"Lina, I'm starving! Aren't we near a town yet?"

The first words out of Gourry's mouth for the last three hours, and of course, they were about food.

"Hold on, jellyfish brain, we should be getting there any time now!" Lina said impatiently. She wished he'd talk about something else; she was starting to feel hungry too. "Hey, Amelia, about how far away is the next town, anyway?"

Amelia studied the map for what seemed like ages. When Lina opened her mouth to ask again, Amelia finally replied, "Oh dear "

Lina stopped, glancing back. "What?"

"We seem to be very far off course. I can't even tell where we lost track!"

"Let me see that map!" Lina said urgently, simultaneously snatching at it. She looked it over a few times, tracing lines with her fingers. "Ah, geez, you're not kidding! We're at least a day's walk west of where we meant to go! How'd that happen?"

Zelgadis stood nearby, thinking. After a moment he replied dryly, "It probably happened this morning, after you insisted on stopping to hunt for berries. We hadn't been out of the last village but five minutes yet, and you and Gourry already had eaten half the food there, yet somehow you were still hungry "

Lina pouted.

"Not my fault Gourry doesn't know how to share. I hardly got a bite at all."

Zel rolled his eyes.

Lina stretched, brushing the mishap aside. "Well, we might as well keep going this way. We're bound to hit something eventually."

So the group walked on. Near sunset they came upon a small, very natural-looking town. It blended so well with the surrounding forest that they had walked halfway through it without even realizing there were buildings around them.

Lina blinked, surprised. "Wow," she exclaimed, "this is a town?"

"Looks like it." Zel said, equally amazed.

Gourry looked confused. "I don't get it."

"Geez, you numbskull, can't you remember anything? You know what a town is!" Lina nearly shouted, smacking him over the head in a comical fashion.

Gourry rubbed his head, pouting a bit. "No, what I don't get is why there aren't any people here. If this is a town, there should be people, right?"

"Oh You have a point." Lina looked around them. "Where is everybody?"

Zelgadis was the first to notice the tall, black-haired girl standing near the group. She had long, pointed ears, and looked none too happy to see them.

"You are not welcome here " She said in a soft but embittered tone.

Everyone else turned, startled, and looked in awe at her.

"An elf!" Lina cried, astonished. The girl scowled, repeating her statement in a more urgent tone.

"You are not welcome here! Leave at once!"

Lina remembered the stories she had heard about the elves being one of the races once used for testing of spells and potions. She knew why they were not wanted, as well as why the city was so well camouflaged and why its inhabitants were nowhere to be seen.

Her eyes softened, and her tone was calm and unthreatening.

"Please, we really need a place to stay for the night. If we swear not to cause trouble, will you let us stay just for one night?"

The elf stared for a long moment, staring at Lina as though reading her for any body language that may belie her intentions.

The tension built immensely during that moment, and after what seemed like an eternity of waiting for a response, the girl standing impatiently before the Slayers spoke.

"How am I to be sure that you aren't here for something else? Travelers very rarely come this way, and most never make it this far, or see this place for what it is. Clearly you know something most people do not."

Zelgadis was as calm as Lina. He spoke quietly, trying both to seem harmless and to not draw too much attention to his unusual features.

"We seem to have a habit of getting into strange situations. It's just our luck."

Amelia nodded eagerly, hoping for her friends' sakes that they would be allowed to stay, or at least to go on safely.

The elf studied the group for a moment longer, and then quietly sighed.

"I wish my heart were not so forgiving," she said almost dismally, "I may get into quite a lot of trouble for this, but you may stay with me tonight." With that, she turned and calmly walked away, leading them.

The group followed, barely restraining themselves from expressing their immense joy and relief.

"By the way," the elf girl said, almost smiling as she looked back at them, "my name is Taiyo."

The Slayers woke the next day, happy and refreshed. Taiyo, the young elf they had met the night before, had been very a courteous host, despite her initial distaste at them being in her town. After they had all been introduced, she had made dinner for everyone and even ate with them. During the course of the meal, she had told them about her deepest wish.

"I've always wanted to do what you all are doing " She had said softly, barely audible above the clatter Lina and Gourry made as they wolfed down their food.

Zel glanced at her, curious. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"I want to travel. To explore and experience the world. I can't stand being in this one place all the time."

Amelia, ever the friendly optimist, lit up like a star. She smiled wide and cheery at Taiyo, who looked almost unnerved by the extremity of Amelia's expression. "You could always come with us!" She said, pouring delight into every syllable. "It would be so fun to have you along!"

Lina paused in mid-bite. After thinking for a mere moment, she beamed. "Hey, yeah! We could always use another person on the team, and I'd bet you know all kinds of stuff that could be of use!"

Taiyo seemed unsure. She looked away almost shyly.

"I couldn't expect you to take me along. I shouldn't have thought aloud."

Zelgadis gave her a small, friendly smile, at which she blushed faintly.

"We insist," he said, "We really could use the help, and it's the least we can do after you were kind enough to take us in for the night."

Lina grinned, and Gourry smiled warmly. Amelia was near bursting. It was clear they all wanted very much for her to join them.

Taiyo was surprised, but nonetheless grateful. She smiled softly at them. "Thank you all. This is very generous, and I promise you won't regret your decision."

After dinner, everyone relaxed for an hour or two before heading off to bed. While they all lounged, Taiyo enjoyed a nice conversation with Zelgadis. They talked casually, but they seemed to click instantly, and spoke as freely as though they had been long-time friends. Lina grinned, seeing the natural connection. It's nice to see Zel make a friend so easily, she thought. Taiyo and Zelgadis talked on, even after everyone else had gone to sleep.

The next morning, they all enjoyed a simple but very satisfying breakfast, discussing where to go next. They eventually decided to head toward Atlas City, and after Taiyo had packed, they began their journey.

And thus, a new member of the Slayers group was found and accepted. It was the beginning of what was to be a very long but rewarding adventure