A quick READ ME: Okay, in this chapter I would like to explain a certain spell that Lina uses. In the Slayers manga, Lina often uses a spell called 'Break', however I have not seen her use it in the anime. In the manga this spell is simple, she can cast a spell (such as fireball) and direct it where she wants and have it burst when she calls 'Break'. Well even if she has not used it in the anime, I'm having her use it in this chapter. So that is what I want you to know. Now, on with the chapter!


                                                            Gypsy Moon


"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them"
-Twelfth N, Act ii, Sc.5


Chapter 12: The proper use for a skull

Lina sat up slowly in her bed to a sunlit room. The redhead flapped her shirt to feel cool air against her stomach and give her a cold chill. The wagon was a little hotter then she had expected for such an early time. 'Wait, how early is it?' she thought. She peered around the room and watched the sunlight play along different objects scattered throughout the wagon.

Lina raised her arms up as far as she could over her head and threw her legs up in the air. "Beds too comfy!" she chirped. With that, she fell backwards on her bed and laughed to herself when her head buried deep into the fluffy pillow. Lina's red locks spread over the white pillow like spilled milk and a few locks fell on her face.

 "Lina, what's so funny?"

Lina's moment of happiness was intruded in on by a certain voice from behind her. She turned her head on the pillow and Gourry still in his bed facing her in innocence. "Gourry? Oh, that's right we came on the wagon together." Lina turned her head back in the pillow and looked at the wooden ceiling. Some blood ran up into her face as she thought. 'I completely forgot we even slept in the same room,' she mused.

 "Oi, Lina," Gourry said once more.

 "Oh, um…" Lina turned over on the bed and rested her arms and head on the pillow to look at Gourry do the same. 'Why am I so embarrassed?' she kept asking herself.

 "Lina? Oi, Lina! Are you sleep walking?"

 "No, Gourry. I'm completely awake," Lina scolded. "I was just thinking."

The swordsman put more weight into resting on his arms and focused a look on the redhead. Lina was illuminated in a small ray of light that came in through a draping curtain, which tried to hide the sun's light. Lina turned away from Gourry and lifted one hand to sweep some of her hair back.

Her hair seemed to sparkle in bits of light and her figure's delicacy showed in her smooth motions. In little moments like these, Gourry did notice much beauty in Lina. No, he always thought she was beautiful. A smile drew across his face as he thought of what Lina would always say:

 "I am the most beautiful and talented sorceress in the world!"

 Thinking about that always made him smile. He had always wondered if she really thought that about herself. As Gourry kept part of his sight on Lina and the other half of his gaze on the wall, his thoughts went slightly deeper.

Lina was a little self-centered, she always referred to herself as 'beautiful' and 'talented', but did she really think that about herself? If Gourry said she looked pretty, what would her reaction be? She could say something along the line of: 'Of course I look pretty! I always have been!' Or she could do something different, like say: 'I-I look pretty? Really?'

As hard as it was for Gourry to see Lina take a compliment and not have something to say back, he could somehow—just somehow, imagine her doing that. It was probably a rare thought, and more so, may not even happen. 'Well it's nothing to worry about,' Gourry mused, and shrugged the thought off.

Lina moved her eyes and caught Gourry looking deep in thought. 'That's not something you usually see,' Lina thought. "Hey, Gourry!" Lina snapped.

The swordsman turned his head and showed Lina his childish smile. "Yeah?"

 'Guess he's okay.' Lina turned her head once more and rolled onto her back. "It's nothin-" WHUMP! Lina's face was buried in fluff and her breath was cut off. Lina already knew it was a pillow, what else could be that soft. She lifted her hands and pulled the pillow off her face while she sucked in a deep breath. "WHAT THE HELL?" She shot an evil glare at Gourry and held the pillow above her. "Gourry, you jellyfish-brain! Why did you that?!"

 "You weren't acting yourself, I wanted to make sure you weren't talking in yo-" WHUMP! Gourry was knocked back further on his bed by a pillow smacked against his face. "…Sleep," he groaned, finally finishing his sentence.

Lina was kneeling on her bed huffing out of rage. "You stupid, stupid, jellyfish-brain! Of course I was awake! Why wouldn't I be? You should-" SMACK! Gourry was quick in his comeback of grabbing a pillow and throwing it back at Lina. His problem was that he used too much strength and to Lina it was almost as bad as getting hit by a fluffy cannonball.

Gourry, of course, was smiling until he realized Lina was not getting up and made not attempt to remove the pillow from her face. "Lina?" Gourry got out of his bed and slowly crawled over to Lina. The redhead was spread out across her bed and a pillow covered her face. Gourry bent over the bed closer and leaned towards the pillow. Moving his hand up to the side of his mouth he whispered. "Lina…" The girl still didn't move.

Gourry's eyes widened and he shot back. "I killed here!" He cried. Gourry leaned back over and shook Lina back and forth by her shoulders. "Lina! Lina! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to kill-"

 "Gourry…" A voice groaned.

Gourry quickly let go of Lina and turned around looking every which way in the wagon. "Who said that?" Gourry sat back on the bed and looked around waiting for the growling voice to talk once more.

 "Gourry…" It continued.

 "Y-yes?" The swordsman almost squeaked.

  "Gourry…you stupid…"

 "L-sama, I'm gonna' get it!" Gourry felt the bed covers beneath him shift. He slowly turned around and saw a shadowed Lina glooming over him and a maniacal grin across her face as she raised a pillow above her head.

 "Lina! You're back from the d-"

 "Gourry…" She growled. "You….stupid JELLYFISH BRAIN!" SMACK!

Lina hit Gourry to the end of her bed with the pillow in her hands. "…Ow." Gourry had no idea that pillows could hurt so much.

Lina crawled over to Gourry and glared over him. "Don't throw pillows so hard!"

Gourry kneaded his sore face with one hand. "But Lina, you just-"

 "SILENCE!" Lina repeatedly hit Gourry over and over. She wasn't concentrating on where she hit him but she knew that she wanted to somehow get him back. Somehow she had to make him equally feel the exact feeling she got when he threw the pillow at her and even more.

Gourry did his best to get a word in whenever he could. "Lina." Smack! "I." Whump! "Think." Smack! It finally occurred to Gourry that Lina was not going to stop until she was satisfied. The next best thing he realized he could do was take the pillow on his left at hit Lina back with it; and that was just what he did.

 "Ahh!" Lina was hit back, but much softer this time, to the other side of the bed. She caught her breath and looked up at the ceiling. He view of the ceiling was blocked when Gourry crawled over above her and smiled down at the sorceress beneath him and swung the pillow over one of his shoulders. Looking up at Gourry this way, Lina noted that he was still in his pajamas; that happened to be a white sleeves shirt and a pair of boxers.

Gourry still smiled at Lina and put on a tough image. "Don't you know you can't win everything, Lina?"

 "Excuse me?" Lina raised an eyebrow. "But I think you have been mistaken!" Lina grabbed quickly grabbed the pillow behind her and smacked it against Gourry's chest. To her surprise, the swordsman didn't budge. "…What?" Lina tried hitting Gourry again and again but he didn't flinch. "Argh! Damn you and your big muscles!"

Gourry couldn't help but laugh slightly at Lina's attempts. True he was much stronger then her by a long shot, and it was thanks to that advantage that Gourry would even think of doing something like a pillow fight with the great Lina Inverse.

Naturally Lina took his laugh as an offence. "Don't you dare laugh at me, Gourry Gabrieve!" Lina lifted one hand and Gourry noticed a small red light forming in her palm. Lina smirked up at the blond man. "Want to meet your old friend Mr. Fireball?"

 "Lina, that's not fair! This is a pillow fight!" Gourry quickly cupped his hands over Lina's and cut off her Fireball.

The sorceress quickly blushed and let Gourry hold her hand. "Hey, what are you doing?"

 "Stopping you from Fireballing me," he said. "You can set this whole wagon on fire!" Gourry looked down at his hands cupping Lina's petite hand. He took in a small breath and sighed, wondering whether this moment meant anything special for the both of them.

Quickly, before Gourry even noticed, Lina slid her hand out from his soft grip and grinned at Gourry. "Hey, come on! You wake up now!" Lina chirped. "You look dazed now, I would think that you were the one sleep walking!"

Gourry finally smiled again and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I guess I'm not really a morning person."

 "You were enough of one to smack me headlong with a pillow," Lina chimed.

Gourry laughed a little and put his pillow down on the bed. "Sorry about that." He quickly felt a small touch that sent a little shiver of pleasure run up his body.

Lina had place single finger lightly on his chest and scoffed at him. "Well you better watch your strength, Gourry. If you are going to go get into pillow fights you could do some serious damage."

 "Humph. Well I could say the same about you, Lina." Gourry grinned at Lina with confidence that she rarely saw in him. "You are always starting fights with bandits and shoot Fireballs out of the blue without a care in the world."

Lina put her index finger up and opened her mouth to say something, anything, but she couldn't. "Well…that…may be true. But you…um…" She grabbed the pillow behind her ounce more and smacked Gourry again over and over without him budging. "Well you are a jellyfish brain! You hear me? Jellyfish!"

Gourry laughed and swiped the pillow out of the way. A knocking on the door cut off the childish fight between the two.

Melendil yawned outside and knocked on the door again and waited for an answer. "What the hell is going on in there?"

No answer.

 "I SAID, WHAT THE HEL-"

 "Shhhuuuut uuuup!" Lina flung the door open and knocked the impatient Elf on to the sandy ground. Melendil growled and began cursing under her breath as she rubbed her sore head and picked herself up. Lina had put her hands on her hip and gave a look of doom at the Elf bellow her. "Gods! You don't have to yell! You're going to wake everyone up!"

 "Everyone is up, Lina." Zelgadiss stated as he took his seat on a log.

 "Zel?" It was then that Lina noticed everyone but her and Gourry were up and about. Zelgadiss and Amelia were already in dressed in their clothing, at least the clothes that Sasheem had given them. Food was cooking by a fire and Sasheem was loading up her wagon and was dressed back in her regular cloths; the baggy pants and frilled belly shirt that made Lina shiver and think of her sister.. "Wh-when did all of you get up?"

 "Lina, what's wrong?" Gourry looked over Lina's head from within the wagon. "Oh! The foods done!"

 Lina grimaced and pushed the swordsman out of the wagon. "I'm getting dressed, stay out here!" In a few quick passing minutes, Lina came out in the same thing she was wearing the night before. "I don't believe this! Why didn't anyone wake me up earlier?"

 "We heard some disturbance from in you and Gourry's wagon." Melendil got a sly look in her eyes and a grin drew across her face. "We didn't want to ruin you and Gourry's 'fun'."

 Lina got a full blush across her face while Gourry scratched his head trying to figure out what Melendil meant by 'fun'. "Fun? Oh yeah, we had fun!" All eyes drew on Gourry. "Lina kept smacking me around with-"

 "Gourry—SHUT UP!" The angry and red faced sorceress kicked Gourry in the wagon and shut the door. "Get dressed!" She yelled.

Everyone, except Sasheem, eyes grew wide. Amelia dropped the food she was eating in disbelief. "S…smacking around?" The Princess found herself unable to move and blood ran to her cheeks.

 Zelgadiss had not noticed his coffee mug had fallen to the sand and spilled. "I…really did not expect an announcement."

 "It's not like that! You have the wrong idea!" Lina screeched.

 "So then you were having 'FUN'?" Melendil put as much emphasis on the word 'fun' as she could.

 "Well, n-no! I mean it was fun- no wait! I mean what we did was fun, but it wasn't that 'fun'! I mean-"

 Sasheem had tripped and caught herself on one of the wagons. "…Wow."

 Amelia wasn't to sure what she should think anymore. But one part of her mind did tell her that sooner or later Lina and Gourry would be getting together, so she really shouldn't care. "Lina-san, then what were you and Gourry-san doing? The wagon was shaking a bit."

 Gourry finally poked his head out of the doorway and emerged dressed in his Gypsy clothing. "Well, we were on Lina's bed and she was trying to beat me down-"

 "Gourry, just shut up! You're giving them the wrong idea!" Lina now punched the swordsman into the wagon with all her rage.

 "Oh Gods, what the hell were you two doing?" Even Melendil, thinking she had a perverted mind, couldn't imagine what would have gone on.

Amelia felt like she was going to fall over and wanted to think about anything but what they were doing. "I-I'm going to go p-pack my things up," she said in a daze.

 "IT WAS A GODDAMN PILLOW FIGHT!" Lina was in a mixture of rage and embarrassment.

 "I think I'm coming with you, Amelia." Zelgadiss didn't need to hear anymore.

 "Oh come on!" Lina pouted.

Melendil winked at Lina who was about to blow up everything around her. "Don't worry, you're just fun to tease!"

Lina still wasn't giving up until she knew everyone knew the truth. "Zel, Amelia! SIT DOWN RIGHT NOW! NO ONE MOVE!"

At that tone of voice, everyone marched back over to their seats and sat. Lina stood in the middle of the circle and looked around at all her friends. "I'm saying this once! I did nothing of 'that sort' with Gourry! Clear?!" Everyone nodded. "We just had a simple pillow fight! A pillow fight! A childish game!"

 "You don't have to repeat yourself."

 "SHUT UP, TYBOLT!" The gravedigger was blown off his seat by the pissed off redhead. Everyone decided then and there that they were no longer picking on Lina for the rest of the day.

Lina pushed her hair back and threw her head up to the sky. 'Just...forget it,' she told herself. She trudged over to the nearest log and tried to ignore the feeling that everyone was looking at her.

Realistically, no one was looking at her. It was more of a nagging feeling that was crawling over in her mind. That stupid swordsman who didn't think about what he was saying. That stupid swordsman who just had to hit her with a pillow and start a fight. That stupid swordsman who had to crawl on her bed and hit her down with her pillow while-

"You think Lina's gonna' eat that?" Tybolt reached out to Lina's plate that was sitting in front of her, surround by her aura of doom.

"Stupid jelly fish brain an- FIREBALL!" Lina blew back the gravedigger and snatched her fixed plate up close. "Never go for my food!"

Tybolt lay on the hot sand sizzling from burn. "F-flat chested…terror..." Even in the hot desert, Tybolt could have sworn he felt the temperature suddenly drop at least forty degrees.

Amelia and Zelgadiss exchanged looks. "Zelgadiss-san, do you think it got... colder?"

Zelgadiss look around the desert. "Well that sun is still out, but..." He suddenly caught Tybolt roasting on the hot sand and Lina's dark look of doom written all over her face. "Oh wait," he pointed out. "That explains it."

Lina raised her look and watched Tybolt struggle back up. "You should watch what you say more often," she hissed.

"Eh hehh..." Tybolt was about to continue until something wisped by his head and made him stop. "What was that?" He blinked and looked behind him.

Amelia had frozen in fear and Zelgadiss had unsheathed his sword.

"Lina!" Gourry ran over by his partner's side and saw her turn white in the face.

"I don't get it, what's wrong?" Sasheem ripped a piece of meat off its stick and chewed. She watched Melendil motion to Lina's plate and let her gaze travel. In Lina's plate an arrow that clearly belong to a crossbow, had cracked the plate and was buried in Lina's food. "Oh, well that's no good." She continued eating.

"What the hell?" Melendil jogged out further from the direction the arrow had been shot.

"Shit." Zelgadiss couldn't have said a better word at a better time.

Sasheem decided it was time for her to act and began throwing everything together quickly and carelessly. Lina shook out of her shock and came around to the current situation. "What's going on?"

"Not to sure," Tybolt stated.

"Melendil!" The Elf turned at the Gypsy's voice. "What can you see with your Elf eyes?"

"Elf eyes?" Amelia asked.

"Elves had great vision," Zelgadiss replied. "Even better then a Chimera." He felt that he had to add that.

Melendil concentrated on her sight and looked further. Everyone stayed still and watched the Elf in silence, itching for a reply. What they got was what they didn't want to hear; "Crap."

Lina twitched. "Crap?!"

Melendil quickly turned and began to throw he things together. "We have less then a minute to get out of here."

"And why is that?" Zelgadiss asked bluntly.

Melendil faced the Chimera with a cold look. "Because we are about to get attacked by over a thousand creatures."

"Damn!" Lina grabbed Gourry by his collar. "Gourry! Get our wagon and horse ready to go!"

"Okay, Lina!" Gourry ran off.

"Melendil!" Sasheem gabbed her friend by her shoulders. "What do you mean 'creatures'? What kind?!"

"I don't know!"

Amelia and Zelgadiss yelled in unison. "You don't know?!"

Melendil defended herself. "No! I've never seen them before!" Melendil looked behind her again. "They look human, but not all the same! Th-they could be Mazoku... Or maybe Ogres! I don't know! But they're armed and I know they will KILL US!"

"Armed?!" Gourry choked. "Armed with what?!"

Lina shot her friend a glare. "Oh I don't know, Gourry. Bad breathe, colorful language, a feather duster. Crossbows, you idiot! They just shot at us!"

"Wow, they can shoot far."

"That is because they are not human, something more superior. Hold on, I'm going to charm the horses." The Elf stood in the middle of the campsite and glowed with a gold aura. "Ama Tyelka," she whispered. A gold shield burst from around her and flowed out in the campsite. When it reached the horses, the animals reared high and stomped their hooves as they neighed. Their heads tossed in every which way till they calmed. Sasheem and Melendil hopped up on their wagon and the Elf gabbed their horse's reins.

Lina pulled back on the horse to calm it down. "Melendil, what did you do?"

 "An Elvin spell," she stated. "It will increase the horses speed and agility greatly. We're going to need it."

Amelia felt her stomach twist. "Zelgadiss-san..."

"Let's go." The Chimera gabbed Amelia's hands and got up on the wagon.

"Tybolt-san!" Amelia watched the gravedigger tossing logs over and panicking. "What are you doing?"

Te gravedigger pulled his green-blue hair and sweated his stress. "Where is it?! Whereisitwhereisit?! Where's my shovel?! Wherewherewherewherewhere?!"

"Damnit, Tybolt!" Lina slammed her fist on her seat. "Forget it!"

The gravedigger's eyes went icy cold. "No. Amour has been with me since I was two and I will not leave her. Never!"

"He named his shovel?" Zelgadiss couldn't believe it. A shovel that is used to dig graves had such a elegant name as 'Amour'.

"I found it!" Tybolt beamed, and snuggled his shovel up by his face.

"Tybolt! Get in here and leave your wagon!" His sister was getting impatient even with all that patience she usually had.

The gravedigger snatched up his bag and shovel and hopped up by Melendil. "Greetings, Elf!"

"We are going! NOW!" Lina snapped the horse's reins and her wagon took off with the other two wagon trailing behind just as a few arrows were shot off and landed in the sand behind them. It became obvious that the horse's speed had increased greatly. The horses were running three times as fast and were pulling the wagons smoothly over the sand. The steed's speed created a wind the made Lina's hair fly back behind her and cool her body from the hot sun above.

Amelia heard the thumping of the army behind them. "Zelgadiss-san, keep the reins."

"What? Amelia!" He turned around and saw the Princess climb in the back. "What are you doing?" The Princess didn't answer him.

Amelia swung open the top part of the door and looked at her left. Lina had crawled out of her seat as well and was looking out. Amelia looked back at the sand again and the white of her eyes shown. "Oh Gods." The army looked as if it would cover the entire desert. What seemed like thousand of men with raven black hair and glaring dark eyes were charging at them; some armed with crossbows and some with swords. Worst of all, they were fast.

Lina turned and yelled at Sasheem's wagon. "You three, get over here! Three wagons and we won't keep together!"

"You two got everything you need?" Sasheem asked her brother and Melendil.

Melendil held up her bow and quiver and nodded.

"I got Amour and my bag, therefore I am fine." Tybolt took his balance on the wagon seat and quickly took a great leap on to Lina and Gourry's wagon.

"Allow me." Sasheem took Melendil's hand.

"Sasheem, you don't need anything?"

The Gypsy smiled. "I have nothing sentimental here but the flute on my waist." Melendil nodded and returned her smile. "Levitation!" Sasheem pulled Melendil's hand and landed in the back on Lina and Gourry's wagon.

"Whoa! Hey, get in the wagon! We have no room!" Lina had moved to the front seat and swayed back and forth trying to regain her seat back.

"Don't get your panties in a twist." Sasheem crawled in the wagon and looked out the back while Lina tried to figure out her comeback.

Melendil, Lina and Tybolt soon joined her and looked out back. "Well," Tybolt began to retreat to a seat. "I'll leave this to the magic users."

Gourry concentrated on steering the wagon and noticed that the horse attached to the wagon Sasheem and Melendil had left, was running off in a different direction. He called over to Zelgadiss. "Where do go from here?"

"How should I know!" Zelgadiss tried to turn his head around enough to possibly get a look at Amelia and see what she was doing, but the wagon was going too fast and shaking from the speed it was going at. "Amelia! What are you doing?"

The Princess called from inside the wagon. "Uhh, nothing!"

Two loud sounds of something heavy smashing against the wooden wagon brought Zelgadiss' mind to be fully alert. "I don't think that's nothing! What the hell is happening?!"

"U-um," she stuttered. "Well some creepy looking men are shooting at us..."

"You call that nothing?!" Zelgadiss wanted to jump in the wagon and help her but he didn't know what he would do with the horse.

"Amelia!" Lina watched her friend duck down as two arrows were shot at the Princess and dug themselves into her wagon.

"Lina, get down!" Melendil shoved the redhead on to the floor as arrows now headed their way.

Lina rose up again and could see the army of the strange men getting closer. "Mega Brando!"

Melendil, Sasheem and Amelia watched as a certain section of the army was blown into the air but soon filled by different gaining figures. Amelia brought her hands back and took her turn. "Source of all power, crimson fire burning bright! Gather together in my hand and become an inferno! Burst Flare!"

"Look at them burn!" Tybolt looked over Lina's head and watched Amelia's spell wipe out only a small portion. "Woops, look like they just keep multiplying."

'Damn, this isn't good.' Lina and everyone else on her wagon ducked as more arrows flew at them. "What the hell is-"

Lina was cut off when everyone stared in wonder as a few of the men jumped high in the air and landed on top of Amelia's wagon. Sasheem ran to the door and yelled. "Amelia, watch out!"

"What?" The Princess watched the Gypsy motion up. When Amelia finally understood that Sasheem was motioning to the top of her wagon, she was already greeted in her face by one of the demon looking men.

Before she could react, the man raised his jeweled sword and was ready to slash. Zelgadiss heard Amelia scream and reacted by letting the horse on its own and jumping in the back. To his relief, he saw that some had parried the man's blade and blocked Amelia. Then to his disgust he saw that it was Xellos.

"What are you doing back here?" Xellos seemed to ignore the Chimera's question.

Xellos was smiling as the black haired man in front of him growled. "Tsk, tsk," the Mazoku mocked as he wagged his finger. "That is no way to behave." Oddly enough, Xellos said that just as he blasted the man out of the wagon and blew off the door along with him.

"What the hell did Amelia do?" Melendil questioned as she watched the man blown out of the wagon.

"L-sama!" Lina screeched.

"Huh?" Melendil turned around in time to see at least ten of the men leap at her face. " Loomi En Gurth!"  A thick gray smoke blew out the Elf's hands and filled the air around some of the warriors.

Lina watched as the men fell on the ground and gagged, pulling at their throats and flaring on the ground. 'Now it's my turn,' she told herself. Lina took her stand in front of the door and quickly dodged a few flying arrows. She raised her arms and began to chant. "Darkness beyond twilight-"

"Lina!"

"Can't you see I'm-" Lina's head was pushed down and she heard a loud 'GONG'. The sorceress looked behind her to see one of the black haired men go flying out of the wagon. She then looked above her and saw Tybolt with his shovel out and looked down at her. "Tybolt?"

"That would be correct!"

"Lina, are you okay?" Gourry came in the back and helped Lina up to her feet.

"I-I'm fine, Gourry." Lina was looking into his eyes and then slowly realized that no one was steering the horse.

"...Gourry."

"Lina?"

"Who is steering the horse?"

                                                          ~)*(~

Amelia was catching her breath as she leaned against the wall and tried to run over what had just happened. The Princess was beginning to feel like a target everyone was aiming at. It seemed like everyone had a sword and was trying to slash her head off or slit her throat with it. Her nails dug into her arms as she tried to tighten a hug around herself.  Amelia would have gone into to deep and dark thoughts if it wasn't for Zelgadiss and Xellos fighting over what seemed like nothing.

Zelgadiss' hand itched to unsheathe his sword and stab the Mazoku, but he kept himself in control and just let his fingers brush along the handle. "You are always coming out of no where unexpected and uninvited! And even if you ever do happen to do something good, it is always for some evil reason and-"

"Oh I don't recall anything evil happening when I brought Gourry back from that run-away horse. But you seem very confident on your opinion, Zelgadiss, so please, do tell me what wrong I did then."

All that could be heard was the galloping of the horse and charging of thousands of men behind them. Amelia calmly waited for Zelgadiss to answer while she held a protective shield up against the back door of the wagon and felt her body jerk when an arrow hit the shield or one of the men tried to jump in, only to smack against her spell and fly back a few feet.

Zelgadiss ran through his mind searching for an answer, and if not an answer something clever to say back. "Shut up!" Yeah, that was good. "Xellos, I don't care about what happened in the past, now get out of my way!"

 "Ohhh, you don't care about the past!" Xellos brought up his index finger, the one finger Zelgadiss wanted to snap in half, and wagged it in the Chimera's face. "Lets talk about the past now, shall we?"

 "No, we shall not!" Zelgadiss yelled. The Mazoku put up his staff and blocked every attempt that Zelgadiss made to get past him.

 "Now what about me just saving Amelia's head from being sliced off there? That is, technically, the past."

 "Shut up, Xellos!"

The trickster had to laugh at his pain and frustration. "Am I to take this that you do care about Amelia?"

 "What?"

Amelia just didn't care anymore. If these creatures, Lestophel, or even Mikau were not going to be the death of her then these two fighting would be.

                                                      ~)*(~

 "Why won't they die?!" Lina ran to the front of the wagon and faced the back with determined eyes, leaving Sasheem and Melendil to defend.

 "Excuse me, do you think you can just leave us?!" Melendil stomped over towards Lina. They had been fighting off the army that only kept coming back and was now leaping at the wagon to attack and firing spells and arrows. The only thing keeping them back was the fact that Melendil, Lina and Sasheem didn't stop casting spells or putting up barriers.

 "I have a plan," Lina started. "I'll cast the Dragon Slave, just guard me until I'm done the chant!"

 "Oh, thank you very much, Lina, You are going to use us as a body guard then blast us with your Dragon Slave. I want you to know that I really do appreciate the fact that you care so much."

 "Mel, I will tell you when I'm done so you can move!"

Realization hit the Elf in a matter of seconds. "Oh. In that case, very well."

                                                       ~)*(~

Amelia felt a pounding headache begin to consume her brain. 'Do they ever stop?' She was beginning to think that this would go on forever. It finally occurred to her when she looked out the back door, that their wagon was beginning to go in a different direction. She snapped her head around to the two fighting men after she took a break from casting spells to put up a shield. "Hey! Can you two stop for a moment?!"

Zelgadiss ignored her attempts as the he continued. "And then there was the first time I even met you! You burned up those manuscripts and you still want me to call you a friend?!"

 "Lets no quarrel over old times, Zelgadiss. I consider you a friend." Xellos had to say everything with a smile.

 "I'm not your friend, I'm your pawn in a game! No, forget that! I am not even your pawn! I don't want to be anything to you, so leave!"

Amelia felt something snap in the back of her mind. "Um… Excuse me?"

 "Oh, I'm hurt! You cruel monster!"

Zelgadiss' nails dug in the palm of his hands as he clenched his fist. "Shut up, you fruitcake! You jackass! You bastard son-of-a-bitch!"

Amelia wished so much that Lina were with her right now. "Can you fight later, we are really…"

 "Hmm, jackass. You know I can't really recall ever being called that one… Zelgadiss, are you steaming?"

 "Shut up!"

 "It's like you're a teakettle!"

A sword was unsheathed. "You can die!"

 "Both of you shut up!" Amelia screamed in a high voice. Her face was red with a trickle of sweat, she was panting hard from using all her voice, but her eyes very focused and burning with rage. Nevertheless, Amelia had their attention and was going to continue.  "Uh… Please."

Zelgadiss couldn't say anything and neither could Xellos. Both of them were still trying to take in the fact that Amelia was telling them to 'shut up', something they had never heard her say.

 The Chimera began to feel like he was forgetting something. "Ah! The horse!" Zelgadiss dashed for the front of the wagon and began to direct the horse to its proper rout.

Amelia let out a long sigh and fell to her knees. "This isn't getting any better," she moaned.

 "Take a break, Princess." Amelia looked up at Xellos and saw him open one purple eye.

Zelgadiss heard the Mazoku and his ear twitched. 'He probably just wants her dead!' Zelgadiss leapt out of his seat and stormed over to Xellos. "You. Go steer the horse."

 "Huh?" Zelgadiss shoved Xellos up to the front of the wagon and put the reins in his hands. With that, Zelgadiss left back to Amelia and looked at her on the floor. "I'll take it from here."

 "But-"

 "You can take a break." Amelia watched as Zelgadiss went to the back door of the wagon and blocked flying arrows and slashed the men trying to enter with his sword.

 Amelia's hands were placed palm down on the floor as she dazed at Zelgadiss fighting his heart out. She couldn't figure out what he had just done, but decided not to temper with the idea he that he wanted her to relax.

Zelgadiss brought his hands down in front of him and chanted in his deep voice. "Source of all souls which dwell in eternal and infinite; everlasting flame of blue, let the power hidden in my soul be called forth from the infinite!" He brought his hands up in front of him. "Ra Tilt!"

                                                             ~)*(~

Groans and screams rang out and reached Lina's ears as she raised her hands above her. 'Please let this work!' she hoped. "Darkness beyond twilight-huh?" She looked above her at the ceiling and watched the wood slowly crack. "What the…?" A hole cracked open in the ceiling above her and one of the black haired warriors screeched and bared his teeth.

Tybolt swung his shovel up from behind and smacked the blade in the warrior's head. Lina shut her eyes tight, not wanting to see exactly how the warrior looked now. A few seconds later she slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the hole now above her. "How am I supposed to cast the spell if every time I do, something or someone attacks me?!"

Melendil was about to say something till she fell quiet. Everyone turned to Sasheem and watched the Gypsy facing out the door and chanting in her elegant voice. Lina didn't move but watched in wonderment.

 "Depths of the soundless, boundless, bitter sea, hear my plea. Give me the strength of mind to triumph and charge the power in my soul with the raging waves; so may my foe taste your tears!"

 "What?" Lina watched water circle around the Gypsy's hands and felt the wagon begin to shake. She was determined to know what was going to happen and ran next to Sasheem to look out the door.

 "Whoa! What's going on?" Gourry pulled back on the reins as the horse neighed and came to a stop. He looked to his left and saw that Zelgadiss and Amelia's horse had done the same. He called out to Xellos. "Xellos, do you know what happened?" The Mazoku merely shook his head.

                                                           ~)*(~

Amelia felt the wagon beneath her shake and come to a stop. "What's going on?" She quickly ran to the still Chimera's side and looked at the army. The men had completely stopped and were looking around.

                                                           ~)*(~

Sasheem lifted her head. "Depth Raquim!" In front of the entire army, a huge wall of water burst from the midst of the sand and reached high. Lina could feel a mist of water touch her face and watched as the wall became a huge wave and swept over the army. She raised an eyebrow and noticed that the wave was moving up and down; with closer examination she became shocked. The wave was a stampede of horses made of water.

Zelgadiss and Amelia watched in bewilderment as the steeds of water trampled over the army and felt a cold trickle of water falling on their bodies. Lina could only wonder if the spell was really wiping out the entire army behind them.

Pulling her hands back once more, Sasheem pushed her them out and sent another wave of horses stampeding over the drowned army. Lina watched this as the Gypsy reached out. "Stop! You got them already!" She shook Sasheem and forced her too look in her face. "Are you mad? You don't need to do it again!"

Sasheem didn't say anything and looked out at the desert. The sand was water drenched and had turned a darker shade. Lina looked around and couldn't see that army anywhere. "Geez! You drowned all of them! You have got to teach me that spell!"

                                                        ~)*(~

 "What has Sasheem-san done?" Amelia had to admit, though, she loved the sight of the water horses galloping along.

Zelgadiss' face grew cold. "Something's not right."

 The Princess looked at him. "What?"

 "Where did the army go? I can't see them anywhere."

Amelia took into thought what Zelgadiss had said. She couldn't see the men anywhere.

                                                    ~)*(~

Lina peered at the desert. "What's that black spot?"

 "Woo! Victory is ours! Victory I-" The Elf froze and watched the warriors, that she could have sworn to every God had been drowned, crawl out of the wet sand and slowly rise to their feet and shake the sand from their hair. "What?"

Everyone's jaw dropped open and watched the warriors sneer. Sasheem clenched her fists and growled. "Inconceivable!"

 "This can't be happening!" Lina yanked at her hair and pouted. "They just keep coming back! Gourry get that horse moving!"

The two wagons took off across the sand.

 "They just keep popping up! Like Daisies!" Melendil watched the army regain its posture and begin to slowly charge. "They're gonna' slaughter us!"

Tybolt twirled his shovel in his hands. "Damn, we're in a tight spot."

Sasheem continued staring blankly out into the desert and avoiding arrows. She no longer blocked them or repelled them with a spell, just stared. "…Inconceivable."

Lina had to figure something out, or at least that is how she felt. "This means they can dodge our attacks."

Sasheem walked up next to her. "Meaning that they can dodge the Dragon Slave even you do get it cast and out on them."

Lina raised her head and looked at the Gypsy's stern face. She knew that Sasheem was right. And at the same time, she knew that there had to a way. These creatures would keep chasing them and never leave.

 "Lina-san!" Lina heard Amelia call out to her and called back from within her wagon.

 "What is it?"

 "Do you think we can throw a spell out to them and use the spell Break?"

Lina blinked a few times and let a smirk grow across her face. "Great thinking, Amelia!"

 "What are you doing?" Sasheem watched Lina rummaged through drawers looking around.

The sorceress lifted her head with her red eyes shining. "I think I should be able to cast the Dragon Slave and throw it out at the army in some object, then use the spell Break to have it explode right in the middle of them and that should finish them off!"

Melendil held up her hands. "Vara tel' Taurninin!" And white glowing shield covered the two wagons. "Find something fast, Lina. I don't know how long I can hold this shield!"

 "Okay, okay! Something, anything!" Lina looked around the room and scampered all about. The cups were too small, there were no bowls or containers. "We need something to put the spell in!" Lina lifted bed covers but found nothing. "We can't send the spell over to them, then they will just go duck again!"

 "I have just the thing!" Tybolt picked up his bag and began to rummage through it.

Lina narrowed her eyes. "You have something? I can't wait to see it."

Tybolt beamed a smiled and held out his hand. "Ta-da!" The three girls eyes shot open wide and their faces turned to a look of disgust. Melendil held her stomach and Lina's arms draped at her sides.

In Tybolt's hand, he held a skull of a human. The skull was clearly an old one for it had a few cracks and traces of places that had been rubbed with dirt or scratched more then others. Lina gulped and slowly lifted one hand up to point at the object. "You have a skull?" The gravedigger nodded. "You want me to use a skull?" Another nod. "Why are you carrying bones around?!"

 "This is Yorick!" Tybolt pulled the skull back in close to his chest. "He really is, honestly, my lucky skull. I had to dig him up one day to make room. This skull has been in the earth for over fifty years."

Lina stood astonished. "Oh Gods…"

 "But I am willing to let you blow him up with the Dragon Slave if you really need something, Lina." Tybolt turned the skull upside down and looked at his possession with eyes of sorrow. "Yorick is a chapless skull, so you should be able to fit the spell inside of his head."

 Lina groaned but decided to put up with what she was given; who was she to look a gift horse in the mouth. "Um, Tybolt. I'm not exactly knowledgeable in the teachings of bones, so what do you mean by 'chapless'?"

 "He has no jaw, so you can reach inside of his head and put the spell in there!"

Lina held her mouth. 'I think I'm going to be sick!' she thought.

Melendil felt a cold bead of sweat run down her face. "Lina, just take the skull and get it over with! I can't hold this shield much longer!"

 "Okay! Keep your skirt on!" Lina cleared her throat and began her chant.

"Darkness from twilight, crimson from blood that flows;"

Tybolt took in a deep breath and let it out. He held Yorick up in front of his face and lost his smile.

 "…buried in the flow of time; in Thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness!"

Tybolt grinned in a kind matter. "Ah, Yorick. You were a fellow of infinite jest! Or so I heard… It feels like I just dug up your skull yesterday."

 "…Those who oppose us shall be destroyed by the power you and I possess! DRAGON SLAVE!"

 Tybolt sighed and tossed the skull in his hands. Lina grimaced and held the throbbing red spell in her hands. "Tybolt, give me the skull! Now!"

 "Farewell, Yorick!"

Lina snatched the skull, and gathering up her courage but shutting her eyes, she fit the spell in the Yorick's head and held the skull. "I need to throw this right into the middle of the army!"

 "Well then throw it!" Melendil snapped.

Lina weighed the skull in her hands. She would never be able to throw that far. "Maybe I can Raywing into the middle…"

 "No! I have an idea!" Sasheem grabbed the skull and backed up to the back door of the wagon and got in a pitchers stance, holding the skull behind her back. "Tybolt, get your shovel ready."

 "Aye, aye!" The gravedigger saluted. He grabbed his shovel and spread his legs slightly apart on the floor and gripped the handle. He was ready to bat.

                                                          ~)*(~
Zelgadiss and Amelia had been safe for the time being but always ready and alert if the shield eventually failed. Amelia peeked out the door and looked at the other wagon. "Why has Lina-san not done anything?" She asked out loud.

 "Not sure." Zelgadiss fixed his gaze out the door.

                                                         ~)*(~

Melendil grinned and stood on the side with Lina watching and waiting for the pitch. "And Tybolt the Gravedigger is up to bat!"

Sasheem gripped Yorick behind her and brought her arm back.

Lina chirped. "And here's the pitch!"

Yorick was thrown and went flying at great speed. In a swift manner, Tybolt hit the skull with the grove in the shovel's spade and sent Yorick flying past Sasheem and out the back door.

                                                         ~)*(~

 Amelia squinted out the door. She could have just sworn she saw some weird gray object, that was glowing red, come out of the other wagon. "It can't be…" She whispered. "No." She shook her head. 'How silly of me, skulls don't fly.'

The army of warriors looked up at the flying object. They all stopped and looked at the sky. One of them reached out and caught the flying object in his hands. At the sound of an overly happy voice yelling: "Break!" they were engulfed in a storm of smoke, light, and one huge explosion.

Amelia jumped as she heard the explosion ring out and quickly looked out the door to watch the shield drop and see a clear view of the explosion. "Lina-san did it!"

Zelgadiss stood up and climbed to the front of the wagon. He was lucky to get there in time as to take the reins from Xellos who was slowly steering them in the wrong direction. The Mazoku smiled at Zelgadiss. "I guess Lina has destroyed the army from the sound of it."

 "Yes, well, good bye." Zelgadiss kicked Xellos off the seat but the Mazoku caught himself in the air and vanished. Zelgadiss growled but steered the horse back in the right direction. His sensitive ears picked up the sound of someone drawing near and soon found Amelia sitting in the front next to him.

 "Gets lonely sitting in the back alone," she said with a smile.

                                                         ~)*(~

Xellos appeared in the other wagon next to Lina. "I see you have disposed of the army."

 "Heh," Lina pushed her hair back and winked. "It wasn't really that bad."

Melendil grabbed Lina's shoulder. "Don't steal the lime light, human!"

 "Now, now, lets not fight! Eh he!"

Tybolt wiped a small tear from his eye and looked outward on the desert. He sighed and leaned against the wall. Xellos was soon standing by him and looking out on the damage.

The gravedigger sniffed. "Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Xellos… Well… At least his skull that is."

 Xellos nodded and looked at Tybolt. "He was a good skull."

Amelia laid her head back against the wagon and was glad it was all over. She closed her eyes and listened to the desert winds passing by her ears as if they were a lullaby.

What are you doing here?

Amelia snapped her eyes open and pushed herself up.

                                                        ~)*(~

Lina stretched her arms and sat down next to Gourry. She was smiling in contentment and humming a tune that soon stopped as her eyes widened. "Gourry…"

 "Yes, Lina?"

The sorceress looked at her surroundings. It was a forest of very tall, lush, green trees with swirling vines that hung from their limbs and coiled around their trunks. Green shrubbery and colorful wild flowers scattered across the moss covered ground and random rays of light broke through the tree branches that made the green forest dark. But overall the place seemed to sparkle somehow and through Lina's eyes was beautiful. "Wh… Where's all the sand?"

 "Oh, well that's in the desert!"

Lina glared at the swordsman and snapped. "Gourry, where have you taken us?!"

                                                          ~)*(~

'Who was talking to me?' Amelia thought. The voice was deep and elegant; that of a woman, Amelia was sure of that. It wasn't Sasheem's, even though the Gypsy did have a mysterious voice, the one she had heard in her head was much older.

Are you coming for your dream?

Amelia grabbed her head and felt Zelgadiss shake her. "Amelia? Amelia, answer me?"

 "What?" Amelia looked at the Chimera's face. "I-I'm sorry, I thought I heard something." Lina's voice quickly interrupted.

 "You have got to be kidding me! We can't be back here!"

Amelia slowly looked around her surroundings. They were in a forest. Sasheem's voice quickly entered. "Don't worry, it's not the Forest of Spirits! Wait Lina, no!"

 "Hey! Give me back Amour!"

 "I'll kill any Fairies that even think they can get near me!"

 "This is not the Forest of Spirits!"

 "Then what is it?!"


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Queen Mab's notes: Well, the chapter is finally up. Sorry for the delay. Okay, things will probably be getting a bit more serious now. Anyway, I love reviews! I'm becoming addicted to the little guys. And e-mail are highly—HIGHLY appreciated. I want to know what people think about 'Gypsy Moon'. Until the next chapter, farewell!