, either," I explain, still somewhat exasperated. "Phil doesn't think that he can ever be rejected, being such a strong kingdom with so many other kingdoms on his side."

She continues to laugh. "Oh, I can just see it now! 'King Phillionel is devastated when Laarika refuses to form an alliance, so devastated that he and his offspring commit suicide!'"

Before I know what I'm doing, my sword is at her throat. "Listen, you. Even if you were royalty, I would never allow you to speak that way of the king or his daughters. Neither of them would go down without a fight. They would strike back, full force. If Laarika were to refuse Phillionel's peace offering, then the two kingdoms shall go to war."

Sweat drips down her forehead as her eyes shift from me to my blade, but I don't see fear in her eyes.

I see smugness.

"Well, well," she says casually. "As crown princess and future queen of Laarika, I hold the right to take you as prisoner."

I actually almost expect these words from her. She dresses as though she is royalty. What I don't expect, however, is the spell that she casts.

"Ra-Tilt!" she shouts, blasting me head-on with the shamanistic spell.

As black splotches form at the edge of my vision, she crouches beside me and croons, "Oh, do not fret. I do not plan on killing you any time soon. I will simply hold you in the dungeons, and whatever comes next will be decided by my father. Sweet dreams."

And my consciousness escapes from my grasp in a cloud of pain.

A groan escapes my lips, announcing my awakening in a rather quiet manner, as I would prefer. Even before I'm completely awake, the pain rushes back. I can't move, can't speak.

How did she do that? How did she make her Ra-Tilt so powerful?

Obviously, her Ra-Tilt was powerful enough to knock me out, and I've suffered worse than that...

Someone else seems to stir nearby. I sense some other sorcerers in the immediate area, but based on their auras, I can tell that they aren't too tough and probably weren't a challenge with Her Highness around.

"Excuse me, sir? Are you okay?" a gentle voice asks from somewhere nearby.

I open one of my eyes to see a child in a maid's uniform standing outside of a...a cell.

Great. Just great. I'm trapped in a dungeon.

I move to get up, but immediately regret my decision, crying out when a wound—physical, yes—causes me to black out for a few seconds. When I come to again, I see the child crouching beside me with a worried expression on her face.

"Sir, are you okay?" she asks urgently. That's when I realize that it wasn't just the Ra-Tilt that was cast so as to make me so...vulnerable.

What a filthy, cheating...

"Sir, please, look at me," the child urges. She murmurs under her breath, "I think Mother may have taken it too far this time..."

I wince and cautiously open my eyes again, looking at the girl. She lets out a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank Ceipheed! I was worried that she may have harmed you so much that..."

"I..."

I try to speak, to utter a single syllable, at least a sentence, but it feels like someone shoved acid down my throat; it hurts so bad that I can't speak at all yet. I'm surprised I'm not dead.

Even with the words burning like fire, I choke out, "Who...are you?"

"I'm Grace, the crown princess' daughter. She forced me to work all the way down here in the dungeons, where no one can find me. She said it was just to keep me a secret, because no one knows I was born except herself and the medic. She said I wasn't supposed to be born, because now we have an entire new generation of rulers already. My other two sisters worked here, too, before they died from trauma. They weren't used to all the people dying down here," the child replies quietly.

For such a young girl, she has a rather large vocabulary. I guess she's about five, maybe a bit older. Either way, she's too young to be working all the way down in a dungeon. No one should have to work here. Well, I guess I could argue the other side with the crown princess in mind, but that's beside the point.

"What...happened?" I ask, choking on my own words.

"My mother brought you here after she 'captured' you, last week-"

"Wait...last week?" I almost whimper. "How...? I have to...!"

Grace's eyes widen. "Oh, you have a deadline to meet, don't you? Oh my Ceipheed, I'm so sorry, but...Mother has declared that you must stay here until further notice, which usually means..."

"I'm not...leaving, am I? Ever?" I ask, my words boiling my throat.

She nods cautiously, unsure how I will react. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid not. The best I can do is heal you when you come back down here, but...I think leaving you be would be better. It would be better to put you out of your misery before my mother...well..."

Tears gather in my eyes. I blink them back and ask, "Is there...paper nearby?"

Grace nods and scurries away, returning soon with a short piece of paper. I try to keep my despair at bay as I ask her to write down the contents of my final letter. I can't manage it right now, and probably won't ever be able to. Of course, this takes some major planning ahead.

I know that my death is nigh. In fact, I have been expecting it already on this quest.

Laarika is well known to be one of the most dangerous kingdoms in the entire world, attacking without warning, striking their enemies down either by brute force or by surprise. Never will they face someone who is prepared, someone who expects them to try to catch them by surprise. That is why they do not go to war unless they must, or if their enemy does not know of them. They will wait until your guard is down and strike like a viper. They never strike as a group, either; that would be much more predictable. The people of Laarika kill ruthlessly, but when they're not killing, they're pretending to be your friend. They join your group and wait until you trust them enough to turn your back on them.

As I relay my message to Grace, the tears don't just well up and provide annoyance anymore. They pour down like rivers as, finally, my emotional barriers break down.

Grace blinks back her own tears and holds on to the letter for me.

I don't expect to live long enough to hand it to Lina myself.

~Lina~

I really didn't expect to be following Zelgadis' trail of letters. Normally he's back at least three days before his deadline, so I always leave three days before whatever his time limit is, if I have to. Which I normally don't.

It doesn't take long to find his second letter, considering he put it in my favorite tree. I open it up and read it.

My third letter is around five miles down the path, hiding in a thick bush on the right side about twenty feet into the woods.

Yep. You can always expect Zel to give specifics, even if he doesn't plan to be late.

It now occurs to me that I forgot to bring Amelia and Gourry along. I sigh and yell, "GOURRY! FOOD!"

"Food?! Where?!" he yells back, dashing down the path toward me with Amelia in tow.

"Mister Gourry! You were supposed to wait until thirty minutes after you ate to dash towards Miss Lina! Remember?" she scolds.

"Hey, geniuses, there isn't any food, but Zelgadis suggested that I bring you along with me when I went out to find him," I say casually.

Amelia frowns. "Mister Zelgadis is late? How long did he give you?

"He gave me seven days, but normally I set out three days beforehand. This time is an exception." I explain to her. I don't add that I have a strange feeling about this. Zelgadis was only traveling to Laarika. It's about ten miles from the city I've been staying in recently. He should have returned by now, even if he had to fight a mazoku.

Gourry, still disappointed because of the lack of food, asks, "But shouldn't Zel be back by now? Isn't he always?"

Oh, curse Gourry for having more common sense than the rest of us. I pretend to point out the obvious. "Gourry, I just said that."

Strangely, he continues the conversation. "I mean, isn't the place he was going - Larlylah or whatever - only a short distance away? And he said seven days, right? He can run for a while, so shouldn't he have been back two days ago?"

"Laarika," I correct him. "But yeah, so that's why I'm worried. I should have left even longer ago. Anyway, let's go. If he's not on the path, then something's seriously wrong."

So we begin traveling down the road in silence. After about five miles, I tell them about the third letter and walk casually into the forest. I find a thick bush with a splotch of white in it and smirk. "Oh, snow already?"

I pull the letter out and take it back to the others, reading it aloud.

"My fourth letter, which is hopefully the last one you'll have to read, is another few miles away, just outside of Laarika. It should be up in one of the tallest branches of the tall elm tree around five feet from the gates. Thank you, Zelgadis, for being so specific," I mutter.

"On the bright side," Amelia says, "that makes it a lot easier for us to find it. How specific are you, Miss Lina?"

I glare at her. "Shut up."

"I'm just curious. How specific are you?"

I sigh and answer, "I basically just tell him how far away each letter is from the next, okay? Don't be so...what's the word? Interrogative. Or is that just a type of sentence?"

"I think you're using it right," Gourry puts in, which doesn't help my confusion at all. In fact, it makes me even more confused! If Gourry thinks it's right, then wouldn't it be wrong? Or maybe he's actually right for one of those very, very few times he uses his brain? Argh! I just don't get it! Is this smart Gourry or dumb Gourry that I'm talking to?!

I think my face is showing my rage at being so confused, because Amelia and Gourry immediately back away.

I sigh. "Okay, guys, however you use that word, we need to get going before it gets dark. And when night comes, we need to either sleep out in the open or keep someone on guard out in the open, just in case Zelgadis passes by."

"Yes, (Miss) Lina," the other two drone. Of course they would be used to this. Sometimes I take them with me, like on this occasion, if I have to. Which is, like I said, rarely. Zelgadis is almost never late. Never.

We begin walking again, reaching the fourth letter just as the moon is reaching the top of its arc. It's past midnight, and everyone is exhausted, but I climb the tree and read the letter aloud again.

This isn't going too well for me. I've never read any of Zelgadis' last letters, because I've never had to. At this rate, my heart is beginning to beat faster and sweat is pouring down my face.

"My final letter, of course, is either with me or with a messenger, someone that I trust.

Lina, the person behind me doesn't exactly seem trustworthy. Be wary of a woman with dark brown hair and icy blue eyes, wearing all navy blue. She has the looks of a noble, but I'm not sure yet. If you don't meet me soon, then you might as well give up on me and try to find the person with my final letter.

Hurry."

Well, this isn't good. If Zelgadis ran into someone, especially someone who looked like a noble near the capital city of a deadly kingdom, then he's probably either dead or talking peacefully with the rulers of Laarika, which I doubt.

"Amelia, Gourry," I mutter. "I need you to be fully rested for tomorrow. We're going to sleep in the forest, not in the clearing. Zelgadis is undoubtedly in the city, either asleep or dead, so we need to be prepared for whatever is going to happen."

They both nod, even with worry etched on their features. There's no way we could invade a city and the castle to save Zelgadis if it comes to that. We just can't take on Laarika's military, even with me involved.

Armies are dangerous. I know that for a fact. When we were over in Ruvinagald, we had to face a small army, and it took quite a few spells to conquer that. But that was a small army. We're here facing the capital city of a kingdom that specializes in nuclear weaponry and has at least seventy thousand people. If we show any resistance in any way, we're as toast as a dragon's dinner.

I shake that train of thought off its rails and settle down for sleep in the woods. All three of us know that we can get some sleep here, safely, without any mazoku or demons trying to kill us every five seconds.

For a while after the other two have gone to sleep, I stare up at the stars.

Where are you, Zelgadis? Where exactly? For once, you haven't given specifics.

~Zelgadis~

Getting slapped across the face is not the best way to start your day. The crown princess, Aark, barges into the cell I am currently occupying and slaps my face so hard that I can actually feel it through my stone skin. Why is she doing this, you're probably wondering?

Because she hates my guts already, even before she got to know my guts. Yes, she decided to torture my guts even before they got to prove themselves. And why is this? Because she's a crazy, sadistic psychopath who enjoys torturing anyone she happens to come across the little dirt path winding through Laarika.

I would feel sorry for my guts if I could feel anything aside from pain right now.

"Hey, blue boy," Aark yells, stinging my sensitive eardrums. "My guards heard rumors of three people traveling this way, looking for someone. Who are they?"

I just stare blankly at her, unable to process the words that were just said.

"Do not tell me you do not know, blue boy! Tell me who they are!"

"Who?" I ask, translating her accent and masking my surprise that Lina is already so close.

Aark just grumbles something about amnesia before dragging my limp body off to another torture chamber. Woo. So much fun.

I think I blacked out along the way, because we arrive before I know what happened, in broad daylight.

"Hey," Aark says quietly, glancing around to see if any guards are nearby. "Were you the one who wrote this letter?"

Imagine my shock when she holds out the very letter that Grace wrote for me. I frown at her and nod slightly. Even completely numb with pain, I can manage that.

"It is...touching..." she murmurs. "Listen, because I have some compassion in this cold, dead heart of mine, I am willing to let you go. For a price."

"And what's that price?" I ask suspiciously.

"Welllll..." she replies. "I...well, that price just so happens to be your life. I think."

I simply glare at her. She shrugs. "I am sorry. My dad does not like you. Is it that wrong to obey your father?"

"How would I know?" I reply with a sigh, rolling my eyes.

"Well, on the bright side, you will not be tortured anymore! My father said that it was a cruel and unusual punishment for something you did not do."

"Hip, hip, hooray," I mutter.

Aark sighs and puts her hands on her hips. "You are impossible."

"Yeah, I know. That's what Lina says all the time. Now, don't get all friendly with me, or I'll feel bad when I have to kill you."

"What?"

And then I'm standing rather casually behind her, holding my sword to her throat. "Hey, do you like waffles?" I ask.

"Yes, why?"

"Because I hate waffles. And now you will die because you like waffles. Bye, bye."

The next thing I know, Aark's head is going WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE all the way home.

And that, my friend, is why I love this sword.

~Lina!~

As I am waking up this morning, I don't expect Zelgadis to appear out of nowhere holding a plate of waffles. However, I have learned to expect the unexpected, so I just eat the entire plate and save the questioning for later.

After Amelia and Gourry have woken up, the raven-haired princess worries over Zelgadis like a mother cat would do to her kittens. She makes a point of scolding him as she heals his wounds.

Gourry is simply glad to have the guy back. After all, without Zelgadis, that jellyfish-brain is always surrounded by females that end up smacking him around every five seconds. Without our peace-keeper, it's basically a war zone, especially with Amelia around (Hey, I'm telling the truth! She always lets her bad temper get the best of her!).

Other than that, Gourry likes to have a guy around him, just so he can talk, man to man, or in this case, chimera to jellyfish, about guy things. Don't ask me what the eff they talk about; I have no idea. After all, I'm a girl. How would I know what men talk about? For all I know, they could just always talk about crushes or something, or maybe just not talk at all.

On the other hand, whenever we're staying at an inn and I go downstairs for a...heh...midnight snack, I hear Gourry and Zelgadis sharing some sort of conversation. I honestly have no idea what it's always about, but I can tell by their tones that it's private, so I never say anything and just go back to bed.

...Okay, so maybe I've listened in a few times, but it's never anything important. There was that one time they were talking together while I was coming back upstairs and happened to overhear part of their conversation.

They were talking about Xellos, and why the both of them hated him so much. You know, I never really thought that Gourry could hate someone, but that night proved me wrong. Gourry said, with hatred dripping like venom from his voice, "Xellos is just a sadistic psychopath who happens to love torturing and killing people."

"Hey, Zelgadis?" I ask suddenly, startling my favorite pet rock. "Who was that girl you were talking about in your letter?"

"Well, her name is Aark, and she really, really loves torturing people." Zelgadis shudders. "She's uncannily like Xellos in the fact that they both love harming people, but she doesn't get dinner from it."

I frown and just shake my head. "Okay. I'm gonna go blow this place to smithereens. For fun, y'know?"

"Please, don't," Zelgadis says suddenly, grabbing my raised 'Spell-Casting Arm of Doom'. "There's a little five year old down there without responsible parents and without anyone knowing she's alive. You have to go save her."

"But, Zelgadis," I whine. "If they find you, you'll get either thrown into jail or just tortured again. (And that'll be a hassle to get you out of.)"

"Why do you think I told you to not only bring Amelia and Gourry along, but with a deadline of seven days?"

Suddenly, realization strikes me. "You had this entire thing planned out. Zelgadis, why would you basically sacrifice yourself just to save a little girl that you didn't know existed?"

"Lina," he says quietly. "Please, go save her. And please, do me a favor and destroy the city the second you get out of there with Grace, won't you?"

I frown. Why is he acting so strange? "Well, sure, I guess? Couldn't you do that?"

He smiles almost mischievously, an expression I have never seen on his face. "Ask her about 'something'. You don't need to know what until she gives it to you. She should know. Meet me in this clearing, okay?"

"Okay," Amelia and Gourry exclaim cheerfully, already prancing off.

"Are you coming, Miss Lina?"

I glance back at Zelgadis before jogging up to them. "Yeah, of course I'm coming."

It turns out Grace is actually around seven, not five, and she's worked down in the dungeons for as long as she can remember, which must be for a pretty long time. She says that she could speak since one-and-a-half, and her vocabulary has grown as she spoke to the poor souls in the dungeon, who took sympathy upon her.

"Hey, Grace?" I question when we're alone, as Amelia and Gourry have gone off to find food.

"Yes, Mistress Lina?"

"Zelgadis told me to ask you for 'something'. Can you tell me what it is?"

Grace's eyes widen. "You saw Master Zelgadis? Where was he? Was he okay?"

I snap back at her, "Yes; where we were camping; and yes! Now will you answer my questions already?!"

She blinks back tears for some reason and gives me a small parchment of paper just as Amelia and Gourry get back.

I frown at her and read it in my head first.

Lina,

I'm sorry for having to deceive you. In truth, my wounds are much more fatal than I imagine you will think. I'm dying, Lina, and not even Sylphiel would be able to stop it.

I'm probably dying as you read this right now.

At that sentence, tears trickle down my face even with rage burning all sorrow away. "Amelia, Gourry, Grace; come on, as fast as you can! Now! HURRY!"

We dash out of the dungeons and jump out the nearest full-size window, completely destroying it.

"Lina, where are we going? What are we doing?" Gourry demands, stopping me in my tracks.

I halt, glance at him, and begins to sob, burying my face in my hands. "Read the...read the..."

Gourry frowns and glances over the first two paragraphs I read before starting to read aloud.

"Don't bother trying to look for me. I'll be long gone by the time you get to the clearing, both physically and mentally. You need to listen to my words, okay?"
Gourry passes the paper to me, and I glance at it before reading it to the others.

"Lina, I love how you remain defiant even in the worst situations. I can't name all the times you've saved us from either a mazoku or our own emotions. You've always been there for all of us, and that's why...that's why I love you. Here, sitting in the face of Death, I know I'll never make it. Just try to live life to the fullest without me, okay?

Gourry, I couldn't tell you how much I'll miss your stupid comments or how you always seemed to know things the rest of us didn't, like when you figured out that Xellos was a mazoku. I loved talking about swords with you, and I wish I could spend more time practicing with you. I still have too much to learn.

Amelia, even if your Justice speeches were annoying, I couldn't have become the person I am today without your help. You saved me from Gaav, that one time, and so help me, I swear that without me you would've died of your innocence. Please, continue to be that ignorant little girl for me, won't you?

Xellos, I hate you. Get a life.

Filia, you're too bossy. And since I'm good as dead, you can't hurt me! Ha!"

I can't continue, and I can see that no one around me wants me to. Everyone is either crying or trying to hold back from it, murmuring, "It can't be...it can't be..."

Finally, our common sense returns to us, and we begin to race off to the clearing again. We don't find Zelgadis there, but we find a short note.

Amelia reads it aloud. "'I'm already dead by now. Please, don't grieve too much. You're already making me feel bad. Now keep to that promise and blow up Laarika, won't you?'"

I'm sure my eyes are flickering dangerously as I turn towards the city that brought death upon Zelgadis.

I now raise my arms above my head and practically scream, "Mother of All Things, Bringer of Life, heed my words! Though death has been wrought and despair inflicted, we will rise again! I now call upon your power to destroy them, destroy anyone and anything that has ever harmed Zelgadis in a way they shouldn't have! Heed me now, thou who is darker than darkest pitch. Heed me now, thou who has listened before. Heed me now, in my moment of fury, to destroy any and all who have dared strike upon him, who have harmed him, who have harmed the man I loved! Destroy his enemies and mine; forge the path of destruction, and bend to my will! Giga Break!"

I really don't expect this to work—it's taken me forever to even begin this spell's words—but my fury and devastation must have come through, because the Lord of Nightmares is listening. The golden light that signifies the Mother of All arcs down from the heavens in a burst of lightning. I want this to work. I believe that it will, and that is why my magic is so powerful.

I see it now. Everything I've ever done is because I've had someone to love, and someone who loves me back. I know now that my actions may have been harsh sometimes, but I have grown to accept hatred and prejudice, and become stronger, build up against it.

I want Zelgadis to be with me. I want him to know that I love him, too. I want it to work, and that is why I always succeed, no matter what I do.

I believe, and I want. I need this to happen, I need Zelgadis to come back for me. This is it. Want. Belief. It is what makes us strong, day and night, year after year after year.

The city of Laarika goes down in golden black flames, and so do I. But this time, it's not painful. It doesn't hurt when I fall, like it did back when I tried to cast the Giga Slave against Phibrizzo. It feels warm and comforting; I know that I'm safe here, wherever I am.

Amelia and Gourry are trying to get to me, I know it. But they can't, because now I have finally been released from my heavy burden. I can live in peace now, as a normal girl, with Zelgadis by my side. Forever.

That's what makes us strong.

Love.

I can see him now, holding out his arm for me to hold. I hook mine into his as he whispers, "Okay, so maybe not everything is hopeless..." He glances back at our two friends, who can't reach us anymore, and adds, "Won't we have to say goodbye?"

"No," I reply. "We don't have to do anything anymore. We're both dead, remember?"

He smiles, and in that moment I realize that he is finally human again, and, if possible, he looks even more handsome than ever.

I stand on my tiptoes and wrap my arms around his neck, leaning forward and kissing him.

"Did I ever mention I love you?" I ask him afterwards.

"I think so, in that little speech you gave. Did I?"

"You didn't have to."

And we pull into another kiss, both knowing each other's feelings and not regretting leaving the others behind.

Because we're in love, and love can take many forms, correct? Sometimes it can cause you to fall in love with your best friend, even if you're both female, and sometimes it can make you commit suicide to be with the man you love. That's why we always find love so appealing. It's an adventure.

And life with Zelgadis? Oh, I'm sure I'll be fine without being able to have kids, since we're both dead. That's fine with me, as long as I'm with him. Nothing will go wrong, and for once, I know that's true.

Not only have I found my soul-mate, but I know that my legacy, my legend, will be carried on across the ages, forever entwined with Zelgadis'. I know that we will always be remembered, and that's what counts.

As we head off to the heavens, I see two stars twinkle brighter, merging together into one as golden light races across the sky.