Authors Note: Only one couple left! I shall cause little prince and princess Chimeras to run around the fic and terrorize the spell-check! Oh the little pitter-patter of stone feet! Oh the copy right infringements! Hehehehehehehe!

Who's Xellos seeing?

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After they'd set out, Lina started grilling Xellos about where he was going every evening. Not that she wasn't thankful for his being gone the other evening, but she was Lina Inverse, snoop master, and she wasn't about to let a mystery go unsolved. However, Xellos hadn't trademarked 'Sore wa himitsu desu' without reason. He steadfastly refused to reveal where he was going or what was going on, and only Lina's want of treasure kept her from turning around and heading back north. On the bright side, she reflected, if he hadn't dragged her and Gourry south, they wouldn't have come to their small understanding. They'd yet again set camp, with Xellos disappearing, and spent another quiet night in the desert before setting out in the morning. Lina started complaining quickly and only quick action from Gourry prevented her from 'Freeze Brittle!' ing them all where they stood. Amelia just quietly accepted the heat while Zelgadis ignored it the same way he tended to ignore Lina when she was angry. Gourry, meanwhile, was pretending that he wasn't enjoying having Lina flung over his shoulder. Gourry had wrapped his arms around Lina and swung her over his shoulder in one quick move after she'd thrown her hands out and started shouting her spell. However, as much as she too had enjoyed Gourry swinging her through the air, there was only so much Lina Inverse could take.

" Gourry," she growled, her hand balling up into a fist and her eyes closing while she searched for patience. " If you don't put me down right now I'm going to make it hard for you to walk in minute."

He put her down and they continued walking, Gourry and Lina towards the front and Zelgadis and Amelia towards the rear. Xellos took the lead position.

" We should stop for water," Amelia said, after they'd passed a small spring. " This desert isn't disappearing and we don't know when the next time we'll come across running water again."

" That spring is poisoned," Xellos said knowledgeably.

" How do you know?" Lina asked sourly. " How many times have you been here?"

" He's right though," Zelgadis said, startling the group. He'd been unusually quiet since they'd seen Gourry and Lina snuggled up yesterday. " I've been through this area before, and that spring just isn't safe."

" Oh," Amelia said, bringing her hand up to her mouth as she thought. " This is awfully far south from the kingdom though, what were you doing down here?"

Zelgadis stared down at the road for so long that Amelia though he was ignoring her and quickly blushed and bowed her head. Catching the motion from the corner of his eye and sensing what she was thinking, he hastened to explain.

" I was searching for a cure." He said, staring off into the distance. " I had heard a rumor about a piece of the staff of the gods being down here and came looking. It wasn't it, and so I explored the area around here and set off north again."

Amelia looked at Zelgadis and then back down. Ye gods, she thought, he was still looking for that cure? Well she supposed he'd never be really happy until he found it, and so she'd better get used to that. She just hoped that he didn't take off in the night if he heard a rumor or something.

" You take off in the night 'cause of a rumor or something and I'll flatten you." Lina warned, looking over her shoulder with a balled fist and jaunty grin. " This is a mystery quest, just like the one when we had to fight Valgaav with Jilias and --- what the hell is wrong with you?" She directed the last part at Xellos because he'd stumbled over a rock and then spun around to look at Lina.

" Just a rock," he said, quickly recovering and grinning at them. " The heat must be getting to me."

" You're a lousy liar," Lina said grimacing. " Mazuko don't feel heat and they don't stumble…wait a minute!" Her face took on a feral look of glee as she put two and two together. " I know what you mphhh!" Her mouth was covered by Xellos's gloved hand as she was about to shout her brainstorm to the world.

" We'll be right back," Xellos said, just before teleporting them out of sight. Gourry grimaced, turned around, walked the short distance back to the spring, and then sat under a small tree. Zelgadis and Amelia, after sharing a short, confused, glance, turned around and joined him.

" What was that all about?" Zelgadis asked.

" I have no idea," Amelia sighed as she sat down. " I think Lina must've realized who Xellos was seeing."

" Who? You mean--" Gourry was abruptly cut off as Prince Phil was seen riding furiously down the road, chasing a Kitsune with a white patch on the end of it's tail.

" In the name of justice accept your punishment!" Prince Phil roared, swinging his fist over his head, his hair flying and eyes blazing. " You've committed such sins! Admit and become pure!"

The small group in the shade stared in amazement as the small fox gave them a 'He's completely physco look' and took off for places unknown.

" They really won't let us turn this show serious," Zelgadis said, rubbing his forehead.

" To-san!" Amelia said, her face full of embarrassment.

" Wow," Gourry commented, leaning out of the shade and putting his hand over his eyes to shade them. " I didn't know that foxes lived in the desert."

Amelia and Zelgadis got a small sweatdrop and lost their balance. Amelia was about to explain to Gourry that those types of foxes don't live in the desert when Xellos and Lina reappeared with a loud pop.

" Who's he seeing?" Zelgadis asked before either one could say a word.

" You mean Filia?" Gourry asked Zelgadis.

They all facevaulted, even Xellos, who pulled himself up shakily. His eye twitched and his face clearly read disbelief. Lina meanwhile, had jumped onto Gourry's head and pounded it with her fist.

" Why didn't you tell us earlier?" She roared. " I've been racking my brains here and you---"

" I didn't think it was terribly important!" Gourry said, covering himself with his arms. " It was just something I knew!"

" Animal instinct," Zelgadis said to Amelia, who looked rather shocked. " No matter what, Gourry seems to be able to see past Xellos's stupidest schemes to keep his secrets secret."

" Lina…I…can't…feel…my…body!" Gourry gasped. Growling a 'Serves you right,' she let him go.

" I don't believe that this is happening!" Zelgadis said, getting up. " I've got to go think."

" Hold it right there buddy," Lina said. Zelgadis stood still, knowing without turning around that Lina had a spell with his name on it if he didn't. " You're not going anywhere until Xellos clears this up with everybody."

" I think…not." Xellos said, and then teleported away.

" Xellos," Lina seethed in a low voice, her eyes flaming. " Get Back Here Right Now!" She pulled the thick blade out of the air, hissing and cracking and brought it down, slicing through the air. For a second it didn't look like anything had happened, but then, after about two more seconds, the air split and a dazed Xellos fell through the now open pocket dimension and landed in a heap at Lina's feet. " Now Xellos, explain." Lina said, looming over the dazed demon.

" What's to explain?"

" Xelllooooooossssssssss!"

" All will be explained when we get to where we're going." Xellos said, disappearing again, but this time Lina didn't forcefully yank him back. Instead, she dropped to her seat and leaned back against a tree.

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I apologize for the extreme delay in getting this out and the shortness of the chapter. I'm moving you see and it's kind of hard to write when your trying to decide how to tell your parents you're getting rid of the heirlooms so you can move all your anime merchandise. . However, I've got some ideas for Chapter nine. I want to go slow with Zel and Amelia as they aren't as impulsive as Gourry and Lina. I'd feel very out of character if I made them declare love out of nowhere and for no reason, besides the fact that, why yes, they are.