Zel: begrudgeingly Hello, my name is Zelgadis Greywyrs. A typical manic depressant human-turned-chimera by my grandfather/greatgrandfather Rezo the Red Priest. In trying to find my cure I have unknowingly transported myself to the mysterious world of El Hazard without a means of return home. What is going to happen to me in this unpredictable place?

"I-Ifurita... You're alive!" Zelgadis ran up to the ditzy raven-haired girl and gave her a big hug that would have made Amelia really mad if she saw it. After a few seconds of being hugged, Ifurita started to turn the same shade of blue Zelgadis was.

"Um... I think you can let go of me now..."

Zelgadis paused, and noticed the manner in which he was holding Ifurita. "Oh, sorry." As he let go, his face turned a light shade of red.

Lina was still crying over the fading life of Makoto. She tried one last, desparte attempt to get Zelgadis to help. "Enough with the lovers reunion already, Zel! Help me save Makoto or you're NEVER coming home!"

With Ifurita alive, Zelgadis finally started to feel guily about Makoto's situation. He tried his best to keep Zel from killing Lina, an act that he would otherwise be regretting right now. And now this person who kept him from comitting a great sin was dying from that heroic deed. Zelgadis quickly rushed up to Lina and Makoto. "Recovery!"

Afura decended down the hole she created in the celing with Ifurita. Looking down she saw her target just standing there looking straight ahead. As Afura decended she noticed that Ifurita wasn't concerned that she was in the middle of a battle. Next she spotted the reason Ifurita was just standing there - a badly hurt Makoto with Lina and Zelgadis hovering over him.

'Oh my god, was he standing under where Ifurita landed? What have I done to Makoto?' Not having any idea what Lina and Zel were doing, she came to the conclusion that they were in shock over the events. "I'll go get a doctor!" She ran off, letting everyone she came across know that Makoto was hurt.

Slowly, Makoto's eyes started to regain their livly vigor and charm. As soon as he could, he turned to Ifurita. "You'd better go, Ifurita. Afura will only want to fight you again when she returns and will have help."

Zelgadis looked straight into Makoto's face. "Why do they want to fight Ifurita?"

"They're convinced that she's evil, and what happened with the Eye of God won't help to change their minds. If she stays they won't give us a chance to explain anything about her."

Ifurita nodded her head. "I guess I understand. I'll just go find something to do until later. No point in anyone else getting hurt. Goodbye!" She took to the air, leaving more or less the same way she came in.

With Makoto now safe from death's grip, Lina lost the mentality that allowed her to ignore the pain for so long. Unable to process such a sudden influx of pain, Lina passed out, her head landing next to Makoto's. Deciding that whoever Afura got to help Makoto could finish from there, Zelgadis quickly started to work on Lina...

Once again, Lina woke up on a bed with a doctor examining her on one side and Gourry holding her hand on the other. But this time there were no bandages. Sitting up, she saw the reasons why she didn't have any bandages at the foot of the bed - Amelia and Zelgadis.

"Oh, Lina I was so worried about you," Amelia began, "I woke up with this vision of Mr. Zelgadis running you through with his sword and came here as quickly as I could. I'm glad the vision was wrong."

"And I'm glad Amelia came when she did," Zelgadis interrupted, "You were hiding your injuries so well I didn't notice that you were in even worse shape then Makoto was. There was no way I could have saved you without her."

Not paying attention to the current conversation, and not having any attention payed to him, the doctor made his diagnosis. "Amazing! The extensive damage she had when I first examined her has completely healed. It's a miracle!"

Lina hopped out of bed. "Okay, we're all here, so I guess that means we can head home now, right?"

Zel took a few steps away from Amelia, and let out a cough. "Well, I'd like to say goodbye to Ifurita first, if you don't mind."

Gourry looked at him. Before Lina could stop him he opened his big mouth. "Ifurita? Who's she?"

Amelia gave a spark of jelousy. Zelgadis gave out a worried laugh as he glanced at her, preparing to run like hell. "W-What makes you think Ifurita's a she?"

Gourry let loose a glimer of intelligence that allegedly originated from his head, though investigations as to the real source of this insight are still underway. "Well, '-ita' happens to be commonly considered a feminine suffix in certain languages. Words that contain this suffix are considered feminine words because of the femininity of it. And seeing as Ifurita is something you can say goodbye to that is female, I must come to the conclusion that Ifurita is some girl you met while you were here." Current theories as to the source mentioned above is that it is the result of his new ability to speak fluent Bugrum. "Are you going to ask her to come with us?"

Zelgadis turned his attention away from Amelia to flat-out deny his accusation, even though it was what Zel was planning at the moment. He remembered hearing a rumor once about a shadow-Lina, who was exactly the opposite of the real Lina, and was curious as to what would happen if this shadow-Xellos of sorts ever met the real one.

As soon as his attention was diverted, Amelia lunged at her unfaithful love. "Pacifi-" She stopped short of that attack when she remembered that fist on stone wasn't a good idea. However, she was already comitted to the attack in the air, and wasn't about to give him a chance to escape. "Vis Fan Rank!" (or was the middle word something else?) Her Fist of Justice became surrounded with magical energy as it rapidly approached then slamed into his awaiting cheek. He went flying around the room as surely as if he had been whalloped by Filia's mace-sama.

Once he finally came to a stop, Amelia didn't waste a minute getting over to him. Before he could shake the daze off, she placed her middle and index fingers firmly upon his forehead. "Sleeping!" And down he went, not having a prayer.

"Come on, Lina. Let's head home!"

Lina looked at Amelia, and knew right away that she wasn't in the mood for talking. "Ok. Doctor, I think you should leave unless you want to get dragged along with us. Oh, and tell the princess that she can forget all about the money."

She began the incantation as the doctor headed for the door to tell Princess Rune the great news. He closed the door and turned to head for her chambers, bumping into the very person he was going to go see. Behind her were some servants who were carrying one thousand gold coins that were modeled from a sample Gourry had given her.

From inside the room, Lina was heard to shout "Chaotic Dream!" A white light eminated from the cracks of the door, narrowly missing the people standing outside in the hall. When it faded, Rune Venus pushed past the doctor and thrust open the door. The room was empty.



. . . . . . . . . . . . ~ Fin