Slayers NEXT: Alternate Past

Disclaimer and Author's Note: Like I promised, here's the other chapter I'm uploading today. By the way, just as a shameless insert, you should read my other new fics. I have two of them that you should really read. "Dark Memories" is a Slayers/Kenshin crossover type thing. It's the Slayers in a time of war, and Lina's the assassin person. You don't need to have seen Kenshin to read the fic, trust me, The other one is "Slayers FIGHT" (original, I know) which is yet another sequel to Slayers TRY. Gak, you'd think I could be a little more creative, right? *siiiigh*

...§...§...

"GOOD MORNING!!" Amelia shouted as she ran down the stairs. She smiled brightly at Lina and Gourry, who were in the middle of their breakfast, and then over at Martina, who was staring at Lina and Gourry in disgust.

Lina instantly put down her breakfast burrito, and looked up at Amelia. Her voice was sincere when she asked, "Are you okay, Amelia?"

Amelia nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I'm fine," she answered.

Lina looked at her, very unsure as to the truth of that statement. "I guess the question now is what we're going to do," she said.

Martina slammed her fist on the table. "What do you mean? I say we charge in there and give that Hellmaster a piece of our minds!! My sensitive heart has been ripped to pieces by those conniving mazoku!"

Lina looked over at Martina through the corners of her eyes. "That's not what I meant."

"Oh..."

"You want some coffee, Amelia?" Gourry asked, holding up the morning pot that was on their table.

"No thanks," Amelia said, shaking her head. "That's more Zelgadis-san's thing. You should ask him if he wants--" She broke off suddenly. She looked over at the empty chair next to her where Zelgadis would normally have sat. Her eyes dropped, and she stared at the table in front of her.

"Amelia... You..." Martina said slowly, but never finished what she said.

Amelia took a ragged breath. "Lina-san, I don't know what to do," she admitted. "Going to Sairaag and casting your Dragon Slave or my Rah Tilt won't help Zelgadis-san. And also," she went on, before Lina could say anything in response. "Phibrizzo never did say that he'd let Zelgadis-san go if I went! What if we go there, and he kills Zelgadis-san anyway??" She stopped, and dropped her head into her hands. "The best thing to do for Zelgadis-san would be for us to never go there. Then, at the very least, he wouldn't die...."

Amelia looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She saw Lina smiling at her determinedly. "Don't worry, Amelia," she said. "We'll get Zel back. We'll go to Sairaag, and we'll do what needs to be done."

"Yeah," Gourry said. "We aren't gonna give up on Zel! He needs us!"

Amelia looked back and forth between her friends, an incredulous smile on her face. "Lina-san! Gourry-san!"

Lina nodded, and said, "We'll go to Sairaag, and we'll get Zel. Trust me. Okay?" She winked, and held out her fist in the center of the table. Amelia nodded in determination, and covered Lina's hand with hers. Gourry's hand was soon to follow, and, to their disappointment, Martina's.

"We'll all go to Sairaag and make that Hellmaster pay for what he did to me!" Martina proclaimed. Then she smiled down at Amelia, and said, "And I guess we can save Zelgadis while we're there."

"There's just one thing I want to know," Lina said. She turned to Amelia. "What does Hellmaster want with you?"

Amelia sighed, and looked at the table again. "He wants me to--"

"Wait, stop!" Gourry said suddenly. Everyone turned to look at him. "Maybe we don't need to know what Phibuzzard wants."

"It's Phibrizzo, you jellyfish," Lina said. "And what do you mean we don't need to know?"

"Well..." Gourry continued slowly, as if he was still thinking through what he wanted to say. "If we find out what he wants Amelia to do, and we don't like it, we might try to stop her. Even if it means leaving Zel there. And I don't want to leave Zel."

Lina nodded. "You're actually right for once, Gourry." She turned to Amelia. "I don't want to know, either, Amelia." She smiled then. "I just hope you do the right thing when the time comes."

Amelia nodded slowly, full of a newfound appreciation for her friends and their loyalty.

...§...§...

Lina, Gourry, Amelia, and Martina were on the road again. Their destination: Sairaag. The last time they had been to Sairaag, they'd fought against Copy Rezo, and almost half the city had been blown apart. And here they were, going to Sairaag again for another battle.

The four of them walked in silence. That is, until three rough-looking men stepped onto the trail from the bushes. "All right," they said, holding up their clubs and swords. "Hand over all your money if you want to live."

"Hmm?" Lina asked, much too sweetly. "You're bandits, aren't you?"

"Yeah, so what if we are?" the biggest man said, pressing his face almost right up against Lina's.

"Oh, in that case!" Lina backed up, a grin on her face. "Fireball!!" She blew up the big man in front of her, and looked at the last two. "You two still want my money?" she asked, brushing her hands together.

With a greedy look on his face, one of them said, "You bet we do!"

Lina nodded, and shouted, "Dil Brand!" The two bandits were blasted into the air, and landed back on the ground, charred and smoking. She leaned over and smiled down at them. "Banditry is a crime, you know." Then she proceeded to take the bandits' belt pouches.

"Lina-san, do you really have to do this?" Amelia asked.

"Of course!" Lina said, stuffing the bags in her cape. "Bandits are bad guys! Bad guys have to be punished!"

There was a rustling off in the bushes.

"But it looks like one of them wasn't punished yet!" Lina shouted. "Burst Rondo!" The spell flew off into the bushes. There was a yelp of pain, and the person went soaring through the air, and landed on the trail right near them. Everyone there stared. "S-Sylphiel??" Lina asked incredulously.

Sylphiel, slightly burnt, laughed nervously. "Hello, Lina-san.... Amelia-san.... Gourry-sama.... How nice to see you again...." She then fell over in a heap, her clothes still smoking a little.

...§...§...

After Sylphiel woke up again, Lina was quick to apologize. "Sorry about that, Sylphiel. I thought you were a stray bandit...." she said.

Sylphiel shook her head. "No, that's okay. I was careless." She turned to smile at Gourry. "Gourry-sama! You're doing well?"

Gourry nodded. "Yeah, we're all good."

Martina whispered to Amelia, "You know this person?" Amelia nodded, but didn't elaborate.

Sylphiel stood up again, and asked, "So where are you all off to?"

"Sairaag," Lina said, her face suddenly very serious.

Sylphiel detected the sudden change, and asked, "What's wrong?" She looked from one person to the next, and noticed something. "Zelgadis-san isn't with you. Where's he gone to?"

"That's why we're going to Sairaag," Lina said. With a sigh, she told Sylphiel, "You might want to sit down for this...." And she proceeded to explain everything that had happened with Gaav and Hellmaster Phibrizzo up until that point.

"I see," Sylphiel said when Lina finished. "So Hellmaster has kidnapped Zelgadis-san to try to lure you all to Sairaag?"

Lina nodded. "Yeah, basically."

"Actually," Sylphiel said. "I was on my way to Sairaag as well."

"Why are you going to Sairaag, Sylphiel?" Gourry asked her.

Sylphiel looked up. "I've heard strange rumors. People say that the city is rebuilt. They also they that the tree has died!"

"You mean that giant tree?" Lina asked.

"Yes," Sylphiel said. "The Holy Tree Flagoon."

Amelia spoke for the first time in a long while. "They must mean it fell or it was cut down, right?"

Sylphiel shook her head, and said, "No. They say it appears to have died. Do you think it has anything to do with Hellmaster Phibrizzo kidnapping Zelgadis-san and luring you all to Sairaag?"

"Probably," Lina admitted.

Sylphiel stood up, and said determinedly, "Let me come with you, Lina-san! I want to see if the rumors are true!"

Lina nodded, and said, "Sure, why not."

...§...§...

They were now a party of five as they set out again for Sairaag. Sylphiel and Gourry were chatting, catching up on old news, Sylphiel's eyes full of adoration for her 'Gourry-sama.' Suddenly, Sylphiel broke away from Gourry, and went over to Lina. "Lina-san," she whispered. "You told me once that you only traveled with Gourry-sama because of his Sword of Light. Is that still true?"

Lina blinked. "Of course. What other reason for hanging around that jellyfish would I have?" she asked.

"Well, in that case," Sylphiel started. "Then I--"

Gourry suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. "Get back!" he shouted to the others. But before they could move, a spell exploded around them, knocking trees down and raising a cloud of dust.

Lina's head popped out of the tree. "Jeez! What is it this time??" she shouted angrily.

"Why does this always happen to us?" Martina cried, just before a tree branch fell on top of her head.

"You should have come alone, Amelia," Phibrizzo's voice said from somewhere.

Amelia looked around. "Where are you? What are you doing?"

"Well, it was much too boring just sitting at Sairaag waiting for you all," Phibrizzo's voice answered. "So I decided to make your journey a little more interesting."

It was then that they all noticed a man in the clearing ahead of them. He was caped and cloaked, the hood shadowing his face so they couldn't see him. "You can fight him. I'm sure it'll make for more fun."

"Getting to Zelgadis-san is our first priority!" Amelia shouted.

"Don't count on us getting distracted by this guy so easily!" Lina added. "We'll beat your man and get on our way."

Phibrizzo laughed. "Very well. Don't go easy on him. I assure you, he won't go easy on you."

"All right!" Lina shouted. "Let's get this on! Fireball!!" She threw the spell at the caped man, who just threw up a shield easily. "A sorcerer, huh?" she asked.

"Flare Lance!!" Amelia shouted. The sorcerer again put up a shield. This time, he responded with an attack. A Fireball shot out of his hands, right at the others.

"He can cast a spell without saying anything?" Lina asked incredulously after the smoke from the Fireball cleared away. "Grr! Let's try this, then. Disfang!" The shadow lunged for the sorcerer, but the sorcerer wordlessly cast a light spell. The shadow disappeared in the bright light.

"Rah Tilt!" Amelia cast.

The sorcerer drew his sword, which started to glow red, just like Zelgadis's. He swung his sword at the spell, dashing it away easily.

"No way!" Martina shrieked.

Sylphiel ran ahead, saying, "It's my turn now! Flare Arrow!!" The spell shot of, and died halfway to the sorcerer, who looked over his shoulder at Sylphiel. Sylphiel blushed bright red.

Gourry ran up in front of Sylphiel, his Sword of Light drawn. He lunged at the sorcerer, swinging wide and low. His sword was parried, and the sorcerer darted in to attack Gourry right back. Gourry jumped out of the way of the enchanted sword.

"Move, Gourry-san!" Amelia shouted, as she ran up, ready to cast a spell. "Elmekia Lance!"

The sorcerer raised his sword, and repelled the spell right back at Amelia. She screamed, and ducked out of the way. "Lina-saaaannn!" she cried. "What are we supposed to do? He keeps repelling all our spells!!"

Lina stood up, and dragged Gourry to his feet by his hair. "Run for it, guys!" She heard Martina and Amelia running along behind her, so she started her spell. "Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows. Buried in the flow of time. In thy great name I pledge myself to darkness. Let all the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I posses. Dragon Slave!!" She shot the spell straight towards the sorcerer.

The sorcerer brought his sword up again, and-- The Dragon Slave disappeared!?!?

"He absorbed it with his enchanted sword!!" Lina shouted in disbelief.

Then the sorcerer swung his sword down sharply, the Dragon Slave exploding out of the blade. Lina, Sylphiel, and Amelia all cast shield spells, and even those were blown aside, and they were all knocked to the ground.

The sorcerer walked through the clearing smoke, and stopped when he reached Amelia. He raised his sword up, the tip pointing straight down at Amelia. Amelia's eyes widened, and she stared up at the sorcerer. What were they supposed to do? Even the Dragon Slave didn't work. The sorcerer prepared to thrust his sword downwards, and Amelia's eyes got even wider in fear. The sorcerer suddenly backed up, holding his head as if he was in pain. He staggered a little, then shook his head. He glared down at Amelia again, and lifted his sword. Just as he brought his sword down in a blow that would have killed Amelia, she was picked up by someone extremely fast, and just as quickly deposited back on the ground in a safe place.

"What are you doing here??" Lina shouted when she saw who had just come to Amelia's rescue.

Zangulus looked over at Lina. "I see you're all up to your necks in trouble again," he said. "Gourry, there you are."

Lina stared at Zangulus. "Don't tell me you've followed us all this way just to duel with Gourry again!!!"

Blushing and turning away, Zangulus muttered, "So what if I did?"

Amelia pointed to the sorcerer, and said, "You can't fight Gourry-san right now, but this guy is a good swordsman."

"Heh. Fine. I'll fight him," Zangulus said in a tone that obviously said he was doing them a favor. He drew his own sword, and glared at the sorcerer. "Howling Sword, part two!" he shouted, his sword vibrating slightly in his grip.

Zangulus and the sorcerer both faced each other steadily. Then, on some unspoken word, they both charged forward, their swords striking powerfully. Both of them pivoted on the balls of their feet, and faced each other, launching straight into attacks. The sorcerer blocked all of Zangulus's spells, and vice versa.

But now that Zangulus had him in one spot, Lina could use the Ragna Blade. "Power that can smash even the souls of the Gods!" she shouted. "Move, Zangulus!" Zangulus jumped out of the way as Lina yelled, "Ragna Blade!" Her spell's blade and the sorcerer's enchanted blade met. There was an enormous explosion of light. Lina and the sorcerer were both thrown backwards, in opposite directions.

Lina crashed to the ground, Amelia and Gourry by her side a moment later. "Lina, are you okay?" Gourry asked.

"Yeah, fine," Lina said, getting back to her feet. They all looked over at the sorcerer, who was regaining his feet, his back to them.

"His hood," Zangulus pointed out. "It's fallen back."

They all waited in anticipation to see the face of their enemy. The sorcerer turned around slowly, and everyone gasped.

"Zelgadis-san!!" Amelia shouted. There was no mistaking it. Their enemy was Zelgadis. Amelia started to run over to Zelgadis, but Lina grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Lina-san," Amelia protested.

Lina shook her head. "No, Amelia. Look. He's been completely taken over. By Hellmaster Phibrizzo."

From out of nowhere, Phibrizzo's voice could be heard again. "Looks like you know who you're fighting now. Too bad. And now that you know, I doubt you will fight him any more. Still, it made the journey more interesting. I'll be waiting for you, in Sairaag."

Zelgadis was surrounded once again by black energy. Amelia broke free of Lina's grip, and ran towards him. "Zelgadis-san!" she shouted. She had to reach him before he could be taken away again. "Zelgadis-san!!" She reached him just as he disappeared in a whirl of cloud. She sank to her knees, tears stinging her eyes. He was taken away from her again. Amelia was suddenly filled with an anger like she'd never felt before. She'd make Phibrizzo pay. Her hands clenched into fists. She'd stop at nothing to make sure Zelgadis was never taken away from her again. She would defeat Hellmaster.

...§...§...

AUTHOR'S NOTE: That's another sad part. When they hafta fight Gourry... *sniffle* Poor Gourry-kun!! But this time, they had to fight Zelly! Which is worse, 'cause I like Zel better!!! Poor Zel... Poor Amelia... ANYWAY!! Now, I'm gonna get back to my regular update schedule. The next update will be this Sunday, and I'll keep updating every Sunday, just like I was supposed to.

Y to K Joke

"I don't understand all this Y2K stuff, but I'm pretty sure I'm prepared for it. I fixed my 2000 calendar so that all the months read Janurak, Februark, Mak, Julk, etc..."