I just realised that I haven't updated this story since last year! (Haha~) Hope everyone had a Happy New Year! :3 I do not own Slayers or the characters. But I am having a really good time writing this story!

14- Aftermath! New Plans!

"Xellos, I challenge you!" Pokota yelled, stepping forward.

"What? Are you crazy? You and Xellos?" Gourry gasped. "You don't even have a weapon!"

"I don't need a weapon!" Pokota yelled. "I'll fight you myself! One on one!"

Filia gasped. What on earth does that stuffed animal think he's doing? She wondered.

Xellos grinned. "Sounds like fun. Let's go, stuffed animal."

Gourry, Zelgadis, and Filia watched in shock as Xellos and Pokota began fighting.

"Come on, monster! I'll bet you can't even score one hit against me! FIREBALL!" Pokota fired an attack directly at Xellos. The monster allowed himself to get hit and was still standing.

"Hah! You thought that attack could do damage to me? Really?" Xellos teleported behind Pokota. "I'll bet that's not the best you can do."

"Oh yeah? ELMIKIA LANCE!" Pokota shot another powerful attack, and this time Gourry and Zel had to duck to get out of the way.

"Pokota! What on earth do you think you're doing?" Zelgadis demanded.

"I'm fighting Xellos! What does it look like?" Pokota growled.

"But Pokota! You shouldn't provoke him like that! You'll get hurt!" Gourry exclaimed.

"I've yet to see him fire any attacks!" Pokota defended. He turned to Xellos. "How are you going to defeat me without attacking? You're certainly not good at this!"

"If you want to provoke me into attacking you, I'm afraid that this isn't the way to do it." Xellos said, waving his finger teasingly.

"Shut up and fight me!" Pokota demanded. "DAMU BRAS!"

Xellos dodged the attack. "Huh? Were you even trying to hit me?" He teased. "Honestly, I'm not going to attack you unless I actually feel threatened! Right now... well..."

"Then I'll threaten you enough so that he have to attack me!" Pokota responded. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond-"

"He's going to use a Dragon Slave?" Zelgadis gasped.

"What does he think he's doing?" Gourry asked.

"Uh oh. Looks like I have no choice." Xellos sighed. He waved his staff and created a barrage of dark, conical attacks that were fired at the stuffed animal. Pokota's attack was stopped in the middle as he was hit by Xellos'.

The stuffed animal was sent flying and crashing to the ground.

"Oh! Pokota!" Filia gasped.

"Hah... is that the best you can do...?" Pokota murmured, picking himself up. "That was nothing!"

"Really? You look pretty beat up to me. What say we stop this needless fight?" Xellos asked.

"Fat chance! I'm not giving in, and I won't let you back down either!" Pokota snarled, sending another Fireball at Xellos. The monster teleported away, and then reappeared again once the danger of being hit with Pokota's attack had passed.

"You really want to fight me, don't you?" Xellos laughed. "Let's see if this can discourage you!"

Xellos' attacks flew in rapid succession, each one hitting Pokota harder than the last.

Filia, Gourry, and Zelgadis watched in horror. "Pokota's really getting beat up!" Gourry gasped. "Xellos is just too fast!"

"It's not that Xellos is too fast." Zelgadis observed. "Pokota is a very fast creature. He could easily avoid those attacks if he wanted to. He's allowing himself to get hit."

"Both of you stop this right now! " Filia yelled. "You shouldn't be fighting like this!"

"I really would like to do that, Filia dear, but unfortunately my opponent has no intention of letting me." Xellos said.

"You can't back out! I challenged you! Could you please actually pay attention?" Pokota yelled.

"Pokota, what is wrong with you? Have you lost your mind?" Gourry yelled.

"I think..." Zelgadis murmured to Gourry. "...I think he has."

"Ohhh~ I don't like this situation one bit!" Amelia exclaimed as the three people made their way through the snow drifts. "I can't shake this odd feeling about what Miss Filia said. That there's more to the situation than we know."

"But what more would there be?" Shichiro asked. "According to what you guys have told me, Xellos wants to kill me in order to obtain this vessel for the Lord of Nightmares."

"That's true." Amelia replied. "But I'm not sure what Miss Filia's motive behind it is. I don't see why she would team up with Mister Xellos unless the world really was in big trouble."

"But isn't it in trouble from Xellos? Doesn't he want to destroy the world with the vessel?" Shichiro asked.

"Yes... but... I'm starting to think there's a larger picture that we're not seeing." Amelia sighed. "If it were just Mister Xellos pursuing us, then I wouldn't be suspicious. But Miss Filia is different. The fact that she's helping Mister Xellos just shows that there's more to this than we know about. After all, she's after you as well."

"Because she wants the vessel, right?" Shichiro asked. Amelia nodded, and Shichiro's attention turned to the gemstones in the backpack that he was carrying. They were stored safely inside the backpack, with Riko keeping an eye on them. "Do you really think that one of these jewels could actually act as a vessel for the Lord of Nightmares herself?"

"I have no idea. What about you, Miss Lina?" Amelia responded. "Miss Lina?"

Lina wasn't paying any attention to the conversation. She was staring up at the sky. It was still overcast, and the sun hadn't been up long enough to give any real illumination. At least it had stopped snowing- for now at least.

"Miss Lina?"

Still no response.

"MISS LINA?"

Lina snapped to attention quickly. "Huh? What?"

"I asked you what you thought." Amelia said.

"That stupid, jellyfish-brained idiot... how dare he make me leave...?" Lina mumbled.

"I get the feeling that it's pointless to talk to her." Shichiro whispered. "Maybe we should just let her sulk for a while."

"Perhaps you're right, Mister Shichiro." Amelia nodded.

Shichiro moved closer to Lina, so that his arm was nearly brushing against hers. Lina didn't seem to notice, and Amelia didn't say anything. She didn't think it would help the situation. Shichiro was staring at the sorceress with a worried expression, but Amelia almost thought she saw a smile cross his face for a split second.

Or maybe she had imagined it.

"Mister Shichiro, is this the cave that Mister Gourry was talking about?" Amelia asked, gesturing to a large break in the rock face to their right.

"This is the one." Shichiro said. "Right, Miss Lina Inverse?"

"Yeah... this is the right one..." Lina sighed.

"Okay, I'm pretty sure that Pokota has officially gone insane." Gourry observed.

"Yeah, but what are we going to do about it?" Zelgadis asked. He wasn't sure what to do. Pokota seemed intent on provoking Xellos. Zelgadis knew that provoking Xellos was one of the worst things you could possibly do. It was practically suicide...

That last word had crossed Zel's mind several times before when he had observed Pokota. The stuffed animal's obsession with weaponry... his depressed nature and disinterest in food... his willingness to give himself up to Xellos the first time they had been attacked... Pokota's rash actions now... They were all pieces of the puzzle that were fitting together for Zelgadis. But the question was... why?

Xellos was not shooting any more attacks at Pokota. Instead, he was dodging the little animal's attacks to the best of his ability, making Pokota more and more irritated.

"Come on, Xellos! I was sure that you'd be one to give me a good fight! Was I wrong?" The stuffed animal yelled."

"Now, now... I just can't justify fulfilling your demands. I apologise, but it would not make my master very happy." Xellos replied.

"Who cares about your master?" Pokota fumed.

"I do, for your information!" Xellos shot back.

Pokota glared at Xellos, and shot another blast of attacks at the monster.

"That does it..." Xellos murmured to himself. "Filia!" He called.

"Huh?" Filia looked surprised at Xellos.

"Filia, listen! Use your holy magic on Pokota!" Xellos yelled.

"What? My holy magic? But why...?" Filia gasped.

"No time to explain! Give me the kid, alright?" Xellos ordered.

Filia examined Zara for a moment, and then sent Xellos a glare as she handed the boy off to Gourry instead. The swordsman was eager to take the unconscious child in his arms, hoping that, wherever Lina was, she could tell that they were together and safe.

"Filia!" Xellos demanded, annoyed that Filia had ruined their chance with the hostage. "Just trust me! Use your most powerful holy magic spell that won't kill him!"

Filia was not sure what Xellos had in mind for the stuffed animal, but it seemed worth a shot- especially since Xellos seemed reluctant to attack Pokota himself. The dragon stepped forward and began incanting a spell in a strange language that none of the others recognised. She created at ball of light energy, and shot it at Pokota. The blast was enormous, and it rattled the stone walls- not to mention all the people in the room.

Xellos had promptly disappeared in order to seek shelter on the astral plane. He didn't want to be around when Filia fired such a powerful attack. But he showed up again immediately when it was over, and approached the now unconscious stuffed animal.

"Pity that we had to resort to this, but it was the only way." Xellos sighed. He turned back to the rest of the group. "Ah, what a failure. My targets fled the scene, and my hostage is... no longer a hostage. It looks as if I'll have to regroup from here. See you guys later! Come on, Filia dear."

"Wait! Xellos? We're just going to leave?" Filia asked.

"Well, of course." Xellos replied. "Come along now." He grabbed Filia's hand and teleported away with her, leaving Gourry and Zelgadis behind.

"They're really gone now..." Zel said.

"What was up with that holy magic spell?" Gourry asked.

"I'd like to know that too." Zelgadis agreed. He walked over and picked up the motionless stuffed animal.

"Is he alright?" Gourry asked.

"I can't tell. We'll just have to carry him with us." Zel replied.

"Okay then. We've got to go meet back up with Lina and the others. I've got Zara and you can take Pokota." Gourry said.

"Right. And I'm sure that they'll be pleased to know that they have the vessel with them." The chimera nodded, motioning for his companion to follow him.

The two of them quickly left the chalet wondering whether they would ever be back.

Lina, Shichiro, and Amelia were not sure how they should expect their companions to return from the fight with Xellos. Amelia was optimistic that everything would turn out alright, while Lina was still upset about the whole situation. Shichiro sat next to Lina, not saying anything.

"Hey! It's Zelgadis! And Mister Gourry!" Amelia called.

Lina got up quickly and stood beside Amelia, trying to see their friends. "Hey! Gourry!" Lina waved.

"Lina! Lina!" Zara, who had recovered from Xellos' sleeping spell, was waving back happily at his mentor.

"You guys are alright!" Lina called.

"Yeah! We promised you, didn't we?" Gourry replied. Zara reached out to hug Lina, and she took the boy, spinning him around. Zara laughed happily.

"Zelgadis!" Amelia exclaimed. It wasn't until she ran up to hug the chimera that she noticed the stuffed animal he was carrying. "M-Mister Pokota? Is he alright?"

"Well... he certainly wasn't alright before he got knocked out. But I have no idea how he is now. We just have to wait until he wakes up." Zelgadis replied.

"What in the world happened?" Amelia gasped.

"Pokota finally lost his mind. He challenged Xellos and wouldn't stop firing attacks until Xellos agreed to fight him." Gourry said.

"But why?" Lina asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Gourry replied.

"How'd he get knocked out? Did Mister Xellos do that?" Amelia asked.

"No, it couldn't have been Xellos. That's the effect of a holy magic spell." Shichiro observed.

"How could you tell?" Zelgadis asked. "You're right- Xellos ordered Filia to use some of her holy magic to fight him. But I can't figure out why."

"Maybe he was just being lazy and didn't want to deal with Pokota himself." Lina offered.

"I doubt that. Xellos could have easily taken care of Pokota. But for some reason he didn't want to. There had to be a good reason that he ordered Filia to do it." Zelgadis said.

"Geez. All this new information to figure out! My brain was hurting already..." Gourry sighed, sitting down.

"You okay?" Lina asked, sitting beside him.

"You look tired." Zara observed.

"Yeah, well... I've been awake a lot at night trying to figure stuff out. All this information is really confusing, but I'm determined to solve it!" Gourry replied.

"Morons aren't supposed to stay awake trying to figure out tough situations." Lina scolded, giving him a light knock on the head. "Don't get so concerned about it, alright?"

"I'm just worried about you... er, everyone." He sighed.

"Well STOP. BEING. DEPRESSED." Lina continued. "We've got enough to worry about with those two." She gestured at Zelgadis and Pokota.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Zelgadis asked, annoyed.

"Nothing." Lina replied. She turned to Gourry and whispered. "Haven't I told you that you're just like Zel when you get serious like this?"

"Uh... have you?" Gourry asked. "I don't remember... oh! Wait! Yeah! Sorry! I do!"

"Hey guys? There's something else you should know." Zelgadis continued, ignoring Lina and Gourry's conversation. "Xellos said that Shichiro had taken the vessel along with him. That means we have it with us right now."

Shichiro picked up his backpack and looked at it amazedly."So you mean that one of these is...?"

"The vessel for the Lord of Nightmares...?" Lina gasped.

"Lord of Nightmares...?" Zara asked, his eyes widening in fear. "How is the Lord of Nightmares involved in this?"

"Well... that's a long story." Lina replied, picking up Zara and putting him in her lap.

"Oh boy! Storytime!" Zara exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. The whole group- at least those that were standing- fell flat on their faces.

"No! This is serious!" Lina fumed. "Pay attention! The monster race wants to destroy the world using the power of the Lord of Nightmares! They've apparently found a vessel that can support the spirit of the Lord of Nightmares, and that's what Xellos is trying to get!"

"Is that why he was using me as a hostage?" Zara asked.

"Yes. But apparently he's also after Shichiro." Lina gestured over to the dark-haired boy. "I don't think you've met him before. Shichiro, this is my apprentice, Zara. Zara, this is Shichiro Hoseki. He's an expert on everything regarding gemstones."

Zara and Shichiro stared at each other for a moment, both seeming to be examining the other. "Well hello there. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Zara." Shichiro bowed. Zara was unfamiliar with the honorifics. Most people just called him Zara, and even his more formal friends (Amelia, Sylphiel, and Filia) had felt it more appropriate to address him as Zara-chan. He should have felt proud to be considered mature enough to be called a 'mister.' Being addressed by a strange name by a strange person that he had never met was a bit unnerving.

"H-hi..." Zara replied, shrinking back toward Lina a bit. "Um... most people just usually cal me Zara... so..."

"I'm sorry, Zara. I didn't mean to scare you. I apologise." Shichiro replied, also backing up a bit. He was upset that he had caused the boy anxiety. Getting on the boy's bad side was the last thing he wanted to do.

"But why is Xellos after Shichiro? That doesn't make sense." Zara asked.

"Well... according to Xellos, in order for the vessel to work, the human who possesses it must be killed. And since Shichiro is the one who owns these gems, then..." Lina's voice trailed off.

Zara looked puzzled for a moment. "The vessel and the human who possesses it...? But Lina-"

"Mister Pokota!" Amelia's voice interrupted Zara's sentence. Lina and her friends looked over. Sure enough, Pokota was beginning to wake up.

The stuffed animal opened his eyes and blinked a few times, taking in his surroundings. "Wha... why is everyone staring at me...?" He asked.

Lina picked him up by his ears. "Because you were just unconscious, moron! What the heck happened to you?"

Pokota struggled in Lina's grip. "Hey! I didn't mean to yell at you! Put me down already, pipsqueak!"

"Pipsqueak? Looks who's talking, you tiny fuzzball!"

"Tiny fuzzball? Why you little-"

"Mister Pokota, are you feeling alright?" Amelia asked.

"I'd be feeling better if Lina put me down!" Pokota replied more to Lina than to Amelia.

"You heard the stuffed animal. Put him down." Zelgadis ordered.

Lina released Pokota with a scowl. He dropped to the floor, brushing himself off.

"Pokota, are you okay? You seem to be back to normal." Gourry observed.

"Back to normal? What are you talking about?" Pokota asked.

"We're talking about the way you were chronically depressed!" Lina fumed.

"Not only that, but also the way you recklessly challenged Xellos just now." Zelgadis added.

"What? Challenged Xellos? When? Where? Where the heck are we?" Pokota asked, looking around.

"Huh? You're saying that you don't remember any of the fight against Mister Xellos and Miss Filia?" Amelia asked.

"Xellos? And Filia? I don't remember..." Pokota shook his head.

"That's weird. So you don't remember Filia using a holy magic spell on you and knocking you out?" Lina asked.

"Nope. Not at all."

"Lina, what happened to the stuffed animal? Is he okay?" Zara asked.

"Huh? Who's that kid?" Pokota asked.

"Oh yeah, you don't remember. This is my apprentice, Zara. The one that got kidnapped by Xellos and Filia." Lina replied, picking up the child.

"They didn't kidnap me! I found them on my own! They helped me out, because I'd gotten really lost since I left Sairaag." Zara defended.

"And why exactly did you leave Sairaag?" Lina growled.

"Because I got lonely. You and Gourry left me behind. I missed you a whole lot." Zara said, teary-eyed.

"And you think we didn't miss you?" Lina yelled. "But we left you there because we were doing a lot of dangerous things and we didn't want you to get in trouble like you were with Xellos today! Did you know he was threatening to kill you?"

"Hey Lina, take it easy. He's safe now, so what does it matter?" Gourry said, putting his hand on Lina's shoulder.

"Hmph! Don't question my parenting, jellyfish-brain. He deserves a scolding for this so that he won't do anything like it again!" Lina replied with a glare. "But..." Her tone changed slightly. "I doubt that it can really be helped. He's inherited our knack for attracting trouble, it seems. "

"I guess you're right!" Gourry laughed.

Lina nodded. "But he still needs to go back to Sairaag right away.

"Whaaaat~?" Zara and Gourry whined.

"If he stays with us, he could end up getting into trouble again!" Lina said. "He's just a kid! He can't use magic the way Amelia, Zel, Pokota, and I can yet, and he doesn't have a good weapon like you do. He's not personally involved in the situation the way Shichiro is, so there's no reason that he should stay. It's be safer."

"So... we're going to Sairaag now?" Amelia asked.

"I guess so." Lina replied. "We should probably get our stuff from the chalet and leave as soon as possible."

"Sairaag, huh? Brings back memories. It's been quite a while since I was there last..." Shichiro murmured.

"You've been to Sairaag, Mister Shichiro?" Amelia asked.

"Oh yeah, of course. I had quite a time when I was last there..." He sighed nostalgically. "Maybe I'll have as much fun this time too. But it seems like fun is going to have to wait until a little later..."

"Well let's not just stand around! Let's get moving!" Lina exclaimed.

"Right! I'm with you!" Pokota exclaimed.

"And thus, we continue to Sairaag!" Amelia added. "And then to Seyruun!"

"Seyruun?" Lina questioned. "Why?"

"Why not?" Amelia questioned. "I've been gone for quite a while, and my dad really ought to know what's going on..."

"Fine then. To Sairaag and then Seyruun." Lina corrected.

(A/N: Xellos had a good idea! Pokota's back to normal! But the questions are still 'why' and 'for how long?' Right? And onward to Seyruun! :3)