A/N: Just wanted to give a shout out to everyone that reviews and favorites the story. Thanks for the support. I'm glad you guys enjoy the story as it progresses.

Slayers: Evolution

Chapter 21

A true friend never gets in your way…Unless you happen to be going down.

"Naga really did it this time," Lina sighed as she fumbled with the keys to the suite.

Zelgadis shifted the unconscious First Princess of Saillune in his arms. "I'm certain the barrage of fireballs and being dropkicked across the street didn't help." Although she was singed and dusty from the street, the smell of alcohol coming from Gracia made his eyes water. "Still, this is the worse I have seen her in a long time."

"You mean she has done this before?" Lina tried the next key on the door. And the next. And the next. They all failed to turn the lock. "How many stupid keys did this inn give her?" There were at least a dozen more on the key ring.

"I can do it!" Nami rushed forward brandishing a wand with a gold star on the end.

"Our hands overstocked,

Door I command thee,

Iron bands unlock!"

The door drifted open with a metallic click. Lina whistled. She had to admit she was impressed. "Who taught you that spell?"

"I learned it on my own!" Nami replied. She tucked the wand up the sleeve of her robe. "Did I do good?"

"Yup. That is one of the few spells the mage guild requires every familiar learn on their own before they are granted full magehood. It's very impressive that you can already cast it." Nami beamed at the praise.

Lina held the door open for Zelgadis as he carried Gracia inside and laid her on the bed. Nami busied herself picking up empty wine bottles from the floor so no one would trip over them.

"Somebody was certainly hitting the wine hard." Lina picked up a bottle, inspecting the label. "Zefirian. At least Naga has good taste. Hey, Zel, you said Naga did this before. What's up with her binge drinking?"

"It's a long story." From his tone, Lina knew that was as much as he planned to say about it at that moment. "I'll make some coffee. Maybe that will help wake her up."

"With as much wine as Naga has had? Are you kidding me?" Lina produced a small bottle from one of the many hidden pockets in her cape. "I have a better idea."

"What is that?" Nami asked.

"Do you know the spell Detoxify?"

"Of course I do, but isn't it for poisons?"

"That is its main purpose. However, not many mages realize it can be used to sober up a drunk person relatively quickly. This is the potion equivalent of the spell. Well, an extreme version of it," Lina added as an afterthought. "I got the recipe for this from my friend Lazlore right after I became a full-fledged sorceress. Some poisons are resistant to magic. They will resist the spell trying to neutralize them. This potion works regardless of whether the poison is resistant or not due to how it works to rid the patient of the toxins."

Nami looked at Zelgadis and beamed. "I like her! See? None of the wizards at home would have ever taught me something like this."

"Zel, would you mind telling the inn keeper to heat some water for a bath. Naga is going to need it. This is going to be messy."

"Messy?" the chimera asked suspiciously. "What do you mean messy?"

Lina dumped the contents of the bottle into the unconscious princess's mouth, then pinched her nose shut until Gracia swallowed. "Trust me. You won't want to be here. And I'm certain Naga won't want you to see what is about to happen."

"Should I take Nami with me?"

"No, this will be a good lesson for her to observe. If you hear a scream, don't worry. Naga will be fine."

"You're not helping to put my worries to rest."

"I did say trust me, didn't I?" Lina put on her most innocent smile.

Zelgadis folded his arms across his chest and gave the sorceress a pointed look.

"I promise nothing bad will happen to Naga." Zelgadis didn't look reassured. "I promise she won't suffer any permanent damage, okay?"

Zelgadis rolled his eyes and quietly left the room. That was about as much as he could expect from Lina.

"Lina?" Gracia mumbled groggily. "What are you doing here? The last thing I remember…The last thing…Oh, my head. Wait a minute. This feeling…" she moaned and clutched her belly with both hands. The princess's eyes went wide with fear. She bolted upright in bed. "You didn't give me what I think you gave me while I was unconscious, did you? Lina, tell me you didn't give one of those awful potions!"

"I didn't give you one of those awful potions," Lina replied smugly. "I mean, you were only being your usual rude and drunken self. It's not like you deserved to be punished or anything."

"Ohhhh, you little liar! When I get my hands on you…" Gracia stormed up to Lina, but stopped short. She doubled over, biting her lip. "Oh, Ceipheed!" she whimpered.

"Nami, you should note the first signs the potion is working are cramping and the patient breaking out in a cold sweat," Lina explained, obviously taking great pleasure in Gracia's distress. She waved her familiar back. "You might want to take cover behind the chair. This is the messy part."

"I…hate you…so much…right now!" Gracia snarled through tightly clenched teeth. Her entire body trembled convulsively from the combined effects of her anger and the potion.

Lina shrugged nonchalantly. "You brought this upon yourself, Naga. The harder you fight it, the worse it is going to get."

"Excuse me."

The innkeeper looked up from where he had rolled the fresh cask of wine. "Be with ya in a minute!" It wouldn't be much longer before the lunchtime rush came in. Patrons weren't particularly patient or understanding when the cask ran dry and a new one had to be brought in, especially when they were thirsty. He kicked the wooden stops into place to hold the cask before turning to the hooded man behind the counter.

"Oi, yer friends with the pretty broad renting the suite, aren't ya?" he asked, wiping his hands on his apron. "What can I do for ya?"

"Is there a bath house nearby?"

"There is. I just installed one this month. It's at the end of the hallway. One of them newfangled contraptions with a heated water tank. Costs one silver an hour, if yer interested."

"My friend will need it for an hour."

"All righty, just let me—"

A frantic shriek, primal in its fury, echoed up the hallway from the suite. It sent shivers up the innkeeper's spine. "Was that yer friend?" he asked nervously.

"She should be fine," the hooded man replied. He didn't seem convinced of his own words. "I think we'll take the bath house for three hours just to be safe." He tossed the innkeeper three coins. Gold coins. "Keep the change."

The innkeeper reached into his pocket and slapped a key down on the counter. "It's all yers."

Zelgadis burst in through the door, quickly slamming it shut behind him. "I just heard a scream. What did you do to…" He noticed Gracia in the center of the room, curled up in a tight little ball. Her dark hair and dress were soaked. Every so often her body would twitch. And she lay in a giant puddle of…The need for the bath so was dreadfully apparent now. Lina hadn't been kidding. They were going to need a mop and bucket as well. And the smell! The room reeked.

"…So you see, Nami," Lina continued her lecture as if Zeldagis had never entered the room, "once the potion takes full effect, all toxins are forcibly expelled from the patient's body through the nearest orifice available—meaning all of them. Mouth, nose, sweat glands. Everything. And I do mean everything. All at once."

"Wow," Nami cried in a mixture of amazement and disgust. "I never knew a potion could do that."

Gracia moaned. She slowly reached out a shaky hand. "Help me up, Lina."

"No way. Not after what just happened to you. You can't pay me enough to touch you."

"You're evil, Lina," she groaned.

"Being evil has its rewards. This is payback for all those times when we traveled together."

Gracia's gaze slowly drifted towards Zelgadis. Her hair was plastered to her face by sweat—He hoped it was only sweat! She looked so weak and helpless in that moment. "You'll help me, won't you, Zelgadis?"

"How did you two manage not to kill each other during your travels?" Zelgadis wondered as he yanked off his cape, hood, and sweater. That left him in a sleeveless tunic. He wrapped Gracia in his cape. "We have the bath house all to ourselves for the next three hours. I'll take Gracia to the bath. Will you dig out her soap and shampoo? And for Ceipheed's sake, open a window!"

Lina was still wearing her smug smile. "Don't worry, Zel. I'll find them. It's a small price to pay for Naga's suffering. But so worth it!" Her eyes twinkled mischievously. She handed Nami a small silk pouch. "Nami, will you boil this into a tea? We're going to need it. I'll go find a mop after find the soap."

Zelgadis lifted the princess and headed for the bath, all the while breathing through his mouth to ignore the smell.

Gracia had always dreamed of getting closer to Zelgadis. It had all started decades ago when Amelia first introduced them. There was something mesmerizing about him when compared to princes or other lesser nobility. It went deeper than just his unusual skin condition or manners. He had a dark air of mystery about him, a gentle wit, and was quiet in a thoughtful way. When Gracia spoke, he listened-really listened! He saw her as more than just a pretty face and shapely body.

It was a shame he had been wasted on Amelia. Her little sister never truly appreciated him. Otherwise she wouldn't have let him slip from her grasp so readily. Amelia was always more interested in fighting and believing in altruistic ideals rather than living them. How else would Daddy have bullied her into passively following 'Ceipheed's Will?' Duty and justice were noble ideals, but there came a time when a princess had to consider her happiness.

She still vividly recalled the time after Zelgadis left. Saillune became such a boring place. The balls and festivals the nobles hosted lost their appeal to Gracia. Amelia was unhappy with her marriage, especially after her droll husband was caught in a compromising situation with a prince of a neighboring country. Yet the 'Justice Queen' continued to put on a brave and courageous front, even as she slowly died inside bit by bit. Gracia, disgusted by the entire farce, left Saillune to seek a more exciting life as a diplomat.

Exciting it certainly was. Gracia couldn't remember ever living as free since her younger days traveling with Lina Inverse. She traveled from city to city and country to country. Sometimes in the interest of Saillune. Sometimes just for fun. Every day was filled with new experiences. There were new sights to see, people to meet, exotic foods to eat, and delicate wines to drink. She took her fair share of lovers. Few managed to hold her attention for long, but then again, it wasn't really fair to compare them to one she really wanted. The years passed as seasons. It was easy to forget about all the travesties back home.

Then came the fateful day Gracia bumped into Zelgadis in the court of Kardia. Those intimate with the use of magic tended to age slower than the common folk. Zelgadis had barely aged. And what a coincidence-neither had Gracia! She saw this as a temptation of fate she couldn't refuse. What Amelia so readily discarded, Gracia would keep for herself!

Only it didn't prove so simple. While Zelgadis found her beautiful, intelligent, and was always keen to share her company, he kept his heart distant. It was safe to say they were friends. Good friends. Even very good friends. Theirs was a friendship kindled from the life and death struggles through many a royal coup, assassination, and even monster ambushes. But no matter how close they appeared, they were still just friends. Zelgadis was unwilling to step across that final gap between them. It infuriated Gracia to no end.

The more determined she became to make him hers, the easier he slipped through her grasp. She never understood how Zelgadis managed it. No matter what method of seduction or feminine wile she used, Zelgadis always managed to refuse her. To make it even more frustrating, he did it in such a polite and clever way that she couldn't even be angry with him! At least, not for long. But it made the hunt all the more enjoyable.

Until the day Zelgadis informed her he would be taking a leave of absence from his duties.

The one great joy in her life left her alone. She lost herself in her travels again.

When she bumped into Zelgadis by chance she felt the void in her life filled anew. Fate was giving her a second chance. And he was traveling with Lina Inverse! She hadn't seen Lina in decades. Two of her closest friends discovered in the same place! She couldn't begin to describe her joy. That joy quickly withered when she realized they were a couple.

At first, she tried to be happy for them. The happiness she tried to convince herself that she felt, soon turned to jealousy. Then envy. She tried to put on a front that nothing was wrong as she always did. The facade proved to be more and more exhausting to keep up as time went on. She tried to drown her sorrows in wine. Fate was determined to foil her efforts. And fate's chosen agent just happened to be named Lina Inverse.

Not only was Gracia's blissfully drunk mood ruined, she was also embarrassed in front of Zelgadis thanks to one of those terrible potions. If she wasn't so weary, her fury would be the stuff of legends!

On the upside, Gracia found being given a sponge bath by Zelgadis a small comfort. He had stripped away her filthy clothes, given her a towel for modesty, and was surprisingly gentle with the sponge. However, she really wished the circumstances were better.

"I feel so horrible," she muttered weakly.

Zelgadis laughed softly in that charming way that always brightened her mood. He worked the sponge in circles across her back and shoulders. "You look pretty horrible."

"That is a fine thing to say to a princess," Gracia pouted.

"It's nothing a bit of scrubbing and a nice long soak won't cure."

She sighed and leaned back into his touch. Any man would happily give his life to share a bath with a beautiful naked princess. But not Zelgadis. To him, it was Tuesday. She didn't understand how he could remain so level-headed. Or how Lina had won his heart. Maybe she would figure it out if this pounding headache would go away!

For a time the only sounds in the bath were those of his scrubbing and her breathing. She let the towel slip away innocently more than a few times in hopes of provoking Zelgadis to no avail. It was painfully apparently he was dead set on Lina.

"Zel, you don't have to do this."

"You're in no condition to do it yourself. I don't think it would be a good idea to have Lina help you right now with your temperament, and Nami is too small." He gazed up from scrubbing her back. "Besides, I've seen you suffer through much worse."

"I don't want to cause trouble for you with Lina." Ciepheed, she couldn't believe she just said that!

"Despite how Lina acts at times, she is mature enough to understand certain things—like our relationship."

Relationship? What relationship? The relationship she had tried for years to cultivate between them only to find Lina had snatched him away instead? First Amelia. Now Lina! It wasn't fair! Why couldn't life be unfair in her favor for once?

The thoughts tore into her, feeding off her anger and sorrow. Suddenly, it was more than she could bear, and Gracia found herself doing something she hadn't done since her mother's death: She wept.

"Gracia?" Zelgadis asked, his voice heavy with concern.

"Zelgadis, I…" she began, blinking back tears. "Tell me honestly. What does Lina have that I don't?"

The chimera paused to wring out, rinse, and apply more body wash to the sponge. Even then, he didn't answer. He just went back to scrubbing her back and shoulders in silence. She began to fear he wouldn't answer at all until he said, "There is nothing comparable between the two of you."

"Then why Lina and not me?" The question was childish. She knew that. It might even anger him. At the moment, she didn't care. She desperately wanted an answer, if nothing more than to quell the doubts in her heart. "We are so close but you never…And I tried everything…Do I remind you of Amelia? Is that it?"

"You know better than that," he said patiently. "As close as we were in Kardia, if things had been different, it might have been you instead of Lina. Seeing you again really made me the happiest I had been in a long time, but it also brought up a lot of unpleasant memories of Saillune—not of Amelia. I had long since gotten over her. Specifically, the royal court's opinion of me. I didn't want you ostracized from your home because of my presence in your life. It wouldn't have been fair to you."

She bit down on her lower lip. She didn't know if his response should make her feel better or worse. "Does…Does Lina really make you happy?"

"Lina is the world to me, but there are times she drives me crazy with her rash actions—like what she just did to you. That wasn't fair. Now you feel horrible and unbalanced. But yea, she makes me happy. I love her."

Gracia nodded. There was some small satisfaction in knowing Zelgadis cared about her. "Well, tell Lina that if she ever spurns you like Amelia did I will kill her."

"I believe it." Zelgadis dropped the sponge in her bucket with a splash. "Your back and shoulders are clean. I trust you can do the rest?"

"I will manage. Thank you, Zel. I'm…I'm sorry if this conversation hurt our friendship."

She felt his hands on her shoulders as he leaned in close to her ear and said, "Our friendship is the reason you can be so frank. Don't be sorry. You will always be important to me."

"How is Naga?" The question was thrust upon him as soon as Zelgadis closed the door to the bath. He turned around and found Lina dressed in a white robe and carrying a bucket full of toiletries. Did Lina run back to their hotel room just so she could take a bath here?

"Gracia is starting to feel better," he replied. "Please don't do that again to her."

"You really do care about her, don't you?" Lina smiled, her hand cupping his face. She planted a quick kiss on his lips. "You may have stone skin, but you have the heart of a White Knight. Okay, I promise I won't do anything else to Naga. Unless she starts it first."

"Thank you. That is fair enough."

"Still, this is quite tame compared to what Naga and I used to do to each other."

"Really? I hope I never have to see you two when you're worked up into a frenzy. What's with the bathrobe?"

She hefted the bucket filled with body wash, shampoo, and conditioner. "What does it look like? I'm going to join Naga in the bath. While you were in there I ran a few quick errands like sending a messenger to tell Gourry we would meet him for dinner tonight instead, and going back to our room to fetch a few things. I figured this would be a good way to apologize to Naga. I did feel sort of bad for her."

"You felt bad for her?"

"Are you telling me you haven't noticed the glances Naga tries to steal of you when she thinks you aren't looking? It's quite obvious she is in love with you. I can't blame her. You are something special. And I know how she feels."

"I see."

"I'm certain with as close as the two of you are, it was probably chance that you ended up with me instead of Naga."

Without warning Zelgadis pulled her into a hungry, crushing kiss that stole her breath away. "Just remember," he said after releasing her, "I will always be friends with Gracia, but you're the one I love."

"You…!" Lina panted, her face flushed a deep red to match her hair. "Just you wait until we're alone, mister! For now, give Naga and I an hour, then send Nami in so she can enjoy the bath. We'll let you have the last half hour."

"All right. I need to get some air to clear my head."

"Poor Zel," Lina giggled. "You never imagined you would have a problem with women like this, did you?"

"Not in a million years."

She watched Zelgadis walked down the hallway towards Gracia's room. She was marveled at how lucky she was to be with him. And after fifty years how much the people she knew had changed.

She found Gracia lounging in the tub with a damp cloth over her eyes. Her head rested against the edge while her wet hair was slicked back and hanging free out of the water.

"Naga, you awake?" Lina whispered.

"What do you want, Lina?" she heard the princess grumble. "I'm in no mood to talk to you."

"I guess I over did it a little this time, didn't I?"

Gracia lifted a corner of the cloth so she could glare at the flame haired sorceress. "A little? Those potions are evil—even if they do work!"

"Details. Details." Lina pulled out her bottle of conditioner. "That's beside the point. I came because I figured you could use a little more pampering. Don't give me that look. I didn't throw a hissy fit when Zelgadis was in here with you. I'm not going to trick you now."

"Well, all right."

"Just lie back and soak in the hot water," Lina urged. "Let your body relax. I'm just going to work this conditioner into your hair. This is a really good brand from Zefiria. Expensive, too. It costs five gold a bottle."

"Relax? Easy for you to say," Gracia moaned weakly. "You speak like I can do much else. When do the effects of this stupid potion wear off?"

"The potion has already worn off. You feel terrible because you are hung over. You were drunk off your ass, Naga. You should know better. It's only noon!" Lina began working the condition into the princess's hair. "Nami is brewing tea. That will help."

"Where did the little girl come from?"

"She is my new familiar."

"You just picked a random girl off the street?"

"You can ask Zel for the details later. It's sort of his fault, not that I mind."

"Wait. Zel knows her? No wonder she looks familiar. She must be a princess from Kardia. Why is she here?"

"What did I just say, Naga? Shut up and relax."

"You are always so demanding," Gracia grumbled, but did as bid.

"You know, I was always jealous of how you keep your skin so smooth and white. How do you do that? Do you use a special lotion or is it a spell?"

"Tell me how you can tan so nicely without burning," the princess fired back.

"Brace yourself. I'm going to rinse out your hair." Lina poured the water slowly over Gracia's head. "I guess after the bath we'll have some beauty secrets to trade. By the way, I hope you know we're missing a lunch appointment because of you."

"You're the one who fed me the potion while I was unconscious, you little cheat! Don't act like you didn't know what would happen. You did it once before!"

"I remember," Lina laughed. "That doesn't excuse you. We leave you alone for one day and you go on a drinking binge and pick fights. Today you would have gotten knifed in the back if it wasn't for me."

"I didn't ask for your help."

"If not me, it would have been Zelgadis. But maybe you would have preferred that, right?" Lina teased.

"You're lucky I'm too weak to do anything to you."

Lina picked up a hairbrush. "You mean too weak to do anything other than run your mouth."

"You are such a smug little…grrrrr!"

"Yea, and I'm also a heartless sorceress, a cheap skate, and a glutton, right?"

"Wow, Lina, I didn't think you knew."

"Just like old times, eh?"

Gracia sighed. She sounded much calmer than she had a few minutes ago. "You've really grown up, Lina."

"Three inches adds a lot."

Gracia closed her eyes and simply enjoyed the sensation of Lina brushing her hair. After a time she said, "How did our lives ever become so complicated?"

"I find blaming Zelgadis helps with a lot of things," Lina replied cheerfully. "He makes a good scapegoat. Say, Naga, I've been dying to ask. What's with the white streak through your hair? Are you making a fashion statement?"

"Oh, that? Zelgadis and I got caught up in a magical battle during a coup against the royal family in Kardia. I had to use several high level spells. They burned a streak of white through my hair."

"How long ago was that?"

"Almost six years ago."

"Your hair should have long since turned back to its original color."

"I know, but Zel thought I looked good with it."

Lina nodded thoughtfully. "Zel is really quite the guy, isn't he?"

"A pity he got stuck with Amelia," Gracia harrumphed. "She was such a fool."

She paused in the middle of brushing Gracia's hair. "That is a bit harsh to say about your sister, isn't it?"

"Daddy wanted me to return to Saillune to marry the prince he had chosen. I refused. The prince was a weakling whose blood ran so thin he had already been twice removed from his own royal family. All the good princes were apparently taken," Gracia harrumphed. "I went so far as to renounce the throne in hopes Daddy would come to his senses. Do you know what he did then? Daddy made the same demands of Amelia. The little fool played the part of obedient daughter and did exactly as he wanted!"

"But Zelgadis made the decision for her…"

Gracia sat up with a splash. The cloth over her eyes fell away. She leaned forward, resting her arms on the edge of the tub so she was facing Lina. "The spoiled brat didn't know how good she had it with Zelgadis and let Daddy take it all away from her. She was too much of a coward to make any decision, which forced Zelgadis to make it for her! Amelia deserves the loveless marriage she shackled herself into."

"But Amelia had a son. Isn't she happy with him?"

"Frankly, I'm surprised my sister ever had a child."

"Why?"

"The prince preferred the company of men! Who knows what Amelia had to do to coax him into the bed chamber." Gracia slid back into the water.

Lina didn't know how to reply to that so she shrugged the matter off. "Hey, Naga, you are coming to dinner with us tonight. We are going to meet some friends."

"What? Why?" Gracia asked suspiciously.

"We are not leaving you to get drunk off your butt again. It was bad enough the first time. I don't want you to mope about alone."

Her sharp features softened into a smile. "See? You really do care, Lina."

"Don't think this means I'm going to go easy on you."