By Fate's Will

by Zels

Lina's happy, but certain events occur which leave her unsure as to what exactly to do. 3 parts. Different couples. Please read and review.

1. Transitions

First of all, let me say that Slayers is not mine. However, all those not belonging to the Slayers crew in this fic belong to me and my fam/clan. So, please, don't steal my lil characters. I mean, maybe if you ask and so. This is my first try at a Slayers ficcy. I know for a fact that there are some major OOCness in places. For that I deeply apologize. I could actually use some help fixin' it all up. So... um... review me and tell me whatcha think, please. Thanks. Let's see... Ah, I have some comments every now and then, which are marked by lil numbers beside them. You can find my lil comments at the bottom of the tale. Oh, yes, there's also some...well... singing. ~lala~ is an example of a character not talking, but singing. Yes, I know, I'm weird. ^_^ Finally, I would just like to say:

Forgive me, Lina.

By Fate's Will part one:

Transitions

By: Zelda

Magic and adventure. Fun, treasure, lore, food, and tales to tell the kids... well... after having kids. Wasn't that how it was supposed to be? Wasn't it supposed to be a tale where the gal gets the guy and lives happily ever after? If so, then why had a dark cloud settled down? Why was the fairy tale becoming a horrible nightmare? Where was the fairy godmother? 1

~

Lina awoke and smiled at the brilliant morning. Zelgadis entered the tent and smiled at her.

"Good morning, Zel." She warmly greeted, stretching. "Quiet night, eh?"

"Yes, it was rather peaceful." Zelgadis answered.

"Don't worry. I'll wake him up." Lina smiled at the man beside her.

"Amelia was wondering about breakfast." Zelgadis informed.

"I see..." Lina brightened a bit more. "I'll go fishing too."

"I'll tell her." Zelgadis left the tent.

"Hey, Gourry..." Lina gently shook the blonde.

"I agree perfectly." Gourry mumbled, rolling over.

"C'mon, silly." Lina laughed. "It's time to get up."

"Hm.." Gourry slowly opened his eyes. "Lina."

Gourry smiled. Lina felt as though she could just melt.

"Good morning, sleepy head." Lina tasseled the blonde's hair.

"I see you slept well." Gourry commented, still smiling. "Did I hear that you were going fishing?"

"Yes." Lina nodded. "But you're going to have to build up the fire."

"Alright!" Gourry readily agreed.

Lina turned to leave the tent, but Gourry took her hand. Lina rolled her eyes and turned to face him. He kissed her. Lina's heart fluttered as they parted.

"Be careful." Gourry whispered.

"Hey, I'm just going fishing." Lina replied, but the look in Gourry's eyes showed he was afraid something bad would happen. "I'll be careful. Promise."2

With that, Gourry allowed Lina to go.

Lina breathed in the fresh morning air as she fished. It was a lovely day. After about half an hour, she was certain that she had enough fish for both herself and Gourry. There were probably enough for Zelgadis and Amelia, as well as Xellos, if he showed up. Content with the amount, Lina headed back to the campsite, fish in tow.

"Miss Lina, are you sure you didn't get too many fish?" Amelia greeted. "I wouldn't want for the bears or other animals to be in jeopardy."

"Yes, Amelia, I'm sure that I didn't get too many fish." Lina was in too high of spirits to be annoyed.

"Well, alright." Amelia sighed, sitting down.

"Hmm... I don't think I made a big enough fire." Gourry commented. "How are we going to cook all of those fish?"

"Well, a fireball should do the trick." Lina cracked her knuckles.

"Just don't burn them this time." Zelgadis spoke up.

Lina made a face at Zelgadis, but quickly recovered. She closed her eyes and focused before casting the spell. It didn't take too much to power down her fireball. That meant only one thing.

(Hmm... it's almost that time of the month. Well... we'll be coming to a town soon. I'm sure Zel can handle anything major.) Lina thought to herself.

Breakfast was promptly served and enjoyed. Camp was then tidied up, and the adventurers left for the town of Ailynn.

The journey there was very calm and quiet. Lina couldn't help but lower her guard a little. Gourry did too. He clasped her hand in his and even handed her a small bouquet of daisies. Lina enjoyed every minute of it. As soon as they were back in Sairune, they'd get married.

It was a little after noon when the adventurers reached the town. The four froze in the square. It was completely deserted and very quiet. Ailynn was known as the happiest and most lively town in the area. Something was definitely amiss.

While scanning the area with her eyes, Lina came upon a figure near one of the deserted buildings. He motioned to her and her party. Lina exchanged glances with Zelgadis. He nodded and took Amelia with him to search the area for other inhabitants. Gourry and Lina went over to the man.

The man looked to be in his early forties. He clung to the wall as though it were his very life force. He gasped when he saw Lina.

"You...you're that sorceress, Lina Inverse." He shakily pointed his finger at her.

"Yeah, that's me." Lina's tone sounded a little tired. She didn't want for the good guys to fear her.

"Perhaps... Help us." He begged.

"What happened?" Gourry inquired.

"A stranger came into town a few days ago. He seemed odd and was dressed in a weird manner. Even so, I gave him a room in my inn." The man turned to Gourry, raising his hands as he tried to explain. "We've not had the greatest luck this past year and..."

"Uh huh. So, what happened?" Lina didn't want for the man to get too off track.

"Anyway, I let him stay at my inn. Well, that night, I heard some strange noises.3 They were coming from his room. He was chanting in some... strange tongue. I couldn't recognize it at all." The man shuddered a little. "It was evil, though. The next morning, all was quiet. Not even a bird was chirping. I looked out the window and... all I saw were specters."

"Specters..." Lina repeated to herself. "Tell me, what was this guy's name?"

"I believe that it was..." The man's face twisted in pain.

"Sir?" Lina neared the man.

"V...Vylh...a..rion..."He whispered, collapsing into Lina's arms.

"Vylharion..."Lina closed her eyes and turned away.

"Lina..." Gourry put a hand on Lina's shoulder.

"Poor guy." Lina softly said.

A dark shard protruded from the man's back. He vanished as a breeze passed by. The dark shard vanished with him. Lina shook her head.

"Vylharion... haven't heard that name in a long time." Lina sighed.

"Who's this Villonion person?" Gourry gently asked after a moment.

"Vylharion was a powerful priest. He was up there with Rezo. Something happened, though, that caused him to seclude himself from the rest of the world. No one's quite sure what that event was. Those that were certain, though, have either passed away or aren't talking." Lina paused for a moment. "Ten years ago, a sighting was reported of Vylharion. He'd come to the village of Reinor. They say that he performed the great miracle of bringing back one that had fallen. News spread and many came to him for aid. It's just that... he didn't raise the dead just as they pictured he would. Those that were brought back were shadows of themselves. Some were like zombies, and others were mere specters. The people were horrified to see this. Reinor was a ghost town within a year. One passerby claimed that they saw a darkly clothed man talking to spirits and them obeying him." Lina looked down at the ground. "A necromancer..."

"Wow, this Vylharion dude is bad news." Gourry commented.

"Yeah. Real bad news. We'd better get out of here." Lina replied.

A high-pitched scream pierced the air. Lina and Gourry turned around, pulling their weapons. This wasn't a good sign. The hordes of shadowy figures looming about the once vacant street were also a bad sign.

"Welcome." A dark voice boomed.

"Who are you?" A voice sounding just like Amelia's questioned. "Whoever you are, what you're doing is unjust! I'll stop you, in the name of justice!"

"Great." Lina rubbed her forehead and sighed. "She's gonna get us all killed. C'mon Gourry. We'd better go and save her."

Lina grabbed Gourry's arm and rushed through the specters. She finally reached Amelia, just as the girl was getting into her justice stance.



"Hey.It'sbeenniceseeingyou.Sorryaboutthewholejusticerant.She'sreallybentonit ,yaknow.Well,we'dbetterbegoing.Haveaniceday.Seeya." Lina waved to the floating figure before grabbing Amelia's hand and rushing out of the town with both her and Gourry.4

Once at least a mile away from the city limits, Lina set down those she had been carrying and took a breather. Gourry stood and scratched his head.

"What was that all about?" He inquired.

"Miss Lina, we have to go back!" Amelia informed, jumping up.

"What makes you say that?!" Lina questioned.

"Miss Lina, we can't just abandon Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia grew a little flustered.

"Zel..." Lina's face paled as she turned to Amelia. "We left Zel... Oh, boy."

"I thought we'd forgotten something." Gourry commented.

"See. We have to return for Mr. Zelgadis." Amelia reiterated.

"Amelia, let me get one thing into your little head first." Lina took Amelia by the shoulders to make sure the girl would listen. "That man back there, the one that you were going to punish in the name of justice. Well, that was Vylharion. Yes, the Vylharion."

"V..Vylharion." Amelia gasped.

"I think we're lucky you didn't provoke him and cause him to attack." Lina continued. "It's said that that guy is stronger than Shabranigdo. Going back would be suicide."

"Even so, Miss Lina." Amelia choked out after regaining her voice. "We can't just leave Mr. Zelgadis alone there. If that is V... Vylharion... then we have to go back for him."

"Yeah..." Lina released Amelia's shoulders. "You're right."

"So, what's our plan?" Even Gourry knew that they'd need a plan.

"Well, he didn't chase us out of town. Those specters coulda attacked us at any given time. They didn't. That's a good sign." Lina observed. "So... we head back into town, find Zel, hope we don't tick off Vylh, and run. Praying could also help."

"Alright, then." Gourry went over to Lina and took her hand. "Let's go save Zel."

Lina nodded. The three turned around and went back into the town.



###

Zelgadis cursed under his breath. He'd not only gotten separated from Amelia, but the gang was clearly no longer in town. What made matters worse was that the only inhabitants left in the town were undead. A cleric would sure come in handy. Zelgadis sighed and peeked out from his hiding place. A darkly clad figure was walking about talking to all the undead.

"A necromancer?" Zelgadis pondered aloud.

"Master Vylharion." One of the undead bowed to the darkly clad man.

"Vylharion?" Zelgadis raised an eyebrow. "So... he is still around."

"Yes? What is is, Larone?" Vylharion replied.

"The travelers from earlier. They've returned." Larone informed.

"Lina and the others. They're probably back for me." Zelgadis sighed. "Fools."

"I see." Vylharion paused for a moment, thinking. "They've probably returned for their friend. Have you found him yet?"

"No sir. He's not yet been found." Larone answered.

"Don't count on finding me." Zelgadis muttered.

"Keep searching. It wouldn't do for him to remain lost. I'm sure they'll leave after that." Vylharion turned to go, but stopped. "If they remain after finding their friend... attack."

"Sir, what about..."Larone trailed off.

"Oh, that." Vylharion scratched his head for a moment. "Keep the guards at their posts. Attack at first sight."

"As you wish, sir." Larone bowed again and left.

~~

Lina looked around the town. It was no use trying to be stealthy. Vylharion's minions were already searching the area, and probably for Zelgadis. Lina didn't really like being in the town. She wanted to find Zel as soon as possible and then leave. Gourry squeezed her hand and gave her a weak smile. Lina returned the smile, her fear subsiding just a little.

(Now, if I were Zel, where would I hide?) Lina asked herself. "Amelia, where was the last place you saw Zel before we found you ready to do your justice thing?"

"Mr. Zelgadis was searching one of the taverns." Amelia answered. 5

"Well, that's probably where we should start looking." Lina replied. "Lead the way."

Amelia nodded and led Lina and Gourry over to where she had last recalled seeing Zelgadis.

~~

Zelgadis sighed as he remained in his hiding spot. The large wooden crate was a great shield to hide behind. As he stretched one of his legs out, he saw a glinting object. Closer inspection showed that the object was in fact a ring. Zelgadis, having nothing better to do, cleaned off the ring.

The ring was very beautiful. It was a silver band with a blue sapphire in the center, small leaf-shaped emeralds encircling it.6

"Now who would forget about this in such a place?" Zelgadis wondered aloud.7

"Zel?" Lina's voice pierced through Zelgadis's cloud of thought.

"Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia's voice followed, sounding very relieved.

The trio entered the small area Zelgadis had been hiding in. Zelgadis quickly pocketed the ring and stood.

"Thank the gods." Lina sighed in relief. "We'd better get outta here on the double."

"I agree." Zelgadis nodded.

The newly reunited party turned to go. They had reached the city limits with no problem. It was the step there after that ... was consequential. Lina and Zelgadis both swore as the town was engulfed in flames.

"You dare to show your face. Brilliant indeed, Vylharion." A figure perched upon a dark wyvern greeted.

"I see you waste little time in tracing my steps, Galnor. Should I prepare tea, or are you wanting to skip straight to the killing fest?" Vylharion returned.

"Gods, we're going to get stuck in the middle of a twisted feud between two very powerful wizards." Lina groaned.

"I think it may be more than that." Gourry softly commented.

"Eh?" Lina turned to Gourry, arching an eyebrow.

"Miss Lina, we can't leave." Amelia cried.

"I think leaving would be in our best interest." Lina returned.

"I don't want to stay, Miss Lina." Amelia tried to resay what she had said. "There's some barrier blocking us in."

"Like caged animals." Zelgadis's low tone only added to Lina's frustration.

"Gods, why does this have to happen now?" Lina clentched her fists.

"Miss Lina?" Amelia neared the woman, concerned.

"Zel... you and Amelia will have to do all the heavy magic. My dragon slave won't be saving us today." Lina whispered.

"I'm sorry, Miss Lina." Amelia didn't know what else to say.

The guys could only nod, coughing slightly to hide how red their cheeks had become. 8

"You always did know how to get to the core of things." Galnor laughed. "Shall I even the odds first?"

"Even the odds?" Vylharion arched an eyebrow. "Whatever do you mean? My shadows are of no threat to you. They're more for the hordes of beasts you've dragged along."

"That is not what I am referring to." Galnor turned his head.

"Please, don't let him be looking at us. Please..." Lina plead with some unseen force.

"I'm sorry to say, but he is." Gourry informed.

"Great." Lina shook her head. "This is not what I had planned for today. Not at all."

"They're not here for a fight, Galnor. They're not even sided with me." Vylharion replied.

"Truly. You used that line on me once before, Vylharion. Lina Inverse, slayer of Shabranigdo, is hardly one to merely keep around for company's sake." Galnor did not believe Vylharion.

"He fears me?" Lina half wanted to laugh and half wanted to cry. "We're worse off than I thought, then."

"I won't let him harm you." Gourry took a protective stance before Lina.

"Gourry..." Lina whispered.

"Shall we dance, then, little mage?" Galnor's lips curved upward in an evil grin. "I've always wondered about the slayer of Shabranidgo. I see that you have company. Aides in the battle, no doubt. Let us see how well you dance."

"Dancing? Me? Well..." Lina stepped forward, trying to assure Gourry that all would be well. "I can't verily dance with one who is atop a wyvern, ne? Besides, I don't think you have dancing in mind. If what I'm thinking is correct, I doubt that the competition would be fair."

"Come, come." Galnor sighed. "I guess that this meeting of ours is not what Fate had in mind."

"They are of no concern of ours, I assure you. You have only come to face me, Galnor. It is I, and I alone, that you will face in battle." Vylharion interrupted.

"Indeed..." Galnor frowned slightly. "I was so wanting to dance with you, fair one. Alas, Fate has decided on this day to be cruel and not as beautiful as she normally is to me. No matter... I will get what I want in time."

"Galnor." Vylharion produced a dark flame in his hand.

"Impatience can be a horrible weakness, dear Vylharion." Galnor scolded. "I have one more thing to do before our battle can begin."

"Miss Lina, I don't like the look on his face." Amelia whimpered.

"Neither do I." Lina prepared herself as best as she could for what was to come.

"I'll not die here. I swear that to you, fair mage." Galnor's eyes sparkled with something that sent a cold chill up even Zelgadis's spine. 9

"Galnor." Vylharion's tone was cold.

"What?" Galnor innocently looked to his rival. "You know as well as I that our feud will not end here." 10

Galnor returned his gaze to the party. He scanned each face twice. He smiled at Lina during his third sweep of the group. His gaze finally landed upon Gourry.

"So, this is the one? Can't have this." Galnor tsked. "To you, Fate. This is to foil whatever destiny you had planned."

Gourry's hands fell limp to his sides. His eyes widened as he was lifted up from the ground by some unseen force. Lina tried to grab him, to pull him down, but to no avail. Gourry floated upward, pausing once about ten to fifteen feet off the ground. Lina's stomach knotted with the deep fear of what was to come.

"Zel... cover her eyes." Lina choked out.

"Miss Lina?" Amelia looked like a lost fawn.

"Lina..." Zelgadis went over to Amelia and shielded her eyes with his cape.

"With the power entrusted to me..." Galnor began.

"Li..na.." Gourry looked down to the fear-filled woman.

"I call forth you, the dark lord of lost souls." Galnor continued.

"Galnor!" Vylharion did not approve of what his rival was doing.

"He...re..." Gourry weakly managed to loosen his belt enough to drop his sword.

"Gourry..." Lina mechanically took up the sword.

"Take this gift from me to you." Galnor's voice droned onward.

"I.. lo..ve...you..."Gourry weakly smiled.

"Seal my oath to dance with this maid." Galnor smiled briefly.

"I love you too..." Lina sadly looked away, tears in her eyes.

"With the blood of this swordsman." Galnor thrust his hands upward and dark lightning bolts rained down upon Gourry. "Dark blood oath."

Gourry's screams filled the air. Vylharion glared at his laughing rival. This wasn't supposed to happen. Lina could no longer bear it. She fell to her knees, the screams piercing her heart. A light filled the area. Lina barely registered it. Zelgadis lifted her and carried her away. A figure clad in a red cloak stepped out from one of the buildings. 11

"Too late." She sadly whispered.

The woman walked over to the charred remains of the blonde swordsman. She looked over to the cruelly laughing wizard and glared icy daggers at him. The daggers faded as Vylharion began his assault. The woman sighed as she watched the scarred adventurers leave. The chimera had been the strong one. She was on his side. The young white mage of justice had fallen to a spell of the chimera's. She'd know nothing of the incident. The young sorceress, however... The woman gently placed a hand on the young man's face and shook her head. She lifted his body and left the cursed town, never to return.



Days passed. Zelgadis had taken his comrades to a nearby town. They'd been staying at an inn for the past few days. Lina's gaze never left the blue waters of the ocean. She just stared out the window at the waves, blankly. Amelia had no memory of what had happened. She was too afraid to ask after seeing Lina's pale face watching the waves with such emptiness and sorrow in her eyes. She was almost thankful that Zelgadis had protected her from whatever the ghastly vision had been. Whatever it had been, though, Amelia knew that Gourry had been a part of it. Just knowing that sent cold chills down her spine.

Zelgadis had taken to watching over the sorceress. He'd spoon water into her pale lips as well as try to get her to eat something. She refused to move from her spot. Sometimes she'd drop off to sleep. Zelgadis closed his eyes to hold back the chill that crept up his spine. Every time she'd sleep, she'd scream out as though being tortured. All of her dreams were nightmares. Was there nothing left to grant her peace?

Another week passed. Lina was still as she had been, and money was running low.

"Mr. Zelgadis..." Amelia stood to greet the man. "Did you?"

"No. I'm afraid no one here has any work for a monster like me." Zelgadis sighed, sitting down at the wooden table.

"I guess all is lost, then." Amelia fell into her seat.

"Never say such a thing." A voice spoke up from the door.

"Who are you?" Zelgadis had never seen this person before.

"My name is not important." The woman entered the room. "May I sit with you? I know that I did not knock, but the door was indeed open. I was also directly behind you the whole way upstairs."

"It's been so long since we've had a guest." Amelia turned to Zelgadis, her eyes shining, hopeful.

"Fine." Zelgadis waved his hand.

The woman took a seat at the table. She glanced over at Lina and shook her head. Returning her gaze to her hosts, she slowly removed the hood of her cloak. Amelia gasped at her dark black hair and pale complection as well as her crimson lips. The woman looked just as she had imagined Snow White would, though much more beautiful. The woman removed and set aside her red cloak.

"She's still out there, searching for something." She softly commented.

"We lost a dear friend." Zelgadis replied.

"She lost her first true love." The woman added.

"Do you have a job for us?" Amelia meekly inquired.

"You should not stay here, my child. It is too near to the place that causes her such pain." The woman again looked to Lina. "She needs a place that is secure to her."

"We planned on returning to Sairune." Amelia informed.

"That is still a way off. I don't know if she'll make it." The woman lowered her head. "And you two... You are low on money, ne?"

"Mr. Zelgadis is trying to get a job. I still have some credit that I can use. I'm sure Daddy won't mind, but..." Amelia turned away.

"It won't last forever." The woman finished. "You care for this woman dearly. I can see that. She's fortunate to have such friends."

The woman stood to go.

"Wait." Amelia jumped up and grabbed the woman's arm. "Please, don't go. For the sake of everything just, please... don't go."

The woman paused and turned to Amelia. A tune entered on the wind. Zelgadis sensed something ... different about this woman. When she began to sing, he knew that she wasn't a typical person. 12

~Why do the valiant die so young? Why must we be parted so early? A history that has just now begun, yet is ending before it's yet been started? What is just about that, can you say? What's so just about life, anyway?~ The woman questioned.

"Please. I know that you can help us. I see it in your eyes." Amelia felt hot tears fall down her face. "Please... Help Miss Lina."

~Cry if you must. Weep fully in sorrow. I can do nothing now. Wait till tomorrow. Stars sparkle down, filling you with their hope. Don't give up now. Don't give up.~ The woman gently patted Amelia's head before leaving.

Amelia went after the woman, but Zelgadis stopped her. She clung to Zelgadis, crying. Why wouldn't that woman help them? Was there no justice left in the world? She just wept in his arms until sleep had taken her. Zelgadis sighed and placed her upon one of the beds. He covered her up and sighed. His gaze then fell to Lina. She just sat there, unblinking, gazing at the never-ending blue sea. Was she lost to them?

Zelgadis sighed and fell onto his bed. It was actually quite sturdy a bed. He stared up at the wooden ceiling, many thoughts wandering about his head. Eventually, his eyes closed and sleep took him.

Night fell. Zelgadis and Amelia still were embraced by sleep. They rested purely upon dire need. No dreams reached them. Their souls were greatful, though. If any dreams were to reach them, they'd surely be but nightmares, horrendous and cruel. A figure entered through the open window. Lina didn't move an inch. The figure sighed and took a seat across from Lina. She stared directly into the dazed girl's eyes and softly sang to her.

~Time heals all wounds. You know that, though, ne? Let time heal your wounds. Let your pain drift away. Your thoughts, though so clouded, let them soar the open sky. Only after that, not before, can I open your weary eyes.~ The woman whispered to Lina.

Lina blinked, tears entering her eyes. The woman weakly smiled. Was she getting through? Lina's eyes closed and she emitted a loud, piercing cry. The woman backed away slightly. She sighed and shook her head.

"Scream if you must. Yell with agony high. I'm but a messenger. What more, shall I lie? The moon glows so fully. Look up to her. Only with a grand blessing can miracles occur.~ The woman gently touched Lina's wet cheek. ~Weep maid. Scream maid. Cry maid. Yell maid. Call my name. Call me forth.~

Lina slowly opened her eyes. She looked at the woman and sighed.

~Let me be.~ She softly sang, turning her head aside. ~Set me free...~

"You know who I am, then." The woman concluded.

"I've called for you for a long time." Lina replied. "I don't want to stay. Set me free." 13

"You know that I can't do that as you see it, my child. Already, though, have I set you free in their eyes." The woman turned her gaze out to the full moon. "What do you hear upon the wind?"

"Hm?" Lina stood. "I don't have to put up with this."

"Listen." The woman hissed, taking Lina's arm.

"Lina..." Gourry's voice entered in upon the night's gentle breeze.

"Gourry?" Lina felt tears again forming in her eyes.

"Yes, that's Gourry." The woman nodded. "What does he say?"

"He... he doesn't want me to kill myself because..." Lina lowered her head. "Then we couldn't be together ever again. He'd rather... I'd fall in love with some other guy than... than have that happen."

"You can't throw yourself off of that cliff over there into the vast green sea. Think about those you'd leave behind. Your chimera friend has done much for you, as has the young one." The woman smiled at Lina. "You also have a dance scheduled before your death, ne?"

"I'll kill that fiend." Lina clentched her fists. "He'll pay for what he did to Gourry."

"I'm sorry I came too late." The woman stood, her eyes shadowed. "The chimera eased him of his suffering, but the dark oath with his blood was made. You both are bound. That is why you've not had the strength to go over to that cliff to throw yourself off of it. Take care."

"Of course." Lina watched the woman leave. "A dance..."

Lina looked down to her lap and pulled out the last thing Gourry had given her- The Sword of Light. She sighed and fingered the hilt of the blade. What would she do without Gourry? A hand appeared on her shoulder. She looked over to see Zelgadis. He weakly smiled at her and took a seat beside her.

"You woke up." He greeted.

"Yeah." Lina's gaze returned to the sacred sword. "Had a lot to think about. You and Amelia did a lot for me. Thanks."

"I'm sorry we couldn't do more." Zelgadis looked out the window. "You knew that woman?"

"In a way." Lina shrugged. "I think we all know her at some point in our lives."

"Who is she?" Zelgadis inquired.

"She tells her name to few. Those that release her name are placed under some pact or something like that." Lina turned the sword over in her hand. "I only partially know her. Her name is still as much a mystery to me as it is to you."

"I see." Zelgadis turned to face Lina. "How are you feeling?"

"Beat up inside and out." Lina confessed. "I wanted to throw myself off of that cliff over there, but.. I can't."

Silence passed.

"We still headin' for Sairune?" Lina asked after an uncomfortable moment.

"Yes." Zelgadis nodded.

"His body's there." Lina informed.

"Hm?" Zelgadis raised an eyebrow.

"She did one final thing for me, I guess." Lina softly laughed. "Could it be my lucky day?"

Lina's laughter soon turned to tears. Zelgadis found himself holding her near as she cried. He was starting to get used to being a cry cushion. As Zelgadis stared up at the full moon, his eyes shone. He quickly closed them to disillusion any fact that he, too, needed a shoulder to cry upon. Amelia and Lina crying on his shoulders was enough. No one needed a crying chimera. No one. 14

~~

A woman with a white cloak on was knelt in prayer beneath a tall oak tree. A woman with a black cloak on neared her. She knelt down and said a silent prayer as well. A woman wearing a red cloak appeared shortly after. She knelt down and said a silent prayer too. The three stood after a moment, lingering at the site.

"So young..." The one in white sadly shook her head.

"What can I do?" The one in red kicked a loose pebble below her. "Failure is not something I excel at."

"None of us excel at it." The one in black commented.

"Why can't we interfere?" The one in white softly asked after a moment.

"You know that as well as I." The one in red answered.

"Yes, but hearing some lame excuse is better than knowing some sorry reason." The one in black reminded.

"Yeah." The one in white agreed.

"If only that weren't so true." The one in red sighed. 15

~~

Lina stared blankly at the breakfast set out before her. Amelia stared at her, watching her every move. At least she'd stopped begging to do everything for her. That had started to get annoying. She wasn't completely defenseless. Sure, she'd lost Gourry. Sure, she'd lost her beloved. That didn't mean that she couldn't comb her hair or cut her pancakes. Not wanting to do something didn't mean that you weren't capable of doing something. They were two different things. Lina was quite capable to do whatever she needed to do. As for wanting to do all those things.. that was a different story.

Zelgadis sighed to himself. She still wasn't eating.

"Come on, Lina. You need to eat." Zelgadis's tone was, surprisingly, quite gentle.

"Mr. Zelgadis is right, Miss Lina. You need your strength." Amelia full heartedly agreed.

Lina sighed and picked up a few pieces of pancake with her fork. She slowly brought it to her mouth and chewed and swallowed. It tasted like wood chips drenched in oil. It wasn't the greatest thing. She continued the same motions over and over until the pancakes were gone, drinking the orange juice to help move the wooden pieces down her throat. She knew that if she didn't make any attempts at eating, Zelgadis would hold her down while Amelia played: Here comes the flying carrier dragon of justice16. She didn't want to go through that embarrassment again.

"You ate all your pancakes. That's good, Miss Lina!" Amelia chirped. 17

Apparently Amelia had also gotten it into her little mind that everything done 'right' had to be praised, no matter how small or insignificant it was. Lina only sighed and nodded, muttering thanks. Why did food have to taste so bad now of all times? Ice cream was supposed to be a comfort food. When she and Amelia had gone out for ice cream her first day back, her favorite flavors had tasted like mushy sand and pecan shells. We're not even going to get into the topic of chocolate. The only things that tasted somewhat 'normal' were fluids. Many a time Lina had considered getting completely sloshed, but Amelia was underage, Zel didn't like the idea of her drowning her sorrows, and ale just didn't seem the same when drunk alone. So, she was stuck.

The trio departed from the tavern and continued onward. They were due to arrive in Sairune within a day. Lina sighed as they journeyed onward. It was really hard. She'd never felt so empty before. Sometimes she'd even catch herself looking to her side to see if Gourry was walking beside her. It wasn't going to be easy to let time heal her wounds. She was even afraid to allow such a thing to happen. Gourry had meant so much to her. Could she just forget him? Wasn't that wrong, though? How could anyone forget someone that had meant so much to them? Lina sighed deeply. Life was just as complex as a high level magic spell. It was especially at times like this that she wondered if, perhaps, she should have just been a normal girl. If she had been, then Gourry...

"Lina, it's all right." Zelgadis's gentle voice broke through Lina's cluttered mind.

"Zel?" Lina quickly brushed away her tears and smiled. "Hey. I didn't know you were there."

"Lina... You shouldn't grieve only within. It could destroy you." Zelgadis commented.

"Look, I'll deal with it any way I can, 'kay?" Lina started to walk faster. "I'm Lina Inverse. I'm a first class magic user. I'll be fine!"

"All right, Lina." Zelgadis frowned slightly, but knew that to argue with her would be of no use. "Even so, Amelia and I are here for you, if you want to talk."

"Thanks, Zel." Lina smiled a weak, but true, smile. "When I'm ready... yeah."

By twilight, the trio had covered a lot of ground, though much had been done in the company of silence or idle chatter that went absolutely nowhere. Zelgadis set up camp while Amelia gathered firewood. Lina went to the lake to catch some fish. The cool waters were strangely comforting.

"Hey." A voice greeted from behind Lina.

"Hm?" Lina turned around, surprised.

Behind her was a woman in a short-sleeved dress that fell to her ankles. It was the color of a blue flame and appeared to have been sewn with golden thread. Her auburn hair was in a pink ribbon. The woman blushed upon seeing Lina's surprise.

"Sorry. Did I surprise you? I seem to do that a lot these days. I'm really sorry." The woman bowed. "May I sit by you for a while?"

"Um...sure." Lina scooted over a little to make room on the rock.

"Thanks." The woman took a seat beside Lina and hugged her knees to her chest. "Y'know, it sure is a beautiful evening. I hardly get to travel anymore, so this is a real treat for me. What about you? Are you from around here or what?"

"Oh. I'm on my way to Sairune. I travel a lot, but this is a nice evening." Lina replied, giving up on catching any more fish, seeing as she had been having a hard time concentrating anyway.

"Yeah." The woman softly sighed. "It was on an evening just like this that I was proposed to."

"Oh." Lina felt a lump form in her throat.

"He was really sweet. He took me out to the beach and we walked around, barefoot, gazing out at the sea. The sun looked like it was disappearing into the depths of the water, the sky various shades. He then just knelt down, took my hand, and asked me to marry him. It was the greatest day of my life. His eyes were so full of love... " The woman brought one of her delicate hands to her face and gently brushed away a tear. "I miss him."

Lina was caught by this. Her lump diminished slightly. Had this woman gone through what she was going through? Had she met someone that could understand her pain, that could help her?

"M..my boyfriend asked me... on an evening like this too." Lina managed to say.

"Really?" The woman turned to face Lina, her auburn hair gently flowing in the wind.

"Yeah." Lina nodded, a weak smile on her face. "He was so nervous and... he stuttered a lot, but... it was so perfect. I..."

Lina lowered her head, tears falling down her cheeks. The woman embraced Lina, understanding.

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "It was hard for me too, at first. It still is."

"How... how did you go on?" Lina questioned, tears still streaming down her face.

"One horrible moment at a time." The woman sadly shook her head and released Lina. "I won't lie to you, girl. It took a lot to keep going. I sometimes just wanted to stay in bed and die, but ... Call me crazy, but my Jeddy came to me in a dream. He told me I had to keep going. My cousins were very worried about me, my sister especially. They were all there for me, though." The woman dried some of Lina's tears as well as her own. "Sure, I cried a lot. Heck, we all did, but... it felt better to cry with them than it did to try to hide my tears and cry alone. I still miss him a lot. I don't think I'll ever stop missing him, but each day is just a little easier now because I know that it's okay to miss him and that it's okay to hurt."

"W...what happened...to him?" Lina heard herself ask.

"War." That one word seemed to say so much. "My Jeddy was severely wounded in a battle. Daddy risked his own life to get him the best medical aid he could muster, but..."

"I'm sorry." Lina's voice was barely audible.

"It's okay." The woman assured, smiling. "Y'know, I used to think it was my fault Jeddy died. I'm not exactly a typical girl. I used to always say, 'Maybe if I had been a normal girl, Jeddy would have never been in that battle.' or 'If only I had been there to help.' sometimes even, 'I should have learned more powerful white magic. I should have been there. I should have saved him.' The list goes on and on." The woman paused and looked out at the shimmering waters. "It's not your fault, Lina. Trust me. I can tell it just by looking into your eyes. Yes, what happened wasn't fair. Some guys are just major jerks and get turned on by the weirdest things. You'll have to stop the wacko, but you can't do it alone. Zel is a grand ally. Even Amelia's good to have along. Please, though, don't rush into things. You have some forces behind you unknown to you. However... we can't interfere too much."

"Hm?" Lina raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? How do you know my name? Who are you?"

"You know I can't tell you all that... yet." The woman slowly rose. "Wish I could. We're pals now. I'm glad to have met you. You and I... we share a common pain. I hope.. I'm certain we'll meet again. Take care, got it?"

"I understand." Lina stood and waved to the woman. "I await your next visit, Onna no Hi."

"Woman of Fire? Eh... neato!" The woman beamed for a moment, her face then growing serious. "Lina... Go in peace and may trouble not find thee. Let peace be known for forever. Be it known, though, that pain is what may pass more frequent. If so is true, then let me also share your loss."

"Onna no Hi... " Lina looked up to the glowing woman.

"We can talk, 'kay? You're like a sister to me now. Yeah, we just met, but..." The woman bowed. "Farewell."

In a flash of gold and silver, the woman vanished. Where she sat beside Lina now lay a necklace. Lina picked it up and smiled at it. The chain was silver and upon it was a golden flame. On the back it was signed: Daughter of Fire.

~~

Zelgadis and Amelia stared at the fire, both silent. Amelia stood and began pacing. She realized that she was pacing and stopped. Sighing, she again checked the site. Tent up? Check. Fire blazing? Check. Mr. Zelgadis? Check. Me? Check. Sticks for fish? Check. Bedrolls? Check. Miss Lina? Amelia sighed.

"Mr. Zelgadis, you don't think..." Amelia didn't dare say what she feared. What if it were true?

"Sit down, Amelia. She should be back soon." Zelgadis was surprised by how convincing his voice sounded to himself.

"Alright, Mr. Zelgadis." Amelia gave the fire a final poke before sitting down.

"Hey guys." Lina's voice was almost to its old spark. Almost.

"Miss Lina!" Amelia jumped up and hugged the woman. "Weweresoworried!Wewereafraidthata bearhadgottenyouorsomething!Iwasabouttogosearchingforyou.Whattookyousolong? Didyouonlycatchthat manyfish?AreyoufeelingwellMissLina?Doyouneedanything?" 18

Lina stared at Amelia. A slow chuckle started down from her stomach. It inched its way upward and hastened into a laugh. By the time it reached her mouth, it was a full giggle, and her body was shaking all over. More laughing racked her body, and Lina had to hug herself to keep from falling over. Amelia could only look blankly and worriedly at Lina, quite afraid. Zelgadis arched an eye brow at the sight. Had Lina gone insane? Even so, he found that Amelia's reaction had been... just a little humorous. The laughter spread to him, though very low at first. In time, though, he was laughing audibly, his hand over his mouth to try to dampen the sound. Amelia, after a moment of watching her comrades laugh, fell into the spell as well. Another laugh, though gentle and thoughtful, seemed to join the melodic fun from somewhere near the fire. No one was seen, though.

Lina jumped up, body soaked in sweat. She'd had another nightmare, another horrible nightmare. Gourry... His body, burning in a dark flame. Her... powerless. But... Zel... he... he'd tried to extinguish the flame. Vylharion then appeared, laughing. He turned Gourry into a...

"Miss Lina?" Amelia slowly rose, rubbing her sleep filled eyes. "Did you have another nightmare, Miss Lina?"

"Yeah, but I'm alright, Amelia. Go back to sleep." Lina managed a small smile.

"Are you sure, Miss Lina?" Amelia gently asked.

"Yeah." Lina nodded, escaping from her bedroll. "I think I'll go and see how Zel is doing. He might need me to take over the watch."

"Alright." Amelia returned her head to her soft pillow and drifted back to sleep.

Lina left the tent and breathed in the rain rich air. She stood there a moment and just breathed. A gentle drop fell and hit the tip of her nose. Another soon followed. The rain gently descended from the gray night sky. Lina closed her eyes and let the rain fall upon her. The cool drops helped to wash away not only her sweat, but also the nightmare. 19

"Rain is a powerful thing." A voice spoke up from the darkness. "It can purify your soul at times and condemn your spirit at others."

"Hm?" Lina's eyes flashed open, searching about for the intruder.

"Forgive me. I startled you." Xellos's form appeared in front of Lina.

"Xellos." Lina wasn't sure if she was ready to face the trickster priest just yet.

"I see you've suffered a loss." Xellos took a seat upon the air behind him. "Are you holding up well, Lina-sama? You were quite fond of him."

"Where were you?" Lina suddenly grew angry. "You could have done something."

"I see that you still have a while to go." Xellos sighed.

"Answer me, Xellos!" Lina grabbed the trickster priest by the collar.

"I was away at the time. Besides, the affair was not one I was to meddle in." Xellos lowered his head, both eyes opening and sincere. "I'm sorry, Lina-sama."

Lina released Xellos's collar and turned her back to him.

"What now? What now for the great slayer, right? You must be gettin' a load out of this, eh Xellos?" Lina clentched her fists, flashes of Gourry's death returning to her mind. "Battle is battle. I should have been prepared, but... I wasn't."

"Lina-sama, no one can prepare for what you three went through." Xellos stood and went over to Lina. "I see you've met the fire maiden."

"I seem to be meeting a lot of people these days." Lina fingered the necklace she wore. "Do you know her?"

"Well.." Xellos thought for a moment. "Sore wa himitsu desu."

Lina sighed and shook her head. She had had a feeling that that was coming. Xellos, after recovering from the shock of not getting whacked upside the head, shrugged.

"Well, I know that you're in safe hands for a while longer." Xellos stretched and looked at his wrist. "Look at the time... heh. It's the witching hour. Oyasumi nasai, Lina-sama."

"Lina, is..." Zelgadis stopped when he saw Xellos. "You..." Zelgadis pulled his sword.

"Sorry I can't stay and talk, Zelgadis, but, you know how it goes. Ta ta." Xellos waved before vanishing.

"What did he want?" Zelgadis inquired, sheathing his blade.

"Checking up on me, I guess." Lina shrugged.

"You're drenched. How long have you been out here in this rain?" Zelgadis noticed Lina's drooping hair.

"I... I'm not sure." Lina knew that she could have been standing there for a moment before Xellos arrived, or even a long while.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Zelgadis softly asked.

"Yeah." Lina lowered her head. "So... want me to take over the watch?"

"Lina... do you want to talk?" Zelgadis knew that on the trip it was either him or Amelia that Lina could talk to. He was probably the more favorable choice. He was also the choice that seemed less open to talk, so he had to make the first move. He wasn't sure if he could adequately help, but, as Lina's friend, he had to at least try.

"You... wanna talk?" Lina kicked a pebble below her. "Um..." Lina looked up at the chimera. "A.. are you sure, Zel?" It was time.

"Yes." Zelgadis nodded.

"Well..." Lina took a deep breath.

The rain steadily slowed and vanished. The gray skies cleared in time for the gentle moon to glow down upon her children once more before the bright sun rose from its rest. Lina hugged her knees to her chest, wiping away a final stray tear. Zelgadis's comforting hand was upon her shoulder, a link between them to transmit both comfort and sorrow. The tale was told, a new fire built, and tears shared. The sun's sleepy head peeked ever cautiously over the horizon. Lina and Zelgadis turned to gaze at its warm, rosy face. Morning had dawned as had a new day. Lina stood and stretched. She felt somewhat better than before.

"Onna no Hi was right about talking and sharing tears." She commented.

"Onna no Hi?" Zelgadis arched an eye brow.

"I met her when I went fishing yesterday." Lina explained. "She lost her love too. Zel... Thanks for ... for casting that spell. If you hadn't..."

"I just wish I could have done more." Zelgadis looked away.

"Miss Lina... " Amelia poked her head out of her tent. "C... could you come here, please?"

"I really need to wash my face, Amelia. Do you think Zel..." Lina was promptly interrupted.

"Oh, no, Miss Lina! Please... only you." Amelia's cheeks colored slightly.

"Um... okay." Lina sighed.

Lina went over to the tent, which Amelia carefully allowed her entry into.

"Um...Mr. Zelgadis... could you..um... go and get me a glass of water?" Amelia requested, her eyes pleading.

"Alright." Zelgadis nodded, deciding he could wash his face in the meantime.

As soon as Zelgadis had departed, Amelia secured the flap of the tent closed and went over to Lina. Amelia wrung her hands and looked down, her face quite red.

"Miss Lina.... I...." Amelia didn't quite know what to say. "Um... Well.."

"What's wrong, Amelia?" Lina wasn't used to seeing Amelia this flustered.

"Well...um..." Amelia bit her lower lip and looked up. "I.. I..."

"Amelia?" Lina neared the girl, truly concerned.

"Oh, Miss Lina... I... I'm a woman now!" Amelia cried, hugging Lina and bursting into tears.

"What?!" Lina exclaimed.

"I.. I woke up this morning, Miss Lina, and... I... I...." Amelia crying worsened. "I'm sorry, Miss Lina. I didn't know. I'll clean the bedroll, I promise, but... I..I didn't know. Oh, Miss Lina... What do I do?"

"Amelia..." Lina looked to the girl's bedroll and understood. Poor Amelia. "It's okay, Amelia. This happens to every gal. C'mon, let's go and take a bath. There was a separated little spring nearby. I'll levitate us over, okay? Then we'll get you into some fresh clothes. Don't worry about the bedroll. We'll arrive in Sairune today. I'm sure one of your servants will know a way to remove that little stain." 20

"Oh, Miss Lina. Thank you!" Amelia's tears slowly lessened.

Zelgadis arrived back at the campsite only to find that the tent had been taken down and everything had been cleaned up. A note was beside his pack. Lina and Amelia had gone to take a bath. He sighed.

"I guess breakfast is on me." He concluded, taking a sip from the cup of water he'd gotten for Amelia.

Lina smiled as she combed Amelia's hair. The poor girl. Lina remembered her first experience with 'that time of the month.' She hated to see how Prince Phyl would react. A tear came to Lina's eyes. She and Gourry had been thinking about settling down after returning to Sairune. Gourry had wanted to have a little girl. Lina shook her head to clear her thoughts and pulled out a pale blue ribbon from her pack. She tied the ribbon in Amelia's hair and smiled to herself. A new look for a new woman. Perhaps she should do the same.

"There Amelia. How do you feel?" Lina gently asked.

"A bit better." Amelia softly answered. "My sides ache, though."

"Yeah. That always sucks. It makes me want to throw a fireball at something. Perhaps that's why we can't use magic, ne?" Lina laughed.

"Yeah." Amelia's laugh joined Lina's.

"Mint tea sometimes helps. I'm sure we can get some tea leaves in Sairune." Lina informed. "Chocolate is always great, too. I also notice that I really want a ton of salty stuff around this time. I'm sure Zel got some fish, so that should help for a lil while."

"I... I don't particularly like fish, Miss Lina." Amelia weakly said.

"Well... We'll get you home soon. Maybe they'll have some chicken or something." Lina shrugged. "It's hard to come by stuff other than fish while traveling. I guess we could start to learn how to hunt, but the animals around here are a little... odd at times."

"Miss Lina..." Amelia turned to the woman.

"Yeah?" Lina replied.

"Thank you." Amelia was very greatful.

"C'mon. Let's see what Zel thinks of your new look." Lina stood and took Amelia's hand.

"A... are you sure?" Amelia uneasily stood, blushing slightly.

(She has a crush on Zel? Wow.) Lina thought to herself. "Well, would you rather I tell him that you're not wearing your usual white because it's 'that time of the month'?" Lina questioned.

"You wouldn't!" Amelia gasped.

"C'mon, Amelia." Lina smiled, leading Amelia back to the campsite.

Zelgadis slowly ate his fish. He wondered if he'd caught enough. Lina still hadn't been as hungry as she once had been, but her appetite had increased ever so slightly each meal. She was at least eating now.

Lina and Amelia neared the campsite, Amelia with her head lowered. She almost ran into a tree here and there, but Lina made sure she steered clear of them for the most part.

Zelgadis raised his head as Lina and Amelia neared the fire. Amelia was dressed differently. Instead of her usual white attire, she was clad in black leggings, a dark blue dress with white cuffs, and white boots. Her hair was tied back in a pony tail with a pale blue ribbon. 21

"I see you got breakfast. Thanks, Zel." Lina greeted.

"I fear I drank your water, Amelia." Zelgadis informed.

"Oh, it's alright, Mr. Zelgadis." Amelia assured.

"Let's hurry and eat breakfast, 'kay?" Lina took a seat and motioned for Amelia to sit by her. "The sooner we finish this, the sooner we arrive in Sairune."

Breakfast passed quickly and quietly. Lina found that fish tasted more along the lines of normal that morning. She was glad. Her appetite still hadn't returned to its old flare, but she doubted that it ever would. Maybe she was truly growing up, just like Amelia.

~~

A woman in a white cloak sat knelt before a tall oak tree. This tree looked similar to the tree she had before knelt in front of, but it held no marker in front of it. She sighed and finished her prayer. She gazed up at the sky and weakly smiled.

"What do you think of it all, sachon?" She inquired.

"What do you mean?" Onna no Hi asked from her perch upon one of the branches of the tree.

"You've met the ones touched by Unmei." The one in white started. "What do you think of them? What do you think of the task at hand? What do you think of the future?"

"I dunno. Lina's a nice gal. We... have something in common. Zel's a cutie. Amelia's a sweet-heart, though almost too devoted to justice." Onna no Hi answered. "Why?"

"My sister... she is upset because she was unable to prevent Galnor from killing Gourry. She feels she is a failure." The one in white explained. "Sachon... what if I fail too?"

"Then you fail." Onna no Hi jumped down from the tree and placed a hand on her cousin's shoulder. "Nothing is entirely certain in life. Unmei can only do so much. We can only do so much. By trying, we at least can say that we attempted to do what was asked, thus raising the percentage level of success. If we didn't try, we'd be way more than failures. Does that help, cuz?"

"I believe so." She smiled. "I only pray that I don't see a marker here as well."

"I'm going to Jemansea for a while." Onna no Hi announced, turning to go.

"Sachon..." The lady in white stood and turned to face her cousin. "I'll visit later... He was like a brother to me. I know you must miss him dearly. I am sorry I could do nothing more for him that day."

"It's not your fault." Onna no Hi's eyes were shadowed as she continued to walk off. "It was just... his time."

~~

Sairune was bustling about with people. Amelia stuck close to Lina. Lina wanted to tease the girl, but kept remembering how she had felt and instead kept an eye on the girl. Zelgadis stuck with the group, for once, but donned his sheik look and kept to himself.

Lina sighed as she passed a familiar street. Memories of her and Gourry meeting up with those two idiots who had put a bounty on their heads filled her mind. A tear trickled down her cheek as they entered the castle.

Prince Phyl was more than happy to see his little girl. Everyone got a good ol' slap on the back. Lina also got a bear hug when he heard of how she'd taken care of his little girl in her time of need. Zelgadis promptly excused himself and was led to his guest room. Lina also excused herself, though Prince Phyl was certain she'd eat them out of house and home again. Later on, Amelia informed him of what had occurred during their adventures. He could only sigh and sadly shake his head.

Lina carefully made her way to the far side of town. Near the far west wall was a tall oak tree. It lay on the other side of the small spring. At its trunk was a marker. Tears filled her eyes as she slowly neared. She could hear her heart beating faster and faster. Finally, she crossed the small red bridge. Her eyes fell upon the marker. It read: Here lies Gourry Gabriev. He was a brave warrior that died honorably, protecting the one he loved. May he find eternal peace.

"I hope that the inscription is appropriate." A voice spoke up from behind Lina.

"Yes." Lina whispered.

"He was given proper rights and everything." She informed. "The burial of a highly honored knight... of a mighty paladin."

"Does he rest easy?" Lina inquired, not turning around.

"Yes. He speaks of you often." She answered. "He worries a lot about you."

"Is he happy?" Lina continued.

"I can only assume that he is happy. He longs for you, if that is what you wonder." She replied

"Does he know I miss him greatly?" Lina questioned.

"Always." The woman nodded.

"When must I waltz with the fiend that stole my life?" Lina still did not turn.

"When you are ready." The woman returned.

"How will I know?"Lina asked.

"You just will." She turned and started to walk away.

"Kanashimi-sama." Lina spoke up as the woman in red began to walk away.

"Hm?" She turned. "What do you require?"

"Arigatou." A single tear fell upon the marker.

"Ah." The lady in red sadly smiled before turning once more. "Perhaps sadness is a proper name for me." With that the lady vanished.

~~

Zelgadis glared at the bed. It hadn't held his weight too well and was now a pile in the corner. He sighed and unpacked his bed roll. It was good for something. Zelgadis removed his cloak and set it down on a chair in the room. He took a seat in the chair and stared out the window. He had opened it earlier to air out the room. He just happened to see Lina near the wall. It was a good distance away, but he was located high enough up to where he had a great view of the whole western section of Sairune. Perhaps Amelia knew he wasn't going to explore town and so gave him a room with a great view. Lina looked to be praying.

Gourry was dead. Zelgadis still couldn't quite believe that. The blonde swordsman had seemed quite dense at times, but he had a certain invinsibility about him. He seemed immortal in battles, though incredibly mortal in real life situations. How had the events of the recent weeks come to pass? Zelgadis also wondered if Lina was really going to go after Galnor. They were sworn to again meet, and it was a blood oath. Lina wouldn't necessarily die until after the promise had been kept. Was she strong enough to go? Zelgadis sighed again. There was so much to sort out and consider.

"My lord, pardon my interruption, but I could not help but hear your heavy sighing." A voice greeted from the doorway with a gentle knock before hand.

"Hm?" Zelgadis turned to see who was at the door.

A lady wearing a white dress stood at the doorway. Her dark brown hair was tied back in a loose pony tail with a green ribbon. Her hazel eyes held a sparkle that Zelgadis had long ago forgotten. He stood and bowed.

"It is nothing." He assured. "Please, come in."

"Thank you, my lord." She smiled, entering the room.

"Here, you may have my seat." Zelgadis lead the lady to his chair and helped her to sit.

"Thank you." She blushed. "You're so kind."

"I'm sorry that my sighing disturbed you." Zelgadis apologized.

"It did not disturb me. I assure you. It only worried me." She gently touched his face. "What troubles you so, dear? You must have a great deal on your mind."

"Indeed." Zelgadis nodded.

"Tell me about it. It may very well help. Who knows? Perhaps I hold an answer for you." She suggested.

"I don't know, Yume-sama." Zelgadis looked down. "My troubles have greatly changed since the days of my childhood."

"Was I not there for you after Rezo twistedly gave you strength?" Yume seemed a little hurt that Zelgadis didn't want to confide in her.

"It's not that, Yume-sama." Zelgadis looked up to the woman, afraid he had hurt her. "I just don't want to burden you. Some of my thoughts are of things very sad."

"I've always been there for you, Zelgadis-chan." Yume gently ran her fingers through his spikey hair. "You can tell me anything."

"Well..." Zelgadis took a deep breath before starting his tale.

~~

Kanashimi stared at the woman in black who was knelt in front of a tall oak tree. She soon stood and turned to face Kanashimi. She weakly smiled.

"How is sachon doing?" She inquired.

"She is in Jemansea. I believe she's just praying now. Her tears have stopped flowing." Kanashimi answered.

"I see." The lady in black gazed toward the oak tree. "What about Lina?"

"The same." Kanashimi replied.

"Our sister has gone to see him." The lady in black informed.

"She has been there for him since he was young, like his shugotenshi." Kanashimi commented.

"He trusts her." She added, nearing Kanashimi. "I just pray she... It would hurt too much if she was late."

"Have I made my amends?" Kanashimi softly asked after a moment.

"You've done more than you've had to." A new voice spoke up.

"I feel as though I've done so little." Kanashimi couldn't turn to face the speaker.

"Gourry-kun, you should be resting. Traveling such as this takes much energy from you." The lady in black scolded.

"I'm fine." He assured. "How is she? How's Lina?"

"Slowly healing, Gourry-sama." Kanashimi reported, head bowed low.

"You don't have to call me that." Gourry neared Kanashimi.

"Return to the other realm. Please." Kanashimi requested. "You must conserve your strength if you wish to see her one final time."

"I understand." Gourry nodded before vanishing.

"He blames you not." The lady in black placed a hand on Kanashimi's shoulder. "You should not blame yourself."

"Who better a person to blame?" Kanashimi returned, vanishing in fiery red feathers.

"Onne..." The lady in black sadly shook her head.

~~

Amelia wandered about the castle gardens. Each garden was a magnificent sight. She was glad that her father had forgiven her about the tower incident from earlier months. They'd already built a new one, and it was better than the old one. Amelia sighed. Lina had gone somewhere and Zelgadis was resting in his room. Her thoughts turned to Gourry.

"Poor Mr. Gourry." She took a seat on the side of the fountain. "He was a nice man. I hope he's resting in peace."

"You look like you could use a friend." Someone greeted from behind Amelia.

Amelia turned and saw a lady with violet blue hair in a reddish gold gown that looked to be sewn with silver thread. She smiled at Amelia, kind eyes sparkling.

"I like the fountain too." She commented, taking a seat beside Amelia. "It reminds me a bit of my home. My sis is a little down right now. She recently lost her husband."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Amelia replied. Perhaps many sad things were happening all over the world. That was not at all fair, nor just. "My friend recently lost her fiance."

"I guess we both went looking for a friend, eh?" The lady looked down into the water. "My sister... I worry a lot about her. She let me out of the house this week in one of her best outfits and didn't even say a word. I don't think she noticed. Daddy can't even get a smile to appear on her face. It's so... empty without her laughter. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah. I used to think that Miss Lina had poor eating habits because she'd consume great quantities of food with no consideration for anyone. Now, though, she hardly eats a thing. Mr. Zelgadis and I would sometimes have to force her to eat." Amelia shook her head. "We didn't like doing that, but Miss Lina wouldn't eat or drink a thing. She'd just... just sit there, so sad... so quiet... so empty."

"It's like they died when the other person died. You want to do whatever you can to bring 'em back. You do everything you can for them, not wanting them to leave you." The lady added. "Even so, they just seem to get annoyed or even sadder. It's like they don't know why you're doing what you're doing, or they know exactly why you're doing what you're doing and don't understand how you could do it."

"Today, though, she seemed much better... Until we got home. Maybe I shouldn't have come back home. We were on our way here because I missed home... well, Mr. Zelgadis was also looking for something, but... I don't know." Amelia felt tears forming in her eyes. "What if I caused the death of Mr. Gourry and they wiped my memory of it? What if it's my fault?"

"It's not your fault, little one." The lady assured, patting Amelia's head. "They just wanted to protect you. Y'know, I thought that Jed's death was my fault. I was there when he got hit, but... but I didn't see anything. It was like they'd shielded me or something."

"Same here." Amelia nodded.

"My cousin..." The lady trailed off, the words dying on her lips.

"Onna no Mizu, why did you visit me today?" Amelia inquired.

"Woman of Water? Cute." The lady smiled. "You looked like you needed a person to talk to. I guess I needed someone to talk to too."

"I guess you and I have something in common." Amelia concluded.

"Yeah." Onna no Mizu agreed. "It was fun talking to you, Lia-chan. Here."

Onna no Mizu took off her bracelet and handed it to Amelia. It had a golden chain and a silver-blue gem in the shape of a drop of water on it.

"Thank you." Amelia bowed slightly.

"We're friends." Onna no Mizu stood up. "I fear I have to go now. Much is to come, Lia-chan. Be prepared, 'kay? Though sorrow may seem so deep within this land, the joy you share will spread and grow like a wild flower would. Keep you head held high, and all will be as it should be."

Amelia nodded. Onna no Mizu vanished in a swirl of silver and gold. Amelia smiled and decided that she had to make sure Lina was happy.

~~

Three weeks passed. The trio filled their days. Happiness and joy were seeds well spread by Amelia. Memories and fading grief were the colors of the flowers Lina watered. Zelgadis picked flowers scented with confusion and hope. At the end of the fourth week, the trio met in the dining hall.

"It's time." Lina announced.

"What do you mean, Miss Lina?" Amelia inquired.

"So, you're going after him." Zelgadis concluded.

"I have to. It's a promise." Lina fingered her glass. "A dance with death..."

"Miss Lina, I must insist that I go with you." Amelia stood from her chair.

"I can't risk getting you killed too, Amelia." Lina shook her head. "This is between me and Galnor."

"Miss Lina..." Amelia racked her brain for a convincing argument.

"Lina, let us accompany you." Zelgadis spoke up.

"Zel." Lina again shook her head. "I'm not going to risk him killing one of you guys during our fight."

"Let us come as far as his lair, then, Miss Lina. Please." Amelia plead. "We'll be careful. Mr. Zelgadis and I can't just let you go off alone. What if he has minions of his own, Miss Lina? Justice must be served in a fair way!"

"Amelia, what have I said about that justice thing?" Lina gave Amelia a tired glare.

"She's right." Zelgadis took a sip of his tea. "If it makes you feel any better, we'll only go as far as his lair. That will insure that he doesn't try to weaken you before the battle."

"There's no changing your mind, is there?" A smile crept upon Lina's face. "I guess we'd all better start packin' then. Only as far as his lair, though. Got it? I won't let you guys follow me in."

"Alright!" Amelia jumped for joy. "Thank you, Miss Lina. We'll avenge Mr. Gourry."

"I know we will, Amelia." Lina's hand fell absently to the ring she'd still not taken off. "I know it."

~~

"By the Guardians! It's already time?!" The lady in black exclaimed, rushing about the beautiful field.

"I fear so." Yume sighed, sitting in the middle of the field.

"She's ready." Kanashimi informed, holding a pink carnation in her pale hand.

"He's ready too." A silver haired lady said as she appeared in the area.

"Are you certain yet as to who will win, Unmei?" Yume questioned.

"Only time will tell, I guess." Unmei weakly smiled.

"A twisted tango. A daring waltz. A magic jamboree." The lady in black described. 22

"The victor.. I pray it is who we desire it to be." Yume whispered.

~~

Lina rechecked her pack. They had to have everything down. If one thing was missing, they'd have to stop for it at a town, and that'd cost them time. She only had so much time in which she could be ready ready before she became scared ready.

Amelia entered, her pack strapped on her back. She was dressed in the blue dress Lina had given her on that special day about a month ago. Lina smiled to herself as she continued to put the checked items into her pack.

Zelgadis entered, bright and shining as ever. He had his pack strapped to his back as well and looked ready to go. As he entered, Lina came to the final item on her mental check list. She moved to put it in her pack, but it felt wrong to do that. Her stomach knotted and her hands cramped as she tried to put the item into her pack. It was as though her own body was telling her that she shouldn't put this into the pack. Lina paused, stared at it for a moment, and then fastened it to her belt. Her hands eased and the knot in her stomach untied. This was how it was to be, then.

"Let's go." Lina slung her pack over her shoulder and turned to her comrades.

Amelia and Zelgadis nodded. The trio departed from the castle, not turning back as they left Sairune.

~~

Onna no Hi wearily looked up from her spot. Her eyes were red and swollen with tears. She was no longer crying, but that was because she had shed all the tears her body could allot. Her eyes lowered to the marker before her. 'Here lies Jedite Drake. Devoted husband. Caring father. Loving brother. Courageous to the end. May he rest in peace in the warm embrace of Heaven.'

"Will we never meet again?" She softly asked. "Will we never be reunited? I've waited so long. I've traveled so long. Yet... I've not yet seen you, Jeddy. Where are you? Did you go on ahead without me? I thought you'd wait. I thought we'd be reincarnated together... born again on the same planet... in the same beautiful land. Maybe you're waiting with Valery..."23

Onna no Hi weakly smiled. Valery... She'd never gotten to meet her husband's twin sister, but she'd heard stories about her. The woman had died young, but she had been strong.

"Valery... Please help Lina. I've leaned on my family for strength... Your strength is what Lina's gonna need, though." Onna no Hi slowly stood and touched the marker for a final time. "Farewell, my love."

Onna no Hi blew a kiss at the marker and walked away. It was going to be a long, hard day. Would it really have been ten years? Would they really have been married for ten years on that day?24

~~

Lina walked through the forest path, watching the trees with her eyes. Odds were that there were bandits waiting to jump down and ambush them. She didn't really care. Her sorrow had diminished, but she'd lately been quite reckless, as though inviting Death to sweep her away. The bandits finally made their move. She sighed deeply. She didn't have time to play today.

"We are..." The leader began his introduction.

"Fireball!" Lina didn't even give him a chance to finish speaking.

The bandits were incinerated in a record half second. Lina continued walking onward. Zelgadis and Amelia paused, staring at the burnt bandits.

"Mr. Zelgadis, does Miss Lina appear a little... strangely today?" Amelia softly asked.

"Well, she did deal with the bandits." Zelgadis wasn't really sure how to take Lina's latest victory. "It's good that she's fighting again, strangely enough."

"If you say so, Mr. Zelgadis." Amelia shrugged.

The two followed Lina. They passed through at least three towns that day, never stopping long enough to do anything. As night fell, a gentle rain began. Fortunately, not too far away, there was a light in a window of some sort of building. Closer inspection showed that the building was a temple.

"Good evening, travelers. Will you be staying the night? The weather has drastically turned, it seems. We have warm food and dry clothing available to you, dear travelers, if you'd like." A priestess greeted.

"Thank you." Lina, Amelia, and Zelgadis bowed.

"Come this way." The priestess led the trio to a central living area. "Please rest here while I fetch your food and clothing."

The priestess bowed before exiting the area. Lina sighed and sat down on a cushioned chair. Amelia looked about her, captured by the shere elegant look to the room. Zelgadis caught a glimpse at some ancient tomes and walked over to peer at the book shelf. The priestess soon reentered.

"I see you like our books." She noticed Zelgadis over by the book shelves.

"They're quite rare." Zelgadis replied. 25

"Indeed." The priestess smiled, setting down the tray of food and stack of clothes. "Here is a warm meal as well as some dry clothing. I'll return in a while to show you to your rooms."

"Thank you." Amelia beamed.

"Excuse me." Lina spoke up.

"Yes, my child?" She turned to face the girl. "What is it?"

"How far from here is Lost Souls Dance Hall?" Lina inquired.26

"Ah... So you are the one." The priestess paused, gazing into Lina's eyes as though reading her soul. "The place is within a day's journey. The town of Malef is within five miles of the location."

"Thank you." Lina managed a small smile.

"Take care." The priestess left the room.

Lina stared at the food. It looked inviting, but she wasn't really hungry. Amelia was merrily eating. Even Zelgadis had parted from his books to eat. Lina sighed, closing her eyes. She still felt so empty. Was that feeling never going to go away? Lina stood and walked out of the room. Amelia and Zelgadis tried to call her back, but she didn't even hear them.

"Let me help you." A familiar voice said.

"Hm?" Lina turned. "Who... are you?"

"I'm a priestess here." She smiled. "I remind you of someone, ne? Even so, we have never met."

"Oh." Lina nodded.

"You want to rest, ne?" The woman smiled a warm smile. "Follow me. I'll take you to your room."

The woman lead Lina over to a different hallway. After navigating for a while, she came to a door. She opened it and motioned for Lina to enter.

"It's not much, but I'm certain it'll work well for you. There should be some fresh clothes in the closet. I'll inform your friends that you were just tired from the trip." She turned to go after giving Lina another warm smile.

"Wait..." Lina called. "Who are you? What's your name?"

"Ah." The woman bowed, her warm smile never faltering. "I... Yes, I'm sure I can give you my own name, but I'll release it tomorrow. You need your rest. Farewell."

"Almost as bad as Xellos." Lina commented to herself, closing the door.

"Is that so?" Lina knew who the owner of that voice was.

"Xellos." Lina turned to face the trickster priest. "What brings you here?"

"I just thought I'd drop in. It isn't every day that you're about to enter the fight of your life." Xellos went over to the bed and sat down. "You're going to leave without telling them, aren't you?"

"I guess so." Lina shrugged, going over to the closet. "What's it to you?"

"Sore wa himitsu desu." Xellos answered in his trademark pose.

"If that's all the help you're going to be, just go." Lina grabbed a pair of pajamas and entered the bathroom.

"You're not going to just leave without leaving some message behind, are you?" Xellos inquired, a little loudly so Lina could hear through the door.

"I don't know. I'll think of something." Lina returned.

"I'll tell them. How's that? You want them to wait for you in Malef, right?" Xellos offered.

"Yeah. Sure." Lina exited the bathroom, toothbrush in hand.

"Lina-sama... are you sure you're ready?" Xellos's face softened. "It will be a hard battle. Going to soon will lessen your chance of survival."

"I'm ready." Lina nodded, brushing her teeth.

"Fate may be on your side, but that is worth nothing if you aren't prepared." Xellos stood and went over to Lina. "Can you wield the Sword of Light? Have you even tried? A single moment of hesitation will seal your fate, but you don't particularly care if you live or die, do you?"

Lina glared at Xellos, going to the bathroom to spit and rinse so she could shoot back a reply.

"Look, I'm gonna kill that fiend for what he did to Gourry. You got that?!" Lina looked down to the ground, her fists clentched. "I'm gonna use whatever I have to. Dragon slave, giga slave... whatever. I will make sure he dies. If I die with him, so be it."

"So bold sounding now, but..." Xellos shrugged. "All talk with fear hiding behind that wall. What will you do when you're brash and ill conceived plan falls through? What will you do when your courage has faded with the adrenaline and you're left with only that emptiness? Then what, Lina-sama?"

"Shut up!" Lina pulled the Sword of Light and glared at Xellos. "Don't think I'm not ready, Xellos. Don't mess with me either. I just might decide that today's your last day."

"Go ahead." Xellos spread his arms out and seemed to dare Lina to strike him with his now opened eyes. "It'll just prove more my fact that you're hiding from the truth. Fate may think you're ready, but that's nothing unless you, all of you, thinks you're ready."

Lina's head fell, the sword slipping from her hands and clattering to the ground. Lina's knees gave out and she began to collapse to the ground. Xellos caught her and sadly shook his head.

"You need rest. If you're really going to go after Galnor, you need to have the strength to do so. I'll deliver your message. I won't bother you anymore tonight." Xellos lifted Lina and took her over to the bed. "Now sleep, Lina-sama."

"Why... are... you... do..ing...this?" Lina wearily asked, yawning.

"Sore wa himitsu desu." Xellos gently whispered.

Lina's eyes closed and she fell asleep. Xellos looked to her sleeping form and weakly smiled.

"Fight hard and... you may win both battles you'll wage." Xellos vanished.27

~~

"Mr. Zelgadis, I'm worried about Miss Lina. She didn't eat a thing. I know that the priestess said Miss Lina was tired, but..." Amelia hugged her knees to her as she stared at the fire in the fire place.

"She'll do as she sees fit, Amelia. There's nothing we can do to change that." Zelgadis replied, turning the page of the book he was absorbed in.

"That may be so, but... What if she goes off without telling us or something? What then, Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia turned to face the reading chimera.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there." Zelgadis answered, lifting his eyes from the text for a brief moment. "We cannot control what we are not mean to."

"Perhaps, but I still worry." Amelia sighed, returning her gaze to the warm fire.

~~

Yume gazed at the sleeping form. She weakly smiled, a hand absently falling to her abdomen. At this she sadly shook her head and clasped her hands. 28

~You've been through a lot, my child. Close your eyes and dream a beautiful dream. Don't worry, now. All is well. Just sleep, my child, and dream.~ She softly sang. ~Fading whispers. Gentle prayers.Careful timing. Longing stares. What will happen? What's to come? Are you ready, dearest one?~

Yume walked over to the window, opening it just a little. She smiled at the moon. The night sky was clear and all the stars were visible. She moved a little to the left to allow a beam to enter. It fell on the sleeping form. Yume smiled at the almost glowing figure and continued with her lullaby.

~Let the moon's gentle beams cradle you. Fall asleep in the light's warm embrace. Don't worry, my child. I'll be here when you wake. Just sleep and dream, my dearest.~ Yume turned her gaze out the window, toward the gardens. ~Baby's breath. Forget me nots. Roses white and red. Violets. Gardenias. Rest your weary head.~

A gentle breeze entered in through the window. Yume closed her eyes and breathed in the rich scent of the night.

~The wind carries a melody. Can you hear it, dear? Listen to the melody. Surrender to it your fear.~ Yume opened her eyes and saw something upon the stand beside the bed that the form rested in. It was a picture. ~Loving glances. Secret smiles. Promises truthfully made. Times long ago that have past. Debts that remain to be paid.~

Yume went over to the stand and picked up the picture. She sadly smiled at the loving couple. Carefully, she set the photograph back down upon the stand. She turned her gaze to the sleeping form and patted their head.

~Rest now in a warm embrace. See his smile, see his face. Grow the courage you so seek. See yourself that you're not weak.~ Yume finished her lullaby. "Rest, my child. It will be a long day tomorrow. I will not be the one you'll turn to. Not today, at least. Farewell, Lina-chan. Sweet dreams."

Yume cast a final glance about the room before vanishing.

~~

"I know that she's ready, but are you?" Kanashimi softly asked the blonde.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. I know that for a fact." Gourry answered, sighing a little.

"What's wrong?" Kanashimi turned to face the blonde.

"I.. I'm not sure. I just... feel like I'm going to mess up or something." Gourry replied.

"If it makes you feel any better, I feel that way sometimes." Kanashimi informed. "But, hey, you mess up... you mess up. If you're going to mess up, though, do it right. Hey... she'll understand, no matter what you say. I know it."

"Are ya sure?" Gourry was a little doubtful.

"Well... just as long as you don't make a total fool of yourself." Kanashimi poked Gourry in the ribs, smiling. "Loosen up. Being tense will only help to make the mission harder on yourself. Trust me, 'kay?"

"Alright." Gourry gave in, smiling. "If you say so."

"Good." Kanashimi nodded. "Now... we just have to wait."

~~

Lina awoke before dawn. She changed into her gear and exited the room. As she went to exit the temple, the priestess from last night came forward, a bundle in her hands.

"Good morning. You leave early. You have left a message for your friends, ne?" She greeted.

"Yes." Lina nodded.

"Here, take this. You missed dinner. This should help you keep your strength." The priestess held out the bundle to Lina.

"Thank you." Lina accepted the bundle and placed it in her pack.

"Valery." The priestess turned to go. 29

"What?" Lina arched an eyebrow.

"That is my name." The priestess returned with a warm smile. "Stay safe, and don't wear yourself out. I believe in you."

"Farewell, Valery. Thank you." Lina bowed before leaving.

The sun was just starting to peek over the horizon when Lina stopped along side the road to eat what Valery had given to her. She had already covered a lot of ground. In fact, the town of Malef was just beyond the next hill. She'd probably be there within an hour. Galnor was so close, but so far away at the same time.

In the bundle were sandwiches of various types. Lina smiled and ate them. They actually tasted as they should, but way better. She ate until she was full and wrapped the rest of the sandwiches back in the bundle. She'd probably eat them for lunch. After taking a drink from the nearby stream, Lina continued onward. Her destiny was close at hand.

~~

"Mr. Zelgadis! Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia burst into the room.

"Hm?" Zelgadis bolted upright in his bed, grabbing his blade, and glancing to the door. "What's wrong?"

"Miss Lina! Miss Lina has gone!" Amelia informed.

"What?!" Zelgadis got out of his bed.

"Yes, Lina-sama did leave." Another voice added.

"Xellos." Zelgadis went over to the trickster priest and took him by the collar. "What do you know?"

"My, my, Zelgadis. You look as though you woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Xellos commented. "Lina-sama wanted me to deliver a message to the both of you. She's gone off to face Galnor and wishes for you to wait for her in Malef."

"I see..." Zelgadis released the trickster priest and went about gathering his items.

"Mr. Zelgadis... What do we do?" Amelia softly inquired.

"We should go to Malef. Knowing Lina, she's probably already at the lair of the one she is to fight."

"Alright." Amelia left the room to gather her items.

"Do you think she'll win?" Xellos asked once the girl had gone.

"Yes." Zelgadis nodded.

"So you'll wait forever if you must?" Xellos furthered.

"We'll wait for as long as we have to." Zelgadis answered.

"I was just asking about you, Zelgadis." Xellos opened one of his eyes. "Will you wait forever?"

"I haven't the time for this." Zelgadis grabbed his clothing and exited to the bathroom to change.

"On the contrary, we have all the time in the world." Xellos smiled, knowing how uncomfortable he was making the chimera.

"Are you just going to be a bother all day?" Zelgadis returned with a glare, exiting from the bathroom.

"Hmm..." Xellos took a seat upon the air, seemingly deep in thought. "Yes."

"Mr. Zelgadis, I'm ready." Amelia reentered the room, her pack on her back.

"Let's go, Amelia." Zelgadis cast Xellos a final glare before departing.

"This looks to be a fun trip." A sinister smile tinted with mischief crossed Xellos's face.

~~

Malef's streets were just starting to fill with the normal bustle of people that came during the late morning. Children were rushing about, laughing and playing their innocent games. Lina weakly smiled. She just had a little ways to go. She sighed. Her feet were killing her. Why, of all times, did she notice this now? She wrinkled her nose and took a seat down on a nearby bench. Did she have time to rest?

"Hello, Lady. You look ready for a battle." A little girl took a seat beside Lina.

"Hello, little girl." Lina smiled at the child. "Yes, I'm about to fight the battle of my life."

"Your eyes..." The little girl stared into Lina's eyes. "They remind me of my mother's. Hers were a different color, but... that shine. It's the same."

"Where is your mother, anyway? You shouldn't be running about all alone." Lina looked around to see if she could spy the girl's mother.

"Mama's.... away." The little girl looked down.

"Oh... Well, um..." Lina scratched the back of her head uncomfortably.

"It's okay." The little girl assured, waving her hands as though to clear the tension from the air. "So, where is this battle to take place?"

"The Lost Souls Dance Hall." Lina was glad that the subject had been changed.

"That sounds more like a freaky place to take dance lessons than the last stand of one great warrior or another." The little girl commented.

"Yeah. Well, the guy I'm up against is a little... crazy." Lina explained.

"Ah. That explains everything." The little girl smiled, nodding. "That's a kewl looking hilt. What happened to the blade? Is the sword a magical one?"

"This?" Lina motioned to the Hikari no Ken. "Well... yeah. It's the Sword of Light."

"Wow. Grandfather would like a weapon like that. I hope to one day get him a magnificently forged weapon. The problem is, many blacksmiths don't do business with seven year old girls, no matter how cultured and educated they are." The little girl paused when she saw another little girl approach. "Well, it looks like I have to go. My cousin was sent to fetch me. I wish you the best in your fight."

"Thanks." Lina waved to the girl. "Good luck to you too."

Lina watched the little girl vanish into the distance with her cousin. She then realized that she hadn't even gotten the child's name. 30

"Aw well... It's time to go, anyway." Lina stood and left Malef.

~~

"Mr. Zelgadis, why is he following us?" Amelia softly asked.

"Probably just to annoy us." Zelgadis grumbled.

"I heard that." Xellos spoke up. "Don't you think that I might be of some assistance?"

"No." Zelgadis shook his head.

"I see." Xellos almost wanted to pout, but decided to just shrug. "Why are you so anxious to get to Malef anyway? Lina-sama's battle will take at least a day to us."

"How do you know that?" Amelia questioned.

"Sore wa himitsu desu." Xellos smiled.

"Secrets. What a wonderful thing to be filled with." A new voice said from behind the group.

The trio turned to see a lady clad all in black. She smiled and walked over to Xellos.

"Long time no see." She greeted.

"It has been a long time. Too long, Hikari." Xellos returned.

"I see that you're traveling with them. You're not up to too much mischief, now, are you?" Hikari glanced at the party.

"Well, I try my hardest." Xellos grinned.

"Hey. How are you today? I'm... well.. Xellos calls me Hikari. He did, at first, try to get off with the Hikari-sama business, but... that sounded like I owned him. Heh. Can't have that... right?"31

"Um... Hi, Miss Hikari. I'm Amelia." Amelia introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, Amelia. I believe that you've met my cousin. Judging from your bracelet, you guys have something in common." Hikari's eyes fell to Zelgadis. "And you.. You are well aquainted with my sister. She's like your guardian angel. I believe you call her... Yume? Yes. Dream. Well, we all somewhat know eachother now. Shall we continue onward?"

"You know Yume?" Zelgadis was surprised by this news.

"She's my sister. My twin sister. My identical twin sister. Don't you see it?" Hikari smiled, enjoying her michievous manner. "Come. You want to get to Malef, ne? We're very near. We should arrive by noon. In fact, I might even treat all of you to lunch. Then we'll play the hardest game of all- The waiting game."

Hikari was glad when Zelgadis and Amelia finally recovered from their shock and resumed their couse. She and Xellos linked arms before following the pair. She knew that it was going to be a long wait. It was up to her and Xellos to make sure that Zel and Amelia didn't do anything foolish, like rush to the Lost Souls Dance Hall to try to see if Lina needed help. Yep, they were the distractors. What a wonderful job.

~~

Lina stared up at the marble building. This was the place she was to meet Galnor at. She walked up to the door, ready to knock. It opened before her fist could touch it. Galnor stood there, dressed in a tuxedo, and smiled at her. He deeply bowed and motioned for Lina to come in. Lina cautiously entered, trying her hardest not to attack the man that had ruined her life. What did he have planned in his insane little mind?

"Welcome to my humble home. I pray you found no difficulty in finding it." Galnor closed the door and went over to Lina. "May I take your bag?"

Lina stared at his outstretched hand for a moment. He wanted her to hand over her pack. There was no thing she really needed to battle him in the pack, but... Should she?

"Sure." Lina handed over her pack.

"I hope you don't mind, but I had lunch prepared for the both of us. It is noon, and I figured you'd be hungry." Galnor informed.

Lina only nodded. Galnor led her to another room, the dining room. The long, oak table was set for two, candles lit in the middle. Lina wasn't sure what this guy was thinking. Did he really want to dance or did he want to battle?

"You must have had some trip. You're dressed for a great battle. Here, let me slip you into something more comfortable." Galnor closed his eyes and chanted a few words under his breath.

Lina arched an eyebrow. What was this guy doing? What did he mean? Her questions were soon answered. In an instant, her usual outfit was changed. Her cape was midnight blue on the outside and black on the inside. Her main outfit was now a hunter green dress. She still had her black headband as well as her white gloves. Her boots, however, were now black, as were her leggings. The belt which she had securely fasted the Hikari no Ken was gone. The sword, however, lay now upon her lap. Perhaps this guy only wanted to dance dance. Even so, she wouldn't allow him to get away with what he did to Gourry. Making such an oath for a true dance rather than a battle only made the crime more unforgivable.

Lina's eyes flashed. What was she doing? Xellos's words rang in her head, "Can you wield the Sword of Light? Have you even tried? A single moment of hesitation will seal your fate, but you don't particularly care if you live or die, do you?"

Was this the moment of hesitation he spoke of? Was Galnor just buying himself some time? Would she perish without avenging her lost love? It wasn't going to happen that way. She wouldn't let it. Lina stood from her seat, taking the Sword of Light up. It was time to settle this.

"I'm not really hungry." Lina informed, readying to call forth the mystical blade of light.

"I see." Galnor frowned slightly. "What have you in mind, then?"

"This!" Lina thrust up the bladeless sword. "Light come forth!"

Light filled the room as the blade crystalized and formed. The Sword of Light was ready for battle.

"Magnificent weapon." Galnor applauded. "Tell me, though, why you desire to battle."

"You deserve to die after what you did." Lina's grip on the sword tightened. "You killed Gourry. You stole my life away. That's way more than unforgivable, pal."

"Ah. I see. My, oh, my. You and Vylharion." Galnor wrinkled his nose. "Lost loves seem to cause people to want to kill me. Was that simple swordsman's life so important? No matter, I'll deal with this. Perhaps we'll dance to a different tune than I imagined."

"Bastard!" Lina lunged at Galnor.32

"Driven by your emotions 33. Really, my dear." Galnor smiled, easily dodging Lina's attack. 34 "Perhaps that simple swordsman was something more... as Vylharion claimed his beloved to be."

"Die!" Lina again charged at Galnor.

"Such harsh words from such a frail little mage." Galnor stepped aside from her attack, stealing her bandana in the process. "I seem to have acquired something more of yours. Will you seek it back as well?"

Lina glared icy daggers at the man before she again struck. Her blows were of no use. He nimbly dodged each of them, some taunting smile and comment made with each failed blow. Time passed. Lina soon grew tired. She weakly smiled, Xellos's words again entered her mind, "All talk with fear hiding behind that wall. What will you do when your brash and ill conceived plan falls through? What will you do when you're courage has faded with the adreneline and you're left with only that emptiness? Then what, Lina-sama?"

"Wish I knew, Xel." Lina whispered, her strength spent and spirit tired.

Lina's legs gave out from under her. The Hikari no Ken returned to appearing as an ordinary sword. It's impact upon the cold ground echoed throughout the room. Galnor smiled, catching her. He held her to him and danced a waltz, the music slowly entering into the room.

Lina wearily looked about her. She was spinning and being thrown about like a doll. She couldn't do anything, though. She'd given it her all, though recklessly. Now Galnor was... was dancing with her. (?!) What was up with this guy? She tried to do something. She couldn't let things end like this.

"Gourry..." Lina missed him so and she needed him now more than ever.

Gourry. Gourry had died at this man's hand,and all because of a stupid dance. That was unfair, and, as Amelia would say, unjust. Justice had to be served! Galnor had to get what he deserved. Besides, she now knew a portion of Vylharion's secret. The necromancer could be a normal guy... maybe. It wasn't time to give up just yet. Demo... there were only a few, mostly last ditch, crazy, and highly risky, options left as to what to do 35. There was that one small chance...

"Warm fire be brought forth, gather in my hand. Gentle wind come to me, add your power to this flame. Calming earth heed my call, lend your strength to this burning flame. Refreshing waters come as well, quench the thirst of this flame. Elements of nature, I pledge myself to you. Allow me a taste of the power you give out to a certain few. Into my unworthy hand, bestow your great power so I may destroy the fool who has desecrated a holy vow sacred and true. If my life is of consequence, take it, I beg of you." Lina softly chanted, clasping her hands from their location behind Galnor's neck. "Mystic Cross." 36

The spell took effect, engulfing Galnor in a warm light. He smiled at Lina.

"Bravo, little mage." He looked as though he wanted to clap. "You were everything I thought you'd be."

Bright red flames appeared and shot through his chest. A bolt of water came from the other side, going through the same spot. A severe gust blew through the target location. An earth spike followed it. Galnor fell to his knees. He gazed up at Lina, his eyes sparkling.

"Vylharion had the same look. Working to raise her... all those years alone." Galnor hugged himself, trying to close his wound. "No way found to bring her back. We fought and fought. This time... he has won."

Galnor weakly smiled, a different gleam tainting his brown eyes.

"Yet... for all things, there is a price... " Galnor raised a hand to Lina.

Lina stared down at the man that many had feared. He was known as one of the finest magic users of all time. Yet, she had defeated him with one spell. She fell to her knees, her wobbly legs unable to hold up her fragile body. Her white hair fell around her, as though it, too, was void of all power.

"Fireball." Galnor cast his final spell.

Lina took the fireball head on. She just closed her eyes as it came toward her. Her body flew to the other side of the room, snapping with a horrid sound as she hit the wall. Galnor slumped over, staring at the beautiful mage.

"Magnificent." He commented, the shine of his eyes fading.

~~

"Lina-sama." Xellos looked up from his book.

"Xel?" Hikari stood from her chair and went over to the trickster priest.

"I have to.." Xellos stood, as though to teleport away.

"You can't." Hikari put her arms around the man. "You know we can't interfere."

"Demo..." Xellos knew it was futile to argue, but he didn't want to just give up.

"I'll go and see what my sister has heard. You just have to promise me you'll stay here and keep an eye on Zel and Amelia." Hikari whispered.

"I give you my word." There was nothing but sincerity in Xellos's voice as well as the look in his eyes.

"Be patient." Hikari placed a gentle kiss on Xellos's cheek before vanishing.

"Patience is a virtue I lost." Xellos sighed, resuming his reading.

Zelgadis and Amelia just continued to sleep in their beds, unaware of Xellos's worry or Hikari's disappearance.

~~

"What a mess." Kanashimi commented, looking at the ruined dining area. "Fool. He should never have been given that final vision before his demise. His wish was always the same: To die staring at a beautiful, but worthy, woman. Now, Galnor, what say you? Hmm?"

Kanashimi walked over to the man and picked up his limp body.

"Your soul fears to leave the confines of its shell. Why? No matter, I will take the whole package if I must." Kanashimi's gazed turned to where Lina lay. "I will not take this child today if it is at all possible."

"It is." A woman stepped out from the shadows.

"Valery." A faint smile graced Kanashimi's lips. "My cousin searches for you."

"I know. I wish I could meet with dear Solo, but, alas, it is not yet time for that." Valery went over to Lina and knelt down beside the girl's limp form. "So much given. Take my strength."

Valery closed her eyes and clasped her hands above where Lina's heart faintly beat. In a few moments, her spell was cast and sparkles of light fell from her hands. Lina's body absorbed the sparkles, her hair slowly regaining its true color. In time, Lina was comfortably breathing, her heart beating with ease once more. Valery smiled and stood. She then gestured to the silent man that stood in the door way, fearful as a child on their first day of school.

~~

Hikari appeared in an open meadow. Her twin sister was in the middle of a field of flowers. Her cousins both sat by the stream, contemplating matters.

"What's up?" Hikari inquired.

"Galnor has been defeated." Yume informed. "Valery... has aided Lina- chan. She is to live."

"That's good." Hikari let out a sigh of relief, sitting down beside her sister. "Xel was quite worked up."

"She was going to die. He sensed it." Onna no Hi neared her cousins and took a seat near them.

"What now?" Hikari wondered aloud.

"That is up to Gourry." Onna no Mizu answered.

~~

Gourry smiled down at his beloved. Galnor vanished in Kanashimi's arms. She, too, disappeared. Gourry took Lina's hands in his and kissed them. He'd missed her so.

Lina weakly opened her eyes. The last thing she remembered was getting hit by a powerful fireball. She then noticed who it was that gazed down upon her. She jumped up, not caring if a thousand sharp pains would fill her body. She embraced the blonde, elated to see him again.

"Gourry... Am.. am I dead?" She softly asked after a moment.

"No. You were on the brink of death, but..." Gourry glanced toward Valery.

"And you?" Lina feared what he'd say, but she had to know nevertheless.

"I'm dead." Gourry could find no better way to tell it.

"You're here, though." Lina burried her face in his chest. "That's all that matters."

Tears streamed down Lina's face. He was there. He was holding her now... but.. but what about when he let go? What about when he had to go? She couldn't bear to lose him again. Never! Never ever!

"Lina..." Gourry had a tough decision to make and little time left.

"Don't leave me. Please... Not again." Lina begged, her voice so soft.

"I wish I could stay." Gourry ran his fingers through he red hair. "How I wish I could stay."

Had he been so foolish for so long? Was it only now that he could clearly see? Had his reappearance to her only caused her more grief than closure? Gourry sighed. His time was running out. The fiery bird was returning for him. Valery could only weakly smile before vanishing herself. She could not make the decision for him.

"I've never been the smartest guy. I'm not that great at good-byes either." Gourry gently released Lina and cupped her face in his hands. "You have to live on, Lina. The world needs you. You.. You can live without me. I know you can. I.. I wish things didn't have to be this way, but..."

"Gourry.. please..." Lina's eyes filled anew with tears.

"Shh... don't cry. I feel so bad when you cry." Gourry brushed away her tears. "I have to go. my time came long ago. I'm lucky to have this moment with you."

"Gourry..." Lina shook her head, not wanting it to be true.

"Lina..." Gourry closed his eyes. He could feel her pain, hear her heart again shattering. "Forgive me, Lina. I love you."

Gourry kissed his love for the final time, her tears wetting his cheeks as though his own.

~~

Onna no Hi jumped up. Yume and Hikari joined her. Onna no Mizu only remained near the stream, sadly shaking her head.

"A great sacrifice made." Yume whispered.

"How do we repair that?" Hikari softly questioned.

"A heart is not easily mended." Yume sadly looked away.

"The pain dulls, but also grows stronger every day." Onna no Hi commented.

"We'll do what we can for now." Onna no Mizu stood and neared her relatives. "What greets us later on will later on be met. We shouldn't dwell on it quite yet."

"One will hard enough be to mend." Hikari agreed.

"Onne will return soon with him. I will fetch some tea. It.. may help him." Yume departed from the area.

"I should go and tell Xel she's fine." Hikari decided, standing and teleporting away.

"Will regret befall our dears?" Onna no Hi wondered aloud.

"We'll see." Onna no Hi sighed. "We'll see."

~~

Xellos sensed Hikari return, but she wasn't in the room he and the other two were in. He sighed, setting aside his book. Was she upset with him? He could also sense that Lina was well and in good hands. Quietly, he left to find Hikari.

Hikari sighed, downing another drink. Why did she do this to herself? Hm? Was she such a fool? What would her sisters tell her now? She could talk to them, but wasn't the mission more important? She almost wanted to just shout, "Screw the mission! What about me? What about all of us? We have feelings too! Can't they see that?" but she knew it best if she kept that little outburst hidden inside.

Warm arms wrapped themselves around Hikari. She smiled weakly, knowing who it was. He rested his head on her shoulder, eyes watching her every move.

"Xel..." She knew that the trickster priest was up to something.

"Come with me." He whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek.

"You have mischief planned." Hikari smiled to herself, actually considering his proposition. "But I will not come with you."

"Why not?" He softly asked, holding her nearer.

"Because, we'll both regret it, in time." Hikari answered, her smile falling. "You know it as well as I."

"Will we?" He tilted her head and kissed her.

Hikari closed her eyes. After a moment, she sadly parted from Xellos. This wasn't meant to be. How she wished it was.

"I wish I could seek comfort in your embrace. I wish I could lose myself to your kisses." Hikari lowered her head, eyes shadowed. "But I know I can't. I love you, you know that. You think that you can love me, but... Your eyes are set on another. Your heart as well. Guardians..."

"Hikari." Xellos turned to face the woman, nearing as though to embrace her.

"No, Xellos. I won't come with you tonight. I've never come with you before and I won't come with you ever with how Fate's mind is now set. You know that." A stray tear fell to the floor. "My sister will bring Lina soon. Take care of them, for me. I'll watch over you from a safer distance for a while... for the both of us."

"Alright." Xellos nodded. "Even so... my offer still stands, if ever..."

"Tempting, but..." Hikari shook her head before vanishing.

"I... I'm sorry." The trickster priest turned to where Hikari had been sitting, took up the bottle she had been pouring from, and downed what remained. 37

~~

Kanashimi slowly entered the town. How long had it been? It had seemed a short period of time to Lina. She had yet to wake up from Gourry's final kiss. When she did wake up, though...

"Really. How strange some can be. Reminiscent of The Lady or the Tiger... but also some thing else." Kanashimi commented outloud. "What will you do now, Lina? Will you fight? Of course. That's all you've really known to do. I wonder where you'll be led to."

Kanashimi finally reached the inn. She smiled at how welcoming it looked. The warmth it radiated reminded her of home.

"Home..." Kanashimi sighed, recomposing herself before entering.

Zelgadis and Amelia looked up from their table. They were eating lunch when a familiar woman entered. Xellos looked to her and nodded his head as though greeting her. Zelgadis and Amelia rushed over to her when they realized who it was she carried.

"Miss Lina! What's wrong with her?" Amelia questioned.

"She's just resting." Kanashimi assured. "Where is your room? I think it best if I set her down before I tell you all that you should know... all that I can reveal to you."

"I'll take her." Xellos offered.

"I... still have a bit of a bone to pick with you." Kanashimi gave Xellos the 'My sister came home crying and it was all your fault' look.

"What did you do?" Zelgadis turned to Xellos.

"Sore wa himitsu desu." Xellos returned, going back to his corner. 37

"I'll show you, Miss.." Amelia paused. What was the lady's name?

"Lina calls me Kanashimi. You all may know me by that name as well." Kanashimi adjusted her hold on the figure she held. "Lead the way, young one."

Amelia nodded before going up the stairs to their room.

~~

"Thought I'd find you here." Yume commented upon finding her sister. "You always did enjoy the cavern's earthy feel."

"It is my element." Hikari replied, eyes not leaving the rock formation.

"It's quiet and beautiful... serene too. To some, though, it's quite frightening. I'm glad you brought a lantern."Yume took a seat beside her sister. "Wanna talk?"

"About what?" Hikari inquired.

"Purple hair. Beautiful eyes. As mischievous as you. Ring any bells?" Yume answered.

"Yes, but..." Hikari shook her head. "Am I a fool, sis?"

"No. You're not a fool. You're just... in love." Yume put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Sometimes things just... well, quite frankly, suck."

"Yeah." Hikari agreed. "Did I do the right thing?"

"In my book, as Solo would say, heck yeah." Yume softly smiled. "He doesn't want to hurt you. You do know that, right?"

"Yeah." Hikari nodded. "I know that."

"Men are oblivious to some things we feel should be quite obvious." Yume informed.

"You're pretty oblivious yourself at times." Hikari pointed out.

"Makes for great defense." Yume explained.

"Also makes a great barrier." Hikari returned.

"Perhaps... but it is my way." Yume said after a moment.

"Do you have any regrets?" Hikari asked after a minute of debating within herself.

"Yes... many." Yume sadly smiled. "Yet... what good comes from dwelling on regret?"

"That may be true, but what good comes from creating some false sense of security?" Hikari shot back, turning to face her sister. "You're only gonna get yourself hurt. Don't you see that? You've put yourself in a dangerous position."

"And you haven't?"

"That may be true, but I... I know mine is fated to end in tragedy either way. Look at what you've dug yourself."

"I haven't the foggiest idea of what it is that you are refering to."

"Then let me spell it out for you. You think of Zelgadis as your lost son."

"Nonsense."

"Don't try to lie to me. I've seen how you've looked at him."

"Is my treating him as my own son any worse than you longing for one that doesn't love you as you love them?"

"Who knows? I won't be the judge of that."

"Neither will I."

The two looked away from each other and sat in silence. Finally, Yume spoke up.

"What a mess we've gotten ourselves into." She whispered.

"Yeah." Hikari looked up at a chandelier appearing formation and smiled. "But I doubt we'd have it any other way. It's just... in our nature, ne?"

"I guess so." Yume shrugged. "We just have all the luck."

"Zel is a lil like Ta-chan." Hikari commented after another moment of silence.

"And Xellos is charming, mysterious, and so your type." Yume added.

"Guardians... Why did we get this job again?"

"Right place at the right time, I suppose."

"Shouldn't it be wrong place at the wrong time?"

"At times, I believe that it is." 39

~~

Lina opened her eyes only to see Zelgadis. The chimera looked worried for once. She looked about her. Where was she? Malef?

"You're awake." Zelgadis greeted.

"Where am I?" Lina slowly sat up, her head throbbing. "What happened?"

"Y... You don't remember?" Zelgadis was being quite free with his emotions today.

"I answered my challenge and defeated Galnor." Lina frowned slightly. "I don't remember what happened after our... dance."

"Miss Lina, I'm glad to see you're awake." Amelia smiled as she entered with a tray. "Miss... well, I'm not sure of her name. She said you knew her as Kanashimi. She returned you to us this afternoon. Did your battle really take so long, Miss Lina?"

"Long?" Lina's frown deepened. "How long was I gone?"

"Almost a full week." Zelgadis informed.

"A week?!" Lina jumped up, immediately regretting it.

"Yes, Miss Lina, a week." Amelia nodded. "Please rest, Miss Lina. A carriage will arrive later today to take us back to Sairune."

"Sairune..." Lina repeated. "Amelia, where'd Kanashimi go?"

"Well..." Amelia set the tray down and bit her lower lip.

"She said she had urgent business to attend to." Zelgadis came to her rescue.40

"Oh." Lina fell back onto her bed.

"Miss Lina, what do you plan on doing now?" Amelia inquired, taking a seat on the bed.

"I.. I don't know." Lina scratched her head. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see... Maybe we can go back to finding Zel's cure or something."

~~

"What were you thinking?!" Kanashimi questioned, more screamed.

"Sore wa..." Xellos was cut off by Kanashimi's choke hold about his neck.

"If you ever, and I mean ever, make her cry again, so help me, I'll give you a free ticket to the next world." Kanashimi lessened her hold around Xellos's neck. "Got it?"41

"Well, I do love a good show. A ticket sounds..." Xellos was cut off once more.

"Guardians! Do you have a death wish?" Kanashimi paused for a moment, thinking about who she was talking to, and sighed. "Forget I asked that."

"Forgotten." Xellos choked out.

"Look, just leave her be. My sis is dear to me. I don't take kindly to those that make her cry." Kanashimi released Xellos and turned to go.

"I don't take pleasure in seeing her cry. Maybe others, but not her." Xellos informed.

"I know that. I don't particularly care, right now, though." Kanashimi returned. "So what if you don't take pleasure in it? You made her cry. This is your warning. Next time I'll show you how much holy magic my other sister taught me."

"Can't wait." Xellos forced a smile as she left. "I thought having people want to kill me would be fun. I guess the fun is sucked out of it when that person that wants to kill you happens to control great power as well as knows a few dangerous holy spells that will more than scar this beautiful face."

Xellos wrinkled his nose and straightened his collar. What was it with people and his collar? 42 They either pulled him up by it or wrinkled it by trying to choke him.

"You'd think there'd be more of a thrill." He sighed to himself before going off to create some mischief for some poor randomly selected person.

~~

Onna no Hi stared blankly at the cool waters. Her sister came up and sat beside her.

"Are you okay?" She softly asked.

"Yeah. I just can't believe..." Onna no Hi shook her head.

"It was his decision. If he doesn't want her to remember, then... so be it." Onna no Mizu looked across the gleaming waters. "It's a lovely night. The moon hits the waters just right, ne?"

"Yeah. It's beautiful." Onna no Hi nodded.

"I thought fire was more your game." Onna no Mizu commented.

"It was... and still is. I just.. needed to get away for a little while. It reminds me too much that those who play with fire get burned." Onna no Hi informed.

"Still thinkin' about that?" Onna no Mizu was surprised by this.

"Every single day that passes by I think of it." Onna no Hi turned to her sister. "I'm so sorry."

"Hey, it's okay." Onna no Mizu assured. "Don't blame yourself for it. Accidents happen."

"So you say." Onna no Hi turned away from her sister. "But..."

"What, things weren't suppose to go that way? You were supposed to be the one that got burned? I'm fine now, sis. I don't even have a single scar. As I said earlier, don't get all bent out of shape over it." Onna no Mizu smiled at her sister, to try to make her feel a little better.

"Too late for that, ne?" Onna no Hi wryly smiled. "But what does it matter, right? We have an important mission we should be focusing on. The past should... stay in the past."

~~

And so our trio of adventurers, no longer a quartet after the loss of their mighty swordsman, returned to Sairune, having accomplished their mission for the time. Upon arriving back at the castle, Amelia found herself being introduced to a dashing young man... who also appeared to be her chosen suitor. What next is to come? How will our adventurers fare? Only time will tell, ne? Thus closes this chapter of the tale. This having been said, would you like to save your game? Just kidding! ^_^ Until next part, farewell and pleasant journeys.



1. Can we say foreshadowing?

2. C'mon, say it with me now. Foreshadowing.

3. Don't even. That's one reason why I doubt Opba will be reading this ficcy. So, don't you dare say a word.

4. Welcome to the world of rapid talking. Here's the translation for those slower speakers: "Hey. It's been nice seeing you. Sorry about the whole justice rant. She's really bent on it, ya know. Well, we'd better be going. Have a nice day. See ya."

5. Re reading this, placing comments in, drinking Kool-Aid, and eating rasinettes all at one in the morning has caused me to read this sentence and think ~ Gee, I wonder why Zel is checking the tavern. Has Amelia-chan said something that has pushed him to the bottle? Eh... maybe not. I just had to say that.

6. I wish I had a ring like that... I think. What was the description again? Aiy... maybe I should go to bed.

7. Maybe I lost it... Yeah.. Aw, who am I kidding?

8. Poor, poor Zel and Gourry.

9. You know it's bad if the guy freaks Zel out.

10. Nah, it'll end... Oh... Wait, never mind. I'll shut up now.

11. Familiar? Do you know this woman?

12. Yes. She sang. Got a problem with that? I had a few songs written. They just came to me. It just so happened that a few of them... more all of them, happen to fit with the story. So get ready to see some singing... but no too too much. Only about four or five songs, anyway.

13. Lina's not talking about getting her outta the inn. No... She knows who the lady is. (Some of you probably do too.) Knowing that, you'll see her full meaning. The conversation that follows also fills up this lil hole too, but.. eh.

14. Solo, after reading this, said she'd take him. Y'know... I think a lot of fan gals (maybe some fan guys. I dunno.) wouldn't mind having a crying chimera around, especially if his name was Zelgadis Greywords. Don't you just want to tell him, "It's gonna be OK."

15. I just liked that conversation. Heck, I like a lot of the conversations I have in this tale. There are a few, though, that... eh...

16. That's similar to our "Here comes the plane." and such.

17. Shadow (C'mon, I know she'd say this. I can just see it.) "Good girl. Good, good, girl. Do you want a cookie?"

Lina: "Amelia, you don't realize how badly I wanna dragon slave you right now."

18. It's rapid talking time again. Ready kiddies? "We were so worried! We were afraid that a bear had gotten you or something! I was about to go searching for you. What took you so long? Did you only catch that many fish? Are you feeling well Miss Lina? Do you need anything?"

19. ~A little fall of rain.... ~

20. The whole Amelia thing... I just had to. C'mon, how old is the girl? Besides, after the cry fest, I wanted to balance things out just a little. It also gave me an excuse for....

21. This.

22. That whole lil speel... It just sounded cool.

23 I confess. I'd just finished reading volumes three and four of the Sailor Moon Mixx pocket manga thingies.

24. By the way, So-chan... does the ten year thing sound... well... accurate? Does it matter? It is my story, but... I just wanted to ask and... I'll shush now.

25. So rare that one may, in fact, hold the cure to all of Zel's problems. Could the cure be concealed within one of those ancient tomes? Who knows?

26. Don't hurt me. Corny, yes. Demo... I couldn't think of anything else. It just... fit?

27. You will see Xel sound like a whole variety of characters, I think. I was reading a nip of what later comes and then I realized, "Guardians! The little voice in my head reading what Xel just said is... It's Ken's voice from Digimon! Oh boy..." I tried to keep Xel Xelly, but.. well, what is Xelliness? Does anyone really know the real Xellos? ::gets bonked over the head by her beloved sister Shadow:: Okay, I'll stop getting all philosophical and stuff. Happy?

28. I'll explain later. If you think really hard about it.. you might get it. I'm not sure. I won't tell you either! Mwahahaha!! (See what Kool-Aid does to her majesty late at night? Oh dear.) You'll find out as the story progresses. It might be part three, though. Gomen.

29. Wow! It's Valery! Um... I need to re read Memories now. I forgot what Val looks like.... heh... gulp

30. Do the little girls seem familiar? That's another, tell ya about it later thing. You might know them, though.

31. Although I bet you'd like to have that, Sh...er.. Hikari-chan.

32. Don't hurt me Solo! Yes... it's not exactly nice what she said. In fact, I thought a long time before having her say what she said. Fiend just.. wasn't strong enough to convey what she was feeling. She was upset. She was mad. She was ready to kill the flaky jerk. Forgive me?

33. Oh my Heero... ^_^ Think he'd be proud?

34. Eh... maybe not. C'mon Lina, you can hit him! Focus girl.

35. We all know that those type of things are the things that form legends... if the person doesn't die first.

36. Who'd she call upon? Hmm? Who'd she call? Why, she called the elements to her. Uh huh. You go girl! We're always on your side.

37. This whole scene probably wasn't entirely necesary. Still... I think it helps get something across. Star crossed lovers? Is that what this is? Eh... sorta. Maybe?

38. You'd better scutter back to that corner, boy. Ph... er... Kanashimi is about to get medieval on your hiney.

39. This was another one of my fav. conversations. Sisterly advice and such. Gotta love it.

40. Heh.. Yep. ::laughs a little:: Wait till you see what that urgent business was.

41. Told ya. Show 'em, Kanashimi!

42. Yeah.