A/N: Bonjour everyone! This idea popped up in my head, so I decided to write it out before I get into the next chapter of my yet-to-be-appropriately-titled Slayers fic. Sooo all characters © appropriate owners. But this storyline is all MINE mwahahah! And now…on with the show
Chapter 1: He who stalks in black
The seaport town could be described in a series of contradictions: busy and easy-going, business centered and ocean supported, beautiful but with underlying decadence of the drug trade. Oddly enough, it was where the now 20 something Lina Inverse had made her home.
Several years ago (and by several I mean upwards of ten), Lina had parted ways with her traveling companions. In some ways, the parting was very permanent.
On this particular day, it was unusually sunny despite the gathering gray-cotton clouds. Lina strolled merrily down the center street lined with carts full of trinkets. Several people called out her name, who she waved to jauntily and offered a familiar smile. She had become a fixture of the community in the three years she had lived there. Not only did she serve as a protector of the town, by means of destroying hopeful bandits and various monsters, but she also provided quite the income for the few restaurants in the town. She eventually planned to start up a business, but that is a tale for another chapter.
Lina reached the end of the street, proud of her self restraint. There had been several interesting items for sale, but after what Lina had seen and done…magical trinkets held little importance to her jaded ruby eyes. She leaned against the railing and deeply inhaled the scent of the tumultuous ocean. From her flapping cape, she withdrew two beautiful white roses, the petals shimmering silver and gold in the light. She passed a perseverance spell over them, then tossed them into the waves.
Another anniversary had passed, marking the deaths of Gourry Gabriev and Amelia Sailoon.
That night, Lina reclined in the back corner of her preferred restaurant. The table had been cleared of her plates, which had declined to half the number they usually reached since she stopped using such powerful magic spells. She took a long sip of the drink set in front of her and allowed her mind to drift back to the night which had haunted her with terrifying precision for more than ten years…
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Four figures stood, looking immeasurably small next to the huge demon looming in front of them. The demon was one of the highest up mazoku, and it's name was Casus-Orcus. It had recently rebelled against it's race and it's main objective was namely to kill off Lina Inverse and her companions.
And it had, by large, succeeded.
Lina had pulled out every trick in her bag just short of the Giga Slave. With a defeated look, she turned slowly to her three companions. "Guys…try to say your last goodbyes to L-sama. Maybe she'll deliver them to who you'll miss most. I'm going to try the Giga Slave."
"Lina-no. You can't use it-imagine if you failed!" Amelia cried out in horror.
Lina shook her head and shut her eyes. "The demon is regenerating from the last blow we gave it. Go do what you have to do. You have about two minutes."
Tears smarted in Amelia's blue eyes and she turned and began to pray underneath her breath. Gourry gazed sadly at Lina for a moment then walked over to a large boulder. He began to singe Sylphiel's name into it with the hikari no ken. Zelgadis turned to Lina and called her name gently. Her eyes slid open and she heaved a sigh, a rather perturbed look on her face. "What's wrong, Zel?"
He sighed deeply. "Lina, I know you feel you've exhausted all your options. I support your decision to use the Giga Slave. What will happen if it goes wrong?"
"Darkness beyond twilight," she said wryly, a dry grin on her face.
Zelgadis shivered and nodded. "I have faith that you can pull this off. But you if you're unable-"
"There's only about half a minute left Zel."
"Lina-I need to tell you something. I have to tell you-"
Zelgadis was cut off sharply again as the demon gave an all mighty roar. Crimson flashes of light stained the sky as Lina heard screams just to her right…
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Lina flinched, clasping the mug in her hands tightly. She could sum the rest of the story up without the visions flashing in front of her eyes. Gourry and Amelia lying dead. Lina flipped out and immediately unleashed the Giga Slave. The only reason she didn't completely obliterate the world due to her lack of concentration was thanks to Zel's steady presence. Him leaking a good portion of his powers into her through a still hand placed on her slim shoulder.
And once the demon was ripped apart, the ground all around them barren…the bodies of their companions incinerated. She could hardly breathe. There had been an uneasiness between them-something was off. It seemed that Lina though Zelgadis would spend his life mourning for Amelia, and he thought the same of Lina and Gourry.
Lina gazed into the dredges of her drink, summoning an image of her blue-skinned companion up in the shallow ripples. "Zel…," she sighed unhappily. She scraped her chair back and left in a hurry.
She didn't notice the black cloaked figure making haste to follow her.
Lina reached her small house and magically locked the door behind her, as if she could keep out the demons in her head with the familiar motions. She made her way down the hall to her room in the back, leaving the lights off. She didn't want to see the comforting objects of her home. They only served to remind her that she was more or less responsible for the deaths of two of her best friends in the world. Especially on this night.
She fell down into her bed with a sigh, not bothering to remove her familiar sorceress garb, sans talisman. Much to Lina's surprise, she fell almost instantly into an uneasy sleep.
The black cloaked figure hovered outside on the patio, gazing in through the glass doors and gauzy curtains. "Lina…," he murmured in a hoarse voice, his gray blue eyes taking in the tumbling locks of red hair in a hungry manner.
The next morning, Lina opted to eat breakfast at the quaint café just down the street from her house. It wasn't usually her choice of eatery-it was far too delicate and flowery for her tastes. But she needed something that morning that would not send the ghosts with their sharp, pulling fingers prying at her brain.
She sat herself down in the wicker chair with a disgruntled sigh. An annoyed waiter who had followed with her food placed the teetering stack of danishes, bagels, and omelets down in front of her. He turned to leave but she cleared her throat. "Don't forget my coffee," she reprimanded with a smirk. "Black."
The café quickly filled up. Lina watched the patrons enter and slowly fill up the small tables. People who didn't know each other often dined together in Aethra, and it amused her to see some of the most unlikely people sitting together.
Her eyes traveled to the counter and her eyebrows darted up as she munched on her fourth danish. A tall slender man was awaiting his drink of choice. His garb was rather unusual for these parts of the country. He was garbed from the hood shadowing his face to his shiny boots in black. Even his sword was sheathed in black leather. She squinted at it's hilt, wondering if she had seen it somewhere before. She dismissed the idea quickly-she had seen many swords in her day.
The man turned, holding a large cup of coffee. He was evidently scanning for a seat and Lina realized the only empty one was across from her. He approached the table on silent feet. "Mind if I join you?" he inquired.
His voice was pleasant. Melodious, almost, like mahogany. She nodded her agreement, although she really would have preferred just the companionship of her dwindling breakfast items. Minutes passed in silence, Lina pretending not to notice his intent stare upon her as she gazed out the window.
It began to irritate her after a while. She turned to face him abruptly, her eyes sparkling. "So. Are you going to talk, or sit here and stare? Perhaps you're wondering why someone as petite as I could eat so much food."
He chuckled lightly, setting his cup down on a spare scrap of table. "Actually, I was wondering whether you'd tell me your name."
Lina's eyes narrowed. There was something strange lingering about this man. The way he carried himself-his voice-the way he posed the question like a statement. "Perhaps. On one condition. You have to lower that hood of yours."
The man chuckled again. "I'll agree to that."
"Lina Inverse."
The man seemed satisfied with the response. After taking another long sip of his coffee, he reached up his black gloved hand and tossed back his hood. Lina surveyed him in silence as his light violet hair cascaded into his marble pale face. He was rather handsome, with direct gray-blue eyes and a pleasant smile.
His hair swept over one of his eyes and Lina was suddenly slammed in the stomach with a jolt of familiarity. "You-you-you-" she stammered.
The man looked amused once more. His right eyebrow arched. "Something wrong, Lina?" he inquired pleasantly.
"…I think I know you from somewhere."
"Hmm. It could be possible."
"What's your name?" Lina inquired.
The man allowed silence to descend over the table again. Lina abandoned eating, it somehow seemed she absolutely needed to know his name.
He leaned back in his chair, and just before she was about to say something angry, he whispered his name. So softly, in fact, she could not hear.
"Sorry?" she said, irritated. "Speak up."
"My name is…Zelgadis. Zelgadis Greywords."
It took all of Lina's self control not to pass out.