As usual, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

25- Facts of Life

"Hey, uh, Zelgadis…?"

Adelaide spoke up as the group walked- no, sloshed would be the better term, with the state of the ground beneath their feet- through the trail that led back the chateau. The next day had brought with it sunshine and a much-needed relief from the rain, but the after-effects of the storm were very clear in the layers of mud caked onto the travelers' boots. Zelgadis heard Adelaide's voice and turned to listen to her curiously. "What is it?"

"It's just- I was wondering if you'd figured out how we're going to discern what item is the magical vessel. How will we know which one it is? My mother had a seal placed over it, and while I assume that we can work around that, I'm not totally sure how-"

Zelgadis stopped abruptly, causing Amelia to bump into him and Adelaide to bump into her. He looked at Adelaide with an exasperated expression. "Finding the magical vessel is your job! You're the only one who wants it now- and don't back out just because it's inconvenient all of a sudden. This whole trip has been an inconvenience, and it'd be a shame if you didn't get what you were looking for."

"You're the more powerful sorcerer. If anyone would know how to find it, it's you."

"I've already looked, and I couldn't find anything special. I'm clueless- you'll have to help."

"Help? I've never even seen the thing! I've only heard about it through other people. How can I help?"

Amelia hung back a short distance, leaving the two cousins to banter. Pokota landed on her head, watching in frustration.

"We've been gone for ten minutes and they've already broken the 'no-arguments' promise." he sighed sadly.

"And here I thought they'd keep getting along once they found out they were related. Silly me." Amelia groaned in agreement.

"Should we say something? They did promise."

"No, if we draw attention to them now, they'll just claim that this doesn't count as an argument, and we'll all be in a tizzy about that. It wouldn't be worth it."

"Whatever you say."

Zelgadis was still arguing. "-that you're never going to be able to prove your innocence if you're not willing to work for it-"

"-I'm just saying that maybe this whole magical vessel thing is a bad idea." Adelaide interrupted. "You already decided that you don't want it, and it's not like I… need it. Maybe we should just find the sword I'm looking for and leave. It would make things easier."

There was a pause in the conversation, and the group stopped walking. "…after all that you've done for this vessel, all of a sudden you've decided that you don't want it?"

"I-it's not that!" Adelaide waved her hands frantically. "It's not that I don't want it, but if I don't need it, then-"

"Miss Adelaide, if you decide that you don't want to give up the friendships you've made, no one will blame you." Amelia spoke up. "Zelgadis has been so determined to find a cure for so long, but even he isn't willing to give up who he is in order to get it. Your memories are important to you, and there's no reason you should feel obligated to give them up."

"It's not like that." Adelaide shook her head. "I-I mean, not that I would be willing to give up my friendships so easily, but you understand that my situation is really-"

"You don't have to justify your decision to us." Zelgadis interrupted. "It's your own life. You choose to manage it how you wish. As your friends, we have to respect that."

"Thank you." Adelaide responded, though her expression was pained. "It's even worse now… just this morning, the demon's spirit has been restless and I'm so scared that something's going to happen."

"It's true. There's something here that's causing the brau demon energy to act oddly. It could be Mazoku, but I'm not sure."

"Oh, you too? I thought it was just me."

"No, there's definitely something here." Zelgadis shook his head, continuing down the trail. "It's possible that there's a Mazoku or two lying in wait to ambush us."

"What?" Amelia ran after him, grabbing the end of his cape and tugging on it. "How can you say that so casually? Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm not sure." Zelgadis paused so that he could tug his cape away from her. "But I can't think of anything else that would make a brau demon so skittish. Brau demons don't generally have predators because of their astral power, but Mazoku sometimes prey on them when human sources of miasma are scarce."

"I don't like to think of myself as prey." Adelaide shuddered.

"No one does. But when dealing with Mazoku, that's unavoidable." Zelgadis shook his head. "We can't let it frighten us, though. That's what they want and it'll only make them more powerful."

Adelaide grabbed hold of Zelgadis' cape and held it tightly. "Easier said than done!"

"Would you two stop pulling on my cloak?"

"We're not walking knowingly into an ambush, are we?" Amelia ignored his request, walking in front of him to block the path. "No matter how confident we are in our abilities, you have to admit that's a bad idea."

"She's right." Pokota jumped over and perched on Amelia's head. "Those Mazoku definitely wanted Adelaide and me dead. They're not going to hold back when they attack us."

"When and not if?" Adelaide ventured nervously.

"You've been with us long enough to know the answer to that." Pokota responded. "Mazoku don't give up."

Adelaide sighed, beginning to trudge along the path again. "I suppose that if I'm walking toward an inevitable fate, I can't fight it. Let's go ahead and fight some Mazoku, then."

"I'm glad to hear you feel that way."

The voice caused everyone in the group to stop in their tracks, looking around frantically in an attempt to see where the sound was coming from. Adelaide felt herself flinching and drawing back from an attack before she consciously knew that it was coming. By the time she realized what was going on, she could feel the ground shaking beneath her feet and could hear the others yelling and beginning to fire spells.

I'm the one those Mazoku want. There's no sense in dragging my friends into this. If I run, maybe I can lure them away… and then what? Let the Mazoku kill me? Maybe if I could find Father's sword, it would give me the courage to fight back. I couldn't save him, but maybe I can save my friends.

"Hey! I'm the one you want! Leave them alone!" Adelaide yelled, and didn't wait to hear her friends' or the Mazoku's reactions before running as fast as she could. Maybe it wouldn't work, but it was the best idea she could think of.

"There, there. Everything's going to be alright. You don't have to worry." Gourry gave Inspector Morrigan an encouraging pat on the shoulder. How he'd found himself comforting the young man, he wasn't quite sure. The invitation for Morrigan to talk about his problems had opened a floodgate of stories and childhood issues that, while they seemed boring to the others, had the inspector really upset.

"Th-this wasn't how I'd hoped this job would be." he sniffled. "I mean, I worked really hard for this. It's been my dream to be a detective. It's always been. But now that I've reached it, I don't feel like I'm supposed to. Aren't I supposed to be happy?"

"Well, I don't know." Gourry offered with a pensive frown. "Isn't achieving your dream at such a young age a little underwhelming? How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"See? Wow, that's really young! I always assumed you were older, like maybe Lina's age. Must be the moustache." Gourry stared a little before continuing. "When I was seventeen, I was really immature and I got myself in all kinds of trouble. I got involved with the wrong crowd- mercenaries, really rough people, y'know?- and did stuff I regret. I wasn't working toward my dream, and I definitely wasn't achieving it. You've gotta put your life into perspective like that."

"…I suppose…" Morrigan nodded, trying his best to smile. "I guess I should think of it like that. I have a long life ahead of me, hopefully. I should continue to work toward my goals without worrying about doing things so fast."

"That's the spirit!" Gourry responded with enthusiasm. "Keep that attitude and you can change your whole outlook!"

Lina and Meg watched on from a short distance. "Is… Gourry always this encouraging?" Meg asked. "He's like a supportive older brother, or a father figure."

"Yeah, Gourry's always been this way." Lina shrugged. "He likes helping others. Sometimes a little too much, but I'm happy to see him back to his normal self now. He's been really torn up about his injuries recently, with good reason, but it's tough to see him like that."

"It is tough to see someone you love lose themselves, isn't it?"

Lina's first reaction was to snap defensively, but she caught herself. Now wasn't the time or place to get hung up on others' perceptions of her emotions- and perhaps her feelings for Gourry were more obvious than she wanted to admit. "You sound like you speak from experience."

"Arthur was like that. When he got his mind set on something, he'd do anything to get it. Toward the end… when he was working on the Sword of Light, he got so absorbed in it, he started to lose who he was."

"I see. He was different from Gourry in that way, I suppose." Lina gave a nod. "Gourry is much more laid-back. It takes a lot to shake him, which is why his recent behavior has been so concerning. I want to do more to help him, but this is something he'll have to get through on his own.

"That's true."

"So, Gourry, what's your dream anyway?" Morrigan and Gourry were still continuing their conversation, and Morrigan was allowing his curiosity to show through.

"My dream?" Gourry pointed to himself in surprise. "Well, I suppose… I like to travel to new places, see new things, try new foods, that sort of thing… so I guess my dream is to travel all over the world!"

"That's a really lofty dream." Morrigan gasped. "The world is such a big place."

"It is, isn't it? But I suppose that's why it's a dream. Dreams aren't supposed to be easy."

"…yes…"

"Hey, Lina!" Gourry called over, catching the girls' attention. "What about you? What's your dream?"

"My dream? Money, of course!" Lina called back. "I'm going to become incredibly wealthy and powerful, making a name for myself all over the world!"

"See?" Gourry gestured toward Lina. "Her dream isn't something that can be accomplished right away either. Dreams take a lot of time and effort."

"Isn't Lina Inverse already known around the world…?"

"Yes, but I would like to expand my fame as well as my riches." Lina corrected. "I won't be satisfied until I've amassed a great fortune to rival royalty! That's my dream!"

"That seems a little greedy-"

"But it's a dream." Gourry didn't let Morrigan get very far with that train of thought. "Everyone should feel free to work toward a dream that brings them joy. If not, then what's the point?"

"…I suppose that's true…"

Lina turned to the woman beside her. "What about you, Meg? Do you have a dream?"

"Unfortunately, I don't think I have anything that could be considered such." Meg shook her head. "It's very boring, I know, especially with your and Gourry's lofty goals, but I'm taking life one day at a time right now."

Lina and Gourry glanced at one another. "Th-that's fine too! If that's what works for you, don't let people impose anything on you." Gourry assured her. "Your life is yours to live."

"I'm surprised, though." Morrigan broke in. "Is there really nothing you want to do, Meg? You're so intelligent and so talented, you could do anything. Ever since last year, when I started working at the Bureau of Investigation, you've been there to help me. You always know the details of paperwork, and you practically memorize every case, and you remember people's faces and names even when I don't-"

"Inspector, please…"

"-and look at us right now! I ran off into the wilderness, stupidly getting myself lost, and you managed to not only find Miss Lina and Mister Gourry, but you found me too! You're great!"

Lina glanced over at Meg, who was silent. "…how did you find us? Was it just luck?"

"Luck. Yes. I suppose you could call it that." Meg stammered.

"Could call it that? It was luck!" Gourry exclaimed. "If you hadn't found us, I don't want to think about what would've happened. It's a really good thing you did."

"…yes…"

"Meg, is something the matter?" Morrigan moved closer in concern. "You sound troubled. Did something happen?"

"No, I'm just stressed over everything that's going on." Meg waved her hands back and forth. "There's no need for you to worry about it too-"

"Unless there is." Lina broke in. The conversation stopped and everyone looked over at her. Meg's face paled as it became clear that the sorceress had caught on to the source of her unease. "The cabin we were staying in is well-hidden. You didn't just stumble across it, did you? Someone led you to us."

"…I was totally lost and soaked through from the rain… I might've died of exposure…" Meg whimpered.

"So you'd offer anything in return, huh? What did the Mazoku want? Obviously you weren't coerced into action, since you're here with us now instead of following Adelaide. Was it information they wanted? For you to tell them where we were going and what we were doing?"

"W-wait a minute!" Morrigan interrupted, grabbing hold of Lina's arm. "There's no way that Meg would work with a Mazoku! She knows better than that! Right, Meg? …Meg?" The man's voice fell as he saw her reaction. Her head was hung so that her hair fell over her face and her features were obscured. She spoke, but her voice was quiet and melancholy.

"…Mazoku prey on people who are all alone. That's how they control people. When you have no one… there's nothing you can say or do to defend yourself. You're at their mercy. I couldn't…"

"You couldn't refuse. I get it." Lina nodded her head. "It wasn't only your life at stake. If you died, no one would be able to find Morrigan. You had to place your and your friend's life over the lives of some people you hardly knew. Anyone in that situation would've done the same."

Morrigan took a wary step back. "Meg, you made a pact with Mazoku… just to save me…?"

"Forgive me." Meg still hadn't looked up. "I assumed that Miss Adelaide and the rest of your friends could handle themselves whether or not I told Abaddon their position. Princess Amelia and Prince Pokota are royalty, and Dr. Wilson always spoke so highly of Mr. Zelgadis… they can handle themselves, can't they?"

"Yeah, but so could I, and look what happened to me!" Gourry exclaimed. "They're going to need help! We have to go back!"

"If I use Raywing, I can be back at the chateau in a few minutes." Lina explained. "But I can't carry all three of you. Meg, Morrigan, can either of you use that spell?"

"If I could use a flight spell, do you think I'd be stranded out here?" Morrigan shot back.

"I can do it. I'll take care of Inspector Morrigan." Meg volunteered. "You and Gourry go help your friends."

Lina paused and stared at her. "Really?"

"Yes. Just go. I'm so sorry for everything."

"You can make it up to us later." Lina insisted, tossing a dismissive hand gesture in Meg's direction. "C'mon, Gourry. Let's go before the situation gets any worse. The chateau is probably swarming with Mazoku now that Abaddon knows we're coming."

Gourry nodded and followed along with her. He was too worried about his friends to let his fear of flight get the better of him. Abaddon had already put the group through enough trouble. He wasn't going to let anyone else get hurt.

"Adelaide! What do you think you're doing?!"

Pokota was the first to chase after the girl, as Amelia and Zelgadis were still on the defensive, trying to figure out what was happening. Adelaide saw Pokota, but tried to shoo him away.

"Get lost! I'm trying to lead that Mazoku away from you- ELMEKIA FLAME!" Her attack was aimed at the Mazoku that was trailing them, but Pokota had to be careful to dodge as well.

"What good is it going to do if you're all alone?" Pokota demanded. "FREEZE ARROW!"

"I don't want any of you getting hurt!"

"And you don't care about yourself? Adelaide, you-"

"RUNE FLARE!"

"Hey! Watch where you're aiming those spells!"

"You watch where you're going! The Mazoku is probably trying to get me to hit you!"

"I can see that- you don't have to tell me."

"Well, what are we supposed to do?!"

Pokota jumped over to Adelaide's shoulder and tugged her in the opposite direction. "Follow my lead. I have a plan."

Adelaide glanced over her shoulder uneasily, but acquiesced, trusting that Pokota had the experience necessary to figure out the situation. "I hope you know what you're doing…"