As usual, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!
9- Real Deal
"ELMEKIA LANCE!"
The creature disappeared before the spell could hit it, and suddenly reappeared behind Lina. Lizzie clung to Lina as tightly as she could, making it hard for her to breathe. However, Lina wouldn't dare force the girl to loosen her grip. She was frightened enough for herself; she couldn't imagine how Lizzie might be feeling.
"You're the same guy from last time. I already told you, Lina Inverse works for nobody-"
"Don't worry so much. I'm only here on surveillance," the Mazoku assured her. "It seems things are working out for the best after all."
"W-wait a minute." Lina stiffened and turned so that she could see the Mazoku. "Best for who? For you?"
The Mazoku didn't answer her question. "A good friend of mine, Naga the Serpent- do you know her? She seems quite familiar with you."
"...Naga?" Lina murmured the name considered it for a moment before her face contorted into a snarl. "I know Naga well enough to know that she'd never be friends with a Mazoku. She may be a little misguided at times, but she'd never ally herself with someone she thought was a villain."
To her surprise, the Mazoku smiled. "Perfect. That makes things easier on me."
"What-"
Lina was hardly able to begin her next question. Lizzie screamed as the Mazoku moved toward them. It disappeared onto the astral plane before it could reach them, however, and the courtyard fell silent except for the crying of a child. Lina held Lizzie tightly and stroked her hair, but it was hard to be comforting when she herself was overcome by worry.
Naga...? How did Naga get involved with these guys? How did they know I knew her? What are they playing at-?
"Lina! Lizzie!" "Miss Lina, what's going on?" "Is everyone alright?"
Three voices all yelling at once cut off Lina's train of thought. She looked up to see her friends approaching her and stood up, making sure that Lizzie was well-supported in her arms.
"Sorry to make you guys worry. There was a Mazoku, but it's gone now."
"You're not hurt, are you? What did it want?" Gourry leaned closer to Lina, but she sidestepped him and pulled away.
"Don't crowd Lizzie. She's scared." Lina turned her attention to her other friends for a moment, ignoring Gourry. "Amelia, Zelgadis, are either of you familiar with the sorceress Naga the Serpent?"
The two glanced at one another.
"I can't say that I am," Amelia responded with a shake of her head. "Sorry."
"I feel like I've heard the name before, but it's not ringing any bells. Sorry about that." Zelgadis shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sure there's something about her in the records, if you need to know who she is-"
"No. I'm quite aware of who she is." Lina shook her head. She shifted Lizzie's weight to a better position to walk and made her way toward the door. "It's just that Naga's involved with these Mazoku somehow, and I'm worried about her. Lizzie's upset, so I'm going to get something to drink and see if I can help her calm down."
The group watched as Lina hurriedly carried a sniffling Lizzie inside, away from the courtyard and the events that had just happened. Gourry glanced around uneasily.
"Oh man... Naga is a name I haven't heard in a long time. They were close, but Lina doesn't talk about her very much."
"Wait, what?" Zelgadis shook his head a few times. "What was Lina's relationship with this woman?"
"It was... well, complicated is probably the best word." Gourry moved to sit down on the nearby bench, and Amelia did the same. Zelgadis leaned on the back of the bench, listening to Gourry continue. "They were kinda friends, I guess, but also enemies... well, not really enemies as much as they were rivals, so kinda not-friends, and I wouldn't say they were lovers, but I wouldn't say they weren't an item in a strange way..."
"Complicated sounds about right," Zelgadis interrupted. "So what happened to that complicated relationship? Did they break up, or have a falling out, or...?"
"No. Lina said they just went their separate ways, expecting to see one another at the next bend in the road, like they always did, but... they didn't. Lina hasn't seen her since."
"You develop a certain kinship with anyone you travel with," Amelia offered. "Miss Lina is just worried about this person's safety, I'm sure."
"I would think she's also worried about how her old friend- for lack of a better word- got roped into this mess," Zelgadis added. "If someone seemingly uninvolved in it is somehow a part of it, that means it must be bigger than we thought."
"Big enough to justify a Class A designation on the information?" Amelia asked.
"It seems so."
"Hey, uh... thanks a lot for the food. I'll pay you back when I have the means, I promise."
"Don't worry so much about it." Naga smiled as she watched Klaus working hard to scrub the last remnants of their dinner out of the pot. "It's nice having someone to clean up when eating outdoors. I should keep you around."
Klaus said nothing in reply. He didn't want to talk back to the one person he'd found who could lead him to his niece... or so she said. For all that Naga assured him they were on their way to Seyruun City, they seemed to be taking a circuitous route. That, coupled with the fact that she didn't want to stay in any towns and preferred to sleep outside, was beginning to test Klaus' nerves.
Weather could be unpredictable in the mountains of northern Seyruun, and the pair had set up camp earlier that day in a small alcove in one of the cliff face to escape from a sudden rain shower. The rain had tapered off in the last hour or so, but it was growing dark, and Naga had decided the time was best to settle in for the night. The atmosphere was thick with the chorale of insects and frogs reveling in the wet weather.
"Nice weather to be a duck, huh?" Klaus attempted to make pleasant conversation.
"I rather like this weather," Naga responded, not even bothering to turn around from her position where she could stare out at the mountain landscape around them. "It loans a certain characteristic calmness to the landscape. Colors are muted and the clutter of the world falls quiet for a time."
Shifting his weight awkwardly, Klaus tried again. "You're a pretty good poet."
"I was quoting my grandfather."
"Th-that's nice too. It's good to have something to remember loved ones by when they're gone."
"My grandfather is very much alive."
"...ah."
This whole 'pleasant conversation' thing didn't seem to be going very well. Klaus finished his cleaning and sat down beside Naga, deciding not to worry about pleasantries anymore.
"So, you've drilled me about my sister and her connections to these Mazoku. But what about you? Why are the Mazoku after you? Where do you come from, anyway?"
She considered his question for a moment with an expression of scrutiny on her face. "Where do I come from? Where does Naga the Serpent come from- is that what you're asking me?" Naga laughed loudly, causing the noise to reverberate through the cave. "Isn't that a loaded question! Are you really that interested in me? I'm honored, but I hate to inform you that you're really not my type."
"That's not- I mean, I don't care about that," Klaus stammered. "It's just that you're the one who's promised to help me rescue my niece. I want to know a little bit more about you."
"Well, first things first, I don't think we're really rescuing your niece. Mazoku are terrible liars, and no matter what they say, the Lina Inverse I know would never use a child as a bargaining chip in a human-Mazoku conflict. And, from what I've heard of her partner, I'd say the same for him. It's very possible that they were the ones trying to rescue her from the Mazoku's pawn."
"...me." Klaus cringed. "The problem is, I don't even know what happened. I only know what I've heard from other people. How am I supposed to make up for that?"
"I know all too well that you can't undo what's already been done. You can only focus on improving the situation that exists here and now. That's what you're doing, and I applaud that. But you have to remember that the damage is already done and can't be undone."
"Very motivational," Klaus commented through gritted teeth.
"The truth hurts, kid."
"Speaking of truth, you never did tell me yours. What's your story?"
"Ohoho, you're a perceptive brat, aren't you? Saw right through my subject change. Fair enough." Naga leaned back and closed her eyes. "The truth is, some years ago, Naga the Serpent- the world's most beautiful, talented sorceress- appeared to travel the world and grace its inhabitants with all she had to offer."
"Seriously."
"You don't believe that story? It's true." She turned her head away from him, speaking toward the wall instead. "There was a young woman named Gracia, who was the target of a hired assassin. The assassin wasn't very good at his job, however. He killed the wrong person by mistake, and was then killed by his would-be target. Suddenly it wasn't safe to be Gracia anymore. Naga the Serpent, therefore, was born."
"...I see. So that's how it is. Sorry." Klaus continued to look at her, hoping that at one point she'd turn back toward him. "I guess everyone has something that they regret doing. I shouldn't feel so sorry for myself when there are others who feel the same way."
"I wouldn't call it regret," Naga responded. "Things might not have turned out differently for Gracia if she had or hadn't killed him. It was what she wasn't able to do that haunts her to this day- someone she wasn't able to save."
"I don't get it. From what my sister told me, I understand that assassins do an incredible amount of research on their targets. They make sure they know the person they're planning to kill inside and out. How could an assassin have killed the wrong person by mistake?"
Naga rested her head in one hand. "Gracia's mother was a very beautiful woman. When Gracia was young, many people commented on how much she looked like her mother. People claimed that they could be twins, how strong the resemblance was. It was Gracia's favorite compliment to hear. It made her so happy... until the day it didn't."
The rain outside the cave had started up again. Klaus stood up and walked back over to where the fire was beginning to die. He picked up a stick and stirred it again as he spoke. "If Gracia and Naga are two different people... which one is the real you?"
To his surprise, Naga laughed. "You're funny! How about this- the kind man who loves his sister and his niece, and the alcoholic who allowed himself to be used as a Mazoku pawn: which is the real you?"
"Me? Well, that's..." He hated to admit it, but she made a good point. "I suppose, as much as I'd like to deny it, they're both a part of me."
"See? You have your answer."
There wasn't much talking in the cave after that. It seemed like they'd both said too much, and needed some silence to make up for it.
There was a knock on the door of the tea room where Lina and Lizzie were sitting, preoccupying themselves with distractions from the situation they'd faced shortly before. Lina had procured a glass of water and a leftover pastry from breakfast for Lizzie to nibble on while she drew pictures. Lina herself wasn't hungry for once, but she'd finally shaken off most of the situation's anxiety.
"Hey- sorry I ran off so quickly. I was a little shaken up and Lizzie looked like she was going to cry, so I-" She cut off her sentence as she caught sight of a head of blond hair out the corner of her eye. "Oh. It's you."
"Yeah, it's me." Gourry answered in confusion. "Is something wrong with that?"
"No, no." Lina waved her hand dismissively as he sat next to her. "You can do whatever you want. Don't worry about telling me about it."
"...okay, well... I thought I'd update you on what's happening on our end." Gourry shifted his weight, glancing over at where Lizzie was obliviously scribbling away in Lina's notebook. He leaned over toward Lina so that he could lower his voice. "We found that one of Eliza's victims had his file moved to Class A designation."
"Class A?" Lina whispered back. "Isn't that the most secure classification for government information? No way!"
"Yes way." Gourry nodded. "But we can access it if we receive specific permission from the king, so Amelia's going now to ask her grandfather if he would-"
Lizzie scooted closer to Lina and leaned over in-between Lina and Gourry. "What are you whispering about?"
"Lizzie!" Gourry straightened up abruptly. "Don't jump in like that. We were just talking about something Mama and I want to read. It belongs to Amelia's grandfather, so we can't get to it, but if she asks nicely, he'll let us see it. Isn't that nice?"
Lizzie stared blankly at him. "I don't know how to read. Will you teach me?"
"Of course I will! But, uh, that's kind of a tall order all of a sudden. Why don't we-"
"Now that you're here, I'm going to go talk to Zel and Amelia." Lina stood up and moved toward the door. "You stay here with Lizzie- since you seem to enjoy talking to her, after all."
Gourry watched her go in surprise. "…yeah, I do enjoy talking to her…" He glanced over at the girl, shrugging his shoulders. "What's her problem?"
"Hey, Zelgadis! There you are!"
Lina waved as she ran down the hall. Zelgadis stood up straighter and put a finger to his lips with one hand, motioning to the door with the other. "Shh. Amelia's talking to her grandfather. I don't want to disturb them."
"…ah. Sorry." Lina slowed down and took a place beside him, leaning against the wall. "Gourry told me about the file, and I had to come over. He's watching Lizzie now."
"Good." Zelgadis nodded. "The name on the file was Archer. I don't know if that name means anything to you- it doesn't to me."
"Well, I had once heard of an assassin by that name, but I think it might've been a character in a book."
"This is no fictional character." Zelgadis shook his head. "It's not unheard of for assassins to take the name of some well-known book character. But usually the similarities stop there."
Lina bit her lip as she thought it over. "But why would the criminal record of an assassin we've never heard of be placed in a classification like that? Was he affiliated with something they don't want us to know about? Is this a cover-up of some kind?"
"I don't know. It would've had to happen during Eldoran's reign, and he doesn't seem to me like the kind of person who'd-"
There was a distinct clamor in the other room that caught Lina off-guard. Two voices were yelling, one Amelia's and the other a man's voice. Eventually Amelia's voice took over, and the princess burst out of the room, her eyes wide and her face pale.
"…doctor… Call for a doctor!"
"What?" Lina stepped toward her. "Amelia, what happened-"
"I SAID, CALL FOR A DOCTOR!"
(A/N: Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to get this chapter out on time. Lucky me to be proven wrong! On that note, I'll be hanging around Anime Weekend Atlanta tomorrow and Sunday, so if you're there, feel free to say hello. Look for me as Gourry!)
