Authors Notes: hehehehe... I was going to wait to put this story up... but I'm bored now and I feel like putting it up... hope you peeps like mi Slayers Fanfic! :) read and review! Oh, this is but the first chapter of many, so be easy, plot does develope... :) slowly... as always... anyway...
Small minor note... the dreaded 's' word is used once in this chapter... if you find this offensive, gomen nasai... if you don't find this offensive... um... ^__^ read on!!!
Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or any of the Slayers characters (drat... me want Zel-kun...)

She stood silently, the wind sweeping through her deep violet hair, her eyes, closed in concentration. Her white cloak, which covered her entire body, wavered slightly, it's gold and purple trimmings shinning in the dawn's light. Her golden boots stood right at the edge of a high cliff... and she remained silent...
After taking a deep breath, the girl opened her eyes and looked deep into the sunrise before her, her profound remorse escaping through the gateway to her soul. "It's going to happen again..." she said in a broken whisper. "He'll be getting involved because of me... He's going to be in danger again... because of me..."
Thoughts raced through her mind of what she would be doing, wondering if it was right. She had a rage inside her that had been building up for longer than she knew... a secret hatred that she wanted to unleash and only now did she have the chance...
But she doubted herself...
Perhaps not herself... but the reasons why... Why had she wanted such sweet revenge upon the man? Why even bother with him? He didn't give a second thought about her... So why did she want to kill him? To make sure he DID give a damn about her?
An image passed through her mind and a sigh escaped her lips. She knew the only way to answer the questions that lay deep in her mind was to find him... he would help her to satisfy her urge for killing... Yet... she didn't want to hurt him...
"Zelgaddis Greywards..." she whispered, her words being whipped away by the wind. She took a deep breath and swallowed her worries, her violet eyes growing stern. "Forgive me for bringing you into my world again... But this is something I have to do..."
With that the girl, pulled up her hood and wrapped the cloak tightly around her body and walked away from the cliff.

Episode 1: Another Beginning! One Of Those Days!

It was a peaceful day in town, the town folk scurried back and forth, doing their usual duties; the baker selling his goods, the tailor hard at work creating his latest masterpiece, the mother's ushering their children to be more careful when playing. In the eastern sky, the sun rose high above them, illuminating the town in a bright glow.
Birds flew in the sky, enjoying the start of the day, filling the air with sweet morning tunes. A pair of brown boots, foreign to this town, trampled casually across the sand covered ground with even stride. The edges of the man's sand colored pants showed their age and were slightly tattered, as did the edges of his long sleeved shirt of the same dusty color.
His hand, half covered by fingerless sand colored glove, held the hilt of his sword lightly as it swung from it's place attached to his black belt that hung off his hips. His cape that fell to his feet, trailed behind, wavering in the soft breeze. Holding up the sand colored cape was a sand colored shawl that went only half way down of his upper arm.
A dusty colored hood hung over his head, and a mask hide his face. The blood red gem that held his cloak on, shimmered brightly in the morning's light. Pieces of silvery lavender hair fell into his face. And his skin... If one looked close enough... they could see that his skin wasn't the color of normal human flesh... It had a light blue shade and covered in darker pieces of rock scattered over his skin. The skin had been... a gift from his great grandfather... though the man thought of it as a curse... He was a chimera...
The young man stopped and looked over the small town as he entered the main road, shops on either side. Children played innocently in the streets while the parents bought their groceries. Young women chattered and looked through the window at the clothes the town tailor was selling. As for the young boys, they were watching the young girls and making comments about each one.
The cloaked man frowned, giving a sigh and pulling out something from his pocket. He held the envelope, flap towards him and looked down at the golden seal. It was the seal of the royal family of Seryuun. He had run into the young, black haired princess a few weeks back while passing through. At the time she was in the middle of giving proper 'punishment' towards two thieves that had stolen some apples from the market place... 'Punishment' meaning that she was giving them a nice long lecture on 'the rewards of goodness'...
She had smiled once she saw him and the usual greetings followed, the man making few statements to tell how he was, and her talking excitedly on how good it was to see him once again, inviting him to the castle, asking how long he planned to stay. This pleasant greeting had lasted no longer than an hour when the princess asked a favor of him...

"Zelgaddis-san... You're going to be back out traveling again soon, right?" she asked as her bright smile faded into a dismal frown. The man nodded, his hood and mask were pulled off as the two talked in the garden of the palace, his brittle hair spiking out and his strange blue eyes watched the princess.
"That's right Amelia..." he replied. "Why do you ask?"
Amelia fidgeted some. "A matter of importance has come up but I can't leave the kingdom at my father's request..." she muttered.
"What's wrong?"
"I can't exactly tell you... it's supposed to be a secret so the people don't get concerned..." she said in a soft, worried tone, looking down at her feet. Zelgaddis crossed his arms and frowned.
"Then why'd you bring it up if you can't tell me?"
"I need you to find Lina-san..."
A moment of silence and Zelgaddis' eyes grew wide.
"I finally get rid of her and you want me to find her again?!" he asked, half sarcastic yet a bit annoyed. Amelia looked up at him and gave a small smile.
"Trust me on this one Zelgaddis-san," she said. "I have a letter for her to summon her and Gourry-san here so we may talk in person. Once you bring her back here I will tell all of you at once what I can't tell you now..."
Zelgaddis frowned and gazed up at the blue sky and watched the clouds pass by over head as he thought.
"So will you do this for me Zelgaddis-san?" the princess asked, her smile faltering as she watched him for any signal that he would do it.
The man lowered his gaze and nodded. "I'll do it..."

A ball suddenly bounced off the cloaked man and fell into his hands. The texture felt odd in his stone like hands and he looked up to see two children run up to him hesitantly. The man gave the two a warm smile and tossed the ball gently to one. The two smiled back at him and ran off to play again, their laughter filling the air with a sweet song.
But the sweet songs of laughter were suddenly interrupted...
"GOURRY!! THAT'S MY PIECE OF BACON! EAT YOUR OWN!"
"But Lina-san... I'm done with my breakfast and I'm still hungry..."
"I DON'T CARE! I NEED MORE NUTRITION THAN YOU ANYWAY! I'VE STILL GOT A LOT OF GROWING TO DO!"
The townsfolk looked up silently at the screaming, making a few whispers. Zelgaddis frowned, looking towards the tavern, where the scream had come from, then flipping the envelope over to see the words 'Lina Inverse' in neat cursive. With a sigh of exasperation, he began trudging slowly towards the inn.
"I SAID NO GOURRY!" the red haired sorceress said as she held the piece of bacon away from him. The blonde haired swordsman frowned and reached for the bacon again.
"But I'm starving Lina-san! You ate all the food we had on the road!" he protested. Zelgaddis watched them in exasperation from the inn's doorway, wondering if he'd be labeled as 'weird' if he joined them... They always did know how to get attention...
Through his eyes they looked exactly as they did the last time he saw them. The sorceress, Lina Inverse still wore her magenta shirt with the yellow center and the white trimmings on the edges, and those nearly red pants with the yellow top. She still wore the black head band to keep her hair out of her eyes and still wore the gray boots and gloves that were lined with jewels. And on across her hips were the two black belts, one of which holding her dagger. She did not wear her black armor and cape this morning, though Zelgaddis presumed they were still in her room.
The swordsman, Gourry Gabriev, still had his unbelievable long blond hair that fell into his eyes. His black armor must have been left in his room as well for now he wore a blue shirt with short black sleeves and his blue pants. On his feet were the same black boots that reached his knees and those same black, fingerless gloves that covered his hands.
"Now is this your fifth meal this morning or your sixth...?"
Both Lina and Gourry froze at the sound of the voice. Slowly, their heads arched towards the doorway where Zelgaddis stood. The swordsman forgot about the piece of bacon and smiled at the cloaked man. "Zelgaddis!" he cried happily, waving. The sorceress took this opportunity to shove the bacon in her mouth, then turned to Zelgaddis and waved high.
"Zelgaddis-san! Long time no see!" she cried. "Come on over!" The chimera walked over and greeted the two.
"How have you been, Zelgaddis?" she asked giddily, nearly as the princess had when she saw him. "It's been centuries!"
"Actually only a year..."
"Well a lot can happen in a year!" the sorceress protested, propping her head into her hand. "So what brings you into town? Still searching for a cure to your chimera-ism?"
Zelgaddis pulled a letter from his cloak and tossed it onto the table before Lina before crossing his arms and taking a seat. "Actually... For now I'm acting as a messenger..." he answered.
Lina blinked at the envelope and picked it up carefully. "Seryuun?" she asked, looking over the seal. "Must be from Amelia..."
"What's it say?" Gourry asked, leaning over to see it. Lina frowned.
"I haven't opened it yet!"
"Amelia would have delivered it herself, but for the moment, she's prohibited from leaving the castle..." Zelgaddis explained. Lina frowned and turned back to the letter, opening it and glancing over it quickly.
"Well...?" Gourry asked, leaning over again, Lina pushed him back with her hand while continued reading.
"She wants us to come to the castle..." she muttered, reading over the letter again. "Sounds pretty important... have any idea why, Zelgaddis?"
The chimera shook his head. "She wouldn't tell me..."
"Well if she wouldn't tell you it's gotta be a really big secret..." Lina said, setting the letter down and leaning back in her chair. "Something only I would be able to handle..." The sorceress reached over and grabbed her drink, sipping it proudly.
"Maybe they found someone to blame for all those recent food shortages..." the chimera mused with a smirk. The sorceress chocked on her drink as her eyes snapped open at Zelgaddis' comment. She slammed the drink down and gave him a long cold glare.
"You had better be kidding about that..."
"So Lina!" the swordsman said, smiling, not understanding the true meaning behind Zelgaddis' joke. "When do we leave for Seryuun?"
Lina relaxed once more, a smile spreading across her face. "We can leave first thing tomorrow..." she replied. Zelgaddis raised an eyebrow.
"What's wrong with today? It's barely after dawn..." he muttered. Lina gave a smile.
"I've got some business to take care of!" she said. "I've heard some many legends about the weapon's shop they have in this town! And Gourry's been needing a new sword!"
"Still looking for another Hikari no Ken I see..." Zelgaddis muttered.
"Not exactly a Hikari no Ken..." Lina replied with a smirk. "From what I've heard, I can get him swords more powerful than that..." Zelgaddis raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah! Some weird old guy told us about a sword called the sword of sanity!" the swords man said brightly... well... smart sounding for him anyway...
"Actually... it's called the Sword of Sanctifications..." Lina corrected. "I've heard that this is the only place that they sell it..."
Zelgaddis nodded and got up from his seat. "Well you take care of that business... Just don't kill anyone..." he replied, turning away from the table and beginning to exit the tavern. Lina frowned as she watched him.
"And what did that mean?!" she asked angrily. When receiving no reply, her anger faded. "Hey... where are you going?"
The chimera turned back to Lina and Gourry. "I've got my own business to attend to..." he replied, before exiting and disappearing down one of the alleys.
"Well... that was awfully rude..." the sorceress muttered.

She watched silently as she saw the cloaked man ducked into an alleyway. The purple haired girl blinked, a bit surprised. "Now who might that be?" she thought out loud, watching where the man had disappeared with curiosity. "Stranger in town... I might have to say hello..." A smirk played on her lips.
"Airia..."
The girl's smirk vanished and her purple eyes darted to her side, looking up at the proud, silent man behind her, his dirty brown hair falling casually into his face, beard gently tickling his chest, his cold blue eyes watching the girl.
"Yes papa?" she asked, almost silently.
"Where were you?" His voice was stern, as it always was, sending chills of trepidation throughout the young girl's body.
"I was at the cliff-side..." she replied in a soft tone.
"Doing what?"
"Watching the sunrise..."
He gave a deep chuckle, a dark smirk showing under his brown mustache. "You and your sunrises..." he muttered. "Get to work... today's your last day on the job... I don't want you slacking off..."
Airia gave a deep sigh, slightly exasperated. "Yes papa..." There was a hint of mockery in her tone, but not enough for him to detect as he turned and began to walk off towards his shop. She watched him as he left, and once inside the doors of his shop, she rolled her eyes.
She gave one last look towards where she had seen the cloaked man disappear. "Well... Lucky you..." she whispered. "I guess my greetings will have to wait..."
"So where are we going again?"
"For the FIFTIETH TIME!!! THE WEAPONS SHOP!!!"
Airia groaned as she heard the twosome's yells from within the inn, the same two that had been fighting earlier about... what was it? Oh yes... Bacon... "Weapons... shop?" she repeated, her eyes slowly inching towards the shop where her father had entered and gave another long groan as she read the sign that hung from the store window.
'Krag's Weapons Shop'
The third groan within a minutes time as she slowly began dragging herself towards her father's shop. "This is going to be a VERY long day..." she muttered.

It was only minutes later that the swordsman and the sorceress entered the weapons shop greeted by a woman who stood behind the clerk's desk. She smiled a pleasant smile. "Good morning sir, good morning miss... How may I help you today?"
Lina Inverse gave the girl a look over before speaking. It was always good too see just who you were bargaining with so you could get a better deal for rare and expensive items. Her conclusion... she had no idea who the girl was...
She looked decent, Lina noted, not the kind of person you'd normally see selling weapons. Her exceptionally long purple hair was pulled back into a high pony-tail by a golden ribbon. Her purple eyes seemed to hold a thousand untold stories of tragedy, happiness, betrayal, and love, yet seemed to conceal all behind a layer of glass.
She wore an outfit that reminded the young sorceress of an outfit she had seen a certain Mazoku wear... Though it had many differences... For example, it was an entirely white base. Her shirt was styled differently, having a high neck that was tied together by golden strands that decorated down the front. Her shawl that went midway down her upper arm, was a white color as well and decorated with a golden stripe and purple diamonds on the bottom.
Her sleeves were long white as well, holding no special designs at the edges, and she wore no gloves, exposing her delicate fingers and almost perfect nails. Her white pants were mostly covered by a white skirt that nearly reached her ankles, having large slits on either side lined with purple trim and a belt to tie it off with golden ropes hanging down the center. To add to this outfit, was a long golden cloak, or cape if you use such terms, with purple linings, and finishing the outfit off was a pair of sleek golden boots.
Shifting in the uncomfortable silence, the girl watched Lina carefully herself. "My name is Airia..." the girl said at last. "My father owns the store and I work for him..."
Lina frowned, but went along with business anyway. Considering the girl looked no older than nineteen and appeared as if she had never been in the outside world, making a good deal might be easier than she first thought. Her frown transformed itself into a smirk. "I'm looking for a sword..." Lina answered simply.
"What a shock..." Airia muttered under her breath, unheard by Lina. The girl forced her smile back into place. "We have swords of many varieties... Nearly one of every kind! I'm sure our selection will please you. What kind of sword were you looking for?"
The sorceress was about to reply when the blonde haired swordsman intervened. "Got a Hikari no Ken?" he asked, having some hope in his eyes. Airia flinched slightly, giving a small sigh, though continuing to smile.
"Nearly everything EXCEPT that..."
"Drat..."
"Gourry... Let me do the talking..." Lina muttered. Airia's gaze turned from the swordsman to Lina, then back to Gourry, then finally deciding that Lina would answer her questions better than the dimwitted one could.
"Whose the sword for?" she asked.
"Him..." Lina replied.
"They why isn't he the one doing the talking?"
Gourry, who had now lost interest in the conversation, turned his attention towards a rack of swords that rested against one of the walls. He reached for the first one and pulled it from the rack rather quickly... a bit TOO quickly... As the sheathed sword was jerked from it's holding place, the end of it knocked against the next sword, which toppled over, hitting the next one... and the next one... and the next... and the next... and the next... and so forth...
"Forget I asked..." Airia said as she looked at the result of a sword's version of dominoes, extending from the back of the shop where Airia, Lina and the surprised Gourry stood, all the way back to the entrance... "Well..." the purple haired girl said, trying to look on the better side. "That's ONE way to clear a sword display..."
"Gourry! You idiot!" Lina scolded. The blonde haired man shouted apologies as he scrambled to pick up all the swords and clean the mess. Lina shook her head and gave an exasperated sigh before turning back to Airia. "Anyway... As for the kind of sword I'm looking for..."
Airia gave a small smirk, watching the dimwitted swordsman for a few moments before turning back to Lina. "What is this sword called?"
"It's a sword that only legends speak of..."
Airia was right... this WAS going to be a long day...
"Does it have a name...?"
"Course it does... It is rumored to be quite powerful I hear... and only you have it..."
Why does every have to take the long way around? Why can't they just get to the point?
"We have many rare and powerful swords... but for the third time... I need a NAME!"
"Sword of Sanctifications..."
"...Oh... That... Sword..."
"Do you have it?"
Airia took a deep breath, and letting loose a deep sigh. "Yup..." she replied simply. "Follow me..." The girl reached under the desk and pulled out a silver key that was hidden in the roof of the desk, making her way towards the back room door. "I really must warn you... it's not exactly a safe sword to be using..."
Lina followed slowly. "So I've heard..." the sorceress replied, her red hair trailing slightly behind her as she stopped to wait for Airia to finish unlocking the door.
"It isn't cheap either..."
"I'm sure we can reach an agreement..."
Gourry, whom at the moment was holding about fifty swords all at the same time as he attempted to fix the sword display, looked up as he saw Lina and Airia heading into another room. "Oi! Lina!" he cried, flinging the swords behind him before jogging over to them.
-BAM!-
-CRASH!-
Airia winced slightly, not daring to look behind her to see what damage the guy had done this time. Lina, who had faced countless dangers, did have the courage and was standing, eyes practically popping out of her head, mouth dropped to the ground, looking over the destruction her companion had caused. "G-Gourry..." was all she managed to say, trying to suppress her anger.
The young girl finally got up the courage to look over her shoulder and released all her stress with an exasperated sigh. "I can deal with the fact he knocked yet another entire wall display of swords... But you WILL be paying for that window..." she muttered, staring blankly at the sorceress and swordsman. She gave a glance at the shattered window and the mess of swords scatter across the floor and winced. "Papa's going to kill me..."
The girl suppressed her fears of the long lecture she knew she'd be getting later that evening, and opened the back room door and stepped back, waiting for the two to enter. "Customers first..." she said, forcing a smile. "And don't touch anything..."
Without another word, the swordsman and the sorceress entered the room, and stood there, gawking. The room was nearly twice as large as the previous room, swords and other weapons such as bow and arrows, hanging against the wall in glass cases, and lined up in rows in the center of the room, also covered in glass. Airia glanced at their shocked faces and smiled.
"Some of the most powerful weapons of the world are kept under my father's roof..." she explained, taking a few steps forward, her footsteps echoing across the wooden room. Lina shook her astonishment away.
"Have you ever tried any of them?" Lina asked as she and Gourry slowly started to follow her through the large room. Airia stopped suddenly and jerked her head around, almost angrily.
"Are you nuts?!" she asked, slightly livid.
Lina gave a nervous laugh. "I guess not... It would bring down the market price I guess..." she muttered through her fake smile. Airia smiled herself.
"I didn't mean it *that* way..." she replied, turning back around and walking towards the end of the room. "I haven't tried *some* of them... I've tried *all* of them..."
Lina stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide in disbelief, Gourry almost falling on top of her trying to stop himself. "All of them!?" she asked, astonished. Airia turned back curiously, stopping her own treading to wait for Lina to finish. "But to use swords like these require great mental control! For some of them, great magical capability! How could try ALL of them?!"
Airia gave a mysterious smirk, her eyes sparkling with mischievous play. She slowly began raising a single finger to her lips. "Sore wa... himitsu desu!"
Had Airia known Lina's sensitivity towards those words, she would have thought twice about saying them... But being she had never met Lina, she said them without worry... for the first few seconds a least... Once she saw Lina start fuming silently, whispering words under her breath, her perkiness faded quickly.
"Um... Is something wrong...?" the girl asked, voice quivering from nervousness. Lina did not reply, though she continued muttering under her breath as the fires of pure rage grew inside her. The swordsman knew these words well and began to grow edgy as Lina continued.
*"Darkness beyond twilight... crimson beyond blood that flows..."*
"Lina! That's the Dragu Slave!"
"No kidding Gourry!"
*"Buried in the stream of time..."*
"Um... I wouldn't use magic in here..." Airia said, her eyes wide as she took a few steps back. Her gaze darted away from the temperamental sorceress, falling upon the swords, only to dart back quickly.
"Now..." Lina started, feeling the energy gather at her fingertips. "Are you saying that to save your own hide?" Airia shook her head.
"No... I'm completely serious... some of these swords can bounce off magic..." Airia said, still rather nervous. "And if you happen to hit some of those swords at the exact same time, you'll be running away from your own Dragu Slave..."
Lina blinked, stopping her own chanting and letting the energy she collected to fade away. "Is that so..." she asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. The purple haired girl gave a deep sigh of relief before nodding in reply.
"And to answer your question previous... I'm a trained sorceress..."
Okay... so Airia was lying through her teeth... Sort of... Deep inside Airia knew that the chances of her ever meeting up with Lina and Gourry again were slim to nil. So telling only half truths suited her just fine...
Lina frowned and nodded, only really half believing the girl in front of her. Airia smiled before turning back around and beginning back down the hallway of weapons. "Now... Sword of Sanctifications was it?" she asked.
Lina nodded before her and Gourry began following once again. "So what kind of price range are we looking at...?" the red haired sorceress asked. Airia paused, looking at a case full of swords in front of her before arching her head back and smiling.
"I'm sure we can reach an agreeable price... for *both* parties..." She emphasized the 'both' because she had a vague idea of what this Lina (as she was called) girl was like. She was the kind of traveling sorceress that thought she could get her way by sticking fear into those selling the items she wanted (good guess...). But to be honest, Airia did not feat this Lina at all, though she herself struggled with the Dragu Slave spell...
Lina got the feeling that Airia was no push over from her words. So it wouldn't exactly be as easy as she thought... But still... Lina was Lina... and she would get a good price... Lina gave a side long glance at Gourry and practically jumped out of her skin as she saw him reaching out to grab one of the swords. She slapped his curious hand away harshly.
"Ow Lina... what was that for?" Gourry asked, rubbing his hand slightly.
"Don't touch anything..." she hissed. The swordsman lifted his hands up.
"Okay! I'm sorry! I won't touch anything!"
The creaking sound of something being opened paused the fight and both turned curiously to Airia, who now stood a few more feet down the isle, opening one of the cases. Interested, the two walked over slowly as the tall (well shorter than Gourry, but towered over Lina) girl pulled out a sheathed blade, studying it over, before turning back to the two customers.
"The Sword of Sanctifications..." she said, walking a few steps closer and held it out to Gourry. "You are the one whom this is for right?"
Gourry nodded slowly and took the sword carefully into his hand. Lina blinked. "But we haven't paid..." she muttered. "We haven't even discussed how much this is going to cost!"
Airia turned to Lina and smiled as Gourry continued to study the sheathed sword. "You can't fit a sword to a person, but a person can fit a sword..." she said simply, course even that left both Lina and Gourry blinking in confusion. She tried again. "Father and I never sell swords unless the person whose buying the sword likes the feel of it..."
Gourry smiled, understanding some of what she had said. "So I get to test try it?" he asked, almost giddily. Airia nodded.
"For two hours..." the girl continued. "There's a forest next to the town, you can go and practice there if you like. Get a feel for it, see if it suits you. If not, come back and look at the other swords... then when you find one you like, we can talk about prices..."
Lina blinked as Gourry beamed. "Aren't you afraid that someone will run off with one of your swords?" she asked. Airia shook her head.
"We place tracking spells on all of them..."
"What if they tried to dispel the tracking spell?"
An evil smile spread across Airia's face as she leaned down to get eye to eye with the red haired sorceress. "Do you want to know what happened to the *last* person who tried that?" she asked, her eyes showing the slightest glint of madness.
Lina gulped and laughed nervously. "Uh... no thanks..." she stuttered out. Airia did not move, continuing to stare down Lina.
"Were you... *implying* something by asking those questions?"
"N-no! Of course not!"
All the evil and madness faded in an instant and was replaced by an unmistakable smile. "Good!" she said blissfully. "Now you got two hours! I'll be waiting here!"
Lina gave a huge sigh, mixed with relief and exasperation. This girl reminded her faintly of someone... but who she couldn't put her finger on... Not wanting to question the thought any more, she and Gourry left the shop, leaving Airia alone once again.
The taller sorceress watched the two leave, laughing slightly as she heard Lina yell at Gourry for saying something stupid the moment they walked outside. Her smile faded slowly into wonder as she turned back to the sword case she had left open.
Curiously, she walked over, looking into it once more, her eyes falling upon one sword in particular... The only one of the swords that suited her, and probably only her... It fit her needs, and made her job easier than ever... It was called...
"The Blade of Diablos..."
Airia jumped as the man behind her spoke. She then smiled once more and turned around to greet the man cheerfully. "Hello papa..." she said, as the man behind her smiled back. He lifted one of his strong hands and gave Airia a pat on the head.
"You're doing well in your business skills," he commended, his blue eyes twinkling as he lowered his hand back to his side. "I have high expectations for you..."
"You don't want me to leave, yet... do you?" she asked, her smile melting into curiosity. The man's own smile faltered, watching her through his eyes, restless blue like the sea.
"No father wants to give up their daughter to the world... But it's the only way for you to find out your place in life..."
"I will make you proud papa..."
The man smiled, closing his eyes before beginning to walk towards the exit of the room. "I have no doubt of that..." he mused aloud. He paused before leaving, turning his head to the girl slightly. "By the way... how *did* the interview with our client go?"
"Well enough..."
"Isn't it in our client's plan for you to go find... oh what was his name?"
"Zelgaddis Greywards... I am to find Zelgaddis..."
"Right right... Do enjoy yourself... I'm sure this will prove quite interesting..." he said, moving some of his brown hair out of his face. "By the way... The Vendir Boys are back in town... you mind taking care of them?"
"Well that depends... Can I use the Diablos Blade?" A smirk spread across her lips, knowing she would get what she wanted.
"It is really your choice now... It now officially belongs to you after all..."
Airia's smile grew wider as she pulled the sheathed sword from the case and began sprinting towards the back window where her father had snuck in from. Securing the sword to her belt, she grabbed the upper part of the window and began to hoist herself out. She paused suddenly, remembering one tiny detail...
"AIRIA! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SWORD DISPLAYS! ARGH! MY WINDOW!"
A nervous laugh escaped her lips as she slipped out of the open window and into the outside. "I'll have to explain that later..." she mused with an uneasy look on her face. She put aside her fears of the later scolding and began running down the streets and alleyways of the town rather quickly.

A blade sliced quickly through a tree, hacking the thing directly in half, the upper falling helplessly to the side. Gourry smiled, bringing the sword back to eye level, studying it's surface for probably the thousandth time. It appeared like a plain sword, the blade looking of regular steel, the hilt being made of darker metal wrapped in black leather, decorated in an powerful looking style.
But it was more than an ordinary sword... Not only was it rather light in weight, but it sliced through the air with unmistakable speed... And it didn't stop there... Trees appeared like air to him as he swung this sword... It was defiantly quite powerful...
His fingers traced both hilt and blade alike, memorizing it's every curve, every crack, every change in design. What caught his attention most was they pentagram on the bottom of the hilt. He paused curiously and turned back to Lina, who sat under a tree, munching on some snacks she had brought and looking on the verge of sleep.
The tall man took a few steps over to her. "Lina?" he asked. The girl opened her cute red eyes and blinked inquiringly at the symbol on the sword that Gourry was pointing to. "Isn't that the same symbol that Amelia has on her blue gems?"
"Good observation Gourry, it is," Lina answered, smiling. "It basically means it is something of holy essence..."
"So this is a holy sword?"
"Yup..."
"But I don't see any holes..."
Lina tried to refrain from screaming at him for his stupidity, but settled from a hard slam against the top of his head. "Not that kind of holy... It means it's blessed with the powers of Cepheed..." she grumbled through her teeth, straining to keep calm. Gourry groaned, now on the forest floor rubbing his head.
As he got up, he knew changing subject would be a good idea. "So where's Zelgaddis?" he asked quizzically. "I haven't seen him in a while..."
Lina's anger faded slightly. "Who knows... But with him? Probably about waist deep in trouble..."

Lina wasn't wrong either... Maybe over exaggerated just a bit... but not wrong... Zelgaddis stood, hood and mask no longer covering his face, his cold eyes darting at the figures that surrounded him. Ten of them, all holding swords preparing to slice his throat if he gave them trouble.
"Monster..." one of the spat. The chimera twitched, but gave no inkling of moving. "What do you think your doing here? This is our territory!"
Zelgaddis remained quite calm. He was used to this treatment... It only happened in every other town he visited... so this wasn't new... "I'm just passing through..." the chimera answered, looking sternly at the man who appeared to be the leader of these ruffians.
"Yeah right..." one of the others snickered. "Your probably just saying that so you can come and slit our throats when we're not expecting it!"
"Well... *That* would be an* easier* punishment then the one **I had in store for you..."
All ten bandits froze in recognition of the voice... It was a voice that had haunted their dreams turning them into horrid nightmares. The voice that had sent them running away screaming the last time they dared to challenge her.
Zelgaddis frowned curiously and looked up to the side wall of the alley to see a girl, close to his own height, with long purple strands of hair falling down from a ponytail, her deep purple eyes watching the bandits carefully. Wearing white robes with gold and purple decorations, she seemed perfectly at ease, holding the hilt of a sword tied to her golden belt.
Now where had he seen her before?
The girl's smile grew wider, seeing, and *feeling* the fear that emanated from the bandits. "Nice to see you again Vendir boys..." she said with a smooth, serene voice.
"Oh shit!" one of the younger bandits cried. "It's Airia the Terrible!"
Airia face faulted, a sweat drop slinking down her head. "I'm not *that* bad! ...Am I?" she asked. The leader of the thieves turned to point his sword towards the girl who still sat calmly upon the high wall.
"You will pay for what you did to us last time!" he cried, then eyed her tapping her fingers against the hilt of her sword. He felt his confidence slowly leave his body. "Um... What's that...?" His voice was now quivering. "You didn't have a sword last time..."
Airia smiled then looked down at her sword carefully. "Oh this thing? My papa gave it to me!" she said brightly, tossing some loose strands over her shoulder before rising to her feet. "But really Vendir boys... Discrimination is not something I allow... you know that..."
Zelgaddis blinked, the girl getting one of those starry eyed looks that he had seen Amelia get every time she was about to do a justice speech... which meant...
"Branding things evil just by their race and appearance is unjust and unfair! I will not let you escape unpunished for such an unjustly deed!" she cried, balling her hands into fists and giving a look of pure determination.
The thieves were no longer filled with fear, more like exasperation as sweat drops slinked down their own heads. One of the skinnier ones (actually pretty much all of them were shrimps...) stepped forward curiously. "Since when do you give justice speeches?" he asked.
Airia's determination left and she gave a long, tired sigh, rubbing her head as if she had a headache. "Since I drank one to many cups of papa's special tea..." she said, frowning with thought. "That stuff does wonders for depression..."
"I take it's worse when the person who drinks it is already 'Happy-Go-Lucky'..." one muttered. Airia smiled brightly.
"How'd you guess?"
With that the girl jumped from the wall and landed neatly on the ground, taking a strong grip on the golden hilt with her right hand. Her eyes narrowed, pleased with the thought of fighting as each of the ten prepared to do battle against the 'terrible' Airia.
"We'll deal with you later..." the leader said, eyeing Zelgaddis, who still stood with no interest in leaving just yet.
"Now now Denifar..." the girl said, addressing the leader. "Don't make promises you know you can't keep... You'll be dead before *this* battle is over..." With that, the girl drew her sword, the deep purple gems that lined the base of the sword sparkled in the early sunlight. And the blade... black steal... surged with power of it's own wickedness.
"Which is why we've got a plan of our own!" the leader said proudly. "Boys! It's time for plan 'R'!" All of them nodded
"What's plan 'R'?" Airia asked, smirking with complete confidence as she watched the leader carefully, looking for a possible weakness. The leader took a deep breath.
"RUN!"
And that they did! The group of ten dropped their swords, screaming with pure fear out of the alley and through the town, trying to get as far away as possible. Airia and Zelgaddis were left blinking in confusion.
A smile crept onto Airia's face and no more than a moment after the screams disappeared, she burst out in loud laughter. The chimera returned his gaze to the laughing girl who was practically going into tears.
"They get funnier every YEAR!" she cried, trying her best to stop laughing long enough to put her sword back in it's holder.
"Every year?" Zelgaddis asked, inquisitively. Airia smiled, looking up at him, still trying to hold back the upsurge of laughs.
"Yeah! Their the town goofballs if you want to call them that! They couldn't steal candy from a baby, they're that bad!"
"So what was with the threats?"
"For a laugh! I wasn't actually going to kill them..." she said, finally being able to suppress her laughter enough to get the sword back to it's place. She turned away from the chimera still smiling and began to make her exit. "I only kill when I have to..."
Familiarity of those words filled his head... Where had he heard that? And suddenly, it snapped, sending waves of anger rolling through him.
"That's the motto of most assassins..."
He didn't regret saying that. What he regretted was saying it loud enough so she would hear. The girl froze in her tracks, her eyes wide, smile now faded. She could hear her own heart beat as it's beating increased greatly.
Zelgaddis remembered her now... and wished he didn't. "Airia Metain..." he hissed. Slowly, Airia turned around, her own anger rising in her body at the fact that someone had recognized her, whom she didn't know.
Or did she?
Her eyes snapped to their widest stage as she looked into the man's eyes. It couldn't be him! He wasn't supposed to be here! Not now! With what was left of her rapidly decreasing courage, she managed to stutter out his name. "Zelgaddis Greywards..."
"Glad to see you remember me..." the chimera growled. Airia was in complete disbelief that the man that she was going to search for had found her first. But more importantly...
"What happened...?" she asked, some of her disbelief changing to worry and curiosity. "Your... skin..."
"That's not of your concern..." Zelgaddis snapped bitterly. "What are you doing here?!"
"I should ask you the same question..."
The two began a long stare down, neither giving any sign of backing down.
"ZELGADDIS!"
The chimera flinched, turning away from Airia to see Gourry skid into the alley, followed by an exhausted Lina. "We saw some bandits running away and wondered if you were alright!" the swordsman said, using the words that the worn out Lina would have said. Before replying, the chimera turned back to Airia...
Or rather... where Airia *had* been... The alley way was now empty but for him, Gourry, and Lina. He scowled before turning back to Gourry, closing his eyes, refusing to look anyone in the face. "I'm fine..."
Lina frowned, completely recovered as the chimera brushed past them, lifting his hood and mask to cover his face once more. Gourry blinked curiously.
"Why do I have the feeling this is going to be one of *those* days?" Lina asked. Gourry, now even more confused, turned down to Lina, holding a finger to his lips in a curious fashion.
"One of what kind of days?"
"*Those* kind of days..."
"....?"
"The kind of days when you feel it's the start of some long, over adventurous, near death experience..."
"Maybe because it is..."
"...Don't say stuff like that Gourry..."