Slayers: To the End...
By the Sneaky Chibi Otaku Geek
Disclaimer... Hi!!!!!!!!!! Um... oh yeah.. I was supposed to write something important here.... what was it??? Oh yeah... no wonder I forgot, it's too depressing. Oh, you wanted to know it? OK, if you insist... here goes! Slayers aint mine.
Chapter 19 Deceptive Dreams?
Lina woke up. She found herself doing that quite often these past few days. Today, she was glad to wake up. For more reasons than were known... She yawned and stretched and did all sorts of things normal people did in the mornings. You know, yawn, rub your eyes, put your pillow on your head, stare at the stupid Mazoku who was sitting beside the bed making faces at you, try to burrow under the covers...
"Xellos!" she screamed as her semi asleep mind registered his presence. "What are you doing here!?" She grabbed her pillow and threw it at him in self defense. Then, she promptly sent a fireball in his direction and threw the covers on him and then stomped on him, the whole time shouting, "Stupid fruitcake, stupid fruitcake!" She was in her own home, by the way. She had perfected the usage of the teleporting thing and loved to teleport back to her own home and sleep in her own bed. She had noted, to her satisfaction, that many of the mages had left Seerin to help Amelia defend cities. That was good. Anyway...
"Good morning, Lina chan!" said a muffled voice from beneath the covers. Lina sighed, shook her head and decided to fully wake up. So, she stepped forcefully on him as she went to the bathroom to freshen up.
"Morning," she said.
Xellos tunneled out of the covers and laughed. Lina was funny. She overreacted to everything. And she gave off such a delicious gamut of emotions, even if she didn't show all of them. One of them, was making him very perplexed. He'd have to figure it out later. He sat in front of her dresser and fixed his mussed up hair.
Lina finally made it out of the bathroom, wearing her researching clothes. The white sleeveless coat, the red pants, and the yellow shirt one. And her hair was flowing loose behind her.
"Morning, Xellos. You're hair is a mess." she said as she levitated her covers and arranged it neatly on her bed. It was good concentration practice, not to mention, an excuse to not have to actually make her bed.
"No thanks to a certain someone." said Xellos as he ran his fingers through his hair.
"Here, let me." said Lina. She stood behind him and opened a drawer and took out a comb. With that, she took his hair in her 10 hands and softly started to comb it, untangling a few hairs here and there, but mostly because she liked to brush hair and she wanted to see how his hair was. Xellos, for his part was having a blast. Well, think about it. A Mazoku usually didn't have to comb their hair, and well, no one before had ever offered to comb his hair for him. It was relaxing, and very comfortable and pleasing. He could tell she liked to play around with his hair. Maybe one day, he'd brush her hair and return the favor. After fifteen minutes though...
"Ne, Lina chan..." said Xellos hesitantly.
"Hmm?" asked Lina as she stared in the middle of nowhere, the comb softly and smoothly going through his thick purple hair.
"I think you killed all the tangles by now." he said, teasingly. Startled, she look down and noticed that his hair was indeed, tangle less. She blushed and put the comb down.
"Sorry, I didn't realize," she said softly.
"Ne, Lina chan that's OK. Are you all right?" asked Xellos as he drew her down to make her sit on his lap. They had come back the day before, and Lina had gone to sleep. She had seemed fine and happy then. Now, she seemed sort of distant.
"I'm fine." she said. "Just tired. A little..." She laughed sheepishly and blushed.
"Are you sure?" asked Xellos.
"Yes, I'm sure." said Lina. Then she smiled at him. "Why? You worried?"
"Nope." said Xellos. He hugged her tighter to him. She laughed and hugged him back, leaning her head against his recently brushed, soft hair. His fingers played with her hands, more specifically, toyed with her engagement ring. Lina smiled and kissed him softly on the lips. His hands tightened on hers as he kissed her back.
*****
Xellos and Lina phased into the palace at Seyruun.
"Hi!" said Lina as she appeared.
"Hello!" said Xellos as he appeared beside Lina. Sylphiel and Filia, who were training a few smaller magic users reacted. Sylphiel smiled and nodded at them, acting as if it were normal for people to appear and disappear the whole time. Filia screamed, her skirts swished and a huge iron mace appeared out of nowhere to connect with Xellos's face. Except that her timing was off, or maybe she wasn't used to two people phasing in at the same time, or maybe she was out of practice. Whatever the reason, the mace didn't hit Xellos. It hit Lina.
"Ow, ow, ow..." said Lina as she held her head and swayed back and forth. Xellos steadied her a bit. "Filia.... what did I do this time?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Ms. Lina." said Filia, truly shaken, although her darker side snapped her fingers and vowed to have better aim next time. "Sylphiel! Come help Lina."
"Good morning, you two!" said Sylphiel as she threw a healing spell at Lina.
"Ne, Filia chan, you shouldn't go around hitting whoever appears out of nowhere, you know. Accidents can happen. Poor Lina chan, she's all banged up because of you!" said Xellos, as if berating a naughty little four year old. Filia got very red.
"Xellos!!! It's all you fault!" she said. "If you hadn't taught Ms. Lina how to teleport in, she wouldn't have been the one to be hit by my mace!" With that, she yanked out her mace and promptly began to chase him. Xellos laughed at her and stayed just out of reach.
"Oh dear," said Sylphiel. "I guess we'll have to cancel class for today. OK, everyone! You guys can go home now!" The students shrugged and ran out, not really wanting to get in the way of a mad Filia sensei.
"So, how's everything so far?" asked Lina as she stood beside Sylphiel, both of them watching the other two's antics.
"So far so good, Ms. Lina." said Sylphiel. "Amelia gave a speech yesterday! It was a very nice speech, on justice and love and duty."
"Yes, I can see that." said Lina.
"And now, everyone is having a week long fast in remembrance of our fallen comrades." said Sylphiel.
"How come?" asked Lina.
"To save food in case their is a shortage."
"But what if the enemy attacks during the fast? Won't everyone be feeling weak?" asked Lina.
"Oh, Mr. Zelgadis has planned everything out! He has half the soldiers fasting, as well as half the population. Then, they will switch. That way, there is always someone on guard duty." explained Sylphiel. Lina nodded, all though she wasn't really there. Talking about food had brought back memories of last night...
FLASHBACK
Lina smiled at all the delicious food in front of her. Her watching eyes caught something brown off to the table. It was going to be hard to get it, but she would. She saw many tall plates beside it, and people were in her way. So, she ducked and rolled and crawled over to where the huge chocolate cake was. It looked delicious. With each step, she got a little closer to this delicacy. She could see it had chocolate icing, and strawberries, her favorite fruit! And so, she kept on. Just as she was about to reach it, her cake vanished, and she found herself standing in a vast emptiness.
"What happened?" she asked. "Where's my cake!" But there was no answer. Only silence answered her questions. There wasn't even an echo. Mad, she reached for her Chaos sword, only to find it broken and chipped. Astonished, she looked at her sword. Suddenly she whirled around as she felt a presence near her. Everybody else faded away.
"Xellos! Gosh, you just scared me half to death!" said Lina, relief in her voice as she ran to him. But he didn't answer. He was just standing there, not doing much. Lina ran up to him and gasped. His eyes were wide open, his mouth opened in surprise. And he was made out of stone. At his feet, his Staff laid, broken in pieces, the ruby and amethyst shattered.
"Xellos!" she cried. And she woke up. She sat straight up, her eyes wide open, her mouth gasping for breath.
'It's just a dream, it's just a dream, it's just a dream...' she thought to herself. 'Calm down, calm down...'
END FLASHBACK
"Lina? Lina? Lina chan, hello are you there?"
Lina didn't respond, her eyes staring at some unknown point far, far away.
"Ms. Lina? Are you all right?"
That had been an awful dream. She thought that she had lost him.
"Lina!" She was being shaken. "I didn't hit her that hard, did I? I'm sorry Lina, I didn't mean to hit you."
She had trouble falling asleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face, surprised, set in stone. She had lost him, right there.
Someone was holding her, trying to get her to wake up. She could feel something small fall down her cheeks.
Her heart felt like the crystals on the floor, shattered, broken, beyond repair, missing, lost, lonely,... so many things at the same time.
Someone brushed it away. Good, it was starting to tickle her. A soft voice was speaking to her, but she couldn't hear what it was saying.
She was staring at the statue again. It looked so like him. It looked so realistic. She was afraid of what it meant. And his staff, broken, burnt, ragged, chipped, splintered... so many words, yet none came close to describing it.
"Lina chan? Please, wake up? What's wrong?" A soft voice...
The statue turned its head. She jumped back in surprise. It's eyes closed, as well as his mouth. He looked at her, still made from stone. "Xellos?"
"Shush, Lina, I'm here..." That soft voice, trying to call her back. But not know, she had to find out what this all meant.
"..." said the statue. Its mouth moved, but no words escaped. She wanted to ask it so many things. Why? What happened? Who?... but she herself couldn't say anything. His eyes finally opened, and jewel amethyst stared at her, the statue once more becoming immobile. Once more, silent.
Someone was holding her. That was so nice of whoever it was. But she didn't want to come back yet. She had so many questions, so many things to know. She had to find out... what did the statue mean? The staff? Her sword? But her time was up. So, she came back to herself.
She blinked her eyes. Her ruby gaze was no longer empty. She looked straight into Xellos's eyes. Real eyes, not cold, hard jewels. With a sigh of relief, she hugged him warmly. When they broke off the hug, he took hold of her hands.
"I'm glad," she said softly. Xellos did not understand what had just happened. He looked into her eyes. They seemed normal now, her gaze on him, not off somewhere else.
"Are you OK?" asked Xellos. He didn't let go of her.
"Yeah, of course I'm fine. I am Lina Inverse, after all." she said cheekily. She kissed him softly on the lips. He answered her the same way, deepening the kiss. Soon, they broke apart and then Lina turned back to the others, even though they were still holding hands.
"Sorry about that." she said. To Xellos, she smiled... [Later...] "I was lost in thought for a bit."
"..." said Filia.
[OK] thought Xellos. [Later. Remember, you owe me an explanation.]
[No problem] Lina smiled.
"....Lina...." said Filia. "I am afraid my eyes are lying to me. Did you just... um, uh... "
"Did we what?" asked Xellos with a smile on his face. "Initiate lip lock, play tonsil hockey, exchange saliva...." Lina elbowed him in the ribs. "Ouch, Lina chan! That hurt!"
"Stupid fruitcake, stop teasing Filia." said Lina. "Yes, we just kissed. As to why, let's just say,... Sore wa himitsu desu." She grinned. Filia sighed. One fruitcake was enough. Having Lina adopt Xellos like attitudes was.... unnerving to say the least.
"Oh, Ms. Lina! Are you going out with Mr. Xellos?" asked Sylphiel.
"Um, I guess you could call it that..." said Lina. She laughed nervously and then smiled brightly at Xellos. He tightened his hold on her left hand, feeling the ring in her hand. [Right Xellos?]
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he said. [I guess you could call it that. Speaking of which, how about going out with me tonight after supper? We haven't had too many opportunities to date...]
[Sounds great! I accept.] thought Lina. Her cheeks reddened slightly. Out loud... "Where are Amelia and Zelgadis?"
"Amelia is in her office. Zelgadis is out with some people from Seerin." said Sylphiel. She was puzzled. Why so many secrets?
"Oh, so,... Captain Stonewall strikes again, huh?" asked Lina. Sylphiel looked confused. Filia already did.
They decided to visit Amelia first. Where Amelia was, Gourry would be there also.
"Hello Amelia, Gourry!" said Lina as she phased into the room.
"Good morning!" said Xellos.
"Ms. Lina!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted Amelia. All of a sudden, a ball of white and pink flew from the desk and latched on to Lina. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you sooooooooooooooooooooo much!!!"
"Um... you're welcome... what did I do?" asked Lina, with a puzzled look. She looked at Amelia, not quite sure what to do. Shake her off? Hug her back? Stand like a statue? Use a crowbar to pry her off?
"Hi Lina! Hi Xellos!" said Gourry cheerfully from his place on the window sill.
"Hello Gourry!" said Xellos.
"You sent us so much help! When Seyruun and the world at large was in danger and needed help, even though you were in a different dimension, you sent aid. It was because of you, Ms. Lina, that we have been able to make it thus far into this war between races. Oh Ms. Lina, no matter how much you deny it, you are a true warrior of justice. In you, we all fin hope and truth, love and joy, Ms. Lina. Everything you do points to the star of justice, the one that will lead and guide us forever more, until the end of times. So be it." said Amelia. By the end of her speech, she was on top of her desk, posing triumphantly, one foot on a stack of letters.
Xellos excused himself and went out to throw up. Even though he wasn't a real Mazoku, he still took on a form of one and he still had a few mannerisms of one. Besides, old habits die hard, and well, Lina looked a bit queasy also.
"Um.. Amelia... you're standing on your letters." said Lina hesitantly. Amelia looked down, surprised.
"Aaaaah!" she screamed as the tower of letters fell down. Her one foot, finding no support, fell down, dragging the rest of the body along for the ride. Lina sweat dropped. Xellos appeared once more. Gourry poked Amelia.
"Ne, Amelia, are you OK?" he asked.
And the door burst open. Lina and Xellos turned around, their sword and staff in ready position in their hands. Gourry also spun around, bringing out his sword.
"Why, if it isn't my rival, Lina Inverse." And Lina Inverse, Dramatta, Bandit Killer, Chaos Knight, and all around Sorceress Extraordinaire, looked up into dark cerulean eyes, and knew real fear. OK, it's a bit exaggerated, but it makes a nice effect, doesn't it?
"Naga!" exclaimed Lina.
"OHOHOHOHOHO!" laughed Naga. "How do you do, Lina?"
But it wasn't at the fact that she saw Naga that she fainted. Nor the fact that Naga's laugh was just as loud and annoying and ear splitting as before. No, it was because Naga, the famed White Serpent, the one who dressed like it was summer the whole time, was dressed differently, to say the least.
From head to toes, here we go! A silver tiara with a sapphire design graced her long, thick, glossy black hair. And her hair was put in a long French braid, threaded with silver strings. On her ears, she wore a pair of silver earrings with blue stones in the shape of skulls. (Although, from a distance, they looked like normal spheres.) She wore a long regal looking gown in dark blues and white. The dress reached from top to bottom, not to her knees or mid thigh. And she had a small porcelain teacup in her hand. The only indecent part was that the front of the dress was a bit low, showing off a bit of skin and cleavage, and that was about it. Yeah, that's why she fainted. Don't laugh! You would have done so also!
*****
Madabar frowned at the floor. Why at the floor? Cause she was kneeling before Zelas Metalium, Beastmaster and Mistress of Torture and all that junk. And she was mad at her. (Take that both ways...) Madabar was mad at Zelas because Zelas was a general pain and an annoying boss to serve who could kill you if she felt like it. Zelas was mad at Madabar because she had failed in destroying the scroll before Lina and Xellos got it.
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" asked Zelas. She took a deep draught of Sephyrian wine from her wine glass. It was pretty good.
"I am sorry, Beastmaster." said Madabar. "I was counting on Lina not being able to cast magic. And I was counting on Xellos having to deal with the spies and the girl." Zelas sighed.
"Madabar, how many times must I tell you? Expect everything. This is one of the reasons that Xellos always bested you. He foresaw almost everything. Oh, and he did things himself, instead of leaving it to subordinates." Madabar seethed. It was always Xellos this, Xellos that. Xellos, Xellos, Xellos, that stupid, egotistical, bratty, stuck up, snotty nosed,... but truly handsome Xellos. But hopefully, Zelas wouldn't realize.
"I am sorry. I will do better next time." said Madabar.
"Next time, next time, next time...." Zelas sighed. "That's what you all say. I'll do better next time! That is no excuse. Always count on the fact that you might not have a next time." Silence. "Well, how is that useless brother of mine doing?"
"He was supposed to make sure Misty kept Xellos busy." said Madabar. Zelas sighed.
"A tip for you. Never, NEVER, give that useless brother of mine something important to do. He'll probably goof it up. Just like he goofed up when you guys kidnapped my Priest and General. Just like he did when he tried to attack Seerin. Have him do administrative work or something. Actually.... have him come to me. I have a new idea." She turned around. "Oh, and Madabar?"
"Yes, Beastmaster?" asked Madabar, making a face at the floor.
"Wipe that sneer off your face and stop sticking your tongue at the floor. It's not fit of such a high ranked Mazoku as you. Unless, of course, you want me to rip it out of your mouth." Madabar immediately put her tongue back in. When Zelas left, Madabar stood up and dusted off her clothes. Who did she think she was? Just a normal lowly Mazoku!?!? No!!!! She was Madabar! One of the strongest Mazokus around. And she would make sure Zelas understood what she was saying! Oh, and now, to send that idiot of her brother back to her. It was a relief, truth be told. He was a pain in the you-know-where. With that, she phased out.
Zelas frowned intelligently. Her 'mother' may have won the battle, but she would win the war. Now, to put the next part in place...
*****
Lina was dreaming again. She was starting to get annoyed at these dreams. All they gave her were three million headaches and a bunch of unanswered questions. Well, here she was. Might as well make the best of it.
She was in the middle of a brown battlefield. Well, she was also on top of a high cliff. With a start, she realized that she wasn't in the field, but actually watching her dream. How..... weird. With a start, she realized that there was someone else beside her. The person was wearing a cloak three sizes too big, causing it to hang of the said person. She couldn't tell whether it was a guy or a girl. Before she could comment on it, her dream started. She watched herself fight and decide to take notes. There she was, all alone in the field, facing that awful shadow with turquoise eyes. She had seen this dream so many times, she almost yawned. Her friends always appeared in a bit, one off to the left, one to the right, and the rest behind her. She looked at the field and frowned. There was something wrong.
"Wait a minute! Halt!" she shouted, but the dream kept on. No one had appeared yet. That hit was meant for the person to the right, but it hit her instead. The dream Lina winced and got up, ready to fight. "That's not how it goes! Someone is supposed to be there!"
There was no answer. Dream Lina had fallen down, and this was where her helping shadow was supposed to come. But no shadow was there. Only a bush. Nothing. No Xellos appeared. Dream Lina screamed in pain as the blast hit her. The real Lina tried to fly down there and help out, kick those blue eyes out of her dreams. But she ran into an invisible wall.
"Get this thing out of here!" she shouted, once again, at nobody.
She turned and faced the figure in the black cloak. She grabbed its shoulder and turned it to face her. Behind her, Dream Lina had gotten up, trying to fight. She put her hands together and started the chant for the Giga Slave.
"What is going on here?" asked Lina as she turned the figure. A grinning skeleton faced her, dressed in the robes. The bones fell and turned to dust. Of the figure, there was left a bunch of old tattered cloth, with a note on it.
"'Even dreams can be broken.'" read Lina Inverse. "'Good night, Sleep Tight, Don't let the bedbugs bite!'" Lina turned around at the shout of "GIGA SLAVE!" And her whole world turned to water and she felt as if she would drown.
*****
Lina woke up from her dream. She really woke up. As in sit straight up in bed, eyes wide opened, catching her breath. That type of waking up. As if someone had thrown a cold bucket of water at her. Wait a minute... She eyed her dripping clothes.... Her eyes narrowed as she looked around her and caught the innocently smiling ex-Mazoku beside her bed, hands conveniently behind him.
"Oh. Good morning Lina chan!" said the Mazoku happily. He smiled at her.
"Good morning, Xellos kun." said Lina, sweet sarcasm very evident in her words. "May I ask why I'm dripping wet?" She pointed to a piece of ice on her covers.
"Oh, you are! I hadn't noticed that! Now, how could this have happened?" asked Xellos thoughtfully.
"Yes, HOW?" asked Lina dangerously. She lifted her hand and pointed at Xellos. An empty, wet pail surfaced from behind him and floated in between them. "Oh, Look what I found!?"
"Oh... it looks like an empty, wet pail, Lina chan. I wonder. How did it get here?" asked Xellos, trying to look clue less. His huge smile was giving him away though...
*****
"FIREBALL!"
Amelia and Naga looked up.
"I guess Ms. Lina is feeling better." said Amelia. They were in her room. Naga was watching Amelia pack.
"Yes, I guess so." said Naga. She took a deep sip from her teacup. She frowned at it and shook it upside down. "There's no more. Amelia, you have to get bigger teacups." Amelia sighed and passed her a bottle. Naga smiled. "Thank you, Amelia!" She took the bottle and emptied it into her teacup. "Hic!"
*****
"Ne, Lina chan... will you tell me now what happened?" asked Xellos. He had made it back into her room. Lina had changed and was combing her wet locks while sitting on her bed. Xellos sat behind her and took the brush from her hands. At her look, he just smiled. "Time to repay a favor, Lina chan." He began to brush back her hair, taking all the tangles out softly. Lina sighed contentedly and leaned back slightly.
"What do you want to know?" asked Lina, her eyes closed. His fingers were very gentle with her hair. Was this how her fingers felt to him when she was combing his hair?
"Why did you zone out on us?" he asked. Now that all the tangles were worked out, he concentrated on brushing it back so that it looked neat.
"I was thinking about a dream." said Lina. "You know, Xellos. This feels great. I'm going to force you to brush my hair everyday."
"Maybe." said Xellos. He ran his fingers through her hair. "What was the dream about?"
"You." said Lina. The brushing stopped. "Well, not really you..." The brushing continued once more.
"What about me?" asked Xellos. He moved one of her hair things from the dresser to where he was so that he could do something with her hair.
So Lina told him. She said it pretty calmly also, thinking about what she had dreamt and the possible meaning. Then she told him about the dream that she just had, explaining her other dreams from loooooong time ago, not knowing that Xellos knew about them because he had read her diary. When she finished, Xellos had finished playing with her hair and had it braided.
"Thanks Xellos." said Lina as she turned around. "And Xellos...?"
"Hm?" asked Xellos. He put the brush down. Lina looked into his eyes.
"Promise me you'll be careful." she said softly. "I don't want anything to happen to you." She blushed slightly. Xellos smiled at her, his eyes opened, his features seeming to soften slightly.
"Of course I will, my Lina chan." he whispered softly. He hugged her to him and smiled when she hugged him back. Lina happened to look into the mirror behind Xellos. Her eyes widened. Then they narrowed. Xellos felt a fluctuation in Lina's... um... feelings.
"Xellos..." she said sweetly, still hugging him.
"Yes, dearest Lina chan?" hoping that he'd defuse the time bomb Lina had become.
"What did you do to my HAIR??????!!!!!!!" asked Lina in a very dangerous tone of voice.
"Um... jaja... I think it looks nice." said Xellos sheepishly. "Besides, I never said I was good with hair styles, you know."
"No kidding..." growled Lina. "FLARE ARROW!"
Xellos vanished. Lina sighed and smiled to herself. Then she laughed a little. Xellos... that fruitcake... he'd never change. She then turned to the hard task of undoing the tight braids that Xellos stuck into her hair that were pointing at odd angles.
*****
Amelia and Naga looked up as a knock was heard.
"Who is it?" asked Naga trying to sound haughty. She succeeded.
"Lina." said the person behind the door.
"Come in, Ms. Lina!" shouted Amelia. Lina came in and smiled. Then she eyed Naga, and her eyes widened again at the sight. "Ms. Lina! Please don't faint again!" Lina took deep calming breaths.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine..." said Lina. Then she peered at Naga. "Naga? Is that really you?"
"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!" laughed Naga as she politely laughed behind her mouth.
"It IS you." said Lina. No one else could have such a laugh. "What are you doing all dressed up and looking so modest?"
"Ohohoho!" laughed Naga. "Don't you know that I, Naga the White Serpent, can adapt into any situation forced onto me!?"
"Forced on you?" asked Lina. Then she looked at Amelia and then at Naga. Then she looked at Amelia and then at Naga. Same blue eyes. Same black hair. Same well endowed body. *grumble, grumble*
"You two are sisters!!!" said Lina.
"Yeah, you didn't know that, Ms. Lina?" asked Amelia. "She is my long lost sister! Thank you for inviting her to your swearing in as Chaos Knight, Ms. Lina. It was then that I saw her!"
"Oh." said Lina.
"She's Gracia for now though, Ms. Lina." continued Amelia.
"What's it with the clothes?" asked Lina.
"As a princess of Seyruun, I must dress accordingly. Princesses are demure maidens, worthy of the population's loyalty and blind adoration that I deserve." said Naga seriously, almost not seeming like another person.
"What did you do to bribe her to wear that much one?" asked Lina to Amelia. Naga glared at her.
"Well...." started Amelia.
FLASHBACK
Naga woke up with a splitting headache.
"Owowowowow." she mumbled to herself. "I have a splitting headache." ^^
"Awake, sister?" asked a voice. Naga sat up from her bed, rubbed her eyes and blinked owlishly at whoever was there. She smiled at her sister.
"How do you do, Amelia dear?" asked Naga.
"I am fine, Gracia. It's good to see you again." said Amelia with a smile. She was a girl with a mission, and nothing would deter her from it. Naga frowned slightly.
"My name is Naga, not Gracia." she said sternly. "She died with mother."
"I'm sorry, Naga." said Amelia. She sat down beside her. "But we need Gracia back, Naga."
"Why?" asked Naga. Amelia gave her a rough run down. There was a war. Amelia needed to travel to gain support. The people needed a figure head. Enter Naga. Inspire hope in people. All that good stuff.
"So that's the reason." said Amelia. "Please help us?"
"No." said Naga. She stood up. "Now, I shall be leaving." Amelia's eyes widened.
"OK." said Amelia. She looked sad. "I'll tell them your decision."
Naga looked after Amelia left. Too bad for them. She didn't want to play politics. Besides, as Princess, she probably wouldn't be allowed to drink...
*****
"Mr. Zelgadis!" wailed Amelia.
"Huh?" asked Zelgadis as he turned around. He was in his room, cleaning his sword.
"Oh, it's awful!" said Amelia. "She doesn't want to become Princess. What shall we do, Mr. Zelgadis?" She struck a pose. Zel sweat dropped.
"So, she said she didn't want to?" asked Zel.
"No." sniffled Amelia. "What are we to do?"
"I have an idea." said Zel. "I was expecting this to happen."
*****
Naga looked crossly at the people across the bars. Her sister was hiding behind the man, looking at her tearfully.
"Get me out of here!" she said. She really didn't want to be behind bars at the present moment.
"No." said Zelgadis.
"Mr. Zelgadis, are you sure?" asked Amelia.
"Trust me." said Zel.
"Amelia! Tell that upstart that I can get out!" said Naga angrily.
"Who are you to order her?" asked Zelgadis, his voice cool and controlled. "You aren't a Princess or anything, are you?" Naga was about to say she was, but then understood their plan.
"Oh no, you aren't going to catch me like that," said Naga slyly. "I'm not going to be your little Princess, Amelia and Zelgadis."
Amelia looked sadder.
"That is up to you." said Zel. "Come Amelia." Amelia looked torn between staying and leaving. Finally she nodded and left with Zelgadis. Naga smiled easily. So they thought they could just keep her in like this? Oh well, she was sure Amelia wouldn't let her sister starve. Food was on the way, and best of all, she didn't have to pay for it!
*****
"Mr. Zelgadis are you sure this will work?" asked Amelia. It was supper and they were having supper together. Not as a date, mind you. Filia and Sylphiel were also there, along with Gourry.
"It should begin about.... now." said Zel. A guard rushed in and bowed to Amelia.
"Princess Amelia," he said. He took a deep breath. "The prisoner, Naga, is making a fuss downstairs."
"Come, Amelia." said Zelgadis. "We must see what is causing her to act like this." He took his goblet and motioned for Amelia to take hers. Amelia nodded and thanked the guard. He left. They left.
INTERRUPTION/ END OF FLASHBACK
"I get it!" said Lina. "You guys bribed Naga to stay by offering her unlimited access to your wine cellars. Right? Because as a prisoner, she doesn't get alcoholic beverages, right?"
"Ne Lina, you don't have to rub it in." said Naga crossly. "Besides, Amelia says I make a pretty good figure head." She crossed her arms and looked annoyed while attempting to look regal while sitting down.
"Wow, Ms. Lina, how did you know? You're so smart!!!" squealed Amelia.
"Of course! I am, after all, the great Lina Inverse!" said Lina. "Well, I deduced it because you said Zel told you to take your goblet with you. You put wine in goblets.... and the number one hint.... Zel NEVER drinks anything but coffee! And he drinks it in a mug, not a goblet."
"Well, no matter." said Naga.
"So, how's life as a Princess?" asked Lina.
"Very entertaining." said Naga. "I decided to help out if they would let me drink while in public. So, they gave me this silly, tiny, minute, petite teacup!" She waved the teacup around to make her point. Fortunately, Naga had slurped the drink up before waving it around.
"I have to carry around a silly bottle of wine hidden in my cape so that I can refill my teacup!" said Naga crossly. "But it's not that bad."
"Gracia, you do a wonderful job!" said Amelia enthusiastically. "We concocted a story that Naga came when she heard that Seyruun was in danger, and that she was here to defend her kingdom. Oh, it was awe-inspiring."
Lina imagined Naga on top of a balcony, with many people below her, shouting about love and justice and all that stuff. And then ending with her ear splitting laugh. She shuddered. Oh well, it was nice to see everybody doing so well here. She looked at them, and then thought critically. She smiled to herself and then talked with them about trivial things. Now was the time to enjoy life and have fun and goof around. The time to act solemn and serious would come soon enough.
Author's Notes Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How are ya? Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had a blast writing this one! Anyway, thank you everyone for your really encouraging reviews! You guys are great! Thank you so much! Anyone guess the meaning of my prophecy yet? Hint, it's a slight parody....^^ More will be revealed in the next chapter, which should be out by next week (or sooner) cause I have more than half written out already! ^^ So yeah, I hope you'll enjoy the story! Read and Review, please! Comments and Criticisms are extremely welcome, so if you think something was stupid, send away,... although I hope you didn't...^^ Take care everyone! Until next time!
Hotaru
Every day I beat my own previous record for number of consecutive days I've stayed alive. -anon.
The hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you have built castles in the air, Your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them. -Henry David Thoreau
Disclaimer... Hi!!!!!!!!!! Um... oh yeah.. I was supposed to write something important here.... what was it??? Oh yeah... no wonder I forgot, it's too depressing. Oh, you wanted to know it? OK, if you insist... here goes! Slayers aint mine.
Chapter 19 Deceptive Dreams?
Lina woke up. She found herself doing that quite often these past few days. Today, she was glad to wake up. For more reasons than were known... She yawned and stretched and did all sorts of things normal people did in the mornings. You know, yawn, rub your eyes, put your pillow on your head, stare at the stupid Mazoku who was sitting beside the bed making faces at you, try to burrow under the covers...
"Xellos!" she screamed as her semi asleep mind registered his presence. "What are you doing here!?" She grabbed her pillow and threw it at him in self defense. Then, she promptly sent a fireball in his direction and threw the covers on him and then stomped on him, the whole time shouting, "Stupid fruitcake, stupid fruitcake!" She was in her own home, by the way. She had perfected the usage of the teleporting thing and loved to teleport back to her own home and sleep in her own bed. She had noted, to her satisfaction, that many of the mages had left Seerin to help Amelia defend cities. That was good. Anyway...
"Good morning, Lina chan!" said a muffled voice from beneath the covers. Lina sighed, shook her head and decided to fully wake up. So, she stepped forcefully on him as she went to the bathroom to freshen up.
"Morning," she said.
Xellos tunneled out of the covers and laughed. Lina was funny. She overreacted to everything. And she gave off such a delicious gamut of emotions, even if she didn't show all of them. One of them, was making him very perplexed. He'd have to figure it out later. He sat in front of her dresser and fixed his mussed up hair.
Lina finally made it out of the bathroom, wearing her researching clothes. The white sleeveless coat, the red pants, and the yellow shirt one. And her hair was flowing loose behind her.
"Morning, Xellos. You're hair is a mess." she said as she levitated her covers and arranged it neatly on her bed. It was good concentration practice, not to mention, an excuse to not have to actually make her bed.
"No thanks to a certain someone." said Xellos as he ran his fingers through his hair.
"Here, let me." said Lina. She stood behind him and opened a drawer and took out a comb. With that, she took his hair in her 10 hands and softly started to comb it, untangling a few hairs here and there, but mostly because she liked to brush hair and she wanted to see how his hair was. Xellos, for his part was having a blast. Well, think about it. A Mazoku usually didn't have to comb their hair, and well, no one before had ever offered to comb his hair for him. It was relaxing, and very comfortable and pleasing. He could tell she liked to play around with his hair. Maybe one day, he'd brush her hair and return the favor. After fifteen minutes though...
"Ne, Lina chan..." said Xellos hesitantly.
"Hmm?" asked Lina as she stared in the middle of nowhere, the comb softly and smoothly going through his thick purple hair.
"I think you killed all the tangles by now." he said, teasingly. Startled, she look down and noticed that his hair was indeed, tangle less. She blushed and put the comb down.
"Sorry, I didn't realize," she said softly.
"Ne, Lina chan that's OK. Are you all right?" asked Xellos as he drew her down to make her sit on his lap. They had come back the day before, and Lina had gone to sleep. She had seemed fine and happy then. Now, she seemed sort of distant.
"I'm fine." she said. "Just tired. A little..." She laughed sheepishly and blushed.
"Are you sure?" asked Xellos.
"Yes, I'm sure." said Lina. Then she smiled at him. "Why? You worried?"
"Nope." said Xellos. He hugged her tighter to him. She laughed and hugged him back, leaning her head against his recently brushed, soft hair. His fingers played with her hands, more specifically, toyed with her engagement ring. Lina smiled and kissed him softly on the lips. His hands tightened on hers as he kissed her back.
*****
Xellos and Lina phased into the palace at Seyruun.
"Hi!" said Lina as she appeared.
"Hello!" said Xellos as he appeared beside Lina. Sylphiel and Filia, who were training a few smaller magic users reacted. Sylphiel smiled and nodded at them, acting as if it were normal for people to appear and disappear the whole time. Filia screamed, her skirts swished and a huge iron mace appeared out of nowhere to connect with Xellos's face. Except that her timing was off, or maybe she wasn't used to two people phasing in at the same time, or maybe she was out of practice. Whatever the reason, the mace didn't hit Xellos. It hit Lina.
"Ow, ow, ow..." said Lina as she held her head and swayed back and forth. Xellos steadied her a bit. "Filia.... what did I do this time?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Ms. Lina." said Filia, truly shaken, although her darker side snapped her fingers and vowed to have better aim next time. "Sylphiel! Come help Lina."
"Good morning, you two!" said Sylphiel as she threw a healing spell at Lina.
"Ne, Filia chan, you shouldn't go around hitting whoever appears out of nowhere, you know. Accidents can happen. Poor Lina chan, she's all banged up because of you!" said Xellos, as if berating a naughty little four year old. Filia got very red.
"Xellos!!! It's all you fault!" she said. "If you hadn't taught Ms. Lina how to teleport in, she wouldn't have been the one to be hit by my mace!" With that, she yanked out her mace and promptly began to chase him. Xellos laughed at her and stayed just out of reach.
"Oh dear," said Sylphiel. "I guess we'll have to cancel class for today. OK, everyone! You guys can go home now!" The students shrugged and ran out, not really wanting to get in the way of a mad Filia sensei.
"So, how's everything so far?" asked Lina as she stood beside Sylphiel, both of them watching the other two's antics.
"So far so good, Ms. Lina." said Sylphiel. "Amelia gave a speech yesterday! It was a very nice speech, on justice and love and duty."
"Yes, I can see that." said Lina.
"And now, everyone is having a week long fast in remembrance of our fallen comrades." said Sylphiel.
"How come?" asked Lina.
"To save food in case their is a shortage."
"But what if the enemy attacks during the fast? Won't everyone be feeling weak?" asked Lina.
"Oh, Mr. Zelgadis has planned everything out! He has half the soldiers fasting, as well as half the population. Then, they will switch. That way, there is always someone on guard duty." explained Sylphiel. Lina nodded, all though she wasn't really there. Talking about food had brought back memories of last night...
FLASHBACK
Lina smiled at all the delicious food in front of her. Her watching eyes caught something brown off to the table. It was going to be hard to get it, but she would. She saw many tall plates beside it, and people were in her way. So, she ducked and rolled and crawled over to where the huge chocolate cake was. It looked delicious. With each step, she got a little closer to this delicacy. She could see it had chocolate icing, and strawberries, her favorite fruit! And so, she kept on. Just as she was about to reach it, her cake vanished, and she found herself standing in a vast emptiness.
"What happened?" she asked. "Where's my cake!" But there was no answer. Only silence answered her questions. There wasn't even an echo. Mad, she reached for her Chaos sword, only to find it broken and chipped. Astonished, she looked at her sword. Suddenly she whirled around as she felt a presence near her. Everybody else faded away.
"Xellos! Gosh, you just scared me half to death!" said Lina, relief in her voice as she ran to him. But he didn't answer. He was just standing there, not doing much. Lina ran up to him and gasped. His eyes were wide open, his mouth opened in surprise. And he was made out of stone. At his feet, his Staff laid, broken in pieces, the ruby and amethyst shattered.
"Xellos!" she cried. And she woke up. She sat straight up, her eyes wide open, her mouth gasping for breath.
'It's just a dream, it's just a dream, it's just a dream...' she thought to herself. 'Calm down, calm down...'
END FLASHBACK
"Lina? Lina? Lina chan, hello are you there?"
Lina didn't respond, her eyes staring at some unknown point far, far away.
"Ms. Lina? Are you all right?"
That had been an awful dream. She thought that she had lost him.
"Lina!" She was being shaken. "I didn't hit her that hard, did I? I'm sorry Lina, I didn't mean to hit you."
She had trouble falling asleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his face, surprised, set in stone. She had lost him, right there.
Someone was holding her, trying to get her to wake up. She could feel something small fall down her cheeks.
Her heart felt like the crystals on the floor, shattered, broken, beyond repair, missing, lost, lonely,... so many things at the same time.
Someone brushed it away. Good, it was starting to tickle her. A soft voice was speaking to her, but she couldn't hear what it was saying.
She was staring at the statue again. It looked so like him. It looked so realistic. She was afraid of what it meant. And his staff, broken, burnt, ragged, chipped, splintered... so many words, yet none came close to describing it.
"Lina chan? Please, wake up? What's wrong?" A soft voice...
The statue turned its head. She jumped back in surprise. It's eyes closed, as well as his mouth. He looked at her, still made from stone. "Xellos?"
"Shush, Lina, I'm here..." That soft voice, trying to call her back. But not know, she had to find out what this all meant.
"..." said the statue. Its mouth moved, but no words escaped. She wanted to ask it so many things. Why? What happened? Who?... but she herself couldn't say anything. His eyes finally opened, and jewel amethyst stared at her, the statue once more becoming immobile. Once more, silent.
Someone was holding her. That was so nice of whoever it was. But she didn't want to come back yet. She had so many questions, so many things to know. She had to find out... what did the statue mean? The staff? Her sword? But her time was up. So, she came back to herself.
She blinked her eyes. Her ruby gaze was no longer empty. She looked straight into Xellos's eyes. Real eyes, not cold, hard jewels. With a sigh of relief, she hugged him warmly. When they broke off the hug, he took hold of her hands.
"I'm glad," she said softly. Xellos did not understand what had just happened. He looked into her eyes. They seemed normal now, her gaze on him, not off somewhere else.
"Are you OK?" asked Xellos. He didn't let go of her.
"Yeah, of course I'm fine. I am Lina Inverse, after all." she said cheekily. She kissed him softly on the lips. He answered her the same way, deepening the kiss. Soon, they broke apart and then Lina turned back to the others, even though they were still holding hands.
"Sorry about that." she said. To Xellos, she smiled... [Later...] "I was lost in thought for a bit."
"..." said Filia.
[OK] thought Xellos. [Later. Remember, you owe me an explanation.]
[No problem] Lina smiled.
"....Lina...." said Filia. "I am afraid my eyes are lying to me. Did you just... um, uh... "
"Did we what?" asked Xellos with a smile on his face. "Initiate lip lock, play tonsil hockey, exchange saliva...." Lina elbowed him in the ribs. "Ouch, Lina chan! That hurt!"
"Stupid fruitcake, stop teasing Filia." said Lina. "Yes, we just kissed. As to why, let's just say,... Sore wa himitsu desu." She grinned. Filia sighed. One fruitcake was enough. Having Lina adopt Xellos like attitudes was.... unnerving to say the least.
"Oh, Ms. Lina! Are you going out with Mr. Xellos?" asked Sylphiel.
"Um, I guess you could call it that..." said Lina. She laughed nervously and then smiled brightly at Xellos. He tightened his hold on her left hand, feeling the ring in her hand. [Right Xellos?]
"Sore wa himitsu desu!" he said. [I guess you could call it that. Speaking of which, how about going out with me tonight after supper? We haven't had too many opportunities to date...]
[Sounds great! I accept.] thought Lina. Her cheeks reddened slightly. Out loud... "Where are Amelia and Zelgadis?"
"Amelia is in her office. Zelgadis is out with some people from Seerin." said Sylphiel. She was puzzled. Why so many secrets?
"Oh, so,... Captain Stonewall strikes again, huh?" asked Lina. Sylphiel looked confused. Filia already did.
They decided to visit Amelia first. Where Amelia was, Gourry would be there also.
"Hello Amelia, Gourry!" said Lina as she phased into the room.
"Good morning!" said Xellos.
"Ms. Lina!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted Amelia. All of a sudden, a ball of white and pink flew from the desk and latched on to Lina. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you sooooooooooooooooooooo much!!!"
"Um... you're welcome... what did I do?" asked Lina, with a puzzled look. She looked at Amelia, not quite sure what to do. Shake her off? Hug her back? Stand like a statue? Use a crowbar to pry her off?
"Hi Lina! Hi Xellos!" said Gourry cheerfully from his place on the window sill.
"Hello Gourry!" said Xellos.
"You sent us so much help! When Seyruun and the world at large was in danger and needed help, even though you were in a different dimension, you sent aid. It was because of you, Ms. Lina, that we have been able to make it thus far into this war between races. Oh Ms. Lina, no matter how much you deny it, you are a true warrior of justice. In you, we all fin hope and truth, love and joy, Ms. Lina. Everything you do points to the star of justice, the one that will lead and guide us forever more, until the end of times. So be it." said Amelia. By the end of her speech, she was on top of her desk, posing triumphantly, one foot on a stack of letters.
Xellos excused himself and went out to throw up. Even though he wasn't a real Mazoku, he still took on a form of one and he still had a few mannerisms of one. Besides, old habits die hard, and well, Lina looked a bit queasy also.
"Um.. Amelia... you're standing on your letters." said Lina hesitantly. Amelia looked down, surprised.
"Aaaaah!" she screamed as the tower of letters fell down. Her one foot, finding no support, fell down, dragging the rest of the body along for the ride. Lina sweat dropped. Xellos appeared once more. Gourry poked Amelia.
"Ne, Amelia, are you OK?" he asked.
And the door burst open. Lina and Xellos turned around, their sword and staff in ready position in their hands. Gourry also spun around, bringing out his sword.
"Why, if it isn't my rival, Lina Inverse." And Lina Inverse, Dramatta, Bandit Killer, Chaos Knight, and all around Sorceress Extraordinaire, looked up into dark cerulean eyes, and knew real fear. OK, it's a bit exaggerated, but it makes a nice effect, doesn't it?
"Naga!" exclaimed Lina.
"OHOHOHOHOHO!" laughed Naga. "How do you do, Lina?"
But it wasn't at the fact that she saw Naga that she fainted. Nor the fact that Naga's laugh was just as loud and annoying and ear splitting as before. No, it was because Naga, the famed White Serpent, the one who dressed like it was summer the whole time, was dressed differently, to say the least.
From head to toes, here we go! A silver tiara with a sapphire design graced her long, thick, glossy black hair. And her hair was put in a long French braid, threaded with silver strings. On her ears, she wore a pair of silver earrings with blue stones in the shape of skulls. (Although, from a distance, they looked like normal spheres.) She wore a long regal looking gown in dark blues and white. The dress reached from top to bottom, not to her knees or mid thigh. And she had a small porcelain teacup in her hand. The only indecent part was that the front of the dress was a bit low, showing off a bit of skin and cleavage, and that was about it. Yeah, that's why she fainted. Don't laugh! You would have done so also!
*****
Madabar frowned at the floor. Why at the floor? Cause she was kneeling before Zelas Metalium, Beastmaster and Mistress of Torture and all that junk. And she was mad at her. (Take that both ways...) Madabar was mad at Zelas because Zelas was a general pain and an annoying boss to serve who could kill you if she felt like it. Zelas was mad at Madabar because she had failed in destroying the scroll before Lina and Xellos got it.
"Well, what do you have to say for yourself?" asked Zelas. She took a deep draught of Sephyrian wine from her wine glass. It was pretty good.
"I am sorry, Beastmaster." said Madabar. "I was counting on Lina not being able to cast magic. And I was counting on Xellos having to deal with the spies and the girl." Zelas sighed.
"Madabar, how many times must I tell you? Expect everything. This is one of the reasons that Xellos always bested you. He foresaw almost everything. Oh, and he did things himself, instead of leaving it to subordinates." Madabar seethed. It was always Xellos this, Xellos that. Xellos, Xellos, Xellos, that stupid, egotistical, bratty, stuck up, snotty nosed,... but truly handsome Xellos. But hopefully, Zelas wouldn't realize.
"I am sorry. I will do better next time." said Madabar.
"Next time, next time, next time...." Zelas sighed. "That's what you all say. I'll do better next time! That is no excuse. Always count on the fact that you might not have a next time." Silence. "Well, how is that useless brother of mine doing?"
"He was supposed to make sure Misty kept Xellos busy." said Madabar. Zelas sighed.
"A tip for you. Never, NEVER, give that useless brother of mine something important to do. He'll probably goof it up. Just like he goofed up when you guys kidnapped my Priest and General. Just like he did when he tried to attack Seerin. Have him do administrative work or something. Actually.... have him come to me. I have a new idea." She turned around. "Oh, and Madabar?"
"Yes, Beastmaster?" asked Madabar, making a face at the floor.
"Wipe that sneer off your face and stop sticking your tongue at the floor. It's not fit of such a high ranked Mazoku as you. Unless, of course, you want me to rip it out of your mouth." Madabar immediately put her tongue back in. When Zelas left, Madabar stood up and dusted off her clothes. Who did she think she was? Just a normal lowly Mazoku!?!? No!!!! She was Madabar! One of the strongest Mazokus around. And she would make sure Zelas understood what she was saying! Oh, and now, to send that idiot of her brother back to her. It was a relief, truth be told. He was a pain in the you-know-where. With that, she phased out.
Zelas frowned intelligently. Her 'mother' may have won the battle, but she would win the war. Now, to put the next part in place...
*****
Lina was dreaming again. She was starting to get annoyed at these dreams. All they gave her were three million headaches and a bunch of unanswered questions. Well, here she was. Might as well make the best of it.
She was in the middle of a brown battlefield. Well, she was also on top of a high cliff. With a start, she realized that she wasn't in the field, but actually watching her dream. How..... weird. With a start, she realized that there was someone else beside her. The person was wearing a cloak three sizes too big, causing it to hang of the said person. She couldn't tell whether it was a guy or a girl. Before she could comment on it, her dream started. She watched herself fight and decide to take notes. There she was, all alone in the field, facing that awful shadow with turquoise eyes. She had seen this dream so many times, she almost yawned. Her friends always appeared in a bit, one off to the left, one to the right, and the rest behind her. She looked at the field and frowned. There was something wrong.
"Wait a minute! Halt!" she shouted, but the dream kept on. No one had appeared yet. That hit was meant for the person to the right, but it hit her instead. The dream Lina winced and got up, ready to fight. "That's not how it goes! Someone is supposed to be there!"
There was no answer. Dream Lina had fallen down, and this was where her helping shadow was supposed to come. But no shadow was there. Only a bush. Nothing. No Xellos appeared. Dream Lina screamed in pain as the blast hit her. The real Lina tried to fly down there and help out, kick those blue eyes out of her dreams. But she ran into an invisible wall.
"Get this thing out of here!" she shouted, once again, at nobody.
She turned and faced the figure in the black cloak. She grabbed its shoulder and turned it to face her. Behind her, Dream Lina had gotten up, trying to fight. She put her hands together and started the chant for the Giga Slave.
"What is going on here?" asked Lina as she turned the figure. A grinning skeleton faced her, dressed in the robes. The bones fell and turned to dust. Of the figure, there was left a bunch of old tattered cloth, with a note on it.
"'Even dreams can be broken.'" read Lina Inverse. "'Good night, Sleep Tight, Don't let the bedbugs bite!'" Lina turned around at the shout of "GIGA SLAVE!" And her whole world turned to water and she felt as if she would drown.
*****
Lina woke up from her dream. She really woke up. As in sit straight up in bed, eyes wide opened, catching her breath. That type of waking up. As if someone had thrown a cold bucket of water at her. Wait a minute... She eyed her dripping clothes.... Her eyes narrowed as she looked around her and caught the innocently smiling ex-Mazoku beside her bed, hands conveniently behind him.
"Oh. Good morning Lina chan!" said the Mazoku happily. He smiled at her.
"Good morning, Xellos kun." said Lina, sweet sarcasm very evident in her words. "May I ask why I'm dripping wet?" She pointed to a piece of ice on her covers.
"Oh, you are! I hadn't noticed that! Now, how could this have happened?" asked Xellos thoughtfully.
"Yes, HOW?" asked Lina dangerously. She lifted her hand and pointed at Xellos. An empty, wet pail surfaced from behind him and floated in between them. "Oh, Look what I found!?"
"Oh... it looks like an empty, wet pail, Lina chan. I wonder. How did it get here?" asked Xellos, trying to look clue less. His huge smile was giving him away though...
*****
"FIREBALL!"
Amelia and Naga looked up.
"I guess Ms. Lina is feeling better." said Amelia. They were in her room. Naga was watching Amelia pack.
"Yes, I guess so." said Naga. She took a deep sip from her teacup. She frowned at it and shook it upside down. "There's no more. Amelia, you have to get bigger teacups." Amelia sighed and passed her a bottle. Naga smiled. "Thank you, Amelia!" She took the bottle and emptied it into her teacup. "Hic!"
*****
"Ne, Lina chan... will you tell me now what happened?" asked Xellos. He had made it back into her room. Lina had changed and was combing her wet locks while sitting on her bed. Xellos sat behind her and took the brush from her hands. At her look, he just smiled. "Time to repay a favor, Lina chan." He began to brush back her hair, taking all the tangles out softly. Lina sighed contentedly and leaned back slightly.
"What do you want to know?" asked Lina, her eyes closed. His fingers were very gentle with her hair. Was this how her fingers felt to him when she was combing his hair?
"Why did you zone out on us?" he asked. Now that all the tangles were worked out, he concentrated on brushing it back so that it looked neat.
"I was thinking about a dream." said Lina. "You know, Xellos. This feels great. I'm going to force you to brush my hair everyday."
"Maybe." said Xellos. He ran his fingers through her hair. "What was the dream about?"
"You." said Lina. The brushing stopped. "Well, not really you..." The brushing continued once more.
"What about me?" asked Xellos. He moved one of her hair things from the dresser to where he was so that he could do something with her hair.
So Lina told him. She said it pretty calmly also, thinking about what she had dreamt and the possible meaning. Then she told him about the dream that she just had, explaining her other dreams from loooooong time ago, not knowing that Xellos knew about them because he had read her diary. When she finished, Xellos had finished playing with her hair and had it braided.
"Thanks Xellos." said Lina as she turned around. "And Xellos...?"
"Hm?" asked Xellos. He put the brush down. Lina looked into his eyes.
"Promise me you'll be careful." she said softly. "I don't want anything to happen to you." She blushed slightly. Xellos smiled at her, his eyes opened, his features seeming to soften slightly.
"Of course I will, my Lina chan." he whispered softly. He hugged her to him and smiled when she hugged him back. Lina happened to look into the mirror behind Xellos. Her eyes widened. Then they narrowed. Xellos felt a fluctuation in Lina's... um... feelings.
"Xellos..." she said sweetly, still hugging him.
"Yes, dearest Lina chan?" hoping that he'd defuse the time bomb Lina had become.
"What did you do to my HAIR??????!!!!!!!" asked Lina in a very dangerous tone of voice.
"Um... jaja... I think it looks nice." said Xellos sheepishly. "Besides, I never said I was good with hair styles, you know."
"No kidding..." growled Lina. "FLARE ARROW!"
Xellos vanished. Lina sighed and smiled to herself. Then she laughed a little. Xellos... that fruitcake... he'd never change. She then turned to the hard task of undoing the tight braids that Xellos stuck into her hair that were pointing at odd angles.
*****
Amelia and Naga looked up as a knock was heard.
"Who is it?" asked Naga trying to sound haughty. She succeeded.
"Lina." said the person behind the door.
"Come in, Ms. Lina!" shouted Amelia. Lina came in and smiled. Then she eyed Naga, and her eyes widened again at the sight. "Ms. Lina! Please don't faint again!" Lina took deep calming breaths.
"Don't worry. I'll be fine..." said Lina. Then she peered at Naga. "Naga? Is that really you?"
"OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!" laughed Naga as she politely laughed behind her mouth.
"It IS you." said Lina. No one else could have such a laugh. "What are you doing all dressed up and looking so modest?"
"Ohohoho!" laughed Naga. "Don't you know that I, Naga the White Serpent, can adapt into any situation forced onto me!?"
"Forced on you?" asked Lina. Then she looked at Amelia and then at Naga. Then she looked at Amelia and then at Naga. Same blue eyes. Same black hair. Same well endowed body. *grumble, grumble*
"You two are sisters!!!" said Lina.
"Yeah, you didn't know that, Ms. Lina?" asked Amelia. "She is my long lost sister! Thank you for inviting her to your swearing in as Chaos Knight, Ms. Lina. It was then that I saw her!"
"Oh." said Lina.
"She's Gracia for now though, Ms. Lina." continued Amelia.
"What's it with the clothes?" asked Lina.
"As a princess of Seyruun, I must dress accordingly. Princesses are demure maidens, worthy of the population's loyalty and blind adoration that I deserve." said Naga seriously, almost not seeming like another person.
"What did you do to bribe her to wear that much one?" asked Lina to Amelia. Naga glared at her.
"Well...." started Amelia.
FLASHBACK
Naga woke up with a splitting headache.
"Owowowowow." she mumbled to herself. "I have a splitting headache." ^^
"Awake, sister?" asked a voice. Naga sat up from her bed, rubbed her eyes and blinked owlishly at whoever was there. She smiled at her sister.
"How do you do, Amelia dear?" asked Naga.
"I am fine, Gracia. It's good to see you again." said Amelia with a smile. She was a girl with a mission, and nothing would deter her from it. Naga frowned slightly.
"My name is Naga, not Gracia." she said sternly. "She died with mother."
"I'm sorry, Naga." said Amelia. She sat down beside her. "But we need Gracia back, Naga."
"Why?" asked Naga. Amelia gave her a rough run down. There was a war. Amelia needed to travel to gain support. The people needed a figure head. Enter Naga. Inspire hope in people. All that good stuff.
"So that's the reason." said Amelia. "Please help us?"
"No." said Naga. She stood up. "Now, I shall be leaving." Amelia's eyes widened.
"OK." said Amelia. She looked sad. "I'll tell them your decision."
Naga looked after Amelia left. Too bad for them. She didn't want to play politics. Besides, as Princess, she probably wouldn't be allowed to drink...
*****
"Mr. Zelgadis!" wailed Amelia.
"Huh?" asked Zelgadis as he turned around. He was in his room, cleaning his sword.
"Oh, it's awful!" said Amelia. "She doesn't want to become Princess. What shall we do, Mr. Zelgadis?" She struck a pose. Zel sweat dropped.
"So, she said she didn't want to?" asked Zel.
"No." sniffled Amelia. "What are we to do?"
"I have an idea." said Zel. "I was expecting this to happen."
*****
Naga looked crossly at the people across the bars. Her sister was hiding behind the man, looking at her tearfully.
"Get me out of here!" she said. She really didn't want to be behind bars at the present moment.
"No." said Zelgadis.
"Mr. Zelgadis, are you sure?" asked Amelia.
"Trust me." said Zel.
"Amelia! Tell that upstart that I can get out!" said Naga angrily.
"Who are you to order her?" asked Zelgadis, his voice cool and controlled. "You aren't a Princess or anything, are you?" Naga was about to say she was, but then understood their plan.
"Oh no, you aren't going to catch me like that," said Naga slyly. "I'm not going to be your little Princess, Amelia and Zelgadis."
Amelia looked sadder.
"That is up to you." said Zel. "Come Amelia." Amelia looked torn between staying and leaving. Finally she nodded and left with Zelgadis. Naga smiled easily. So they thought they could just keep her in like this? Oh well, she was sure Amelia wouldn't let her sister starve. Food was on the way, and best of all, she didn't have to pay for it!
*****
"Mr. Zelgadis are you sure this will work?" asked Amelia. It was supper and they were having supper together. Not as a date, mind you. Filia and Sylphiel were also there, along with Gourry.
"It should begin about.... now." said Zel. A guard rushed in and bowed to Amelia.
"Princess Amelia," he said. He took a deep breath. "The prisoner, Naga, is making a fuss downstairs."
"Come, Amelia." said Zelgadis. "We must see what is causing her to act like this." He took his goblet and motioned for Amelia to take hers. Amelia nodded and thanked the guard. He left. They left.
INTERRUPTION/ END OF FLASHBACK
"I get it!" said Lina. "You guys bribed Naga to stay by offering her unlimited access to your wine cellars. Right? Because as a prisoner, she doesn't get alcoholic beverages, right?"
"Ne Lina, you don't have to rub it in." said Naga crossly. "Besides, Amelia says I make a pretty good figure head." She crossed her arms and looked annoyed while attempting to look regal while sitting down.
"Wow, Ms. Lina, how did you know? You're so smart!!!" squealed Amelia.
"Of course! I am, after all, the great Lina Inverse!" said Lina. "Well, I deduced it because you said Zel told you to take your goblet with you. You put wine in goblets.... and the number one hint.... Zel NEVER drinks anything but coffee! And he drinks it in a mug, not a goblet."
"Well, no matter." said Naga.
"So, how's life as a Princess?" asked Lina.
"Very entertaining." said Naga. "I decided to help out if they would let me drink while in public. So, they gave me this silly, tiny, minute, petite teacup!" She waved the teacup around to make her point. Fortunately, Naga had slurped the drink up before waving it around.
"I have to carry around a silly bottle of wine hidden in my cape so that I can refill my teacup!" said Naga crossly. "But it's not that bad."
"Gracia, you do a wonderful job!" said Amelia enthusiastically. "We concocted a story that Naga came when she heard that Seyruun was in danger, and that she was here to defend her kingdom. Oh, it was awe-inspiring."
Lina imagined Naga on top of a balcony, with many people below her, shouting about love and justice and all that stuff. And then ending with her ear splitting laugh. She shuddered. Oh well, it was nice to see everybody doing so well here. She looked at them, and then thought critically. She smiled to herself and then talked with them about trivial things. Now was the time to enjoy life and have fun and goof around. The time to act solemn and serious would come soon enough.
Author's Notes Hi!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How are ya? Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I had a blast writing this one! Anyway, thank you everyone for your really encouraging reviews! You guys are great! Thank you so much! Anyone guess the meaning of my prophecy yet? Hint, it's a slight parody....^^ More will be revealed in the next chapter, which should be out by next week (or sooner) cause I have more than half written out already! ^^ So yeah, I hope you'll enjoy the story! Read and Review, please! Comments and Criticisms are extremely welcome, so if you think something was stupid, send away,... although I hope you didn't...^^ Take care everyone! Until next time!
Hotaru
Every day I beat my own previous record for number of consecutive days I've stayed alive. -anon.
The hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you have built castles in the air, Your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them. -Henry David Thoreau