Disclaimer and Author's Note: I'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRY!!! I haven't updated in LONG TIME!!!!! But I have a GOOD REASON!!!!! You see, first I was stuck for a week at my gramma's house, and aside from not having the files for this fic, she also has an uver-slow dial-up connection. It's supposed to be 64K, but she's lucky if she gets 26!!! GAK!!! And THEN, after THAT, I went to Texas for three weeks! I hadn't seen my buddies there for over a year, I'm sure you can understand that! But now, I'm back, and I'm updating! I'm even doing two chapters this time to make up for lack of recent updates. Okay? ^^;; Forgive me? Peace?
SPOILER WARNING: LOTS OF THIS STUFF ACTUALLY DOES HAPPEN IN THE SERIES, OR IS VERY CLOSE TO WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST SIX OR SEVEN EPISODES OF NEXT, YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO READ THIS AND SPOIL EVERYTHING.
...§...§...
Martina, her face still hidden against the rock, asked quietly, "Little boy? What happened? What's going on?" When there was no response, she looked around. "Little boy?" she asked. "Where are you?" She didn't see him anywhere!
...§...§...
Everyone settled themselves around Lina, glad to just be able to sit and relax. When Lina started to get up, Gourry pushed her gently back, and said, "Don't move, Lina. Just relax a little longer." He tousled her hair affectionately.
Lina didn't know what else to say. She just smiled up at him gratefully.
"You really are one in a million," Zelgadis told her. Not many sorcerers could have defeated one of the Dark Lords under Shabranigdo. Lina just flashed him the victory sign as a response.
Amelia looked off towards their battlefield. "Do you think Gaav really is...?" she began.
"Come on," Gourry said. "Nobody can stand up to a spell like that."
"I guess you're right," Amelia laughed.
Martina came scrambling towards them, crying. "Guys! Something awful happened!" She dropped to her knees, gasping for breath.
"Martina?" Lina asked. "What happened?"
"That little boy..." Martina said between gasping breaths. "He disappeared!"
"Wasn't he with you?" Lina asked, looking around for the boy too.
Martina nodded. "He was, up until just a short while ago!"
Their conversation broke off when there was the sound of rock cracking off to the side of them, towards the battlefield. Every one of them turned to look to see what had made the sound. There was a moment of silence that seemed to stretch on forever, before a large rock splintered into pieces, revealing the Demon Dragon King Gaav!!
Martina screamed. "I THOUGHT YOU KILLED HIM!!!" she shrieked.
Everyone else just stared. Gaav was alive! Lina's Ragna Blade didn't seem to even have an effect on him at all!
Making up his mind, Gourry picked up Lina, and stood up. She blushed, and asked, "G-gourry...?"
"Don't worry, Lina," Gourry said confidently. "I know exactly what to do!"
Lina nodded.
"Everybody run!" Gourry shouted, doing exactly that. Lina grabbed him around his neck to keep her balance. Zelgadis and Amelia were running right behind them.
"Move it, Martina!" Zelgadis shouted over his shoulder at Martina, who was lagging behind. Martina just burst into tears and tried to run faster.
Behind them. Gaav charged up a spell, and threw it at them. His aim was slightly off, and he blew up the ground just behind Lina and the others, but they did have to stop and shield themselves against the onslaught of dust and rock that was blown their way.
"Heh. You thought that you, a mere human, could kill the Demon Dragon King Gaav?" Gaav asked, his voice full of superiority.
Before Gaav could say another word, however, he broke off with a choke. Black blood exploded out of his mouth, chest, and back. He looked around wildly with just his eyes, and saw the little boy sitting on top of a tall rock, pointing down at him. "Why you little...!!" he started. "When did you get here?"
The little boy laughed menacingly. "I've been here all along," he said to Gaav. "Taking a child's form is so convenient. Nobody even suspected me. Only Xellos seemed to recognize me for who I truly was."
Lina glared up at the little boy. "Who...?" she started to asked.
"Oh, that's right," the little boy said, smiling down at them. "I never told you my name, did I? It is Phibrizzo! But you can call me Hellmaster!"
Amelia stared openly, and pointed. "This little boy is Hellmaster??" she asked incredulously.
"Another mazoku??" Martina shouted. She suddenly went very faint. "Ah.... Another mazoku...." Then she passed out from the shock.
Hellmaster Phibrizzo smiled, and stood up. "Everything happened just the way I'd predicted it would. Even Gaav showed up just when I predicted he would." Phibrizzo teleported over to a different rock, just in front of Gaav. "I had originally thought that I could tear the human part out of you," Phibrizzo told Gaav, still grinning childishly. "But you'd never be a full mazoku again. And knowing that, I doubt very much you would swear your loyalty to me."
"You little--"
"And that leaves me with only one choice," Phibrizzo went on, interrupting Gaav. "And that's to kill you outright!" Then he started laughing. He raised his hand, and snapped his fingers. A spell surrounded Gaav, with him screaming in pain. The spell slowly contracted, until there was nothing left of either it or Gaav.
Lina and the others stared at Phibrizzo. "That's impossible!" Zelgadis shouted.
"A Dark Lord Lina-san couldn't kill with the Ragna Blade, he did in a second," Amelia said slowly in disbelief.
Lina glared at Phibrizzo. "What is it you want with me?" she demanded to know.
Phibrizzo stood up and smiled down at them all. "I let it slip out to Gaav's servants that I was planning something that had to do with Lina Inverse," he said. "That's how this all started. But, really, that was only half of the truth. My plan really involved one of Lina's companions."
Lina gasped, and looked over her shoulder at where Gourry, Zelgadis, Amelia, and Martina were standing, in shocked silence. She turned to look back at Phibrizzo.
"That's right," Phibrizzo went on. "I don't need you, Lina Inverse. The one I need is Amelia Wil Tesla Seyruun."
Everyone turned to stare at Amelia, who was as wide-eyed as everyone else. "M-me?" she stammered. "But what can I do?"
Zelgadis glared up at Phibrizzo. "What do you want with her?" he demanded, his hand tightly in a fist.
"I would have thought that would be obvious," Phibrizzo said, grinning. "Especially to Amelia, who has touched the true Claire Bible."
Amelia thought back to all the Claire Bible had told her.
"To destroy everything. That is the true goal of the mazoku," Phibrizzo said.
Amelia gasped, her eyes wide. Lord Infinity, the source of all chaos, could destroy the world easily. And that spell--! She was the only one who knew that spell! Phibrizzo wanted her to use that to destroy the world?
"However," Phibrizzo continued, a dark cloud forming above him. "You're in no condition right now to grant my request."
Martina clenched her fist. "Mazoku, mazoku, mazoku!" she shouted angrily. "I've had my tender heart ripped to shreds by your filthy race!" She stalked over to where Phibrizzo was standing.
"Martina, stop!" everyone else shouted, but Martina wasn't listening.
"Now face the wrath of the monstrous Zoamelgustar-sama!" Martina shouted, jumping up at Phibrizzo, her talisman held out in her hand. There was a bright flash of light, and Martina was thrown backwards to the ground by a blue shield surrounding Hellmaster.
Phibrizzo laughed again. "Out of respect for 'Zoamelgustar-sama,' I'll spare you. My dear 'big sister.'"
Martina glared up at Phibrizzo, tears in her eyes. "You're inhuman! Even for a non human!" she cried.
Phibrizzo's eyes wandered across the group of beaten-up, tired travelers. His gaze stopped on Zelgadis, who was glaring up at him, his hands ready to cast a spell. "Oh, yes, you'll do nicely," Phibrizzo said, snapping his fingers again. Black smoke shot up from the ground, surrounding Zelgadis on all sides, and wrapping around him.
"Zelgadis-san!" Amelia shouted.
"Zel!"
Phibrizzo started to float away. Zelgadis, who was almost completely wrapped up in the black spell, was dragged along with him in the air, struggling against it.
Amelia started running, chasing after them, her hand stretched up as if she could grab Zelgadis away. "Zelgadis-san!" she shouted, tears stinging her eyes as Phibrizzo got higher and higher in the sky. "Zelgadis-san!! ZELGADIS-SAN!!!"
"AMEL--" Zelgadis started to shout, but was cut off when Phibrizzo disappeared, taking him along.
Amelia dropped to her knees, staring up at the sky where Zelgadis had disappeared. "Zelgadis-san.... No...." Tears streamed down her face. She was aware that Lina and Gourry were standing behind her, looking up as well.
All of them heard Phibrizzo's last message as it echoed from subspace. "If you want him back, come to my city. Yes, come to Sairaag."
Amelia's head whirled. Zelgadis was kidnapped. Hellmaster wanted to destroy the world. He wanted her to do it! Zelgadis was gone! Everything was going wrong! It wasn't supposed to be her! It wasn't supposed to be Zelgadis! Finally, Amelia couldn't handle it. She collapsed from the shock of too much happening too fast.
...§...§...
"But who's he? He's so creepy and suspicious-looking!" Amelia cried, pointing a shaky hand at Zelgadis.
...
Amelia and Zelgadis stood at the battle site at the base of Flagoon, fighting Copy Rezo. They chanted the Rah Tilt together, and when it fired off, for a fleeting moment, it flashed in the shape of a heart.
...
It was just after the Brass Rackets competition, and Amelia and Xellos had won the trophy. Amelia approached Zelgadis, and held up the trophy. "Here, you wanted to see this," she said to him, smiling. Zelgadis looked down at her, and smiled. His hands covered hers as he took the trophy from her. "Thank you."
...
Gaav appeared right behind Amelia, his sword raised. Gaav's sword swung down, but Zelgadis jumped between them, holding onto Amelia with both hands, taking the strike meant for Amelia.
...
Zelgadis was being taken away by Phibrizzo! Amelia chased after him from the ground, but she couldn't reach him. "Zelgadis-san! Zelgadis-san! ZELGADIS-SAN!!" she screamed. "AMEL--"
...
"Amelia," Zelgadis said, his voice soft and gentle, smiling at her. Slowly, he began to fade away into darkness...
...
"Zelgadis-san!" Amelia shouted, sitting bolt upright in bed, grabbing at her blankets. Her breathing was heavy, and she looked around her room wildly. Her grip tightened on her blanket, and she bowed her head. "A dream...." she said quietly, her voice slightly choked. A tear slid down her cheek and dropped onto her blanket.
Silently, Amelia got out of bed. She stepped into her slippers, and went over to the dressing table at they inn they were staying at. After pouring the cold water from the pitcher into the basin, she splashed her face, waking herself up and washing away the tear stains on her cheeks. After she dried her face, she thought, I guess I just got attached to Zelgadis-san. She sat down, and started running a brush through her hair. After all, we've been through a lot together. We defeated Copy Rezo. Kanzel and Mazenda, too. We've traveled half of everywhere. I even got to dress him up like a girl, she laughed. The four of us have all been together so long, it's only natural I'd get used to him being here.
Amelia set the brush down on the vanity, and pushed her stool slightly away. "But..." she said, her voice strained. "I never thought his being gone would hurt this much...." Her hands balled into fists, and she fought back against the burning in her eyes. "I miss him so much!" Tears streamed freely down her face, falling into her lap. "It hurts so much," she cried, her throat tight. Her eyes closed tightly, and she gripped the edge of her seat. "Zelgadis-san!"
Her shoulders shook and her voice came out in ragged gasps while she cried.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: That's always been one of my favorite parts in NEXT... Lina dreaming about Gourry after he's gone. So sad... *sniffle* Poor Ame-chan!!! *huggles her nonexistant Ame plushie* Like I said, I'm gonna put up the next chapter too. Go me!
