The Slayers: Lina Zelgadiss Xelloss Gourry Amelia Val Filia Sylphiel
.
~*~ Seyruun Summer High Jinx Special! ~*~
Part Five
To say Zelgadiss felt bad about his outburst would be an understatement. He stretched out in the backseat of the car deep in gloomy Zel-land, while Martina and Zangulus chatted away in the front seat. He was miserable, made more so by everyone else's silence around him. If Lina had screamed at him or tried to pound him senseless, he'd have felt accepted, but now he truly felt like an outsider—even though he WAS right and Xelloss WAS wrong!
Xelloss sat in the Suzaku Seven van alongside Yui. They were not close friends, more mutually sufferable, enough so that his silent barrier to all attempts to converse did not hamper her running monologue.
The Slayers spirits were dampened by Zel, Xelloss, the burned house/practice room, and…Val and Gourry told the others about the ring, warnings, strangers and worries. As the vans pulled up to their hotel for the weekend, Lina made a decision, "We have GOT to break this mood thing before we go on tonight. Starting with the god of gloom himself… Hey, Martina! Where'd Zel run off to?"
Lina found Xelloss first, languishing in the room he would be sharing with Val, Gourry and whichever SS lost the coin-toss, she guessed. "Hey!" she greeted him as she nudged the door open.
…
"Okay… I know he didn't mean all that."
…
"You're the best thing that's ever happened to him, you know? He knows that. He wouldn't have had the guts to blow up at anyone else. He knows you'll forgive him… You will, won't you? If he asks?" Lina asked the silent boy.
"He won't. I lied to him. I don't…deserve friends…" Xelloss muttered dramatically into a pillow.
"Oh. I'm gonna get a snack, wanna come? No? How about a dance?"
He lifted his head enough to turn his head in Lina's direction, "That's not funny. Why don't you kick me…while I'm down… while you're at it? Don't bother answering, just …go…"
Well, she had him responding. That was an improvement!
"I won't," she declared. "Because it's only fun when you're in the mood to kick back," a smile. "You've made me listen to stuff I didn't wanna hear…made me squirm, so this is your turn. Zel's a hardheaded idiot when it comes to other people. If you do something sub-Zel-standard, he gets downright insulting. He sets a code of right and wrong for everyone and expects us all to follow it, and when we don't... WHAP! Comes his reminder. Now, I don't know where this new 'violent' Zel's come from, I don't like it, at all! That's MY shtick! He's also slipped up himself and done something he's regretting, I'm sure, to Amelia. Oh, you know about that? He's all messed up then, but he's getting tortured back. He's being ignored. Yeah, even Gourry's given' him the cold shoulder and not takin' his side. He can't take out his frustrations on his friends without some aftereffects, right? Xelloss? Ah, we do ALL care about how you feel, ya know."
She patted him on the back, letting him know that she meant what she said. "Um, when you're ready, I wanna know what goes on in your head."
Xelloss opened his eyes and for a second, purple met red. "No. You. Don't."
Lina nodded and left a moment later, muttering under her breath, "Okay, Zel-meister, you broke him, YOU fix him!"
She ran into Zel unpacking his acoustic guitar and testing the strings with his fingers STRUM… strum… strum….
Lina slapped him. Hard. "I would have punched you, but I wouldn't want to give you head-trauma," she told him, kindly.
He looked up, shocked and horrified. "Lina? You too?"
"'Me, too' what? Oh, I get it, I'm turning on you now, am I? Well, Zel, if that's what you want to think, you can do it. But you'd be fooling yourself. No matter how much you want to boil away in your stupid angsty guilt, you'll always know that it's wrong. You know @#$%ing well that we all care about you, and that 'we all' includes Xelloss. I just wanted you to remember what it feels like to be hit by your friend. I'll do it again, probably: it was pretty fun, I have to say! But now I'm going to apologize, okay? I shouldn't have done that. I was being childish to just take out my anger on you. But you know, it felt pretty good, didn't it?" she smiled.
Zel looked angrily up through his eyebrows at her grinning face. "What are you getting at?"
"Oh, nothing. 'Cept that I understand what's going down in your brain. And I'm not about to let you get away with thinking you're the first one to feel the way you do. Now, you two had better make up before the next concert or—"
"Don't threaten me, Lina. I won't do it if you expect me too."
"Oh, I know that, too. But I just can't let you get away without a little 'Lina Inspiration,' you know…"
"Go away, Lina."
Of course, she slapped him again, and left without a word, though a few peals of laughter.
Zelgadiss pushed open the unlocked door with the end of his guitar. Settling on the edge of the bed beside his silent friend, he proceeded to pluck a simple tune, then a cord or two, then he set up a rhythm.
Zel began to sing softly, "This is one from the 60's and, ah, it's meant to be sung to a girl, so bear with me here…
'Try and see it my way,
Do I have to keep on talking till I can't go on?
While you see it your way,
We run a risk of knowing that our love may soon be gone.
We can work it out; we can work it out.
Think of what you're saying,
You can get it wrong and still you think that it's all right.
Think of what I'm saying,
We can work it out and get it straight or say goodnight.
We can work it out; we can work it out.
Life is very short,
And there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend.
I have always thought,
That it's a crime so I will ask you once again.
Try to see it my way,
Only time will tell if I am right or I am wrong.
While you see it your way,
There's a chance that we might fall apart before too long.
We can work it out; we can work it out.' "
Xelloss smiled. He knew Zelgadiss was trying to apologize, unable to say with words what he was trying to transmit with music. When the tuned faded, Xelloss was first to speak, "I'm sorry too. I'm sorry I kept a secret from you and lost your trust again. I'd worked so hard to deserve it, you know? Of all the things I've lost, Zelgadiss, the worst loss…the most important thing to me was your trust and friendship. Sometimes, that was all I had to live for…my friends, and most of all you, little brother."
Zel caught his friend's eyes and held them in his intent gaze. "And yet... it's worth it? That damned secret is worth it all?"
"Yes…" Xelloss shifted uncomfortably, then cleared his throat. "If I told you that knowing the secret might certainly get you killed…all of our friends as well if they knew…would you STILL want me to tell you? I refused to answer an official summons and… they destroyed our home! That was a warning! Can you understand? There is no getting out of this or running away for me. All I can do is try… TRY to find a solution, a final solution. In the meantime, I will go with Val and put some distance between myself and the rest of you."
"Won't that put him in danger too?"
"Yeah, but he's a part…that is, he's familiar with the territory," Xelloss said evasively and looked away.
"Tell me. I will not tell the others."
"You don't know your limits under torture, Zelgadiss! You saw what was done to me, and I was on their side! If you tell, then YOU become responsible for the deaths of all your friends, and me as well. Do YOU want that?"
"NO! Of course not, but I will NOT tell. Trust me, Xelloss. Share that burden with me and I will be able to help you."
Xelloss covered his tormented face with a hand and whispered, "Forgive me…"
Zel thought that meant he'd say no more and started to get up to leave when Xelloss grabbed his shoulder and whispered a single word into his alien ear, a whisper so soft that only Zel could have heard it. Zelgadiss was frozen to the core in an instant.
"No…" Zel gasped, his eyes widened in horror.
Xelloss nodded mutely.
Zelgadiss slid off the bed onto the floor, "Oh gods…How's that possible? I'm so sorry, Xelloss… Do you know yet what you have to do?"
"No. And I won't tell you when I do, you understand? Something's up and you and I, Filia and Val, Sylphiel, Amelia and Lina and Gourry… we may all be thrown together in some mess and not together! Fighting each other for unknown causes!" Xelloss was choked with tears now, but would not let Zel see him cry.
"No we won't, Xelloss. No matter what, we'll all be on the same side just like before. You and I can promise one another that much, can't we? No matter what, regardless of how we might make it look at the time, the Slayers will be a team in the end. Agreed?"
Xelloss didn't say anything for some time, then stifling a flow of tears, he nodded and said, "Okay dokay, but only you and I will be fully cognizant of that fact. I may have to be deceptive and…"
"Annoying and…" Zelgadiss supplied with a smirk.
"I was thinking more along the lines of 'ersatz', and substituting my normally cheerful…"
"Fruity and annoying…"
"PERSONA," Xelloss said loudly enough to drown out Zel's interruptions. "With that of a sophisticated and suave…"
"Jerk?" Zel smirked as he eluded a warning but gentle punch to the arm.
"Shit, Zel! You are really asking for… What? What's that look for?" Xelloss asked as he held back in his playful attack.
"You just called me 'Zel'! Ha! You slipped up! Ha!" Zel chuckled as he ducked another swipe.
"No I didn't! I called you Zelgadiss and YOU didn't hear right!"
"Yes I did! I did, I did, I did. I hear VERY well, and you slipped up!" Zel laughed.
"No I DIDN'T! Take it back!" Xelloss yelled while barely containing his own chuckling.
Gourry, meanwhile, had been sent by his Lina to find both guys, but when he stood outside the door to Xelloss' room and listened a moment, he feared the worst.
"Stop it!" Gourry roared as he pushed in the door and jumped between the two other guys.
CRUNCH! TWANG! TWANG!
Zelgadiss' poor acoustic guitar splintered beneath one of Gourry's size 14 shoes.
"Oh my… I do hope we have time to go buy ZelGADISS a replacement before ShowTime," Xelloss smiled, thankful that it hadn't been HIS stray foot. "Next time, ZelGADISS, remember not to leave your toys on the floor where they might get…oof! "
Zel connected not-so-gently with Xelloss' stomach.
"Oh, Zel… sorry, man… I just didn't see it…I heard ya…I thought you were fightin' and Lina said it's time for a sound test…"
"It's all right, Gourry. Tell Val to do the tests without us. I'll borrow Zangulus' car and find a music store in town. Xelloss? Start with the yellow pages…"
"Already on it…here we go… Big Music Store…" Xelloss smiled and began dialing for directions.
…
"They went WHERE? A MUSIC STORE?" Lina yelled when Gourry gave her the news.
"They're not fightin' or nothin' though…" he added meekly.
"Well that's one thing in our favor. Martina! Let's get you to do your song with Gourry and Val a bit just for practice. Tamahome? Yeah, you guys can go ahead and run your tests first. We got other fish ta fry," Lina shook her head. "And I'll have BOTH your idiot heads on a platter…or better yet sashimi-style if you don't get back in time…" she murmured to herself (since Zel and Xelloss, her subject fish, were far away out of earshot).
…
"Excuse me?" Hotohori sidled up to Lina and gave her THE LOOK, then said arrogantly, "You ARE going to be able to perform in five minutes… you and your band?"
"Yeah, 'course we will," she growled in return while contemplating sliced and diced, skewered and bar-be-qued Zel-Xel-Zel-Xel-a-ma-bob…
"Ah, Lina? Maybe we should begin with Val and Filia's song. It's good even without drums and all," Gourry suggested. He was getting worried and knew Lina was just trying to cover up her concerns with hostility.
And Lina knew that Gourry knew what was going on in her head, and that both helped her and bothered her. She liked sharing some of the burden pertaining to holding together the band, on the other hand, it troubled her to think about how close she'd let him become. Somehow, she'd let Gourry insinuate himself into her life. Why, just the other day she'd called him up just to talk about…stuff! It wasn't until he'd asked her where she was that she'd realized that she was in bed, talking in such an intimate setting with…GOURRY! It wasn't as if they'd said anything important. In fact, that was just it! They'd simply conversed about everyday things like two friends, good friends, two good friends completely at ease with one another's company.
Lina snapped out of her daydream and noticed that Gourry was looking expectantly at her. "Yeah? What?" she asked.
"TIME TO GO ON!" shouted Filia, stomping backstage to find Lina. "Oh, there you are! Do you want me and Val to start off alone?"
"Ah…" Lina opened her mouth to answer but caught a twinkle in Gourry's eye, a shift in his countenance and hesitated.
"Um… I see 'em, here they come, and they're all dressed and ready, Lina," Gourry whispered to her, then smiled.
Lina nodded and turned to Filia, "Nope! I'm going on to introduce us and then we'll do the numbers in order as planned. Come on, Gourry, lets get this goin', okay?"
"Sure, Lina!" he smiled and relaxed. Lina was excited and relieved and all revved up to put on another show, and everything would be all right.
"Shit, man! Stop pushing me!" Xelloss shouted at Zelgadiss.
"Then move it, already, and forget your hair! Lina's going to be mad as hell as it is!"
"Well it was YOU who had to be all choosy. First it was: 'Will it be the Martin #254 or the Martin #237?' THEN you had to get the strings changed, THEN the cable and pick-up checked, THEN the bridge had to be set up, THEN…"
Zel ignored his friend's rambling and ran on ahead, coming to a skid in front of his amplifier.
"Dude!" Val said. "'Bout TIME! I fixed up the Fender like you do an' Gourry tested it out. Whatcha got in the case? Oh, nice guitar! That musta cost a bundle!"
"Big bundle…" Zel smirked. "Best the place had. I made their day!"
CRASH!
Xelloss knocked over his high-hat slipping into position, "Sorry!"
Lina didn't say a thing. She strutted on out to the front completely in control, "Hello everybody! We're starting off the show tonight with a tune of our own… and we are the SLAYERS!"
Midway through their act, the lights dimmed, Gourry placed a stool under a stream of pale blue light prior to Zel's appearance for his acoustic solo number. Zel cradled his new guitar lovingly as he checked the tuning one more time against Val's punched note.
Cough… cough, cough…
Zelgadiss covered his mouth and looked up. Why was he coughing all of the sudden? A thin veil of fog floated past his view. Fog. The FOG MACHINE! Hadn't THAT been burned up in the box hidden away in the practice room? He glanced back to catch Val's reaction. A shrug. He looked off at the sides. Offstage where he saw Amelia beaming, he could barely make out her words, 'brand new…just for you…'
"OH JOY! So, she's not above applying a little evil justice…" he thought to himself. He erased the small smile that was beginning to appear on his face and prepared for his solo.
~*~
"Hey guys, ya gotta listen to this song! Here, wait, I'm passing you the headphones first, Zel," Lina said.
The Slayers plus Miaka and Yui were seated at neighboring tables waiting for their food to arrive. One last gig, then the summer venue together would be over.
"Zel, you in particular I think can sing this one. It's from a new anime Gakkou no Kaidan—meaning, 'a school ghost story'. I just downloaded it off the Internet. It's called Sexy, Sexy…" Lina told everyone while Zel turned down the volume and nestled the headphones over his ears.
He frowned a little, then ripped off the headphones. "You must be kidding. I am NOT singing a dance tune… like that!"
"Zelly's a pru-ude, Zelly's a pru-ude," Xelloss said in his singsong voice. "Here, allow me…"
He pressed rewind, raised the volume, and then hit play. After a few seconds he started giggling, "Oh, my… These lyrics are great! 'I miss you, I miss you… I need you, I need you… Sexy, sexy… you!'
"Oh, yeah, Lina! 'Shake it!' Oh, yeah! I want this song! It's in my vocal range!" Xelloss begged.
"Yeah, fine, it's yours. We don't usually do other people's stuff, but no one knows this one yet. I got more, like… this one, but I understand one of those bands from that weird school… The Dragons of the Heaven or of the Earth, whichever, anyway… one of them does it so we shouldn't… Ah, here are some others. Take turns and lemme know what you think. Whoa, food! Here, Zel take the CD player over to your table. Go, go, go!"
Zel remained seated, but took back the CD player, as commanded. "That's XIT, the X Institute of Technology in Atlas City," Zel corrected Lina as he turned down the volume and again, listened to the CD. "What's this one?"
Lina put her ear to his, "Ah… the ending theme song to Boogiepop Phantom, Mirai Seiki Maruhi CLUB (Future Century Secret Club). Yeah, we could both do that duet-style, me doing high harmony. It's dark and depressing, just the one for you." Lina looked at her watch then up at the door. "Geesh! Miaka! Did Hotohori tell you he was taking the van somewhere else? I could have sworn he said to meet them here!"
"Yeah, me too!" Miaka replied.
"He did. They're late," Zel said curtly.
"Hours late! We'll have to leave in a few minutes if we want to make it to the next town check in, unload our stuff, then rush to the concert hall for the last gig in time to setup and run sound tests. Unless they walk in right this minute, we're going without them," Lina said.
"Maybe they found another place to eat and went there. I'm sure they'll be at the gig. They've NEVER been late or missed one!" Miaka cried in their defense.
"There's always a first time…" Val muttered.
"Okay, they haven't checked into the hotel… Filia's taking care of that now… Let's see…Gourry, you and the guys ought to take the van over to the hall and start setting up the equipment. I'll come over later. Amelia, you and the others follow Gourry with the costumes. Yes! I WILL come in a little bit. Ya gotta think they'll show up sometime, right? I'll just wait here a bit longer. Go on, I won't be late and I know where we're going. Zangulus! Can you drive some of us over in a bit, or do you need time to set up…no? Great, then wait here with me. Go, Gourry!" Lina shouted as she directed the flow of activities.
Unfortunately, by the time Lina arrived at the concert hall, the Suzaku Seven had not yet arrived. But the Slayers were ready to go on…
"All right…we go on first, as usual. We're the opening act, anyway, and if we have to, we just keep going. Yeah, add stuff from our other shows, instrumentals, extra solos, whatever! We'll deal with that when the time comes, if it does…Time? Oh, shit… All right you all ready? Good, cause here we go…"
Martina sang…and sang… adding another verse that she and Lina had whipped up, turning her 3-minute piece into a 5-minute one.
Zangulus blew his sax to save the world. He and Zel drew out his solo piece for nearly ten minutes, with Val and Gourry trading off Jazz-like riffs.
When Val drove the band through his grunge number, Only Lonely Soldier, he got carried away, turning it into audience participation chant:
'I'm going to fight with the hypocrite.
I'm going to find out every dishonest thing.
I don't need home sweet home.
Only thing I need is to believe in myself…
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
ONLY LONELY SOLDIER! Chanted
But I know it's never endin'…
ONLY LONELY SOLDIER! Chanted
But I know it's misery…
ONLY LONELY SOLDIER! Chanted
But I know it's my energy…
ONLY LONELY SOLDIER! Chanted
Now I know it's my destiny, what I'm looking for, but I don't wanna face it anytime!'
His voice was nearly gone by the end, but the crowd was on their feet and screaming—it was worth it!
Next, Gourry was really on a roll. By the second verse, the audience was swaying to the country rhythm and holding flaming lighters overhead, joining him in the refrain:
'If you fail to chat her up,
You had better chat another girl.
Our thoughts are always changing,
Let's enjoy fleeting moments again and again…
SO IN THE WORLD… "All together now…" Lina urged the audience to join in.
In this large wide world,
There are many encounters in this world.
How many times you lost in love?'
You never get tired of love, don't you?
Lina stepped up the pace and turned out a real aerobic workout to a hyped up version of her Exit Running song. She called it: Never, Never Give Up:
Hey hey! Never, never give up!
Everybody wake up!
Life is like a battle…It's a
Lonely way to justice!
Never, never give up!
Everybody face up!
Listen to the voice of your soul!
Filia, Amelia, and Sylphiel added a 'Hey!' shout and a workout dance-routine between refrains that got the crowd to dancing too.
The Slayers were doing well. The audience loved them, their enthusiasm, and their 'heart'. They were having a blast performing to their best abilities, when Lina caught sight of a flash of red, then blue, then… yes! The Suzaku Seven had made it for the last half of the last session. Lina danced over to each of her friends and passed on her message: "Good job. Let's finish this last song and take a break, right?"
"All right! That's it for the Slayers tonight. Give them a big hand for tonight's show! They, ah, deserve a great round of applause for holding the show together for us…We had a bit of car trouble…" Tamahome began apologetically.
Hotohori, who wanted to get the act back on track and turn out some tunes before the place closed, interrupted him, "But… We are the Suzaku Seven and we are here now and ready to sing for you…"
When the show was finally over and they were all back at the hotel, Hotohori came by personally thanking each and every one of the Slayers for their effort which certainly saved the gig from disaster. He was most humble and sincere, even to the point of kissing each of the girls' hands and bowing deeply to the young men. "We owe you a great debt of gratitude which I hope we can…"
"Yeah, yeah, give it a rest," Lina sighed. "Accidents happen. You would have done the same for us, I know. Now, I'm tired and all…yeah, I'm glad it all worked out…'night!"
Ignoring her, Amelia and Xelloss pressed for more details, "What happened to your van?" Amelia asked Chiriko.
"Oh! You MUST let ME tell you," Nuriko wailed. "It was AWFUL! We made a stop at the bank, the auto-teller machine to get some cash, but when I tried to start the engine it made this HORRIBLE sound…"
"Like dropping a bucket of nails from the roof of a house!" Chiriko added colorfully.
"Yes! The engine was running but there was no power steering…" Nuriko continued.
"Or fan or anythin', since it uses a single belt, the 'serpentine', and IT was hanging on the ground," Tasuki added with the knowledge of an expert.
"So… I called a tow truck, rode in the dirtiest seat I'd EVER been in, and waited HOURS for someone to look at the damned van. 'Course he WAS an awfully nice young man…very handsome," Nuriko chuckled while half a dozen kids rolled their eyes.
"It wasn't that bad. I had to ride smashed up against the car door with the handle burin' itself in my side!" Tasuki smirked. "So while he was ogling the mechanic at the shop, I hunted down a van to rent and unloaded AND reloaded our equipment…" Tasuki added.
"Hey, I helped do that too! And I wasn't ogling anyone!" Nuriko admonished his good friend.
"Uh, huh… Right, man. Then I drove back to the bank, picked up the other guys, who had managed to suffer with coffee and rolls from the nearby bakery!" Tasuki shot Tamahome a piercing glance.
"Hey, we woulda got you guys something if we'd known when you'd be back," he defended himself.
"Sure…" Tasuki grinned. "So we go back and get lover boy…"
"I resent that! I was just being nice! Besides, he's giving us a real deal on the price and promised to have it ready for us to drive home in the morning." Nuriko gave Tasuki a warning look, then added, "And all I had to say was 'please'. He would have done it for anyone polite enough to converse with him and…"
"And fawn over his bulging pecs…" Tasuki chuckled. He had an instant's-warning growl from Nuriko before the two came to 'friendly' blows. A little roughhousing did them all a bit of good.
Xelloss explained privately to Amelia that Nuriko was a bisexual transvestite, but didn't pick up strangers, ever. He was devoted to two people in the band, something the others were aware of, but that Tasuki loved to tease him about.
Amelia sat listening wide-eyed at what Xelloss had to say, "He likes boys and girls?"
Xelloss nodded, "Actually, one girl and one man, and he likes to dress like a girl. Kinda odd, right? Amelia, are you okay with this? I know you're an innocent and all but I don't have to treat you like a little kid, do I?"
Flushing with embarrassment she said, "No! No, I was curious about him, but was afraid to ask and sound stupid. Thank you for telling me, Mr. Xelloss. So… you're his friend and partner at the dojo? Does any of that stuff bother you?"
"No. He was my only friend outside of the Slayers for the longest time. He never was bothered by my 'strangeness' and treated me with respect, even though he was several years older. I like him more now that we've all been hanging out together."
"Me too!" Amelia agreed. "He's funny and not so stuffy like some of the other guys. I know he must really miss you as a partner too!"
"Yeah, I'll have to go back and see what's going on some time. Hey, Zelgadiss? Bring over your new guitar. I have a tune in mind."
"Oh? What is it?" Zel asked with interest. "Hey Jude? Sure, I know that one. I was given the Beatles Fakebook with my first guitar. Let's see…You know the words? Fine, then you can sing too…
'Hey Jude, don't make it bad,
Take a sad song and make it better.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Then you can start to make it better.
Hey Jude, don't be afraid.
You were made to go out and get her.
The minute you let her under your skin,
Then you begin to make it better.
And anytime you feel the pain Hey Jude refrain don't carry the world upon your shoulders.
For you know that it's a fool who plays it cool be making his world a little colder'"
…
By the time they reached the refrain the eight Slayers, seven Suzaku singers, plus the four extra kids all joined in singing…
'Da, da, da, da,da,da, da… Hey Jude…'
Dozens of other hotel patrons and employees crowded the hallways to listen, and in a few cases sing along…
'Da, da, da, da,da,da, da… Hey Jude…'
~*~Goodbye #1
"Hey, it's been a super tour this summer, right?" Lina grinned.
Tamahome agreed and Tasuki grinned back, "Yeah, see what happens when two good-lookin' red-heads get together? They make be-uuuu-it-ful music together." He wrapped an arm around Lina's shoulder and batted his eyelashes, not unlike her own flirtatious gesture.
Lina punched him with a cackle and turned to Hotohori to say 'thanks' and 'let's do it again sometime soon.' Gourry thought he'd like to punch that Tasuki fellow too, but a bit harder than Lina had.
Amelia and Miaka were parting with tears and promises to 'get together this summer later' and continue their friendship.
"This has been a great summer tour for us," Tamahome summarized. "I think our bands mesh well and cover for one another in a pinch. I'll let you know when events come up throughout the school year that I'd think we could team up again."
Val nodded as Chichiri wished him well on his upcoming quest to the Ancient Clan lands. "I wouldn't mind going on a quest like that myself, no da!"
Nuriko told Xelloss how much he'd been missed at the dojo, "Come by and say hello after you and Val get back, okay? The Master has a proposition for you, I think, to help out with the beginning students or something non-dangerous."
"Non-dangerous? Is that possible? Tell him I'll think about it, okay?" Xelloss smiled and turned to Chiriko.
"And are you and Amelia friends again? Yes? Good, I wouldn't want a jealous friend to get in the way of a budding young romance…Jealous? Did I say that? Oh, my…Zelgadiss isn't going to like that now, is he? Let's just keep that to ourselves then, what say you, hmmm?"
"B-but… he's a really scary guy, Xelloss! What if he decides to fight with me over her? I mean, if he'd knock someone like YOU out, what do you think he might do to me if I got in his way?" the younger kid asked tremulously.
"To you? I can't imagine…" Xelloss smiled evilly.
"So, what's next for you, Sylphiel? You gonna hook up with your hottie soon?" Yui asked with a sly smile and casting a glance at Xelloss nearby. "'Cause if you're not interested…"
"You have your own hotties to look after!" Sylphiel giggled. "Keep your eyes off mine! Besides, I'm going to Japan in a few days. Yes! My mother, who's really my aunt, you know, takes me every year so I can keep in touch with my relatives there. I get to buy lots of the cutest stuff too! Lina has a huge list of anime for me to get and plushies and I always bring back more fabrics for the kimonos I make and sell each year at the Asian Festival."
"Oh, you are SOOOOOO lucky!" Yui whined.
"You bet she is!" Lina said. "And NEXT year… Xelloss and Zel are gonna splurge on graduation gifts and take us all to Japan, right guys?!"
"Ah…er…" Xelloss began. He hadn't heard this plan yet, but smiled affably and said, "Of course, Lina, whatever you want, fearless leader, …is our command."
"That's right! See? They ARE trainable!" she laughed, joined by all her friends, new and old.
~*~Goodbye #2
"A-and I'll promise to bring you back lots of stuff and send lots of postcards too!" sniffled Sylphiel.
The airport wasn't crowded so the odd assortment of kids drew plenty of attention.
"Did you see the one with the green hair? He'd NEVER get through a metal detector!" someone muttered in passing.
"I hope that freak with the lavender hair doesn't get on MY plane. My God! His ears! Do you think he had that done on PURPOSE?!" exclaimed another.
"Him? Are you sure that's a boy and not a girl?"
"That's the tallest woman I've ever seen… Oh, my… that's a MAN?!"
On the other scale of acceptance, Zelgadiss could also hear: "Oooooo, Momma! It's that rock band I was telling you about! They played with the Suzaku Seven!"
Soon a small cluster of fan-girls and boys swarmed the Slayers begging for autographs and fawning over them. A nice change, Zel thought, as a particularly attractive young lady approached him nervously.
"I don't have anything to write on…" she said, voice wavering with trepidation.
"That's fine. I'll use this…" Zel smiled wickedly as he borrowed her pen and scribbled his signature.
"Oh, GAWD! Laurie, LOOK! He's soooo much handsomer up close. You should see his eyes! Gawd! He IS an elf! He wrote his name on my arm! LOOK! I'll NEVER WASH MY ARM AGAIN! He touched me here, here, and…" she swooned.
"Nice going," Gourry smiled down at his friend.
"Oh, well, I, ah…" Zel blushed and coughed shamefully. "Oh, better look out for Lina over there."
Lina had wandered off to check out the books at one of the numerous vendors. "Crap, all crap! Best sellers and crap! I can write better than this! Just wait until… HUH?"
One of the fan-boys had accosted her. He looked about twelve but towered over her awkwardly like a stork. "You are… the leader of the Slayers, right? Wow, I can't believe I'm talking to you like this! Wait till I tell my friends! Would you sign an autograph for me? Really? You would? Great…cool…I mean, if I had anything…"
Lina snatched up a copy of Anne Rice's THE VAMPIRE LESTAT and wrote, 'From Lina Inverse, buy my book next! Mine will be EVEN better!' "There! Take this!" she smiled.
"Wow!" blushed the boy as he crushed his prize to his chest and looked upon Lina with adulation.
"Hey, ya gotta pay fer that book!" shouted the woman at the stand.
"Oh…" the boy said, clearly dismayed and broke.
"Here, I'll pay for it," Lina snapped, forking over a bill or two in a rare gesture of generosity. "Consider it my investment in the future!" She gave him a wink and sauntered off in search of her group.
"You okay? That kid wasn't buggin' ya or somethin'?" Gourry asked as he snagged Lina's attention.
"Naw, just an autograph hunter. Uh…Gourry? What's this tiny braid doin' in your hair?" she gave him a half-smile.
He looked a bit embarrassed as he explained, "Well, ah, one of the girls over there did that, I guess, while I was busy signin' her friend's diary… or somethin'…"
"Hmm, and caught you unawares? Unlikely. Slippery though-- you, not them. You almost had me convinced," she smirked. "I just know that not much slips past you." Then under her breath she added, "Not if it's right under your freakin' nose…"
"Lina, it's the truth! I wasn't paying attention…" he garbled a bit then blushed. "Sure's nicer than having guys try an' kill us, hey?"
"Isn't THAT the truth!" Lina grinned. "Hey Sylphie! Over there, your mom's wavin' to ya to get in line for boarding!"
"Yes, dear," Nels Lahda agreed. "Time to go. Say your last well wishes now."
"Good-bye everyone!" Sylphiel cried and sniffled some more to each of her friends one in turn. When she reached Xelloss, she drew him into a warm embrace. "Don't forget me, okay?"
"Oh, I don't think I could hardly oomph! " Xelloss' words were cut off when she planted a heartfelt kiss on his lips.
"Ah, that's probably enough, Sylphiel," Lina growled as she helped separate the two kids. "I don't know about Xelloss, but your dad's not gonna forget that…he's about to have a heart attack."
The kids waited until the plane was out of sight before making their way back to the parking lot and 'home'.
"Ah, Mr. Lahda…SIR," Xelloss was dancing alongside the taller man. "It wasn't what you think!"
"Xelloss," Nels Lahda paused. "It's not about what I think anymore, it's about what YOU think and… what you are willing to do about it."
"Do? About…it? Whatever do you mean? I'm not… I haven't…" Xelloss burbled stupidly.
"Good. You just keep it that way then. It should be easy, considering that you two will be a few thousand miles apart for the next few weeks."
Xelloss nodded. At least there was that…
~*~Goodbye #3
"So, Val should be by any minute?" Zelgadiss asked his friend.
"Yeah. At least it didn't take me long to pack!" Xelloss smiled looking down at his nearly empty satchel in one hand and holding his priest's staff in the other.
"We'll all have to go clothes shopping when you get back, for school and all," Zel added. They both stood outside the shrine waiting for Val to come by and pick Xelloss up. "Ah, Val asked if I wanted to join you guys, you know…but I turned him down."
"Yes. Thank you, Zelgadiss. Lina will need you more, I'm afraid. Maybe I can…finish all this and get back in time for that shopping trip, neh? So, what have you got planned for the rest of summer?"
"Well, I'm going to keep up the sword training. Himura is amazing and I'm learning a lot. Lina and Amelia are taking a trip out to Nahga's 'troubled teen center' in Utah. I don't think I'll go, though. You never know when an important call may come," he said knowingly to Xelloss. He was hoping Xelloss would call him for help and not take unnecessary risks. "Also, I'm going to help Gourry work on Val's place. We want it done before school, right?" he asked. To himself he thought, "Please, Xelloss reassure me here that you're PLANNING on coming back!"
"It WOULD be nice to have someplace to live, when we get back," he smiled. "Now be a good friend and ask no more questions and keep our secrets, okay?"
"Of course. Here he comes."
"Hmm? Your ears are good! I don't hear a thing…Say good-bye to Lina and everyone and…don't worry, little brother. I'll come back. I promise."
Val waved goodbye as Xelloss clamored into the front seat. Zel nodded gravely and watched the car disappear down the road to the settlement, where they'd pick up Milgasia and say their good-byes to Filia and her family.
"I won't worry…well, I'll TRY not to…big brother…"
~*~Goodbye #4
Xelloss giggled and handed the squirming little Quinny over to 'uncle' Val, "Careful! He still has a fistful of my hair! Don't puuuuull!"
"Aw, stop yer whinin'! Here, gimme a big good-bye hug and forget that other nitwit… Argh! Thaaaaaaaaaat's an earring ya have there! Let go of it, already! Help Filia!" Val gasped, struggling with the exuberant bundle attached to his head.
"Ah, ha, ha!" Xelloss snorted in blissful joy. "See, you're not so tough either!"
"Ah, boys… We'd better be going if we're going to make it to our first stop by nightfall," Milgasia reminded them gently for the third time.
"That's right! Time to go. And don't you worry about us. I'll see to it that Filia is kept busy until you return!" her handsome cousin smiled.
"I'll bet…" Val grumbled under his breath.
"Good-bye, Xelly-pod," Filia smirked and gave Xelloss a little hug.
Xelloss took advantage of her unguarded moment and kissed her lightly. Before she could push away he whispered into her ear, "I'll watch out for Val and protect him from danger, Filly-poo."
Still puzzling over the meaning of his words, yet angered by his nerve, she remained immobile and simply stared at him. Val felt a lump in his throat. Why hadn't she hit the guy? Why does she let him kiss her like that?
She caught Val's expression, a sudden flash of mixed jealousy and confusion, and then Filia knew what to do. She strode right up to Val and said, "And good-bye, Val. I'm going to miss you a lot around here…" Then to make sure both Julian and Xelloss understood, She wrapped her arms around the lankly punk and pressed her lips to his for a long meaningful kiss. She backed down and sighed, "Lots…Val. Hurry back safely now!"
Milgasia rolled his eyes and literally dragged Val into the car with Xelloss following with his customary smile. "Now, to get your mind off of THAT, I'd like you to take the first turn off the highway to the right…" Milgasia began, explaining the route they would be taking.
Xelloss snickered spasmodically from the back seat, "It'll take more than THAT to get his mind off his first kiss with Filia… that WAS the first, wasn't it? Of course, for me that was the third or…fourth… I've quite lost count!"
Val growled something obscene.
"This is going to be…a very long trip…" Milgasia sighed to himself and watched the row of trees fly by.
~*~Goodbye #5
"Amelia, before you go," Zelgadiss murmured in a voice so low she had to stand very close to hear, "I want to apologize for telling Chiriko those things. I mean, really apologize. I don't want you to go off thinking I'm trying to undermine your friendships with other people."
She nodded, but said nothing. She wouldn't help him out this time. He dug his own grave, now he could just dig himself out all by himself.
"I really don't know why I told him about…yeah…those times…and all. You certainly have the right to… wince go out with whomever you want, even though I happen to think you're too young."
"That's right! I do! You're not my daddy or my brother or my boyfriend!" Amelia agreed. "Just because YOU think you're too good for me doesn't mean you are…"
"What? I never said that I thought anything of the sort, Amelia! I messed up freak like me is lucky to have a… ah… really nice… girl like you as a friend. Really lucky. I-I'd like to have that friend back too. I'd like to make it up to you, if I could think of what to do to regain your respect again, before you go away still mad at me."
"Think harder, Mr. Zelgadiss. Try being honest with yourself. Try thinking with your heart a little. I know you've got a heart and passions. Losing your home twice in a year, your belongings, and nearly your friends—all that has had to have been extremely painful. You nearly tore up one of your friends the other day, so you HAVE feelings and you CAN express some of them…"
"With my fists, sure, Amelia, but I don't know HOW I feel about most things. I worked so hard NOT to feel so I wouldn't keep getting so damned hurt all the time. Now…it is strange. I did like the way you treated me special; it was so surprising, and I never knew how to react! Even then, the way that one guy, Melvin looked at you, or Chiriko… I knew I could never be like that."
"Like what? Be like what?"
"Just… do stuff together and go places together and feel like…like it was more than what it was," he sputtered, unable to articulate whatever was on his mind any more clearly. "It bothered me to think that he could just… do that, just meet you and become your friend and go places with you and become my better replacement, I guess, so easily, I mean."
"No one can replace you, Mr. Zelgadiss. You saved my life in that shrine as it fell down around us. You gave me my first kiss, and only ones—aside from Mr. Xelloss' good-bye one. You are so important to me… that is why you could hurt my feelings so much as well. I admire how you've put your life together after such an awful accident when you were just a kid, and how you've had to deal with the daily reminders of it from strangers. And again, you have to go through trial after trial with messed up families and burned up houses… You are so strong to get through it all and still do good in school and are loyal to your friends and band and all. I-I would have become a basket case a long time ago. I couldn't possibly find a replacement for someone like you. Not in a million years. Just try and get in touch with those feelings of yours and express them more often."
Zel was speechless. He found it very hard to take compliments, but those spoken with such sincerity by someone he KNEW would NEVER lie, by the one someone whose opinion for some uncertain reason actually mattered to him… well, it left him speechless.
"Amelia…"
"Okay, I've got all my stuff packed and ready to go!" Lina crashed the 'moment. "Hey, Zel, you tell Amelia that you're sorry for being such a creep yet? Yeah, well, then, let's go, Amelia. The train to Utah just MIGHT leave on schedule and we need to be on it!"
Gourry followed Lina out of her house looking glum. He had already told her everything he could: have fun, say hi for him…well, almost everything. He had memorized her return time. "Lina? I, uh…" he hesitated.
HONK, HONK!
"Hey, you'll be busy and the time'll go by so fast you'll never miss us," Lina winked at him.
HONK, HONK!
"See? Luna's here to give us that ride, so we gotta go. Bye, Gourry. Zel, if you change your mind and wanna come see Nahga… No, I don't suppose you wanna do that, huh? Heh, heh…last time she was around she couldn't keep her hands off you or Xelloss, right? She probably hasn't seen a decent guy in MONTHS so…"
"Miss Lina!" Amelia cried. "Zel's helping Gourry, remember? Bye now, guys! And…see you in a few weeks!" She smiled and waved to Zel who shyly waved back.
"Bye Amelia," he said. Thank you, Lina, for yet another save…"Have a good time, you guys!" he added to both girls.
Yes, he was blessed with the most amazing assortment of friends, his dear friends, forever… whether or not he deserved them.
~*~ End, Seyruun Summer High Jinx Special, Part Five. ~*~
