Slayers is the property of Kadokawa Shoten.
SHADOW LINA: SOMEBODY HELP ME!!
NAGA: What is it, Lina chan?
SHADOW LINA: It's that tourist lady! She's after me!
FILIA: Why would she be after you?
SHADOW LINA: I don't know!
JOSEPHINE: YOU DARE TRY TO STEAL MY LITTLE JEFFREY'S INNOCENCE!!!??
Faces: After!
Part 13
RUN!
When Shadows and Mothers Collide!
Thunder clapped overhead, and lightning lit up the entire clearing. Lina Inverse, broken,
beaten, on her knees as she begged, was the most pathetic sight her opponent had ever seen.
"Please!" Lina begged as the wind whipped through her hair. "I beg you! Mercy!"
Her opponent laughed…
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!! Now you see which of
us greatest, don't you, Lina Inverse!? OOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"
"Please, Naga!" Lina begged, her hands clasped before her. "I'll do anything you want!
You're the greatest sorcery genius in the world!"
"You forgot the most beautiful!" Naga accused her.
"I meant to say that!" Lina cried.
"Too late!" Naga raised her hands to the heavens. "ELEMEKIA STAR!!!" she screamed.
Lina's eyes went wide as the clouds opened up above her. A ball of white hot energy
coalesced in the sky and fell towards her.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" She covered her face with her hands.
"OOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"
"Ooohohohoho…." Naga muttered in her sleep, her head resting on the inn's breakfast
table. "Who…is the stupid one…now…Lina Inverse?" she mumbled. Resting between her head
and the tabletop was the book she had spent all night reading.
The others sat around listening to her mumble.
"Wow! Miss Naga must sure like the Claire Bears, huh?!" Shadow Lina asked happily.
"Hmmm…You mean this thing?" Amara asked, reaching for the book under Naga's head.
"NO! MINE!" Naga growled sleepily, clutching the book without waking up. Amara
jumped back.
"Wow…she REALLY likes it," Shadow Lina noted.
"So…Is this what you do EVERY day?" Amara asked. "Sit around and drink tea until
your boss sobers up?"
"Sometimes we leave early," Jeffrey told her proudly.
"That's…wonderful," Amara replied.
"Supposedly," Filia broke in between sips of tea, "We're searching for a an old friend of
ours, Zelgadis Greywords, but we've been getting rather sidetracked lately."
"I see…"
"I will…destroy you…Lina Inverse…Squash…you…Like a…bug…" Naga snorted, then
began to snore loudly.
"And where is the gallant Lord Xellos?" Amara asked.
Filia grit her teeth and growled. "With any luck he's far, far, FAR away!"
Xellos lifted his teacup. "Ah, I see! Congratulations on your engagement, then!" He
smiled across the table at his one-time target. "I'm engaged as well!"
His breakfast companion smiled.
The priest turned serious for a moment and put his teacup down. "Now that I know that this
has all been a misunderstanding, there's no need for me to carry out my mission." His face took on
a tinge of concern. "You really should tell your fiancé not to hide such gifts. Do you realize that
my superiors believe that his wedding gift to you is actually an anti-Mazoku weapon?"
His companion blushed in embarrassment and turned away.
Xellos smiled. "Well, live and learn, I guess!" He stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I
really must be going. I'll see you at the wedding!" With that, he disappeared.
He had spent too much time away from Filia as it was.
"As far as I'm concerned, he can just stay away for…"
"Filia chan!"
"Damn!" the dragon cried, pounding her fist on the table. She turned to Amara. "See?!
See what you've done!? You just HAD to bring him up, didn't you?!"
Before Filia could berate her sister further, Xellos had reached around and wrapped his
arms around her from behind. "Oh, Filia chan! You have no idea how much I missed you! The
grating sound of your irate voice! The sweet perfume of your pheromones, calling me lustily from
across the astral plane!"
"Awww!" Amara and Shadow Lina cooed, stars in their eyes.
Xellos ducked under a swing of the mace.
"The wonderful sound your mace makes when it whips past my head!"
Filia growled and put the weapon away. "So you're back. Hooray," she said
unenthusiastically, turning her nose skyward.
"Mister Xellos, where have you been?" Shadow Lina asked curiously. "We were worried
about you."
"Speak for yourself," Filia bit out.
Xellos smiled and wagged a finger in front of her. "That…is a secret."
"Well, now that we're all here, maybe we should wake Miss Naga," Jeffrey suggested.
Silence.
"Okay," Shadow Lina finally said. "I…I'll do it…" She took a few steps towards the
sleeping sorceress and reached out, touching her arm. "Miss Naga?" She gave the arm a few
pushes.
Naga's hand snaked out and found a butter knife sitting on the table. She muttered sleepily.
"Kill you, Lina…Kill you dead…"
At hearing her name and the threat that went with it, Shadow Lina eep'd and jumped back.
"M..M..M..Maybe we should just let her sleep!"
Filia sighed. "Another day wasted, I guess."
Sitting at a table not far away, Greysword watched the group. There was no way that
could be the same Lina Inverse she faced at the cliffs. And where was Blondie? Or Greywords?
Dead end.
She was about to leave when she noticed a masked figure sitting across the aisle from her,
watching them just as she was. Greysword made a note of this. Perhaps she'd stay just a bit
longer and make certain…
Naga continued to snore at a now empty table. The chairs around her were empty, and the
wait staff refused to go near her…
"Kill you…Lina Inverse…" Naga sleepily muttered. "Kill
you…dead…Ohohohohohohoho…"
With that one phrase repeating itself every so often, Naga the White Serpent slept.
Shadow Lina gave the vendor a copper penny for the apple and turned back to Jeffrey as
the two continued to walk down the street together.
"I'm kind of glad Miss Naga decided to sleep today," the shadow spoke up. "I like this
town. It's so quiet and peaceful." She looked at her reflection in the apple's shiny skin, then up at
Jeffrey's smiling face.
"Yeah," he agreed. "This is exactly the kind of town that needs to be protected from the
forces of evil. If darkness ever fell on a place like this, there would be little hope indeed for the
world."
Shadow Lina's eyes lit up. "Lord Jeffrey! You're so…You're so…"
"Hey! Look! Swords!"
The redhead turned and found that they had wandered next to a weapons shop.
"I'm going to go inside real quick and see what they have," he told her. "I'll be right out,
okay?"
The shadow nodded happily. "Oh! Wait! Lord Jeffrey!"
"Yeah?" he asked, pausing near the door.
Shadow Lina stepped closer to him and began to fidget. She stood there, twiddling her
thumbs for more than a minute, blushing and looking away from him. Jeffrey just blinked in
puzzlement. Finally, the shadow jumped up on her tiptoes and gave the would-be-knight a peck on
the cheek.
Jeffrey started to turn red. "Um…I'll…be right out…" he stuttered.
The sorceress smiled, blushing a bright crimson and nodded. Jeffrey entered the shop, and
Shadow Lina sighed. She raised the apple to her lips and took a quick bite.
Then another.
Then another.
Then a…
She blinked and looked at her empty hand. "Hey…Where did Mister Apple go?" she
asked herself in confusion.
Looking to her left she found her apple, impaled by a crossbow dart that was now
protruding from the shop's wall!
The shadow blinked in shock and turned to her right…
The masked tourist lady was standing on the other side of the street holding a rather large,
wicked-looking crossbow. Josephine saw that she had missed and started to reload.
Shadow Lina shrieked and started running down the street! Josephine, seeing her quarry on
the run, started after her, dropping the crossbow and pulling out her mallet.
"YOU DARE GIVE MY WONDERFUL JEFFREY A PECK!?" Josephine screamed at
her, raising the mallet over her head.
The shadow cried as she ran, ducking down a side street while Josephine swung her
mallet, demolishing walls, street carts, and parts of the road!
"I'LL TEACH YOU A LESSON, YOU HUSSY!" Josephine railed at the redhead as she
chased the screaming sorceress down the alley.
"AAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!" Shadow Lina cried as she ran past a small,
outdoor café.
Three figures sitting at a table there watched her and Josephine run by.
"What do you suppose that's all about?" Amara asked.
Xellos smiled. "Yes, well, it can be hard for a bride to impress her future mother-in-law,
you know."
Amara smiled and nodded. She turned to Filia. "That reminds me, Filia chan, have you
met YOUR future mother-in-law yet?"
Filia spit up a mouthful of tea she had been drinking. "Wha…What are you talking
about?!"
"Beastmaster Metallium," Amara went on. "She is female, isn't she?"
Xellos replied by wrapping an arm around Filia and smiling. "Oh, don't worry, Little
Dragon! I'm sure she can't wait to meet you and welcome you into our family!"
"For the VERY LAST TIME…" Filia growled, taking Xellos wrists in her hands. "I AM
NOT YOUR MATE!!!" As she screamed this, she threw the priest over her shoulder and onto the
table, which collapsed under his weight.
Xellos looked up at Filia and blinked. Amara scowled at her sister.
"Filia chan!" Amara cried.
"Hmmm…Does this mean the wedding's off?" he asked jokingly. "But I've already hired
a band!"
"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" Filia screamed. She gave him a good
swift kick to act as the exclamation point… "I WILL…" *Kick!* "…NEVER MARRY…"
*Kick!* "…YOU!" With that finally out of her system, Filia huffed and sat back down in her
chair.
"Wow…" Xellos muttered. "Was it good for you?"
Filia's eyes began to glow…
"Oh! Lord Xellos!" Amara suddenly cried, leaning next to him. "I apologize for my
sister! She's never been very open minded," she explained.
"It has nothing to do with how open-minded I am!" Filia cried, near tears. "He's
so…He's so…HE'S SO DAMN ANNOYING!"
Xellos smiled. Sweet Ruby Eye, he loved it when she yelled, though he was careful never
to tell her how much. Though most would consider her shrieking a negative thing, to him it was the
equivalent of screams of passion. It made him shiver inside.
"Lord Xellos," Amara said quietly. He turned to her and found her on her knees, her head
bowed. "I apologize for my sister. Her behavior is not representative of all of us. I know she has
hurt you, and I would like to offer to take her place as your bride…to…show how sorry we are
that she has offended you such…"
"WHAT?!" Filia cried. Her tail popped out from beneath her dress in anger. Hopping
over Xellos, she took her sister's arm. "Just what do you think you're…"
Xellos smiled, a plan forming. He quickly covered his eyes with the palms of his hands
and started to make sobbing noises. "Oh…Oh, Filia chan! How could you?! How could you lead
me on like this and then cancel our wedding so suddenly?!"
Filia started growling low in her throat, her hand creeping towards the mace that rode her
thigh…
"Oh! Lord Xellos! Please don't cry!" Amara begged, taking his arm. She turned angrily
to the other golden dragon and glared. "I should have known those Fire Dragon priests wouldn't
teach you manners!"
"Oh, quit faking, you horrible namagomi!" Filia snarled at him, giving the Mazoku another
kick.
"FILIA!" Amara chastised.
Xellos continued to weep. "How could she be so cruel!? I was going to give her
everything she ever wanted, and all she had to do was love me!" He choked and sobbed in order
to hold back laughter.
"Please, Lord Xellos," Amara begged. "Forget her insulting manners and accept me as a
substitute. I promise to make up for her crimes against you!"
Filia sighed. "Oh, sweet Fire Dragon King…"
"Very well, Miss Amara," Xellos said with a pathetic sniff.
"WHAT?!"
"I acce…"
Before he could get the words out of his mouth, Filia had a hold of the front of his robes.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed at him.
Xellos smiled. "Well, if you're unwilling to be my mate, Filia chan, Miss Amara
seems…"
Filia wrapped her hands around the Mazoku's throat and began to throttle him. "DO YOU
REALLY THINK I'M GOING TO LET YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY BRAINWASHED
SISTER LIKE THAT?!" she screamed.
The trickster priest smiled evilly. "What alternative do I have?"
The golden dragon fumed. She turned and saw Amara staring at them. Filia sighed.
(She's your sister…)
In one quick move, Filia wrapped her arms around Xellos' neck and pulled him closer to
her. "Oh! Xel chan!" she squealed. "I'm sorry! Can you ever forgive me?!"
"Um…'S no problem," Xellos mumbled.
"Of course I want to marry you!" Filia squealed, deciding to get what revenge she could
while at the same time protecting her brain dead sister. "We're going to be happy together, Xel
chan! So very, very, VERY happy! Life is so wonderful!"
Xellos swallowed and turned pale.
Amara clapped her hands in glee. "Oh, that's wonderful! I'm so glad you two worked
things out!"
"Of course!" Filia chimed in, forcing a bright smile on her face. She pulled Xellos closer
and looked at Amara as if posing for a picture. "I wouldn't do ANYTHING to risk losing my big,
strong, Mazoku woku!"
While Filia went on about his "virtues," Xellos was blinking as a new sensation overtook
him. Being this close to Filia must have been affecting him. He took a deep breath, savoring the
scent of her pheromones combined with an unknown perfume she wore.
"So you better not try to steal my Xelzy Welzy!" Filia warned her sister. "You know how
insanely jealous I can be!"
Xellos blinked several times, trying to clear his head. Filia was still speaking to Amara
and wasn't even paying attention to him. He looked down and found a bare patch of the dragon's
skin where her shoulder met her neck. He blinked again and took another deep breath, her scent
filling his nostrils, intoxicating him. His head fell forward…
"He's all mine!" Filia cried, feeling sick to her stomach. "All…m..mine…" That's when
she felt it; something moist and soft on her neck. She turned her head and looked down.
Xellos had kissed her neck.
"You…" she hissed, rising and turning to face him.
"Filthy…disgusting…pervert…hentai…" Xellos sat there, dazed. "NAMAGOMI!!!" Filia
screamed, pulling her mace. In one quick movement, the spiked weapon whipped up and struck
Xellos in the chin, launching him into orbit! "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME!!!" she screamed
up at him. She turned her head and noticed Amara still staring. "BEFORE THE WEDDING!" she
amended quickly.
Amara looked up at the sky until the black dot that was Xellos disappeared completely.
She sweatdropped. "Same old Filia…"
Filia suddenly reached out and flipped Amara's skirt up. The elder dragon squealed in
surprised and rushed to push her dress back down, but not before Filia had found what she was
looking for and held it aloft.
"You're one to talk!" Filia sniffed, waving the coiled bullwhip under her sister's nose. "I
see you're still carrying Whip-chan…"
Amara blushed and snatched the whip back. "A girl traveling alone needs protection!" she
cried. "And…it's…a marital aid," she muttered.
"Huh?" Filia asked.
"Well," Amara told her with a blush. "Mazoku are masochists…and…I want to please my
husband on our wedding night…so…"
"Stop," Filia told her deadpan. "I don't want to hear anymore…" She suddenly blinked.
She had just hit Xellos…She had NEVER been able to hit Xellos before, no matter how hard she
had tried…
"Um…Excuse me, ladies…" The two dragons looked up and found Jeffrey standing next to
them. "Have you seen Miss Lina? We were walking together, and now…well…she's gone…"
Shadow Lina shrieked again as a hotdog cart landed only a foot to her right! "HELP!" she
screamed as she ran. A piano landed to her left! "SOMEONE! ANYONE! LORD JEFFREY!
HELP!!"
Running just behind her, Josephine swung her mallet. "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO
STEAL MY DARLING JEFFREY'S INNOCENCE!!??"
Shadow Lina squealed in fright and continued to run…
As Xellos rose higher and higher into the atmosphere, he thought. Usually, he would just
instantly transport himself back to the café, but this time he needed a few moments to collect his
thoughts.
Things appeared to be taking a turn. Somehow, he allowed his guard to go down…
Filia was definitely affecting him more than he had counted on her being able to. He still
had no idea why he had kissed her neck. But for some reason, being that close to her, being able to
smell her, to touch her…
He had found himself aroused by her.
His Peak was getting worse.
The number of Mazoku that actually reach Peak was rather small. Normally, it's sated
immediately and not much of a bother, but Xellos wasn't sure that any Mazoku had been forced to
wait as long as he had been forced to before.
Now it was beginning to affect his ability to defend himself…
He stopped breathing as he left the atmosphere, and the stars began to shine.
He hoped that it wouldn't get much worse. The priest was in uncharted territory now.
Sweet Ruby Eye, he wanted her…
"Captain's Log…Stardate three………………..four………sevensixpointnine!" Captain
Kirk swiveled his chair around and looked at the blue planet on the viewscreen. "We've
established orbit around Theta Rhodimus Six…an………..unknown planet to the Federation!" He
took a breath. "So far it appears to be a
………primitiveworlddevoidofspaceflightHOWEVER…..we are….continuing scans…" He
swiveled his chair again to face his Science Officer. "Mister Spock….Spoooock!"
The Vulcan turned and placed his hands behind his back. "My scans have confirmed our
probe's findings. The population of this planet cannot travel into spa…" He broke off as a man
with purple hair and black robes holding a staff floated by the viewscreen and gave them the
victory sign.
"Spock?" Kirk asked. "S…poooock!" Kirk tried again.
"Er…I would like to perform more scans to be sure, Captain…"
"You and your damn Vulcan logic!" McCoy railed at him from behind the red rail near the
turbolift…
Xellos waved at the starship as he began to fall back to earth. They seemed like sociable
people…
What was he going to do?
He sighed as soon as there was enough air around him to allow it. Perhaps he should
redouble his efforts to bed her. He had promised her he wouldn't take her by force, and he was
beginning to regret that promise. The physical symptoms of Peak would be so easily relieved if he
could have her…
But that wasn't the answer, and he knew it.
He sighed again. The ground was getting closer. The time for contemplation was over…
Shadow Lina ducked behind an old chicken coop and leaned against the flimsy wood wall,
panting for breath. She lost her. She had finally lost that masked lunatic.
She snuffled and fell to the floor, leaning against the wall, her hands going to her face as
she cried. Why was she after HER?! What did SHE ever do?!
The shadow sniffled as she thought about her dire situation. How was she supposed to
fight back?! She was a shadow! She hated violence!
She looked up as she heard a high-pitched whistling getting louder. Anticipating a new
attack, Shadow Lina covered her head with her hands and whimpered.
The chickens in the coop behind her went crazy as a black-clad figure slammed into their
coop at mach three with a horrendous crash! Shadow Lina turned her head as the coop door
opened, and Xellos stepped out, casually adjusting his robes.
"The only way to fly," he commented to himself. He turned and looked down to find
Shadow Lina sitting there, her eyes red and puffy. "Ah! Lina chan!"
The shadow sniffled. "Hi…*Sniff*…Mister Xellos…"
"Aww!" Xellos cooed. "What's the matter, Lina chan? Did the Namor Bunny Farm close
down?"
Shadow Lina gasped and looked even more miserable. "The BUNNY FARM closed down
too?! This day just keeps getting worse!"
Xellos blinked at her. "So you're having a rough day too, huh?"
The redhead started to cry again, pulling her knees into her chest and hugging them. She
nodded sadly. "It's that tourist lady. She's trying to kill me."
"Oh, now I'm sure that's an exaggeration," Xellos told her with a smile. "Why would
anyone want to hurt disgustingly cute and sweet little you?"
She snuffled again. "Because…Because I like Lord Jeffrey."
"Oh yes…" Xellos muttered. He shuddered at the sugar that went with an image of the
two of them together.
"She's been shooting at me," she whimpered, "Chasing me…Trying to mallet me…Then
she threw a piano at me…"
Xellos arched an eyebrow. "What? You mean she pushed one out a window on top of
you?"
"No!" the shadow cried, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. "I mean she picked one
up with one hand and threw it like a dodge ball! She's not human!" She buried her face in her
hands and started crying again. "What am I going to do, Mister Xellos!?" she wept. "I love Lord
Jeffrey SO much! But…But…I'm scared!"
The trickster priest sat down next to her and looked puzzled. "I can't imagine why that
would be," he said.
"What?!" she cried. "She's big! And mean! And she throws things!"
"Ah!" Xellos said, wagging his finger at her. "But from what Miss Naga has told me, the
original Lina was rather frightened of Josephine!"
She sniffled. "So?"
"So," he said. "So you're her shadow, right? Her opposite. If that's right, and Lina chan
was scared of Josephine, then shouldn't YOU be fearless of her?"
Shadow Lina blinked. "I…I guess so…"
Xellos grinned. "So why are you crying? You should be able to stand right up to her!"
She stood up. "Yeah. You're right!" she cried. She sighed. "But…"
"What?"
"I…Don't know how…"
"Hmmm…" The Mazoku smiled. "Would you like me to teach you?" he asked.
The shadow brightened. "You mean it? You'll teach me to be mean and heartless like a
Mazoku?!"
(Oh, this is too good,) he thought.
"Stand up straight!" he barked, rising to his feet. She jumped to attention and faced him.
"Now…square your shoulders." She obeyed. "Lift your chin…Right, now grit your teeth and
glare…" She complied as best she could.
"Like this?" she asked.
"Don't squeak!" he ordered. "Gruff! Threatening!"
"Like this?" she asked again, her voice deeper.
He smiled. "Good! Now say something threatening!"
"Like what?" she asked, once again in her normal, soft squeak.
Xellos sighed. "All right, try this. Picture your beloved Lord Jeffrey!"
The shadow blushed and started to fidget.
"Now imagine that big, mean tourist lady has grabbed him!" Xellos continued. "And she's
going to take him far far away!" He saw Shadow Lina bite her lip. "Now…tell her to let him go."
"Please let Lord Jeffrey go," she squeaked.
"No!" Xellos bit back. "Don't ASK to let him go! Demand it!"
"Let Lord Jeffrey go," she said.
"Louder!"
"Let Lord Jeffrey go!"
He slapped her arm. "Come on!" he growled. "I'm not scared!"
"LET LORD JEFFREY GO!"
"BO-RING!"
"G…GET YOUR STINKING CLAWS OFF LORD JEFFREY!" she shrieked louder.
"C'mon! You're scarier than this!"
She took a deep breath. "YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU MEAN AWFUL PERSON!"
"Or what?!" Xellos asked.
"Or…or…OR I'LL BLAST YOU INTO BITS!"
"I don't believe you!" Xellos told her. "I think you're a weak little girl!"
"I AM NOT!"
"I think you don't really love Lord Jeffrey!" he mocked her.
"I DO SO!"
"Is the little girl going to cry?!" he teased her. "Is she going to run to her Lord Jeffrey?!
Oh that's right! She can't! She let the big mean tourist lady take him away!"
"LET'S DANCE, BITCH!!!" Shadow Lina screamed.
Xellos smiled. "And now you're ready."
Jeffrey sighed for the fiftieth time. Sitting across from him, Naga continued to sleep. It had
taken him a little while, but he had finally figured out the truth.
Shadow Lina didn't really like him.
Oh, maybe she did once, but now she was actually AVOIDING him. He wished he knew
what it was he had done to upset her like that so he could fix it. He LIKED Shadow Lina. He
really did. She was nice, and sweet, and pretty…
A picture of Shadow Lina popped into his mind and smiled. "Lord Jeffrey…"
He sighed again. What was he going to do?
Suddenly, a small, chibi version of Miss Naga appeared on his left shoulder. "Forget her!"
Chibi Naga told him. "Who would want a prude like that, anyway?! You should go for a girl with
the GUNS to make it worth your while…" With that, Chibi Naga puffed out her chest and pointed
at the sleeping sorceress across from him.
"Um…I…don't think Miss Naga likes me like that," he explained.
"What's not to like?!" Chibi Naga asked.
Another apparition appeared on his right shoulder, and he gasped in shock. Apparently, the
"angel" appeared as his number one hero in the whole world, the great warrior of justice he had
based his life on…
"No!" Chibi Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, arrayed in a white Flaming Hero uniform just like
his, cried, pointing at him. "Love and justice are not something that can be dictated by the forces
of evil!"
"Phhht!" Chibi Naga replied. "What does SHE know?"
"SILENCE, EVIL DOER!" Chibi Amelia cried. "Your heart is black and must be
cleansed of its evil intent!"
"Bring it on, Short-Stuff!" Chibi Naga egged the princess on.
Chibi Amelia growled.
Jeffrey sighed. "This really isn't helping," he told them.
"Sorry," they said in unison. In a puff of smoke, they both disappeared.
He sighed again as a long, dark shadow fell over him. Turning and looking up, he saw a
large, masked figure standing over him.
"Oh, hi, Miss Tourist Lady," he said dejectedly.
"Is something wrong, young man?" the tourist asked sympathetically. Jeffrey blinked. He
still found that voice oddly familiar.
"Can I talk to you, Tourist Lady?" he asked. The masked figure nodded, and he sighed
again. "I think I might have done something to hurt Miss Lina's feelings. I mean…for a while, I
thought she WANTED to be my girlfriend. But now she's avoiding me. I don't know what to
do…"
"Hmmm…" the tourist lady replied. "I think it's obvious that she's just a skank and would
probably hurt you in the long run. You should forget her."
Jeffrey looked at her in shock. "What?! I can't do that! And she's NOT a skank!"
"Oh really?" the masked woman asked. "I bet she's always trying to get you to kiss
her…"
"Well…yeah, I guess…"
"SEE?! A SLUT!"
"NO SHE'S NOT!" Jeffrey cried angrily, rising to his feet. "Miss Lina isn't like that!
She's kind, and gentle, and nice! She's pure and innocent! Like a princess! She's…she's
soft…and delicate…like a beautiful, delicate butterfly…"
"HEY! GET YOUR F*BEEP!*ING ASS AWAY FROM MY F*BEEP!*ING
BOYFRIEND, YOU PIECE OF S*BEEP!*T!!!"
They both turned in shock to find Shadow Lina standing at the inn door, pointing at
Josephine.
"M…M…Miss Lina?!" Jeffrey cried.
"YEAH, I'M TALKING TO YOU, YOU FAT, UGLY PIECE OF CRAP!" the shadow
screamed at Josephine. "TAKE A HIKE BEFORE I DRAGON SLAVE YOUR FREAKY BITCH
ASS TO THE MOON!!"
Xellos appeared in the doorway behind her, golf clapping at Shadow Lina's performance.
Naga chose this moment to wake up and yawn…
The priest banged two pots together twice. "LET'S GET READY TO
RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEE!!!!"
Josephine was livid. "YOU DARE USE NASTY CUSS WORDS IN THE PRESENCE
OF MY SWEET, PURE, INNOCENT JEFFREY!?" She took out her mallet and prepared for war.
"LET'S DO IT!" Shadow Lina cried, readying a spell.
"Please, ladies!" Jeffrey cried, trying to defuse the situation before it got REALLY ugly.
"FLYING CYCLONE OF MOTHERLY LOVE ATTACK!!!" Josephine screamed
launching herself at Shadow Lina in a flying dive!
Shadow Lina pointed her hands at the flying tourist. "BOMB DE WIND!!!" A blast of
compressed air struck the masked woman and launched her back into the far wall.
"Miss Lina! Miss Tourist Lady! Please! Stop it!" Jeffrey cried, unsure of which side to
take in the battle.
From the smoke of the collision with the wall flew a mallet. "MATERNAL MALLET
MISSILE!!"
Shadow Lina squeaked and ducked! The mallet flew right over her where her head
would've been! Still standing behind her, Xellos calmly reached out and caught the weapon with
one hand.
Sitting at a booth on the other side of the restaurant, Greysword watched the battle and
blinked in surprise. Which was it? One second she was certain that wasn't the real Lina Inverse,
now she'd say with certainty that it was.
What the Hell was going on?!
Shadow Lina saw red glowing eyes glaring at her from the smoke and aimed. "DILL
BRAND!!"
There was another explosion on that side of the inn, but instead of flying straight up,
Josephine flew straight toward the redhead!
Naga stretched out in her chair and yawned. "What a wonderful dream I had," she
commented sleepily as explosions rocked the inn around her. She sighed. "I wish Lina Inverse
were really here so I could really knock the crap out of her!!"
"BRAM FANG!!" Shadow Lina cried. About twenty blades of compressed air shot from
Shadow Lina's outstretched hands and cut into the overweight woman, tearing parts of her dress.
There was a sharp ripping sound, and Josephine's mask came off.
Jeffrey gasped.
"M…Mommy?" he whispered.
Josephine looked from side to side quickly, trying desperately to think up an excuse.
"Um…Jeffrey…I…"
Naga suddenly looked at the destruction around her and the look of rage on Shadow Lina's
face. And, of course, being Naga, she did what Naga did best…
Jumped to the wrong conclusion…
Leaping to a tabletop, she pointed down at the redhead. "HA! I HAVE YOU NOW, LINA
INVERSE!!! OOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" She raised her hands above her head. "NOW
WITNESS THE TERRIBLE POWER OF NAGA THE WHITE SERPENT!!!"
"Huh?!" Shadow Lina cried. "Miss Naga!? What are you…"
Standing in a corner, Xellos nonchalantly munched on popcorn as he watched.
Naga closed her eyes and began to chant. "Shards of the great one, aid me in my holy
quest! Let the last rays of your light destroy the evil before me! In thy great name, I pledge myself
to the light!" Thunder cracked outside. Though they couldn't see it because of the inn's ceiling,
dark storm clouds were parting…
"M..M…M….Miss Naga?" Shadow Lina whimpered.
"Let all the evil that stands in our way be destroyed! By the power you and I possess!!!"
Naga pointed down at Shadow Lina, her eyes wild with vengeful glee. "ELEMEKIA
STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!!"
Shadow Lina whimpered and ducked into a ball.
"NO!!!" Jeffrey cried. He rushed forward and threw himself on top of the redhead!
"Lord Jeffrey, run!" the shadow cried. "Save yourself!"
"No! I'm not leaving without you!"
"Forget me, Lord Jeffrey!" Shadow Lina wept. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I never told you!"
"It's going to be okay, Miss Lina!" Jeffrey assured her. "Just close your eyes! It'll be
over soon!"
"Please forgive me, Lord Jeffrey!" she cried. "I should have told you! I should have told
you the day we met!"
"It's okay, Miss Lina! I should have told YOU!"
As they were going on, Naga was tapping her foot in annoyance and glaring at the ceiling.
"Hel-LO!" she cried. "Where's the destruction, huh?!" Xellos just scratched his head and
shrugged. He picked up the Claire Bible manuscript and flipped to the Troubleshooting section…
"Oh, Jeffrey! If it has to end! If it has to end, at least we'll be together!"
"Together, Miss Lina!" Jeffrey assured her.
"Jeffrey!"
"Lina!"
"I LOVE YOU!" they cried at the same time.
"How sweet," Naga muttered, still waiting for her final attack to wipe out a good portion
of the town. By now she realized that Shadow Lina was NOT Lina Inverse, but now she was more
annoyed that her wonderful final spell seemed to be fizzling.
"Yes," Xellos muttered, still flipping through pages. "I may weep openly…" He
brightened. "Here we go! Miss Naga, it appears that you skipped a very important stage of the
spell! You forgot to use a magic conductor."
Naga grabbed the book from him and started reading. "GODDAMMIT!" she cried.
"You…You mean we're not going to die?" Shadow Lina sniffled, looking up at them, still
in Jeffrey's arms.
"No…dammit…" Naga told her.
Shadow Lina and Jeffrey looked at one another and quickly jumped away from each other
in embarrassment.
"Jeffrey,"
He turned and faced his mother, who looked rather agitated. She took a breath and spoke.
"You're…you're a big boy now…"
"Mommy?" Jeffrey asked.
Josephine dabbed at her eyes with a silk kerchief. "I guess…this happens to all parents.
Eventually, their little darlings have to leave the nest and stand on their own!" She walked over to
Shadow Lina, who ducked and covered with a frightened squeak. "You, young lady, seem to love
my darling Jeffrey very much," Josephine told her.
The shadow blushed. "Yeah…I guess I do…"
"Good! Because it's YOUR job to take care of him now!"
"Huh?" Shadow Lina squeaked. "You mean…It's okay?"
"Well," Josephine said, putting her hands on her hips. "You're not PERFECT…"
Shadow Lina's face fell. "And you need some improvement…" The shadow sighed. "But with
me as your coach, you'll be a fine, upstanding young woman in no time!"
Shadow Lina sighed.
Josephine stepped over and hugged her son. "When you're all done fighting for justice,
come home," she told him. "I'll be waiting there."
Jeffrey, still visibly dazed by everything that had happened, only nodded.
"Goodbye, everyone!" Josephine waved, picking up her mallet. She smiled and walked
out of the inn.
"And so, she walked out of our lives forever," Xellos commented quietly.
Shadow Lina and Jeffrey looked at one another for several seconds, their eyes locking.
"J…Jeffrey," the sorceress whispered.
"L…Lina…"
The two embraced.
"BARF!" Naga cried. "God, what a morning!" she cried, turning on her heel and starting
for the kitchen.
It was midnight when he heard the call. Hopping down from his perch in the tree near
Filia's window, Xellos started toward what he knew would not be a happy meeting…
Turning down an alleyway, he stretched out with his senses, searching for them. She never
traveled off her island alone. Unlike Gaav and Phibrizzo, SHE never underestimated the greater
world around her.
"Stop."
He obeyed the gruff voice. Cold breath washed over him from the shadow on his right.
"I'm alone," he assured them.
"Aren't we all?"
He looked up at the new voice, one intimately familiar to him. Footsteps on the
cobblestone street echoed as SHE approached, flanked by two of her Mazoku guards, one of which
was Callisto, and four large wolves.
Xellos smiled and scratched the back of his neck. "Isn't meeting like this a little
melodramatic?" he asked the blonde woman.
Zelas Metallium, arguably the most powerful Mazoku alive smiled. In her flashy gold
dress, and with a cigarette complete with black holder in her hand, she looked like something out
of an old play. "You know me, Xelly," she said. "I love a good entrance."
"Yes…"
"Leave us," she told the others. Callisto and the other guard bowed their heads and
disappeared. The cold breath on Xellos' neck withdrew. The wolves remained.
"Er…Something I can do for you?" Xellos asked somewhat nervously.
Zelas frowned and took a breath as if unsure how to proceed. "I can't help but notice that
the Princess of Seyruun is alive and well."
"Yes, that…" Xellos began. "I investigated the matter, and found that there was no threat.
It turned out to be a mistake…" He stopped suddenly as she raised her cigarette, silencing him.
"You weren't ordered to investigate, Xelly," she told him, her tone cold despite the absurd
nickname. "I told you to destroy a target. Nothing more. Nothing less. NOT to dictate policy."
"I…felt it would be wiser to bring you news of what I found and allow you the opportunity
to…dictate policy…appropriately."
She smiled dangerously. "Then why am I here now, hearing this for the first time, instead
of hearing it from you on Wolfpack Island once you found this information?"
He swallowed. "Majesty, I…"
She held up a hand. "Xelly," she said quietly. "This has gone on long enough.
Your…condition…is perfectly natural. And knowing how eccentric you can be, your choice in
mates didn't really surprise me." The Mazoku queen was glaring now. "But now it's starting to
affect your judgement, and…"
"Majesty, really, I…
He suddenly found himself with her finger on his lips. "HUSH!" she hissed at him.
"HUSH!" Xellos blinked as the finger was pulled away. "You have been, by far, my most
efficient lieutenant," she told him. "I never thought I'd see the day when you would fuck up, but
believe me, cupcake, you are FUCKING UP now!"
He was silent.
"Why haven't you dealt with your situation?" she asked.
"It's…rather complicated. I'm afraid I can't just…take her."
"Then allow me to make it easy for you," she said dangerously. "I am ORDERING
you…to impregnate your mate." Xellos took a breath. "If she doesn't offer herself to you, you are
to take her by force." He opened his mouth to offer a humble objection, but she cut him off. "One
way or the other I want this whole mess over and done with!" she snapped. "Do you understand,
Xelly poo?" she asked sweetly.
Xellos hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head. "It…shall be done…Majesty."
Zelas smiled. "Don't look so glum, Xelly poo!" she cried, slapping him on the back.
"Soon you'll be your old self again!"
"Thank you…Majesty," he whispered.
"Oh, one last thing before I go!" she said. She opened her hand and pointed her palm at
Xellos. The trickster priest clutched at his chest in pain and fell to his knees in agony. His mouth
opened, but no sound emerged. Zelas knelt next to him until her lips were an inch from his right
ear. She started to whisper. "If you ever…EVER…circumvent my authority again, I'll make you
wish Gaav DID kill you." She pulled her hand away, and Xellos gasped for breath.
The Mazoku queen stood up. Her wolves snarled at Xellos. "Come on, babies!" she told
them. The wolves turned and followed her as she disappeared into a shadow.
Xellos climbed to his feet and leaned against the wall, still in pain.
Things had taken another turn.
Another damn turn…
To Be Continued…
Author's Note:
By the way, Star Trek belongs to Gene Roddenberry.
SHADOW LINA: SOMEBODY HELP ME!!
NAGA: What is it, Lina chan?
SHADOW LINA: It's that tourist lady! She's after me!
FILIA: Why would she be after you?
SHADOW LINA: I don't know!
JOSEPHINE: YOU DARE TRY TO STEAL MY LITTLE JEFFREY'S INNOCENCE!!!??
Faces: After!
Part 13
RUN!
When Shadows and Mothers Collide!
Thunder clapped overhead, and lightning lit up the entire clearing. Lina Inverse, broken,
beaten, on her knees as she begged, was the most pathetic sight her opponent had ever seen.
"Please!" Lina begged as the wind whipped through her hair. "I beg you! Mercy!"
Her opponent laughed…
"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!! Now you see which of
us greatest, don't you, Lina Inverse!? OOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"
"Please, Naga!" Lina begged, her hands clasped before her. "I'll do anything you want!
You're the greatest sorcery genius in the world!"
"You forgot the most beautiful!" Naga accused her.
"I meant to say that!" Lina cried.
"Too late!" Naga raised her hands to the heavens. "ELEMEKIA STAR!!!" she screamed.
Lina's eyes went wide as the clouds opened up above her. A ball of white hot energy
coalesced in the sky and fell towards her.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" She covered her face with her hands.
"OOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"
"Ooohohohoho…." Naga muttered in her sleep, her head resting on the inn's breakfast
table. "Who…is the stupid one…now…Lina Inverse?" she mumbled. Resting between her head
and the tabletop was the book she had spent all night reading.
The others sat around listening to her mumble.
"Wow! Miss Naga must sure like the Claire Bears, huh?!" Shadow Lina asked happily.
"Hmmm…You mean this thing?" Amara asked, reaching for the book under Naga's head.
"NO! MINE!" Naga growled sleepily, clutching the book without waking up. Amara
jumped back.
"Wow…she REALLY likes it," Shadow Lina noted.
"So…Is this what you do EVERY day?" Amara asked. "Sit around and drink tea until
your boss sobers up?"
"Sometimes we leave early," Jeffrey told her proudly.
"That's…wonderful," Amara replied.
"Supposedly," Filia broke in between sips of tea, "We're searching for a an old friend of
ours, Zelgadis Greywords, but we've been getting rather sidetracked lately."
"I see…"
"I will…destroy you…Lina Inverse…Squash…you…Like a…bug…" Naga snorted, then
began to snore loudly.
"And where is the gallant Lord Xellos?" Amara asked.
Filia grit her teeth and growled. "With any luck he's far, far, FAR away!"
Xellos lifted his teacup. "Ah, I see! Congratulations on your engagement, then!" He
smiled across the table at his one-time target. "I'm engaged as well!"
His breakfast companion smiled.
The priest turned serious for a moment and put his teacup down. "Now that I know that this
has all been a misunderstanding, there's no need for me to carry out my mission." His face took on
a tinge of concern. "You really should tell your fiancé not to hide such gifts. Do you realize that
my superiors believe that his wedding gift to you is actually an anti-Mazoku weapon?"
His companion blushed in embarrassment and turned away.
Xellos smiled. "Well, live and learn, I guess!" He stood up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I
really must be going. I'll see you at the wedding!" With that, he disappeared.
He had spent too much time away from Filia as it was.
"As far as I'm concerned, he can just stay away for…"
"Filia chan!"
"Damn!" the dragon cried, pounding her fist on the table. She turned to Amara. "See?!
See what you've done!? You just HAD to bring him up, didn't you?!"
Before Filia could berate her sister further, Xellos had reached around and wrapped his
arms around her from behind. "Oh, Filia chan! You have no idea how much I missed you! The
grating sound of your irate voice! The sweet perfume of your pheromones, calling me lustily from
across the astral plane!"
"Awww!" Amara and Shadow Lina cooed, stars in their eyes.
Xellos ducked under a swing of the mace.
"The wonderful sound your mace makes when it whips past my head!"
Filia growled and put the weapon away. "So you're back. Hooray," she said
unenthusiastically, turning her nose skyward.
"Mister Xellos, where have you been?" Shadow Lina asked curiously. "We were worried
about you."
"Speak for yourself," Filia bit out.
Xellos smiled and wagged a finger in front of her. "That…is a secret."
"Well, now that we're all here, maybe we should wake Miss Naga," Jeffrey suggested.
Silence.
"Okay," Shadow Lina finally said. "I…I'll do it…" She took a few steps towards the
sleeping sorceress and reached out, touching her arm. "Miss Naga?" She gave the arm a few
pushes.
Naga's hand snaked out and found a butter knife sitting on the table. She muttered sleepily.
"Kill you, Lina…Kill you dead…"
At hearing her name and the threat that went with it, Shadow Lina eep'd and jumped back.
"M..M..M..Maybe we should just let her sleep!"
Filia sighed. "Another day wasted, I guess."
Sitting at a table not far away, Greysword watched the group. There was no way that
could be the same Lina Inverse she faced at the cliffs. And where was Blondie? Or Greywords?
Dead end.
She was about to leave when she noticed a masked figure sitting across the aisle from her,
watching them just as she was. Greysword made a note of this. Perhaps she'd stay just a bit
longer and make certain…
Naga continued to snore at a now empty table. The chairs around her were empty, and the
wait staff refused to go near her…
"Kill you…Lina Inverse…" Naga sleepily muttered. "Kill
you…dead…Ohohohohohohoho…"
With that one phrase repeating itself every so often, Naga the White Serpent slept.
Shadow Lina gave the vendor a copper penny for the apple and turned back to Jeffrey as
the two continued to walk down the street together.
"I'm kind of glad Miss Naga decided to sleep today," the shadow spoke up. "I like this
town. It's so quiet and peaceful." She looked at her reflection in the apple's shiny skin, then up at
Jeffrey's smiling face.
"Yeah," he agreed. "This is exactly the kind of town that needs to be protected from the
forces of evil. If darkness ever fell on a place like this, there would be little hope indeed for the
world."
Shadow Lina's eyes lit up. "Lord Jeffrey! You're so…You're so…"
"Hey! Look! Swords!"
The redhead turned and found that they had wandered next to a weapons shop.
"I'm going to go inside real quick and see what they have," he told her. "I'll be right out,
okay?"
The shadow nodded happily. "Oh! Wait! Lord Jeffrey!"
"Yeah?" he asked, pausing near the door.
Shadow Lina stepped closer to him and began to fidget. She stood there, twiddling her
thumbs for more than a minute, blushing and looking away from him. Jeffrey just blinked in
puzzlement. Finally, the shadow jumped up on her tiptoes and gave the would-be-knight a peck on
the cheek.
Jeffrey started to turn red. "Um…I'll…be right out…" he stuttered.
The sorceress smiled, blushing a bright crimson and nodded. Jeffrey entered the shop, and
Shadow Lina sighed. She raised the apple to her lips and took a quick bite.
Then another.
Then another.
Then a…
She blinked and looked at her empty hand. "Hey…Where did Mister Apple go?" she
asked herself in confusion.
Looking to her left she found her apple, impaled by a crossbow dart that was now
protruding from the shop's wall!
The shadow blinked in shock and turned to her right…
The masked tourist lady was standing on the other side of the street holding a rather large,
wicked-looking crossbow. Josephine saw that she had missed and started to reload.
Shadow Lina shrieked and started running down the street! Josephine, seeing her quarry on
the run, started after her, dropping the crossbow and pulling out her mallet.
"YOU DARE GIVE MY WONDERFUL JEFFREY A PECK!?" Josephine screamed at
her, raising the mallet over her head.
The shadow cried as she ran, ducking down a side street while Josephine swung her
mallet, demolishing walls, street carts, and parts of the road!
"I'LL TEACH YOU A LESSON, YOU HUSSY!" Josephine railed at the redhead as she
chased the screaming sorceress down the alley.
"AAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!" Shadow Lina cried as she ran past a small,
outdoor café.
Three figures sitting at a table there watched her and Josephine run by.
"What do you suppose that's all about?" Amara asked.
Xellos smiled. "Yes, well, it can be hard for a bride to impress her future mother-in-law,
you know."
Amara smiled and nodded. She turned to Filia. "That reminds me, Filia chan, have you
met YOUR future mother-in-law yet?"
Filia spit up a mouthful of tea she had been drinking. "Wha…What are you talking
about?!"
"Beastmaster Metallium," Amara went on. "She is female, isn't she?"
Xellos replied by wrapping an arm around Filia and smiling. "Oh, don't worry, Little
Dragon! I'm sure she can't wait to meet you and welcome you into our family!"
"For the VERY LAST TIME…" Filia growled, taking Xellos wrists in her hands. "I AM
NOT YOUR MATE!!!" As she screamed this, she threw the priest over her shoulder and onto the
table, which collapsed under his weight.
Xellos looked up at Filia and blinked. Amara scowled at her sister.
"Filia chan!" Amara cried.
"Hmmm…Does this mean the wedding's off?" he asked jokingly. "But I've already hired
a band!"
"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!" Filia screamed. She gave him a good
swift kick to act as the exclamation point… "I WILL…" *Kick!* "…NEVER MARRY…"
*Kick!* "…YOU!" With that finally out of her system, Filia huffed and sat back down in her
chair.
"Wow…" Xellos muttered. "Was it good for you?"
Filia's eyes began to glow…
"Oh! Lord Xellos!" Amara suddenly cried, leaning next to him. "I apologize for my
sister! She's never been very open minded," she explained.
"It has nothing to do with how open-minded I am!" Filia cried, near tears. "He's
so…He's so…HE'S SO DAMN ANNOYING!"
Xellos smiled. Sweet Ruby Eye, he loved it when she yelled, though he was careful never
to tell her how much. Though most would consider her shrieking a negative thing, to him it was the
equivalent of screams of passion. It made him shiver inside.
"Lord Xellos," Amara said quietly. He turned to her and found her on her knees, her head
bowed. "I apologize for my sister. Her behavior is not representative of all of us. I know she has
hurt you, and I would like to offer to take her place as your bride…to…show how sorry we are
that she has offended you such…"
"WHAT?!" Filia cried. Her tail popped out from beneath her dress in anger. Hopping
over Xellos, she took her sister's arm. "Just what do you think you're…"
Xellos smiled, a plan forming. He quickly covered his eyes with the palms of his hands
and started to make sobbing noises. "Oh…Oh, Filia chan! How could you?! How could you lead
me on like this and then cancel our wedding so suddenly?!"
Filia started growling low in her throat, her hand creeping towards the mace that rode her
thigh…
"Oh! Lord Xellos! Please don't cry!" Amara begged, taking his arm. She turned angrily
to the other golden dragon and glared. "I should have known those Fire Dragon priests wouldn't
teach you manners!"
"Oh, quit faking, you horrible namagomi!" Filia snarled at him, giving the Mazoku another
kick.
"FILIA!" Amara chastised.
Xellos continued to weep. "How could she be so cruel!? I was going to give her
everything she ever wanted, and all she had to do was love me!" He choked and sobbed in order
to hold back laughter.
"Please, Lord Xellos," Amara begged. "Forget her insulting manners and accept me as a
substitute. I promise to make up for her crimes against you!"
Filia sighed. "Oh, sweet Fire Dragon King…"
"Very well, Miss Amara," Xellos said with a pathetic sniff.
"WHAT?!"
"I acce…"
Before he could get the words out of his mouth, Filia had a hold of the front of his robes.
"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed at him.
Xellos smiled. "Well, if you're unwilling to be my mate, Filia chan, Miss Amara
seems…"
Filia wrapped her hands around the Mazoku's throat and began to throttle him. "DO YOU
REALLY THINK I'M GOING TO LET YOU TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY BRAINWASHED
SISTER LIKE THAT?!" she screamed.
The trickster priest smiled evilly. "What alternative do I have?"
The golden dragon fumed. She turned and saw Amara staring at them. Filia sighed.
(She's your sister…)
In one quick move, Filia wrapped her arms around Xellos' neck and pulled him closer to
her. "Oh! Xel chan!" she squealed. "I'm sorry! Can you ever forgive me?!"
"Um…'S no problem," Xellos mumbled.
"Of course I want to marry you!" Filia squealed, deciding to get what revenge she could
while at the same time protecting her brain dead sister. "We're going to be happy together, Xel
chan! So very, very, VERY happy! Life is so wonderful!"
Xellos swallowed and turned pale.
Amara clapped her hands in glee. "Oh, that's wonderful! I'm so glad you two worked
things out!"
"Of course!" Filia chimed in, forcing a bright smile on her face. She pulled Xellos closer
and looked at Amara as if posing for a picture. "I wouldn't do ANYTHING to risk losing my big,
strong, Mazoku woku!"
While Filia went on about his "virtues," Xellos was blinking as a new sensation overtook
him. Being this close to Filia must have been affecting him. He took a deep breath, savoring the
scent of her pheromones combined with an unknown perfume she wore.
"So you better not try to steal my Xelzy Welzy!" Filia warned her sister. "You know how
insanely jealous I can be!"
Xellos blinked several times, trying to clear his head. Filia was still speaking to Amara
and wasn't even paying attention to him. He looked down and found a bare patch of the dragon's
skin where her shoulder met her neck. He blinked again and took another deep breath, her scent
filling his nostrils, intoxicating him. His head fell forward…
"He's all mine!" Filia cried, feeling sick to her stomach. "All…m..mine…" That's when
she felt it; something moist and soft on her neck. She turned her head and looked down.
Xellos had kissed her neck.
"You…" she hissed, rising and turning to face him.
"Filthy…disgusting…pervert…hentai…" Xellos sat there, dazed. "NAMAGOMI!!!" Filia
screamed, pulling her mace. In one quick movement, the spiked weapon whipped up and struck
Xellos in the chin, launching him into orbit! "HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME!!!" she screamed
up at him. She turned her head and noticed Amara still staring. "BEFORE THE WEDDING!" she
amended quickly.
Amara looked up at the sky until the black dot that was Xellos disappeared completely.
She sweatdropped. "Same old Filia…"
Filia suddenly reached out and flipped Amara's skirt up. The elder dragon squealed in
surprised and rushed to push her dress back down, but not before Filia had found what she was
looking for and held it aloft.
"You're one to talk!" Filia sniffed, waving the coiled bullwhip under her sister's nose. "I
see you're still carrying Whip-chan…"
Amara blushed and snatched the whip back. "A girl traveling alone needs protection!" she
cried. "And…it's…a marital aid," she muttered.
"Huh?" Filia asked.
"Well," Amara told her with a blush. "Mazoku are masochists…and…I want to please my
husband on our wedding night…so…"
"Stop," Filia told her deadpan. "I don't want to hear anymore…" She suddenly blinked.
She had just hit Xellos…She had NEVER been able to hit Xellos before, no matter how hard she
had tried…
"Um…Excuse me, ladies…" The two dragons looked up and found Jeffrey standing next to
them. "Have you seen Miss Lina? We were walking together, and now…well…she's gone…"
Shadow Lina shrieked again as a hotdog cart landed only a foot to her right! "HELP!" she
screamed as she ran. A piano landed to her left! "SOMEONE! ANYONE! LORD JEFFREY!
HELP!!"
Running just behind her, Josephine swung her mallet. "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO
STEAL MY DARLING JEFFREY'S INNOCENCE!!??"
Shadow Lina squealed in fright and continued to run…
As Xellos rose higher and higher into the atmosphere, he thought. Usually, he would just
instantly transport himself back to the café, but this time he needed a few moments to collect his
thoughts.
Things appeared to be taking a turn. Somehow, he allowed his guard to go down…
Filia was definitely affecting him more than he had counted on her being able to. He still
had no idea why he had kissed her neck. But for some reason, being that close to her, being able to
smell her, to touch her…
He had found himself aroused by her.
His Peak was getting worse.
The number of Mazoku that actually reach Peak was rather small. Normally, it's sated
immediately and not much of a bother, but Xellos wasn't sure that any Mazoku had been forced to
wait as long as he had been forced to before.
Now it was beginning to affect his ability to defend himself…
He stopped breathing as he left the atmosphere, and the stars began to shine.
He hoped that it wouldn't get much worse. The priest was in uncharted territory now.
Sweet Ruby Eye, he wanted her…
"Captain's Log…Stardate three………………..four………sevensixpointnine!" Captain
Kirk swiveled his chair around and looked at the blue planet on the viewscreen. "We've
established orbit around Theta Rhodimus Six…an………..unknown planet to the Federation!" He
took a breath. "So far it appears to be a
………primitiveworlddevoidofspaceflightHOWEVER…..we are….continuing scans…" He
swiveled his chair again to face his Science Officer. "Mister Spock….Spoooock!"
The Vulcan turned and placed his hands behind his back. "My scans have confirmed our
probe's findings. The population of this planet cannot travel into spa…" He broke off as a man
with purple hair and black robes holding a staff floated by the viewscreen and gave them the
victory sign.
"Spock?" Kirk asked. "S…poooock!" Kirk tried again.
"Er…I would like to perform more scans to be sure, Captain…"
"You and your damn Vulcan logic!" McCoy railed at him from behind the red rail near the
turbolift…
Xellos waved at the starship as he began to fall back to earth. They seemed like sociable
people…
What was he going to do?
He sighed as soon as there was enough air around him to allow it. Perhaps he should
redouble his efforts to bed her. He had promised her he wouldn't take her by force, and he was
beginning to regret that promise. The physical symptoms of Peak would be so easily relieved if he
could have her…
But that wasn't the answer, and he knew it.
He sighed again. The ground was getting closer. The time for contemplation was over…
Shadow Lina ducked behind an old chicken coop and leaned against the flimsy wood wall,
panting for breath. She lost her. She had finally lost that masked lunatic.
She snuffled and fell to the floor, leaning against the wall, her hands going to her face as
she cried. Why was she after HER?! What did SHE ever do?!
The shadow sniffled as she thought about her dire situation. How was she supposed to
fight back?! She was a shadow! She hated violence!
She looked up as she heard a high-pitched whistling getting louder. Anticipating a new
attack, Shadow Lina covered her head with her hands and whimpered.
The chickens in the coop behind her went crazy as a black-clad figure slammed into their
coop at mach three with a horrendous crash! Shadow Lina turned her head as the coop door
opened, and Xellos stepped out, casually adjusting his robes.
"The only way to fly," he commented to himself. He turned and looked down to find
Shadow Lina sitting there, her eyes red and puffy. "Ah! Lina chan!"
The shadow sniffled. "Hi…*Sniff*…Mister Xellos…"
"Aww!" Xellos cooed. "What's the matter, Lina chan? Did the Namor Bunny Farm close
down?"
Shadow Lina gasped and looked even more miserable. "The BUNNY FARM closed down
too?! This day just keeps getting worse!"
Xellos blinked at her. "So you're having a rough day too, huh?"
The redhead started to cry again, pulling her knees into her chest and hugging them. She
nodded sadly. "It's that tourist lady. She's trying to kill me."
"Oh, now I'm sure that's an exaggeration," Xellos told her with a smile. "Why would
anyone want to hurt disgustingly cute and sweet little you?"
She snuffled again. "Because…Because I like Lord Jeffrey."
"Oh yes…" Xellos muttered. He shuddered at the sugar that went with an image of the
two of them together.
"She's been shooting at me," she whimpered, "Chasing me…Trying to mallet me…Then
she threw a piano at me…"
Xellos arched an eyebrow. "What? You mean she pushed one out a window on top of
you?"
"No!" the shadow cried, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. "I mean she picked one
up with one hand and threw it like a dodge ball! She's not human!" She buried her face in her
hands and started crying again. "What am I going to do, Mister Xellos!?" she wept. "I love Lord
Jeffrey SO much! But…But…I'm scared!"
The trickster priest sat down next to her and looked puzzled. "I can't imagine why that
would be," he said.
"What?!" she cried. "She's big! And mean! And she throws things!"
"Ah!" Xellos said, wagging his finger at her. "But from what Miss Naga has told me, the
original Lina was rather frightened of Josephine!"
She sniffled. "So?"
"So," he said. "So you're her shadow, right? Her opposite. If that's right, and Lina chan
was scared of Josephine, then shouldn't YOU be fearless of her?"
Shadow Lina blinked. "I…I guess so…"
Xellos grinned. "So why are you crying? You should be able to stand right up to her!"
She stood up. "Yeah. You're right!" she cried. She sighed. "But…"
"What?"
"I…Don't know how…"
"Hmmm…" The Mazoku smiled. "Would you like me to teach you?" he asked.
The shadow brightened. "You mean it? You'll teach me to be mean and heartless like a
Mazoku?!"
(Oh, this is too good,) he thought.
"Stand up straight!" he barked, rising to his feet. She jumped to attention and faced him.
"Now…square your shoulders." She obeyed. "Lift your chin…Right, now grit your teeth and
glare…" She complied as best she could.
"Like this?" she asked.
"Don't squeak!" he ordered. "Gruff! Threatening!"
"Like this?" she asked again, her voice deeper.
He smiled. "Good! Now say something threatening!"
"Like what?" she asked, once again in her normal, soft squeak.
Xellos sighed. "All right, try this. Picture your beloved Lord Jeffrey!"
The shadow blushed and started to fidget.
"Now imagine that big, mean tourist lady has grabbed him!" Xellos continued. "And she's
going to take him far far away!" He saw Shadow Lina bite her lip. "Now…tell her to let him go."
"Please let Lord Jeffrey go," she squeaked.
"No!" Xellos bit back. "Don't ASK to let him go! Demand it!"
"Let Lord Jeffrey go," she said.
"Louder!"
"Let Lord Jeffrey go!"
He slapped her arm. "Come on!" he growled. "I'm not scared!"
"LET LORD JEFFREY GO!"
"BO-RING!"
"G…GET YOUR STINKING CLAWS OFF LORD JEFFREY!" she shrieked louder.
"C'mon! You're scarier than this!"
She took a deep breath. "YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU MEAN AWFUL PERSON!"
"Or what?!" Xellos asked.
"Or…or…OR I'LL BLAST YOU INTO BITS!"
"I don't believe you!" Xellos told her. "I think you're a weak little girl!"
"I AM NOT!"
"I think you don't really love Lord Jeffrey!" he mocked her.
"I DO SO!"
"Is the little girl going to cry?!" he teased her. "Is she going to run to her Lord Jeffrey?!
Oh that's right! She can't! She let the big mean tourist lady take him away!"
"LET'S DANCE, BITCH!!!" Shadow Lina screamed.
Xellos smiled. "And now you're ready."
Jeffrey sighed for the fiftieth time. Sitting across from him, Naga continued to sleep. It had
taken him a little while, but he had finally figured out the truth.
Shadow Lina didn't really like him.
Oh, maybe she did once, but now she was actually AVOIDING him. He wished he knew
what it was he had done to upset her like that so he could fix it. He LIKED Shadow Lina. He
really did. She was nice, and sweet, and pretty…
A picture of Shadow Lina popped into his mind and smiled. "Lord Jeffrey…"
He sighed again. What was he going to do?
Suddenly, a small, chibi version of Miss Naga appeared on his left shoulder. "Forget her!"
Chibi Naga told him. "Who would want a prude like that, anyway?! You should go for a girl with
the GUNS to make it worth your while…" With that, Chibi Naga puffed out her chest and pointed
at the sleeping sorceress across from him.
"Um…I…don't think Miss Naga likes me like that," he explained.
"What's not to like?!" Chibi Naga asked.
Another apparition appeared on his right shoulder, and he gasped in shock. Apparently, the
"angel" appeared as his number one hero in the whole world, the great warrior of justice he had
based his life on…
"No!" Chibi Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun, arrayed in a white Flaming Hero uniform just like
his, cried, pointing at him. "Love and justice are not something that can be dictated by the forces
of evil!"
"Phhht!" Chibi Naga replied. "What does SHE know?"
"SILENCE, EVIL DOER!" Chibi Amelia cried. "Your heart is black and must be
cleansed of its evil intent!"
"Bring it on, Short-Stuff!" Chibi Naga egged the princess on.
Chibi Amelia growled.
Jeffrey sighed. "This really isn't helping," he told them.
"Sorry," they said in unison. In a puff of smoke, they both disappeared.
He sighed again as a long, dark shadow fell over him. Turning and looking up, he saw a
large, masked figure standing over him.
"Oh, hi, Miss Tourist Lady," he said dejectedly.
"Is something wrong, young man?" the tourist asked sympathetically. Jeffrey blinked. He
still found that voice oddly familiar.
"Can I talk to you, Tourist Lady?" he asked. The masked figure nodded, and he sighed
again. "I think I might have done something to hurt Miss Lina's feelings. I mean…for a while, I
thought she WANTED to be my girlfriend. But now she's avoiding me. I don't know what to
do…"
"Hmmm…" the tourist lady replied. "I think it's obvious that she's just a skank and would
probably hurt you in the long run. You should forget her."
Jeffrey looked at her in shock. "What?! I can't do that! And she's NOT a skank!"
"Oh really?" the masked woman asked. "I bet she's always trying to get you to kiss
her…"
"Well…yeah, I guess…"
"SEE?! A SLUT!"
"NO SHE'S NOT!" Jeffrey cried angrily, rising to his feet. "Miss Lina isn't like that!
She's kind, and gentle, and nice! She's pure and innocent! Like a princess! She's…she's
soft…and delicate…like a beautiful, delicate butterfly…"
"HEY! GET YOUR F*BEEP!*ING ASS AWAY FROM MY F*BEEP!*ING
BOYFRIEND, YOU PIECE OF S*BEEP!*T!!!"
They both turned in shock to find Shadow Lina standing at the inn door, pointing at
Josephine.
"M…M…Miss Lina?!" Jeffrey cried.
"YEAH, I'M TALKING TO YOU, YOU FAT, UGLY PIECE OF CRAP!" the shadow
screamed at Josephine. "TAKE A HIKE BEFORE I DRAGON SLAVE YOUR FREAKY BITCH
ASS TO THE MOON!!"
Xellos appeared in the doorway behind her, golf clapping at Shadow Lina's performance.
Naga chose this moment to wake up and yawn…
The priest banged two pots together twice. "LET'S GET READY TO
RUUUUUUMMMMBLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEE!!!!"
Josephine was livid. "YOU DARE USE NASTY CUSS WORDS IN THE PRESENCE
OF MY SWEET, PURE, INNOCENT JEFFREY!?" She took out her mallet and prepared for war.
"LET'S DO IT!" Shadow Lina cried, readying a spell.
"Please, ladies!" Jeffrey cried, trying to defuse the situation before it got REALLY ugly.
"FLYING CYCLONE OF MOTHERLY LOVE ATTACK!!!" Josephine screamed
launching herself at Shadow Lina in a flying dive!
Shadow Lina pointed her hands at the flying tourist. "BOMB DE WIND!!!" A blast of
compressed air struck the masked woman and launched her back into the far wall.
"Miss Lina! Miss Tourist Lady! Please! Stop it!" Jeffrey cried, unsure of which side to
take in the battle.
From the smoke of the collision with the wall flew a mallet. "MATERNAL MALLET
MISSILE!!"
Shadow Lina squeaked and ducked! The mallet flew right over her where her head
would've been! Still standing behind her, Xellos calmly reached out and caught the weapon with
one hand.
Sitting at a booth on the other side of the restaurant, Greysword watched the battle and
blinked in surprise. Which was it? One second she was certain that wasn't the real Lina Inverse,
now she'd say with certainty that it was.
What the Hell was going on?!
Shadow Lina saw red glowing eyes glaring at her from the smoke and aimed. "DILL
BRAND!!"
There was another explosion on that side of the inn, but instead of flying straight up,
Josephine flew straight toward the redhead!
Naga stretched out in her chair and yawned. "What a wonderful dream I had," she
commented sleepily as explosions rocked the inn around her. She sighed. "I wish Lina Inverse
were really here so I could really knock the crap out of her!!"
"BRAM FANG!!" Shadow Lina cried. About twenty blades of compressed air shot from
Shadow Lina's outstretched hands and cut into the overweight woman, tearing parts of her dress.
There was a sharp ripping sound, and Josephine's mask came off.
Jeffrey gasped.
"M…Mommy?" he whispered.
Josephine looked from side to side quickly, trying desperately to think up an excuse.
"Um…Jeffrey…I…"
Naga suddenly looked at the destruction around her and the look of rage on Shadow Lina's
face. And, of course, being Naga, she did what Naga did best…
Jumped to the wrong conclusion…
Leaping to a tabletop, she pointed down at the redhead. "HA! I HAVE YOU NOW, LINA
INVERSE!!! OOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!" She raised her hands above her head. "NOW
WITNESS THE TERRIBLE POWER OF NAGA THE WHITE SERPENT!!!"
"Huh?!" Shadow Lina cried. "Miss Naga!? What are you…"
Standing in a corner, Xellos nonchalantly munched on popcorn as he watched.
Naga closed her eyes and began to chant. "Shards of the great one, aid me in my holy
quest! Let the last rays of your light destroy the evil before me! In thy great name, I pledge myself
to the light!" Thunder cracked outside. Though they couldn't see it because of the inn's ceiling,
dark storm clouds were parting…
"M..M…M….Miss Naga?" Shadow Lina whimpered.
"Let all the evil that stands in our way be destroyed! By the power you and I possess!!!"
Naga pointed down at Shadow Lina, her eyes wild with vengeful glee. "ELEMEKIA
STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!!"
Shadow Lina whimpered and ducked into a ball.
"NO!!!" Jeffrey cried. He rushed forward and threw himself on top of the redhead!
"Lord Jeffrey, run!" the shadow cried. "Save yourself!"
"No! I'm not leaving without you!"
"Forget me, Lord Jeffrey!" Shadow Lina wept. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry I never told you!"
"It's going to be okay, Miss Lina!" Jeffrey assured her. "Just close your eyes! It'll be
over soon!"
"Please forgive me, Lord Jeffrey!" she cried. "I should have told you! I should have told
you the day we met!"
"It's okay, Miss Lina! I should have told YOU!"
As they were going on, Naga was tapping her foot in annoyance and glaring at the ceiling.
"Hel-LO!" she cried. "Where's the destruction, huh?!" Xellos just scratched his head and
shrugged. He picked up the Claire Bible manuscript and flipped to the Troubleshooting section…
"Oh, Jeffrey! If it has to end! If it has to end, at least we'll be together!"
"Together, Miss Lina!" Jeffrey assured her.
"Jeffrey!"
"Lina!"
"I LOVE YOU!" they cried at the same time.
"How sweet," Naga muttered, still waiting for her final attack to wipe out a good portion
of the town. By now she realized that Shadow Lina was NOT Lina Inverse, but now she was more
annoyed that her wonderful final spell seemed to be fizzling.
"Yes," Xellos muttered, still flipping through pages. "I may weep openly…" He
brightened. "Here we go! Miss Naga, it appears that you skipped a very important stage of the
spell! You forgot to use a magic conductor."
Naga grabbed the book from him and started reading. "GODDAMMIT!" she cried.
"You…You mean we're not going to die?" Shadow Lina sniffled, looking up at them, still
in Jeffrey's arms.
"No…dammit…" Naga told her.
Shadow Lina and Jeffrey looked at one another and quickly jumped away from each other
in embarrassment.
"Jeffrey,"
He turned and faced his mother, who looked rather agitated. She took a breath and spoke.
"You're…you're a big boy now…"
"Mommy?" Jeffrey asked.
Josephine dabbed at her eyes with a silk kerchief. "I guess…this happens to all parents.
Eventually, their little darlings have to leave the nest and stand on their own!" She walked over to
Shadow Lina, who ducked and covered with a frightened squeak. "You, young lady, seem to love
my darling Jeffrey very much," Josephine told her.
The shadow blushed. "Yeah…I guess I do…"
"Good! Because it's YOUR job to take care of him now!"
"Huh?" Shadow Lina squeaked. "You mean…It's okay?"
"Well," Josephine said, putting her hands on her hips. "You're not PERFECT…"
Shadow Lina's face fell. "And you need some improvement…" The shadow sighed. "But with
me as your coach, you'll be a fine, upstanding young woman in no time!"
Shadow Lina sighed.
Josephine stepped over and hugged her son. "When you're all done fighting for justice,
come home," she told him. "I'll be waiting there."
Jeffrey, still visibly dazed by everything that had happened, only nodded.
"Goodbye, everyone!" Josephine waved, picking up her mallet. She smiled and walked
out of the inn.
"And so, she walked out of our lives forever," Xellos commented quietly.
Shadow Lina and Jeffrey looked at one another for several seconds, their eyes locking.
"J…Jeffrey," the sorceress whispered.
"L…Lina…"
The two embraced.
"BARF!" Naga cried. "God, what a morning!" she cried, turning on her heel and starting
for the kitchen.
It was midnight when he heard the call. Hopping down from his perch in the tree near
Filia's window, Xellos started toward what he knew would not be a happy meeting…
Turning down an alleyway, he stretched out with his senses, searching for them. She never
traveled off her island alone. Unlike Gaav and Phibrizzo, SHE never underestimated the greater
world around her.
"Stop."
He obeyed the gruff voice. Cold breath washed over him from the shadow on his right.
"I'm alone," he assured them.
"Aren't we all?"
He looked up at the new voice, one intimately familiar to him. Footsteps on the
cobblestone street echoed as SHE approached, flanked by two of her Mazoku guards, one of which
was Callisto, and four large wolves.
Xellos smiled and scratched the back of his neck. "Isn't meeting like this a little
melodramatic?" he asked the blonde woman.
Zelas Metallium, arguably the most powerful Mazoku alive smiled. In her flashy gold
dress, and with a cigarette complete with black holder in her hand, she looked like something out
of an old play. "You know me, Xelly," she said. "I love a good entrance."
"Yes…"
"Leave us," she told the others. Callisto and the other guard bowed their heads and
disappeared. The cold breath on Xellos' neck withdrew. The wolves remained.
"Er…Something I can do for you?" Xellos asked somewhat nervously.
Zelas frowned and took a breath as if unsure how to proceed. "I can't help but notice that
the Princess of Seyruun is alive and well."
"Yes, that…" Xellos began. "I investigated the matter, and found that there was no threat.
It turned out to be a mistake…" He stopped suddenly as she raised her cigarette, silencing him.
"You weren't ordered to investigate, Xelly," she told him, her tone cold despite the absurd
nickname. "I told you to destroy a target. Nothing more. Nothing less. NOT to dictate policy."
"I…felt it would be wiser to bring you news of what I found and allow you the opportunity
to…dictate policy…appropriately."
She smiled dangerously. "Then why am I here now, hearing this for the first time, instead
of hearing it from you on Wolfpack Island once you found this information?"
He swallowed. "Majesty, I…"
She held up a hand. "Xelly," she said quietly. "This has gone on long enough.
Your…condition…is perfectly natural. And knowing how eccentric you can be, your choice in
mates didn't really surprise me." The Mazoku queen was glaring now. "But now it's starting to
affect your judgement, and…"
"Majesty, really, I…
He suddenly found himself with her finger on his lips. "HUSH!" she hissed at him.
"HUSH!" Xellos blinked as the finger was pulled away. "You have been, by far, my most
efficient lieutenant," she told him. "I never thought I'd see the day when you would fuck up, but
believe me, cupcake, you are FUCKING UP now!"
He was silent.
"Why haven't you dealt with your situation?" she asked.
"It's…rather complicated. I'm afraid I can't just…take her."
"Then allow me to make it easy for you," she said dangerously. "I am ORDERING
you…to impregnate your mate." Xellos took a breath. "If she doesn't offer herself to you, you are
to take her by force." He opened his mouth to offer a humble objection, but she cut him off. "One
way or the other I want this whole mess over and done with!" she snapped. "Do you understand,
Xelly poo?" she asked sweetly.
Xellos hesitated for a moment, then bowed his head. "It…shall be done…Majesty."
Zelas smiled. "Don't look so glum, Xelly poo!" she cried, slapping him on the back.
"Soon you'll be your old self again!"
"Thank you…Majesty," he whispered.
"Oh, one last thing before I go!" she said. She opened her hand and pointed her palm at
Xellos. The trickster priest clutched at his chest in pain and fell to his knees in agony. His mouth
opened, but no sound emerged. Zelas knelt next to him until her lips were an inch from his right
ear. She started to whisper. "If you ever…EVER…circumvent my authority again, I'll make you
wish Gaav DID kill you." She pulled her hand away, and Xellos gasped for breath.
The Mazoku queen stood up. Her wolves snarled at Xellos. "Come on, babies!" she told
them. The wolves turned and followed her as she disappeared into a shadow.
Xellos climbed to his feet and leaned against the wall, still in pain.
Things had taken another turn.
Another damn turn…
To Be Continued…
Author's Note:
By the way, Star Trek belongs to Gene Roddenberry.