Slayers: To the End...
By Hotaru
Disclaimer...
You know, I'm feeling lazy at the present moment. So, I'll make my disclaimer plain and simple. Slayers is not mine. I'm just borrowing their characters. But the story idea is. So there! ^^
Chapter 11
All I Want is One Small, Insignificant Thing...
Lina woke up, feeling like as if she had just woken up from the most comfortable and relaxing sleep she had ever had. Never before could she remember such a restful sleep, such a warm coziness in her blankets, her heart so at peace... So she did the most probable thing under the circumstances... she groaned.
"I don't want to wake up..." she muttered to herself. She had been so warm and comfortable... She rolled over and threw the covers on top of her head. Her eyes closed once more. Unfortunately for her... her rest was short. There was a loud and obnoxious rap on the door. "Go away," she muttered, hoping that they'd listen to her. There it was again. Someone was asking to be Fireballed... She stumbled out of bed and opened the door and glared through half-lidded eyes at the person who dared wake her up at such an hour.
Xellos just stared. He was quite unaccustomed to seeing this. Lina stood in front of him, more asleep than awake. She was wearing a red pajama combo... red chinese collared shirt and red pants, with little fireballs and dragons embroidered on it. Her hair was tussled and looked like a mess. And she was glaring at him, a fireball in hand... She could pass off as cute, had it not been for the threat to do anyone bodily harm type of aura around her...
"Oh, hi, Lina!" he said in a very chirpy voice. He also said it nervously as he eyed the ball of fire in her hand.
"Morning..." she growled. The fireball grew again. "You have fifteen seconds to explain what you're doing, waking me up at this time." Xellos winced... obviously it was a bad idea to wake her up like this. No wonder Zelgadis had told him to do it... tricky Zel, so like a Mazoku at times...
"Um...jeje..." said Xellos. He put a hand behind his head and looked sheepishly for a moment.
"Thirteen, twelve, eleven..." counted Lina.
"Um... jeje.. it's... um, time for breakfast!" he crossed his fingers. Hopefully, Lina would react favorably at that. Her counting stopped. She eyed him suspiciously and then carefully sniffed the air. Her eyes brightened, her whole face changed into a radiance Xellos couldn't describe. Gone where her half lidded eyes; In their stead where glowing rubies, or recently stoked coals. Whatever it was, her eyes glowed... they could light a room with light in the darkests of nights.
"FOOD!!!" she shouted. With a whoop, she turned and slamned the door into Xellos's face. Xellos stood stunned. Lina sure was scary in the early morn... He heard sounds of running and the rustle of cloth from within her room. Within moments, seconds really, she was out, dressed in a white shirt, black pants and a red vest. She grabbed his hand and dragged him behind her to the dining room to have her justly deserved breakfast. Xellos just grinned as he trailed behind her and got bumped around on the stairs.
Breakfast was a lively affair. Lina gobbled up everything in sight. Eggs, ham, sausages, bread, fruit... all went into the bottomless well we shall for now call Lina Inverse. Zelgadis stared at the diminishing pile of food. He had thought he had cooked enough breakfast, but Lina was on a roll like he had never ever seen before. He stood up.
"Um... I'll go to the kitchen and make some more..." he said hesitantly, not quite sure if Lina would here him.
"Sure!" said Lina in between bites. "And could you get some more of these sausage thingies? They're good!" She waved her fork at him and continued strong. Xellos just smiled as he sipped his.... yep, you guessed it, cup of tea. Zel just sweatdropped. He muttered to himself under his breath...
'How pathetic, reduced to cooking for Lina...' He walked to the kitchen to cook up another storm for Her Highness...
Xellos smiled... he was smiling a lot these past few days... not being a Mazoku anymore helped also! Now he could feast on any feeling when in Mazoku form! And Lina's happiness and satisfaction were exquisite.
"Ne, Lina... how are you?" he asked. No answer came. It seemed Lina had not heard him. That was understandable of course... Lina was busy... eating. He'd bide his time and wait. He had a whole week, now, all he had to do was be patient. How boring, be patient...
Zelgadis walked back in with a tray laden full with goodies. Lina's eyes brightened once more.
"Thanks Zel!" she said as she dug in eagerly. Zel smiled slightly and sat down also.
"So, Lina, when will we leave for Seyruun?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant. He really wanted to speak to her privately. There were three million questions floating around in his head.
"Dunno..." she said as she ate some more. Then her head whipped up and she looked at him slyly... "Missing Amelia already?" Her eyes twinkled. Zel blushed. Lina giggled, Xellos laughed.
"Why so shy, Zel?" asked Xellos. Zelgaids looked up at the sound of his laughter.
"I never knew a Mazoku could laugh..." said Zelgadis. Lina smiled.
"He isn't a Mazoku exactly...." started Lina. She thought at Xellos...[right?]
[Of course not, Lina dear,] thought Xellos, as he continued to look mysterious. [After all, both of us are Chaos Knights...]
"Interesting," said Zelgadis as he looked at both of them. "So, Lina, I guess you're not exactly human anymore, right? Same as Xellos..." Lina nodded solemnly. She grinned as she remembered something... a conversation she had with a certain chimera who wanted to be human... she'd have to talk to Xellos about that.
"Hey, Zel..." she said. "Why don't you go up and prepare the bags and things to go to Seyruun. We can leave as soon as that is finished. I have a few notices for the mayor and Xellos and I will clean up the dishes." Zel nodded, and Lina was left alone with Xellos.
After Xellos was sure Zel was gone, he looked at Lina inquisitively.
"I assume you wanted to get Zel out... what for?"
"I just want to speak to you privately..." she said and smiled. She grabbed a few plates and took them to the kitchen. "Help me bring the bowls in. I'll wash, you rinse, 'k?" she asked. Xellos grinned. Lina had a small secret, and she wanted to talk to him... let's see... what could he do to make this a little more interesting?
The two stood silently beside each other, washing and drying the disheds. Lina had put her hair up into a ponytail, to stop it from getting into the water or bothering her. Xellos looked at her out of the corner of his eye... she looked so sporty and youthful like that...
"So, Lina, what did you want to talk about?" he asked while drying a dish.
"Well, as Knights of Chaos.... we have more power, right?" she asked.
"Of course, Lina!" said Xellos. Lina wanted to talk about business... oh well. There were other oppertunities.
"I have a favor to ask you..." she said. Xellos smiled... a bargaining chip! Maybe....
"And what would that be?" asked Xellos, as he smiled at Lina. Lina stopped and looked at him.
"I know, I know... if you do this, I'll owe you something, but not something big, 'k???" she asked. Xellos grinned.
"You know me too well," he said. "So, what can I do to help my Lina chan." Lina flushed at the 'my Lina chan' part of his sentence... was it that obvious she had fallen for him? But just in case, she would guard her emotions more... now, if she could keep her face from burning.
"Well, you know, Zel had been looking for his cure for a long time, right?" asked Lina. Xellos nodded and looked at her. She gulped... whenever he looked at her with open eyes, it just made her knees tremble. "Well, I've found a way to do it."
"Ah... how good!" he said. "So, what would you like me to do?"
"The thing is, ineedyourhelptocastthespell.couldyouhelpmeplease?"
"What was that, Lina chan?" asked Xellos. He could feel her embarrasement, and it was quite tasty, delicious...
"i wanted to ask your help in casting the spell..." she asked quietly. Gosh, she hated asking like this. If she had it her way, she'd pound him into the floor until he conceded... Hey! That was a good idea... if he wanted to tease her, he'd bite the floor... Xellos smiled. Now that he'd teased Lina enough, he'd concede... and she would owe him something.
"Of course, I'll help you, my Lina chan..." he said. Then he smiled. "But remember, you owe me something!" He grinned at her. Lina rolled her eyes. They quickly finished.
"But let's keep this a surprise for Zel! We can pretend we totally forgot... and do it when he least expects it." said Xellos, his eyes twinkling mischiviously.
"Sure," said Lina. She too grinned. Xellos transported both of them to the Astral Plane. Lina looked around them. "Where are we? Why are we here?"
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he said. Lina fumed. "Just kidding. We're here to learn the spell. You have your book, right?" Lina nodded and brought out the spell book. Xellos caused a sofa to appear and they sat side by side learning the spell. Xellos smiled. It was nice to be this close to her and not have her explode on him. Lina smiled also. It was nice to be beside the fruitcake and have him behave so gentlemanly. She stifled a yawn and leaned slightly against him as she mouthed the words to herself. Xellos froze but then smiled gently. He put his arm around her slowly and carefully. No reaction from Lina, except she leaned on him a little more. This was nice, nobody to bother them...
Talking about people to bother them...
Zel looked around the house. It was the third time he had searched for them. He heard the saying, 'Third time is the charm', but in this case, it wasn't working. Where in the world where Lina and Xellos? Wait, Lina and Xellos...
'Oh my goodness...' thought Zel. Them? What in the world was happening? 'No, it can't be! Lina and Xellos? That's a laugh! They're probably training or maybe the Lord of Nightmares called them. Yeah, that's probably it.' And with that, Zel went to his room to read a book and to wait for Lina and Xellos to come from their mission.
Lina and Xellos finally came back. They smiled and chatted quietly, as they thought about Zel. It would be best to turn him back the day before arriving at Seyruun, or better yet, turn him into a human with Amelia present!!! Lina smiled and went to do chores and write notes, leaving behind instructions in case there was another invasion or attack on behalf of the Tarzokus. Xellos went to his room and saw Zelgadis.
"What took you so long?" asked Zelgadis.
"Sorry!" said Xellos with a smile on his face and one hand behind his head. "Sore wa himitsu desu! Mission from L-sama!" It wasn't a lie, not technically. Zelgadis accepted it. Xellos grinned. This was so fun!
The next day, bright and early, they left Seerin. Once again, Lina and Zel and Xellos received a tearful farewell from the villagers.
"Are you leaving again?" asked Riza, tears starting to form in her eyes as she hung on to Lina's left leg.
"I'll come back when I can. And if I can't, I'll see when I can visit you." said Lina with a twinkle in her eye.
"But how?" asked Rhea, who was hanging on to Xellos's leg.
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" chimed Lina and Xellos together. They looked at each other with a surprised look on their faces and turned to look elsewhere. Zel grinned and looked at the little munchkin who was hanging on to his leg.
"So, Rowan," he said. "What are you going to do while we're gone?"
"I want to be just like you!" she said with a smile. "If I can become a chimera, then physical attacks won't work against me. And since I'll be made of rock, I'll have a special affinity with earth based spells! And, I'll have increased speed and strength! And I won't get scraped elbows or knees... and I won't get cut as easily! What do you think?" Lina and Xellos smiled. Rowan had basically pointed out the good things about being a chimera that he wouldn't admit helped him.
"You want to be like me?" asked Zelgadis, with wonder. She nodded.
"I like Shamanist magic! It's cool!" she said. "And I like the color bluish purple!!!" Zelgadis felt himself touched. Such a small girl, full of naivete and care...
"I wish you the best of luck in the path you choose, Rowan." he said warmly. "And if I never get a chance to tell you this again... you are very special, never loose your own self." He hugged her. Rowan diddn't understand, but hugged him back.
"What about us, Uncle Zel?" asked Riza and Rhea. "Aren't we special too?"
"Yes, you all are special!" he said and gave each of them a hug. Xellos and Lina grinned. And what was so scary, was that they grinned in the same way, not that anyone really noticed, except the two who did it.
[Ne, Lina. Copycat!] thought Xellos to Lina.
[You should feel flattered I'm imitating you.] thought Lina to Xellos.
[Remember, Lina chan, you owe me something! I'm collecting tonight!] thought Xellos. Lina glared at him.
[Yeah, I know.... but remember, something small.] thought Lina.
[It'll be small,] thought Xellos. [But it'll mean a lot to me.] He grinned. Lina started to wonder to herself what it was going to be.
They rode out on their horses towards Seyruun. At the rate they were riding, they would arrive at Seyruun in two days. They set up camp, and of course, Lina took the first watch, and Xellos took the second watch. Lina wanted to have undisturbed rest. Xellos didn't really sleep, so taking the second watch would be easy for him. Zelgadis always woke up early, so third watch was easy. He also liked undisturbed rest.
Lina rested against the rough bark of a tree at the camp. The fire was small and cast small shadows on everything. Lina smiled slightly and took out her journal and began to write in it. She had so much to catch up on, what with all the Knight business and fighting...what's his face? Migros? Meram? Something like that. She should have written it down some time ago... but she had forgotten to. Oh well... She all of sudden felt a tickling sensation travel up her spine. Lina looked up and slammed her book shut. She glared at Xellos.
[What do you want?] she asked. [It's not your turn yet.] She hoped he hadn't read anything. He grinned.
[Nothing much,] he said. He grinned. [I came to collect.]
[Oh, yeah,] she thought. [I forgot... so, what do you want?] Just get it over with....
[Stand up Lina, and close your eyes.] thought Xellos. Lina stared at him.
[Don't worry... it's nothing bad!]
[Well...ok...] She put her journal in her cape and then stood up slowly, not quite sure what to expect.
[Close your eyes, Lina!]
[OK, make it quick, though.] thought Lina as she closed her eyes.
Xellos smiled softly. It was so nice of Lina to go along with this. It was true, it was only one small thing he would have of her... just one small thing that would mean the world to him. And she was freely giving it to him. Of course, she didn't know what it was, but that was beside the point. What was important was that she wasn't blasting him into a treetrunk. He took a deep breath and laid his hands on her shoulders, resting them lightly, feeling them move as she breathed easily. She trust him so much, it was quite amazing. Amazing how everything had seemed to change since the swearing in. How everything had changed after the Lord of Nightmares had visited him and turned his life upside down. Not that that was bad, mind you... He slowly tilted her face upward, with his ungloved fingers. He could feel her shiver beneath his touch... He slowly brought his face down...
Lina thought... furiously... What was the fruitcake planning on doing now? Why didn't he just hurry and cut off this suspense?!?! And why in the world was she doing this?
'Because I promised', thought Lina to herself.
'Why did I promise?' she asked her conscience.
'Cause you know he won't hurt you.'
'OK,'
She jumped lightly and fought to control her breathing when he felt his hands on her shoulders. Finally! He was getting around to.... to doing what?
'Oh, you know what will happen.' said a voice in her.
'No I don't!' she thought to herself.
'Yes you do! And so, what are you gonna do when he does...?'
'I have no idea what you're talking about!' she shouted mentally at her conscience. She felt his fingers tilt her face upward, his fingers silky and gentle against her soft skin. She shivered... in anticipation for what? She knew her conscience was laughing her butt off... she wet her lips in anticipation to something that might happen, since she wasn't really sure of what was going to happen...
Xellos closed his eyes and steeled himself for giving the quickest kiss in history. Afterall, most people didn't have to worry about the other fireballing them,... He was so close. A foot turned into half. Four inches, three, two.... He heard a gasp, that did not come from Lina or him. He checked and snapped his fingers as he realized that Zel had woken up. He quickly vanished.
Lina's eyes snapped open and she notice two things. Xellos had vanished, and Zel had woken up and was staring at her quizically.
"Ne, Lina... what were you and Xellos doing?" he asked, half asleep. Lina quickly made up a little white lie, that was halfway true...
"Xellos? What about him? I don't see him around!" she said hurriedly. Zel looked at her suspiciously.
"You sure? I could have sworn you and Xellos were right there, looking like as if you were going to kiss..." said Zel. Lina turned bright red.
"Where did you get that?" she asked, hoping that Zel wouldn't follow up by asking why her face was all red. "I was just standing here, seeing if there were any clouds up there!" Zelgadis seemed to accept it and immediatly rolled over to sleep. Lina let out a sigh of relief. One small crisis had been adverted. She looked around and decided that Xellos was probably gone for good, for now... So she jumped up a tree and set up watch from there. It was a good look out. High, where most people didn't care to look. It had an unobsturcted view of the whole camp. She sighed and leaned agaisnt the bark. She was sort of dissapointed. She had been excited about what was happening. Had it not been for Zel, ....what would have happened? She gave an audible melancholic sound as she leaned against the tree, only to realize she was leaning against Xellos who had just then reappeared.
[Ne, Lina chan, sorry for that. Ready?] Lina jumped slightly and blushed. Xellos felt the heat waves radiating from her cheeks. He imagined how they looked...
[I guess so, ] she thought back to him. He offered her his hand and she took it. Xellos quietly pulled her up after him and bid her to close her eyes again. She gulped and shut her eyes, her cheeks bright red, and her heart beating fast from the tension. Once more, his hands rested on her shoulders. He carefully lifted her face up, just as softly and gently as the first, like the first time. With out further ado, her brought his face down and finally did kiss her, a small one, on her lips.
It was like the rustle of silk, the swish of an angels's wings, the flutter of a butterfly, the dance of a fairy, the falling of snow and dewdrops... gentle in all its ways, and soft, and sweet. And over too quickly, Lina felt.
Lina looked up when he broke the kiss, but Xellos had vanished again. What else was there to expect? She sat down and smiled goofily as she stared off into the middle of nowhere. She jumped down and grabbed her journal from her cape as she made herself comfortable leaning against the tree trunk. Her fingers flew, her pen's strokes marking the paper soflty. She was happy, content to boot! And when her shift was over, she gave a silent call to Xellos and fell asleep before Xellos appeared, once more clutching her journal, as if it were a treasure trove. Besides, she had no idea what to say or how to react... she'd ask him later, when she got herself calmed down a bit.
Xellos felt her call. He appeared and watched her smiling form in her sleeping bag. She had curled up and was holding her journal to her. So sweet, so innocent looking... He wondered what she thought... he had immediatly vanished, since he didn't really want to force her to do something she wasn't ready to do... talk about the kiss... So, he did the next best thing to find out what she thought. He levitated the journal softly out of her grasp and opened it to the right day. He smiled. Lina had drawn a smiles and flowers all over the place. And he put it back... Lina chan was so sweet. It was nice. He brushed her hair and reveled in its softness... Yep, Lina chan was so sweet... And what was sweeter about all of this, was that she was HIS Lina chan. He kissed her forehead lightly before sitting high up in a tree to keep a look out.
Author's Notes...
Well, how do you do? Hope you enjoyed this chapter... yes, finally, a small kis... cause I think they're so sweet! Besides, I can't see them starting a nice relationship with each other with a french kiss or playing tonsil hockey...^^ Or, with Xellos doing anything inapropriate, ie... a lemon... I can imagine Lina blasting Xellos silly if he tried anything indescent, though. ^^ Besides, I want to make this clear, starting from here.... I don't write lemons.... especially pre-marital ones...^^ So there, I have made a stand... you know what to expect, or in this case, what not to expect. There are enough Xel/Lina lemons out there to whet your appetite if you want something like that. Now that I've gotten off my soapbox...^^
Well, thanks for the reviews! I just realized I had stopped thanking you guys in my notes... sorry! Gomen ne! Thanks to all of you who do write! I really love reading reviews, (who wouldn't?) and they inspire me to write! Thank you, people! Thanks!!!!!
Well, next chapter won't be out till the end of May... why? Classes are almost over here... we end around the 25th of May or so... which means I have finals and AP exams and SATs to worry about.... That, and I just got a writer's block, again!!! I'll try to get the next one out by the end of May or beginning of June... yeah, I know... it's one month... if I don't feel like doing homework, I'll see if I can post something before then...^^ Don't hold you're breath, though...
Till then! H. Kimiko L.!
Quote...
"Don't stick metal forks in outlets, while the sparks are pretty, the pain is not." - Lin-san
By Hotaru
Disclaimer...
You know, I'm feeling lazy at the present moment. So, I'll make my disclaimer plain and simple. Slayers is not mine. I'm just borrowing their characters. But the story idea is. So there! ^^
Chapter 11
All I Want is One Small, Insignificant Thing...
Lina woke up, feeling like as if she had just woken up from the most comfortable and relaxing sleep she had ever had. Never before could she remember such a restful sleep, such a warm coziness in her blankets, her heart so at peace... So she did the most probable thing under the circumstances... she groaned.
"I don't want to wake up..." she muttered to herself. She had been so warm and comfortable... She rolled over and threw the covers on top of her head. Her eyes closed once more. Unfortunately for her... her rest was short. There was a loud and obnoxious rap on the door. "Go away," she muttered, hoping that they'd listen to her. There it was again. Someone was asking to be Fireballed... She stumbled out of bed and opened the door and glared through half-lidded eyes at the person who dared wake her up at such an hour.
Xellos just stared. He was quite unaccustomed to seeing this. Lina stood in front of him, more asleep than awake. She was wearing a red pajama combo... red chinese collared shirt and red pants, with little fireballs and dragons embroidered on it. Her hair was tussled and looked like a mess. And she was glaring at him, a fireball in hand... She could pass off as cute, had it not been for the threat to do anyone bodily harm type of aura around her...
"Oh, hi, Lina!" he said in a very chirpy voice. He also said it nervously as he eyed the ball of fire in her hand.
"Morning..." she growled. The fireball grew again. "You have fifteen seconds to explain what you're doing, waking me up at this time." Xellos winced... obviously it was a bad idea to wake her up like this. No wonder Zelgadis had told him to do it... tricky Zel, so like a Mazoku at times...
"Um...jeje..." said Xellos. He put a hand behind his head and looked sheepishly for a moment.
"Thirteen, twelve, eleven..." counted Lina.
"Um... jeje.. it's... um, time for breakfast!" he crossed his fingers. Hopefully, Lina would react favorably at that. Her counting stopped. She eyed him suspiciously and then carefully sniffed the air. Her eyes brightened, her whole face changed into a radiance Xellos couldn't describe. Gone where her half lidded eyes; In their stead where glowing rubies, or recently stoked coals. Whatever it was, her eyes glowed... they could light a room with light in the darkests of nights.
"FOOD!!!" she shouted. With a whoop, she turned and slamned the door into Xellos's face. Xellos stood stunned. Lina sure was scary in the early morn... He heard sounds of running and the rustle of cloth from within her room. Within moments, seconds really, she was out, dressed in a white shirt, black pants and a red vest. She grabbed his hand and dragged him behind her to the dining room to have her justly deserved breakfast. Xellos just grinned as he trailed behind her and got bumped around on the stairs.
Breakfast was a lively affair. Lina gobbled up everything in sight. Eggs, ham, sausages, bread, fruit... all went into the bottomless well we shall for now call Lina Inverse. Zelgadis stared at the diminishing pile of food. He had thought he had cooked enough breakfast, but Lina was on a roll like he had never ever seen before. He stood up.
"Um... I'll go to the kitchen and make some more..." he said hesitantly, not quite sure if Lina would here him.
"Sure!" said Lina in between bites. "And could you get some more of these sausage thingies? They're good!" She waved her fork at him and continued strong. Xellos just smiled as he sipped his.... yep, you guessed it, cup of tea. Zel just sweatdropped. He muttered to himself under his breath...
'How pathetic, reduced to cooking for Lina...' He walked to the kitchen to cook up another storm for Her Highness...
Xellos smiled... he was smiling a lot these past few days... not being a Mazoku anymore helped also! Now he could feast on any feeling when in Mazoku form! And Lina's happiness and satisfaction were exquisite.
"Ne, Lina... how are you?" he asked. No answer came. It seemed Lina had not heard him. That was understandable of course... Lina was busy... eating. He'd bide his time and wait. He had a whole week, now, all he had to do was be patient. How boring, be patient...
Zelgadis walked back in with a tray laden full with goodies. Lina's eyes brightened once more.
"Thanks Zel!" she said as she dug in eagerly. Zel smiled slightly and sat down also.
"So, Lina, when will we leave for Seyruun?" he asked, trying to sound nonchalant. He really wanted to speak to her privately. There were three million questions floating around in his head.
"Dunno..." she said as she ate some more. Then her head whipped up and she looked at him slyly... "Missing Amelia already?" Her eyes twinkled. Zel blushed. Lina giggled, Xellos laughed.
"Why so shy, Zel?" asked Xellos. Zelgaids looked up at the sound of his laughter.
"I never knew a Mazoku could laugh..." said Zelgadis. Lina smiled.
"He isn't a Mazoku exactly...." started Lina. She thought at Xellos...[right?]
[Of course not, Lina dear,] thought Xellos, as he continued to look mysterious. [After all, both of us are Chaos Knights...]
"Interesting," said Zelgadis as he looked at both of them. "So, Lina, I guess you're not exactly human anymore, right? Same as Xellos..." Lina nodded solemnly. She grinned as she remembered something... a conversation she had with a certain chimera who wanted to be human... she'd have to talk to Xellos about that.
"Hey, Zel..." she said. "Why don't you go up and prepare the bags and things to go to Seyruun. We can leave as soon as that is finished. I have a few notices for the mayor and Xellos and I will clean up the dishes." Zel nodded, and Lina was left alone with Xellos.
After Xellos was sure Zel was gone, he looked at Lina inquisitively.
"I assume you wanted to get Zel out... what for?"
"I just want to speak to you privately..." she said and smiled. She grabbed a few plates and took them to the kitchen. "Help me bring the bowls in. I'll wash, you rinse, 'k?" she asked. Xellos grinned. Lina had a small secret, and she wanted to talk to him... let's see... what could he do to make this a little more interesting?
The two stood silently beside each other, washing and drying the disheds. Lina had put her hair up into a ponytail, to stop it from getting into the water or bothering her. Xellos looked at her out of the corner of his eye... she looked so sporty and youthful like that...
"So, Lina, what did you want to talk about?" he asked while drying a dish.
"Well, as Knights of Chaos.... we have more power, right?" she asked.
"Of course, Lina!" said Xellos. Lina wanted to talk about business... oh well. There were other oppertunities.
"I have a favor to ask you..." she said. Xellos smiled... a bargaining chip! Maybe....
"And what would that be?" asked Xellos, as he smiled at Lina. Lina stopped and looked at him.
"I know, I know... if you do this, I'll owe you something, but not something big, 'k???" she asked. Xellos grinned.
"You know me too well," he said. "So, what can I do to help my Lina chan." Lina flushed at the 'my Lina chan' part of his sentence... was it that obvious she had fallen for him? But just in case, she would guard her emotions more... now, if she could keep her face from burning.
"Well, you know, Zel had been looking for his cure for a long time, right?" asked Lina. Xellos nodded and looked at her. She gulped... whenever he looked at her with open eyes, it just made her knees tremble. "Well, I've found a way to do it."
"Ah... how good!" he said. "So, what would you like me to do?"
"The thing is, ineedyourhelptocastthespell.couldyouhelpmeplease?"
"What was that, Lina chan?" asked Xellos. He could feel her embarrasement, and it was quite tasty, delicious...
"i wanted to ask your help in casting the spell..." she asked quietly. Gosh, she hated asking like this. If she had it her way, she'd pound him into the floor until he conceded... Hey! That was a good idea... if he wanted to tease her, he'd bite the floor... Xellos smiled. Now that he'd teased Lina enough, he'd concede... and she would owe him something.
"Of course, I'll help you, my Lina chan..." he said. Then he smiled. "But remember, you owe me something!" He grinned at her. Lina rolled her eyes. They quickly finished.
"But let's keep this a surprise for Zel! We can pretend we totally forgot... and do it when he least expects it." said Xellos, his eyes twinkling mischiviously.
"Sure," said Lina. She too grinned. Xellos transported both of them to the Astral Plane. Lina looked around them. "Where are we? Why are we here?"
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he said. Lina fumed. "Just kidding. We're here to learn the spell. You have your book, right?" Lina nodded and brought out the spell book. Xellos caused a sofa to appear and they sat side by side learning the spell. Xellos smiled. It was nice to be this close to her and not have her explode on him. Lina smiled also. It was nice to be beside the fruitcake and have him behave so gentlemanly. She stifled a yawn and leaned slightly against him as she mouthed the words to herself. Xellos froze but then smiled gently. He put his arm around her slowly and carefully. No reaction from Lina, except she leaned on him a little more. This was nice, nobody to bother them...
Talking about people to bother them...
Zel looked around the house. It was the third time he had searched for them. He heard the saying, 'Third time is the charm', but in this case, it wasn't working. Where in the world where Lina and Xellos? Wait, Lina and Xellos...
'Oh my goodness...' thought Zel. Them? What in the world was happening? 'No, it can't be! Lina and Xellos? That's a laugh! They're probably training or maybe the Lord of Nightmares called them. Yeah, that's probably it.' And with that, Zel went to his room to read a book and to wait for Lina and Xellos to come from their mission.
Lina and Xellos finally came back. They smiled and chatted quietly, as they thought about Zel. It would be best to turn him back the day before arriving at Seyruun, or better yet, turn him into a human with Amelia present!!! Lina smiled and went to do chores and write notes, leaving behind instructions in case there was another invasion or attack on behalf of the Tarzokus. Xellos went to his room and saw Zelgadis.
"What took you so long?" asked Zelgadis.
"Sorry!" said Xellos with a smile on his face and one hand behind his head. "Sore wa himitsu desu! Mission from L-sama!" It wasn't a lie, not technically. Zelgadis accepted it. Xellos grinned. This was so fun!
The next day, bright and early, they left Seerin. Once again, Lina and Zel and Xellos received a tearful farewell from the villagers.
"Are you leaving again?" asked Riza, tears starting to form in her eyes as she hung on to Lina's left leg.
"I'll come back when I can. And if I can't, I'll see when I can visit you." said Lina with a twinkle in her eye.
"But how?" asked Rhea, who was hanging on to Xellos's leg.
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" chimed Lina and Xellos together. They looked at each other with a surprised look on their faces and turned to look elsewhere. Zel grinned and looked at the little munchkin who was hanging on to his leg.
"So, Rowan," he said. "What are you going to do while we're gone?"
"I want to be just like you!" she said with a smile. "If I can become a chimera, then physical attacks won't work against me. And since I'll be made of rock, I'll have a special affinity with earth based spells! And, I'll have increased speed and strength! And I won't get scraped elbows or knees... and I won't get cut as easily! What do you think?" Lina and Xellos smiled. Rowan had basically pointed out the good things about being a chimera that he wouldn't admit helped him.
"You want to be like me?" asked Zelgadis, with wonder. She nodded.
"I like Shamanist magic! It's cool!" she said. "And I like the color bluish purple!!!" Zelgadis felt himself touched. Such a small girl, full of naivete and care...
"I wish you the best of luck in the path you choose, Rowan." he said warmly. "And if I never get a chance to tell you this again... you are very special, never loose your own self." He hugged her. Rowan diddn't understand, but hugged him back.
"What about us, Uncle Zel?" asked Riza and Rhea. "Aren't we special too?"
"Yes, you all are special!" he said and gave each of them a hug. Xellos and Lina grinned. And what was so scary, was that they grinned in the same way, not that anyone really noticed, except the two who did it.
[Ne, Lina. Copycat!] thought Xellos to Lina.
[You should feel flattered I'm imitating you.] thought Lina to Xellos.
[Remember, Lina chan, you owe me something! I'm collecting tonight!] thought Xellos. Lina glared at him.
[Yeah, I know.... but remember, something small.] thought Lina.
[It'll be small,] thought Xellos. [But it'll mean a lot to me.] He grinned. Lina started to wonder to herself what it was going to be.
They rode out on their horses towards Seyruun. At the rate they were riding, they would arrive at Seyruun in two days. They set up camp, and of course, Lina took the first watch, and Xellos took the second watch. Lina wanted to have undisturbed rest. Xellos didn't really sleep, so taking the second watch would be easy for him. Zelgadis always woke up early, so third watch was easy. He also liked undisturbed rest.
Lina rested against the rough bark of a tree at the camp. The fire was small and cast small shadows on everything. Lina smiled slightly and took out her journal and began to write in it. She had so much to catch up on, what with all the Knight business and fighting...what's his face? Migros? Meram? Something like that. She should have written it down some time ago... but she had forgotten to. Oh well... She all of sudden felt a tickling sensation travel up her spine. Lina looked up and slammed her book shut. She glared at Xellos.
[What do you want?] she asked. [It's not your turn yet.] She hoped he hadn't read anything. He grinned.
[Nothing much,] he said. He grinned. [I came to collect.]
[Oh, yeah,] she thought. [I forgot... so, what do you want?] Just get it over with....
[Stand up Lina, and close your eyes.] thought Xellos. Lina stared at him.
[Don't worry... it's nothing bad!]
[Well...ok...] She put her journal in her cape and then stood up slowly, not quite sure what to expect.
[Close your eyes, Lina!]
[OK, make it quick, though.] thought Lina as she closed her eyes.
Xellos smiled softly. It was so nice of Lina to go along with this. It was true, it was only one small thing he would have of her... just one small thing that would mean the world to him. And she was freely giving it to him. Of course, she didn't know what it was, but that was beside the point. What was important was that she wasn't blasting him into a treetrunk. He took a deep breath and laid his hands on her shoulders, resting them lightly, feeling them move as she breathed easily. She trust him so much, it was quite amazing. Amazing how everything had seemed to change since the swearing in. How everything had changed after the Lord of Nightmares had visited him and turned his life upside down. Not that that was bad, mind you... He slowly tilted her face upward, with his ungloved fingers. He could feel her shiver beneath his touch... He slowly brought his face down...
Lina thought... furiously... What was the fruitcake planning on doing now? Why didn't he just hurry and cut off this suspense?!?! And why in the world was she doing this?
'Because I promised', thought Lina to herself.
'Why did I promise?' she asked her conscience.
'Cause you know he won't hurt you.'
'OK,'
She jumped lightly and fought to control her breathing when he felt his hands on her shoulders. Finally! He was getting around to.... to doing what?
'Oh, you know what will happen.' said a voice in her.
'No I don't!' she thought to herself.
'Yes you do! And so, what are you gonna do when he does...?'
'I have no idea what you're talking about!' she shouted mentally at her conscience. She felt his fingers tilt her face upward, his fingers silky and gentle against her soft skin. She shivered... in anticipation for what? She knew her conscience was laughing her butt off... she wet her lips in anticipation to something that might happen, since she wasn't really sure of what was going to happen...
Xellos closed his eyes and steeled himself for giving the quickest kiss in history. Afterall, most people didn't have to worry about the other fireballing them,... He was so close. A foot turned into half. Four inches, three, two.... He heard a gasp, that did not come from Lina or him. He checked and snapped his fingers as he realized that Zel had woken up. He quickly vanished.
Lina's eyes snapped open and she notice two things. Xellos had vanished, and Zel had woken up and was staring at her quizically.
"Ne, Lina... what were you and Xellos doing?" he asked, half asleep. Lina quickly made up a little white lie, that was halfway true...
"Xellos? What about him? I don't see him around!" she said hurriedly. Zel looked at her suspiciously.
"You sure? I could have sworn you and Xellos were right there, looking like as if you were going to kiss..." said Zel. Lina turned bright red.
"Where did you get that?" she asked, hoping that Zel wouldn't follow up by asking why her face was all red. "I was just standing here, seeing if there were any clouds up there!" Zelgadis seemed to accept it and immediatly rolled over to sleep. Lina let out a sigh of relief. One small crisis had been adverted. She looked around and decided that Xellos was probably gone for good, for now... So she jumped up a tree and set up watch from there. It was a good look out. High, where most people didn't care to look. It had an unobsturcted view of the whole camp. She sighed and leaned agaisnt the bark. She was sort of dissapointed. She had been excited about what was happening. Had it not been for Zel, ....what would have happened? She gave an audible melancholic sound as she leaned against the tree, only to realize she was leaning against Xellos who had just then reappeared.
[Ne, Lina chan, sorry for that. Ready?] Lina jumped slightly and blushed. Xellos felt the heat waves radiating from her cheeks. He imagined how they looked...
[I guess so, ] she thought back to him. He offered her his hand and she took it. Xellos quietly pulled her up after him and bid her to close her eyes again. She gulped and shut her eyes, her cheeks bright red, and her heart beating fast from the tension. Once more, his hands rested on her shoulders. He carefully lifted her face up, just as softly and gently as the first, like the first time. With out further ado, her brought his face down and finally did kiss her, a small one, on her lips.
It was like the rustle of silk, the swish of an angels's wings, the flutter of a butterfly, the dance of a fairy, the falling of snow and dewdrops... gentle in all its ways, and soft, and sweet. And over too quickly, Lina felt.
Lina looked up when he broke the kiss, but Xellos had vanished again. What else was there to expect? She sat down and smiled goofily as she stared off into the middle of nowhere. She jumped down and grabbed her journal from her cape as she made herself comfortable leaning against the tree trunk. Her fingers flew, her pen's strokes marking the paper soflty. She was happy, content to boot! And when her shift was over, she gave a silent call to Xellos and fell asleep before Xellos appeared, once more clutching her journal, as if it were a treasure trove. Besides, she had no idea what to say or how to react... she'd ask him later, when she got herself calmed down a bit.
Xellos felt her call. He appeared and watched her smiling form in her sleeping bag. She had curled up and was holding her journal to her. So sweet, so innocent looking... He wondered what she thought... he had immediatly vanished, since he didn't really want to force her to do something she wasn't ready to do... talk about the kiss... So, he did the next best thing to find out what she thought. He levitated the journal softly out of her grasp and opened it to the right day. He smiled. Lina had drawn a smiles and flowers all over the place. And he put it back... Lina chan was so sweet. It was nice. He brushed her hair and reveled in its softness... Yep, Lina chan was so sweet... And what was sweeter about all of this, was that she was HIS Lina chan. He kissed her forehead lightly before sitting high up in a tree to keep a look out.
Author's Notes...
Well, how do you do? Hope you enjoyed this chapter... yes, finally, a small kis... cause I think they're so sweet! Besides, I can't see them starting a nice relationship with each other with a french kiss or playing tonsil hockey...^^ Or, with Xellos doing anything inapropriate, ie... a lemon... I can imagine Lina blasting Xellos silly if he tried anything indescent, though. ^^ Besides, I want to make this clear, starting from here.... I don't write lemons.... especially pre-marital ones...^^ So there, I have made a stand... you know what to expect, or in this case, what not to expect. There are enough Xel/Lina lemons out there to whet your appetite if you want something like that. Now that I've gotten off my soapbox...^^
Well, thanks for the reviews! I just realized I had stopped thanking you guys in my notes... sorry! Gomen ne! Thanks to all of you who do write! I really love reading reviews, (who wouldn't?) and they inspire me to write! Thank you, people! Thanks!!!!!
Well, next chapter won't be out till the end of May... why? Classes are almost over here... we end around the 25th of May or so... which means I have finals and AP exams and SATs to worry about.... That, and I just got a writer's block, again!!! I'll try to get the next one out by the end of May or beginning of June... yeah, I know... it's one month... if I don't feel like doing homework, I'll see if I can post something before then...^^ Don't hold you're breath, though...
Till then! H. Kimiko L.!
Quote...
"Don't stick metal forks in outlets, while the sparks are pretty, the pain is not." - Lin-san