Okay, you've all read the introduction back on chapter one, right? Good! Onward with the story! As usual, I don't actually own anything, I'm just a fan writing some fiction. I should also probably add an extra disclaimer that I have done research for this fic over many months and tried my absolute best to have everything in place… but if I somehow left something in that you find to be inaccurate or incorrect, don't hesitate to tell me, just be gentle. I am human and I make mistakes. Please enjoy, nonetheless!

2- Family Matters

"There. That's the last of it packed." Lina gave the pile of clothing one last shove before closing the lid of the suitcase over top of it. "As long as the roads aren't too bad, we should be in Seyruun City by tomorrow afternoon."

"Lina, don't you think it'll be worse up there than it is down here? Seyruun city is north of us, after all, and…" Gourry continued folding a jacket that he had folded and unfolded several times already, as though he was unsatisfied with the way it looked. He glanced out the bedroom window at the darkness beyond it. What had begun as a few flurries had taken a turn for the worse, and grown into a snowstorm, the likes of which the tiny town of Craighouse had never seen, even in the dead of winter, much less in the summer. Night had fallen, and the thick cloud cover made it especially dark. Lina and Gourry had candles burning in every corner of the room, and it still didn't seem to help brighten the area.

"The sooner we get there, the better. Amelia and Zelgadis will surely have some sort of theory as to what is going on… either that, or they'll confirm mine…"

Gourry gave Lina a confused look. "…which is?"

"The North, Gourry! Something's got to be happening in the North! That's all I can think of." Lina gave a sigh and pushed her suitcase off the side of the bed so that she could sit down in its place.

"And, uh, what's so important about the North?" Gourry inquired.

Lina groaned.

"Gourry Gabriev, I have explained everything to you since the day that I met you. Could you at least give me a break for once and figure it out yourself?!"

Gourry shied away a little bit, unfolding the jacket for the fifth time. He'd been doing his best to stay on Lina's good side recently- she was moody enough without him doing anything extra to aggravate her.

"S-sorry, Lina. Let me think about it for a second."

"Alright; you do that while you let me fold your clothes for you. Clearly you're having some issues." Lina got up and took the jacket from Gourry and motioned for him to sit down. He didn't like letting Lina do work that was meant for him, but he figured that, if it made her happy, he might as well acquiesce- for the sake of both of them. Folding clothes wasn't too strenuous of an activity, anyhow.

"The North…" Gourry pondered out loud. "…it's really cold up there. There's a lot of mountains, and… huh, there's dragons there too. I remember that. We visited some dragons up north once and then got attacked by Mazoku… isn't there some big powerful Mazoku up in the North? Some sort of Demon King… or something…"

"There you go! That wasn't hard, was it?" Lina chimed, looking awfully pleased for a change. "The Demon King of the North- a piece of Shabranigdo that emerged from the great sage Lei Magnus and was sealed away by Aqualord Ragradia during the War of the Monsters' Fall. He's the one that I'm worried about."

"Oh, I get it!" Gourry clapped his hands. "So, if something big is happening in the North, then it must have something to do with that Demon King guy!"

"Exactly!" Lina smiled proudly. "But… I can't figure out what exactly is going on. I know that something is… but…" She pressed her fingers up to the glass of the windowpane. "…what in the world would cause this? It's like another ice age, or something…"

"Another ice age? I don't remember us having a first one."

Lina gave Gourry that look. He knew exactly what it was, too. It was the look that told him that he'd said something stupid and he had about ten seconds to retract the statement or risk getting punched in the face out of Lina's sheer annoyance.

"…I'll… uh… ask Zara about it tomorrow…"

This seemed to be an acceptable answer, and Lina nodded, turning her attention to the clothes she was folding. "Alright. You do that."

There was a moment of silence, and Gourry fell backwards onto the bed with a sigh. "Y'know, Lina, I'm just concerned that this is not the best thing to do… for your sake, and everything…"

"Here we go…" Lina groaned, and turned around to face Gourry. "I've just about had it with you always doting on me! I know that you're trying to be a good husband and father, and everything, but I am not helpless! I don't deserve to be treated like a baby just because I'm having one-"

"I know, I know, I know! That's not what I was saying!" Gourry sat up quickly and held his hands up in submission. "Will you just hear me out?"

Lina didn't look particularly happy about it, but she gave an expectant nod.

"Okay; I get that you're not helpless. That's not what I'm saying. You're perfectly capable of caring for yourself and the little one too- but now all of a sudden we're talking a Demon Lord. A Demon Lord, Lina. Anyone would be concerned for their own safety when it comes to dealing with that sort of thing."

"And what; you think I'm planning to go challenge Shabranigdo? I'm not that stupid, Gourry." Lina finished folding the last of the clothes and sat down beside him. "I have absolutely no intention of fighting any Mazoku right now- like I even could! But I still want to be involved in saving the world however I can. Six months ago I gave up everything in order to save the world from Pathosmaster, and the Lord of Nightmares was kind enough to give it all back. I'm not letting some damned Demon King destroy everything that I love! Don't you get it?"

Gourry's expression softened and he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Of course I get it. I have the same reason for being protective of you. I love you, I love our family, and I love our life together. Demon King or not, my first priority is keeping the people I love safe."

Lina laughed, and Gourry felt a little embarrassed. "H-hey; what's so funny?!"

"It's so odd." Lina chuckled. "Here we are in this normal house, with somewhat normal kids and normal jobs, pretending to have such normal, mundane lives, and yet, we can just throw the word 'Demon King' around, 'cause we've beaten him, like, four times already. How normal is that?"

Gourry stifled a laugh. "It is kind of funny, now that you mention it."

"And it's also sad, in a way." Lina glanced out the window. "I mean, you told me that you loved this life that we have, and so do I, but it's not really… real. We're not normal people- we're powerful warriors having fun playing house here in this small town in the middle of nowhere. All we're doing is pretending, and with any friends we make or children we raise, we'll eventually have to make the decision of whether to involve them in our dangerous problems or leave them behind so that they'll be safe. And that's kind of sad, to be honest."

"But Lina, how can you say that our life here in Craighouse is any less real than our life travelling the globe fighting Mazoku? Sure, they're different, but everyone has certain differences in their lives. How can you say that the friends we've made aren't real? How can you say that about our kids? Just because Zara's adopted and the little one hasn't been born yet… I don't understand it, Lina. You're my best friend in the whole world, and you have been for years and years. As long as we're together, everything about our lives is real, isn't it?"

Lina's mouth hung open for a moment as she stared at him in disbelief. She turned her head and placed a hand over her mouth as she chuckled. "Y'know, it's funny; you can say one stupid thing and get me completely angry, but when I'm feeling down, you know exactly what to say to give me hope again. How in the world do you do that?"

Gourry smiled in return. "Well, that's my job, isn't it?"

"Amelia~! Zelgadis~!"

The little boy ran through the courtyard, leaving a trail of footprints in the snow. Amelia ran up and gave him a big hug, lifting him off his feet for a brief moment before setting him back down again. "It's so good to see you, Zara-chan; you've grown so big! You're too heavy for me to swing around anymore- someday you're going to be as tall as Mister Gourry!"

Zara beamed with pride, as any growing boy would at the compliments. "Someday I want to be taller than Gourry!"

"Hmm, I think that's a stretch." Zelgadis commented. "Though, who knows?"

"Oh, Miss Lina!" Amelia was the one running this time, rushing through the falling snow to greet her friend with an awkward hug. "I'm so glad that you could come and visit! How are you?"

"I'm fine." Lina gave a cordial smile. "Just the usual; a little achy and tired, but nothing major. There isn't really anything new going, except… oh, yeah, that's right, I've been feeling a little cold lately. I wonder why that could be, considering the fact that IT'S THE MIDDLE OF SUMMER!"

"Ha, ha. Very funny, Lina. I think we've all noticed the weather. That's why you're here to visit, isn't it?" Zelgadis greeted the group with his usual warmth.

"I'm glad that you're so intuitive, Zel. I take it that you've been formulating ideas as to the possibilities behind this odd phenomena?" Lina raised an eyebrow.

"And I take it that you've been doing so as well?"

"Um… why are we all answering questions with questions?" Gourry spoke up timidly. Zara edged closer to Amelia, seeming a little frightened by the whole ordeal.

"Uh, wouldn't it be better to go inside and discuss this matter somewhere warm?" Amelia interrupted. "We can talk more over dinner... unless you've already eaten..."

"We've already-"

"Dinner! Alright! Now you're speaking my language!" Lina broke in, her expression changing to a smile. "C'mon, Gourry, Zara!"

The sorceress eagerly trailed behind Amelia as she led the group inside. Zelgadis sighed in exasperation, but followed along as well.

After a dinner that mainly consisted of Philionel trying a little too hard to give the group a warm welcome and Amelia chastising Zara for picking at his food without ever eating anything, a frustrated Zelgadis finally managed to steer the conversation in a serious direction.

"In the past few days, we've gotten a lot of information from other countries. This event isn't just happening in Seyruun- it's quite widespread."

"And no one knows the cause?" Lina questioned.

"It's still too early. No one has done any investigating into it yet; we can't know for sure if-"

"The Demon King of the North is up to something." the sorceress interrupted, leaning back in her chair. "That's all I can think of as to why something like this might be happening."

"Miss Lina, doesn't that seem a bit… extreme?" Amelia looked a bit confused- either that, or scared.

Lina sat up and leaned back toward the table as much as she could. "Not necessarily. Back during the War of the Monsters' Fall, Aqualord Ragradia sealed the Demon King in ice. I would imagine that, over time, he would develop an affinity for ice- wouldn't you say?"

"That seems a little far-fetched." Zelgadis spoke. "While it's true that the barrier keeps Shabranigdo sealed away, I wouldn't think that the ice has much to do with it. I'm a little more in favour of the hypothesis that the Demon King's power has the ability to alter air currents and other atmospheric conditions. Glaciers, like the ones in the North, have a large impact on world climate, you know."

"But you do think that Shabranigdo is behind this?" Lina pressed.

"Not necessarily Shabranigdo himself. It would have to be someone working from the outside. A Demon King wouldn't just be sealed away for a thousand years and suddenly break free. There must be another Mazoku behind it, possibly trying to set him free. "

"But he must have awakened at least a little bit to be able to manipulate the weather like this, right?"

"Um," Gourry raised his hand. "I kinda get that there is one general idea… but… what are we going to do about it? Sitting here and arguing over the details seems a little pointless."

"Mister Gourry is absolutely right." Amelia nodded. "There's got to be something we can do."

"Obviously we've got to go to the North and check things out. That's the only way to know for sure." Zelgadis crossed his arms, looking as though he were a little indignant about having to spell things out for his friends.

"Um, we? Who is we? Not me!" Lina had to point out. "Sorry, but my magic isn't exactly functional at the moment, and my priorities are in another place."

"I figured that." Zelgadis replied. "But Amelia and I can't go alone. Two magic-users wouldn't be enough. We don't know what we're dealing with."

"I'm not a magic-user, but I could go with you." Gourry offered. "I have the replica Sword of Light, and I can offer moral support."

"I think they might need a little more than moral support, Gourry." Lina placed a hand on his shoulder with a sigh.

"And, besides, Miss Lina and Zara-chan need you." Amelia agreed. "You can't leave them right now. What if… something happens…?"

Gourry looked as though he didn't particularly enjoy that thought, and nodded quickly. "I mean… I suppose I shouldn't go… but… what else can we do? We can't send you two alone."

Zara raised a small hand tentatively. "I could go."

"NO." Lina and Gourry's response was quick and in unison. The little boy flinched and sunk back into his chair.

"What we need is a sorcerer on par with Lina- somebody who can hold their own against a Demon Lord." Zelgadis gave a sigh. "The problem is, only one person comes to my mind, and I haven't heard from him at all since the Pathosmaster incident. I have no way of contacting him, or even knowing if he's alright."

"What about Sylphiel?" Gourry asked. "Or the stuffed-animal prince guy, or that dragon lady? You could ask them, couldn't you?"

"Miss Sylphiel and Mister Pokota have a lot of responsibilities of their own, especially with this crazy weather." Amelia replied. "And, after all that happened six months ago, I doubt that Miss Filia would want to be involved with this. She went through enough trauma already."

"Speaking of Filia, though…" Zelgadis murmured. "…didn't she once say that Lina has a sister?"

There was a moment of dead silence, and all eyes turned to Lina. The sorceress' expression was blank and her face pale, and it took her a moment to respond.

"…sister? What sister? I don't have a sister!"

"Oh, I remember! Miss Filia said that she asked Miss Lina's sister to help with the Darkstar incident, and the sister turned her down!"

"Sister? No, you must be mistaken. I don't have a sister."

"So that must mean that Lina's sister is even more powerful than she is." Zelgadis reasoned.

"WHAT SISTER? I HAVE NO SISTER."

"Lina," Gourry gave her one of his begging stares. "we need someone to help us, don't we? Besides; I've met your parents- I'd like to be able to meet your sister."

"No, you wouldn't!" The sorceress gripped his arm tightly. "I want my children to know their father, alright?!"

"She's not going to kill me." Gourry tried to brush her off his arm with no success.

"You don't know that!"

"I have to wonder, though," Zelgadis interrupted the scene. "If Lina's sister refused to aid a servant of the gods when she asked for help in saving the world from Darkstar, how do we know that she won't refuse us when we ask for help in investigating the state of the Demon King?"

"See? You don't! That's a valid point!" Lina agreed.

"But, if she knew that Miss Lina wasn't able to help, surely she'd be willing to do something- at least for her future niece or nephew's sake." Amelia reasoned. "As long as we have Miss Lina there to ask her sister for help on our behalf, she wouldn't say 'no'… right?"

"You guys don't know my sister, alright?!"

"There can't be any harm in trying, though." Zelgadis argued. "We can arrange transportation to Zephilia and talk to Lina's sister. After that, she, Gourry, and Zara can go back home, while we form a research group to go investigate the situation in the North. Agreed?"

"Sure."

"Count me in!"

"Okay."

"NO."

Everyone turned to Lina and stared.

"…I said no."

…

"C'mon, you guys!"

…

"No! No!"

…

"…please… we can't…"

…

"…I mean… I just…"

…

Lina crossed her arms and sunk back down in her seat with a sigh. "Fine. But, if she kills all of us, I deserve a big 'I told you so."

Everyone agreed that was acceptable.

The wagon that Zelgadis managed to scrounge up by the next morning wasn't exactly a luxury carriage, but it did have plenty of room for all of the passengers, and it was covered to keep the snow off of them while they were travelling. With the gravity of the situation, it was decided that they ought to travel day and night in order to make the most of their time, and that everyone could take turns driving- sans, of course, Zara, who would've been excited to take the reins, but his lack of experience told the adults that it was likely not the wisest decision, and Lina, who was content to lounge amongst the blankets in the back of the wagon and try not to worry about her sister.

They did make good time, and, after travelling for two days, it was determined that Zephilia could be reached the next morning. Lina found herself awake in the middle of the night, as usual, but this night she found that Amelia was the one driving- normally it was Gourry at this time.

"Miss Lina? Are you awake?"

"Yeah… I'm usually up about this time. What are you doing?"

"Driving. What does it look like?"

The princess was obviously pretty tired, and so Lina decided not to question the different scheduling. "Sorry about that. I think we're all kind of exhausted."

"Yes. I'm afraid that it's an awfully stressful situation to be in." Amelia gave a nod. "I'm… sorry that you don't get along well with your sister. It's really awful to have a… uh… falling out with a family member like that …"

"It's alright. I'm not lonely- I've got plenty of family." Lina responded, sending a glance over to Gourry and Zara as they slept.

"Um, about that…" Amelia began, looking a little apprehensive, which bother Lina. "…the other day you said something that I was wondering about. I didn't want to ask in front of the others, so…"

"What? When?" Lina honestly didn't know what Amelia was talking about, and that was a feeling that bothered her an awful lot.

"Er, well… the other day when you said something to Mister Gourry about your children knowing their father, you used the plural form- as in, more than one. I didn't know if you didn't mean to, or if you knew something that you hadn't mentioned to us yet, and…"

Lina looked surprised for a minute, and then chuckled softly. "Well, gosh, Amelia- I can't get anything past you, can I? It was a slip-up, but only because I haven't told Gourry or Zara yet. It was just a hunch a little while ago, but now I'm almost certain… though you'll still keep it a secret, won't you?"

Amelia broke into a bright smile. "Oh, Miss Lina! How wonderful! I understand- I won't say anything, I promise! Do you think it's just two, or-"

"Just two? Two is a lot, considering!" Lina shot back.

Amelia giggled while Lina kept a serious face- it really wasn't all that funny. "S-sorry, Miss Lina. I think it's amazing, though. Do you think they'll be identical?"

"I don't care in the slightest- just so long as they're normal and healthy. I've heard so many horror stories about complications with twins, and while I don't want to have to worry about it, it still bothers me. I'm being extra careful, but sometimes even that isn't enough..." Lina sighed. "That's really the reason I don't want to say anything to Gourry or Zara. It would make them happy, but it would make them worry too. I don't want that. They're overprotective enough of me as it is."

"I wouldn't worry so much, Miss Lina. You've made it this far- I'm sure that everything will turn out just fine."

Lina smiled. "Thanks so much, Amelia. It does make me feel a lot better when you say that. I want my family to be happy, no matter what. It's so nice to be able to look at them like this- everyone always seems to look so carefree when they're asleep." She paused. "…well, except for Zelgadis. Geez; he even looks angry in his sleep. I don't see what he's got to be so upset about."

Amelia didn't respond, and Lina leaned forward to make sure that she hadn't fallen asleep. "Uh, Amelia?"

"Oh! Oops! Sorry! I just… thinking…" Amelia responded quickly, and left it at that. That answer only made Lina more suspicious, though.

"What's the matter, Amelia? You guys haven't been quite as clingy as I remember you lately… you're not having marital troubles, are you?!"

"That's… not the term I would've used…" Amelia murmured. "It's just…"

"Is he harassing you?! I swear, if he's harassing you in any way, I don't care if he is a chimera; I'm making sure that he gets what's coming to him-"

"No, no, no! It's nothing like that! Nothing like that at all!" Amelia interrupted quickly. "It's just a difference of opinion, that's all. He's being stubborn, as usual. I'm positive that we'll be able to work things out soon."

"You're convinced that you can make him see things your way, huh?"

"He can't… be unreasonable forever." Amelia sighed. "At least, I hope not."

Lina crossed her arms and gave a nod. "It's like I told Zara a few days ago- all relationships have obstacles in them at one time or another, and you just have to work through them."

"Oh? What happened? Were you and Mister Gourry fighting, or-"

"No, it's Zara and Lorelei. She hasn't been around much, and Zara thinks that she's dumped him or something. I'm torn between the desire to be happy and encouraging him to seek love elsewhere, and the desire to tear that Mazoku to pieces for breaking my little boy's heart."

This elicited a small smile from Amelia. "That's a dilemma indeed. I guess I should consider myself lucky that, even if we have our differences, at least Zelgadis and I are always together, and surely I'll be able to reconcile with him at some point."

"Well, I'm not going to pry, but if you ever need me to knock some sense into him, you just say the word, okay?"

Amelia gave a laugh. "Alright, Miss Lina. I'll be sure to let you know if he needs punishing."

"Good!" Lina smirked. "No one messes with my friends and gets away with it; you can count on that-"

Her sentence was cut off as the wagon suddenly jolted veered to the side. Lina gripped the side of the wagon tightly, and Amelia jerked on the reins, calling to the horses to stop, though it took a moment, and the wagon skidded across the frozen road.

"Wh-what's going on?!" Gourry was awake and he'd instinctively pulled Zara closer, though the child was still half-asleep.

Amelia turned around to face them, a little out-of-breath."Something ran out into the road- an animal or something! We almost hit it-"

"Hey! That was us!"

It was a child's voice from behind the wagon, and the group turned to see a pair of kids, just a bit older than Zara, running up to the back of the wagon. The taller of the two, who had been the one to speak, continued with pleading eyes behind a pair of thin glasses.

"We've gotta get out of here! My brother and I accidentally stumbled upon a bandit camp, and now they're after us! You've got to give us a ride- please!"

Lina was the one to speak before anyone else could get a word in.

"Hop in, you two!"

(A/N: You would think that, after all the mayhem that lost children have caused in my fics, they wouldn't be so eager to pick up stray kids off the side of the road. But, alas…)