A/N:  Hello again!  I'm back to give you the next chapter of The Crystal Child.  Please enjoy!  Read and Review!

Thirteen – Spell Repercussions

            As Angelina and Kollina watched him, Gourry started to stir.  Soon, he opened his eyes and looked at Angelina.  He had a confused look on his face that seemed more troubled than usual.

            "Lina?  I had the strangest dream.  I dreamt that you went into my mind and … whoops.  I forgot it."

            Kollina raised an eyebrow and Angelina smiled gently.  Softly, she murmured, "For once, that's a good thing.  I don't want you to remember it."

            "Huh?"

            "Oh nothing, Gourry dear.  Let's go down for dinner shall we?"

            Gourry's stomach automatically growled.  "Hehe.  Food?  Yeah, come on, let's go!"

            Gourry raced down the stairs and nearly tripped, but managed to get to the dining area in record time.  Angelina chuckled, but then turned to Kollina.  As they walked down slowly, Angelina told Kollina what had happened.  Afterwards, she didn't say a word, but just grimly looked on ahead.  Right before they reached the dining area (Angelina talks fast and there are a lot of stairs), Kollina quickly suggested looking for the person who made the potion, if she was still alive.  Angelina agreed, and they talked nothing more of it for the remainder of the evening.

            In the wee hours of the morning, before anyone had woken up, Kollina set off on her own to see what she could find out about the girl named Zelda.  Even though her first name was irregular, it didn't help much without the last name.  Thus, Kollina didn't find a single clue by the time she came back around noon.  Everyone had wondered where she had gone off to all morning, but she simply told them that she had taken a long tour of the city.  Gourry's family accepted this, but Angelina knew that that wasn't all Kollina had been doing.

            Kollina and Angelina met again at the deserted library of the Experimentation Guild.  They talked about the possible solutions based on the information that they now had.

            "How about we go around and ask everyone we see if they know Zelda?" Angelina questioned.

            Kollina shook her head.  "I already tried doing some of that this morning.  Not a single soul that I talked to had even heard of anyone named Zelda.  Besides, if we try that too much, Gourry might start to question us."

            "Doesn't he do that already?"

            "Not about this.  Anyway, I suggest looking in some sort of personal directory with everyone's information on it.  If that doesn't work, we can try asking the people in the Experiment division."

            "And if that doesn't work?"

            "Then I guess we'll have no choice other than to ask Gourry or his family."

            Angelina sighed.  She knew that they would only do that as a last resort because they knew how much it would hurt Gourry.  They got to work as soon as possible.

            Three days later, they came back to the library.  They used the library because nobody ever went there, so they could talk about anything in peace.  Kollina and Angelina were disgruntled, to say the least.  They had found the directory, but it was about 100 cabinets full of small folders.  Angelina cast a spell to search for the word "Zelda" on any of the tabs, but it came up empty.  Next, they tried the Experiment people.  They had split up, but they came back with the same results.  Whomever they spoke to immediately started ranting on and on about how their "perfected" experiments never worked and how they always blew up in their faces, yada yada yada bla bla bla…  That is why both Kollina and Angelina met with huge headaches and their stress levels were pushed to the brink of lashing out at everyone.  As they sat down, Angelina nonchalantly relieved both of them of their headaches.  She then sighed deeply.  She knew that she was only prolonging the inevitable - not telling Gourry the truth.  Angelina decided to get it over with the next day.

            Angelina woke up with tired eyes and a depressed attitude.  Thanks to her powers, her tired lines under her eyes disappeared, but she was still feeling down.  At a reasonable hour of the morning, Angelina knocked on Gourry's bedroom door and was let in by a cheerful Gourry.  That made her feel even worse.  After taking a deep breath, Angelina seated herself on the bed, followed by Gourry, and began.

            "Gourry, do you know who Zelda is?"

            Something clicked in Gourry's brain, but he ignored it.  "Nope.  Who's that?"

            "Umm… Well, I have reason to believe that she was an old girlfriend of yours."

            "Eh?  I had a girlfriend?  Huh.  What about it?"

            "Do you remember her at all?"

            "Uh….  What were we talking about?"

            "Zelda!  Your old girlfriend.  You know, from school… She was your best friend's girlfriend first… Blonde, curly hair, blue eyes, nice smile… You don't remember her at ALL?"

            "I don't think so.  Wait a minute.  How do you know all that?"

            "I visited your memory bank."

            "Oh.  Okay, if you say so.  … Wait, WHAT?!  You mean that dream actually happened?"

            "Yes."

            "Uh…Okay…"

            The description finally sunk into Gourry's thick head and memories came back at full force.  His eyes widened as he stared ahead, but not at Angelina.

            "Zelda Gredowski.  My best friend's girl… The one who gave me a Forget Me potion.  Now I remember…"

            Gourry snapped out of his trance and grabbed hold of Angelina's arms.  Urgently he shook her and said, "What happened to me?  Where's Zelda?  Where am I?  Where's Za – "

            Gourry's grip loosened as he looked down solemnly.  Angelina became very concerned for Gourry and his health.  In her eyes, he did not look well at all.

            "Gourry-san.  Are you all right?  Can I do anything to help?"

            "Just – Just let me be alone for a while.  I need to seriously think about this."

            Gourry turned from Angelina, who was very puzzled.  Gourry wasn't acting normally.  "Seriously" think?  Leave him alone?  Not like him at all.  Angelina closed her eyes and leaned against Gourry's back.  She whispered, "All right, Gourry.  If that's what you want, take all the time you need.  I'll come check up on you later, with Kollina.  I'll leave you with your thoughts."  With that, Angelina quietly slipped out the door.  Gourry sighed and flopped down on the bed.  For just five minutes of talking, Angelina had confused Gourry greatly, and now his mind was filled with loose memories and information.  This would take some time to sort out.

            Just outside the door, Angelina met Kollina face-to-face.  Walking a bit past her, Angelina murmured, "I gather you heard everything?"  Kollina nodded and they walked in silence.  With new determination, Kollina and Angelina set out to find the elusive Zelda Gredowski, or at least her residence.  This time, they were met with success.  Not only was Gredowski under the local directory, they also found some useful information on the family.

            According to the record, the family now only consisted of a Stefan and Lola Gredowski – No Zelda.  Angelina was somewhat surprised to find that Stefan was actually the head of the Experimentation Guild.  They decided to find and question him about the whereabouts of Zelda.  Unfortunately, to their immense disappointment, they discovered that due to a large explosion while doing an experiment, Zelda had died exactly five years ago.  In addition to that, the explosion had taken out the house and all of Zelda's work.  When Kollina asked about the Forget Me potion, Stefan replied that the only formula for it was among the things lost in the explosion.  Not even the ashes remained.  Angelina and Kollina returned to the mansion with heavy hearts (figuratively speaking of course.  The Lina spirit trio are all nonliving).

            When Gourry didn't come down for dinner, everyone knew that something was wrong.  Kollina and Angelina volunteered to see what was up, even though they already knew.  Kollina knocked on the door.  Upon hearing a mumbled response, she opened it.  Gourry was sitting up on the bed, hugging his knees while keeping his head down.  This made Angelina go way past the beginning stage of worry.  She rushed towards him and put a kind hand on his shoulder.  Gourry's head jolted up, but after recognizing Angelina's angelic face (^_^), he immediately calmed down.  Kollina stayed by the door as Angelina attempted to calmly talk to Gourry.

            "Gourry-san.  I'm afraid that Zelda is gone.  She died in an explosion caused by one of her experiments.  I'm sorry."

            Gourry quietly mumbled, "It's not your fault."

            "You shouldn't dwell on the past anyway.  I don't want you to live the rest of your life in depression because of this.  It'll do you and the rest of the world good to be the happy-go-lucky that you've always been."

            "But Angelina, you don't understand.  I /killed/ my best friend, and right after I stole his girlfriend too."

            "That WASN'T your fault!  Zack allowed you to kiss her in the first place, so he should have been aware that she might start to see you differently.  Then Zelda was the one who broke up with him to be with you.  Also, Zack intentionally rammed your carriage with his cart that night.  You only swerved out of self-protection, and for Zelda, too.  You had no idea that that would happen.  It wasn't your fault.  Can't you see that?"

            Gourry only looked down in stubborn silence.  Kollina sighed and said her piece.

            "She's right you know.  I'm sure that nobody wants to see you this depressed, or to not see you at all.  You don't want to end up like how Zelgadis was, do you?  Never smiling, laughing, or barely even talking."

            Gourry said a muffled, "Well, no.  But what am I going to do now that I remember what happened?"

            Angelina answered, "Continue to live your life how you had before – With me.  Come and live with me in my castle.  Now that the potion's effect has finally worn off, I believe that you are now a bit older and wiser, no?  So, if you're nice and happy, I'll even allow you to become future king to Zelphilia."

            Gourry was slightly puzzled.  "King?  How could I-  Wait, you mean it?  You really want to get married now?"  Gourry's hope was soaring through the ceiling now.

            Angelina laughed lightly.  "Oh Gourry dear.  I've always had my heart set on marrying you.  Especially since you first proposed."

            Gourry was now what some might call elated.  He hugged Angelina tightly, grief gone straight out the window.

            "I'm so glad!  It seemed as if every time I tried to propose, you became ill just to keep me away."

            "Oh of course not, Gourry!  The first time, Lina simply couldn't handle the stress of all of us trying to get out at once.  After you proposed, she just couldn't hold us in anymore, and fainted while we came out.  The second time, Lina only had me with her, so that makes her-well, me- three times weaker against evil artifacts and powers.  I suppose it was just a matter of bad timing and choosing."

            "Uh…Okay…"

            Kollina interrupted once more, but with a smile on her face.  "So, when do you want to leave?"

            Gourry immediately replied, "As soon as possible!"

            Angelina agreed.  "Yes, we've already been gone three months.  It's time I come home already."

A/N:  I don't really need to post another chapter right?  I mean, you know what will happen with Angelina and Gourry… they'll get married and live happily ever after as the King and Queen of Zelphilia.  Now, if you want me to write addition chapters with what happens with the other couplings, just review and wait.  Oh, by the way, for anyone who can tolerate Pokemon, please read my newest fic, Pokemaster Lina through my bio page.  From the title, you can already guess that it's a Slayers x/over to Pokemon.  Well, until next time!