A/N: Welcome to the latest installment of Chance Encounters, Forged Paths. I'm so sorry that it took so long to get this chapter up, especially to those of you who wrote me asking to continue it. With all of FF.net's down time and my vacation, I had to kind of abandon my fics for a while. But since I should have some free time, I plan to get up at least two more chapters of this fic, and some of my other Slayers fic (I Can't Stand It.) Anyway, enjoy this chapter and I hope you're looking forward to the next one!
Lina and Zelgadis answered the police hammering on the door magnificently. They pulled out the two duffle bags they kept packed for emergencies (old habits die hard). They proceeded cast raywing, and flew out the broken window. A full minute later the police broke down the floor, only to find an empty apartment. The pair was long gone.
"Cepheed in a bag, this is a pain in the ass," Lina groaned as she exited the cluster of bushes she had been changing in. She had abandoned her old outfit for the past year, but now she was back in it for sort of a 'throw off the whoever that might be by reverting to old ways' disguise. It felt oddly nice to be dressed in the gaudy colors, sweeping cape, and big jewels.
"If this weren't such an inappropriate time, I'd say that you looked really nice back in your old outfit," Zel informed her with a sorrowful smile.
Lina laughed and punched him playfully in the arm. "Yeah well, you don't look too bad yourself," she informed him, playfully eyeing the male in his old shamanism outfit. "Let's fly for a bit more-I want to get to this safe town recommended by MXPT and figure out exactly what's going down."
"Sounds like a plan. We should leave our stuff here though and just take the money. Throw them off track a bit more."
"Whatever works," Lina stated and looted through her own bag, drawing out the velvet pouch of extra gold, and then found a bag of pretzels, which she shoved into the money bag and pinned to her belt. Always good to have a bit of food in emergencies. The two set off flying again, in companionable silence, save for calling out directions.
They made good time. They had only been traveling about half a day. The two found a nice café and Lina collapsed, glad for a seat. She quickly ordered by handing the waitress the menu and saying "I want one of everything, unless it's meat-I want two of those. And I'll have a glass of wine…hell, bring the bottle."
Zelgadis grinned and ordered a steak dinner. "It's nice to actually see you eat, Zel. I remember in the old days you used to just sit in the corner drinking coffee, watching everything."
"Ah, not everything. Mostly just you," he stated. His personality had become much more open since he had found his cure and fell in love with Lina.
Lina smirked at him. "I bet you say that to all the girls," she stated just before the waitress began to waddle over, burdened down by the first wave of Lina's food and Zel's steak dinner.
After they had finished and paid, they began to wander around town, casually poking for clues. But the town was nice and relaxing, with narrow busy streets full of intriguing shops, and a range of high mountains gathering the town at it's lap.
It was hard to worry about the broken window, and the mysterious note, and the police on Lina's trail…they weren't really worrying about anything. So it was a quite the surprise when they found themselves in a dead end alley with a large shadow gathering at the corners and streaming toward the center.
Zel grabbed Lina to his side as he pulled out his sword, and she stepped away slightly so his arm was still around her waist but looser. She extended her arm, a ball of fire igniting at the spark in her eye.
The shadow grew. The fire grew. And suddenly, the shadow twisted around like a living tornado, compacting, forming, and spewed forth a male figure.
Which was promptly fireballed by Lina, kicked in the side, and had a sword hell to his neck before he could say 'Nice to see you again!'
"What a delightful greeting, Lina-chan!" Xellos coughed from the pavement, twitching, as he clung to his wooden staff with the red jewel.
Lina stared at the priest. Zelgadis stared. Xellos beamed back up through closed eyes. "Well don't you look handsome, Zel-kun!"
"Shut up, fruitcake," Zel hissed, looking like if he had hackles to rise, that they would be up.
Xellos laughed and got to his feet, and something dawned on Lina. "MXPT! Of course. MX…Xellos Metallium. But what's up with the TP?"
"Trickster Priest! I thought it up myself, doesn't it sound lovely?" Xellos inquired.
"Perfectly ironical and fitting," Zelgadis remarked dryly.
"Oh, you should be nicer to the man who got you away from those nasty policemen hunting down Lina! It seems that a new fact has come up in Amelia's murder trial-"
"What?" Lina screeched. "What murder trial?"
Xellos sweat dropped. "Well, her father is still crestfallen, and it seems he has taken on a new advisor who…well, advised a trial. At any rate, the fact of the matter is they're going after you, Lina. They're going to charge you with the murder of a royal princess if they can find you."
Lina groaned. "Great, just what I need. An angry crusading King of justice freak after me! Life has been so nice lately, why bring it up now? So far after the fact? Hm…Xellos, do you know who the advisor is?"
"Yes!" Xellos replied in a chipper voice.
There was a brief silence. Zel glowered at the mazoku, looking as if he would find delight in force-feeding Xellos his own spleen and intestines. "Spit it out, fruitcake."
"But…Zel-kun, that…is…a secret," Xellos said in a high, taunting voice.
Lina's eye twitched and something in her seemed to snap. She grabbed Xellos by the lapels, hauled him up, and shoved him against the brick wall. His eyes opened in surprise and he dropped his staff, dangling a foot off the ground. "Listen you dirty little demon," she hissed as she stared up at him.
Her eyes were burning like the ninth pit of hell-fire, brimstone, pain, torture, and pure raw hatred shimmering out of them like Shabrinigdu himself had found new life in them. Xellos had been to the ninth pit, he did not enjoy it. So he just blinked and smiled blandly. "You have no right to withhold information from us after what you did. How you abandoned us before that battle like the shit brained, liver bellied, chicken-footed coward you are. How you never came back. How we haven't seen hair of you or heard breath of you since those many years ago. How you did that-how you did that to-" she stammered, and trailed off for a moment, a painful emotion on her face.
Zel watched her carefully. He knew what she was about to say. She knew she would break down again if Xellos didn't get out of there soon. "How you did that to Filia, you dirty son of a bitch," her voice was barely a whisper anymore. The fire in her eyes died as her hands went limp and she dropped him to the ground.
Zel shook his head. "Get out of here, fruitcake. We'll meet you at the Inn tomorrow night. And you will tell us everything you know, or I'll turn your inside out, one piece at a time."
Xellos disappeared without replying.
Zel hastily gazed down at Lina, pulling her close, but there was a far away look in her eyes. "Lina, darling, it'll be alright," he promised, nervous, smoothing down her hair with a shaky hand. She muttered incoherently and he shook her shoulders gently. "Lina please. We have to get back to the Inn and get some sleep. Love, I'm right here with you, nothing will happen. That's all in the past."
"No it isn't Zel," she said softly, a broken look on her face. "Because Xellos hurt Filia worse than Amelia was hurt, worse than Gourry, worse than we hurt the Cassus-Orcus demon. You know the news. He took her away from the battle and showed her Amelia and Gourry dying, over and over and…just for the hell of it. Mixed it with scenes of the golden dragon slaughters. Until her mind snapped. He made her his slave…his toy…his little puppet. Oh Zel, I never told you…"
Zel flashed her a confused look as he began to lead her out of the alley. "Told me what?"
"Filia…she's still alive. I was playing with spells a few months ago and I tried a locater one. For the hell of it, I called for Filia; I knew I wouldn't find anything. But I did. She's still alive. She's on the island that Xellos' mistress lives in…God, Zel, he still has her…who knows what he's been doing to her all these years?"
Zel's eyes narrowed with anger as he clutched Lina tightly and kissed her forehead, then cheeks, and kissed her lips gently. "When Xellos comes tomorrow, we'll get her back. Or we'll kill him."
Lina nodded and wearily rested her head on his shoulder. "Zel…it hurts so much…I'm so tired."
"We're going back to the Inn," he replied absently, thinking of ways to get revenge on a pain-loving mazoku. Not only had he been torturing Filia, whom he had always considered one of his closest friends, but he had scarred Lina's heart deeply. The woman who he loved and, if the police hadn't burst in, had intended to propose to that very night. Needless to say, things had turned out much differently than he had been plotting.
The mazoku would pay.
Xellos watched from the shadows, smirking. "They're upset…they're angry…they're distracted from the real problem," he chuckled. The shadows next to him shimmered as a second mazoku phazed in.
"What are you smirking about?" the female mazoku inquired with a mirrored smirk as she adjusted her silk kimono.
"Oh, nothing. Let's just say the day we've all been waiting for is soon at hand, my love."
"Excellent. Shall I return to my place with Prince Phil now?" she inquired, her long blond hair swinging into her blue eyes as she gazed up at the violet-eyed mazoku.
The man turned to her and caressed her cheek, nodding. "Yes…"
The woman leaned up and kissed him before she phazed out, leaving Xellos with a wicked smirk on his face.