A/n: Thank you for taking the time to check out this story. As you should know, none of the Slayers characters belong to me. I am just borrowing them for this story. Please feel free to comment and to leave your opinions! Oh, and if you are a flamer, I really don't want to hear from you, sorry.

Ch. 1 The Bargaining Past

When it happened, it all happened so fast. There was nothing she could do, nothing the infamous Lina Inverse could do. It happened after the dark lord Zanapher had been reborn into the mortal world, it happened after Lina and crew had said their good-byes to Pokota and Mr. Wiser. Nothing could have prepared Lina for the event that changed the course of her life for eternity.

They were all still with her back then, Zelgadis and Amelia, but most importantly Gourry was with her. He was her guardian, her friend, and later she found, her love. How could she have loved the pudding-brained swordsman so much? How could his death, all of their deaths, affected her so much? She was tough, she always traveled alone before them. Making her own way, shooting caution to the wind, and taking out bandits her own way. She was Lina Inverse, the infamous bandit killer, genius sorceress, and dragon spooker.

To the monsters, that tragic day is known as the Commemoration. It was a stupid name if anyone asked her. To the humans, it is known as the Breakdown. Another stupid name for it. To her, it was the day she made the bargain. The day she couldn't save her love and her friends. It was the one day where being Lina Inverse did not matter. That day the monsters rose. Not just a few, not a horde or two, but all of them. Monsters like Joyrock, Seigram and Xelloss. Lesser demons flooded the lands and the people were helpless. She was with Gourry, Zelgadis and Amelia when their final battle had begun. During the battle and even now, she wondered where were the gods? What of Ceiphied, the supreme god of their world? How did the balance shift so quickly and easily? Even though the thought sent horrible cold tremors through her entire body, where was Luna? Her sister would not roll over and die anymore than she herself would. This was the time to fight! She remembered it more clearly than she would have liked to…

"Blast Ash!" Lina voiced, enveloping and erasing her target within the black space. "Raw Tilt!" Zelgadis and Amelia bellowed together, just like they always did. Gourry was behind her covering her with his sword. The battle was swift and all around them were blasts and flashes of light. Lesser demons swarmed and then the high class demon showed himself. Amelia didn't even have a chance. The monster appeared right behind her and struck out with lightning speed. Lina herself didn't even see his strike, but she heard the scream, and she saw the blood. She saw Zelgadis covering Amelia and then she was struck too. "This is happening too fast, what the hell is going on!?!" She thought to herself, she had to get up and fight. Gourry's scream resounded through the air. Her shoulder had been torn and her back ripped. " One good spell." she thought, "just something, anything!"

Darkness beyond twilight

Crimson beyond bloo

That was as far as she got. She flew backwards in the air and couldn't hold anymore. She didn't expect to wake up, she expected to die with her friends in the unexpected and unpredictable battle. How could they have been taken out like that? It was too hard to imagine. She opened her eyes and then she saw him, Xelloss. He wore that loathsome smirk of his, and his monster eyes pierced her heart and her very soul. Those deep enigmatic purple eyes. She knew then, she knew they were all dead. Amelia, justice loving Amelia, Zelgadis, and her precious Gourry, they had all left her to this cruel world.

Then she made the bargain, the bargain with Xelloss. To walk the path of destruction with the monster race, for the monster race. She hated this world, she couldn't bring herself to care and love like she once did. She would have her revenge, she would find out how this happened, and she would be feared.

A/n: So what do you guys think? I promise this isn't going to be an evil Lina story. It will actually have some depth and happiness in it for you guys. I would love to get some feedback!