Disclaimer - I don't own Slayers. I own Brau in a sort of way, but if Kanzaka wants him he can have him.

Welcome to the second chapter of the 'Chimera's Lair'. I hope you like it. As you should know by now I'm definitely not an Amelia fan. So if you are one then you should turn back and run away screaming.

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"AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRGHHH!!!"

"Xellos! What happened?!" exclaimed Lina. "Someone attacked you from the Astral Plane?"

"Oh! That reminds me fruitcake." said Zelgadis. "Because the mess you did last time when you've entered the laboratory I've put a demon ward."

"Gee. Thanks for letting me now." Xellos was definitely not amused.

"Don't mention it. Wait here and try not to destroy my house OK?"

"OK. Have fun there you." he gave a meaningful wink. "Did I tell you that you look lovely when you blush Zelgadis-san? You too Lina-chan."

"Hey! Don't you dare Lina!" Zel yelled trying to hold her back. "It's my house so don't torch it!"

"But..."

"No buts. Let's go already!"

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"Oh! I forgot my cape. Could you get it for me?"

"Why would you need a cape in here?"

"It's cold isn't it? I hate cold."

"Lina. I know you all too well. That's why I'll keep my eye on you. You're not taking ANY of my artifacts."

"Oh come on Zel! Would I do that?" she said while making her best 'cute and innocent' expression.

'She scares me sometimes.' thought Zelgadis.

'Yeah but that's what both of us love in her. Isn't it?'

'You don't love her you freak. You just want to screw her.'

'Ouch. Do you really think I've sunk that low?'

'More like risen that high. You didn't even have an ego when you became a part of me.'

'I'm touched. It's the first time you've said that I do develop! Maybe some day you'll stop looking for a way to kick me out? What do you say?'

'You're starting to resemble Amelia with this daydreaming you know that?'

'KYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!'

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"What happened Amelia?! Wake up!" Gourry shook the screaming princess and finally succeeded to wake her. Then she clung to him and started to blubber.

"Waaaa!!! Zelgadis-san said that I start to resemble a Brau Demon!!! How could he say such a thing!?!"

"It's OK Amelia it was just a dream!" said Gourry to comfort her. "It was just a dream.

Zel would never say such a thing."

"You're positive?" asked teary Amelia with hope in her eyes.

"Of course not!" he exclaimed happily. "You know that he would never insult you even if he would be right!"

"Gourry-san!!!" 

"Hello Amelia-san and you Gourry-san! It's nice to see you again!"

"Xellos-san?" said surprised Amelia. "What are you doing here?"

"Well I've visited Zelgadis-san but he went somewhere with Lina and told me not to follow them. Wonder why he wanted to be alone with her?"

"Yes. Wonder why?" Amelia was curious. Xellos sweatdropped. He said what he said to make her jealous but she didn't catch his hint. "Maybe they don't trust you enough?"

"Yeah maybe they do. Well since they won't let me go with them and you're not allowed in the tower what do you plan to o?"

"Sleep." said Gourry. Xellos and Amelia facefaulted.

"Gourry-san? Xellos-san is a guest! You can't go to sleep we have to entertain him."

"Zzzz..."

Another facefault.

"Well..." Xellos started. "Wait here and I'll go and bring chess. I hope you play?"

"I'd love to!"

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"Are you OK Zel? You look pale." Lina was quite worried.

"Sure… I'm fine." he answered slowly. 'Do that again and I'll make your existence Hell!'

'Sorry Zelly. I've got carried away. You know I hate the brat.'

'Then don't act like her. I've got enough problems already. Now be quiet.'

'Don't you love me anymore?'

"Lina don't touch that!" the chimera exclaimed suddenly.

"Touch what?" she whirled around to face him and grinned sheepishly. "You should have more faith in people Zelgadis Amelia keeps telling you that."

"Then maybe I should let her in?" he asked rhetorically.

Lina imagined Amelia waltzing into the laboratory in her 'Ooh!!! What does this button do?!' mood and release the Apocalypse. Then she imagined Gourry taking a seat on edge of the hearth.

"Well caution has advantages as well, hehe."

"It's nice to see you agree for once," he said while nearing close. Very close in fact. The girl started to feel uncomfortable, especially when he surrounded her with his arm and locked her eyes with his. She started to blush but he simply had pulled a Tarot card from under the back of her chest scarf. "That's a bad girl. You should keep your hands off of somebody else's property." then he went through the corridor and she could only follow him.

They walked in silence for a while both lost in their thoughts. Suddenly Lina froze.

"What the fuck is that!?" she pointed a cage in the corner of the room. It contained an animal. A Very strange animal. It looked like a monkey with wings and covered with pebbles.

"You've made YOUR OWN chimera!?! What fucking for?!"

"To test spells of course." he said surprised as if it was obvious. "I'm not desperate enough to test them all on my self you know."

"But a monkey?!"

"I discovered that they're very similar to us. And if it wasn't a monkey it would have to be some peasant. So I don't understand your anger."

She just glared at him but it didn't have any effect, he just replied with his own stare. And he always wan his staring contest with her. She sighed and gave up. She then went further to avoid the subject. She tried to warm up the atmosphere:

"You know I always thought that you DID test those spell on yourself."

"At the beginning yes. But I've abandoned it when I've created my first chimera because it wasn't very safe."

"Your first chimera? You have more of them?"

"More like had. Yes about a hundred all in all."

"What happened to all of them? Don't tell me that Xellos killed them."

"No. It's just that the spells weren't what they were supposed to be. Most of the chimera monkeys were ripped to bits or petrified or change into sheep."

"Sheep?"

"Don't ask."

While they were talking Lina came to a conclusion that the corridor was in fact VERY long.

It looked like it was going for miles and it had entrances to some rooms on both sides.

'It's not a laboratory it's a research facility' she thought. She opened the door to one of the rooms and looked inside.

"And what is this room for?" she motioned to the tons of armory laying inside and hanging from the walls. Most of them were shattered or twisted. "Don't tell me you wanted to commit suicide." She asked sweetly. "Were you?"

"Of course not!" he said though his voice wasn't very firm. "W-what gave you idea?"

"Then WHAT were you doin' Zelly-chan?" she asked cutely, though he knew that she was pissed. "Why are these weapons so shattered? Did you try to feed your pet monkeys with them? Good idea! I've heard that monkeys need a lot of iron in their diet!"

"Well OK so maybe I was a little depressed that time..."

"YOU BLOCKHEAD!!!" she yelled whamming his head. "Does your god-forsaken life consist only of your stupid search for a cure and suicidal actions?! Can't you find yourself a normal hobby!?!"  

'You see that Greywolf? She does care for us! Isn't that just adorable?'

'She doesn't even know of your existence. By the way didn't I tell you to shut up?'

'Yes you did.'

'So?'

'...'

'So?'

'Hey why doesn't the golem part have personality?'

'Stop avoiding the subject.'

"FIREBALL!!!" yelled Lina. She was a girl and girls do NOT like to be ignored when they rant about something. Unfortunately for her the spell had vanished before it reached the chimera. "What the fuck is that?!"

"This corridor is magic protected. I don't want the tower to fall on my head when I experiment. Watch the walls."

Indeed, when Lina had cast the fireball some runic inscriptions started glowing on bricks. Lina wasn't very happy about this. Zel was aware of this so he opened the gestured her to go forward and visit another room. She sighed and did so.

'Zel? Hate to tell you this but which room did she just choose?'

'The one with... OH SHIT!!!' he suddenly remembered what was stored in that room. "Lina don't go in there!!!"

Too late. She had already opened the door. She gave him a peculiar look.

"Why? Is it something dangerous?"

"Y-yes something dangerous. A-a-a... An unknown artifact I've discovered in the ruins of... Dahlburg."

"There are no ruins in Dahlburg. And WHY are you stammering?"

"Be-because it's very dangerous experiment."

She definitely wasn't going to buy THAT kind of a lame excuse. A guy who's been standing face to face with The Lord of Nightmares wouldn't be so scared by a simple artifact, no matter how dangerous. He was hiding something. She took a glare inside the feral room.

"It's just a crystal ball. What could be so dangerous in a crystal ball for heavens sake?"

"You have no idea." he answered.

'You said it.'

'Shut up.'

Lina wasn't a professional fortune teller but her sister had taught her how to use a crystal ball ages ago. She called out a simple spell.

"No Lina don't!!!"

'We're doomed.'

Very true because it was too late. The ball started to glow and Lina saw a very familiar scene. Her face became red. Nobody knows if it was from anger or embarrassment. Or maybe it was simply portending the inevitable Dragu Slave.

"It's me and Amelia... IN THE HOTSPRINGS!?!?!?!" she roared. "ZEL YOU BETTER HAVE GOOD EXPLANATION TO THIS...!"

"SLEEP!"

Lina stopped in mid of a word and collapsed into his arms. He gently put her on the ground.

'Oof! That was close! It's good I've took her bandana when I was taking away the card.'

'Man you tricky devil!' Brau exclaimed happily. 'Always prepared aren't you? You were planning to put her to sleep from the beginning didn't ya?! Come on you can tell me!'

'Keeps your twisted mind out of the gutter.' said Zelgadis in his mind blushing hard. 'You can read my thoughts so you know darn well that I had nothing dirty in my mind when I took the bandana.'

'So you're just improvising?'

'No! I mean yes something like that.'

'I knew it!!! Now tear her clothes off!'

'Screw you!!!'

'Why? Now we have company!'

'SHUT UP!!!'

'Mute as the wall.'

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The shaman came from the laboratory area carrying the sleeping sorceress in his hands.

"Damn I thought you've got bored and gone away."

"I love you too Zelgadis-san. You look lovely together won't you agree?"

"Buzz off fruitcake." said Zelgadis walking pass Xellos to the living room.

"Oh by the way! Gourry had put the tent on fire so I had to let the two of them in."

"You did what?"

"Zelgadis-san is it you?" came a cheerfull voice from the front. After a second he saw a bouncing Amelia run in his direction.

'Oh shit now I'm doomed.' he thought as he felt his arms go limp.

"Ouch!"

'I think you've dropped something.' said the demon. 'And that something is now waking up.'

'I want to wake up too. And discover that it's only a bed dream.'

'Tough luck.'

Review please. I've had a bad week so please cheer me up a bit^_^.