Slayers is the property of Kadokawa Shoten. Labyrinth is the property of Jim Henson, and all
lyrics used for the purpose of this fic is the property of David Bowie.
Hi, everyone! ^_^ Well, my other fic, "Slayers: Faces," got such wonderful feedback and
encouragement, that I decided to start a sequel. Let me know what you think. Oh, one last thing. I
sort of borrowed the character Jareth from Jim Henson's "Labyrinth." If you've seen the movie,
then you'll get a few of the in jokes. If not, I don't think it'll hurt you any.
Faces: After
Part 1
Xellos' Gift!
The Question in Sylphiel's Heart
The door to the cottage opened slowly; barely disturbing the cobwebs and dust within.
Within the doorframe stood a single woman with proud features, flaming red hair, and a glint in her
eye.
She promptly fell forward and collapsed inside; a cloud of dust rising from the impact.
"Sooooo….hungrrrrrryyy!" she murmured, continuing to crawl into the cabin.
A shadow from the doorway fell over her. Zelgadis looked down at her and shook his
head. "So you were forced to skip *one* meal. Stop acting as if you're on death's door." He
stepped over the sorceress' body and into the cabin.
Lina's eye twitched at the chastisement.
"Oi, Lina," Gourry began as he stepped inside. "Didn't the guy who sent us here say that
this place was stocked with food?"
"FOOD!" Lina, cried, suddenly reminded by Gourry's words. "Gourry, you're a genius!"
As Amelia and Sylphiel stepped into the cottage, Lina began ransacking the pantries.
Amelia took a look around and frowned. "This place is so run down," she said dejectedly.
"It's only temporary," Lina pointed out as she continued to search fruitlessly through the
cabinets. "The village is too far away. If we're going to hunt down this goblin king and collect
our reward, we need a base near where they say he lives." She grunted as she opened another set
of cabinets. A spider winked at her. "Ick…" She turned to another pantry and continued her
search. "Besides, it beats cold tents and the rain, doesn't it?"
Amelia held up her fist. "A clean cottage is a just cottage!" She reached into her pack and
removed a scrub brush. "In the name of Justice eternal! I, Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, shall make
this run down shack an abode of justice!"
Sylphiel blew some dust off the mantle above the fireplace. She coughed as a cloud of
smoke enveloped her head. "It just needs a little spring cleaning," she suggested between coughs.
Amelia didn't hear her. "For justice demands that the scourge of dirt be vanquished…"
"No…No…No…NO!" Lina screamed, slamming the door on the last pantry.
"What's wrong, Miss Lina?" Amelia asked, breaking off in mid-tirade.
"There's nothing here!" Lina complained angrily. "No food at all!"
"Heh," Zelgadis huffed. "What did you expect? The man was practically begging us to
take this job. Would you have marched all day into this forest if you knew there was no food at the
end of the road?"
"Yeah, but we could at least have brought our own supplies!" Lina cried. She growled.
"So what do we do?" Gourry asked.
"Do?" Lina asked, her eye twitching. "I'll tell you what we do…We go back to that
village, find that old geezer *PUNK* and roast him over an open fire!"
"Miss Lina! Please calm down!" Sylphiel begged her.
"Sylphiel's right," Zelgadis chimed in. "If you roast him, he can't pay us. And since
we're out of money as it is, if he doesn't pay us, we're sunk."
"Fine! We'll find the goblin, get our money, and *then* roast the geezer! Good plan?"
Lina asked.
"Miss Lina…" Amelia sighed, shaking her head.
"Well, what about food?" Gourry asked.
"We're going to have to go back to the village and get some, I guess," Lina shrugged.
No one liked the sound of this. The trek to this cabin had taken hours through rough terrain.
They didn't relish the idea of repeating it on an empty stomach.
"Odds and Evens!" Lina declared, holding her fist out. "Short group goes for food,
agreed?"
They all stuck their hands out and nodded.
"One! Two! Three!"
They all stuck out either one or two fingers. Lina, Zelgadis, and Sylphiel held out two,
Gourry and Amelia held out one.
The two sighed. "I guess we're going," Gourry said in defeat.
"Thanks, guys! Hurry back!" Lina cried with a smile and a wave.
"Can't we at least have some water and rest before we…" Amelia began, but Lina cut her
off.
"The sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back with dinner! Besides, while you're gone,
we'll be making this place livable."
"But…" Gourry started in.
"Bai-iiii!" Lina cried, giving them a good shove out the door, which slammed shut behind
them.
Amelia and Gourry stared at the door and sighed. "Miss Lina sure is harsh when she's
hungry," the princess commented.
The swordsman only nodded.
Lina dusted her hands off and took a look at the interior of the cabin with a critical eye.
"Well," she remarked, "It *is* only temporary."
"We should get started," Sylphiel suggested, searching a closet for a mop or broom.
Zelgadis started for the door.
"Hey, Zel, where do you think you're going?" the redhead asked him suspiciously.
The chimera adjusted his swordbelt but didn't turn as he answered her. "There's a reason
no one lives in this cabin anymore. If there are goblins in this forest, it might be a good idea to
take a look around and check over the area."
Lina thought for a moment and nodded. "Be back in an hour, regardless. Just in case."
He nodded and started out the door again.
"Be careful, Zelgadis dear," Sylphiel called out to him.
"Back in an hour." With that, he walked out the door.
Sylphiel turned and found Lina looking at her oddly. "Um…Is something wrong, Miss
Lina?"
"'Zelgadis dear?'" the sorceress asked.
The shrine maiden blinked and began to sweat. Did she just call him that out loud?
Though not actively trying to hide their newfound relationship, the two of them had been trying to
keep it low key. In the month since they had been reunited with Lina, Amelia, and Gourry, no one
had seemed to notice.
Until now.
"Did I say that?" Sylphiel asked, blushing furiously.
Lina grinned. "I knew it. I knew there were things the two of you weren't mentioning
about your little adventure."
The priestess tried to recover. "I…don't know what you mean…"
"Of course not," Lina replied, grinning from ear to ear.
"Um…I'm going to get some water so I can mop the floor!" Sylphiel announced quickly.
Grabbing a bucket, she dashed out the back.
The sorceress giggled. "Zelgadis and Sylphiel…Who would've thought?" She frowned a
moment later. "Amelia's going to be crushed." Sighing, she set her jaw and prepared to some
housework, Inverse Style. "Time for some dusting…"
She opened all the windows and stood in the center of the room, raising her hands above
her.
"DIEM WIN!" She cried, pointing the palms of her hands outward. A gush of air flew
from her outstretched hands and began blowing the dust, cobwebs, and other debris off the walls
and furniture and outside.
Five minutes later, she clapped her hands off and sat on the couch, now dust free.
Who said housework had to be hard?
Zelgadis knelt next to a rotten log and examined it. It had been disturbed recently. He
checked the ground for tracks and let his hand rest on the grip of his new sword. There were a few
claw marks in the wood, but he couldn't tell if they were from a cat, a cougar, or a resting goblin.
He stood up and took another look around. Just to be safe, he'd suggest having someone
stand watch tonight. Goblins, despite their reputation as bumbling cowards, could be cunning.
Moreso when one of their leadership caste was with them.
Something rustled in the bushes behind him, and he turned, drawing his sword.
Nothing.
His eyes narrowed.
He really hated goblins.
When he had worked for Rezo, the Red Priest often made use of them as cannon fodder.
They were cheap, replenishable sources of labor.
The chimera still didn't like them.
He started back down the path. This part of the forest was giving him the creeps.
As he walked out of earshot, two creatures wearing dilapidated metal helmets poked their
heads out of the bushes. "People in the old cottage," one of them commented.
"Hee hee," the other replied. "Tell Jareth. Gotta tell Jareth."
As one, they disappeared back into the foliage.
Sylphiel worked the handle on the water pump one last time and lifted the filled bucket out
of the basin. She paused, not quite ready to reenter the cabin. Why didn't she just come out and
tell Lina about the whole thing? It's not as if they were rivals….anymore.
Could it be because *she* wasn't sure yet? She and Zelgadis dear loved each other, she
knew that, but would it really work out in the end?
Or would he cast her aside in pursuit of his cure?
Her thoughts wandered back to the image Achi had put in her mind during their battle on
Zarak Tor. Zelgadis dear…the father of her children…
(I wonder what kind of father he would make?) she thought to herself. It was one thing to
dream, it was quite another thing to honestly answer such a question.
She sighed, picked up the bucket again, and turned.
"Hello!"
She yelped in surprise and dropped the bucket, the contents spilling out onto the ground.
Xellos blinked. "Did I frighten you?" He smiled. "Sorry about that."
Sylphiel took a second to compose herself. "Mister Xellos. How are you?"
"Not bad," he said. "Given the circumstances," he added, muttering under his breath.
"Is Miss Naga with you?"
"Oh, no!" he replied, waving the thought aside. "I wanted to drop in and see how you
were getting on. Our dear White Serpent is unaware of my absence." He lowered his voice and
whispered conspiratorially. "I left her in the care of a stand-in fully capable of taking my place as
her…'side-kick…'"
Meanwhile…
Naga took a sip of tea and opened the newspaper. The inn's waitress stopped at their table
and deposited another serving of eggs and bacon before walking off again.
"Now, let's see," the sorceress began. "According to this there's a small village that's
having problems with a goblin king, and a giant orc escaped from Atlas custody. Both have pretty
good rewards for whoever brings them in. What do you think, side-kick."
"That's a secret," came the reply from across the table.
"Yeah, yeah," Naga muttered. "What do you know about goblin kings? Anything?"
"That's a secret."
"Look, side-kick," the White Serpent said, annoyed, "It's okay to have a catch phrase, but
as long as you are *MY* side-kick, you will answer all of my questions to the best of your ability
or else no ten percent! Got it?!"
"That's a secret."
"I give up!" She rose from the table and stomped off.
A moment later, the waitress returned. She saw the empty chair and looked across the
table at the life-size Xellos plushie. "Hey! Who's gonna pay the check?!"
"That's a secret," came the reply from the plushie.
"Anyway," Xellos went on as Sylphiel refilled the bucket, "I must admit I have another
reason for showing up."
"And what's that?" she asked.
She looked up to find the Mazoku's face an inch from hers, a sly grin playing upon it.
"Why, to thank you properly for services rendered, Miss Sylphiel."
Sylphiel took a step back. "What are you talking about?" She didn't like it when the
trickster priest smiled like that. It unnerved her.
"Miss Sylphiel, I'm not sure you realize exactly what it is you have done," Xellos told her,
circling around behind her. Sylphiel stayed stock still. "Are you aware, my dear Sylphiel, that
your actions at Zarak Tor, probably saved the lives of every Mazoku in existence?"
Her breath caught in her throat. What was he talking about?
"By destroying the Zarak trees, Miss Sylphiel, you helped maintain the balance of power
between the Mazoku and the Shinzoku, and have quite probably averted a war we would have been
predestined to lose." He grinned at her. "That makes you a…hero…to us."
She took a breath. She had never seen it from that particular perspective before. She
wasn't sure how she thought about helping the great Monster Race maintain any sort of power in
the world. As a white priestess, the idea galled her.
"Oh, yes, I know, you don't like the idea," Xellos told her. "And I know you did what you
did for your own reasons." His smile returned. "It doesn't, however, in any way alter the fact that
we owe you something. The Mazoku, my dear Sylphiel, always repay their debts."
"What do you want?" Sylphiel whispered.
"I want to grant you a wish," Xellos told her, his arms spread benevolently.
"Make Zelgadis dear human," she replied immediately.
The priest sighed. "Unfortunately, that is even beyond *my* power to grant. What I can
grant you is an answer."
"An answer?"
"To a question, Miss Sylphiel."
"I...wouldn't know what to ask," she told him.
He smiled and reached out, touching her forehead. Sylphiel felt lightheaded for a moment,
but it passed. Xellos stepped back, his grin widening.
"You'll have your answer by the end of the day," he told her.
"What did you just do?" she asked him nervously.
He smiled. "That's a secret." He vanished a second later.
The priestess took a breath. It was okay. She felt fine. Besides, all he said was that he
was going to answer a question.
She just wished she knew to which question…
Zelgadis entered the upstairs bedroom and threw his pack on the nearby bed. He hadn't
found any clear evidence of goblins, but he had a feeling they were out there.
"Zelgadis dear! Welcome back!"
He looked up and smiled as Sylphiel entered the room, holding a vase with a few
wildflowers in it. She placed it next to the window and turned it until the angle was just right.
"Did you find anything?" she asked.
He growled slightly. "Nothing. A few signs here and there, but nothing I can point to and
say, 'There they are.'"
"I'm sorry," she said sympathetically.
Once Gourry and Amelia are back, we can start a real search," he assured her. He sat
down on the bed and laid back, trying to relax. After five hours of marching and another hour of
searching for goblins, it had already been a long day, and it was barely the afternoon.
"You and Lina were busy," he commented. "I can hardly believe this is the same cabin."
Sylphiel shut the door quietly and turned back to him. "It didn't take much work," she told
him. She walked over and sat on the bed next to him. He turned an eye toward her and found her
blushing.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"No," she said softly. "I was just thinking to myself…"
He blinked. "About what?"
"Well," she said, "It…just occurred to me that Gourry and Amelia won't be back until
late…And…Miss Lina is downstairs…" She smiled, blushed again and turned away.
Zelgadis began to turn red. He had an idea where this was going.
Sylphiel saw this and pounced on it. "And you've had such a long day…" she explained.
"I thought perhaps…you might benefit from the…um…ministrations of a healer priestess…"
He knew he was in trouble. Something had surprised him early on in their short
relationship that he still couldn't believe.
Sylphiel had a playful side.
"Um…Ministrations?" he asked, the red on his face growing deeper in shade.
He felt her hands on his chest and her lips on his. He closed his eyes and felt the priestess
shift her weight on the bed.
Lost in it all, he didn't even worry if the door was locked or not…
Lina growled to herself as her third search of the house turned up nothing in the way of
food. Thoughts of finding the old codger who had suckered them into taking this job and throwing
him off the edge of a cliff played in her mind. She imagined that the rumbling of her stomach was
actually the sound of him hitting the bottom of a deep gorge.
"This sucks," she growled, closing another cabinet. She sighed and sat down at the table,
resting her head on her arms. Gourry and Amelia were at least nine hours away with dinner.
(Maybe Zel found a stream or something where I can get some fish for lunch,) she thought.
She was about to go ask him when she heard a very familiar sound.
The sound of someone biting into a great, big, juicy, red apple.
She looked up and found Xellos standing at the other side of the table. "Hewwo dere,
Rina," he mumbled as he chewed.
Lina's eyes began to shine. "Xellos….You…That…Apple?"
"Oh!" he said as if it just occurred to him. "Would you like one?" He reached into his
robes and pulled out the biggest, reddest, juiciest-looking apple Lina had ever seen. Her mouth
watered at the sight of it.
She whimpered in longing at it, drool threatening to run down her chin.
"Here you go, Lina chan," Xellos said with a smile and tossed the fruit to her.
"XELLOS, YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER!" Lina cried, catching the apple and biting into it.
He chuckled. "Yes, I am a character, aren't I?"
Lina chewed happily. "Zewwos," she mumbled with her mouth full, "Doday…yuu awe by
ero…" She broke off as she felt something, like a fluttering in her stomach. She looked up at the
smiling Mazoku. "Whad da bell did yuu jubst doo da me?" she asked as seriously as she could
with half an apple in her mouth.
"Now, now, Lina chan," Xellos began. "This time it really is for a good cause. I assure
you, it's only a temporary thing…"
"Xellos!" Lina cried. She suddenly felt shorter. "What the…" She started to panic as she
continued to shrink, her voice began to change in pitch.
"HEEEEELP!!!"
Sylphiel sighed lazily and closed her eyes, immersed in heaven. It still surprised her that a
man so gruff and, at times, harsh could be so gentle. She reached up and touched the rigid tendrils
of grey hair on his head, remembering a time when she could run her fingers through brown locks.
She giggled as she felt him kiss her neck. He was such a romantic…
"HEELLLPPP!!!"
Zelgadis' head shot up as the cry for help echoed through the room. With a quick
movement, he jumped out of bed and grabbed his sword. He rushed out of the room, Sylphiel
running behind him, rebuttoning her blouse.
They reached the stairs and stopped. Zelgadis pointed his sword downward and walked
quickly, but cautiously down the steps, searching with his eyes for any danger. Sylphiel laid a
hand on his bare shoulder to get his attention and pointed towards the kitchen. He nodded and
started in that direction.
"Lina?" he called out softly. He entered the kitchen and found it empty. "Lina?"
Sylphiel looked down at the floor and gasped. Zelgadis followed her gaze, and his jaw
dropped in astonishment. "My god," he whispered.
The shrine maiden knelt down before what had grabbed her attention slowly, still in utter
shock.
"Oh…dear Cepheid," she whispered. "SHE'S SO CUTE!!!"
Sitting on top of a pile of a sorceress' outfit, a baby with a fiery mane of red hair sucked
her thumb and looked around fearfully.
"What the hell is this supposed to be?" Zelgadis asked no one in particular.
"Awww!" Sylphiel gushed. She reached out and picked the baby up. Baby Lina blinked
at her.
(Sylphiel! Listen to me!) Lina cried frantically, staring up at the woman. (You have to
find Xellos! Get him to turn me back!) Sylphiel smiled. (Sylphiel?! Are you even listening to
me?!)
"Ga goo goo goo!" Sylphiel replied in baby talk.
(………Oh, this is really going to hurt…)
Next to them, Zelgadis reached down and picked up a half-eaten apple.
(Don't eat that!) Lina cried.
"Oh! Poor thing! Don't cry!" Sylphiel gushed, hugging Lina to her breast. "It's okay!"
(….Um…Am I not speaking plainly enough for you?) she asked.
Zelgadis was examining the apple. He looked over at baby Lina and nodded, making the
connection.
"Zelgadis dear?" Sylphiel asked.
"Where did you get this apple?" he asked the baby.
(XELLOS! THAT RAT SON OF A BITCH! WHEN I GET MY….)
Apparently, this tirade somehow translated into a crying fit, and Sylphiel hugged her again.
"It's okay….Zelgadis dear, I think you scared her."
(He didn't scare me! He asked me a question! And I'm trying to tell you to get Xellos
and…)
Sylphiel clucked maternally and rocked Lina. "Oh, what do you want, little Lina chan?"
(What do I want? WHAT DO I WANT?! I WANT XELLOS' GRINNING HEAD ON
THE END OF A SPEAR! THAT'S WHAT I WANT!)
"She's getting louder," Zelgadis noted. "Maybe she's sick…hungry?"
Sylphiel held her up and examined her. "Hmmm…We're going to need milk for her."
"I don't suppose you've ever seen anything like this before?" Zelgadis asked. She blinked
at him. "Someone suddenly aging backwards, I mean."
She shook her head. "No." She looked over Lina again. "It's times like this I wish Mister
Xellos was still around. I'm sure he'd have some idea…"
Lina fumed. She suddenly stopped crying and concentrated as much rage as she had in her
tiny little body…
"Look! Zelgadis dear! I think she's trying to say something!"
Zelgadis bent over Sylphiel's shoulder and strained to listen.
Baby Lina gurgled for a moment, then words began to form…
"Gurrr….Dagnes byon twylibe…Crimzon byon blub dat flos…"
Zelgadis and Sylphiel looked to one another, their eyes wide. As one, they jumped up and
ran out the door. They dived behind a fallen tree in front of the cabin and braced themselves…
A small ball of fire shot out through the ceiling, hung in the air for a moment, then detonated
with a loud "POP!"
Zelgadis and Sylphiel peeked over the tree and blinked. Sylphiel clasped her hands
together. "Aww! How adorable! A baby-sized Dragon Slave!"
Zelgadis poked his head around the corner and peered into the kitchen. He could hear light
sounds of breathing, but nothing that sounded like a spell. He walked in, looked down at Lina, and
shook his head.
Sylphiel appeared next to him a moment later. "Poor thing," she cooed, kneeling next to
baby Lina, who was snoring quietly in the folds of her own cape. "She's all tuckered out." She
reached down and picked up the baby, wrapping her in the black and crimson cape.
Lina continued to snore and drool on Sylphiel's blouse.
"Zelgadis dear, what are we going to do?" she asked him seriously.
"Is that so?"
The goblin, kneeling before his lord and master nodded quickly. "Yes, Milord! Humans!
In the forest!"
Jareth, King of the Goblins…in this part of the world anyway…smiled. He rose from his
throne and took a few steps, tossing his poofy, blonde hair behind him. "So humans have invaded
into my realm again, have they? We'll have to teach them a lesson."
"LESSON! LESSON!" his goblins echoed.
"Go and find out more about these humans. I want to know their Achilles Heel…"
The goblins blinked and scratched their heads.
"Their soft underbelly," Jareth elaborated.
The goblins looked to each other and shrugged.
Jareth sighed. "Their weaknesses."
"WEAKNESSES! WEAKNESSES!" With this new battlecry, the goblins rushed out of
the throne room, leaving Jareth wondering why the Gods made him a goblin…
Zelgadis continued to mash the ingredients with a wooden spoon, making sure the mixture
would be soft enough for Lina chan to safely eat. It hadn't taken him long to find the proper
ingredients. They were in a forest, after all. He lifted the spoon and examined the dark purple
mash critically. He nodded to himself.
He turned to Lina chan, who was being held in Sylphiel's lap. "Okay, Lina chan,"
Zelgadis said in his least malicious tone of voice. "Here comes the dragooooon….into the
caaaave…" He lifted the spoon to the baby's lips.
(Hey! What the hell is that crap!?) Lina turned her head from side to side and sealed her
lips shut. (I make it a point to only eat stuff I know for a fact is probably actually food!)
"Come on, Lina chan," Sylphiel cooed. "Eat the num nums Uncle Zelgadis dear made for
you."
(Jeez!) Lina thought, (This would be so much easier to deal with if she'd stop talking like
that!) She turned her face away again.
"Zelgadis dear, what is that, anyway?" Sylphiel asked.
The chimera continued to try to maneuver the spoon into the cranky infant's mouth. "It's an
old mixture I learned about growing up. Some berries, some honey, and some mashed roots for
texture."
"Where did you learn to make something like that?" the shrine maiden asked.
Zelgadis growled softly. Lina chan was still being difficult. "My mother raised my sister
and I alone. Growing up, we didn't have much. We had to make do. I used to watch her make this
for my sister when she was…well…Lina's age."
"I see. What did your sister think of it?"
"She found it absolutely disgusting," Zelgadis told her without missing a beat. "But it kept
her belly full."
Lina, hearing this and understanding it, began to cry.
(I am NOT eating that!)
Unfortunately, while she was screaming this, Zelgadis managed to get the spoon in her
mouth. Taken by surprise, Lina blinked and swallowed.
"There!" Sylphiel cheered. "See? It's not so bad."
(Well…It wasn't *that* bad…) Lina agreed. And she *was* hungry. She sat still and let
Zelgadis feed her another spoonful.
"Good Lina chan!" Sylphiel cooed.
(Yeah, yeah…whatever…) Lina replied. She chewed up another spoonful and
swallowed. As she ate, she had time to think. Xellos must have done this to her for a reason. If
she knew what that reason was, perhaps she could get this whole nightmare over with.
She swallowed another bit of mash and looked up at Zelgadis and Sylphiel. (They do
make a cute couple…I guess…) She stopped and blinked as she felt something warm
downstairs…
(Oh my god….) She whimpered.
Sylphiel lifted her up. "I think someone needs to be changed," she remarked.
(God, this is so embarrassing…) Lina chan sniffled and began to cry.
"It's okay, Lina chan," Sylphiel cooed. She went in search of one of the make-shift
diapers they had made out of Amelia's shirts. She found one and set Lina down on the table. The
shrine maiden began to change her.
(I am never going to hear the end of this,) Lina weeped.
Sylphiel smiled and hummed happily as she changed the baby. Sure, Lina chan could be
cranky and loud, but the shrine maiden was thoroughly enjoying herself. She had always dreamed
of being a mother and taking care of a baby daughter.
And Zelgadis. Zelgadis was turning out to be a wonderful make-shift father. A part of her
had expected him to lose his temper by now or give up and leave taking care of Lina chan solely to
her, but the chimera had done neither. Yes, Lina chan was testing his patience a bit, but she had
*always* done that…
She pinned the diaper on and smiled down at Lina chan. "There! All dry!"
Yes, Zelgadis would make an excellent father. Well, that was *one* question answered.
She paused. Her eyes went wide.
"A question answered," she whispered.
"Sylphiel? Is something wrong?" Zelgadis asked.
She turned to him. "Xellos did this," she stated.
(Thank you!) Lina cried. (Finally! Someone manages to connect the dots!)
"He was here earlier," Sylphiel went on.
(That's right! He was! You go, Sylphiel!)
"I talked to him."
(That's…..YOU WHAT?!)
Zelgadis only blinked. "Why didn't you mention this before?"
"It didn't seem to be connected," she told him. "He told me that he owed me one for Zarak
Tor and that he'd answer any question for me. Then he just touched my head and disappeared."
"What was the question?" he asked.
Sylphiel turned away and cleared her throat nervously.
(Sylphiel, what the hell did you do to me?) Lina cried angrily.
"I…I wanted to know…what kind of parent you'd be…"
The chimera stared at her in shock. So did Lina chan.
"I…suppose this is his roundabout way of telling me." She blushed and looked
embarrassed.
Zelgadis sighed. "I should have guessed he'd be the one to do something like this."
(Are you telling me…) Lina fumed, (That this whole embarrassing mess…is some kind of
sick…SOCIAL EXPERIMENT?!)
"Deegu vold!"
Sylphiel jumped as a small spark of electricity from Lina's finger struck her arm. "Ow!
Bad Lina chan!"
"Well," Zelgadis noted, "Now we know who's behind it, but I'm not sure what we can do
about it. After all, we've never been able to *make* Xellos do anything he doesn't want to do."
"You mean Miss Lina might have to stay a baby forever!?" Sylphiel asked.
(WHAT?!)
"No…"
(Oh, thank god…)
"Just until she grows up."
"FWARE ARRA!" A short bolt of fire about half the length of a match stick shot from Lina
chan's hand, flew about a foot, and crashed to the floor. Sylphiel stepped on it and made sure it
was out.
"Someone's craaaaan-kyyyy," the shrine maiden sang. She picked up Lina chan and
started carrying her upstairs. "I think you need a nap."
(No! I don't need a nap! I need a really big stick to beat 'Uncle Zelgadis dear' to death
with! Put me down, Sylphiel! PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN!)
"She sure is loud," Zelgadis noted, following them up the stairs.
(YOU HAVEN'T SEEN LOUD YET, BUDDY! JUST WAIT UNTIL I'M OLD ENOUGH
TO BLAST YOU *AND* XELLOS!)
"Shhhhhh," Sylphiel cooed as she entered the bedroom. She put Lina chan in the center of
the bed and wrapped her in a blanket. "You just need some sleepy bye time."
(STOP TALKING LIKE THAT!!!)
"Rock a-bye baby, in the tree top…"
Lina tried to channel enough power for another spell, but the last two had worn her out.
Between that, the comfortable bed she was lying on, and the soothing sound of Sylphiel's voice,
she was inexorably pulled into the realm of sleep.
(Xellos,) she thought as she drifted, (I'm…going to…kill……you….)
Sylphiel giggled quietly and tucked the baby in. "She looks so peaceful when she sleeps,"
she remarked. She stood up and walked to the door where Zelgadis was waiting for her. "Isn't
she adorable?" she whispered.
"Oh, yeah, I want ten just like her," Zelgadis remarked, turning and starting down the hall.
Sylphiel followed.
"Well…I admit she's a little…boisterous." Some of her earlier fears began to creep back
to her. "But I think you're doing a wonderful job, Zelgadis dear."
"It's still just a temporary thing," he told her. "Until I figure out a way to get Xellos to
turn her back."
"But you seem to know something about child care," she argued.
"I know a few tricks. That's all." He entered another room and sat down on the bed.
There was obviously something bothering him. She could see it all over his face.
"Zelgadis dear, what is it?"
"It's nothing," he grumbled.
"Very well…Mister Zelgadis."
He looked up at her and blinked in surprise.
She shrugged and turned away. "If you're going to shut me out and go back to isolating
yourself every time something bothers you, then there's no point in me calling you 'dear' now is
there?" she asked painfully.
He took a breath. "I was thinking about her."
Sylphiel turned back to him. "Miss Lina?"
Zelgadis shook his head. "Mother."
The goblins looked into the room and saw the baby sleeping soundly on the bed. "Looky
looky!" one hissed.
The other hissed back in thought. "Errrr….Bad idea. Remember what happened *LAST*
time we took a baby?"
"Oh, what are the odds of that happening *TWICE*?"
"Good point. We take the baby."
"Doesn't the mother have to say the words?" another goblin asked.
"That was last time. It was different. This isn't a favor, for Jareth's sake; it's a mission to
find the human's Axel Ankle, or whatever it was."
"But you can't just take a baby without someone saying the words!" another protested.
"It's simply not goblin-like!"
"Oh fine!" the first one bit back. He cleared his throat. "I wish the goblins would come
and take you away right now. There. *I* said it."
"………..Works for me."
"Me too."
"I'll get the window."
"You must miss them terribly," Sylphiel whispered.
"I can still remember how she looked the last time I saw her," Zelgadis told the priestess.
"I told her I was going into the woods to 'train.' She told me to be back in time for dinner." He
paused for a second. "I never saw her again."
"She must be a very nice woman," Sylphiel told him.
"She was…is….was…" He stood up and growled. "I don't even know if she's still
alive."
"Then go find out!" she told him. He turned to face her. "Zelgadis dear…There's a
chance for you to…to…talk to her…to touch her again… Do you have any idea how precious that
is?!" Zelgadis was suddenly reminded about the fate of Sylphiel's own parents, and that she
couldn't do for herself what she was suggesting Zelgadis do now. "Don't you want to?"
"How can I like this?" he asked.
"Zelgadis dear! She's your *mother*! She won't care!" He shook his head and turned
away. "What if you never find your cure!?" she asked, raising the possibility she *knew* haunted
him. He didn't answer. "Or what if you find your cure too late?" she asked more softly.
"I still can't," he whispered. "What do I say to her? 'Hi, Mom, I'm back. Look at the
things I've done with my life. Thug, thief, killer….monster. Aren't you just proud?'"
"How can you say that?! How many times have you helped Miss Lina to literally save this
world?! Whatever you've done in the past under Rezo isn't important! The fact that you regret
those things says more about you than your face!"
"Perhaps I should jus…"
It was at that moment that they heard Lina start to cry.
Not just cry.
Scream.
"Lina chan!" Sylphiel cried and rushed out the door and down the hall. Every horrible
scenario in the world leapt into her head. Lina chan rolling off the bed and falling. Lina chan
swallowing a button. Lina chan being attacked by a rat or snake…
Somehow, though, she missed 'Lina chan being kidnapped by goblins…'
She rushed into Lina's room and found the bed empty. Her eyes darted to the window and
found it open. A goblin sat on the windowsill. He laughed at her and jumped out.
The shrine maiden rushed to the window and looked down. "LINA CHAN!" She could
hear Lina crying. By now Zelgadis had joined her. "Zelgadis dear! Goblins! I…"
He pulled her back and pointed at the window. "BRAM BLAZER!" The wall exploded
outward, leaving a gaping hole big enough for them to fly through. "RAYWING!" The chimera
zipped out the window and into the forest after the goblin kidnappers. He heard Sylphiel cast her
own Raywing and follow him.
(I really hate goblins,) he thought to himself. It wasn't unlike them to steal children. It was
said that that was how little goblins were made. He also knew that if they lost them now, the odds
of finding Lina again before she could be turned into one of them was close to zero.
And the last thing he wanted to have to worry about was a goblin that could cast the Giga
Slave running around…
Sylphiel squeaked and barely avoided striking a tree branch. She was flying just behind
Zelgadis now, only a few feet off the ground. He seemed to be following their trail even as they
flew. Trusting his instincts, she followed his lead.
That is until he stopped suddenly without warning.
She shrieked and slammed into him, knocking them both to the ground. She rubbed her
shoulder and stood up. Striking Zelgadis dear was like ramming a boulder.
He was already back on his feet before she was, kneeling over a set of tracks. "They end
here," he noted.
"You mean they disappeared?! I don't understand! How can they move so fast?!"
"It's one of their annoying little tricks," Zelgadis growled. "You'd be amazed by how fast
they can go. But they don't just disappear into thin air, either," he muttered. He stood up and held
his arms out. "DIEM WIN!"
A blast of wind exploded from his arms, blowing away leaves, branches, dirt, and other
debris. A second later, a trap door that had been buried beneath the leaves and undergrowth was
blown open.
The chimera smiled dangerously and drew his sword. "Time to pick up Lina chan from
day care," he said. He knelt over the trap door, Sylphiel joining him there. "LIGHTING!" A ball
of light formed in his hand. He dropped it down the hole and watched as it hit the ground only one
or two meters down.
"Lower me down," Sylphiel told him, offering him her hands. Zelgadis nodded and put his
sword down. Taking her arms, he lowered her feet first into the cave. The shrine maiden felt her
feet touch the ground and turned. Zelgadis' lighting spell was still working. She gasped at what
she saw.
The cave led into a larger cavern. A brick wall blocked the entire way forward except for
a small gate in the center. It looked ancient.
Zelgadis landed nimbly right next to her and drew his sword again.
"Zelgadis dear…What is this place?"
The chimera set his jaw and growled. He knew what it was…
"What is this?" Jareth asked, holding baby Lina chan up and arching an eyebrow. "I ask
you to find the humans' weak point and you bring me a baby?"
The goblin before him shrugged. "It worked last time."
"Ugh, I don't even want to *think* about last time," Jareth told him, turning away. "It's an
embarrassment."
"Uh…Milord, if you don't like her, we could go bring her back or something," another
goblin suggested. "Maybe trade her in for gold!"
"Yeah!" other goblins threw in.
"No, we're not going to trade her in for gold," Jareth sighed in annoyance. Lina chan
looked from one side to the other, as if looking for an escape route. "Well, little one," Jareth said
with a smile, rocking the baby in his arms. "You're a cute one, aren't you?"
(Good of you to notice, scumbag,) Lina retorted.
"And powerful," the Goblin King muttered. He looked Lina chan over again, examining
her in detail. "If I didn't know better…I'd say you were a sorceress. You certainly feel like
one…"
"Deegu vvold…"
"Ow!" Jareth cried, pulling one hand away. He looked at the baby with a renewed sense
of respect and smiled. "Perhaps you boys aren't as stupid as I gave you credit for," he remarked
to the goblins.
"Thanks boss!" their leader replied happily.
"Milord! Milord!" One goblin came running up the steps and into the throne room. "The
parents…" he panted, out of breath. "They're at the front gate!"
"Oh, bother!" Jareth bit out. "Are we going to have to go through this again? Very well,"
he said lazily. He produced a crystal sphere from out of nowhere and stared into it. He could
make out two figures. One of them was a Mazoku of some sort, and the other was a woman…a
very pretty woman…
He shook his head. No way he was going to sucker himself into that old song and dance
again. He took a breath and addressed them…
"You'd might as well turn back."
Sylphiel gasped and turned to find a man's face hanging in a small cloud next to them. He
had hawk-like features and blonde, poofy hair that seemed to go out in all directions.
"I'm keeping this little delight with me."
Zelgadis stepped forward. "You're the leader." It wasn't a question.
"I am King Jareth. I rule this forest."
Zelgadis nodded. "Thank you. Now I know who to kill." He started back towards the
gate.
Jareth smiled. "Let's be sporting about this. Granted, my new labyrinth isn't quite as
grand as the old one, but if you can make it to the center inside say…oh…six hours. I'll give you
back your little bundle of joy."
"What if we don't make it in six hours?" Sylphiel asked fearfully.
The Goblin King's smile widened. "Then she stays with me and becomes a part of my
family." She heard Lina start to cry in the background.
"Oh! There there, Lina chan! We're coming!" Sylphiel shouted.
Jareth laughed and disappeared. The gate doors swung open. Zelgadis walked in without
pausing. Sylphiel followed him. They immediately met with a long wall.
"Six hours," Sylphiel began to fret. "Oh, I've never been good with mazes." Zelgadis
placed his hand on the wall and nodded. "Oh! I know! I can use my scepter to find the right path!
That should cut down on time!" Zelgadis took a step back and gently moved Sylphiel aside as she
dug in her robes in search for her scepter. "I know I placed it here…" The chimera raised his
hand.
"BRAM BLAZER!"
The wall exploded leaving a six foot wide hole. Zelgadis calmly stepped through.
Sylphiel blinked in shock.
"BRAM BLAZER!"
Another explosion. Sylphiel sighed and followed after the chimera.
*Ka-BOOM!!!*
The goblin looking out the throne room window towards the entrance of the labyrinth
watched as another plume of smoke and dust rose from a far off explosion, this one closer than the
last four.
"Milord?"
"Not now, Graffort," Jareth chastised him, busy bouncing Lina chan on his knee.
*Ka-BOOM!*
"But…um…Milord?"
"He is so annoying, isn't he?" Jareth asked Lina chan.
(Oh yeah, compared to him you're nothing…)
*Ka-BOOM!*
"Awww…You look bored, little one," Jareth commented.
(Who? Me? No, I'm totally absorbed in the witty goblin repartee.)
Jareth smiled. Music started to play from somewhere…
(No…No, he wouldn't…)
He grabbed a goblin. "You remind me of the babe!"
"What babe?!"
"The babe with the power!"
"What power?!"
"The power of voodoo!"
"Who do?!"
"You do!"
"Do what?!"
"Remind me of the babe!"
(DEAR CEPHEID, NO! THEY'RE DOING A NUMBER!!) Lina began to cry at the top
of her lungs. (ZEL! SYLPHIEL! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!!)
Two goblins stood guard at the gate of Jareth's palace.
*Ka-BOOM!*
"Is it just me or are those construction sounds getting closer?" one guard asked the other.
"Oh no, 'tis your imagination," the other chastised him.
"BRAM BLAZER!"
*KA-BOOOOM!!!*
The wall in front of the two disintegrated in a explosion of dust and smoke. When the
smoke cleared, a chimera was standing just inside the hole, his arms crossed over his chest. He
sneered down at the guards.
"And what about that?!" the first guard asked, pointing his halberd in Zelgadis' direction.
"Is that chimera just a figment of me imagination as well?!"
The second guard huffed. "'Tis not a chimera, you twit. *That* is a golem!"
"Golem?! 'Tis obviously a Mazoku!" the first guard retorted.
"Ugh!" the second said, shaking his head. He turned and looked up at the second story
window of the palace. "Ey! I say EY! Graffort!" It was hard to hear with the sound of music
coming from the throne room.
"What?!" the goblin shouted back.
The first guard pointed at Zelgadis again. "Is that a chimera, a golem, or a Mazoku?!"
"You dumb buffoons!" Graffort shouted back. "'Tis obviously a little of all three!"
"So he be a chimera then!?"
"Well DUH!"
"See? I told you!" the first guard grinned triumphantly at the second. Their faces both fell
at the same time. They turned back to Zelgadis.
"GREY BOMB!" the chimera yelled, striking the ground with his hand. The earth under
the guards' feet exploded.
Graffort watched as the two gate guards flew into the air past his window, screaming as
loud as they could.
"Um…Milord?"
Jareth was still singing, tossing Lina chan into the air. "DANCE, MAGIC! DANCE!
DANCE, MAGIC DANCE!"
(KILL ME!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! KILL ME!) Lina screamed as loud as she could
as Jareth tossed her back into the air.
"MILORD!!!"
Jareth caught Lina and turned angrily to the goblin. "Graffort! How many times have I told
you!? Never ever EVER interrupt me when I'm doing a number!"
"Sorry, Milord, but I thought you might like to know that the palace is under attack."
"Attack!?" Jareth asked, incredulous. "What about my guards?!"
The two gate guards screamed as they fell back down past the window.
"Indisposed, Milord," Graffort told him.
"Sound the alarm!" Jareth cried. All around him, goblins ran about, mobilizing for battle.
"Yazee?" the first guard asked, dazed and sitting on the ground, his back to his partner. "I
told ye it was a chimera…"
"Bah!" the second guard, equally dazed, "I still say 'tis a golem…"
"Well it makes little difference now, doesn't it?"
Zelgadis shook his head at them. "Pheh!"
Sylphiel just blinked at the two. "These are goblins?"
"Yes," he told her.
"Somehow…I was expecting something…well…scarier…"
"Ey, now! We're plenty scary!" the first guard argued.
"DILL BRAND!"
The guards went screaming into the sky again. Zelgadis started into the castle, Sylphiel
following just behind. A few seconds later, the two guards hit the ground again, their armor and
clothing scorched and smoking.
"Th…there…ya see?" the second guard asked. "I…I ain't neva seen…a chimera…do
that…"
"Yeah…Must be a Mazoku…"
Zelgadis threw open the doors to the palace and stepped inside. A dozen goblins holding
swords stood in the lobby.
"Halt right there, golem!" their leader called out.
"Mazoku!" the two guards outside yelled, correcting him.
"Whatever! You shall not pass!"
"BOMB SPRID!" A ball of fire leapt from Zelgadis' hands and landed in the middle of the
group, exploding and throwing the goblins against the walls.
Zelgadis saw a staircase to his right and started up.
"Please, Zelgadis dear! Let's hurry!" Sylphiel begged, rushing up the stairs.
"Sylphiel! Wait!" he called after her.
The shrine maiden reached the top of the stairs and threw the door open.
Open space met her. She stumbled forward and would have fallen into a seemingly
bottomless pit if Zelgadis hadn't grabbed ahold of her cape and pulled her back.
"EEEP!"
Zelgadis growled. "I *HATE* goblins! They're constantly pulling this mind warp
nonsense!"
Stone platforms floated up from below, elevators connecting them at different levels. A lift
car stopped in front of them and chimed as the door opened. The chimera sighed and stepped
inside. There were two buttons. Zelgadis pushed one at random, and the lift began to move
upwards.
The lift car chimed and opened onto a stone platform. They stepped out and looked
around. There were two more lift cars; one to the right the other to the left.
"Welcome!"
They looked up and found Jareth standing on another platform a hundred meters away. He
held baby Lina chan in his arms and smiled down at them.
"Fifteen minutes from start to finish," he remarked, his eye twitching slightly. "A new
record…"
"Give Lina chan back!" Sylphiel cried.
"Come and get her," Jareth said with a shrug. He held Lina by the diaper over the chasm.
The redheaded child began crying.
"Stop it!" Sylphiel screamed.
"Flare…"
"I wouldn't, chimera," Jareth told him. "Or you might hit little Lina chan…"
Zelgadis growled and tossed the half-formed fire bolt aside to extinguish harmlessly.
"If you want the baby, just come and get her. Oh, and if I see a levitation spell, I'll just
drop her. Understand?"
"You…You heartless slime!" Sylphiel shouted up at him.
Jareth laughed.
Sylphiel started for one elevator. Zelgadis took the other. The shrine maiden hit the button
and waited as the lift rose. The bell chimed, and she got out. She was on another stone slab. She
looked up and found Jareth and Lina…
Looking up at her.
Somehow she had gotten above them and upside down. She heard another chime and
turned. Zelgadis was on another slab not far away, but like her, he was oriented in another
direction. He saw the predicament and ran for another elevator. Sylphiel did the same.
"Well, little one," Jareth remarked, rocking Lina. "You certainly are popular. Do you
think you're mommy and daddy will rescue you? Hmm?"
He listened as Lina gurgled something in baby talk. "Can you say Jareth? Come on. Ja-
reth…"
He listened to what Lina was gurgling…
"Bareed in da fow of dyme…Un dye grape mame…"
*DING!*
Sylphiel ran out as soon as the doors parted. She was on a new platform only fifty feet or
so from Jareth's. She looked up and saw Zelgadis almost two hundred meters away and oriented
upside down.
She looked over at Jareth. "Please!" she cried. "Give her back!"
"Oh, I don't think so," Jareth smiled. "Isn't that right, Little Lina chan?" he cooed. Lina
pointed her arms up at him. "You see? She adores me! Don't you Lina chan?"
Lina pointed up at him.
"There! She even recognizes me!"
"DRAGUME SAVE!"
"Huh?"
A ball of fire leapt from baby Lina's hand and struck Jareth's face, exploding with a loud
*POP!* The Goblin King screamed, his hands reflexively going to his face, and he stumbled
backwards, dropping Lina chan!
Lina screamed as she fell off the platform.
"LINA CHAN!" Sylphiel screamed. She dived off the platform after the child.
"LEVITATION!"
"SYLPHIEL!" Zelgadis cried.
The shrine maiden continued dropping after the baby. With the levitation spell she could
easily control her rate of descent. Baby Lina didn't have this ability. She saw a flash of red hair.
She was getting closer. She reached out with her hand.
Lina cried as she fell. Sylphiel exerted the spell as far as she could, inching ever closer.
She wasn't sure how deep this chasm was, but she knew she had to grab Lina chan soon.
She stretched out with her hand as far as she could. She feel the fabric of Lina's diaper
against her fingertips. She was almost there…
"Just a little farther," she begged Cepheid.
Her fingers curled around the edge of Lina's diaper.
"Gotcha!" She put on the brakes and reoriented herself so that her feet pointed downward.
She stopped in mid air and hovered. Sighing in relief, she looked down and gulped.
A stone slab floated below them, only a few meters away.
She closed her eyes and hugged Lina chan to her. The baby was still crying. "There there,
Lina chan," Sylphiel whispered.
Lina, too scared to even think straight, clung to the priestess as she would her own mother.
(This has been…the *WORST* day…in my entire life…)
Jareth, blinded by Lina chan's spell, blinked rapidly, trying to regain his sight. He felt
someone place a hand on his shoulder.
"This is going to hurt, isn't it?" he asked, pretty sure of who had him.
Zelgadis smiled as Sylphiel flew up onto the slab, Lina in her arms.
"You bet," he assured Jareth.
The Goblin King swallowed nervously. "What are you going to do to me?"
"Me?" Zelgadis asked. "Nothing." He reached out and took Lina from Sylphiel. "But I
believe she would like a word with you."
"She?"
Sylphiel reached back, balled her hand into a fist, and…
Zelgadis rocked baby Lina in his arms not far away and listened to the racket Sylphiel was
causing. "Aunt Sylphiel and Mister Jareth are having a grown up talk," he cooed in baby speech at
Lina. "Yes they are. Yes they are."
Lina didn't care. After the fall, the Mini Dragon Slave, and the rocking, she was asleep in
a few minutes.
"Well, I have Jareth tied to a tree out back," Zelgadis said as he entered the bedroom. "I
placed an enchantment on it so that none of the goblins that got away will be able to cut the rope."
He removed his cape and leaned against the doorframe. All he really wanted was to sleep
for a few thousand years.
His stomach growled.
And a meal.
"Sylphiel, I've been thinking," he said. "About what you said earlier. I think I'm going to
do it. Lina said we'd be heading towards Atlas City next. As soon as this whole baby thing is
done and over with, I'm going to go see her. I want you to come with me, Sy…" He broke off and
blinked.
Sylphiel was curled up on the bed asleep. Sleeping in her arms, close to her chest, baby
Lina snored louder than most babies would.
Zelgadis chuckled under his breath. He carefully rested himself on the bed next to them
and took Sylphiel's hand, closing his eyes and letting sleep take him. Baby Lina slept soundly
between them.
Amelia dropped the bag she had been holding as she took the scene in. Standing next to
her, shocked out of his mind, Gourry could just blink. It had taken them all day, but they were
finally back, and this is what met them?
"This," Amelia began shakily. "This is by far…the weirdest thing…I've ever seen…in
my entire life…"
Gourry couldn't take his eyes off it. "Weirder than that time you…"
"Oh yeah," Amelia said with a nod.
"What about when Lin…"
"Beats that too," she said assuredly.
"Any idea what it's supposed to mean?" Gourry asked her.
"Not a clue," Amelia confessed.
Sleeping on the bed in front of them was Zelgadis and Sylphiel…with a full grown Lina
Inverse sleeping between them…wearing nothing but a diaper.
"Think we should wake them up?" Gourry asked.
"Do *YOU* want to be here when she wakes up?" Amelia asked him.
"Good point." The two collected their bags and walked back down the stairs.
"This never happened," Amelia told him. The swordsman nodded.
Behind them, Lina rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. She blinked quickly and
looked down.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!"
"Well, I've done my good deed for the millenium, wouldn't you agree?" Xellos asked,
sitting comfortably on the cottage roof.
His companion didn't move. "That's a secret," the plushie told him.
"Oh, I do agree such things should be kept quiet. Wouldn't you say so?"
"That's a secret."
Xellos laughed. "Keeping your counsel to yourself. Always a wise move, my dear
Xellos! I wonder what our dear White Serpent is up to?"
"That's a secret."
"Well, I suppose she does have a right to privacy." He smiled as he heard Lina scream his
name and a few swears. "Hmmm…I wonder if there's anything bothering Lina chan?"
"That's a secret."
Xellos grinned at the plushie. "Oh, it's no secret." He looked out at the rising moon and
bit into an apple. "No secret at all…"
To Be Continued…
Davner
Doscher009@hotmail.com
lyrics used for the purpose of this fic is the property of David Bowie.
Hi, everyone! ^_^ Well, my other fic, "Slayers: Faces," got such wonderful feedback and
encouragement, that I decided to start a sequel. Let me know what you think. Oh, one last thing. I
sort of borrowed the character Jareth from Jim Henson's "Labyrinth." If you've seen the movie,
then you'll get a few of the in jokes. If not, I don't think it'll hurt you any.
Faces: After
Part 1
Xellos' Gift!
The Question in Sylphiel's Heart
The door to the cottage opened slowly; barely disturbing the cobwebs and dust within.
Within the doorframe stood a single woman with proud features, flaming red hair, and a glint in her
eye.
She promptly fell forward and collapsed inside; a cloud of dust rising from the impact.
"Sooooo….hungrrrrrryyy!" she murmured, continuing to crawl into the cabin.
A shadow from the doorway fell over her. Zelgadis looked down at her and shook his
head. "So you were forced to skip *one* meal. Stop acting as if you're on death's door." He
stepped over the sorceress' body and into the cabin.
Lina's eye twitched at the chastisement.
"Oi, Lina," Gourry began as he stepped inside. "Didn't the guy who sent us here say that
this place was stocked with food?"
"FOOD!" Lina, cried, suddenly reminded by Gourry's words. "Gourry, you're a genius!"
As Amelia and Sylphiel stepped into the cottage, Lina began ransacking the pantries.
Amelia took a look around and frowned. "This place is so run down," she said dejectedly.
"It's only temporary," Lina pointed out as she continued to search fruitlessly through the
cabinets. "The village is too far away. If we're going to hunt down this goblin king and collect
our reward, we need a base near where they say he lives." She grunted as she opened another set
of cabinets. A spider winked at her. "Ick…" She turned to another pantry and continued her
search. "Besides, it beats cold tents and the rain, doesn't it?"
Amelia held up her fist. "A clean cottage is a just cottage!" She reached into her pack and
removed a scrub brush. "In the name of Justice eternal! I, Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, shall make
this run down shack an abode of justice!"
Sylphiel blew some dust off the mantle above the fireplace. She coughed as a cloud of
smoke enveloped her head. "It just needs a little spring cleaning," she suggested between coughs.
Amelia didn't hear her. "For justice demands that the scourge of dirt be vanquished…"
"No…No…No…NO!" Lina screamed, slamming the door on the last pantry.
"What's wrong, Miss Lina?" Amelia asked, breaking off in mid-tirade.
"There's nothing here!" Lina complained angrily. "No food at all!"
"Heh," Zelgadis huffed. "What did you expect? The man was practically begging us to
take this job. Would you have marched all day into this forest if you knew there was no food at the
end of the road?"
"Yeah, but we could at least have brought our own supplies!" Lina cried. She growled.
"So what do we do?" Gourry asked.
"Do?" Lina asked, her eye twitching. "I'll tell you what we do…We go back to that
village, find that old geezer *PUNK* and roast him over an open fire!"
"Miss Lina! Please calm down!" Sylphiel begged her.
"Sylphiel's right," Zelgadis chimed in. "If you roast him, he can't pay us. And since
we're out of money as it is, if he doesn't pay us, we're sunk."
"Fine! We'll find the goblin, get our money, and *then* roast the geezer! Good plan?"
Lina asked.
"Miss Lina…" Amelia sighed, shaking her head.
"Well, what about food?" Gourry asked.
"We're going to have to go back to the village and get some, I guess," Lina shrugged.
No one liked the sound of this. The trek to this cabin had taken hours through rough terrain.
They didn't relish the idea of repeating it on an empty stomach.
"Odds and Evens!" Lina declared, holding her fist out. "Short group goes for food,
agreed?"
They all stuck their hands out and nodded.
"One! Two! Three!"
They all stuck out either one or two fingers. Lina, Zelgadis, and Sylphiel held out two,
Gourry and Amelia held out one.
The two sighed. "I guess we're going," Gourry said in defeat.
"Thanks, guys! Hurry back!" Lina cried with a smile and a wave.
"Can't we at least have some water and rest before we…" Amelia began, but Lina cut her
off.
"The sooner you go, the sooner you'll be back with dinner! Besides, while you're gone,
we'll be making this place livable."
"But…" Gourry started in.
"Bai-iiii!" Lina cried, giving them a good shove out the door, which slammed shut behind
them.
Amelia and Gourry stared at the door and sighed. "Miss Lina sure is harsh when she's
hungry," the princess commented.
The swordsman only nodded.
Lina dusted her hands off and took a look at the interior of the cabin with a critical eye.
"Well," she remarked, "It *is* only temporary."
"We should get started," Sylphiel suggested, searching a closet for a mop or broom.
Zelgadis started for the door.
"Hey, Zel, where do you think you're going?" the redhead asked him suspiciously.
The chimera adjusted his swordbelt but didn't turn as he answered her. "There's a reason
no one lives in this cabin anymore. If there are goblins in this forest, it might be a good idea to
take a look around and check over the area."
Lina thought for a moment and nodded. "Be back in an hour, regardless. Just in case."
He nodded and started out the door again.
"Be careful, Zelgadis dear," Sylphiel called out to him.
"Back in an hour." With that, he walked out the door.
Sylphiel turned and found Lina looking at her oddly. "Um…Is something wrong, Miss
Lina?"
"'Zelgadis dear?'" the sorceress asked.
The shrine maiden blinked and began to sweat. Did she just call him that out loud?
Though not actively trying to hide their newfound relationship, the two of them had been trying to
keep it low key. In the month since they had been reunited with Lina, Amelia, and Gourry, no one
had seemed to notice.
Until now.
"Did I say that?" Sylphiel asked, blushing furiously.
Lina grinned. "I knew it. I knew there were things the two of you weren't mentioning
about your little adventure."
The priestess tried to recover. "I…don't know what you mean…"
"Of course not," Lina replied, grinning from ear to ear.
"Um…I'm going to get some water so I can mop the floor!" Sylphiel announced quickly.
Grabbing a bucket, she dashed out the back.
The sorceress giggled. "Zelgadis and Sylphiel…Who would've thought?" She frowned a
moment later. "Amelia's going to be crushed." Sighing, she set her jaw and prepared to some
housework, Inverse Style. "Time for some dusting…"
She opened all the windows and stood in the center of the room, raising her hands above
her.
"DIEM WIN!" She cried, pointing the palms of her hands outward. A gush of air flew
from her outstretched hands and began blowing the dust, cobwebs, and other debris off the walls
and furniture and outside.
Five minutes later, she clapped her hands off and sat on the couch, now dust free.
Who said housework had to be hard?
Zelgadis knelt next to a rotten log and examined it. It had been disturbed recently. He
checked the ground for tracks and let his hand rest on the grip of his new sword. There were a few
claw marks in the wood, but he couldn't tell if they were from a cat, a cougar, or a resting goblin.
He stood up and took another look around. Just to be safe, he'd suggest having someone
stand watch tonight. Goblins, despite their reputation as bumbling cowards, could be cunning.
Moreso when one of their leadership caste was with them.
Something rustled in the bushes behind him, and he turned, drawing his sword.
Nothing.
His eyes narrowed.
He really hated goblins.
When he had worked for Rezo, the Red Priest often made use of them as cannon fodder.
They were cheap, replenishable sources of labor.
The chimera still didn't like them.
He started back down the path. This part of the forest was giving him the creeps.
As he walked out of earshot, two creatures wearing dilapidated metal helmets poked their
heads out of the bushes. "People in the old cottage," one of them commented.
"Hee hee," the other replied. "Tell Jareth. Gotta tell Jareth."
As one, they disappeared back into the foliage.
Sylphiel worked the handle on the water pump one last time and lifted the filled bucket out
of the basin. She paused, not quite ready to reenter the cabin. Why didn't she just come out and
tell Lina about the whole thing? It's not as if they were rivals….anymore.
Could it be because *she* wasn't sure yet? She and Zelgadis dear loved each other, she
knew that, but would it really work out in the end?
Or would he cast her aside in pursuit of his cure?
Her thoughts wandered back to the image Achi had put in her mind during their battle on
Zarak Tor. Zelgadis dear…the father of her children…
(I wonder what kind of father he would make?) she thought to herself. It was one thing to
dream, it was quite another thing to honestly answer such a question.
She sighed, picked up the bucket again, and turned.
"Hello!"
She yelped in surprise and dropped the bucket, the contents spilling out onto the ground.
Xellos blinked. "Did I frighten you?" He smiled. "Sorry about that."
Sylphiel took a second to compose herself. "Mister Xellos. How are you?"
"Not bad," he said. "Given the circumstances," he added, muttering under his breath.
"Is Miss Naga with you?"
"Oh, no!" he replied, waving the thought aside. "I wanted to drop in and see how you
were getting on. Our dear White Serpent is unaware of my absence." He lowered his voice and
whispered conspiratorially. "I left her in the care of a stand-in fully capable of taking my place as
her…'side-kick…'"
Meanwhile…
Naga took a sip of tea and opened the newspaper. The inn's waitress stopped at their table
and deposited another serving of eggs and bacon before walking off again.
"Now, let's see," the sorceress began. "According to this there's a small village that's
having problems with a goblin king, and a giant orc escaped from Atlas custody. Both have pretty
good rewards for whoever brings them in. What do you think, side-kick."
"That's a secret," came the reply from across the table.
"Yeah, yeah," Naga muttered. "What do you know about goblin kings? Anything?"
"That's a secret."
"Look, side-kick," the White Serpent said, annoyed, "It's okay to have a catch phrase, but
as long as you are *MY* side-kick, you will answer all of my questions to the best of your ability
or else no ten percent! Got it?!"
"That's a secret."
"I give up!" She rose from the table and stomped off.
A moment later, the waitress returned. She saw the empty chair and looked across the
table at the life-size Xellos plushie. "Hey! Who's gonna pay the check?!"
"That's a secret," came the reply from the plushie.
"Anyway," Xellos went on as Sylphiel refilled the bucket, "I must admit I have another
reason for showing up."
"And what's that?" she asked.
She looked up to find the Mazoku's face an inch from hers, a sly grin playing upon it.
"Why, to thank you properly for services rendered, Miss Sylphiel."
Sylphiel took a step back. "What are you talking about?" She didn't like it when the
trickster priest smiled like that. It unnerved her.
"Miss Sylphiel, I'm not sure you realize exactly what it is you have done," Xellos told her,
circling around behind her. Sylphiel stayed stock still. "Are you aware, my dear Sylphiel, that
your actions at Zarak Tor, probably saved the lives of every Mazoku in existence?"
Her breath caught in her throat. What was he talking about?
"By destroying the Zarak trees, Miss Sylphiel, you helped maintain the balance of power
between the Mazoku and the Shinzoku, and have quite probably averted a war we would have been
predestined to lose." He grinned at her. "That makes you a…hero…to us."
She took a breath. She had never seen it from that particular perspective before. She
wasn't sure how she thought about helping the great Monster Race maintain any sort of power in
the world. As a white priestess, the idea galled her.
"Oh, yes, I know, you don't like the idea," Xellos told her. "And I know you did what you
did for your own reasons." His smile returned. "It doesn't, however, in any way alter the fact that
we owe you something. The Mazoku, my dear Sylphiel, always repay their debts."
"What do you want?" Sylphiel whispered.
"I want to grant you a wish," Xellos told her, his arms spread benevolently.
"Make Zelgadis dear human," she replied immediately.
The priest sighed. "Unfortunately, that is even beyond *my* power to grant. What I can
grant you is an answer."
"An answer?"
"To a question, Miss Sylphiel."
"I...wouldn't know what to ask," she told him.
He smiled and reached out, touching her forehead. Sylphiel felt lightheaded for a moment,
but it passed. Xellos stepped back, his grin widening.
"You'll have your answer by the end of the day," he told her.
"What did you just do?" she asked him nervously.
He smiled. "That's a secret." He vanished a second later.
The priestess took a breath. It was okay. She felt fine. Besides, all he said was that he
was going to answer a question.
She just wished she knew to which question…
Zelgadis entered the upstairs bedroom and threw his pack on the nearby bed. He hadn't
found any clear evidence of goblins, but he had a feeling they were out there.
"Zelgadis dear! Welcome back!"
He looked up and smiled as Sylphiel entered the room, holding a vase with a few
wildflowers in it. She placed it next to the window and turned it until the angle was just right.
"Did you find anything?" she asked.
He growled slightly. "Nothing. A few signs here and there, but nothing I can point to and
say, 'There they are.'"
"I'm sorry," she said sympathetically.
Once Gourry and Amelia are back, we can start a real search," he assured her. He sat
down on the bed and laid back, trying to relax. After five hours of marching and another hour of
searching for goblins, it had already been a long day, and it was barely the afternoon.
"You and Lina were busy," he commented. "I can hardly believe this is the same cabin."
Sylphiel shut the door quietly and turned back to him. "It didn't take much work," she told
him. She walked over and sat on the bed next to him. He turned an eye toward her and found her
blushing.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"No," she said softly. "I was just thinking to myself…"
He blinked. "About what?"
"Well," she said, "It…just occurred to me that Gourry and Amelia won't be back until
late…And…Miss Lina is downstairs…" She smiled, blushed again and turned away.
Zelgadis began to turn red. He had an idea where this was going.
Sylphiel saw this and pounced on it. "And you've had such a long day…" she explained.
"I thought perhaps…you might benefit from the…um…ministrations of a healer priestess…"
He knew he was in trouble. Something had surprised him early on in their short
relationship that he still couldn't believe.
Sylphiel had a playful side.
"Um…Ministrations?" he asked, the red on his face growing deeper in shade.
He felt her hands on his chest and her lips on his. He closed his eyes and felt the priestess
shift her weight on the bed.
Lost in it all, he didn't even worry if the door was locked or not…
Lina growled to herself as her third search of the house turned up nothing in the way of
food. Thoughts of finding the old codger who had suckered them into taking this job and throwing
him off the edge of a cliff played in her mind. She imagined that the rumbling of her stomach was
actually the sound of him hitting the bottom of a deep gorge.
"This sucks," she growled, closing another cabinet. She sighed and sat down at the table,
resting her head on her arms. Gourry and Amelia were at least nine hours away with dinner.
(Maybe Zel found a stream or something where I can get some fish for lunch,) she thought.
She was about to go ask him when she heard a very familiar sound.
The sound of someone biting into a great, big, juicy, red apple.
She looked up and found Xellos standing at the other side of the table. "Hewwo dere,
Rina," he mumbled as he chewed.
Lina's eyes began to shine. "Xellos….You…That…Apple?"
"Oh!" he said as if it just occurred to him. "Would you like one?" He reached into his
robes and pulled out the biggest, reddest, juiciest-looking apple Lina had ever seen. Her mouth
watered at the sight of it.
She whimpered in longing at it, drool threatening to run down her chin.
"Here you go, Lina chan," Xellos said with a smile and tossed the fruit to her.
"XELLOS, YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER!" Lina cried, catching the apple and biting into it.
He chuckled. "Yes, I am a character, aren't I?"
Lina chewed happily. "Zewwos," she mumbled with her mouth full, "Doday…yuu awe by
ero…" She broke off as she felt something, like a fluttering in her stomach. She looked up at the
smiling Mazoku. "Whad da bell did yuu jubst doo da me?" she asked as seriously as she could
with half an apple in her mouth.
"Now, now, Lina chan," Xellos began. "This time it really is for a good cause. I assure
you, it's only a temporary thing…"
"Xellos!" Lina cried. She suddenly felt shorter. "What the…" She started to panic as she
continued to shrink, her voice began to change in pitch.
"HEEEEELP!!!"
Sylphiel sighed lazily and closed her eyes, immersed in heaven. It still surprised her that a
man so gruff and, at times, harsh could be so gentle. She reached up and touched the rigid tendrils
of grey hair on his head, remembering a time when she could run her fingers through brown locks.
She giggled as she felt him kiss her neck. He was such a romantic…
"HEELLLPPP!!!"
Zelgadis' head shot up as the cry for help echoed through the room. With a quick
movement, he jumped out of bed and grabbed his sword. He rushed out of the room, Sylphiel
running behind him, rebuttoning her blouse.
They reached the stairs and stopped. Zelgadis pointed his sword downward and walked
quickly, but cautiously down the steps, searching with his eyes for any danger. Sylphiel laid a
hand on his bare shoulder to get his attention and pointed towards the kitchen. He nodded and
started in that direction.
"Lina?" he called out softly. He entered the kitchen and found it empty. "Lina?"
Sylphiel looked down at the floor and gasped. Zelgadis followed her gaze, and his jaw
dropped in astonishment. "My god," he whispered.
The shrine maiden knelt down before what had grabbed her attention slowly, still in utter
shock.
"Oh…dear Cepheid," she whispered. "SHE'S SO CUTE!!!"
Sitting on top of a pile of a sorceress' outfit, a baby with a fiery mane of red hair sucked
her thumb and looked around fearfully.
"What the hell is this supposed to be?" Zelgadis asked no one in particular.
"Awww!" Sylphiel gushed. She reached out and picked the baby up. Baby Lina blinked
at her.
(Sylphiel! Listen to me!) Lina cried frantically, staring up at the woman. (You have to
find Xellos! Get him to turn me back!) Sylphiel smiled. (Sylphiel?! Are you even listening to
me?!)
"Ga goo goo goo!" Sylphiel replied in baby talk.
(………Oh, this is really going to hurt…)
Next to them, Zelgadis reached down and picked up a half-eaten apple.
(Don't eat that!) Lina cried.
"Oh! Poor thing! Don't cry!" Sylphiel gushed, hugging Lina to her breast. "It's okay!"
(….Um…Am I not speaking plainly enough for you?) she asked.
Zelgadis was examining the apple. He looked over at baby Lina and nodded, making the
connection.
"Zelgadis dear?" Sylphiel asked.
"Where did you get this apple?" he asked the baby.
(XELLOS! THAT RAT SON OF A BITCH! WHEN I GET MY….)
Apparently, this tirade somehow translated into a crying fit, and Sylphiel hugged her again.
"It's okay….Zelgadis dear, I think you scared her."
(He didn't scare me! He asked me a question! And I'm trying to tell you to get Xellos
and…)
Sylphiel clucked maternally and rocked Lina. "Oh, what do you want, little Lina chan?"
(What do I want? WHAT DO I WANT?! I WANT XELLOS' GRINNING HEAD ON
THE END OF A SPEAR! THAT'S WHAT I WANT!)
"She's getting louder," Zelgadis noted. "Maybe she's sick…hungry?"
Sylphiel held her up and examined her. "Hmmm…We're going to need milk for her."
"I don't suppose you've ever seen anything like this before?" Zelgadis asked. She blinked
at him. "Someone suddenly aging backwards, I mean."
She shook her head. "No." She looked over Lina again. "It's times like this I wish Mister
Xellos was still around. I'm sure he'd have some idea…"
Lina fumed. She suddenly stopped crying and concentrated as much rage as she had in her
tiny little body…
"Look! Zelgadis dear! I think she's trying to say something!"
Zelgadis bent over Sylphiel's shoulder and strained to listen.
Baby Lina gurgled for a moment, then words began to form…
"Gurrr….Dagnes byon twylibe…Crimzon byon blub dat flos…"
Zelgadis and Sylphiel looked to one another, their eyes wide. As one, they jumped up and
ran out the door. They dived behind a fallen tree in front of the cabin and braced themselves…
A small ball of fire shot out through the ceiling, hung in the air for a moment, then detonated
with a loud "POP!"
Zelgadis and Sylphiel peeked over the tree and blinked. Sylphiel clasped her hands
together. "Aww! How adorable! A baby-sized Dragon Slave!"
Zelgadis poked his head around the corner and peered into the kitchen. He could hear light
sounds of breathing, but nothing that sounded like a spell. He walked in, looked down at Lina, and
shook his head.
Sylphiel appeared next to him a moment later. "Poor thing," she cooed, kneeling next to
baby Lina, who was snoring quietly in the folds of her own cape. "She's all tuckered out." She
reached down and picked up the baby, wrapping her in the black and crimson cape.
Lina continued to snore and drool on Sylphiel's blouse.
"Zelgadis dear, what are we going to do?" she asked him seriously.
"Is that so?"
The goblin, kneeling before his lord and master nodded quickly. "Yes, Milord! Humans!
In the forest!"
Jareth, King of the Goblins…in this part of the world anyway…smiled. He rose from his
throne and took a few steps, tossing his poofy, blonde hair behind him. "So humans have invaded
into my realm again, have they? We'll have to teach them a lesson."
"LESSON! LESSON!" his goblins echoed.
"Go and find out more about these humans. I want to know their Achilles Heel…"
The goblins blinked and scratched their heads.
"Their soft underbelly," Jareth elaborated.
The goblins looked to each other and shrugged.
Jareth sighed. "Their weaknesses."
"WEAKNESSES! WEAKNESSES!" With this new battlecry, the goblins rushed out of
the throne room, leaving Jareth wondering why the Gods made him a goblin…
Zelgadis continued to mash the ingredients with a wooden spoon, making sure the mixture
would be soft enough for Lina chan to safely eat. It hadn't taken him long to find the proper
ingredients. They were in a forest, after all. He lifted the spoon and examined the dark purple
mash critically. He nodded to himself.
He turned to Lina chan, who was being held in Sylphiel's lap. "Okay, Lina chan,"
Zelgadis said in his least malicious tone of voice. "Here comes the dragooooon….into the
caaaave…" He lifted the spoon to the baby's lips.
(Hey! What the hell is that crap!?) Lina turned her head from side to side and sealed her
lips shut. (I make it a point to only eat stuff I know for a fact is probably actually food!)
"Come on, Lina chan," Sylphiel cooed. "Eat the num nums Uncle Zelgadis dear made for
you."
(Jeez!) Lina thought, (This would be so much easier to deal with if she'd stop talking like
that!) She turned her face away again.
"Zelgadis dear, what is that, anyway?" Sylphiel asked.
The chimera continued to try to maneuver the spoon into the cranky infant's mouth. "It's an
old mixture I learned about growing up. Some berries, some honey, and some mashed roots for
texture."
"Where did you learn to make something like that?" the shrine maiden asked.
Zelgadis growled softly. Lina chan was still being difficult. "My mother raised my sister
and I alone. Growing up, we didn't have much. We had to make do. I used to watch her make this
for my sister when she was…well…Lina's age."
"I see. What did your sister think of it?"
"She found it absolutely disgusting," Zelgadis told her without missing a beat. "But it kept
her belly full."
Lina, hearing this and understanding it, began to cry.
(I am NOT eating that!)
Unfortunately, while she was screaming this, Zelgadis managed to get the spoon in her
mouth. Taken by surprise, Lina blinked and swallowed.
"There!" Sylphiel cheered. "See? It's not so bad."
(Well…It wasn't *that* bad…) Lina agreed. And she *was* hungry. She sat still and let
Zelgadis feed her another spoonful.
"Good Lina chan!" Sylphiel cooed.
(Yeah, yeah…whatever…) Lina replied. She chewed up another spoonful and
swallowed. As she ate, she had time to think. Xellos must have done this to her for a reason. If
she knew what that reason was, perhaps she could get this whole nightmare over with.
She swallowed another bit of mash and looked up at Zelgadis and Sylphiel. (They do
make a cute couple…I guess…) She stopped and blinked as she felt something warm
downstairs…
(Oh my god….) She whimpered.
Sylphiel lifted her up. "I think someone needs to be changed," she remarked.
(God, this is so embarrassing…) Lina chan sniffled and began to cry.
"It's okay, Lina chan," Sylphiel cooed. She went in search of one of the make-shift
diapers they had made out of Amelia's shirts. She found one and set Lina down on the table. The
shrine maiden began to change her.
(I am never going to hear the end of this,) Lina weeped.
Sylphiel smiled and hummed happily as she changed the baby. Sure, Lina chan could be
cranky and loud, but the shrine maiden was thoroughly enjoying herself. She had always dreamed
of being a mother and taking care of a baby daughter.
And Zelgadis. Zelgadis was turning out to be a wonderful make-shift father. A part of her
had expected him to lose his temper by now or give up and leave taking care of Lina chan solely to
her, but the chimera had done neither. Yes, Lina chan was testing his patience a bit, but she had
*always* done that…
She pinned the diaper on and smiled down at Lina chan. "There! All dry!"
Yes, Zelgadis would make an excellent father. Well, that was *one* question answered.
She paused. Her eyes went wide.
"A question answered," she whispered.
"Sylphiel? Is something wrong?" Zelgadis asked.
She turned to him. "Xellos did this," she stated.
(Thank you!) Lina cried. (Finally! Someone manages to connect the dots!)
"He was here earlier," Sylphiel went on.
(That's right! He was! You go, Sylphiel!)
"I talked to him."
(That's…..YOU WHAT?!)
Zelgadis only blinked. "Why didn't you mention this before?"
"It didn't seem to be connected," she told him. "He told me that he owed me one for Zarak
Tor and that he'd answer any question for me. Then he just touched my head and disappeared."
"What was the question?" he asked.
Sylphiel turned away and cleared her throat nervously.
(Sylphiel, what the hell did you do to me?) Lina cried angrily.
"I…I wanted to know…what kind of parent you'd be…"
The chimera stared at her in shock. So did Lina chan.
"I…suppose this is his roundabout way of telling me." She blushed and looked
embarrassed.
Zelgadis sighed. "I should have guessed he'd be the one to do something like this."
(Are you telling me…) Lina fumed, (That this whole embarrassing mess…is some kind of
sick…SOCIAL EXPERIMENT?!)
"Deegu vold!"
Sylphiel jumped as a small spark of electricity from Lina's finger struck her arm. "Ow!
Bad Lina chan!"
"Well," Zelgadis noted, "Now we know who's behind it, but I'm not sure what we can do
about it. After all, we've never been able to *make* Xellos do anything he doesn't want to do."
"You mean Miss Lina might have to stay a baby forever!?" Sylphiel asked.
(WHAT?!)
"No…"
(Oh, thank god…)
"Just until she grows up."
"FWARE ARRA!" A short bolt of fire about half the length of a match stick shot from Lina
chan's hand, flew about a foot, and crashed to the floor. Sylphiel stepped on it and made sure it
was out.
"Someone's craaaaan-kyyyy," the shrine maiden sang. She picked up Lina chan and
started carrying her upstairs. "I think you need a nap."
(No! I don't need a nap! I need a really big stick to beat 'Uncle Zelgadis dear' to death
with! Put me down, Sylphiel! PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN!)
"She sure is loud," Zelgadis noted, following them up the stairs.
(YOU HAVEN'T SEEN LOUD YET, BUDDY! JUST WAIT UNTIL I'M OLD ENOUGH
TO BLAST YOU *AND* XELLOS!)
"Shhhhhh," Sylphiel cooed as she entered the bedroom. She put Lina chan in the center of
the bed and wrapped her in a blanket. "You just need some sleepy bye time."
(STOP TALKING LIKE THAT!!!)
"Rock a-bye baby, in the tree top…"
Lina tried to channel enough power for another spell, but the last two had worn her out.
Between that, the comfortable bed she was lying on, and the soothing sound of Sylphiel's voice,
she was inexorably pulled into the realm of sleep.
(Xellos,) she thought as she drifted, (I'm…going to…kill……you….)
Sylphiel giggled quietly and tucked the baby in. "She looks so peaceful when she sleeps,"
she remarked. She stood up and walked to the door where Zelgadis was waiting for her. "Isn't
she adorable?" she whispered.
"Oh, yeah, I want ten just like her," Zelgadis remarked, turning and starting down the hall.
Sylphiel followed.
"Well…I admit she's a little…boisterous." Some of her earlier fears began to creep back
to her. "But I think you're doing a wonderful job, Zelgadis dear."
"It's still just a temporary thing," he told her. "Until I figure out a way to get Xellos to
turn her back."
"But you seem to know something about child care," she argued.
"I know a few tricks. That's all." He entered another room and sat down on the bed.
There was obviously something bothering him. She could see it all over his face.
"Zelgadis dear, what is it?"
"It's nothing," he grumbled.
"Very well…Mister Zelgadis."
He looked up at her and blinked in surprise.
She shrugged and turned away. "If you're going to shut me out and go back to isolating
yourself every time something bothers you, then there's no point in me calling you 'dear' now is
there?" she asked painfully.
He took a breath. "I was thinking about her."
Sylphiel turned back to him. "Miss Lina?"
Zelgadis shook his head. "Mother."
The goblins looked into the room and saw the baby sleeping soundly on the bed. "Looky
looky!" one hissed.
The other hissed back in thought. "Errrr….Bad idea. Remember what happened *LAST*
time we took a baby?"
"Oh, what are the odds of that happening *TWICE*?"
"Good point. We take the baby."
"Doesn't the mother have to say the words?" another goblin asked.
"That was last time. It was different. This isn't a favor, for Jareth's sake; it's a mission to
find the human's Axel Ankle, or whatever it was."
"But you can't just take a baby without someone saying the words!" another protested.
"It's simply not goblin-like!"
"Oh fine!" the first one bit back. He cleared his throat. "I wish the goblins would come
and take you away right now. There. *I* said it."
"………..Works for me."
"Me too."
"I'll get the window."
"You must miss them terribly," Sylphiel whispered.
"I can still remember how she looked the last time I saw her," Zelgadis told the priestess.
"I told her I was going into the woods to 'train.' She told me to be back in time for dinner." He
paused for a second. "I never saw her again."
"She must be a very nice woman," Sylphiel told him.
"She was…is….was…" He stood up and growled. "I don't even know if she's still
alive."
"Then go find out!" she told him. He turned to face her. "Zelgadis dear…There's a
chance for you to…to…talk to her…to touch her again… Do you have any idea how precious that
is?!" Zelgadis was suddenly reminded about the fate of Sylphiel's own parents, and that she
couldn't do for herself what she was suggesting Zelgadis do now. "Don't you want to?"
"How can I like this?" he asked.
"Zelgadis dear! She's your *mother*! She won't care!" He shook his head and turned
away. "What if you never find your cure!?" she asked, raising the possibility she *knew* haunted
him. He didn't answer. "Or what if you find your cure too late?" she asked more softly.
"I still can't," he whispered. "What do I say to her? 'Hi, Mom, I'm back. Look at the
things I've done with my life. Thug, thief, killer….monster. Aren't you just proud?'"
"How can you say that?! How many times have you helped Miss Lina to literally save this
world?! Whatever you've done in the past under Rezo isn't important! The fact that you regret
those things says more about you than your face!"
"Perhaps I should jus…"
It was at that moment that they heard Lina start to cry.
Not just cry.
Scream.
"Lina chan!" Sylphiel cried and rushed out the door and down the hall. Every horrible
scenario in the world leapt into her head. Lina chan rolling off the bed and falling. Lina chan
swallowing a button. Lina chan being attacked by a rat or snake…
Somehow, though, she missed 'Lina chan being kidnapped by goblins…'
She rushed into Lina's room and found the bed empty. Her eyes darted to the window and
found it open. A goblin sat on the windowsill. He laughed at her and jumped out.
The shrine maiden rushed to the window and looked down. "LINA CHAN!" She could
hear Lina crying. By now Zelgadis had joined her. "Zelgadis dear! Goblins! I…"
He pulled her back and pointed at the window. "BRAM BLAZER!" The wall exploded
outward, leaving a gaping hole big enough for them to fly through. "RAYWING!" The chimera
zipped out the window and into the forest after the goblin kidnappers. He heard Sylphiel cast her
own Raywing and follow him.
(I really hate goblins,) he thought to himself. It wasn't unlike them to steal children. It was
said that that was how little goblins were made. He also knew that if they lost them now, the odds
of finding Lina again before she could be turned into one of them was close to zero.
And the last thing he wanted to have to worry about was a goblin that could cast the Giga
Slave running around…
Sylphiel squeaked and barely avoided striking a tree branch. She was flying just behind
Zelgadis now, only a few feet off the ground. He seemed to be following their trail even as they
flew. Trusting his instincts, she followed his lead.
That is until he stopped suddenly without warning.
She shrieked and slammed into him, knocking them both to the ground. She rubbed her
shoulder and stood up. Striking Zelgadis dear was like ramming a boulder.
He was already back on his feet before she was, kneeling over a set of tracks. "They end
here," he noted.
"You mean they disappeared?! I don't understand! How can they move so fast?!"
"It's one of their annoying little tricks," Zelgadis growled. "You'd be amazed by how fast
they can go. But they don't just disappear into thin air, either," he muttered. He stood up and held
his arms out. "DIEM WIN!"
A blast of wind exploded from his arms, blowing away leaves, branches, dirt, and other
debris. A second later, a trap door that had been buried beneath the leaves and undergrowth was
blown open.
The chimera smiled dangerously and drew his sword. "Time to pick up Lina chan from
day care," he said. He knelt over the trap door, Sylphiel joining him there. "LIGHTING!" A ball
of light formed in his hand. He dropped it down the hole and watched as it hit the ground only one
or two meters down.
"Lower me down," Sylphiel told him, offering him her hands. Zelgadis nodded and put his
sword down. Taking her arms, he lowered her feet first into the cave. The shrine maiden felt her
feet touch the ground and turned. Zelgadis' lighting spell was still working. She gasped at what
she saw.
The cave led into a larger cavern. A brick wall blocked the entire way forward except for
a small gate in the center. It looked ancient.
Zelgadis landed nimbly right next to her and drew his sword again.
"Zelgadis dear…What is this place?"
The chimera set his jaw and growled. He knew what it was…
"What is this?" Jareth asked, holding baby Lina chan up and arching an eyebrow. "I ask
you to find the humans' weak point and you bring me a baby?"
The goblin before him shrugged. "It worked last time."
"Ugh, I don't even want to *think* about last time," Jareth told him, turning away. "It's an
embarrassment."
"Uh…Milord, if you don't like her, we could go bring her back or something," another
goblin suggested. "Maybe trade her in for gold!"
"Yeah!" other goblins threw in.
"No, we're not going to trade her in for gold," Jareth sighed in annoyance. Lina chan
looked from one side to the other, as if looking for an escape route. "Well, little one," Jareth said
with a smile, rocking the baby in his arms. "You're a cute one, aren't you?"
(Good of you to notice, scumbag,) Lina retorted.
"And powerful," the Goblin King muttered. He looked Lina chan over again, examining
her in detail. "If I didn't know better…I'd say you were a sorceress. You certainly feel like
one…"
"Deegu vvold…"
"Ow!" Jareth cried, pulling one hand away. He looked at the baby with a renewed sense
of respect and smiled. "Perhaps you boys aren't as stupid as I gave you credit for," he remarked
to the goblins.
"Thanks boss!" their leader replied happily.
"Milord! Milord!" One goblin came running up the steps and into the throne room. "The
parents…" he panted, out of breath. "They're at the front gate!"
"Oh, bother!" Jareth bit out. "Are we going to have to go through this again? Very well,"
he said lazily. He produced a crystal sphere from out of nowhere and stared into it. He could
make out two figures. One of them was a Mazoku of some sort, and the other was a woman…a
very pretty woman…
He shook his head. No way he was going to sucker himself into that old song and dance
again. He took a breath and addressed them…
"You'd might as well turn back."
Sylphiel gasped and turned to find a man's face hanging in a small cloud next to them. He
had hawk-like features and blonde, poofy hair that seemed to go out in all directions.
"I'm keeping this little delight with me."
Zelgadis stepped forward. "You're the leader." It wasn't a question.
"I am King Jareth. I rule this forest."
Zelgadis nodded. "Thank you. Now I know who to kill." He started back towards the
gate.
Jareth smiled. "Let's be sporting about this. Granted, my new labyrinth isn't quite as
grand as the old one, but if you can make it to the center inside say…oh…six hours. I'll give you
back your little bundle of joy."
"What if we don't make it in six hours?" Sylphiel asked fearfully.
The Goblin King's smile widened. "Then she stays with me and becomes a part of my
family." She heard Lina start to cry in the background.
"Oh! There there, Lina chan! We're coming!" Sylphiel shouted.
Jareth laughed and disappeared. The gate doors swung open. Zelgadis walked in without
pausing. Sylphiel followed him. They immediately met with a long wall.
"Six hours," Sylphiel began to fret. "Oh, I've never been good with mazes." Zelgadis
placed his hand on the wall and nodded. "Oh! I know! I can use my scepter to find the right path!
That should cut down on time!" Zelgadis took a step back and gently moved Sylphiel aside as she
dug in her robes in search for her scepter. "I know I placed it here…" The chimera raised his
hand.
"BRAM BLAZER!"
The wall exploded leaving a six foot wide hole. Zelgadis calmly stepped through.
Sylphiel blinked in shock.
"BRAM BLAZER!"
Another explosion. Sylphiel sighed and followed after the chimera.
*Ka-BOOM!!!*
The goblin looking out the throne room window towards the entrance of the labyrinth
watched as another plume of smoke and dust rose from a far off explosion, this one closer than the
last four.
"Milord?"
"Not now, Graffort," Jareth chastised him, busy bouncing Lina chan on his knee.
*Ka-BOOM!*
"But…um…Milord?"
"He is so annoying, isn't he?" Jareth asked Lina chan.
(Oh yeah, compared to him you're nothing…)
*Ka-BOOM!*
"Awww…You look bored, little one," Jareth commented.
(Who? Me? No, I'm totally absorbed in the witty goblin repartee.)
Jareth smiled. Music started to play from somewhere…
(No…No, he wouldn't…)
He grabbed a goblin. "You remind me of the babe!"
"What babe?!"
"The babe with the power!"
"What power?!"
"The power of voodoo!"
"Who do?!"
"You do!"
"Do what?!"
"Remind me of the babe!"
(DEAR CEPHEID, NO! THEY'RE DOING A NUMBER!!) Lina began to cry at the top
of her lungs. (ZEL! SYLPHIEL! GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!!)
Two goblins stood guard at the gate of Jareth's palace.
*Ka-BOOM!*
"Is it just me or are those construction sounds getting closer?" one guard asked the other.
"Oh no, 'tis your imagination," the other chastised him.
"BRAM BLAZER!"
*KA-BOOOOM!!!*
The wall in front of the two disintegrated in a explosion of dust and smoke. When the
smoke cleared, a chimera was standing just inside the hole, his arms crossed over his chest. He
sneered down at the guards.
"And what about that?!" the first guard asked, pointing his halberd in Zelgadis' direction.
"Is that chimera just a figment of me imagination as well?!"
The second guard huffed. "'Tis not a chimera, you twit. *That* is a golem!"
"Golem?! 'Tis obviously a Mazoku!" the first guard retorted.
"Ugh!" the second said, shaking his head. He turned and looked up at the second story
window of the palace. "Ey! I say EY! Graffort!" It was hard to hear with the sound of music
coming from the throne room.
"What?!" the goblin shouted back.
The first guard pointed at Zelgadis again. "Is that a chimera, a golem, or a Mazoku?!"
"You dumb buffoons!" Graffort shouted back. "'Tis obviously a little of all three!"
"So he be a chimera then!?"
"Well DUH!"
"See? I told you!" the first guard grinned triumphantly at the second. Their faces both fell
at the same time. They turned back to Zelgadis.
"GREY BOMB!" the chimera yelled, striking the ground with his hand. The earth under
the guards' feet exploded.
Graffort watched as the two gate guards flew into the air past his window, screaming as
loud as they could.
"Um…Milord?"
Jareth was still singing, tossing Lina chan into the air. "DANCE, MAGIC! DANCE!
DANCE, MAGIC DANCE!"
(KILL ME!! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! KILL ME!) Lina screamed as loud as she could
as Jareth tossed her back into the air.
"MILORD!!!"
Jareth caught Lina and turned angrily to the goblin. "Graffort! How many times have I told
you!? Never ever EVER interrupt me when I'm doing a number!"
"Sorry, Milord, but I thought you might like to know that the palace is under attack."
"Attack!?" Jareth asked, incredulous. "What about my guards?!"
The two gate guards screamed as they fell back down past the window.
"Indisposed, Milord," Graffort told him.
"Sound the alarm!" Jareth cried. All around him, goblins ran about, mobilizing for battle.
"Yazee?" the first guard asked, dazed and sitting on the ground, his back to his partner. "I
told ye it was a chimera…"
"Bah!" the second guard, equally dazed, "I still say 'tis a golem…"
"Well it makes little difference now, doesn't it?"
Zelgadis shook his head at them. "Pheh!"
Sylphiel just blinked at the two. "These are goblins?"
"Yes," he told her.
"Somehow…I was expecting something…well…scarier…"
"Ey, now! We're plenty scary!" the first guard argued.
"DILL BRAND!"
The guards went screaming into the sky again. Zelgadis started into the castle, Sylphiel
following just behind. A few seconds later, the two guards hit the ground again, their armor and
clothing scorched and smoking.
"Th…there…ya see?" the second guard asked. "I…I ain't neva seen…a chimera…do
that…"
"Yeah…Must be a Mazoku…"
Zelgadis threw open the doors to the palace and stepped inside. A dozen goblins holding
swords stood in the lobby.
"Halt right there, golem!" their leader called out.
"Mazoku!" the two guards outside yelled, correcting him.
"Whatever! You shall not pass!"
"BOMB SPRID!" A ball of fire leapt from Zelgadis' hands and landed in the middle of the
group, exploding and throwing the goblins against the walls.
Zelgadis saw a staircase to his right and started up.
"Please, Zelgadis dear! Let's hurry!" Sylphiel begged, rushing up the stairs.
"Sylphiel! Wait!" he called after her.
The shrine maiden reached the top of the stairs and threw the door open.
Open space met her. She stumbled forward and would have fallen into a seemingly
bottomless pit if Zelgadis hadn't grabbed ahold of her cape and pulled her back.
"EEEP!"
Zelgadis growled. "I *HATE* goblins! They're constantly pulling this mind warp
nonsense!"
Stone platforms floated up from below, elevators connecting them at different levels. A lift
car stopped in front of them and chimed as the door opened. The chimera sighed and stepped
inside. There were two buttons. Zelgadis pushed one at random, and the lift began to move
upwards.
The lift car chimed and opened onto a stone platform. They stepped out and looked
around. There were two more lift cars; one to the right the other to the left.
"Welcome!"
They looked up and found Jareth standing on another platform a hundred meters away. He
held baby Lina chan in his arms and smiled down at them.
"Fifteen minutes from start to finish," he remarked, his eye twitching slightly. "A new
record…"
"Give Lina chan back!" Sylphiel cried.
"Come and get her," Jareth said with a shrug. He held Lina by the diaper over the chasm.
The redheaded child began crying.
"Stop it!" Sylphiel screamed.
"Flare…"
"I wouldn't, chimera," Jareth told him. "Or you might hit little Lina chan…"
Zelgadis growled and tossed the half-formed fire bolt aside to extinguish harmlessly.
"If you want the baby, just come and get her. Oh, and if I see a levitation spell, I'll just
drop her. Understand?"
"You…You heartless slime!" Sylphiel shouted up at him.
Jareth laughed.
Sylphiel started for one elevator. Zelgadis took the other. The shrine maiden hit the button
and waited as the lift rose. The bell chimed, and she got out. She was on another stone slab. She
looked up and found Jareth and Lina…
Looking up at her.
Somehow she had gotten above them and upside down. She heard another chime and
turned. Zelgadis was on another slab not far away, but like her, he was oriented in another
direction. He saw the predicament and ran for another elevator. Sylphiel did the same.
"Well, little one," Jareth remarked, rocking Lina. "You certainly are popular. Do you
think you're mommy and daddy will rescue you? Hmm?"
He listened as Lina gurgled something in baby talk. "Can you say Jareth? Come on. Ja-
reth…"
He listened to what Lina was gurgling…
"Bareed in da fow of dyme…Un dye grape mame…"
*DING!*
Sylphiel ran out as soon as the doors parted. She was on a new platform only fifty feet or
so from Jareth's. She looked up and saw Zelgadis almost two hundred meters away and oriented
upside down.
She looked over at Jareth. "Please!" she cried. "Give her back!"
"Oh, I don't think so," Jareth smiled. "Isn't that right, Little Lina chan?" he cooed. Lina
pointed her arms up at him. "You see? She adores me! Don't you Lina chan?"
Lina pointed up at him.
"There! She even recognizes me!"
"DRAGUME SAVE!"
"Huh?"
A ball of fire leapt from baby Lina's hand and struck Jareth's face, exploding with a loud
*POP!* The Goblin King screamed, his hands reflexively going to his face, and he stumbled
backwards, dropping Lina chan!
Lina screamed as she fell off the platform.
"LINA CHAN!" Sylphiel screamed. She dived off the platform after the child.
"LEVITATION!"
"SYLPHIEL!" Zelgadis cried.
The shrine maiden continued dropping after the baby. With the levitation spell she could
easily control her rate of descent. Baby Lina didn't have this ability. She saw a flash of red hair.
She was getting closer. She reached out with her hand.
Lina cried as she fell. Sylphiel exerted the spell as far as she could, inching ever closer.
She wasn't sure how deep this chasm was, but she knew she had to grab Lina chan soon.
She stretched out with her hand as far as she could. She feel the fabric of Lina's diaper
against her fingertips. She was almost there…
"Just a little farther," she begged Cepheid.
Her fingers curled around the edge of Lina's diaper.
"Gotcha!" She put on the brakes and reoriented herself so that her feet pointed downward.
She stopped in mid air and hovered. Sighing in relief, she looked down and gulped.
A stone slab floated below them, only a few meters away.
She closed her eyes and hugged Lina chan to her. The baby was still crying. "There there,
Lina chan," Sylphiel whispered.
Lina, too scared to even think straight, clung to the priestess as she would her own mother.
(This has been…the *WORST* day…in my entire life…)
Jareth, blinded by Lina chan's spell, blinked rapidly, trying to regain his sight. He felt
someone place a hand on his shoulder.
"This is going to hurt, isn't it?" he asked, pretty sure of who had him.
Zelgadis smiled as Sylphiel flew up onto the slab, Lina in her arms.
"You bet," he assured Jareth.
The Goblin King swallowed nervously. "What are you going to do to me?"
"Me?" Zelgadis asked. "Nothing." He reached out and took Lina from Sylphiel. "But I
believe she would like a word with you."
"She?"
Sylphiel reached back, balled her hand into a fist, and…
Zelgadis rocked baby Lina in his arms not far away and listened to the racket Sylphiel was
causing. "Aunt Sylphiel and Mister Jareth are having a grown up talk," he cooed in baby speech at
Lina. "Yes they are. Yes they are."
Lina didn't care. After the fall, the Mini Dragon Slave, and the rocking, she was asleep in
a few minutes.
"Well, I have Jareth tied to a tree out back," Zelgadis said as he entered the bedroom. "I
placed an enchantment on it so that none of the goblins that got away will be able to cut the rope."
He removed his cape and leaned against the doorframe. All he really wanted was to sleep
for a few thousand years.
His stomach growled.
And a meal.
"Sylphiel, I've been thinking," he said. "About what you said earlier. I think I'm going to
do it. Lina said we'd be heading towards Atlas City next. As soon as this whole baby thing is
done and over with, I'm going to go see her. I want you to come with me, Sy…" He broke off and
blinked.
Sylphiel was curled up on the bed asleep. Sleeping in her arms, close to her chest, baby
Lina snored louder than most babies would.
Zelgadis chuckled under his breath. He carefully rested himself on the bed next to them
and took Sylphiel's hand, closing his eyes and letting sleep take him. Baby Lina slept soundly
between them.
Amelia dropped the bag she had been holding as she took the scene in. Standing next to
her, shocked out of his mind, Gourry could just blink. It had taken them all day, but they were
finally back, and this is what met them?
"This," Amelia began shakily. "This is by far…the weirdest thing…I've ever seen…in
my entire life…"
Gourry couldn't take his eyes off it. "Weirder than that time you…"
"Oh yeah," Amelia said with a nod.
"What about when Lin…"
"Beats that too," she said assuredly.
"Any idea what it's supposed to mean?" Gourry asked her.
"Not a clue," Amelia confessed.
Sleeping on the bed in front of them was Zelgadis and Sylphiel…with a full grown Lina
Inverse sleeping between them…wearing nothing but a diaper.
"Think we should wake them up?" Gourry asked.
"Do *YOU* want to be here when she wakes up?" Amelia asked him.
"Good point." The two collected their bags and walked back down the stairs.
"This never happened," Amelia told him. The swordsman nodded.
Behind them, Lina rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. She blinked quickly and
looked down.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!"
"Well, I've done my good deed for the millenium, wouldn't you agree?" Xellos asked,
sitting comfortably on the cottage roof.
His companion didn't move. "That's a secret," the plushie told him.
"Oh, I do agree such things should be kept quiet. Wouldn't you say so?"
"That's a secret."
Xellos laughed. "Keeping your counsel to yourself. Always a wise move, my dear
Xellos! I wonder what our dear White Serpent is up to?"
"That's a secret."
"Well, I suppose she does have a right to privacy." He smiled as he heard Lina scream his
name and a few swears. "Hmmm…I wonder if there's anything bothering Lina chan?"
"That's a secret."
Xellos grinned at the plushie. "Oh, it's no secret." He looked out at the rising moon and
bit into an apple. "No secret at all…"
To Be Continued…
Davner
Doscher009@hotmail.com