Seyruun High Jinx NEXT! Chapter 38: On a Rainy Day, a slayers fanfic

Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT!

Chapter 38 On a Rainy Day

"To speak kindly does not hurt the tongue." -- a French proverb

Road trip

"So you like Kiki?"

Xelloss asked it so casually, Zel simply answered honestly. Also, having been swimming in frigid water much of the afternoon and slavishly playing guitar and singing late that night at a gig may have suspended his interest in mind-games as well. "Yes, why?"

"My brother's in love with my fiancé!" Xelloss announced gleefully. "Is that soap opera material !"

"I didn't say 'in love'. I said 'like'; no, actually you said 'like'. I said, "Yes, why?'" Zelgadiss checked his watch. He was waiting for his turn at the shower. "Besides, I like lots of people...well, a few anyway." Zel fought back a blush, to no avail. "Stop looking at me that way."

Xelloss cheerfully complied. And shut his eyelids.

"All right, open your eyes, asshole." Zel knew when he was being baited, but rarely could handle Xelloss with aplomb.

Xelloss exploded in a riot of giggles. "Anyway I look at you, I see my best friend going for my girl."

"That's absolutely not true, and you know it."

"Hey, it's perfectly okay with me, little brother! Take her! I wish you would!" More seriously, he added, "I wish you could..."

"Xelloss? What is it?"

"I wish I knew."

"Let me guess, somehow did you got a syndicate-style contract against you, forcing you to marry her."

Xelloss' eyebrows shot up. Zelgadiss' ability to see through to the truth of the matter was uncanny; at least it was to him. "Good guess..."

"Something leftover from the Zelas days, am I right?"

"Partially, maybe...I don't know. Kiki's doing some investigative work from her end. I think that Zelas called her folks last year to put an end to the engagement. Kiki's mother is a sharp opportunist. She most likely started wondering who Zelas was...or me...and did a little research on her own. I'm thinking that her investigations brought her into contact with another party who filled her in on my potential financial status. Suddenly, I became an overnight success...as a desirable attachment for their daughter. And thus I pay the consequences for another of my rash actions. You know, the betrothal I had made in haste to divert attention off Lina, transformed over time to became the current noose-about-my-neck."

Xelloss tossed that one out, hoping to head off his little brother should Zel want to start that lecture. But instead, Zel said, "Your aunt, that Deep Sea...person. I bet she's behind it."

"I thought about that. Hey, for a while there I was thinking she was Kiki's mother!"

"That...would be too convoluted, even for your life. The question is, why would she get involved? Why would she care?"

"I was wondering 'why Kiki?' myself."

Zel looked at Xelloss. "Why indeed? So, Zelas calls Kiki's folks, tells them about their estranged little girl mixing it up with her deranged son..."

"A bit harsh there, Zelgadiss..."

"And demands that they force Kiki to break the engagement, because..."

"Because Zelas has other plans for me and my promise was as binding as any other syndicate contract. I would either have to marry her, die, or Kiki could release me."

"Right. Then either they said no or yes..."

"Or they would think about it."

"Right, in any case the matter was dropped."

"At least I thought so at the time," Xelloss ran a hand through his hair in a show of frustration.

"Right. Zelas may have learned something about Kiki's family that she liked and maybe the contract was kept, although it would have been nice to tell you that instead of letting you think it had been voided."

"Zelas and 'nice' do not belong in the same sentence. Or they learned about my money and kept the engagement intact, with or without Zelas' knowledge."

"Or..." Zel sighed, "Some third party interfered to mess up Zelas' plans."

"Or something else we haven't thought of."

"There's that."

"Yes there's always the possibility of something else," Xelloss sighed as well.

Their eyes met. "I'll get you out of it. I promise you," Zel assured him.

Xelloss smiled, "So, you do want her for yourself!"

"No, Xelloss. It's an act of kindness." He smiled briefly, and then with a smirk said, "I can't let a nice girl like her get tied up with the likes of you."

"Oh yeah, she'd be much better off with 'sweetie pie Zelgadiss'."

Not that nickname! Lina had called him that hadn't she? Xelloss had been busy with Luna, so he couldn't have heard... How did he know...? "Val...he didn't...I'm going to make him pay for repeating that."

"Well, here he comes. I can't wait to watch him paa-aay."

Zel slugged Xelloss in the arm. "Shuddup."

There were no hard feelings. These were just good-buddy high jinx.

"Yo." Val greeted them as he emerged from the adjacent bathroom.

"Yeah, I got dibs on this shower!" Xelloss announced, sitting up on the bed.

"All right. I can wait for the other one," Zel sighed but neither guy moved.

Val loped off to the room next door, and then returned half a minute later. "I'm done in there. Both showers are free. Gourry's out in our room, too."

Xelloss smiled and hopped off the hotel bed, "At last."

"Yeah, ya need it!" Val chuckled as he crashed on the other bed in the room which Zel had just vacated in his rush to the other room's shower.

"Sorry, I lose five pounds each performance in sweat alone, I think. Drums give me a real work out." Xelloss stripped and wrapped a towel around his waist. "Oh, nice hair by the way."

"Thanks, Filia trimmed it. She got me this con-di-shun-er shit she made outta herbs and it's all..."

"Shiny, soft, and more manageable!" Xelloss giggled, and then he disappeared into the bathroom.

"Val? You in here?" Gourry stomped through the adjoining doorway between the two rooms. Seeing that it was true, Gourry draped his hair towel around his shoulders and sank onto the empty bed without waiting for an answer.

He and Val drew lots as roommates, leaving Xelloss to share with Zel. The days of four-to-a-room were in the past.

"Fiss-ic-cally. My brain's fried though."

"You were deadly on the keyboards tonight. Crowd liked that dialog thingy you and Filia did before her solo. Her idea?" Gourry winced as his comb snagged in his knotted hair, knots he hadn't been able to free since the fishing trip. "Ow..."

"Yeah, she's bein' friendlier since..." Val looked down at his hands and grinned. He smoothed out a lump in the bedspread.

"What didya do?" Gourry prompted. He didn't normally try to weasel secrets out of his friends, but he could tell Val just needed a little encouragement.

"I...read her a poem I wrote 'bout her. Said all kinds of nice things in it, things I can't just say."

"Gotcha. I wrote a poem to Lina once kinda like that."

"She like it?"

"She didn't rip it ta shreds." Gourry met Val's eyes with a wry smile. "Gotta count for sumpthin'. Owwwch!"

In a moment of considerateness, Val said, "I got somethin' for that." He swung his legs off the bed. "Ya put it on yer hair wet and leave it there a couple minutes, then rinse it out."

Gourry gave him the blankest possible look. "Huh?"

"It'll make it slippery...so the snarls come out."

Gourry's eyes lit up. "Hair conditioner?"

Val felt like he was just barely communicating. "Yeah. When Zel gets out, I'll get it for ya."

"Zel...is out." Zelgadiss said as he walked into the room. He had the seven minute shower down pat.

Gourry was lounging on Zel's bed, and since Val was up and on his way to the other room, Zel hopped onto Xelloss' bed. "Ah...the smell of the sea will never be quite the same."

Gourry nodded. "I'll always think of that...dragon fish."

"Shark, yeah. And bay swill water... I think I've finally got it scrubbed out of my pores."

"Val's got somethin' for my hair. It'll never be the same. Why do ya think the fish went for it?"

"They were either starving or the color caught their eye," Zel said.

"Here!" Val lobbed the glass bottle to Gourry, who caught it, and then claimed the spot Gourry left open as the blonde visited the shower once again.

Val and Zel traded open stares at one another. "You look different," they noted simultaneously.

Val chuckled and fingered his hair. "No gel..."

Zel nodded.

"Your skin looks different."

Zelgadiss was shirtless after his shower. One outcome resulting from living with Xelloss and Val was that Zel was becoming accustomed to just 'hanging out' with other guys. "Yeah. Funniest thing. Ever since that spa trip, I've noticed..."

He was interrupted by a vigorous knocking at the door.

"'S'not locked!" Val shouted. "Awww, it's the chicks from down the hall."

Zelgadiss snatched a sweatshirt out of his bag and pulled it on. He was less comfortable showing his scarred skin around the girls.

"Peep, peep, peeeeep!" Kiki laughed and led the others in chicken imitations.

"Miss Kiki, you're good enough to be PULLET, the Palace Fried Chicken mascot. I hear they ha-have an opening." Amelia collapsed onto the floor gasping for air between laughing and choking.

"Move over," Filia nudged Val to the edge of the bed then perched primly on the other side.

Lina dove for the center. "I am soooo dead tired."

"Well don't die there. That is my bed," Zel pointed out to her.

Lina didn't move.

"Too bad Joey couldn't have played, huh?" Kiki asked her. "Come sit here with us. Ici!" She patted the floor and scooted apart from Amelia so Zelgadiss could fit in.

"Yeah, if I hadn't been on that stupid boat, I coulda talked his mom outta makin' Zolf drive him back home. Poor kid! Since when did coaches start callin' parents before games?"

"Since his star center was AWOL at the shoot-around in the morning," Gourry answered. He was trickling water from the tips of his hair-- flicking a fine spray of cold water with each step. "Joey hasta learn what he can and can't do."

"Yeah, and fooling your mom is in the 'can't' catagory," Amelia agreed. "Luckily, Daddy let me come, or we would have been in trouble." She smiled as Zelgadiss sank onto the floor where Kiki had made room for him.

"Not so. I disagree. Xelloss did a new song to cover for your solo last week. I mean, we missed you, you know that. We're just so-so background singers without your sweet voice. But the band wasn't in trouble." Filia didn't catch Amelia's expression; her attention was arrested by Gourry's frustrated attack on his hair. "Gourry let me do that. You're tearing it out and splitting the ends."

"Ah...I don't know..." He wasn't finicky about his hair like Xelloss was, but no female younger than his mother had ever combed it out. Lina, he could remember, had tied it back for him on several occasions, but that was mostly to get the damned stuff out of the way.

"Oh, let her untangle the mess!" Lina said with an exasperated tone in her voice.

As Filia got off the bed, Lina secured a pillow and made herself more comfortable– face down and eyes closed.

"Okay." The busy day had finally worn down Gourry too.

Filia dug through the tote bag she'd brought with her, and then joined him on the other bed, Xelloss' bed. "I'll trim the ends while I'm at it. Hey, don't be such a baby about this! I won't touch the bangs if you want to keep them shaggy; that's your business. I'm working with the long ends and the knots. You guys are all so sensitive... Hmmm...smells familiar."

"Val gave me this to use on it." Gourry showed her the bottle of hair conditioner.

"Good boy!" she said Val's way.

Val smiled, pleased to have done something right, but then looked away. Don't wanna look too needy!

"Here's where everyone went!" Sylphiel took in the scene from the hall doorway. She and Amelia had been the last to use the girls' shower, but her longer hair was a real ordeal to take care of and had made her the only remaining one in her room. "Ooooh! You're, like, fixing Gourry's hair!"

Gourry shrank back. He remembered then that it was Sylphiel who had put his hair into pigtails with buns!

"Yeah, but hands off. He's all mine tonight. Isn't that right, G-bo?" Filia leaned into him, blonde hair blending with blonde.

"Uh, huh..." Gourry agreed. Better Filia than Sylphiel messing with his hair.

"Where's Xelly?"

"Shower." Val filled Sylphiel in. "In fact..." His eyes scanned the room and settled on Xelloss' bag in the corner, kimono resting on top, dirty clothes piled nearby where he'd dropped them. "Why doncha take him his kee-mo-no?"

She actually got as far as picking it up, before she thought about what she was doing. "Va-al!"

"Heh, heh... Well, you were up!" Val chucked. "Guess it's your job, Ki-ki."

Kiki blushed, "I don't know..."

"Val, just get up and take him some clothes before he comes out." Zel sighed.

Val was grinning and shaking his head. "I ain't givin' up my comfortable lo-ca-shun. And Gourry's gettin' his hair done."

The shower shut off.

"Better hur-ree..." Val added unnecessarily.

"Damn him anyway," Zel grumbled. "Why can't he just carry his clothes into the bathroom and get dressed in there like everyone else?"

"Like you, maybe. Not me. Not him. 'Though... I sus-pect he would've taken more than a towel if he'd known he'd have an au-di-ence." Val continued ragging on Zel even as the poor guy had his hand on the doorknob. "Livin' with a prude ain't easy, ya know."

Zel knocked on the door, "Xelloss. I have your clothes here. All the girls are out here. Yes. All. Because they are. No, I won't ask them all to leave; no one listens to me anyway. What? No! No one wants to see your ugly naked body any more. Don't be stupid! That would be a bad choice to make. Just take these and put them on. Right." And then after passing the said garments over Zel added, "Thank you."

A few moments later, Xelloss appeared clothed in his standard hotel evening attire– kimono and black silk pants. "One would have thought after your day at sea and evening at the pops, you would have wanted to turn in, girls... Oh, I see, Lina is napping." He scrunched up his face at Gourry and Filia. "And since my bed's otherwise occupied, I shall have to wake Lina up."

"A bad idea," Zel warned him as he settled back into his designated 'spot'.

"She's not driving me to the floor in my room!" Xelloss declared. He bounced over the one bed, jiggling Filia's cutting arm and eliciting a sharp, "Xelly-bean!"

"Xelly...bean?" Kiki repeated with wonder.

"Miss Filia likes nicknames, and that one's because..." Amelia began to explain.

"He's so sweet?" Kiki guessed. "Like the candy?"

"Maybe..."

"Nothing like that," Filia said. "It just sounded like the candy. That and he hates it," she added with a smirk.

Xelloss had settled in on the other bed, turned and stuck out his tongue at her. He and Val were lounging, half-sitting, and acting as bookends controlling Lina's sprawl in between. Contrary to what he had warned, Xelloss had carefully situated himself so as not to awaken Lina. Sylphiel turned on the TV, but the cable was limited to five stations, one being the 'things to do' advertising of the local businesses.

"We'd be better off just talking," she decided and flicked the TV off. "Oh, did you see that guy on the school roof, Gourry?"

"During the math final? Yeah, wonder how he got out there?"

Xelloss knew. "You can climb out the window of the girl's bathroom onto the roof. And don't ask me how I know that!"

Kiki thought he was funny.

"Last year during science lab, two guys were out there, but couldn't pull themselves back up. They were running around screaming...pretty pathetic." Zel smiled and shook his head. "Couple of jocks so out of shape and over-weight they got caught doing something stupid. Very funny, actually."

"Funny? We were doing life drawings in art class and the kid modeling fell asleep." Filia picked up another lank of damp hair and began to work out the snarls. "She woke up when her head went down and banged on something. You had to be there..."

Lina let out a sigh and turned sideways, draping an arm across Xelloss' waist. He pretended not to notice.

Sylphiel had more to share. "Did you know our Japanese teacher is dating the football coach?"

"No!" Amelia and Filia both exclaimed.

Lina grunted and adjusted her 'Xelloss' pillow. He moved an arm to encompass her shoulders. Zel caught his eyes in a staring contest. Zel was silently arguing that perhaps Xelloss should prefer to sit by Kiki? Xelloss was countering with a suggestion of his own– why doesn't Zelgadiss show some affection to either girl he was sitting beside? Or may be it was more of a 'make me' look.

"Yes! Someone from the office, you know, delivered a bunch of flowers to her."

Filia nodded, "Yeah, I saw those. Was it from him?"

"Uh, huh. The note fell off and I picked it up and put it back. I couldn't help but notice. Flowers...so–"

"Sweet," Zel supplied acidly.

"Romaaaaaantic," Xelloss trilled in falsetto.

"They suck," Val provided for contrast.

Gourry elected to keep his mouth shut. Filia had a sharp instrument in her hand, after all.

Filia and Sylphiel rolled their eyes. Kiki elbowed Zel. "Well they are nice! You'll find out when you grow up. Girls appreciate a thoughtful boy."

Zel froze up. 'When you grow up?'-- wasn't he grown up? He had thought he was quite mature.

Xelloss replied. "Some girls do. Other's just take, take, take, expecting more, more, more. In fact, I think very few actually value, truly, a kind, generous guy."

"Like you, huh?" Filia snorted.

"I'd like to think so."

Changing the subject, Sylphiel said, "The bathrooms at school used to be so messed up, you know? Like that one, I don't know where, that when you flushed the toilets, the water in all the sinks came on...?"

"Oh, yeah!" Filia laughed. "But at least it worked, sorta. The one in the art hall... It was a good day if one out of three was not leaking or backed up, or something. How about the boys' bathrooms?"

"They're okay now," Val said. There were some and he could find one in a pinch.

"As long as you don't have to spend any time in one," Zel noted.

"I couldn't say," Xelloss said, "I've never been in one; that is, except for the window incident." He could not be coerced into expanding on that story.

Zel felt a warm heaviness leaning into him. Amelia had fallen asleep.

"Just rest her head on your lap. You can carry her to her bed later," Kiki suggested.

While he attempted to lower Amelia into a comfortable position, he said to Xelloss, "You were the one who got those guys into trouble, weren't you? Showing them the window... Hey, I don't care. You could've provoked the entire team out onto the roof and pushed them off, for all I care."

"Then we wouldn't need the cheerleaders!" Sylphiel cried out.

To which Zel simply shrugged his shoulders as a reply.

"Anyway," Sylphiel continued. "What I was getting at...was that last year everything was like broken and now things work and the floors are clean. They replaced two of the old ovens in the cooking room."

"Ah...like the one that burned up some of Lina's cookies last year?" Gourry asked.

"Uh, huh. That one and another. Whatever you say or think about Grauscherra, Xelloss, he's a good principal."

"I'll tell him you said so next time I see him, which is next week, I think. Lina knows. His work ethic must run in the family," he added with a wink at Zelgadiss.

"So you two graduated? Does that mean we won't see you at school any more?" Filia asked. "I hope..." she added with a smile directed at Xelloss.

"Oh, we'll be around still," Xelloss assured her with a mocking smile. "I have an affinity for the fine fare offered by the school cafeteria and I'm still a participant in our musical, which affords me many opportunities to associate with the knowledgeable faculty."

Val chuckled, "Nerd suck-up..."

"And Zelgadiss wants to finish his Japanese and he's going to be a paid assistant in the computer center."

"'Nother nerd suck-up..."

"How's that art port-fo-leee-o coming along, Valentine?" Xelloss knew Val wouldn't try anything with Lina sleeping between them.

Val snorted, "Okay..."

"He's got the art teacher all excited about it. She's been helping him get it together. Paintings, computer art, sculpture...what else? Oh, photography, yeah." Filia tackled the last shank of uncombed hair with gusto.

"Careful there," Gourry implored as he tried to protect his tender scalp.

"She says Val has great promise and recommended several schools for him."

Further information from Filia was cut off by guffaws from both Zel and Xelloss and snickers from the others. "Ooooooo, Vally-boy's the teacher's pet."

Val was about to launch a retaliatory punch to Xelloss smart mouth, when he noticed Lina, now snuggled quite comfortably on and around Xelloss; head on his chest, one leg over his, his arm cradling her gently. Had it been ANYONE else, it wouldn't have registered in Val's mind, at all. "I'll let that pass, for now...lover boy," Val said in a low voice.

Sylphiel and Kiki had moved in close to Gourry to admire Filia's handiwork. They were engaged in conversation and didn't hear Val. "Oh, that looks so good! Would you trim mine too?" Kiki asked. "Not tonight, but when you have time."

Zelgadiss heard what Val had said, but was pinned to the floor by the prone Amelia so he couldn't really see Xelloss and Lina.

Filia had released his hair. All done. Gourry's head turned. Lina sleeping in Xelloss' arms was not what he had been expecting. Lina was asleep. She had no idea what she was doing and he was taking advantage of her, at least, that's how he saw it. He didn't like that contented...no...smug smile on the guy's face either. Gourry stood. "It's late and we gottanother gig tomorrow. I'm carrin' her to her own room. Filia? Wouldya show me where ta put Lina?" He leaned over and collected Lina in his arms before Xelloss could nay-say him.

Xelloss did get the last word in, though, "Sweet dreams...are made of this..."

Gourry grunted then swept out of the room.

"Want a hand with your girl?" Xelloss asked of Zelgadiss, still on the floor.

With a faint flush, Zel answered. "Actually, yes. Although, I could just wake her up and let her walk. What's your problem?"

Hopping around on one foot while shaking his other was looking like an odd dance of Xelloss' making. "It fell asleep!" Xelloss whined. "I'm coming..."

Xelloss managed to get to Amelia, scoop her up, and right himself without dropping her. "Got her. I'll put Amelia away. The rest of you are on your own."

Val, Filia, and Sylphiel followed behind Xelloss and his load leaving Zel with Kiki. "My time to go," she said.

Zel was standing rather awkwardly staring at her. "Ah...yes."

"You wanted...to say something?" she stepped closer.

"I ah... Do you want to marry Xelloss?" he blurted out.

"No," she answered without pause. "I do like him, but I haven't even been on a date! How would I know how we get along?" With tears forming in the corners of her eyes, she added, "How would you feel stuck with someone you barely know for life?"

"I-I would hate it," Zel admitted. "I do hate it. I, ah, made Xelloss a promise, one I'll make to you too, and that is: I will find a way to stop it. You both deserve to the freedom to choose your own...to live your own lives."

Kiki's face brightened. "Why thank you, Zel. You have given me hope."

Zel had walked her to the door to the room she was sharing. They met Xelloss heading out. He turned and went the other direction. "Where are you going?" Zel asked. He wasn't certain if Xelloss knew which way was up sometimes.

"Hunting." Xelloss smiled. "Val and I are...going to...meet a few fans. I'll see you later."

"You have your room key?"

Xelloss patted his pockets. Surprisingly, this pair of silk pants had side pockets and even more surprising, the key was in it. "Why...yes I do!" He nodded to Kiki. "Good night," then hopped off.

"He's doing what?" she asked.

"Nothing. Zolf and Rodimus have cordoned off both ends of the hallway for security reasons. They won't get far," Zel assured her. "Good night."

"Oh...night!" She started to go in, and then hesitated. "Zel?"

"Uh...yes?" Kiki using the shortened form of his first name caught him off guard.

"Do you think we might go out together?"

Now he was further flustered. "Wh-who?"

"Us. You and me...and Amelia and Xelloss. I'd feel more comfortable in a group that way. I think... Would that be okay with you? I'd understand if you just wanted to be alone with Amelia. She told me you two...had gone out together."

"Just the once on her birthday more than a month ago." Why did he feel he needed to defend himself? "We're not really...um..." Or are we?

She put a hand to his arm. "We don't have to. I don't want to pressure you."

"No, I would like that! The four of us, yes. That would be all right, I mean...it might be fun. Should be fun, I mean." He could have hit himself in order to shut up– that might be fun, too!

"You mean that? Magnifique! Can I tell Amelia; would you mind? Ah, non, I won't. I can see... you would rather just plan it all yourself. That's good, okay?"

"Uh, yes." Although as the door closed he wasn't entirely sure what he was to do next. Talk to Xelloss.

About the time he was dropping off to sleep, Val and Xelloss returned. He shut out their loud grumbling. Val went to the room he was sharing with Gourry. Xelloss stepped into his room and flung his shoes against the wall as he took them off.

"Told you so."

"I know, but I thought I had it worked out. I did! I don't know how Zolf figured out my little ploy, but he did. It makes me mad though. I'm an adult! If I want to go out, I should be able to!"

"He's protecting us...you from being torn apart or something. Just doing his job. Listen, I had a great deal of exercise today and I need to sleep for playing tomorrow, all right?"

"You going to hold me to that bet?"

"Yes, Xelloss. Seeing you kiss my dog will be the highlight of my week."

"You sick, sick boy..."

"That's me. 'Night."

"Good night, little brother."

"Oh, by the way..."

"Yes?"

"Think up something you, me, Amelia, and Kiki can all do together."

"Oh? Like a double date? 'Kay...that's a good idea really. I've never been out with Amelia before, dancing."

"Dancing? Well, if you want..."

"Dinner, dancing...and..."

"That's enough for a start."

"Yes. Sweet dreams."

"Right." Zel turned over and wondered about the word 'sweet', then fell asleep.

Song

Lina was very energetic, but the cold bay water, lack of plentiful food, and late nights singing took a toll on her body. When they took a break midway in their last performance of the night, Lina slumped onto a chair.

"Xelloss, come here."

Had he the ability, he would have instantaneously transported himself to her side. As it was, he skipped over as quickly as possible. "Yes?"

"I'm not...feeling so great."

He placed a cool hand to her forehead. "You might have a temperature. I'll get you some ice water."

"Yeah, inna minute. First, can you and Zel and Val work out a couple of those solos of yours...like the ones you did for the first time when Amelia was out and that one you sang in Zephillia? Good, 'cause I'm gonna cut mine except for the closer."

"Filia! Sylphiel! Come here. Lina's sick. What can you do for her? Tea?"

Amelia had been close enough to overhear. She scampered off to get some ice and a cloth napkin from the dining room.

Xelloss turned back to Lina. "We'll cover for you. Rest here as long as you can."

Seeing all the excitement centering around Lina made Gourry hurry to her side. "What's wrong?"

"I think I'm coming down with a cold or something," she began.

Gourry cleared off the ratty dressing room couch and helped her over. Amelia spilled some of her cup of ice when she tripped over a pillow Gourry had tossed onto the floor. "Oops! I made it! Here, Miss Lina! Put this napkin with ice on your head. You'll feel better when you cool down."

"Ah...thanks," Lina shook the ice free from her hair. She lay back and closed her eyes.

"Okay. They gave me this mug of hot water and I've put a bag of 'calming' tea in. That's all I have with me here. I have others back at the room," Filia explained.

"It will have to do," Lina sighed. However, on closer observation, she was plunged into a profound suspicion by the mug of tea. "What kind of herbs did ya say you put in here? I hope it doesn't make me sick to my stomach or put me to sleep. Have you ever drunk this?"

Filia just declared, "I'm coming down with a headache," and walked away.

"At least she brought something with her. I never think to bring anything with me from my shrine training," Sylphiel revealed.

"Who'da guessed?" Lina murmured. "How much more time do we have?"

"Twenty minutes." Amelia checked her watch. "Go ahead and rest. We'll wake you if you fall asleep."

To give Gourry a lot of credit, he worked up a bass line to back up Xelloss' songs during the rest of their break. He was trying to forget how angry he'd been the night before at Xelloss. Val had explained to him that Xelloss hadn't done anything. "I was sittin' right there an' she just rolled over on him. He didn't feel her up or anything."

But still. Wasn't Kiki enough? Apparently, not. Somehow that guy always managed to get his hands on Lina. His Lina. He pushed back his jealousy. Lina needed them to rally together and that's...what he was going to do.

"Okay! Now we've got another solo for our drummer, so if you give him minute to get...okay..." Quietly, Lina stepped away from the mic, leaving room for Xelloss to come forward.

"Thanks, Lina," Xelloss nodded. At that moment he decided to throw caution to the wind and peal back his smiling veneer, for just a few minutes. He addressed the audience with the question, "Is it still raining outside? Yeah?"

The audience nodded and a few 'yeahs' could be heard.

"So, anybody out there ever go through a bad breakup?"

A loud murmur of affirmative reverberated throughout the hall.

"Left you feeling kinda...empty, huh?"

"Oh, yeah!" came several more replies.

"Well...a friend of mine wrote this song a long time ago. It's for you still hurting out there." Xelloss paused to let Zel's bluesy guitar take front and center. "It's called 'Song for a Rainy Day', by David Cassidy, not me guys.

Val added some keyboards and Gourry brought in the rhythm.

Then he sang:

"It's sad to say it,

But I think love's gonna end.

Once we were lovers,

Now we're not even friends.

It was good to have you near me for a while.

Well, we made each other happy,

And we made each other smile.

...

Zel looked over at his friend, holding back his own feelings which were welling up inside. He wondered how it was that Xelloss could sing the song without breaking down?

...

Seems I think about you, most of all...

On a rainy day.

Just hold me one more time

So I can close my eyes

Remembrin' how you feel,

Before we say goodbye.

It was good to have you near me for awhile.

...

Gourry wiped a stream of tears which had somehow come loose. No one was untouched by Xelloss' heart-qrentching delivery.

Seems I always think about you, most of all...

On a rainy day."

Zelgadiss tore into a heart-wrenching guitar solo while Xelloss watched in silence, readying himself for the final verse.

"The worst part is the knowin'

That my castle in the sky

Fell apart, and it's too late build it up, too late to try.

Seems I think about you, most of all...

On a rainy day.

On a rainy day... Oooh-ooooh on a rainy day

Oh-oh guess you know... Miss you babe...

Miss you most of all... Ooooh on a rainy day.

Ooooh on a rainy day..."

He sang it with such conviction, Lina wondered if maybe he really had been hurt more deeply than just pride-deep. Of course he was a good actor, but were those real tears in his eyes? If not, then why were her eyes welling up in response? "Stupid songs...he can have the sappy tear-jerkers..."

The Seal Cave tour

The next day they ate a leisurely breakfast and asked Zolf to drive the scenic coast route home. The extra rest and food bucked Lina up and whatever bug she'd been fighting the evening before had been vanquished. Filia claimed it was due to her clan's herbal potion, which it might have been, although Lina believed it was her own vitality and strength of will that won out.

Twenty minutes into the drive, Lina pointed out a sign. "Stop there! Zolf? You hear me? I've always wanted to see those caves."

"What's it with you and caves?" That was Val, who had had enough of them the summer before while discovering his roots.

"They hide secrets," she answered.

"The sign says 'Sea Lions', not secrets." Zel had found it necessary to point that out.

"I thought they swam in the ocean," Sylphiel said. "And slept on beaches."

"Or on wharfs. I was fishin' off the wharf on a vacation and one stole my bait." Gourry recalled. "Wasn't gonna catch nothin' anyway with all the gulls and pelicans hangin' around, but it didn't haveta take the bucket too!"

"Poor baby..." Xelloss muttered. Stinking wharf, slimy fish, nasty bait...at least sea lions had fur, but it was wet fur. They were not decent animals.

"Be nice," Amelia scolded him. "We can learn about the life cycle of our coastal mammals. I think it's a good idea. I've never been here before either!"

The others kept their comments to themselves and followed Lina into the main building. There was a snack bar and attached gift shop to one side and a roped off waiting area near the elevator down into the caves. At the counter was a familiar face.

"Hey! Jillas!" Lina shouted. "Whatayer doing here? Working?"

Val strode up behind her with a 'Yo, dude!'

Jillas had trimmed up his shaggy mop of red hair and frowsy beard and donned a clean shirt and pair of pants. Xelloss wouldn't have recognized him had Lina not drawn his attention to him. "Yeah, uh...hi, dudes." He nodded to Lina and Val. "Got me a job. No use messing 'round school no more. Me an' Gravos got a place out near the pool hall we'd go to. Not much, but least we don't got his old man and mine raggin' on us no more."

"Hear ya," Val commiserated. "Ya coulda graduated, though."

"Naw, that's fer you smart guys!" Jillas laughed, but he seemed sad. "So, ya wanna take the tour? Leaves in a minute or two. No one else. Things are slow today. I could use the business."

"Sure. Are there really sea lions in the caves? I don't wanna pay for nothin'."

"Oh...yeah, lots," he assured her. "I mean hundreds. Some are really big and noisy. Pretty cool, actually."

Lina was getting excited now. "Let's get going then!"

"So if ya wanna go, ya gotta pair up." Jillas moved out from behind the counter and over to tall structure resembling a giant bubblegum machine.

"Gotta what?" Lina asked. She hated having someone else taking charge and giving her and her friends directions, especially a loser like Jillas.

"This is the fun part. You put in your money in this-here slot, then out comes this little ball. So then you reach in and take it and hide it and wait for everyone else."

Lina, impatient as ever, stepped up to the machine, stuffed in a few quarters and grabbed a marble. "Yeah, so?"

"Everyone does it." Jillas pointed to Zelgadiss.

While Zel bought his ball-pass, Jillas continued to explain. "If the ball matches, then you're paired up. Only so many can go in at a time, too."

Zel hid his selection and then moved aside for Amelia to take her turn. She pushed Xelloss up to the coin exchange next, and then Gourry, followed by Filia.

"Me and Kiki are going to the gift shop," Sylphiel announced. "Unless you really want to go, Val."

"No way!" Filia shouted. "We all go. I want to check out that gift shop, too. We'll do it later. Val, get up there and get your little marble thing, please?"

"Ah...shit..." he grumbled, but he did it.

"So the story goes," Jillas pulled a card from his shirt pocket and read in a monotone. "This vessel chooses the couples best suited for each other and sends them paired, thusly, into the cave of lovers and..."

"Eh! This IS the SEA LION cave?" Lina yelled.

"...Ah...and...ah... This vessel chooses the couples best suited for each other and sends them– "

"–Out that door faster than you can read the next words if you don't get a move on here!" Lina's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Ah, okay." Jillas' eyes danced sideways back and forth from Val to Lina. "I guess we don't gotta read the whole thing."

"That's right. So get, get!" But Lina couldn't 'get' until the elevator was opened.

"Um, so whattabout these marbles?" Gourry asked.

"Oh, well ah, Lina, we'll start with you..."

"Naturally..." she agreed. "Mine's red."

Zelgadiss couldn't believe it. He pulled out his little red ball just to be certain. It was still red like a cherry, or a tomato, or one of those apples they'd picked a few months ago, or a pomegranate, or...

"Zelgadiss? Oh!" Amelia was crestfallen, but she shook herself out of it immediately. "You're with Miss Lina!"

"Ah, yes." He stepped her way, horribly embarrassed and blushing warmly.

Gourry checked his ball again. No, not red. "Mine's blue," he said aloud.

"Wha– " Amelia's voice caught in her throat. "Mine, too!"

Gourry shrugged, "That's okay, right? We're just goin' ta look at some seals."

Her smile returned. "Oh, of course. It's fine...nice! How about you, Kiki?"

"Green. Who has green?" Kiki looked from Val to Xelloss to Jillas.

"Me." Val held his up by his ear. "Clashes, huh?" Indeed, the emerald green ball looked garish beside his mint-green hair.

"Oh!" Kiki squeaked.

Filia's eyes narrowed. "You'd better not have a yellow one!" she told Xelloss.

His face grew pale. "Oh my..." His smile faltered. "Perhaps I'll check out that gift store now instead. I don't think I want to be..."

"I most certainly do not want to be paired up with him! Here, Sylphiel, trade!"

Jillas stepped between the feuding couples. "NO, no! It won't work...the magic of the tour won't work if you do that!"

"Magic? What do mean? What won't work?" Lina asked as her irritation with Jillas elevated another notch or two.

"Trade or leave or...anything. The couple-sorter has spoken!"

Gourry moved toward the much shorter guy. "It didn't say a thing, did it, Zel?"

While Zel assured Gourry that he hadn't heard the machine so much as say 'boo', Lina collared Xelloss. "You aren't going anywhere, buster. Now, you and Filia can put away your petty differences or secret passions and get with the program here. It's all about going down and looking at a bunch of sea lions and then coming back up. It is...not...about...you!"

Filia crossed her arms and sighed heavily. "Oh...all right, but I want it known that I do not condone this pairing in any way, under no conditions..."

"Methinks the lady doth kvetch too much..." Zel muttered in an undertone to Lina, who smiled.

"For gods'sakes don't let either of them hear you or we'll be here all day!" Lina met Zel's eyes. The mutual good humor and friendship between the two friends showed that they were well matched; that is, for the observation of sea lions in their natural habitat.

But Sylphiel was unfulfilled. "What about me? I have this black one, who has the matching one?" She looked down at the shorter Jillas. "Not, like...you?!"

Xelloss laughed and put on a little juggling act, with two balls, one yellow and the other black. "How lucky can a guy get, eh? One for each arm!"

Even Filia chuckled. "Well, I'll share, if you will."

Sylphiel nodded agreeably.

Jillas fidgeted around. "Well, I guess that'll be okay. Ah, so I'll unlock the elevator. You can all get in. Oh, and the couples must hold hands. Achhhh!"

"Don't push it," Lina said as she strangled him into submission.

"You must enter paired!" he squeaked and rushed into the elevator.

Zel held out an arm, which Lina took, setting them all in motion. Like dancers beginning a dance, they entered arm-in-arm, Jillas pushed the 'down' button, and the door closed.

The descent took about two minutes.

The doors opened and the Slayers stepped out into a dimly lit cavern which was open to the sea, somewhere; you could hear the surf somewhere in the background-- and smell the aroma of far too many animals in the foreground.

"Ach! Oh, my gods!" Filia choked as she stumbled out of the elevator.

Xelloss saved her from a fall onto the slippery walkway. "Steady, sweetie. Let's not begin this wonderful life together on the wrong foot...ting!"

She clung to him while covering her nose and mouth with her hand. "I'm going to be sick!"

"Wonderful..." He grimaced. "Et tu, my little sylph?"

Sylphiel shook her head. "It stinks, but it's no worse than the locker room after a game."

"Or the stables," Val added.

Zelgadiss didn't care for it, but he was bothered more by the incessant barking noise. He freed his arm to reach into a pocket and retrieve his earplugs.

Free to move on her own, Lina marched over to the railing and leaned over. She just hung that way for the longest time.

"Miss Lina? What do you see?" Amelia broke the spell.

She shot up and spun around. "See? Oh...nothing...Nothing to see. Might as well just go back and check out that...gift shop, right?" And with that she grabbed Zel's arm and pulled him toward the waiting elevator.

Now, that was just too odd. They had just arrived! It drew curious observers from all over to the edge.

"Oh!" Kiki and Amelia cried out and then started to giggle.

"Come on!" Lina shouted.

Gourry took one look, smiled and pulled the younger girls away. "It's just what they do now, I guess."

Val was howling. "Ooooh, whoooo! The sea lions are get-ting it on! Good call, Jillas." He wrapped his arms around Kiki and Amelia. "Don't worry little ladies. It's just some of that 'circle of life' you was wantin' to learn more about, but you don't gotta look. I'll protect ya."

Amelia swatted his big hand. "Stop talking like an uneducated male chauvinist oppressor!"

Val rolled his eyes at that as he drew her in for a painful hug. "Ah, I ain't that bad!"

"Oh...maybe not, but those spikes on your vest are when you shove them into my eye!"

He pulled back alarmed that he might have actually hurt her, but found Amelia smiling up at him and giving him a wink.

"You lie," he chuckled then released her to flee to the far side of the observation area.

Xelloss, with his camaraderie, took their turn.

"Oh, yuck. Fat animal love. Great. How much did I pay to see that?" Filia sniffed and turned away.

"I knew this would be disappointing." Sylphiel sighed and looked at Xelloss. "No offense."

"None taken."

Zelgadiss had untangled himself from Lina and was trying to see what all the turmoil was about. "Oh."

"Is there more? More, as is different, I mean. Or is this the whole tour?" Xelloss asked Jillas who was still sharing a laugh with Val. "Zelgadiss? Is it all that interesting?"

"Maybe. Come over here and take a look."

There was something in his tone of voice that wiped the smile off his face. "Okay. What...?"

"Follow my arm...past that grouping of rocks. Gourry! Are you looking? There, past the rocks near that cluster of...animals. What is that?" Zel pointed with some urgency now.

"Oh, it's...it's..."

Lina pushed her way to the forefront of the action again. "Lemme see. What?"

"It looks like a dead body," Gourry finished. "Better call the cops."

"A dead body!" Jillas shouted.

Lina had swung herself over the railing and was on her way down the rocky slope when Gourry spotted her. "Lina!"

"Damnit," Zel shouted. "You know that those male sea lions can kill you!"

"I wanna see who it is!"

Jillas told them he had a siren to chase them out of the cave. "It'll make ya deaf so go back into the elevator while I turn it on. The police oughtta be here by the time the animals are gone."

That wasn't good enough for Lina. She climbed back to the human side of the enclosure. "I don't wanna wait that long." She turned to Zel expectantly.

He couldn't deny her. He was curious, too. "Go on. I'll put in my heavy-duty earplugs."

Twenty minutes later, sirens still blaring, the police arrived. Jillas told them what they had seen and that as soon as he cut the noise, they'd have ten minutes at best to haul up the body before the animals returned.

"Can you identify the body?"

Jillas nodded, "Yeah. A dude named Dilgear."

The Slayers had already split, saddled with the knowledge that however inadvertent that it was, they were responsible for yet another death. It was a sobering end to their road trip.

The next few days passed uneventfully until Zelgadiss found himself accompanying Xelloss on another visit to Subaru.

"He's not in," Xelloss told him after checking the roster at the door. "But he's due back in less than an hour. I've got some work I can do. Want to come with me?"

"No. I have lines to learn for the musical and my Japanese book. I'll be fine just sitting here by the door. Besides, if he comes in this way, I'll be the first to know and we'll come get you."

With that, Xelloss departed, leaving Zelgadiss to fend for himself. The bench was empty in the entry hall, so he opened his backpack, took out Lina's script and began to scan it.

"May I sit here too?"

Zel looked up to find the gentle voice belonged to an equally gentle-faced girl whose long black hair swept her elbows. "Certainly. I'm just waiting for someone, one of the priests."

"Oh, me, too." After a pause she asked, "Do you think I need an appointment?"

"I don't think so, but I arrived with one of the priests here. I've never actually showed up alone so I don't know what the protocol is. I could ask for you." After saying that, Zel wondered at his boldness. His wasn't one to get involved or go out of his way for a stranger. But, he looked again at the girl. Her face was pretty without makeup, her clothes simple, neat loose-fitting pants and shirt with a jacket. He liked her immediately. This was someone who had no need to put on airs or artificiality of any kind—kind of like Lina or Amelia or Kiki.

"Oh, no. Please don't go to any trouble. The person I'm waiting for is supposed to be back soon." She looked away, down at her hands, then back up to Zel's eyes.

Demure. Yes, that would describe her. "Are you from around here?" he asked.

"Huh? Oh, does it show?" She looked frightened now.

"Does what show? I don't know what you mean. I just meant that I don't recognize you from the high school, the university, or from the few shrine visits I've made." Zel was now wishing he hadn't begun this awkward conversation. Then it occurred to him that she was probably uncomfortable around him as well. "It's really none of my business. Sorry."

"Oh, that's okay. I'm sorry, too. It's just...well, I am new around here. I ran away from home and came looking for a friend of a friend."

Yes, she had a nice way about her. It made him want to know more. "You ran away. I know there were times when I wanted to do that. I don't live at home any more now, but I remember the feeling."

"I don't know if you could have felt as unwelcome as I did. I had to pretend to be just the way my mother wanted me, and then one day...I just couldn't stand it anymore."

"So, then you ran away? I can understand that though. You are the only one who can live your life and there comes a time when you have to do just that. A time when you have to accept yourself the way you are, and hope that others do as well. And..." he stopped. Her eyes were on him. He blushed in response. "As you can see, I've had to go through that in a way myself. I thought I had to get away from home to find a cure for...this, but that wasn't exactly the problem."

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have stared so, but..." the girl blushed with him. "I think I saw your picture in the paper. I hadn't been here long and I was coming that day to the shrine. It was just after the Solstice festival. You were one of the kids who averted some big catastrophe here right?"

"Yes. My name's Zelgadiss. I'm with the band called the Slayers."

"Which explains the cool clothes, huh? Well, I think you are very nice, Zelgadiss. I've never met a famous person before."

"I don't think I'm that familiar to people. I certainly don't feel famous."

"You'll give me an autograph, won't you?"

"Autograph? I guess so, but I can't imagine why you'd want it. I tell you, the band's becoming pretty well known but I'm just a small part of it."

The girl, nevertheless, withdrew a small notebook and pen from her bag. "Please?"

"Fine. So, ah, do I just sign my name or write a message or what would you like?"

"Oh, I don't know. Whatever you like, just make it out to me, Miwan."

From the Authors:

Note: the pieces of the song 'On a Rainy Day ' were by David Cassidy.

Where are the pictures?

Seyruun High Jinx has a home. Please go to the author profile for Kaeru Shisho and choose the link. You will find the pictures under Seyruun High Jinx NEXT. Pictures for each of the other stories are associated with their links.

End Seyruun High Jinx –NEXT! Chapter 38.