Chapter Seventeen

Author's Note: Okay your authoress is not in a good mood. In fact she is very depressed after finishing the anime series Cowboy Bebop. I might have to take a little break(not long mind you) from this fic to write an angsty one just so I don't totally desensitize any of my readers by taking my depression out on this fic. Well anyway here we go with another chapter.

It was break time and Lina and Gourry had already gone to their class while Zel and Sylphiel had never shown up to begin with. Filia was trying to finish her homework (she was very embarrassed for having forgotten it the night before and didn't like the idea of loosing the respect of her teachers by finishing it up in class) and Xelloss just didn't feel like going to class yet.

"Done!" Filia said happily extending her paper to look it over "Now I have to get to class,"

"But," Xelloss looked at the clock confused "We've got six minutes,"

"Exactly that's why-" Filia rolled her eyes "Fine," laughing she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek "I suppose I can be 'fashionably' late to class,"

Xelloss looked surprised by both her action and words.

Filia smiled and kissed him again.

"What are you doing?!" Filia was drawn away by a familiar voice behind them. Oh no. Filia suddenly remembered one crucial thing she had forgotten to do.

"Ah," Filia looked to her former boyfriend apologetically "I suppose I lied last time we talked huh?" Filia bit her bottom lip "I'm er...well...I don't think our relationship is going to work out and-uh-well you see-" Filia's words trailed off as she was knocked off balance by the force of the jock's hand slamming across her face. Xelloss stood, furious but Filia got there first...

"SHE HIT HIM WITH HER MACE?!" Lina stared at K-chan in disbelief.

"Yeah they said he just went like a pingpong ball down the hallway and it's true! I was coming into the main hallway when he went flying past!" K-chan was sitting at a lunch table with a paper basket of fries and chicken which had barely been touched "He just went bouncin' off the walls! I mean it was...it was...cool," K-chan took a bight of one of her chicken fingers and then another only to place it back on her plate ready for more conversation.

"But I mean what'd they do with Filia?" Lina looked around the table where only K-chan; Zel, Gourry, Sylphiel, and herself were seated.

"Took her off in a cop car and Xelloss too because he witnessed it. No one thinks they'll be able to do much though. I mean not too many people where on the main hallway then and who would buy that some seven-teen-year-old girl shot some guy all the way down the hall. The story isn't believable in the least," K-chan yawned "Ugh sleepy,"

"I take it this means that Ms. Filia won't be at work tonight," Sylphiel stared at her sub sandwich.

"You know haven't been back to that antique shop for a long while," Zelgadiss realized.

"Oh," Lina's eyes widened. He was right. They hadn't really been back to Sam's since that night. She wouldn't be angry...would she?...

"You owe me more manual labor," Ms. Taseb said nonchalantly holding a silver lighter in loosely in her grip.

Sylphiel nodded and simply waited for instructions Lina on the other hand had some problems with this "Now look we-"

Zel clapped a hand over her mouth "We are happy to help," Zel pulled Lina back a few steps then hissed "Don't push it she can do worse,"

Lina muttered something and removed his hand angrily "Fine,"

"Good," Sam pointed to various locations in the room "And you'll work there, and you'll work there, and you'll clean up whatever the hell that shit is, oh and you can rebuild that,"

"She sounds a little too enthusiastic about all that," K-chan said crossing her arms over her chest and looking at Gourry. Neither of them had to work but had tagged along for "emotional" support. In other words they where there to be a noble pain in the ass. Well at least K-chan was.

Gourry didn't say much of anything and instead looked around the room in wonder.

K-chan looked the blonde over "Hey why don't you go pick something that costs an ungodly amount of money so that you have to work here too," she said jubilantly smiling falsely.

"Huh?" Gourry looked at her confused "Alright?"

K-chan blinked "My you really are an idiot aren't you?"

"Hey," Gourry understood that much.

"What? You undermine my ideas of the ideal couple and expect me to be kind?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah that's what I thought," Gourry looked a little saddened and K-chan couldn't help but laugh "Whoo," shaking her head K-chan patted Gourry on the back "You're a teddy-bear-adorable you know that?"

Gourry watched her walk to the back of a shop...she scared him...Shrugging he followed to sit beside her, unsure of where else to go, stopping along the way to give Lina a quick kiss and then taking his seat beside K-chan on the steps to the hallway.

"You hamster brained bastard," K-chan didn't even bother to make eye contact.

"What?!"

Zel crouched in the corner busying himself with dusting. He should be used to the fact that Lina was with Gourry now...but he couldn't...But why the hell not?! Zel clenched a fist and rested his head on the shelf Man I'm doing this way to much, closing his eyes he sighed and felt his shoulders tense.

"Zelgadiss you have spent twenty minutes on dusting that same shelf!" Zelas's voice came from the front desk.

"Sorry," Zel straightened and felt his face go red. Oh how he loathed this store.

Zelas tapped her cigarette on the counter as she watched the teens clean the store. This was taking much too long. They should have their memories back by now shouldn't they? Shabranigto could be reborn at any time! Zelas slammed the butt of her cigarette onto the desk "Keep cleaning," she said looking away from the lot of them. They were going to be the death of her...or bring on ulcers...or something equally horrible "Oh," Zelas groaned as she walked down the hallway and into her bedroom "Damn this world," she collapsed on her bed. Why did everything always have to go wrong? She wanted to go home! Zelas rested her hands on her ribcage. She sounded like a child! All this talk of homesickness. Rubbish. She was the Beastmaster for crying out loud! Zelas closed her eyes. It was more than that she knew it. There was Akushou. Why did he of all people have to follow her. If it had only been anyone else...if it had only been anyone taken care of it but...Zelas sighed again , the sigh becoming a pain filled moan "Akushou,"

"Yes?"

Zelas's eyes opened in a rush and she looked to her right to see Aku lying beside her on the bed. Zelas let out an angered cry and kicked at him "What are you doing here?!" Zelas stood...well actually laid her ground...she wasn't about to move when he was the one intruding on her.

"I thought I'd just tell you that we know where Shabranigto is hiding," he said this teasingly smiling, still lying on the bed.

Zelas sat up quickly "Don't go near it!" her voice was harsh.

"Haven't we been over this already?" Akushou closed his eyes and put his arms under his bed.

"Aku I'm serious, don't," the harshness in her voice had melted away into concern, making her voice sound strange.

"Oh please," Akushou looked at her angrily "You can't possibly convince me that you care if I live or die...not really..."

"Aku," Zelas sounded hurt.

"Oh and by the way," Aku stood "The Shiji are with those six you brought," Aku pointed to the door "Right thrrooooouuugh there. There's no telling what they may do,"

"You bastard!" Zelas hurled a pillow at Akushou but with a laugh he was gone "What am I doing?!" how could she be so weak?! It was then that she recalled Aku's words "No!" Zelas leapt over the railing of the bed.

The chime of a bell reburverated off the walls of the small antique shop. Everyone looked towards the front door on instinct and K-chan stood. In the doorframe stood to familiar figures Aki and Fuyu but behind them...

"Oh this place is so cute," a blonde entered the shop. She wore a short flower patterned dress that exposed her thighs. Her eyes danced as she took in her surroundings.

"Yes," a girl of the same age entered. Her hair was a pale blue and her apparel a little more modest than the first blonde's. Her straight-leg genes and billowing blue shirt coming only a little above her knees.

"It makes me sick," the blonde's tone changed and she brought a cigarette and lighter to her mouth.

"You shouldn't say such things," the blue haired girl stepped through the threshold still looking about herself.

Sylphiel stepped forward "I'm sorry but-"

"But nothing-" the blonde looked to Fuyu "May we leave now?"

"If only," Fuyu stepped to the front desk.

"Do you need to see Sam?" Lina asked coming to the group, annoyed with their rudeness and holding her dusting cloth in one hand.

"Sam?" Aki looked to her confused.

"Well then who are you?" Lina folded her arms over her chest.

K-chan stepped forward "This is Fuyu and-" she motioned carelessly to Aki "That's Aki...he's a total asshole..."

The blonde laughed.

The blue haired girl stepped forward seeing as no one else was going to introduce her "My name is Haru," she bowed slightly, hands clasped in front of her legs.

"Kaki," the blonde stepped forward and bobbed her head in a rushed greeting.

"Ah," Lina shrugged and went back to her dusting "Oh well,"

"Oh well?" Fuyu scoffed "No introduction? So rude. So rude,"

"Fuyu," Haru hissed meekly, eyes glued to the floor.

"It's alright Haru," Kaki said with a smile, resting a hand on the girl's shoulder.

Aki shook his head, his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Fuyu's eyes flashed and angrily he flung back an arm sending Aki tumbling into one of the walls.

"Aki!" Haru rushed over as the everyone in the store looked up to see what was going on.

"Fuyu," Kaki shot the pale young man beside her a threatening look.

"I'm about to go get Sam," Lina warned tightening her grip on the rag as though it were a weapon.

"There's no need," Aki stood, brushing Haru away "She's coming,"

"OUT OF MY STORE!" came a furious voice "NOW!" Zelas appeared in the entrance of the hallway.

"Very well," Fuyu looked around the store once again "These people are useless anyway...heh...past life amnesia eh?" Fuyu laughed and left the way they had all entered, Kaki following him, and then Haru and Aki leaving last.

"That was..." Lina searched for the words "Well..."

"Goodbye," K-chan waved over her shoulder as hurriedly she ran from the room.

Okay I'll do my best to get out another chapter soon. Believe it or not I actually know where I'm going with this. Please keep R&Ring.