Slayers doesn't belong to me, but rather Kadokawa Shoten.
LINA: What we need is some R and R!
AMELIA: I agree! The fight for justice requires high morale! That being the case, we've all gone
to a little resort town to unwind!
ZELGADIS: Do I REALLY have to wear this ridiculous swimsuit?
SYLPHIEL: But it looks so KAWAII on you, Zelgadis dear!
LINA: Ah…I truly am a genius…Nothing bad can happen to us here…
Faces: After!
Part 10
Splash!
National Inverse's Vacation!
"Please? Trust me?"
Zelgadis looked at the man, unsure of what to do. Behind him, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, and
Sylphiel watched on, ready to assist however they could.
"Zelgadis dear?" Sylphiel asked quietly.
The chimera looked at the yellow-eyed man. Sylphiel watched fearfully as he reached out
to him. The yellow-eyed man smiled and took Zelgadis' hand. Suddenly, the chimera's eyes went
wide.
"Zelgadis dear?!" Sylphiel cried.
A black mist seemed to reach out of the yellow-eyed man's sleeve and snake its way up
Zelgadis' arm. The chimera tried to pull away, but the man had him firmly in his grasp. Within
seconds, black mist surrounded Zelgadis, choking off his screams of terror.
They watched in fright as the smoke was drawn back into the man. Zelgadis was gone.
Sylphiel covered her mouth with her hands and screamed…
"ZELGADIS DEAR!!"
Sylphiel shot bolt upright in bed, panting, her hand to her chest. Her nightgown was wet.
Looking down she saw that her entire body was coated with sweat. She felt someone stir next to
her and turned to see Zelgadis sitting up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Sylphiel? What's wrong?"
She stared at him for a few seconds, then hugged him tightly, crying her eyes out.
"Sylphiel?!"
"Don't trust him!" she cried, squeezing him even tighter. "No matter what he offers you!
No matter what he tells you! Don't trust him!"
"Who?" he asked.
"The man with yellow eyes," she wept softly. "Don't trust him, please, Zelgadis dear!
Don't trust him!"
Zelgadis, still half asleep and groggy, could only blink.
"Please," she begged softly, tears running down her face.
"Okay," he said quietly, wrapping his arms around her. "Okay, I won't. I promise," he
told her in what he hoped was a soothing tone of voice. She held him tightly and continued to cry.
"What happened?" he asked her.
"I…I saw…a…" She paused and took a breath, trying to collect her thoughts. "A man
with…with yellow eyes, and he…He…"
Zelgadis waited for her to continue. After a few moments of silence, she looked up at him
in confusion.
"I don't remember," she whispered. "I can't remember any of it!"
The sun had not yet risen though TECHNICALLY it was morning. Torches lit the small
riverside dock, illuminating the ferry barge that slowly approached them.
Greysword took a breath and rested her hand on her katana's hilt. The wood of the ferry's
hull made a clunking sound as it came into contact with the dock. Zero stepped in front of her and
knelt, facing the ferry, his head bowed. Greysword made no move to mimic him. Zero could
consider Scarrin some kind of lord if he liked. To her she was just a man.
The man who stepped off the ferry almost looked like any other traveler, though he seemed
to favor wearing black and grey, giving him a more sinister look. His light brown hair was cut
short and neat. He carried no luggage, but aside from that Greysword might have taken him for any
of a thousand men who wander the continent. Except for one detail…
His yellow eyes.
They were feline, almost like tiger's eyes. Sharp and predatory. It was these eyes that
found Zero kneeling there.
"You call me…and tell me that Greywords is in Borden," the man said casually. "And
then you call me and tell me he's not." Zero tensed but said nothing. "I'm beginning to see how
Rezo was so easily beaten," the man finished tiredly.
Zero took a breath, but still remained silent.
"And you, my dear," he continued, walking toward Greysword. "Any worse for wear for
your ordeal?"
"No, thank you," she told him.
He smiled. "Excellent. Excellent," he whispered. "Well, you did manage to find him, at
least. That's a start."
"How do you want us to proceed?" Zero asked, his head still bowed.
The man turned back to him as if realizing he was there for the first time. "It's obvious that
you need help," he told the priest. "I'll come along personally…Along with an old associate." He
looked to the ferry and crooked a finger. Something stepped off the ferry and approached. A black
hood concealed most of its face, but its paws and feet could be seen…as well as a portion of its
snout.
Greysword took a breath.
"Mister Gandrav is a tracker of impeccable skill," the man informed them. "As you know,
Zero, I'm sure."
"Yes, Lord Scarrin."
The werewolf, Gandrav, snarled.
(They're….eating…Like…people…)
That was all that could go through Amelia's mind as she watched Lina and Gourry, sitting
across from each other at the table, eating breakfast…
Like regular people.
No fighting. No lunges for each other's food. No speaking with their mouths full.
If she closed her eyes…she could almost imagine they were two different people…
She watched as they both reached for the last sausage and braced herself hopefully. (Here
it comes!) she thought.
They both noticed they were going for the same piece of meat at the same time and
withdrew their hands. "You can have it," Lina told him.
"No, please," Gourry replied. "Go ahead."
"Um…I'm full," Lina said, standing up. "I'm…going to check out." She turned and
walked out of the inn's restaurant.
"Mister Gourry," Amelia said quietly. "I'm scared."
The swordsman looked on as the sorceress walked out of sight. She had been so distant the
last four days. He wondered what he had done. Maybe he should have done or said something
when she kissed him. He sighed.
What was he going to do?
Four days.
She had kissed him four days ago, and he still hadn't done anything. He hadn't even
MENTIONED it since then. She didn't want to push him or seem too eager, but it was almost as if
he didn't care; that if he had his way, he'd sooner forget it happened and move on.
(Pudding for brains…) she thought.
"Lina?"
She turned and saw Zelgadis standing behind her.
"Can I talk to you?"
"Sure, Zel. What's wrong?" she asked, glad to have something to think about besides her
own problem for awhile.
Zelgadis looked over at the stairs, then took Lina's arm and led her into another room
before beginning. "I think there's something wrong with Sylphiel."
She blinked at him. "What do you mean?"
The chimera seemed hesitant to continue, but did anyway. "The past few days she's been
waking up in the middle of the night…crying…" Lina listened, concern crossing her face.
"Sometimes actually SCREAMING," he went on. "She tells me about these dreams she's been
having, but she can't remember more than bits or pieces of them."
"Dreams about what?" she asked.
"A man with yellow eyes," he told her. "Who kills me."
"That doesn't sound like your average, run of the mill, irrational nightmare," she told him
quietly. "Especially after what's been happening the last couple of weeks."
"I'm worried about her, Lina," he said in a whisper. "It's happened every night for three
days now. And afterward it's almost impossible for her to go back to sleep. I think it's starting to
affect her."
"Okay, Zel. I'll talk to her."
He put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Lina."
She gave him a reassuring smile and nodded. Zelgadis turned as he heard Sylphiel's voice
in the next room calling for him. He gave Lina a final nod and left the room.
The redhead sighed. Everyone was so on edge lately. She had thought that it was just her
and Gourry feeling it, now it turns out that Sylphiel's having nightmares, Amelia is probably still
feeling lousy, and she had never seen Zelgadis so concerned about anything in years.
What they really needed was a vacation. A way to rest and relax. She blinked. Wait a
sec… Wasn't there a resort town three days from them?
With the beginnings of an idea in her head, Lina marched back to the restauraunt.
"LOOK OUT BELOW!!!" Gourry cried as he jumped from the top diving platform, pulled
his legs up to his chest, and crashed into the pool's blue water with a humongous splash. Sitting at
a table covered by a large umbrella, Lina cringed as the water from the splash hit her.
"GOURRY! YOU ARE SO DEAD!" she screamed.
The swordsman grinned and waved from the pool. "If you wanna get me back, Lina, you
have to come into the pool!" He stuck his tongue out at her and made a face.
Lina growled and clenched her fists. Suddenly, she started to smile. "Says who?" she
asked. She snapped her fingers. "Aqua Create!"
Gourry cried out as he was suddenly drenched by a flood of water that just appeared in the
air around him.
That taken care of, Lina sat down again and adjusted the shoulder straps on her red, one-
piece bathing suit. Sitting across the table from her, still in his tan travelling clothes, Zelgadis took
a sip of his tea and shook his head.
Lying on a lawn chair not far away, Amelia adjusted her sunglasses and sighed contentedly,
soaking up the sun's rays in her white bathing suit. "This was such a great idea, Miss Lina," she
said lazily as she brought her blue, tropical daiquiri to her lips and took a sip.
Zelgadis was ambivalent about this trip. On one hand, they seemed to need it. On the
other, it was still a delay, and Zero and Greysword were still out there. Even so, if this helped
Sylphiel, he was willing to give it a shot.
As if thinking of her made her appear, he heard her voice call out to him from his right.
"Zelgadis dear!"
He turned and saw her approaching, wearing a purple one-piece bathing suit. She smiled
and waved as she walked up to him. The chimera could only blink and blush. He knew that
Sylphiel was a lovely young woman, but in that bathing suit, it was even more obvious.
"Zelgadis dear! Where's your bathing suit?" she asked, blinking.
He chuckled, holding up his hand to show off the rock skin. "No point to one."
She grabbed his hand and started pulling. "Nonsense! You're the only one in those hot
clothes! Come on!" She continued to tug him out of his chair.
"Er…Sylphiel…"
"No buts," she told him. "At the very least you can get some sun!" She managed to pull
him out of his chair and towards the inn's sport shop.
Lina smiled and tried to contain her laughter. She turned and saw Gourry still splashing
around the pool. She thought for a moment and stood up, taking a few quick steps and diving into
the pool. She swam under the water right up to the blonde and grabbed his legs, giving them a hard
pull off his feet. He fell with a splash.
The swordsman broke the surface and sputtered. "Oi! Lina! No fair!" He splashed her to
get even. She laughed and dived again.
Gourry climbed out of the pool and shook his head. "I'm going for another dive…"
Without thinking, Lina leapt up out of the water, reached out…
And pantsed Gourry.
For several seconds…the world stopped spinning.
At that point, two women on the other side of the pool gave Gourry a wolf whistle and a
cheer. Gourry responded by crying out and falling back into the pool, his swimming trunks around
his ankles. He stood up in the water a moment later. "LINA!!"
Unfortunately, he was in the shallow end, and considering how tall Gourry is, that meant
that the water only came up to his…
Lina turned beet red and turned away quickly, blushing furiously.
Gourry screamed again and reached down, pulling his trunks up. His face was as red as a
tomato. Lina was still looking away, so embarrassed she thought she was going to faint.
The only thing that saved them from that embarrassing situation was the reappearance of
Sylphiel, leading a frowning Zelgadis back to the pool area. Why the chimera was frowning was
soon painfully obvious. As promised, Zelgadis was now wearing swim trunks…
With cute little duckies sewn onto them.
Lina was still red, but she was red from trying to hold back laughter.
She didn't stay red that long…
Neither did Gourry or Amelia. They laughed hysterically. Now it was Zelgadis' turn to
turn crimson. Sylphiel blinked in puzzlement.
"What?" she asked. "What's so funny?"
The chimera growled. "It was all they had left."
Lina opened her mouth to reply, but ended up in another laughing fit instead.
Sylphiel hmmph'd. "I think they're adorable!"
They laughed harder.
Zelgadis sighed and gave up. He turned and sat back down in the chair he had occupied
earlier.
"What is so wrong with cute little duckies?!" Sylphiel cried at them. As they continued to
laugh, she sniffed and turned, walking to the table and taking a seat in a lawn chair between
Amelia and Zelgadis.
She picked up the bottle of sunscreen Amelia had used and applied it to her arms and legs.
(Hmmph!) she thought to herself. (Laughing at cute little duckies! What's next?!) Looking up,
she saw that Zelgadis was doing pretty much what he was doing before, sitting at the table, reading
over a book.
"Zelgadis dear," she began in her protective-lecture tone. "You should put on some
sunscreen."
"I don't think stone can burn, Sylphiel," he reminded her.
"That makes no difference at all! It's part of the experience!" She got up and approached
him, taking up position behind him and pouring some of the sunscreen into her hand. Before he
could protest, she was rubbing it into his shoulders. "There!" she said in victory.
The chimera began to turn red as Sylphiel's hands rubbed more of the lotion into his stone
skin. "Um…Thank you…"
"Good. When I'm done, you can do my back."
Zelgadis swallowed nervously. He still wasn't quite comfortable with public acts of
affection. Sylphiel, on the other hand, had no problem at all with them. But, she seemed happier,
so he was willing to meet her halfway.
Sylphiel continued to massage his shoulders, but something caught her eye. Those two
women who had whistled at Gourry before were now looking at Zelgadis and smiling. They
giggled girlishly and winked at him…. And by "him" that meant HER Zelgadis dear…
She heard Zelgadis gasp quietly under her hands and looked down to find him wincing.
Her fingers were pressing so hard into his shoulders, marks were beginning to appear.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Zelgadis dear!" she apologized quickly.
"No problem," he said with a wince.
"This really was a good idea Miss Lina had, wasn't it?" she asked him, resuming her
massage.
"Heh…I have to admit it was," he told her. He looked up at her. "I'm glad you're feeling
better."
"I guess it was just stress," she told him. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Zelgadis dear, I could tell. You're worried about Zero and Greysword, aren't you?" Her
voice was tinted with concern.
"I still have no idea why they would be looking for me," he confessed. "And…for some
reason…I have this feeling that I know her from somewhere."
"Well, I'm sure we'll come up with something," she told him. "Now, why don't you do my
back?"
He blushed again and coughed. "Sure…"
Greysword watched as a pigeon landed on Scarrin's shoulder. The tall man reached up
and grasped the bird in his hand, pulling the small capsule from its leg. He opened the capsule and
removed the small note inside.
"Something?" Zero asked.
Scarrin crushed the note into a ball and tossed it away. "Six days," he muttered.
"Greywords is in a town six days from here."
Greysword growled. "Great," she muttered. "In the six days it takes us to get there, he can
be anywhere in the world."
"Do we have anyone close enough to take him?" Zero asked.
"No," Scarrin said lazily, obviously deep in thought. He looked at them. "What we need
to do is slow them down long enough for us to get there."
"And how do we do that?" Greysword asked.
Scarrin smiled. "With the help of an old associate."
"Oi. Zelgadis. Can I talk to you?"
Gourry's voice was hushed as he waylaid the chimera by the door to the restaurant.
(Gourry wants to talk?) Zelgadis thought. (Let me put my thinking cap on…) He finally
just nodded.
"Not here," the blonde swordsman said. He looked from side to side. "Let's go for a
walk."
(And now I'm worried,) the chimera thought. "Sure." He waved to the three women who
had gotten ahead of them and were already picking out a table. "Oi! Gourry and I are going for a
quick walk! We'll be back in a bit!"
"They're up to something," Lina told Sylphiel and Amelia darkly.
"I'm sure they just want to…" Sylphiel began, but failed to come up with a good excuse
and shrugged. They watched as the two men disappeared out the door.
Silence fell over the table. Each of the three women kept to their own thoughts. This
worked fine while they were eating, but afterwards it just got ridiculous.
"Okay!" Lina cried suddenly. "Someone, I don't care who, talk!"
"Talk about what?" Amelia asked.
"ANYTHING!!"
"Hmmm….Surely there's something," Sylphiel told them. "Some common interest or
passion we all share. Something we can just sit around and discuss. There's art, literature,
music…"
"Justice!" Amelia threw in.
They all sat there quietly for another moment.
"Okay, how about this?" Lina asked and began.
Scarrin took one last look at the circle he had drawn in the dirt and stood back.
"A summoner's circle," Zero noted. "You're going to ask the Mazoku for help."
The man nodded and closed his eyes, beginning a chant.
"This isn't a good idea," Greysword spoke up. "We have enough monsters to deal with
without INVITING one here."
The circle began to darken, smoke began rising from its edges. This smoke gave way to
flame, and soon a pillar of fire contained by the circle was blazing high into the sky.
Greysword actually fell back on her butt, her hand going to her sword. It was incredible.
"Sweet Cepheid," she gasped. "Who are you calling?! Shabranigdo himself?!"
The fire died down and became smoke again, smoke that blew away with a sudden gust of
wind, revealing…
A house cat.
Yes, you read right.
An ordinary, black and white housecat.
"A cat," Greysword remarked, climbing to her feet. She threw her arms wide. "Why
didn't I think of that?!" she asked sarcastically.
The cat shook his head and groaned. "And once again a HUMAN completely misses the
point." Greysword blinked.
"Vanya, my dear," Scarrin said. "Be a dear and find Gandrav for me. He's scouting up
ahead, down the road a bit."
Greysword only nodded and gave the cat one last look before walking off.
"Scarrin," the cat began. "You're looking…human."
Scarrin looked down at the cat. "How is Beastmaster Metallium these days?"
"Get to the deal, Scarrin," the cat spoke up in annoyance. "I haven't got all day."
"Five hundred years ago I did you a favor, Callisto," Scarrin replied, his tone level, but
serious. "Time to collect."
"And?" Callisto asked.
"Six days east of us is a town. Lina Inverse's party is there…"
"Forget it," the cat said quickly. "No five hundred year old favor is worth dying for."
"Relax. I'm not asking for much. They don't even have to know you were there." Scarrin
smiled.
Callisto arched a furry eyebrow. "Go on."
"We need time to catch up to them. You don't need to know why. All I want you to do…is
wound one of them. I don't care which. That will keep them in that town long enough for us to get
there."
Callisto thought on it. "Then you and I are even?"
Scarrin nodded. "Then we're even. Better, you could say. Once I do catch up with them,
Lina Inverse will most certainly end up dying. Then you can claim a portion of the success for
yourself. You and I will be even, and Metallium will owe you one."
The cat turned away and thought it over. After a minute's thought, he turned back. "Very
well. The town…Saldellia?" Scarrin nodded. "All right. I'll buy you your six days. No more."
With that, the cat disappeared.
"Zero, I want as many men and as much equipment as can be gathered in one hour made
ready. We're leaving."
"And you haven't TALKED to her about it since then?" Zelgadis asked in amazement.
"No," Gourry told him. "At first I didn't know what to do. Then she seemed to go back to
being herself for awhile. Now she seems…I don't know…sad…angry…I just don't know what
I'm supposed to say."
"So why are you asking me?" the chimera asked.
"You know about women," Gourry told him matter-of-factly.
"Since when?!" Zelgadis asked, blinking confusedly.
"Well, you and Sylphiel are together, right?"
"Well…yeah, but that doesn't mean…"
"Please, Zel!" Gourry begged. "One wrong move and she'll fry me! You KNOW how she
is!"
Zelgadis sighed. "Gourry, you're asking me to guide you on something concerning LINA
based on what I know of SYLPHIEL…Doesn't that strike you as wrong?"
"ANYTHING will help!"
The chimera sighed again. "Well… Why don't you just TALK to her? It's not like she's
shy…"
"Yeah, but what do I say?"
"How should I know?!"
Gourry sighed and hung his head. "It's hopeless. I'm doomed."
"Well…she DID kiss you. Maybe that was supposed to be a HINT," the chimera
prompted him. Gourry didn't answer. "Gourry, let me be honest. I know less about how women
work than YOU do." The swordsman whimpered. "Maybe Sylphiel could help you…"
Gourry looked up hopefully. "Think I could ask her!?"
"I don't see how it could hurt."
The two had walked a circuit around the inn and were just now coming back to the
restaurant. The sounds of a 'conversation' floated from the doorway as diners left in large groups.
Lina was making a well-fashioned point as they walked up.
"YOU MUST BE OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND!!!" they heard her cry.
Zelgadis and Gourry sighed and opened the door.
"Oh! There they go! THERE THEY GO!" Lina cried, out of her seat and gesturing wildly
with her hand. "EVERY time I start talking about boxing, a Seyruunian has to pull Rat Sacram out
of the sky! That's their one! That's their one! 'Rat Sacram!' 'Rat Sacram!' Let me tell you
something! Rat Sacram was good! But next to Van Bacov, Rat Sacram was NOTHING!"
Amelia, seated across the table with her hands folded over her chest smiled. "He beat Van
Bacov's ass," she sang.
Lina opened her mouth for another tirade, but Sylphiel beat her to it. "That's right, Miss
Lina, he DID beat Van Bacov…"
The sorceress looked at her, betrayed. "VAN BACOV WAS TWO-HUNDRED AND
SEVENTY FIVE YEARS OLD!!!!"
"I don't know how old he was," Amelia told her smugly. "But he got his butt pounded."
"VAN BACOV WAS TWO-HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE WHEN HE FOUGHT
RAT SACRAM! HE CAME OUT OF RETIREMENT TO DO IT!"
Amelia arched an eyebrow. "So you DO admit, he got his butt kicked…"
Lina grit her teeth and clenched her fists. Before she could say anything, however, they
were interrupted.
Amelia cried out in surprise as something small and furry hopped up into her lap. She
blinked down at the intruder and smiled. "Hello there, little kitty cat," she cooed. "Are you
looking for scraps? Huh?" She reached down and started scratching the black and white housecat
behind the ears. The cat started to purr.
"Well, I happen to think that both boxers possess a great amount of skill," Sylphiel put in,
trying to diffuse a potential argument.
"YOU'RE A BALBOA FAN! HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?!" Lina cried.
"Miss Lina!" Amelia began sternly. "You're taking this far too seriously." She cried out
and hissed a moment later. The cat jumped off her lap and ran out the door.
"Miss Amelia?" Sylphiel asked in concern.
"That cat scratched me!" Amelia complained, looking down at the tiny red mark on her
hand dejectedly.
"I guess he's not a boxing fan," Sylphiel told her with a smile.
"We leave for five minutes…" Zelgadis sighed.
Sylphiel's eyes snapped open, and she gasped in fright. She looked down and found that
the book she had been reading was resting on her chest. No one was around. She was back in her
room, sitting in a chair.
Another dream…She must have fallen asleep…
There was a knock on the door. She quickly wiped the sweat from her brow and called for
whoever it was to come in. Gourry opened the door and poked his head inside. "Sylphiel? Can I
talk to you?"
"Of course, Gourry," she replied, putting on a smile.
"Amelia, are you okay?" Lina asked while removing her cape and hanging it on a peg in
the wall of their room.
Sitting on her bed, Amelia's hand went to her forehead and wiped away the dampness
there. "I'm just not feeling so great, Miss Lina," the princess replied.
Lina looked over her young sidekick and hmm'd. Amelia's face was pale, and the girl was
coughing every few minutes. "You should turn in. Get some rest," she told her.
"Yeah," Amelia told her, giving in immediately. "I think I'll do that."
As the young girl climbed under the covers, not even bothering to undress, there was a
knock at the door. Lina threw one last concerned look at Amelia before opening it to find Gourry
standing there.
"Hi, Gourry," she said deadpan.
The swordsman stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. Sylphiel's words came
back to him a moment later.
("Women like flowers,") she had said. ("So before you see her, you should…")
(Oh! Right!)
He thrust his hand out, a bouquet of daisies clenched in his fingers…dirt still clinging to the
roots.
Lina arched an eyebrow. "Gourry? Did you take those from the inn's front window flower
box?"
The swordsman sweatdropped.
A tiny Sylphiel appeared on his shoulder. "Ask her to take a walk," she prompted.
"Take a walk," Gourry said quickly.
"Excuse me?" Lina asked darkly.
"I mean!" he blurted. "Would you…like to…walk…um…go for a walk…with me?"
The sorceress blinked. (Oh, Cepheid, is he trying to be SUAVE?!) She stared at him for a
moment. He looked scared out of his mind.
Perfect.
"Sure, Gourry," she said with a bright smile.
In her rush, she didn't give Amelia another thought.
"Quick, what do I do now?" Gourry whispered to the tiny Sylphiel sitting on his shoulder
as he and Lina walked into the inn's small garden. Rose bushes lined the cobblestone pathway,
and fireflies could be seen glowing in the dusk's dim light.
The chibi-Sylphiel put her finger to her lip in thought. "You should compliment her on her
looks," she advised.
"Oh, right," he said, suddenly remembering. He turned to the redhead and cleared his
throat. "You…look nice tonight…Lina," he said slowly.
Lina gave him a half-smile, more at his nervousness than the compliment itself, which she
had to admit was nice. "Thank you, Gourry."
There was silence for a few minutes. Gourry waited for her to say something. Hell, by
now he would've been thrilled if she YELLED at him. At least that was normal…for Lina
anyway. He turned back to the Chibi-Sylphiel. "Now what?" he whispered.
"Hmmm," she replied. "I guess there really should've been small talk by now, huh?"
"You mean you don't know what to do next?!" Gourry hissed in panic.
The Chibi-Sylphiel waved her hands out in front of her and sweatdropped frantically.
"No! I didn't say that! It's okay! It's okay!" She thought for a moment. "I know! Skip to the
finale!"
"What finale?!"
"Serenade her!"
Gourry's eyes narrowed. "I still don't think that will actually work…"
"Women like it when handsome men sing for them. I know I do." She smiled.
"What can I sing?!" he asked, beginning to panic again.
"Zelgadis dear sometimes plays the guitar for me," Chibi-Sylphiel told him.
"I can't play the guitar!"
Meanwhile, Lina watched, blinking, as Gourry argued with his shoulder. "Um…Gourry?"
"Where am I going to get a banjo or a set of drums at this time of night!?" Gourry shot back
at his shoulder. "I'm telling you, it won't….But, I… It's not going…" He sighed. "Fine…"
"I'm not sure what's weirder," Lina whispered to herself. "Gourry arguing with his
shoulder, or the fact that he appears to be losing…"
The tiny Xellos and Filia suddenly appeared on her shoulders. "You're one to talk!" they
accused her simultaneously.
"Ack!"
"Lina." She turned back to Gourry and found him looking down at her seriously.
"Um…Yeah?" she asked nervously.
The swordsman swallowed nervously, obviously rattled. He opened and closed his mouth
several times, trying to say something, but not sure what. Lina waited for him to begin, becoming
rather impatient…
Finally, a sound emerged from Gourry's mouth.
"You never close your eyes…anymore when I kiss….your lips…" he sang.
(No…uh uh…This is NOT happening…) she thought.
"Oh! That is so sweet!" Chibi-Filia cried, squealing in delight.
"Phhht! I could do better!" Chibi-Xellos bragged.
"Um…Gourry?" Lina began.
"There's no tenderness…anymore in your finger…tips…" Gourry sang, Chibi-Sylphiel
singing along from his shoulder, her hands clasped and her eyes closed. "You're trying hard not to
show it…"
"Bay-bee!" Chibi-Sylphiel, Chibi-Xellos, and Chibi-Filia sang out.
"But baby! Believe me, I know it!" Gourry continued to sing. "You've lost…that lov…"
"Gourry! Gourry stop!" Lina begged, grabbing him by the front of his armor.
"Just…stop…" she asked quietly.
He looked down at her for a minute. She still had a hold of his armor. "I'm sorry, Lina,"
he said quietly. "I should've said something then…when you…"
She gripped his armor tightly. "Say something now," she said quietly. "Forget…forget
before. If you have something…something you NEED to say, then say it!" Gourry said nothing,
unable to form words. "I'd rather hear something…I wouldn't want to hear…than hear nothing at
all," she said quietly.
The swordsman stared down at her, remembering a young, brash girl he once met. That
brash, young girl had grown into a brash young woman. He had promised to take her to Atlas City,
and that was it. From that promise he had become her guide, her protector, and her friend.
"I don't want to be your protector anymore," he told her quietly.
She tensed. With his tone so serious, it could still be taken two ways.
"It's…not enough anymore," he finished.
(Dammit!) her mind cried. (Say something concrete! Who are you?! Xellos?!)
He placed his hands on her shoulders. Chibi Xellos and Chibi Filia squeaked and moved
out of the way. "Lina, I…"
"Kiss her, you clod!" Chibi Sylphiel and Chibi Filia cried out at the same time, wiping
their eyes with hankies.
"Yareyare," Chibi Xellos said, shaking his head.
"Gourry," she breathed. She found herself rising to her tiptoes as he leaned down.
Chibi Filia and Chibi Sylphiel hugged themselves and squealed in delight.
"Do you mind?" Lina and Gourry asked their respective shoulders.
"Sorry," the two manifestations replied. A moment later, all three of the tiny guides
disappeared in a puff of smoke.
The two turned back to one another. "Ever feel like everyone's watching you?" Lina
asked him. Gourry only nodded. The sorceress took a breath. "Well…no one's watching now…"
Gathering all the resolve she could, she leaned up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and did
what she did best…
She acted without thinking.
Zelgadis yawned and looked out the window at the moon. It was almost midnight. He put
his cards down. "Sylphiel, it's late," he said. "And Lina wants to leave early tomorrow morning.
We really should try to get some sleep."
Sylphiel looked up from her cards and frowned. She picked up the remaining cards lying
on their bed and put them away. He watched her move. Her normal grace seemed to be replaced
by slow, exhausted movements. It was obvious she was tired. She stood up and replaced the
playing cards in her pack, turning and smoothing out her purple nightgown before approaching the
bed.
As she climbed in under the covers, Zelgadis leaned over and blew out the lamp, settling in
for a good night's sleep. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. That's when he felt it. Sylphiel
was caressing his face.
He smiled but did his best to ignore her advances. "Sylphiel," he warned. "Sleep." She
responded by leaning over and kissing him. "Sylphiel…"
She didn't say anything, but continued to kiss his lips then down to his neck. "Zelgadis
dear," she whispered between kisses. "Just for a little while?"
Something about the tone of her voice struck him as wrong. He turned to her and stopped
her from kissing him, looking at her face. "What is it?" he asked seriously.
He could still make out her silhouette in the dark, could almost see the tears in her eyes.
"I…I don't want to sleep," she told him haltingly. "I'm…scared." He sat up in bed and waited for
her to continue. "I know what will happen as soon as I fall asleep, Zelgadis dear. I… Can't we
just stay up for awhile longer?"
"You're exhausted," he told her. "You need to sleep."
"I can't!" she cried. "How do I close my eyes when I know a nightmare is waiting for me
on the other side!?"
He took a breath, and she hugged him, searching for protection in his embrace. The
chimera thought silently for several minutes, then spoke again. "There might be something we can
do for tonight."
"What?"
"I could put you in a dreamweaver spell," he told her. She pulled away and looked at him,
waiting for him to continue. "It's an astral spell that lets the caster control the dreams of whoever
he's casting the spell on."
"Why didn't you mention this to me before?" she asked.
"Because it's not safe to use more than once or twice," he replied gruffly. "It's not
designed to help people, Sylphiel. It's a torture spell. You put someone under a deep sleep, then
torment them with their worst nightmares. Because of the spell, the sleeping person can't wake up
on their own. Only the caster can snap them out of it. Too long in a dreamweaver and your astral
pattern will start seeing the dream as reality."
"I…see…"
"But I can put you under tonight. Make it so you can choose and control what dream you
experience."
"Please. Do it," she begged.
"We could only do it once safely," he warned her.
"Please, Zelgadis dear," she said softly. "I haven't had a full night's sleep in more than a
week. If I don't get some rest soon, I'm going to go crazy."
He nodded. "Lie back," he ordered her. The priestess laid back, resting her head on her
pillow. "Now remember," he reminded her quietly, "You can't wake up until I break the spell, so
be careful about what you choose to dream about."
Sylphiel nodded at him. "I know what to dream of." She smiled.
Zelgadis placed his hand on her forehead and began to chant. "Floating spirits of the
dream world, hear my call…"
The shrine maiden closed her eyes and let the soothing sound of Zelgadis' chat lull her to
sleep. (Thank you, Zelgadis dear,) she thought as she descended into the darkness of sleep.
The chimera finished his chant and opened his eyes to see Sylphiel sleeping peacefully, her
chest rising and falling slowly. He smiled. "Sleep well, Syl chan."
He climbed back under the covers and held her as she slept.
It was almost five in the morning when Lina finally returned to her room. She snuck in
quietly, afraid of waking the sleeping princess in the other bed. She reached her own soft bed,
took a breath, then spun around and gave a soft squeal of victory, falling back and landing on her
mattress.
She sighed and giggled like a schoolgirl. Yeah, she knew she sounded ridiculous, but she
didn't care. Most other girls her age did it daily. Tonight, she was entitled.
Okay, so a lot was going to change. So what? Change was good! Change was healthy!
And when you thought about it, it wasn't as if THAT much was going to change. She and Gourry
were already practically living together. So what if they…kissed occasionally…
Or…maybe slept in the same sleeping roll?
Or…maybe…just every once in awhile…………….snuggled?
…
Okay, but kissing was fine!
She took a deep, cleansing breath and smiled.
That's when she heard it.
Wheezing.
She blinked and turned her head, looking over at Amelia's bed. The sound was coming
from there. Lina stood up and tip-toed over to the young sorceress. The wheezing was loud and
wet, a tortured sound.
"Amelia?" Lina whispered. She reached out and gently pulled the covers down from over
Amelia's face, bathing the princess' features in moonlight coming in through the window.
Amelia's face was dead white. Sweat coated her face, and dark circles were under her
eyes. Her breath came in short, wheezing gasps. Lina quickly put her hand to the girl's head, and
her eyes went wide in shock. Amelia was practically on fire; her fever was so high.
Lina quickly covered the girl up again and bit her lip. "Hold on," she whispered. "I'll go
get Sylphiel." She wasn't sure if Amelia was conscious or not, but wanted to reassure her
nonetheless.
Without another word, Lina quickly ran out the door and down the hall to the room she
knew Zelgadis and Sylphiel were sharing. Whatever Amelia had come down with, she needed
more than the tiny bit of healing magic Lina knew. She needed a healer priestess like Sylphiel…
And she needed one NOW.
She stopped outside their door and began knocking loudly. "Sylphiel?" she called through
the door. "Zelgadis?"
The sounds of someone stirring inside floated through the oak door. After a few moments,
Zelgadis opened the door, sleepily rubbing his eyes. "Lina? What is it?"
"Amelia's sick," she said, getting straight to the point. "I think there's something really
wrong with her. I think Sylphiel should take a look at her."
The chimera nodded. "Come in," he said. "I'll wake her up."
Lina walked into the inn suite and blinked at the sight. She thought her pounding on the
door and yelling would've waked the dead, and yet Sylphiel was lying on the bed, snoring
peacefully. "Zel?" she asked.
Zelgadis sat on the bed next to the priestess and touched her forehead. "She's in a
dreamweaver spell," he explained. "It was the only way to give her a good night's sleep."
She nodded and waited patiently for Zelgadis to snap Sylphiel out of it.
The chimera whispered a few words, then snapped his fingers in front of Sylphiel's face.
Nothing.
He blinked and rechanted the spell. At the end, he snapped his fingers again.
Still nothing.
"What is it?" Lina asked.
He shook his head. "She's not waking up."
"What?!"
"She's not waking up!" Zelgadis repeated in a louder voice.
"She has to!" Lina cried. She rushed over to the priestess and took her by the shoulders.
"Come on, Sylphiel! Snap out of it!"
Zelgadis touched Sylphiel's forehead and closed his eyes, trying to detect her astral
presence. He opened his eyes again. "I don't believe it."
"What?!"
The chimera shook his head in shock. "It's her. It's Sylphiel. It's not that she can't wake
up…"
Lina waited for him to finish. Finally, he looked up at her.
"It's that she WON'T wake up…"
To Be Continued…
Author's Notes:
Okay, borrowed a couple of things for this chapter. "You've Lost that Loving Feeling" belongs to
the Righteous Brothers, not Gourry, believe it or not. ^_^ Also, for those of you who found that
boxing argument strangely familiar, you're right. The argument was inspired by the barbers in
"Coming To America."
LINA: What we need is some R and R!
AMELIA: I agree! The fight for justice requires high morale! That being the case, we've all gone
to a little resort town to unwind!
ZELGADIS: Do I REALLY have to wear this ridiculous swimsuit?
SYLPHIEL: But it looks so KAWAII on you, Zelgadis dear!
LINA: Ah…I truly am a genius…Nothing bad can happen to us here…
Faces: After!
Part 10
Splash!
National Inverse's Vacation!
"Please? Trust me?"
Zelgadis looked at the man, unsure of what to do. Behind him, Lina, Gourry, Amelia, and
Sylphiel watched on, ready to assist however they could.
"Zelgadis dear?" Sylphiel asked quietly.
The chimera looked at the yellow-eyed man. Sylphiel watched fearfully as he reached out
to him. The yellow-eyed man smiled and took Zelgadis' hand. Suddenly, the chimera's eyes went
wide.
"Zelgadis dear?!" Sylphiel cried.
A black mist seemed to reach out of the yellow-eyed man's sleeve and snake its way up
Zelgadis' arm. The chimera tried to pull away, but the man had him firmly in his grasp. Within
seconds, black mist surrounded Zelgadis, choking off his screams of terror.
They watched in fright as the smoke was drawn back into the man. Zelgadis was gone.
Sylphiel covered her mouth with her hands and screamed…
"ZELGADIS DEAR!!"
Sylphiel shot bolt upright in bed, panting, her hand to her chest. Her nightgown was wet.
Looking down she saw that her entire body was coated with sweat. She felt someone stir next to
her and turned to see Zelgadis sitting up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Sylphiel? What's wrong?"
She stared at him for a few seconds, then hugged him tightly, crying her eyes out.
"Sylphiel?!"
"Don't trust him!" she cried, squeezing him even tighter. "No matter what he offers you!
No matter what he tells you! Don't trust him!"
"Who?" he asked.
"The man with yellow eyes," she wept softly. "Don't trust him, please, Zelgadis dear!
Don't trust him!"
Zelgadis, still half asleep and groggy, could only blink.
"Please," she begged softly, tears running down her face.
"Okay," he said quietly, wrapping his arms around her. "Okay, I won't. I promise," he
told her in what he hoped was a soothing tone of voice. She held him tightly and continued to cry.
"What happened?" he asked her.
"I…I saw…a…" She paused and took a breath, trying to collect her thoughts. "A man
with…with yellow eyes, and he…He…"
Zelgadis waited for her to continue. After a few moments of silence, she looked up at him
in confusion.
"I don't remember," she whispered. "I can't remember any of it!"
The sun had not yet risen though TECHNICALLY it was morning. Torches lit the small
riverside dock, illuminating the ferry barge that slowly approached them.
Greysword took a breath and rested her hand on her katana's hilt. The wood of the ferry's
hull made a clunking sound as it came into contact with the dock. Zero stepped in front of her and
knelt, facing the ferry, his head bowed. Greysword made no move to mimic him. Zero could
consider Scarrin some kind of lord if he liked. To her she was just a man.
The man who stepped off the ferry almost looked like any other traveler, though he seemed
to favor wearing black and grey, giving him a more sinister look. His light brown hair was cut
short and neat. He carried no luggage, but aside from that Greysword might have taken him for any
of a thousand men who wander the continent. Except for one detail…
His yellow eyes.
They were feline, almost like tiger's eyes. Sharp and predatory. It was these eyes that
found Zero kneeling there.
"You call me…and tell me that Greywords is in Borden," the man said casually. "And
then you call me and tell me he's not." Zero tensed but said nothing. "I'm beginning to see how
Rezo was so easily beaten," the man finished tiredly.
Zero took a breath, but still remained silent.
"And you, my dear," he continued, walking toward Greysword. "Any worse for wear for
your ordeal?"
"No, thank you," she told him.
He smiled. "Excellent. Excellent," he whispered. "Well, you did manage to find him, at
least. That's a start."
"How do you want us to proceed?" Zero asked, his head still bowed.
The man turned back to him as if realizing he was there for the first time. "It's obvious that
you need help," he told the priest. "I'll come along personally…Along with an old associate." He
looked to the ferry and crooked a finger. Something stepped off the ferry and approached. A black
hood concealed most of its face, but its paws and feet could be seen…as well as a portion of its
snout.
Greysword took a breath.
"Mister Gandrav is a tracker of impeccable skill," the man informed them. "As you know,
Zero, I'm sure."
"Yes, Lord Scarrin."
The werewolf, Gandrav, snarled.
(They're….eating…Like…people…)
That was all that could go through Amelia's mind as she watched Lina and Gourry, sitting
across from each other at the table, eating breakfast…
Like regular people.
No fighting. No lunges for each other's food. No speaking with their mouths full.
If she closed her eyes…she could almost imagine they were two different people…
She watched as they both reached for the last sausage and braced herself hopefully. (Here
it comes!) she thought.
They both noticed they were going for the same piece of meat at the same time and
withdrew their hands. "You can have it," Lina told him.
"No, please," Gourry replied. "Go ahead."
"Um…I'm full," Lina said, standing up. "I'm…going to check out." She turned and
walked out of the inn's restaurant.
"Mister Gourry," Amelia said quietly. "I'm scared."
The swordsman looked on as the sorceress walked out of sight. She had been so distant the
last four days. He wondered what he had done. Maybe he should have done or said something
when she kissed him. He sighed.
What was he going to do?
Four days.
She had kissed him four days ago, and he still hadn't done anything. He hadn't even
MENTIONED it since then. She didn't want to push him or seem too eager, but it was almost as if
he didn't care; that if he had his way, he'd sooner forget it happened and move on.
(Pudding for brains…) she thought.
"Lina?"
She turned and saw Zelgadis standing behind her.
"Can I talk to you?"
"Sure, Zel. What's wrong?" she asked, glad to have something to think about besides her
own problem for awhile.
Zelgadis looked over at the stairs, then took Lina's arm and led her into another room
before beginning. "I think there's something wrong with Sylphiel."
She blinked at him. "What do you mean?"
The chimera seemed hesitant to continue, but did anyway. "The past few days she's been
waking up in the middle of the night…crying…" Lina listened, concern crossing her face.
"Sometimes actually SCREAMING," he went on. "She tells me about these dreams she's been
having, but she can't remember more than bits or pieces of them."
"Dreams about what?" she asked.
"A man with yellow eyes," he told her. "Who kills me."
"That doesn't sound like your average, run of the mill, irrational nightmare," she told him
quietly. "Especially after what's been happening the last couple of weeks."
"I'm worried about her, Lina," he said in a whisper. "It's happened every night for three
days now. And afterward it's almost impossible for her to go back to sleep. I think it's starting to
affect her."
"Okay, Zel. I'll talk to her."
He put a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Lina."
She gave him a reassuring smile and nodded. Zelgadis turned as he heard Sylphiel's voice
in the next room calling for him. He gave Lina a final nod and left the room.
The redhead sighed. Everyone was so on edge lately. She had thought that it was just her
and Gourry feeling it, now it turns out that Sylphiel's having nightmares, Amelia is probably still
feeling lousy, and she had never seen Zelgadis so concerned about anything in years.
What they really needed was a vacation. A way to rest and relax. She blinked. Wait a
sec… Wasn't there a resort town three days from them?
With the beginnings of an idea in her head, Lina marched back to the restauraunt.
"LOOK OUT BELOW!!!" Gourry cried as he jumped from the top diving platform, pulled
his legs up to his chest, and crashed into the pool's blue water with a humongous splash. Sitting at
a table covered by a large umbrella, Lina cringed as the water from the splash hit her.
"GOURRY! YOU ARE SO DEAD!" she screamed.
The swordsman grinned and waved from the pool. "If you wanna get me back, Lina, you
have to come into the pool!" He stuck his tongue out at her and made a face.
Lina growled and clenched her fists. Suddenly, she started to smile. "Says who?" she
asked. She snapped her fingers. "Aqua Create!"
Gourry cried out as he was suddenly drenched by a flood of water that just appeared in the
air around him.
That taken care of, Lina sat down again and adjusted the shoulder straps on her red, one-
piece bathing suit. Sitting across the table from her, still in his tan travelling clothes, Zelgadis took
a sip of his tea and shook his head.
Lying on a lawn chair not far away, Amelia adjusted her sunglasses and sighed contentedly,
soaking up the sun's rays in her white bathing suit. "This was such a great idea, Miss Lina," she
said lazily as she brought her blue, tropical daiquiri to her lips and took a sip.
Zelgadis was ambivalent about this trip. On one hand, they seemed to need it. On the
other, it was still a delay, and Zero and Greysword were still out there. Even so, if this helped
Sylphiel, he was willing to give it a shot.
As if thinking of her made her appear, he heard her voice call out to him from his right.
"Zelgadis dear!"
He turned and saw her approaching, wearing a purple one-piece bathing suit. She smiled
and waved as she walked up to him. The chimera could only blink and blush. He knew that
Sylphiel was a lovely young woman, but in that bathing suit, it was even more obvious.
"Zelgadis dear! Where's your bathing suit?" she asked, blinking.
He chuckled, holding up his hand to show off the rock skin. "No point to one."
She grabbed his hand and started pulling. "Nonsense! You're the only one in those hot
clothes! Come on!" She continued to tug him out of his chair.
"Er…Sylphiel…"
"No buts," she told him. "At the very least you can get some sun!" She managed to pull
him out of his chair and towards the inn's sport shop.
Lina smiled and tried to contain her laughter. She turned and saw Gourry still splashing
around the pool. She thought for a moment and stood up, taking a few quick steps and diving into
the pool. She swam under the water right up to the blonde and grabbed his legs, giving them a hard
pull off his feet. He fell with a splash.
The swordsman broke the surface and sputtered. "Oi! Lina! No fair!" He splashed her to
get even. She laughed and dived again.
Gourry climbed out of the pool and shook his head. "I'm going for another dive…"
Without thinking, Lina leapt up out of the water, reached out…
And pantsed Gourry.
For several seconds…the world stopped spinning.
At that point, two women on the other side of the pool gave Gourry a wolf whistle and a
cheer. Gourry responded by crying out and falling back into the pool, his swimming trunks around
his ankles. He stood up in the water a moment later. "LINA!!"
Unfortunately, he was in the shallow end, and considering how tall Gourry is, that meant
that the water only came up to his…
Lina turned beet red and turned away quickly, blushing furiously.
Gourry screamed again and reached down, pulling his trunks up. His face was as red as a
tomato. Lina was still looking away, so embarrassed she thought she was going to faint.
The only thing that saved them from that embarrassing situation was the reappearance of
Sylphiel, leading a frowning Zelgadis back to the pool area. Why the chimera was frowning was
soon painfully obvious. As promised, Zelgadis was now wearing swim trunks…
With cute little duckies sewn onto them.
Lina was still red, but she was red from trying to hold back laughter.
She didn't stay red that long…
Neither did Gourry or Amelia. They laughed hysterically. Now it was Zelgadis' turn to
turn crimson. Sylphiel blinked in puzzlement.
"What?" she asked. "What's so funny?"
The chimera growled. "It was all they had left."
Lina opened her mouth to reply, but ended up in another laughing fit instead.
Sylphiel hmmph'd. "I think they're adorable!"
They laughed harder.
Zelgadis sighed and gave up. He turned and sat back down in the chair he had occupied
earlier.
"What is so wrong with cute little duckies?!" Sylphiel cried at them. As they continued to
laugh, she sniffed and turned, walking to the table and taking a seat in a lawn chair between
Amelia and Zelgadis.
She picked up the bottle of sunscreen Amelia had used and applied it to her arms and legs.
(Hmmph!) she thought to herself. (Laughing at cute little duckies! What's next?!) Looking up,
she saw that Zelgadis was doing pretty much what he was doing before, sitting at the table, reading
over a book.
"Zelgadis dear," she began in her protective-lecture tone. "You should put on some
sunscreen."
"I don't think stone can burn, Sylphiel," he reminded her.
"That makes no difference at all! It's part of the experience!" She got up and approached
him, taking up position behind him and pouring some of the sunscreen into her hand. Before he
could protest, she was rubbing it into his shoulders. "There!" she said in victory.
The chimera began to turn red as Sylphiel's hands rubbed more of the lotion into his stone
skin. "Um…Thank you…"
"Good. When I'm done, you can do my back."
Zelgadis swallowed nervously. He still wasn't quite comfortable with public acts of
affection. Sylphiel, on the other hand, had no problem at all with them. But, she seemed happier,
so he was willing to meet her halfway.
Sylphiel continued to massage his shoulders, but something caught her eye. Those two
women who had whistled at Gourry before were now looking at Zelgadis and smiling. They
giggled girlishly and winked at him…. And by "him" that meant HER Zelgadis dear…
She heard Zelgadis gasp quietly under her hands and looked down to find him wincing.
Her fingers were pressing so hard into his shoulders, marks were beginning to appear.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Zelgadis dear!" she apologized quickly.
"No problem," he said with a wince.
"This really was a good idea Miss Lina had, wasn't it?" she asked him, resuming her
massage.
"Heh…I have to admit it was," he told her. He looked up at her. "I'm glad you're feeling
better."
"I guess it was just stress," she told him. "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Zelgadis dear, I could tell. You're worried about Zero and Greysword, aren't you?" Her
voice was tinted with concern.
"I still have no idea why they would be looking for me," he confessed. "And…for some
reason…I have this feeling that I know her from somewhere."
"Well, I'm sure we'll come up with something," she told him. "Now, why don't you do my
back?"
He blushed again and coughed. "Sure…"
Greysword watched as a pigeon landed on Scarrin's shoulder. The tall man reached up
and grasped the bird in his hand, pulling the small capsule from its leg. He opened the capsule and
removed the small note inside.
"Something?" Zero asked.
Scarrin crushed the note into a ball and tossed it away. "Six days," he muttered.
"Greywords is in a town six days from here."
Greysword growled. "Great," she muttered. "In the six days it takes us to get there, he can
be anywhere in the world."
"Do we have anyone close enough to take him?" Zero asked.
"No," Scarrin said lazily, obviously deep in thought. He looked at them. "What we need
to do is slow them down long enough for us to get there."
"And how do we do that?" Greysword asked.
Scarrin smiled. "With the help of an old associate."
"Oi. Zelgadis. Can I talk to you?"
Gourry's voice was hushed as he waylaid the chimera by the door to the restaurant.
(Gourry wants to talk?) Zelgadis thought. (Let me put my thinking cap on…) He finally
just nodded.
"Not here," the blonde swordsman said. He looked from side to side. "Let's go for a
walk."
(And now I'm worried,) the chimera thought. "Sure." He waved to the three women who
had gotten ahead of them and were already picking out a table. "Oi! Gourry and I are going for a
quick walk! We'll be back in a bit!"
"They're up to something," Lina told Sylphiel and Amelia darkly.
"I'm sure they just want to…" Sylphiel began, but failed to come up with a good excuse
and shrugged. They watched as the two men disappeared out the door.
Silence fell over the table. Each of the three women kept to their own thoughts. This
worked fine while they were eating, but afterwards it just got ridiculous.
"Okay!" Lina cried suddenly. "Someone, I don't care who, talk!"
"Talk about what?" Amelia asked.
"ANYTHING!!"
"Hmmm….Surely there's something," Sylphiel told them. "Some common interest or
passion we all share. Something we can just sit around and discuss. There's art, literature,
music…"
"Justice!" Amelia threw in.
They all sat there quietly for another moment.
"Okay, how about this?" Lina asked and began.
Scarrin took one last look at the circle he had drawn in the dirt and stood back.
"A summoner's circle," Zero noted. "You're going to ask the Mazoku for help."
The man nodded and closed his eyes, beginning a chant.
"This isn't a good idea," Greysword spoke up. "We have enough monsters to deal with
without INVITING one here."
The circle began to darken, smoke began rising from its edges. This smoke gave way to
flame, and soon a pillar of fire contained by the circle was blazing high into the sky.
Greysword actually fell back on her butt, her hand going to her sword. It was incredible.
"Sweet Cepheid," she gasped. "Who are you calling?! Shabranigdo himself?!"
The fire died down and became smoke again, smoke that blew away with a sudden gust of
wind, revealing…
A house cat.
Yes, you read right.
An ordinary, black and white housecat.
"A cat," Greysword remarked, climbing to her feet. She threw her arms wide. "Why
didn't I think of that?!" she asked sarcastically.
The cat shook his head and groaned. "And once again a HUMAN completely misses the
point." Greysword blinked.
"Vanya, my dear," Scarrin said. "Be a dear and find Gandrav for me. He's scouting up
ahead, down the road a bit."
Greysword only nodded and gave the cat one last look before walking off.
"Scarrin," the cat began. "You're looking…human."
Scarrin looked down at the cat. "How is Beastmaster Metallium these days?"
"Get to the deal, Scarrin," the cat spoke up in annoyance. "I haven't got all day."
"Five hundred years ago I did you a favor, Callisto," Scarrin replied, his tone level, but
serious. "Time to collect."
"And?" Callisto asked.
"Six days east of us is a town. Lina Inverse's party is there…"
"Forget it," the cat said quickly. "No five hundred year old favor is worth dying for."
"Relax. I'm not asking for much. They don't even have to know you were there." Scarrin
smiled.
Callisto arched a furry eyebrow. "Go on."
"We need time to catch up to them. You don't need to know why. All I want you to do…is
wound one of them. I don't care which. That will keep them in that town long enough for us to get
there."
Callisto thought on it. "Then you and I are even?"
Scarrin nodded. "Then we're even. Better, you could say. Once I do catch up with them,
Lina Inverse will most certainly end up dying. Then you can claim a portion of the success for
yourself. You and I will be even, and Metallium will owe you one."
The cat turned away and thought it over. After a minute's thought, he turned back. "Very
well. The town…Saldellia?" Scarrin nodded. "All right. I'll buy you your six days. No more."
With that, the cat disappeared.
"Zero, I want as many men and as much equipment as can be gathered in one hour made
ready. We're leaving."
"And you haven't TALKED to her about it since then?" Zelgadis asked in amazement.
"No," Gourry told him. "At first I didn't know what to do. Then she seemed to go back to
being herself for awhile. Now she seems…I don't know…sad…angry…I just don't know what
I'm supposed to say."
"So why are you asking me?" the chimera asked.
"You know about women," Gourry told him matter-of-factly.
"Since when?!" Zelgadis asked, blinking confusedly.
"Well, you and Sylphiel are together, right?"
"Well…yeah, but that doesn't mean…"
"Please, Zel!" Gourry begged. "One wrong move and she'll fry me! You KNOW how she
is!"
Zelgadis sighed. "Gourry, you're asking me to guide you on something concerning LINA
based on what I know of SYLPHIEL…Doesn't that strike you as wrong?"
"ANYTHING will help!"
The chimera sighed again. "Well… Why don't you just TALK to her? It's not like she's
shy…"
"Yeah, but what do I say?"
"How should I know?!"
Gourry sighed and hung his head. "It's hopeless. I'm doomed."
"Well…she DID kiss you. Maybe that was supposed to be a HINT," the chimera
prompted him. Gourry didn't answer. "Gourry, let me be honest. I know less about how women
work than YOU do." The swordsman whimpered. "Maybe Sylphiel could help you…"
Gourry looked up hopefully. "Think I could ask her!?"
"I don't see how it could hurt."
The two had walked a circuit around the inn and were just now coming back to the
restaurant. The sounds of a 'conversation' floated from the doorway as diners left in large groups.
Lina was making a well-fashioned point as they walked up.
"YOU MUST BE OUT OF YOUR DAMN MIND!!!" they heard her cry.
Zelgadis and Gourry sighed and opened the door.
"Oh! There they go! THERE THEY GO!" Lina cried, out of her seat and gesturing wildly
with her hand. "EVERY time I start talking about boxing, a Seyruunian has to pull Rat Sacram out
of the sky! That's their one! That's their one! 'Rat Sacram!' 'Rat Sacram!' Let me tell you
something! Rat Sacram was good! But next to Van Bacov, Rat Sacram was NOTHING!"
Amelia, seated across the table with her hands folded over her chest smiled. "He beat Van
Bacov's ass," she sang.
Lina opened her mouth for another tirade, but Sylphiel beat her to it. "That's right, Miss
Lina, he DID beat Van Bacov…"
The sorceress looked at her, betrayed. "VAN BACOV WAS TWO-HUNDRED AND
SEVENTY FIVE YEARS OLD!!!!"
"I don't know how old he was," Amelia told her smugly. "But he got his butt pounded."
"VAN BACOV WAS TWO-HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE WHEN HE FOUGHT
RAT SACRAM! HE CAME OUT OF RETIREMENT TO DO IT!"
Amelia arched an eyebrow. "So you DO admit, he got his butt kicked…"
Lina grit her teeth and clenched her fists. Before she could say anything, however, they
were interrupted.
Amelia cried out in surprise as something small and furry hopped up into her lap. She
blinked down at the intruder and smiled. "Hello there, little kitty cat," she cooed. "Are you
looking for scraps? Huh?" She reached down and started scratching the black and white housecat
behind the ears. The cat started to purr.
"Well, I happen to think that both boxers possess a great amount of skill," Sylphiel put in,
trying to diffuse a potential argument.
"YOU'RE A BALBOA FAN! HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?!" Lina cried.
"Miss Lina!" Amelia began sternly. "You're taking this far too seriously." She cried out
and hissed a moment later. The cat jumped off her lap and ran out the door.
"Miss Amelia?" Sylphiel asked in concern.
"That cat scratched me!" Amelia complained, looking down at the tiny red mark on her
hand dejectedly.
"I guess he's not a boxing fan," Sylphiel told her with a smile.
"We leave for five minutes…" Zelgadis sighed.
Sylphiel's eyes snapped open, and she gasped in fright. She looked down and found that
the book she had been reading was resting on her chest. No one was around. She was back in her
room, sitting in a chair.
Another dream…She must have fallen asleep…
There was a knock on the door. She quickly wiped the sweat from her brow and called for
whoever it was to come in. Gourry opened the door and poked his head inside. "Sylphiel? Can I
talk to you?"
"Of course, Gourry," she replied, putting on a smile.
"Amelia, are you okay?" Lina asked while removing her cape and hanging it on a peg in
the wall of their room.
Sitting on her bed, Amelia's hand went to her forehead and wiped away the dampness
there. "I'm just not feeling so great, Miss Lina," the princess replied.
Lina looked over her young sidekick and hmm'd. Amelia's face was pale, and the girl was
coughing every few minutes. "You should turn in. Get some rest," she told her.
"Yeah," Amelia told her, giving in immediately. "I think I'll do that."
As the young girl climbed under the covers, not even bothering to undress, there was a
knock at the door. Lina threw one last concerned look at Amelia before opening it to find Gourry
standing there.
"Hi, Gourry," she said deadpan.
The swordsman stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do. Sylphiel's words came
back to him a moment later.
("Women like flowers,") she had said. ("So before you see her, you should…")
(Oh! Right!)
He thrust his hand out, a bouquet of daisies clenched in his fingers…dirt still clinging to the
roots.
Lina arched an eyebrow. "Gourry? Did you take those from the inn's front window flower
box?"
The swordsman sweatdropped.
A tiny Sylphiel appeared on his shoulder. "Ask her to take a walk," she prompted.
"Take a walk," Gourry said quickly.
"Excuse me?" Lina asked darkly.
"I mean!" he blurted. "Would you…like to…walk…um…go for a walk…with me?"
The sorceress blinked. (Oh, Cepheid, is he trying to be SUAVE?!) She stared at him for a
moment. He looked scared out of his mind.
Perfect.
"Sure, Gourry," she said with a bright smile.
In her rush, she didn't give Amelia another thought.
"Quick, what do I do now?" Gourry whispered to the tiny Sylphiel sitting on his shoulder
as he and Lina walked into the inn's small garden. Rose bushes lined the cobblestone pathway,
and fireflies could be seen glowing in the dusk's dim light.
The chibi-Sylphiel put her finger to her lip in thought. "You should compliment her on her
looks," she advised.
"Oh, right," he said, suddenly remembering. He turned to the redhead and cleared his
throat. "You…look nice tonight…Lina," he said slowly.
Lina gave him a half-smile, more at his nervousness than the compliment itself, which she
had to admit was nice. "Thank you, Gourry."
There was silence for a few minutes. Gourry waited for her to say something. Hell, by
now he would've been thrilled if she YELLED at him. At least that was normal…for Lina
anyway. He turned back to the Chibi-Sylphiel. "Now what?" he whispered.
"Hmmm," she replied. "I guess there really should've been small talk by now, huh?"
"You mean you don't know what to do next?!" Gourry hissed in panic.
The Chibi-Sylphiel waved her hands out in front of her and sweatdropped frantically.
"No! I didn't say that! It's okay! It's okay!" She thought for a moment. "I know! Skip to the
finale!"
"What finale?!"
"Serenade her!"
Gourry's eyes narrowed. "I still don't think that will actually work…"
"Women like it when handsome men sing for them. I know I do." She smiled.
"What can I sing?!" he asked, beginning to panic again.
"Zelgadis dear sometimes plays the guitar for me," Chibi-Sylphiel told him.
"I can't play the guitar!"
Meanwhile, Lina watched, blinking, as Gourry argued with his shoulder. "Um…Gourry?"
"Where am I going to get a banjo or a set of drums at this time of night!?" Gourry shot back
at his shoulder. "I'm telling you, it won't….But, I… It's not going…" He sighed. "Fine…"
"I'm not sure what's weirder," Lina whispered to herself. "Gourry arguing with his
shoulder, or the fact that he appears to be losing…"
The tiny Xellos and Filia suddenly appeared on her shoulders. "You're one to talk!" they
accused her simultaneously.
"Ack!"
"Lina." She turned back to Gourry and found him looking down at her seriously.
"Um…Yeah?" she asked nervously.
The swordsman swallowed nervously, obviously rattled. He opened and closed his mouth
several times, trying to say something, but not sure what. Lina waited for him to begin, becoming
rather impatient…
Finally, a sound emerged from Gourry's mouth.
"You never close your eyes…anymore when I kiss….your lips…" he sang.
(No…uh uh…This is NOT happening…) she thought.
"Oh! That is so sweet!" Chibi-Filia cried, squealing in delight.
"Phhht! I could do better!" Chibi-Xellos bragged.
"Um…Gourry?" Lina began.
"There's no tenderness…anymore in your finger…tips…" Gourry sang, Chibi-Sylphiel
singing along from his shoulder, her hands clasped and her eyes closed. "You're trying hard not to
show it…"
"Bay-bee!" Chibi-Sylphiel, Chibi-Xellos, and Chibi-Filia sang out.
"But baby! Believe me, I know it!" Gourry continued to sing. "You've lost…that lov…"
"Gourry! Gourry stop!" Lina begged, grabbing him by the front of his armor.
"Just…stop…" she asked quietly.
He looked down at her for a minute. She still had a hold of his armor. "I'm sorry, Lina,"
he said quietly. "I should've said something then…when you…"
She gripped his armor tightly. "Say something now," she said quietly. "Forget…forget
before. If you have something…something you NEED to say, then say it!" Gourry said nothing,
unable to form words. "I'd rather hear something…I wouldn't want to hear…than hear nothing at
all," she said quietly.
The swordsman stared down at her, remembering a young, brash girl he once met. That
brash, young girl had grown into a brash young woman. He had promised to take her to Atlas City,
and that was it. From that promise he had become her guide, her protector, and her friend.
"I don't want to be your protector anymore," he told her quietly.
She tensed. With his tone so serious, it could still be taken two ways.
"It's…not enough anymore," he finished.
(Dammit!) her mind cried. (Say something concrete! Who are you?! Xellos?!)
He placed his hands on her shoulders. Chibi Xellos and Chibi Filia squeaked and moved
out of the way. "Lina, I…"
"Kiss her, you clod!" Chibi Sylphiel and Chibi Filia cried out at the same time, wiping
their eyes with hankies.
"Yareyare," Chibi Xellos said, shaking his head.
"Gourry," she breathed. She found herself rising to her tiptoes as he leaned down.
Chibi Filia and Chibi Sylphiel hugged themselves and squealed in delight.
"Do you mind?" Lina and Gourry asked their respective shoulders.
"Sorry," the two manifestations replied. A moment later, all three of the tiny guides
disappeared in a puff of smoke.
The two turned back to one another. "Ever feel like everyone's watching you?" Lina
asked him. Gourry only nodded. The sorceress took a breath. "Well…no one's watching now…"
Gathering all the resolve she could, she leaned up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and did
what she did best…
She acted without thinking.
Zelgadis yawned and looked out the window at the moon. It was almost midnight. He put
his cards down. "Sylphiel, it's late," he said. "And Lina wants to leave early tomorrow morning.
We really should try to get some sleep."
Sylphiel looked up from her cards and frowned. She picked up the remaining cards lying
on their bed and put them away. He watched her move. Her normal grace seemed to be replaced
by slow, exhausted movements. It was obvious she was tired. She stood up and replaced the
playing cards in her pack, turning and smoothing out her purple nightgown before approaching the
bed.
As she climbed in under the covers, Zelgadis leaned over and blew out the lamp, settling in
for a good night's sleep. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. That's when he felt it. Sylphiel
was caressing his face.
He smiled but did his best to ignore her advances. "Sylphiel," he warned. "Sleep." She
responded by leaning over and kissing him. "Sylphiel…"
She didn't say anything, but continued to kiss his lips then down to his neck. "Zelgadis
dear," she whispered between kisses. "Just for a little while?"
Something about the tone of her voice struck him as wrong. He turned to her and stopped
her from kissing him, looking at her face. "What is it?" he asked seriously.
He could still make out her silhouette in the dark, could almost see the tears in her eyes.
"I…I don't want to sleep," she told him haltingly. "I'm…scared." He sat up in bed and waited for
her to continue. "I know what will happen as soon as I fall asleep, Zelgadis dear. I… Can't we
just stay up for awhile longer?"
"You're exhausted," he told her. "You need to sleep."
"I can't!" she cried. "How do I close my eyes when I know a nightmare is waiting for me
on the other side!?"
He took a breath, and she hugged him, searching for protection in his embrace. The
chimera thought silently for several minutes, then spoke again. "There might be something we can
do for tonight."
"What?"
"I could put you in a dreamweaver spell," he told her. She pulled away and looked at him,
waiting for him to continue. "It's an astral spell that lets the caster control the dreams of whoever
he's casting the spell on."
"Why didn't you mention this to me before?" she asked.
"Because it's not safe to use more than once or twice," he replied gruffly. "It's not
designed to help people, Sylphiel. It's a torture spell. You put someone under a deep sleep, then
torment them with their worst nightmares. Because of the spell, the sleeping person can't wake up
on their own. Only the caster can snap them out of it. Too long in a dreamweaver and your astral
pattern will start seeing the dream as reality."
"I…see…"
"But I can put you under tonight. Make it so you can choose and control what dream you
experience."
"Please. Do it," she begged.
"We could only do it once safely," he warned her.
"Please, Zelgadis dear," she said softly. "I haven't had a full night's sleep in more than a
week. If I don't get some rest soon, I'm going to go crazy."
He nodded. "Lie back," he ordered her. The priestess laid back, resting her head on her
pillow. "Now remember," he reminded her quietly, "You can't wake up until I break the spell, so
be careful about what you choose to dream about."
Sylphiel nodded at him. "I know what to dream of." She smiled.
Zelgadis placed his hand on her forehead and began to chant. "Floating spirits of the
dream world, hear my call…"
The shrine maiden closed her eyes and let the soothing sound of Zelgadis' chat lull her to
sleep. (Thank you, Zelgadis dear,) she thought as she descended into the darkness of sleep.
The chimera finished his chant and opened his eyes to see Sylphiel sleeping peacefully, her
chest rising and falling slowly. He smiled. "Sleep well, Syl chan."
He climbed back under the covers and held her as she slept.
It was almost five in the morning when Lina finally returned to her room. She snuck in
quietly, afraid of waking the sleeping princess in the other bed. She reached her own soft bed,
took a breath, then spun around and gave a soft squeal of victory, falling back and landing on her
mattress.
She sighed and giggled like a schoolgirl. Yeah, she knew she sounded ridiculous, but she
didn't care. Most other girls her age did it daily. Tonight, she was entitled.
Okay, so a lot was going to change. So what? Change was good! Change was healthy!
And when you thought about it, it wasn't as if THAT much was going to change. She and Gourry
were already practically living together. So what if they…kissed occasionally…
Or…maybe slept in the same sleeping roll?
Or…maybe…just every once in awhile…………….snuggled?
…
Okay, but kissing was fine!
She took a deep, cleansing breath and smiled.
That's when she heard it.
Wheezing.
She blinked and turned her head, looking over at Amelia's bed. The sound was coming
from there. Lina stood up and tip-toed over to the young sorceress. The wheezing was loud and
wet, a tortured sound.
"Amelia?" Lina whispered. She reached out and gently pulled the covers down from over
Amelia's face, bathing the princess' features in moonlight coming in through the window.
Amelia's face was dead white. Sweat coated her face, and dark circles were under her
eyes. Her breath came in short, wheezing gasps. Lina quickly put her hand to the girl's head, and
her eyes went wide in shock. Amelia was practically on fire; her fever was so high.
Lina quickly covered the girl up again and bit her lip. "Hold on," she whispered. "I'll go
get Sylphiel." She wasn't sure if Amelia was conscious or not, but wanted to reassure her
nonetheless.
Without another word, Lina quickly ran out the door and down the hall to the room she
knew Zelgadis and Sylphiel were sharing. Whatever Amelia had come down with, she needed
more than the tiny bit of healing magic Lina knew. She needed a healer priestess like Sylphiel…
And she needed one NOW.
She stopped outside their door and began knocking loudly. "Sylphiel?" she called through
the door. "Zelgadis?"
The sounds of someone stirring inside floated through the oak door. After a few moments,
Zelgadis opened the door, sleepily rubbing his eyes. "Lina? What is it?"
"Amelia's sick," she said, getting straight to the point. "I think there's something really
wrong with her. I think Sylphiel should take a look at her."
The chimera nodded. "Come in," he said. "I'll wake her up."
Lina walked into the inn suite and blinked at the sight. She thought her pounding on the
door and yelling would've waked the dead, and yet Sylphiel was lying on the bed, snoring
peacefully. "Zel?" she asked.
Zelgadis sat on the bed next to the priestess and touched her forehead. "She's in a
dreamweaver spell," he explained. "It was the only way to give her a good night's sleep."
She nodded and waited patiently for Zelgadis to snap Sylphiel out of it.
The chimera whispered a few words, then snapped his fingers in front of Sylphiel's face.
Nothing.
He blinked and rechanted the spell. At the end, he snapped his fingers again.
Still nothing.
"What is it?" Lina asked.
He shook his head. "She's not waking up."
"What?!"
"She's not waking up!" Zelgadis repeated in a louder voice.
"She has to!" Lina cried. She rushed over to the priestess and took her by the shoulders.
"Come on, Sylphiel! Snap out of it!"
Zelgadis touched Sylphiel's forehead and closed his eyes, trying to detect her astral
presence. He opened his eyes again. "I don't believe it."
"What?!"
The chimera shook his head in shock. "It's her. It's Sylphiel. It's not that she can't wake
up…"
Lina waited for him to finish. Finally, he looked up at her.
"It's that she WON'T wake up…"
To Be Continued…
Author's Notes:
Okay, borrowed a couple of things for this chapter. "You've Lost that Loving Feeling" belongs to
the Righteous Brothers, not Gourry, believe it or not. ^_^ Also, for those of you who found that
boxing argument strangely familiar, you're right. The argument was inspired by the barbers in
"Coming To America."