Hey, hey! Well, here it is, my first Slayers fan fic (which, by the way, is
owned by Kadokawa Shoten and TV Tokyo) and my first non-Tenchi fic, too. Tell
me what you think, because I really want to know.

Special thanks go out to Davner, for looking at my fic, and putting up with my
endless Slayers questions, Cavis, for taking time out of his busy life to help
me out a bit, and Fish, Little Masa-ouki, NJ Silver, Big D, Tamysan, and
DrakStern, my other pre-readers. More thanks to Anyaku, who isn't technically a
pre-reader, but pointed out some flaws which I've fixed, and to everyone from
the #TenchiFF chat room for their support and suggestions.

***

Slayers GO!
Chapter 1: Endings and Beginnings

Lina woke up, and immediately regretted it. God, how much did she drink last
night? She rolled over, wincing at the throbbing pain in her head. She wanted
to curl up and die, or, failing that, go to sleep for a month and see if she
felt any better by then.

It was about then that a rustling of the blankets informed her that she was not
alone. Someone was in the bed with her!

"Oh my god," she whispered to herself, "I didn't get so drunk last night that I
went to bed with someone, did I? What if I did? What if I..."

"Hey, Lina," Gourry said, sitting up and rubbing his head, "Could you keep it
down, I've got a..."

"GIVE ME BACK MY VIRGINITY!!!" Lina yelled, grabbing him by his shoulderpads.

"Ah!" Gourry exclaimed, clutching the sides of his head, "Do you have to yell?"

Lina, of course, didn't pay any attention to him, and continued bemoaning her
fate. "I can't believe my first time was at some backwoods inn. How could I
have been so stupid?"

Gourry scratched his head. "Huh? What are you..." Gourry's eyes widened as he
realized what Lina was thinking. "We couldn't have... I wouldn't have... I
mean, not with a girl like you..."

"What's that supposed to mean!" Lina yelled at him.

"Miss Lina!" Amelia said, bursting into the room, "Miss Lina! You'll never
guess what we..." Amelia saw the blonde swordsman in the bed and turned bright
red. "I'm so sorry!"

"Wait!" Lina said, pausing to kick Gourry out of the bed, "It's not what it
looks like!"

Zelgadis surveyed the room over Amelia's head, "It looks like you drank too much
last night and passed out, and Gourry fell asleep while putting you in your
bed."

"It does?" Gourry asked from the floor.

Zelgadis sighed, "Considering you're still wearing your armor, I'd say it does."

Lina looked under the covers which she had previously been holding to her neck
and realized that she was still fully clothed, wrapped in her cape and shoulder
armor.

"That's it!" Lina decided, "This is too much for an empty stomach!"

***

Delvier watched the four come down the stairs and into the inn's common room. A
wry smile crossed his lips as he heard the waiter drop his tray in surprise at
the vast amount of food being ordered.

"Some things never change, do they, Gourry?" he said to himself with a chuckle.

"Huh?" Lina said, noticing her blond companion's distraction, "Something up,
Gourry?"

Gourry shrugged and scratched his head. "I thought I saw someone I knew."
Lina looked over her shoulder at the bar. There were a few men who stood out.
A mercenary from the Blazing Swords (What a cliché name, Lina thought to
herself), a Barbarian from the Detran plains, a Knight of the the Red Dragon, a
bounty hunter, and several members of the local guard. Of all of them, Lina
could only picture Gourry knowing the bounty hunter, and she was pretty sure all
the prices on their heads had been removed.

"Anyways," Lina sighed, "What's the big news, Amelia?"

"Watch," Amelia said, excitedly. She reached into her shirt and pulled out a
crystal amulet. It was round at one end, and the other narrowed down to a
point. She held it out, letting it dangle from her fingers. The crystal hung
there, perpendicular to the ground. "SACRED BEACON!" The crystal began to glow
and slowly spin. It made a few full rotations before coming to a very sudden
stop.

Lina was watching the crystal very closely. "Interesting," she commented, "But
what does it do?"

"It locks on to high energy emanations," Zelgadis said, "The type left by
Shinzoku and Mazoku. If we translated the scroll right, it's pointing to the
greatest source of energy that matches the energy we found in the ruins of
Ceiphied's temple."

Lina's eyes widened. "You don't mean..."

"Yes!" Amelia squealed delightedly.

"Or at least, we hope so," Zelgadis added.

Gourry just scratched his head. "Am I the only one who doesn't understand
what's going on?" he asked.

"Yes, Gourry," Lina said, "Let me try to explain. You know how Dragon Slave is
the most powerful black magic, drawing power from Shabranigdo himself, right?"

Gourry looked up in thought, "Umm.... yes?"

Lina sighed and raised a hand to her temple. "Anyways, there's a long-standing
theory that there must be some counterpart spell. Something to draw on the
power of Cephied. The ultimate white magic spell. Do you understand?"

Gourry was quiet for a moment, digesting the information that Lina had just
given him. "Um... yeah, I actually think I do."

Lina's eyes brightened. "Really?" she exclaimed, "You do? LUCKY!" She became
serious again as she turned back to Amelia and Zelgadis. "Are you sure you're
not jumping at straws, though? I mean, the theory's nice and all, but it's just
that: theory."

Amelia smiled. "Does Crystal Breath mean anything to you?" she asked.

"Um... no," Lina admitted.

"It was written on one of the walls in Ceiphied's temple. I think it's the name
of the spell. If it exists, then this crystal will lead us right to it!"

Just then the waiter brought their food in, and any discussion with Lina or
Gourry would be impossible for the next few minutes.

"So," Lina said, once the initial gorging was over, "What do you suppose this
Crystal Breath spell will do."

"According to the runes we deciphered," Zelgadis said, "It returns things to
their 'true state.' Broken things are fixed, injuries are healed, curses are
lifted. It's implied that it can even bring someone back to life, if it's cast
soon enough."

"Which would make turning you back into a human a very simple task," Lina said,
putting words to everyone's thoughts.

Zelgadis didn't say anything. He merely nodded. He was afraid. Everything he
had tried had always failed. The curse remained despite his most valiant
efforts. It seemed like it would only be a matter of time before this potential
cure turned into another bitter disappointment.

"If you two are finished eating," he said, rising from the table, "Let's go."

***

Lina rubbed her shoulders as they walked through the forest. "Ah, sleeping in
armor is NOT comfortable!"

"At least the weather's good," Gourry commented, massaging his own sore
shoulders.

Lina took a look around at the peaceful forest. "True, it's a great day to be
walking through the woods, to enjoy the sights and sounds of nature,..."

"To be stalked by someone on horseback ever since we left the city?" Gourry
suggested.

"Yes," Lina agreed with a wink, "It's a great day to be stalked." She turned
around, "Hey, we know you're out there. Why don't you show yourself?"

A man rode out on horseback. He wore full plate, apparently made of silver. A
red dragon was painted across his breastplate, mirroring the one on his shield.
His helmet was shaped like a dragon's head, effectively hiding his face.

"A... A..." Amelia stammered, nervously, "A Red Dragon Knight?"

Zelgadis stepped forward. "You don't suppose he's here because of what happened
at the temple?" he suggested.

"What?" Lina yelled, "What happened at the temple!?!?"

Amelia blushed slightly. "Well, we... um... technically... weren't supposed to
touch anything."

"Pheh," Zelgadis snorted, "No one was using that shrine anyways, so it's not a
great loss."

"But they couldn't have found out about the shrine," Amelia protested, "The
entrance collapsed, remember?"

"True, they might be rather upset for tearing up the pillars in the Great Hall."

Amelia thought for a moment. "We didn't damage the painting THAT much, so I
doubt it's because of that."

"Perhaps it's because of the statue of Ceiphied we destroyed."

"But that's where we found the passage to the secret temple!"

"They probably would have been more forgiving if we had left more of the secret
temple intact."

"It's not my fault the rug caught on fire!"

"I'm sorry I asked!" Lina shouted. She turned her attention to the Dragon
Knight. "What do you want?" she asked.

The Dragon Knight dismounted, and stepped forward. "Gourry Gabriev," he said in
a commanding voice, "It is time for you to return. Come with me."

"I won't go back," Gourry said, steel in his voice, "I'm not ready."

Lina looked at Gourry. "You know this guy?"

Gourry scratched his head. "Nope," he admitted, "Don't think so."

Everyone facefaulted, including the horse.

"It's me!" the knight shouted, jumping back to his feet, "Delvier!"

Gourry thought, "The messenger back at home?"

"No!"

"My sparring partner when I started learning to fight?"

"No!"

"I got it! The shopkeeper!"

"No!" the knight shouted back, "I'm your-"

"Just kidding, I know who you are," Gourry said lightly, before suddenly getting
serious again, "And I'm not going back."

There was a loud ring, as Delvier pulled his sword from the scabbard at his
side. "Very well, then, Gourry. I challenge you!"

Lina began to prepare a spell, and Zelgadis reached for his sword, but Gourry
waved them back. "This is my fight," he warned them, "Just stay back." With
that, he drew his own sword and charged the knight. The sound of steel hitting
steel echoed through the forest.

Lina could only watched amazed. She was a good swordsmen in her own right, but
Gourry's skills were on a level far beyond hers. She was a sorceress, using her
sword to back up her spells. Gourry, Lina reminded herself, was a swordsman,
and one of the best in the land. His easygoing nature made it easy to forget
it, but Gourry was, in fact, a warrior.

So was his opponent. It was a battle such as Lina had never seen before. They
were everywhere. The speed, the skill, it was amazing. Delvier showed amazing
agility, despite his armor, causing Lina to wonder if it was enchanted.

The fight raged on, blow after blow. They danced all around the woods,
exchanging attacks, and more than one tree was cut down in the process. Neither
of the warriors seemed to be willing to give an inch, and Lina began to wonder
how long this would go on.

The sun had reached it's apex, and still the warriors struck at each other.
Then, it ended. Delvier swung his blade down at Gourry's head, and Gourry lifted
his own sword to block. But it was a distraction. Time seemed to slow down for
Lina as she watched Delvier drop his shield, and bring his gauntleted fist hard
into Gourry's stomach. Gourry bent over in surprise, and the knight slammed the
hilt of his sword across the back of Gourry's neck. Gourry fell to the ground.

Amelia leapt onto an outcropping rock, and pointed down at Delvier. "Hold it
right there. In the name of justice, I command you to-"

"Either get out of the way or do something useful!" Lina shouted. She pulled
back one hand. "FLARE..."

At the same time, Zelgadis thrust his hand forward. "BOMB DE..."

The knight let out a piercing whistle, and the spellcasters had to dive forward
as the knight's horse leapt over them. Amelia lost her balance and tumbled down
the hillside.

Lina looked up from the ground in horror. Delvier had thrown Gourry across his
horse, and was riding off into the woods.

"RAYWING!" Lina shouted, and she took off. She dived from side to side,
avoiding trees as she chased after Gourry's kidnapper. She was drawing up to
him, when he looked back at her.

"WIND BRID!"

Lina's eyes went wide. She was flying to fast to dodge it. She felt the
shockwave strike her head, and everything went black.

***

Lina woke to see Amelia and Zelgadis standing over her. It looked like Amelia
had been crying. It was evening, and the once clear sky was covered with
menacing clouds. She blinked. Why was she waking up in the evening?

"Gourry!" she exclaimed as the events of the day returned to her, "Where's
Gourry?"

"He's... Delvier... Gourry's..." Amelia babbled.

"Why didn't you stop him?" Lina yelled.

"We tried," Zelgadis told her, "But all we found was you." His voice was calm
and composed. It made Lina want to throttle him. How could he be so calm at a
time like this?

"Okay," Lina said, taking deep breaths to calm herself, "We'll follow him. I
mean, a Knight of the Order of the Red Dragon rather sticks out, so he shouldn't
be too hard to find, right?"

Zelgadis didn't say anything. He got up, and walked away to look back towards
the road. It wasn't fair. He didn't know what was between Gourry and this
Delvier guy, but it was a fair bet that it didn't have anything to do with him.
So why should he have to put his own quest aside for it?

"You okay?" Lina asked.

"I'm fine," he replied, distantly.

"Hey," Lina said cheerfully, putting a hand on his shoulder, "The Crystal Breath
isn't going anywhere, right?"

"Um..." Amelia said, nervously.

Zelgadis turned to look at her. "What is it?" he asked her.

"Well... the crystal won't stay tuned forever," Amelia said, "After a while, it
won't be able to pick up on Ceiphied's energy anymore."

"Can't you re-tune it?" Lina asked.

"Only if we have a strong base to tune it with. The temple ruins worked, but I
don't think they'll let us back in. And most of the temples aren't old enough
to have that kind of energy. I don't know where we could go to re-tune the
crystal."

Lina thought for a moment, running a hand through her hair. "Well," she
decided, "We'll just have to hurry then. The sooner we get Gourry back, the
sooner we can go search for the Crystal Breath." There was silence. No one was
quite sure what to say.

Zelgadis clenched his fist. Why did this have to happen? Right when they had
the most promising lead ever, something had to come along and blow it all to
dust. Was he cursed? Would he have to sacrifice Gourry's life to find a cure?
What would happen if he walked away?

Delvier didn't seem to want to hurt Gourry. He had subdued him, when he could
have done much worse. He mentioned bringing Gourry back somewhere. If Gourry
had escaped once, he could probably do it again. And didn't Gourry mention 'not
being ready'? That suggested that Gourry would ultimately go back on his own
accord. And if Gourry wasn't in any real danger...

"No," Zelgadis said, suddenly.

"What?" Lina asked.

"It's cutting it too close," Zelgadis said, "Gourry's abductor was on horseback.
It could take months to catch up with him."

Lina blinked in shock. "You're not suggesting we abandon Gourry, are you?"

"Gourry can handle himself," Zelgadis replied.

Lina scowled at him. "In case you didn't notice, Gourry's been KIDNAPPED!"

"Fine!" Zelgadis snapped back, "You don't need my permission to go after him!"

"So that's it?" Lina yelled at him, "You're just going to walk away?"

Zelgadis stepped forward, backing her up against a tree. "Look," he said, "YOU
offered to help me search for a cure. If you're not going to help, then GO!"

"Excuse me for wanting a little HELP!" Lina shouted back, "We can find another
cure, but what if something happens to Gourry?"

"JUST GET OUT OF HERE!" Zelgadis roared.

Lina's jaw set. She didn't say anything, she just stormed off in the direction
Delvier had been headed.

"Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia asked, nervously.

"What?" Zelgadis snapped. Amelia shrank away from him. Zelgadis forced himself
to calm down. He could feel it. It was pulling at him, feeding his dark
emotions, waiting for him to succumb. He could feel its frustration as he
forced the anger away, fortifying his mind with a level of apathy.

"I'm sorry, Amelia," Zelgadis apologized, "I didn't mean to yell at you. Lina
just doesn't understand. She's too..." Selfish? he thought. That's generally
what he told himself. But who was being selfish here? Who was leaving a
companion behind for his own personal goals? He let the thought die. "Which
way?" he asked.

"Let me check," she said, pulling the crystal out, "SACRED BEACON!" They
watched until the crystal fixed on a point. "That way," she said, pointing back
to the path.

***

Lina stormed off through the woods. How could they just abandon Gourry like
that? How could they abandon HER like that? Fine, let them, she decided. She
didn't need their help. She could rescue Gourry all on her own. A Dragon
Knight wouldn't be too much of a threat. If Zelgadis was too insensitive to
help, so be it.

But was Zelgadis being the insensitive one? a nagging part of her mind asked.
She had just admitted that she could probably handle this on her own. So why
should Zelgadis have to sacrifice the cure to help her? She threw that thought
away, and continued through the woods.

"Things just can't get any worse," she muttered to herself. The heavens, eager
to prove her wrong, released a downpour of rain, soaking the forest, and any
traveling sorceresses who happened to be in it.

Lina sighed. "Figures." She pulled her cape over her head and ran, looking for
shelter. The rain came down so hard, Lina couldn't see an inch in front of her
face. Yet somehow, she seemed to know where she was going, although she didn't
realize she had arrived at her destination until she ran headlong into the side
of a barn.

"Hello?" she called out, "Anyone here?" The only answer was a horse whinnying.
She placed her hands in front of her. "Light which burns beyond crimson flame,
let thy power gather in my hand! LIGHTING!"

The horse appeared to be the only living thing in the barn other than Lina
herself. Sighing, She wrung some of the water out of her cape and laid it on a
pile of hay to dry. Her overshirt was placed next to it shortly afterwards.

"Hey, there," Lina said, patting the horse's nose. She looked around the barn.
It wasn't very big, but it was well stocked. For some reason, it seemed oddly
familiar to her, but she couldn't quite place it.

"Have I been here before?" she mused out loud. She tried to mentally map where
they had gone. They had been following the coastline east for a while, ever
since they had heard about the ancient temple that had been unearthed near the
sea. The Crystal Beacon spell had lead them southeast, but they hadn't gotten
very far before she started chasing after the Red Dragon Knight. He had headed
south, so that would put her near...

The thought trailed off as she felt something sharp press against her back.

"Get up slowly, and turn around," a very tense voice said in her ear, "If you
make any sudden moves, I fire. If you begin any incantations, I fire. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Lina said, resigned, "I got it." She mentally cursed herself for
letting her guard down, but she did as he said. At least she could get a look
at her captor. He was dressed in a dark blue sleeveless tunic, with matching
pants, and a dark, heavy cloak. She was surprised at how young he was, no older
than her. Bits of straw clung to his tangled, dirty hair, suggesting that he had
spent several days in here. His green eyes betrayed his nervousness, glancing
to each side every so often. There was something unusual about his eyes. They
looked tired, but there was something wild, almost feral, about his them.

"Give me your sword," he ordered her. Lina slowly moved her hands towards its
hilt, trying not to give the man anything to mistake for a possible attack.
"Stop," he snapped, "Get your hand away from there. Take off your belt."

"What?" she said, blushing slightly, "Um... I kind of need that."

"Just do it!" he yelled, raising the crossbow slightly, "Or that will be the
least of your concerns." Lina sighed as and undid the buckle and removed the
belt. Sure enough, without her belt, her pants slid to the floor. Glaring
daggers at him, she thrust the belt and sword at him.

It was then that she noticed the ring he wore. It was made of steel, carved
into the shape of three intertwined snakes. Lina had seen rings like this one
before, and she knew what it meant.

"An Assassin?" she asked in disbelief. This statement caused the Assassin's
eyes to snap back to her, and quickly looked up and down her body, which caused
her to blush even deeper. Oddly enough, the anxious look in his eyes was
replaced with one of annoyance.

"Great," he muttered, "An outsider. They couldn't really believe I wouldn't
kill you just because you're not one of them, could they?" He shook his head in
disbelief, although the crossbow remained trained on her the entire time. "I'm
really sorry you had to get involved in this, but I will have to kill..." He
trailed off, staring.

"Hey!" Lina said, pulling down on her shirt. The Assassin stepped forward and
reached out with one hand, his other keeping the crossbow aimed at her. "What
do you think you're doing?" she yelled as he knocked her hand away and grabbed
her leg, just above the knee. She tried to back away, but collapsed to the
ground. The Assassin fell with her, dropping the crossbow in the process. The
crossbow hit the floor and fired its bolt harmlessly into the beam near the
horse's stall.

"Why you!" she yelled kicking him away, "How dare you-"

"Lina?" he asked, looking at her - her face this time, "Lina Inverse?" There
was something different in his wild eyes. Some of the tiredness had left, and
he looked at Lina as if she had been sent by Ceiphied himself. A sweatdrop
formed on Lina's head, as she backed away from him, only stopping when she
bumped into the stable wall. "It's okay, it's me," he said, smiling, "You don't
recognize me, do you?"

"What the hell's gotten in to you?" she screamed, nervously, "First you point a
crossbow at me, then you try to feel me up, and now you act like we're childhood
friends!"

"But we are, Lina," he said, "I'm the one who gave you that." He pointed to her
left leg, the leg he had grabbed. There was a thin scar, barely visible,
running along her thigh. Lina blinked. She'd had that scar forever. Where did
she get it? She tried to remember. Images started coming to her. A grassy
field, a game of soldiers, sticks used as fake swords, a slip, a swing to hard,
and a boy sobbing an apology, a boy named...

"Tensado?" Lina blinked, "Is it really you? I haven't seen you in... what, six
years?"

Tensado nodded. "Yeah, six years sounds about right."

"Talk about coincidence," Lina said, "Running into you like this."

"I don't think it's necessarily a coincidence. Whether you realized it or not,
you probably sought this place out for shelter for the same reasons I did. You
do know where we are, don't you?"

Lina's eyes went wide as she realized why the barn seemed familiar. "This...
This is the barn where we'd meet to play, isn't it? Our secret meeting place."

Tensado smiled. "We must have spent more of our first ten years here than we
did at home."

"So why are YOU in here?"

Tensado stared at her, deciding whether to answer. "Hiding. That's why I
thought you were sent to kill me at first."

Lina blinked. "What? Why would I want to kill you?"

Tensado ignored her. "They should have sent someone by now. They're normally
very punctual about these kinds of things."

"What are you..." Lina began, but then a thought occurred to her, "You're
running from the Guild, aren't you? What did you do?"

Tensado frowned. "I was given a job," he told her, "but I couldn't go through
with it. I warned the target and gave him a chance to escape, and that was
that."

"Eh," Lina said, waving a hand dismissively, "You were too good for them
anyways."

"You never did like the Assassin Guild, did you?"

Lina turned to him. "No, and I still don't. I think a bunch of men in cloaks
who kill, steal, and do Ceiphied knows what else for anyone willing to pay them
qualifies as bad guys, don't you?"

"Whatever."

There was an uncomfortable pause. "So what are you going to do now?" Lina
asked. Tensado didn't answer. "You're not going to just sit in this barn until
they send someone to kill you, are you?"

"I've been a part of the Assassin Guild my entire life. I don't have anywhere
to go."

Lina took a deep breath. "What is WRONG with you!" she screamed, "'I don't have
anywhere to go,' bullshit! I can't stand people with that kind of attitude.
You don't have anything holding you back! There's nowhere you CAN'T go."

"There's more to it than that," Tensado replied, "It's not that simple."

"It IS that simple," Lina shot back, "And I'll prove it. You're coming with me.
You're going to help me rescue my friend, and I'm not taking no for an answer."

Tensado thought about that for a minute, before a weak smile crossed his face.
"All right," he said, "What have I got to lose?"

"That's the spirit!" Lina smiled.

"Thirty gold coins per day," he told her.

Lina blinked. "What?"

"Hey, the normal rate is fifty, but since I don't have to pay Guild fees, and
you're an old friend, I'm cutting you a deal." Lina stared at him, until he
suddenly burst out laughing. "I'm joking," he told her, "I wouldn't charge
you."

"You'd better not!" Lina replied, "Now, if you could do one small thing for
me..."

"What's that?" he asked. Lina's response was to shove him into a haystack.

"Stay there until I get some pants on."

***

Julo sneezed, then went back to cursing his luck. He was a stablehand at the
Red Tiger Inn. It was his job to stand next to the door, waiting to take
patrons' horses to the stable. On a normal day, it was a very boring job. On a
rainy day like this, it was a cold, wet, and EXTREMELY boring job. It had been
over an hour since anyone had come to the inn on horseback, and Julo knew that
the rest of the day would probably pass without a single note-worthy event.

As if fate wanted to prove him wrong, it was just about then that he heard the
sound of horseshoes hitting the cobbled streets. Julo blinked as a massive
warhorse became visible through the rain's haze. This wasn't exactly the
standard mount Julo dealt with, and the rider was just as unusual as the steed.
Julo could only stare as the armored knight dismounted, and swung a tall,
blonde, unconscious man over his shoulder.

"Take care of Sky Dancer for me," he told the Julo, tossing a gold sovereign to
him. Julo was still too stunned to react, and the coin bounced of his chest and
fell to the ground at his feet. The knight didn't seem to notice, as he was
busy carrying his unconscious companion into the shelter of the inn. So much
for an uneventful day, Julo thought to himself.

The tavern went completely silent as Delvier entered. This was to be expected,
considering the armor he wore, and the man he had draped across his shoulder.
His height couldn't have lessened the effect, either.

"Delvier!" a man called out from a table in the corner, "Over here!" Delvier
nodded, and made his way across the common room.

"Ah, Sethis," Delvier greeted his friend, as he approached the table, "Good to
see you."

"You're late," Sethis said sourly, taking a long swig from his tankard, "I'm
assuming that's him?" He gestured at the blonde swordsman on Delvier's
shoulder.

"Yep!" Delvier affirmed, "Hey, mind if I sit down? He's not exactly getting any
lighter." Without waiting for a response, Delvier dropped Gourry into one of
the chairs and sat down himself. He pulled his helmet off of his head and shook
the water out of his long, strawberry-blonde hair. "What a night," he muttered.

"I can see the resemblance," Sethis said, lifting up Gourry's head, "Shave your
beard, and dye your hair, and you could pass as twins."

"Nah," Delvier laughed, as he flagged down a waitress, "He's much better looking
than I am."

"Can I help you, sir?" the young waitress said, approaching the table.

Delvier looked at her and smiled. "Well, for starters, you can tell me what a
beautiful young lady is doing wiping down tables in a backwater place like
this." The waitress blushed, and started to stammer out a response, but Delvier
cut him off. "Wait, let me guess. You are really a princess. An evil sorcerer
fell in love with you, but you refused his advances. Enraged, he exiled you
from you from your kingdom. You are now in hiding, posing as a simple waitress,
to support yourself, while you try to scrape up enough tips to hire a mage to
help your father, who, by the way, was cursed and transformed into a dog." The
waitress, her face a deep scarlet by this point, let out a nervous laugh.

"Don't worry," Delvier winked, "Your secret is safe with me." He pressed some
gold coins into her hand. "May your father walk upon two legs again some day.
Now, as much as it pains me to treat a fair princess as a mere serving girl, you
do have to remain hidden, so I'd best give you my order. I'd like the roast
chicken and some ale to wash it down, Dwarven, if you have it. My brother here
will most likely eat half the contents of your kitchen, so I'd better be sure I
get his order right." He poked Gourry in the head. "Hey, half-pint!"

"Lemme alone," Gourry mumbled, drooling a bit onto the table.

Delvier shrugged, "I guess I'll have to eat your share, then." This had the
intended effect, as Gourry's eyes popped open, and soon he was giving his
monstrous order to the waitress, who tried her best to write it all down.

"May Ceiphied aid you in your plight," Delvier said, slipping a few more coins
into her apron pouch. The waitress blushed again, and ran off to deliver the
list of food to the chef.

"You are such a flirt," Sethis told Delvier, "Absolutely shameless." He turned
to look at Gourry, who was eagerly watching the kitchen door. "Are you sure
this is the guy we want?"

"I think the prophecy's pretty clear that we need Gourry for this," Delvier
replied, "And I'm sure the half-pint'll do just fine."

"Hey!" Gourry said, indignantly, "You're barely taller than me, so stop calling
me 'half-pint'!"

Delvier waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, half-pint."

"So what is it you need me to do?" Gourry asked.

"We're not entirely sure," Delvier told his brother, "Right now, we just need
you to do what you ran away from four years ago." Gourry frowned at this, but
Delvier continued. "I let you leave on the condition that you would return.
Well, we're out of time, so you're coming with us whether you like it or not.
That being said, I'd prefer it if you came of your own free will." He placed a
hand on Gourry's. "This is important, Gourry, more important than you could
imagine."

Gourry was silent for a moment. "All right," he sighed, "If it's that
important, I'll do it."

***

Amelia and Zelgadis stepped into the crowded roadside inn, dripping more water
onto the already wet floor. Amelia sighed as she saw Zelgadis lift his mask
over his face. It must be hard to have to hide himself like that.

(Dear Ceiphied,) she silently prayed, (Please let this cure be real.)

"I'm going to get us a couple of rooms," Zelgadis told her, "Why don't you order
us dinner." Amelia nodded, and found a table for them. After placing an order,
she waited for Zelgadis to return, but something seemed strange. The hairs on
the back of her neck stood on end, and she had the uncanny sensation that
someone was watching her.

She scanned the room, looking for whoever was watching her. The inn was filled
with so many people that Amelia doubted she'd be able to find him. Suddenly,
however, she found herself locking eyes with a man at the corner table. She
knew he was watching her, but why?

Amelia decided to pay careful attention to him, so she could recognize him if
they met later. His dark hair was perfectly cut, and his beard neatly trimmed.
He wore very fancy armor, which he appeared to keep well polished. What truly
stood out about him, though, was the sack next to him. While everything about
him was neat and tidy, this sack was the exact opposite. Patched together from
various animal furs, it had clearly seen better days. Amelia wondered what was
in it, when Zelgadis stepped in front of her.

"Have you ordered?" he asked, sitting down across from her. She looked back at
the corner, but the strange man was gone. "What?" Zelgadis asked, noticing the
glance and looking behind him.

"Oh, nothing," Amelia said, flushing slightly, "Did you get the rooms?"

Zelgadis looked away. "This place is rather full due to the storm, but I was
able to get us a room."

"Good," Amelia smiled, "Oh, here comes the food." A waiter approached the table
with a pair of dishes. Amelia almost laughed at how little food they needed
without the others. Then she did a double take. He had said 'A' room. Why did
he only get one? Now that Lina and Gourry were gone, did he expect her to...
She squirmed on her chair. She liked Zelgadis and all, but she wasn't that kind
of girl. She was a shrine maiden, after all!

Amelia kept glancing nervously at Zelgadis as she picked at her food. She
couldn't believe he'd be so forward to not even ASK about it. It hurt a bit,
too, that he thought she would just put out like that.

"Are you all right?" Zelgadis asked, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"What?" she said, sweatdropping, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" he pressed, "You're face is flushed." He placed a hand on her
forehead. Despite it's hardness, his hand was still warm, a combination which
felt rather odd. Amelia felt her face become even redder under his touch.

"I'm fine, really!" Amelia insisted, nervously, "It's just, umm... really stuffy
in here, you know with all the people around and everything." It was saying
that which made her realize it: the inn was very crowded, so Zelgadis was
probably only able to get one room. She chided herself for jumping to
conclusions, and thinking Zelgadis would do something like that.

Zelgadis finished his meal and stood up. "Let's go to bed." Amelia fell out of
her chair at this. "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked her, helping her
on to her feet.

"I'm okay," she said, rubbing her sore backside, "Just tired." As they made
their way through the crowds to the stairs, Amelia again got that strange
sensation of being watched. She quickly turned around, but if the fine-dressed
man was still there, she couldn't see him.

The room was small, but cozy, obviously intended for only one person. A bed
took up one corner of the room. The only other furniture in the room was a
dresser with a mirror.

"You can have the bed," Zelgadis told her.

"Um... where will you sleep?" she asked. The entire situation made her very
nervous and self-conscious. She wished that Lina or Gourry were here, so it
wouldn't just be the two of them.

"I'll sleep on the floor."

"Will you be all right?" Amelia asked, with genuine concern.

Zelgadis nodded. "I'll be fine." He gave a wry smile as he rapped his knuckles
on one of his stone shoulders. "With skin like this, it doesn't make much of a
difference." He looked out the window into the stormy night. "Let's turn in.
I'd like to get an early start tomorrow."

"Okay," Amelia agreed, as she started to rummage through her pack. After a
little bit of searching, she pulled out her pajamas. As she turned to Zelgadis,
she could feel the blood returning to her face. "Um... could you..."

"What?" Zelgadis blinked, before he realized what she was asking. To Amelia's
surprise, he blushed a little bit, too. "I'll, um, wait outside." Once
Zelgadis was out of the room, Amelia began to change clothes. She winced as she
pulled off her shirt. Looking in the mirror, she could see several scrapes and
small bruises on her back, souvenirs from the tumble she took down the hill that
morning. Nothing serious, she noted, so she pulled her pajamas on, and stuffed
her clothing into her pack.

She sighed as she pulled out Grizzly-chan, a ragged teddy bear that she'd had
for as long as she could remember. Grizzly-chan had helped her get to sleep
even when she was away from home, learning to be a shrine maiden, or when she
was out on the trail, serving justice. But what would Zelgadis think if he
found out she still had a teddy bear. She held Grizzly-chan for a moment,
before she returned him to her pack. She didn't really NEED him, and it was
only one night.

"Ready!" she called, smiling, as she jumped out into the hallway. This got them
odd looks from the other patrons in the hall, but Zelgadis didn't seem to
notice.

"Took you long enough," Zelgadis commented, as he went into the room to get
changed himself. Amelia stood in the hall, giving nervous smiles to the people
who stared at her as they passed. Fortunately, it wasn't long before Zelgadis
opened the door, and Amelia stepped back into the room.

There was an awkward silence until Amelia spoke up. "Let's get your bed set up,
then," she suggested, pulling the larger of the two comforters onto the floor.

"That's not really necessary," he told her, but Amelia shook her head.

"It's bad enough that I'm going to be sleeping in the bed while you're on the
floor," she explained, "At least I can give you something so you don't have to
sleep directly on the floor." She spread the comforter over the floor. "There
you go," she said with a smile.

"Thank you," Zelgadis said. Amelia hopped into the bed as Zelgadis blew out the
candles that lit the room. Using his pack as a pillow and his cape as a
blanket, Zelgadis settled down on his makeshift bed. "Good night, Amelia," he
called out.

"Good night, Mr. Zelgadis," came Amelia's drowsy response.

Zelgadis wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but a creaking floorboard brought him
back to consciousness. He tried to look around, but it was too dark to make
anything out. His sword was only a few feet away, but he was hesitant to make
any moves, in case the intruder could see better than he could. He lay there,
perfectly still, listening for any sounds that might tell him what the intruder
was doing, but all he could hear was the patter of the rain on the inn's roof.

There was a pull at his cape, and something slid under it with him. A bolt of
lightning lit up the room, and he saw Amelia's face only inches from his. He
felt her arms wrap around his shoulders, as she pulled herself closer.

His mind reeled. What was she doing? Part of him marveled at the idea that
someone like her could like him, in spite of his monstrous appearance. If she
felt this way, strongly enough to come to him in the middle of the night, then
he'd be a fool to reject her. He'd probably never meet another woman who could
look past his stony exterior, and if this cure failed, like all the others had,
he'd be doomed.

Another part of him, however, screamed against it. This was Amelia he was
dealing with. She was still a child. Did she know what she was getting into?
He doubted it. There was an innocence about her that was hard to find in this
world. He couldn't take that away. It wasn't right, was it?

Or was it her decision to cast aside that innocence for whatever would come
next? If this was what she truly wanted...

"Amelia?" he whispered.

"Grizzly-chan," she murmured. Zelgadis shook his head. She had been
sleepwalking. He was a fool. Trying his best not to wake her, he gently picked
her up and placed her back on the bed.

"Sweet dreams, Amelia," he said softly, as he pulled the comforter over her.

"G'night, Grizzly-chan," she said, drowsily. Zelgadis couldn't help but smile
as he returned to his own bed.

"Yeah," Amelia continued to talk in her sleep, "I like Mr. Zelgadis. He's a
nice guy inside... I think he looks cool like he is, don't you?... I hope this
spell works, though... I hope... I can... help... him..." After that, she
rolled over, and was silent.

You really are a fool, he told himself, but you're lucky to have her. Women
like her were one in a million.



To be continued...