AN: After long consideration, I decided to make this fic. I wasn't to sure
if I should, since the beginning may be a bit sloppy, but at any rate I
hope you enjoy. Flames will be deleted and ignored, they are simply
pointless, its really low to critizise someone's work. Especially if they
are passionate about their work. Please, read and review. Lend me some
support, and this story shall go on. There is a plot to this story, so
prepare for excitement in the following chapters. Also I must warn you
that if you do not like Xellos/Lina coupling, leave now.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Slayers
Chapter I
~ ~ ~
The sun peeked over the horizon. Pink, orange, and purple painted the skies at the first early light. Birds cracked their beady eyes open to greet the marvelous morning, and they perched up on twigs and branches to begin their morning chorus. The wind blew softly through trees of the forest, waters of the see, grass of the meadows, and sand of the desserts. Woodland creatures began to come out of their houses to begin the early search for breakfast. Two heroes still rest in their sleeping bags soundly. But the birds were persistent, and kept chirping to awake them from their slumber. The female, which lied in the sleeping bag, sat upright, rubbing her weary eyes. She looked up at the sky, and smiled to herself. It was going to be another glorious morning for another adventure. A snoring coming beside her disturbed the serenity of the morning.
Lina glared at her companion, causing her ruby red eyes to blaze like fire. He grunts, which made it all the worse. It was the most horrible noise she had ever heard in her life. Even if she was used to it. The madness had to end. And it did. With a swift kick in his side, the blonde swordsman awoke hastily with a confused expression, which he wore quite often. When it finally registered to his thick skull what was going on, his eyes drooped tiredly again, and he packed his things grimly. Someone didn't seem to be a happy this morning. But Lina sure was. As they walked down the dirt road, she was humming gleefully, even skipping some parts of the way. Gourry was going to question her why she was in such a good mood, but he feared that she would severely hurt him, then he would set her in a ghastly mood. Which was never good.
They kept at an even pace. The forest just seemed to stretch out for miles on end. Not a clearing came in to view; it almost seemed hopeless that they would ever find a way out of the forest. Since they had been traveling through it for three weeks straight now. Lina didn't seem to mind it all too much. It might be because she had plenty of cash, in which she had to beat up a group of bandits to retrieve it from the night before. She was eager to find the next town so she could buy all the food her stomach could hold. The two of them were tired of their diet on fish and scrawny little critters that they found in the forest. Lina needed a large meal that would please her growling tummy.
Lina tilted her head back to get a better perspective of the clear blue sky that hung over her head. She began to ponder, mostly about what they were to do after they ate and rested well. Would the adventures go on until she was wrinkly and frail? Sure, she was rather young to be thinking much of her future of being an elderly woman. But the thought did sometimes come to mind. Gourry and her have been traveling with each other for four years after the incident with Dark Star. Since then, she hadn't contacted her friends or even heard from them. The only comrade she would casually visit, if it were on their way, was Filia. They would come into her town to gather food for their travels, bathe, eat, and have plenty of bed rest. The Dragon always invited them for tea. But the last time they saw her was about a year in a half ago, Valgaav was aging quickly. And someone else had been there for a small reunion too. Xellos. He had taunted Filia for countless hours of their visit, then turn to Lina and claimed her his next victim. Not that she would admit to others or herself, but she liked his company and missed it on this very day. Though Gourry and herself were travel companions, they haven't held a passionate relationship since they had their fling back when they were in search for the Claire Bible. They just were not meant to be, in a sense Lina knew that Gourry liked her more than he let on. But she just couldn't return those feelings.
Gourry looked over to Lina, concern written across his kind features. She turned to him, and smiled. Which reassured him that she was all right, satisfied, he kept his gaze forward while Lina's steady gaze remained on him. Gourry was such a strong and loyal man; he was everything she could ever ask for. Yet something he had could never fill her heart. Gourry did not give her the same thrill as being attracted with a certain priest. Xellos was a challenge; there was no doubt to that. He would be there one moment, and gone the next. But somehow she could care less. The times he is away is when she missed him the most, and when he is near; her world is full of life. The last time she saw Xellos, which was at Filia's, he had said that he would see her whenever she reached The Kingdom of Zefielia, her hometown. They were drawing nearer and nearer to her hometown to visit her sister, Luna. But she avoided thinking of seeing her sister again.
The blond swordsman stopped in his tracks abruptly, and Lina, who was not paying attention to where her feet were taking her, ran straight in to his back. She punched him lightly in the back and was about to yell at him before she looked up ahead and saw the reason of his sudden pause. The town that they have been yearning for was right before their eyes. Lina punched her fist in the air for a victory. Pushing past him she immediately rushed towards the crowded town, Gourry running shortly behind her.
It took no time at all for them to fill their bellies and find a decent inn. Lina was currently soaking in a hot tub outdoors; it naturally had walls boxing in the tub for privacy usage. The red head tied her hair to the top of her head in a loose bun; she dipped her toes into the water to test the temperature. Steam rise from the surface of the water. The heat of the water reeled her in; she slowly lowered herself in the water taking time for her body to adjust to the hot temperature. Her tensed muscled loosened as the heat immediately seeped through. "Ahh." Lina let out a heavenly sigh, and leaned back against the edge and closed her eyes. Her thoughts began to linger again. Leaning towards the direction of her old comrades and silently she wondered how they were all getting along. She loved her friends dearly, and she wished that things were the same as they were before. If only they could be...
Lina finished scrubbing the filth from her skin and unwillingly dragged herself from the hot tub. She wrapped a pale yellow towel tightly around her and tucked it securely before exiting the room. She had changed in her room into light pink pajama's that matched perfectly with the color of her hair and eyes. Just as she tucked herself into bed, and began a chapter in her book, a shadow from the trees outside her window watched her silently; the leaves of the trees began to rustle wildly. A strong wind current forced her window open, allowing the cold night air to filter the room. Lina shivered feverishly and hurried over to the window, she overlooked the town from her window suspiciously. There was no wind tonight, or so she thought. Lina stuck her finger in her mouth and thrust it outside, there appeared to be no wind. There had to be a reasonable explanation for it, with that positive point of view she went straight to bed. Never noticing the figure in the tree's smiling down upon her.
~
Lina woke up with an early start. She brushed her long fiery locks and dressed. Just as she was about to leave the room, a cold breeze slithered up her shirt and on her back. Wind? Lina twisted her head around to see. The window was wide open once more allowing the wind to run amuck in her bedroom. She grumbled angrily and approached it to close it once more. "Damn cheap hotels." She murmured bitterly and slammed it harshly. Did I not close this window last night? She mused.
Gourry was waiting for her downstairs. Lina took no hesitation in beginning the breakfast feast, that was fit for a thousand kings. They both stuffed their mouths greedily, receiving appalled and amused stares from the people around them. After lounging and taking care of their starving bellies, they head off. They were only a few feet from the gates when they heard a cry from behind them telling them to halt. Lina tried to think if there was anything illegal that she had done in this town, but could think of nothing. They both turned to the voice that called to them, and both received a great amount of shock. Running towards them was a raven-hair priestess that they've known long ago, Sylphiel Nels Lahda of Sairaag. As she reached them her eyes sparkled with delight at seeing her old companions. For a few moments there, Sylphiel and Gourry exchanged smiles and laughed in spite of nothing but being in the presence of each other. Lina gave a lopsided smile, it had always been obvious that Sylphiel liked Gourry and hoped that Gourry wasn't so dense as to miss those flirting eyes.
"I never imagined that I would cross paths with the likes of you two again. Still a pair in adventures are we?" The side of Sylphiels lip twitched at the thought of them being an item by now. After all, she had always figured that they would eventual hook up. She never had a chance.
"Yes. And such boring adventures they have been, the only excitement I have received has been blowing up bandits and collecting riches from their corpse." Lina exclaimed proudly.
Slyphiel gave Lina a scowling stare. "Miss Lina, haven't you learned by now that violence is not the answer?"
"Violence may not be a proper answer, but it's an answer." Lina argued stiffly. Why must she run into people that did not share her passion for blowing up things?
Slyphiel decided to ignore that comment and turned to Gourry. "So Mr. Gourry. Anything new? Anything of the sort, such as.... New demons to fight, trolls to kill, treasure to discover.... Weddings to prepare?" The last words she stumbled on.
The blond swordsman smiled broadly and shook his head. "None of the sort. Were off right now to visit Lina's sister, Luna, since we received a letter from her months ago and said it was an emergency. Other than that, nothing new."
"Then your not with-"She paused for a moment, and shot a stern glance towards Lina. Unfortunately he missed the gesture. "Anyone.."
"As far as I know." He answered, scratching his head trying to figure out if that was a trick question.
Slyphiel was relieved. But tried not to show her overwhelming excitement for it. Though it was hard not to miss those little dimples engraving in her cheeks. Lina saw it. The sorceress didn't miss much. She backed away from them as they continued to converse, but neither noticed her absence. It took hours before they even realized that the sun was setting. Lina just simply past her time away walking around town, shopping for new jewelry and other shiny things that caught her hungry eye. Night came quickly, so a day was wasted to begin the long walk to Zefielia, so they decided to stay at the inn one more night. Lina's bodyguard hasn't been seen since they left each other at the gate.
Deep in the night, Gourry slipped into Lina's bedroom. Just to see if she was all right, he grew worried about her since her disappearance. But after a long while of reassuring him that she was fine, he left for bed and left her alone in her room. Lina was being pulled through the pages of her book. A cool drift caught her attention. And yet again, the window was open. She threw down her book, and shut her window. To her surprise, a strong arm gently grabbed her waist, and the other free arm smothered her scream with his hand. Lina could hear the mysterious figure whisper, his hot breath tingling her ear. "It's all right." The voice soothed. The voice sounded all too familiar. "Xellos?" Lina gasped.
Disclaimer: I do not own The Slayers
Chapter I
~ ~ ~
The sun peeked over the horizon. Pink, orange, and purple painted the skies at the first early light. Birds cracked their beady eyes open to greet the marvelous morning, and they perched up on twigs and branches to begin their morning chorus. The wind blew softly through trees of the forest, waters of the see, grass of the meadows, and sand of the desserts. Woodland creatures began to come out of their houses to begin the early search for breakfast. Two heroes still rest in their sleeping bags soundly. But the birds were persistent, and kept chirping to awake them from their slumber. The female, which lied in the sleeping bag, sat upright, rubbing her weary eyes. She looked up at the sky, and smiled to herself. It was going to be another glorious morning for another adventure. A snoring coming beside her disturbed the serenity of the morning.
Lina glared at her companion, causing her ruby red eyes to blaze like fire. He grunts, which made it all the worse. It was the most horrible noise she had ever heard in her life. Even if she was used to it. The madness had to end. And it did. With a swift kick in his side, the blonde swordsman awoke hastily with a confused expression, which he wore quite often. When it finally registered to his thick skull what was going on, his eyes drooped tiredly again, and he packed his things grimly. Someone didn't seem to be a happy this morning. But Lina sure was. As they walked down the dirt road, she was humming gleefully, even skipping some parts of the way. Gourry was going to question her why she was in such a good mood, but he feared that she would severely hurt him, then he would set her in a ghastly mood. Which was never good.
They kept at an even pace. The forest just seemed to stretch out for miles on end. Not a clearing came in to view; it almost seemed hopeless that they would ever find a way out of the forest. Since they had been traveling through it for three weeks straight now. Lina didn't seem to mind it all too much. It might be because she had plenty of cash, in which she had to beat up a group of bandits to retrieve it from the night before. She was eager to find the next town so she could buy all the food her stomach could hold. The two of them were tired of their diet on fish and scrawny little critters that they found in the forest. Lina needed a large meal that would please her growling tummy.
Lina tilted her head back to get a better perspective of the clear blue sky that hung over her head. She began to ponder, mostly about what they were to do after they ate and rested well. Would the adventures go on until she was wrinkly and frail? Sure, she was rather young to be thinking much of her future of being an elderly woman. But the thought did sometimes come to mind. Gourry and her have been traveling with each other for four years after the incident with Dark Star. Since then, she hadn't contacted her friends or even heard from them. The only comrade she would casually visit, if it were on their way, was Filia. They would come into her town to gather food for their travels, bathe, eat, and have plenty of bed rest. The Dragon always invited them for tea. But the last time they saw her was about a year in a half ago, Valgaav was aging quickly. And someone else had been there for a small reunion too. Xellos. He had taunted Filia for countless hours of their visit, then turn to Lina and claimed her his next victim. Not that she would admit to others or herself, but she liked his company and missed it on this very day. Though Gourry and herself were travel companions, they haven't held a passionate relationship since they had their fling back when they were in search for the Claire Bible. They just were not meant to be, in a sense Lina knew that Gourry liked her more than he let on. But she just couldn't return those feelings.
Gourry looked over to Lina, concern written across his kind features. She turned to him, and smiled. Which reassured him that she was all right, satisfied, he kept his gaze forward while Lina's steady gaze remained on him. Gourry was such a strong and loyal man; he was everything she could ever ask for. Yet something he had could never fill her heart. Gourry did not give her the same thrill as being attracted with a certain priest. Xellos was a challenge; there was no doubt to that. He would be there one moment, and gone the next. But somehow she could care less. The times he is away is when she missed him the most, and when he is near; her world is full of life. The last time she saw Xellos, which was at Filia's, he had said that he would see her whenever she reached The Kingdom of Zefielia, her hometown. They were drawing nearer and nearer to her hometown to visit her sister, Luna. But she avoided thinking of seeing her sister again.
The blond swordsman stopped in his tracks abruptly, and Lina, who was not paying attention to where her feet were taking her, ran straight in to his back. She punched him lightly in the back and was about to yell at him before she looked up ahead and saw the reason of his sudden pause. The town that they have been yearning for was right before their eyes. Lina punched her fist in the air for a victory. Pushing past him she immediately rushed towards the crowded town, Gourry running shortly behind her.
It took no time at all for them to fill their bellies and find a decent inn. Lina was currently soaking in a hot tub outdoors; it naturally had walls boxing in the tub for privacy usage. The red head tied her hair to the top of her head in a loose bun; she dipped her toes into the water to test the temperature. Steam rise from the surface of the water. The heat of the water reeled her in; she slowly lowered herself in the water taking time for her body to adjust to the hot temperature. Her tensed muscled loosened as the heat immediately seeped through. "Ahh." Lina let out a heavenly sigh, and leaned back against the edge and closed her eyes. Her thoughts began to linger again. Leaning towards the direction of her old comrades and silently she wondered how they were all getting along. She loved her friends dearly, and she wished that things were the same as they were before. If only they could be...
Lina finished scrubbing the filth from her skin and unwillingly dragged herself from the hot tub. She wrapped a pale yellow towel tightly around her and tucked it securely before exiting the room. She had changed in her room into light pink pajama's that matched perfectly with the color of her hair and eyes. Just as she tucked herself into bed, and began a chapter in her book, a shadow from the trees outside her window watched her silently; the leaves of the trees began to rustle wildly. A strong wind current forced her window open, allowing the cold night air to filter the room. Lina shivered feverishly and hurried over to the window, she overlooked the town from her window suspiciously. There was no wind tonight, or so she thought. Lina stuck her finger in her mouth and thrust it outside, there appeared to be no wind. There had to be a reasonable explanation for it, with that positive point of view she went straight to bed. Never noticing the figure in the tree's smiling down upon her.
~
Lina woke up with an early start. She brushed her long fiery locks and dressed. Just as she was about to leave the room, a cold breeze slithered up her shirt and on her back. Wind? Lina twisted her head around to see. The window was wide open once more allowing the wind to run amuck in her bedroom. She grumbled angrily and approached it to close it once more. "Damn cheap hotels." She murmured bitterly and slammed it harshly. Did I not close this window last night? She mused.
Gourry was waiting for her downstairs. Lina took no hesitation in beginning the breakfast feast, that was fit for a thousand kings. They both stuffed their mouths greedily, receiving appalled and amused stares from the people around them. After lounging and taking care of their starving bellies, they head off. They were only a few feet from the gates when they heard a cry from behind them telling them to halt. Lina tried to think if there was anything illegal that she had done in this town, but could think of nothing. They both turned to the voice that called to them, and both received a great amount of shock. Running towards them was a raven-hair priestess that they've known long ago, Sylphiel Nels Lahda of Sairaag. As she reached them her eyes sparkled with delight at seeing her old companions. For a few moments there, Sylphiel and Gourry exchanged smiles and laughed in spite of nothing but being in the presence of each other. Lina gave a lopsided smile, it had always been obvious that Sylphiel liked Gourry and hoped that Gourry wasn't so dense as to miss those flirting eyes.
"I never imagined that I would cross paths with the likes of you two again. Still a pair in adventures are we?" The side of Sylphiels lip twitched at the thought of them being an item by now. After all, she had always figured that they would eventual hook up. She never had a chance.
"Yes. And such boring adventures they have been, the only excitement I have received has been blowing up bandits and collecting riches from their corpse." Lina exclaimed proudly.
Slyphiel gave Lina a scowling stare. "Miss Lina, haven't you learned by now that violence is not the answer?"
"Violence may not be a proper answer, but it's an answer." Lina argued stiffly. Why must she run into people that did not share her passion for blowing up things?
Slyphiel decided to ignore that comment and turned to Gourry. "So Mr. Gourry. Anything new? Anything of the sort, such as.... New demons to fight, trolls to kill, treasure to discover.... Weddings to prepare?" The last words she stumbled on.
The blond swordsman smiled broadly and shook his head. "None of the sort. Were off right now to visit Lina's sister, Luna, since we received a letter from her months ago and said it was an emergency. Other than that, nothing new."
"Then your not with-"She paused for a moment, and shot a stern glance towards Lina. Unfortunately he missed the gesture. "Anyone.."
"As far as I know." He answered, scratching his head trying to figure out if that was a trick question.
Slyphiel was relieved. But tried not to show her overwhelming excitement for it. Though it was hard not to miss those little dimples engraving in her cheeks. Lina saw it. The sorceress didn't miss much. She backed away from them as they continued to converse, but neither noticed her absence. It took hours before they even realized that the sun was setting. Lina just simply past her time away walking around town, shopping for new jewelry and other shiny things that caught her hungry eye. Night came quickly, so a day was wasted to begin the long walk to Zefielia, so they decided to stay at the inn one more night. Lina's bodyguard hasn't been seen since they left each other at the gate.
Deep in the night, Gourry slipped into Lina's bedroom. Just to see if she was all right, he grew worried about her since her disappearance. But after a long while of reassuring him that she was fine, he left for bed and left her alone in her room. Lina was being pulled through the pages of her book. A cool drift caught her attention. And yet again, the window was open. She threw down her book, and shut her window. To her surprise, a strong arm gently grabbed her waist, and the other free arm smothered her scream with his hand. Lina could hear the mysterious figure whisper, his hot breath tingling her ear. "It's all right." The voice soothed. The voice sounded all too familiar. "Xellos?" Lina gasped.