Disclaimer: I don't own the Slayers and I don't want to. . .unless someone was eager to have them taken off their hands.

Emily walked silently beside Phil. She was thinking about her mom. When Lina had shoved her away it had really hurt.

Phil glanced at Emily's face. She looked sad. He cleared his throat. "Is something wrong Miss Emily?"

Emily gave Phil a weak smile. "It's nothing that you need to worry about. Thanks for asking though."

"Well Miss Emily, I was trying to point out some of the rarer flowers in the garden to you, but you didn't seem terribly interested." Phil looked a little depressed. "Would you rather be alone?"

"No!" Emily responded a little louder than she had meant to. "I mean, I just have some stuff on my mind. I'll be fine though."

Phil smiled. "That's good to hear." They walked in silence for a moment.

"What's it like to be a prince of one the most powerful kingdoms in the world?"

Phil laughed. "I couldn't really tell you. I try to avoid all the princely stuff whenever I can. My father and grandfather handle all the political aspects of the kingdom."

"So what do you do then?"

"I spend a lot of time studying. I hope to be a powerful sorcerer one day. Like mother and Miss Lina you know?"

"Why's that?"

"Miss Lina's power saved mother from an assassin once. I decided then that I wanted to have the power to protect the weak."

Emily smiled. "That's nice."

"What about you Miss Emily?"

Emily giggled. "Always with the 'Miss Emily'. Aren't you the perfect gentleman?"

Phil blushed a bit. "Well, it's only proper. I mean, what would you have me call you?"

"Just call me Emily, okay?"

"Alright. Well Emily, what is the life of a wandering adventurer like? I'm sure it must be exciting."

Emily looked surprised. "You think so?" She thought for a moment. "Well, I guess it can be exciting. The bandits, monsters, and other villains certainly keep me on my toes." She sighed. "It's not all adventure and excitement though. I've been on the road for a couple years now. Most days you end up scrounging for food and at night you sleep in a leaky tent." She looked up at Phil. "I'd say the worst part is the isolation though. Sometimes you don't get to see anyone for days. That's hard for me. I like meeting people."

Phil nodded. "I know how you feel. I spend most of my time in the palace. I'd love to see the world some day, but father always worries that something would happen if I strayed too far from home. It's hard to have friends when you're stuck in a castle."

Emily shook her head. "If I wasn't free to come and go as I pleased, I'd probably go crazy."

Vance stood atop a wall overlooking the gardens. A couple was walking down one of the paths below. Directly below his location on the wall was the balcony to Lina Inverse's room Prince Edward had given him the keys to the room, but where was the drama in using the door? Smiling he flipped forward and fell two floors to the balcony below. Just before impact, he muttered a small incantation. His talismans glowed and he gently landed. She had left the balcony door open. This would be too easy. Smirking, he entered Lina's bedroom with his sword drawn.

"So tell me Emily, why don't you practice magic? I would think that the daughter of Lina Inverse would be a terribly powerful sorceress."

Emily sighed. "No interest really. Besides, I wanted to step out of my mom's shadow. Do you know what bandits used to scream when I attacked them?"

Phil shook his head.

"Not 'Run for your lives! It's Emily Inverse!' They'd yell, 'Run for your lives! It's the demon spawn of Lina Inverse!' It kinda hurts a girl's feelings you know?"

Phil nodded. "I guess I understand. So that's why you took up the sword?"

"Yep."

Phil chuckled. "A skinny girl like you?"

Emily elbowed him in the ribs. "I'm not that skinny. See?" She flexed a couple times. "See these arms?" She tapped her rather puny bicep. "I can break a man in half with these!"

Phil struggled to hide his laughter.

"Are you laughing at me?" Emily glared at him.

Phil put his hands up defensively. "No! It's just that I had no idea that I was in such. . . dangerous company." That did it. He couldn't hide it anymore and laughed out loud.

Emily tried to keep an angry expression on her face but failed. She giggled.

"You're not going to break me in half are you?"

Emily considered. "No, I guess I'll spare you."

"That's a relief. So, what's the appeal of swordplay?"

Emily sat down on a bench and thought for a moment. "It's hard to explain. At first, I wanted to do it to be like my dad. When he fought, his movements were so graceful."

Phil sat next to her on the bench. "Compared to what?"

Emily giggled. "Well, mom would usually just blow stuff up."

Phil chuckled. "Blow stuff up'? Is that all that you think magic is good for?"

"Uh, Fireball, Flare Arrow, Dragon Slave. Yep. I think that's about it." Emily smiled at Phil.

Phil smiled and shook his head. "No, no, no. I'm afraid that you have no idea of what magic is truly capable of."

Emily looked at him skeptically. "Oh really? I suppose you think you can change my mind?"

"As a matter of fact. . ." Phil made a quick movement with his hand and was suddenly holding a crimson flower. "Behold! Magic!"

Emily laughed. "You pulled that out of the flowerbed behind us. How is that magic?"

Phil smiled as he put the flower behind Emily's ear. "I guess my technique needs a little work huh?" He brushed a strand of hair out of her face.

Emily leaned towards Phil until their faces were inches apart. She whispered, "I don't know about that. It seems to work fine."

Phil leaned in and. . .

"Mom!"

Phil's eyes shot open. "Mom?!' What?" All of a sudden he was airborne and soaring towards a painful looking landing.

From her vantage point in the garden, Emily had seen a man appear on the balcony of her mother's room and enter with a sword drawn. She ran at top speed towards the castle. She called over her shoulder. "Sorry Phil!"

Phil tried to smile but it came out as a grimace. "Ouch! Not a problem Emily. Ow! I'll be right behind you! Ow!" He began the delicate task of dislodging himself from the rose bush that Emily had thrown him into.

Lina was curled up in a ball on the floor caught in her dream.

The voice spoke to her. "Wake up!"

Lina's eyes flew open and she saw a dark shape standing over her. "Lighting!" There was a flash and the shape staggered away from her covering its eyes.

This wasn't how it was supposed to work. Vance tripped over a chair as he tried to see through the spots. He had listened to Lina's breathing for a few minutes before approaching her. He was sure that she was sound asleep a moment ago. He opened his eyes to see Lina duck behind the bed. "You think hiding under the bed is going to save you?" He raised his sword.

"Well actually yeah." Lina ducked down and put her hands on the bed frame. "Bomb Di Wind!"

Vance's eyes widened. "No. . ." He stood there staring as the king sized bed took flight and soared towards his face. Furniture attacks weren't really covered in the bounty hunter handbook.

"So Miss Lina has something to do with this?" Amelia tapped the stone.

Zelgadis nodded. "Apparently. For some reason the stone only reacts to her."

"What do you think it means?" Amelia saw a flash of light through the window of Lina's room. "Did you see that?"

Emily came running up the path. "Mom's in trouble!"

There was a crash as the balcony doors blew off their hinges and Vance went flying over the edge.

Zelgadis and Amelia watched the spectacle for a moment before turning back to their discussion.

Zel sipped his tea. "So what I was thinking. . ."

Amelia nodded. "I agree completely."

Emily stopped running and watched Vance fall several stories into a hedge. "Okay. Maybe she's not in that much trouble."

Phil came limping up and stood beside Emily. He was picking the last of the thorns out of his arm. "Do you think he's alright?"

Emily growled. "Not if I have anything to say about it." She started to walk towards Vance while rolling up her sleeves.

Lina's bed landed on Vance a moment later.

"Oh. Well I think that should do it." Emily looked up to see Lina standing triumphantly on what was left of the balcony.

"Victory!"

"Ugh." Vance shoved the bed off of himself. "Damn it!" He shook his fist at Lina. "I will not be killed in a stupid comedy bit! I'm Vance! Bounty hunter extraordinaire!" Terror replaced the anger on his face. "Son of a. . ." The chair from Lina's room landed on him silencing him.

Lina dusted her hands off. "As I was saying, victory!"

Emily was jumping up and down, cheering her mother on. "Give him one more for me mom! I don't have my sword with me!"

Lina winked at Emily. "Right!" She ran back into her room.

Phil looked somewhat embarrassed as he tried to restrain Emily. "Emily, please calm down." He looked up and his eyes widened.

Amelia walked up next to Emily. "Miss Emily, don't encourage her. Oh my. . ." Amelia was staring at Lina's room with an incredulous look on her face.

Emily's face lit up. She cheered. "Yeah! That'll do it!"

Lina was pushing a heavy writing desk out onto the balcony.

Amelia yelled at Lina. "Miss Lina, please don't!"

Phil looked at Amelia with surprise. "Mother, are you defending the villain?"

Amelia shook her head. "That desk is fifty years old! It's an antique!"

Lina gave the desk one final shove. "What'd you say Amelia? I couldn't hear you!"

Amelia just stared silently as the furniture plummeted to the ground. "Daddy's not going to like this. . ."

Vance groaned. "That could have been. . .worse." He looked up and shrugged. "I was right." A second later, he was crushed under the desk.

Zelgadis shrugged. "Not the most illustrious end for a warrior." He looked up at Lina who was performing a victory dance. "However, fighting against Lina he should have expected it."

Filia was standing next to Zelgadis. "I suppose." She looked at the pile of rubble that covered the bounty hunter. "I'm surprised Miss Lina let him off so easy though."

"Fireball!" The furniture became an instant bonfire.

Zel looked over at Filia. "Well?"

Filia sighed. "That's more along the lines of what I expected."

A little while later, they were all sitting around the table again.

"Feeling better Lina?" Zelgadis looked at her. She seemed to be fully recovered.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I knew I just needed a little nap."

Filia spoke. "So you were asleep when Vance entered the room? Did he make some noise to wake you?"

Lina looked confused. "I don't know. I was dreaming and all of a sudden I knew that I had to wake up." She shrugged. "So I did."

"Anyway Lina, Amelia and I were discussing the Soul Render." Zelgadis pointed to the bag containing the stone.

Amelia nodded. "That's right. Based on what we know, it's safe to assume that you and the stones are somehow connected. They react when you get too close to them, right?"

Lina nodded. "Zel, put that thing away would you?" She stared at the bag nervously.

Zel removed the bag from the table. "What we were trying to figure out was how much of a connection there is. For instance, you remember where the first part was."

Lina nodded. "Yeah, Cruso."

Zelgadis nodded. "Where you had been living for the past couple years. Coincidence?"

Amelia looked at Filia. "Where was the part found that was in the outer world Miss Filia?"

Filia sipped her tea. "Hmm. That is strange. We found it at the site of our battle with Darkstar."

Zelgadis nodded. "And the third one was in Zoana. Lina's been there as well."

Amelia shrugged. "But it doesn't seem to fit the pattern. The first stone was in a place that Lina has lived for several years. The second was at the site of a major battle. Hmm." She looked at Lina. "Miss Lina did anything important happen in Zoana?"

Lina thought for a moment before turning red. "Uh, yeah! That's where we met that crazy Martina."

Amelia frowned. "Well I suppose. . .but that doesn't seem to be a terribly important event."

Emily spoke up. "That's odd. Didn't you say that you had been to Zoana twice before I was born mom?"

"Did anything happen the second time you were there Lina?" Filia smiled at her.

Lina's coughed. "If you must know, that was the first time that Gourry and I were. . . together." She put her head down on the table and muttered, "I can't believe I just told you that."

Amelia smiled. "I didn't know that you met Mr. Gourry in Zoana. What's embarrassing about that?"

Lina stared at Amelia. "You're going to make me spell it out aren't you?" She sighed. "The first time we were intimate was when we were traveling through Zoana."

Everyone turned red. There was a moment of awkward silence around the table.

Zelgadis cleared his throat. "Well, okay. Right. That makes more sense. Every fragment thus far has appeared in a location of emotional importance to you Lina."

Emily scratched her head. "So it should be pretty easy to figure out where the last one is, right?"

Zelgadis snorted. "Last one? In case you hadn't noticed, we have only one fragment in our possession."

Emily glared at him. "I know that! I was just saying. . ."

Lina cut her off. "Knock it off Emily."

Emily frowned. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight."

Phil stood as well. "I'll walk you to your room. Goodnight everyone."

"Let's think about this for a moment. Vance said that the fragment that Filia possessed was supposed to be for the Crown Prince." Lina looked at Amelia. "Care to explain?"

Amelia shook her head. "I don't know anything about it. Edward has a large collection of magical artifacts. It's his hobby."

Lina frowned. "So he has time for a hobby, but he doesn't have time to spend with you huh?"

Filia gasped. "Miss Lina! That's so rude!"

Amelia forced a smile. "Look at the time! I think I'll retire for the evening. I'll see you all in the morning. Goodnight." She hastily left the garden.

Zelgadis stared at Lina. "Subtle as always Lina."

Lina glared at Zelgadis. "Listen, that guy is the biggest jerk that I've ever had the misfortune of meeting. The sooner Amelia realizes that, the better off she'll be."

Zelgadis nodded. "Well, I think that tomorrow I might pay a visit to the Crown Prince. His collection sounds. . .interesting."

Lina grinned. "Try to leave the castle standing will you? With my luck I'd get blamed for it and my reputation is bad enough as it is."

Filia stood and yawned. "I believe that it's about time for me to get to bed."

Lina looked around noticing something for the first time. "Filia, where are Val and the babysitters?"

Filia panicked when she realized that she had left them at the tavern. "I. . .I don't know!" She started to cry. "I'm a terrible mother!"

A plate fell to the kitchen floor and shattered. It wasn't the first time that it had happened that evening.

Gravos sighed. "Damn it Jillas! If you don't stop destroying the dishes, we'll never get this bill paid off!"

Jillas growled. "Well, if you would just hand them to me instead of throwing them we wouldn't have this problem." He pointed to his eye patch. "No depth perception, you know."

Gravos glared at him. "Yeah? Well how come you're able to shoot so well?"

Jillas looked confused. "You know, I have no idea."

They looked at each other for a moment before shrugging and going back to work. In a corner of the kitchen, Val slept peacefully underneath a tablecloth.

Next Chapter: Plots and reconciliations! Also, Pretty Lina's magical history lesson!

Notes: Whew! That was one of the longest chapters I've done in a while. I hope everyone liked it. I'm a little worried that Emily and Phil moved a little too fast in this chapter, but on the other hand, nothing happened right? No harm no foul. Or something like that.

I've done a bit of deep thinking on this story. For better or for worse, it's going to be getting a lot darker. It's kind of sad, but kind of exciting too. The story's already gone off in a direction I never expected. A better one I'm hoping. I'm going to try to keep the humor in it, but the story probably isn't going to have a happy ending. Consider yourselves warned.

Thanks for reading! I hope to see everyone at the end of the story that's read this far. I'd hate for anyone to miss how it turns out.