A/N: Chappie 3! And lots of lovely reviews for the previous one. I can't help grinning like a maniac every time I see a new review (and chapter 2 made my cheeks hurt from grinning too much, but who cares? ^_^) Thanks for all your comments, guys and gals and those in between! You know the drill; in chronological order…
The Narrator, last review of Ch.1 and 2nd of Ch. 2: As I said, no Slayers story can stick to the angst theme for too long. If it does, it ain't Slayers! It'd be…I dunno, Dragonlance or something. No insult intended to that nice series, of course. ^_^ Zel has that naked-fixation thing because hey, he's a chimera (or was), and being exposed to the elements was one thing he must've been very sensitive about, since being naked would show his so-called monstrosity in all its horrors. Ame's righteousness will stick with her anywhere, since it's deeply ingrained in her very nature, and not just her thoughts. Bob is… a secret! ^_~
Claudia22: I think I commented on this to someone before; we all know Zel's a closet pervert. And since he tends to think waaay ahead, combined with my experience with such far-conclusion-type people… '^__^' ß lookit! Horns!
Ichiban Victory: I forgive you ^_^ Zolf is basically just saying what a whole lot of Zel/Ame fans have been screaming at him through the TV screen, don't you agree? In my opinion, death doesn't really change a person's attitude much, unless it's a little bit for the better ^^ You're right, Brau Demons are woefully lacking in most fics, save the rare few that talk of them as either mazoku (which they are NOT, I repeat, NOT, see QP's page) or just evil monsters. But hey, there's an oddball in every bunch ^_^ No comment on the golem thing….(coughhintcough) And Zel and Ame will have some talkie time before meeting, of course. That's one of the points of this fic, really ^_^
Earth Star: Thanks for the review ^_^ I think Ame's mom hardly ever appears in fanfics. I'm gonna fix that! (charges off)
Phizzy-chan: Here's Amelia's mom for you ^_~ Enjoy the ride!
Sunoko: Ah, faithful beta TT_TT How I owe you for correcting me and giving several fantastic lines to use in this fic. The pole dance thing was my own creation, at least ^_~ And your most memorable being "In the dark, no one can see you blush." (cackles)
deep sea dolphin: Non-existant indeed. _ _ ^_^ Lessee if we can do something about that in… now that is a secret ^_~
A/N On The Story: This fic just keeps swinging between sad and funny, like a pendulum. I can't seem to keep long enough to one mood. ^_^ Nothing much to comment on, except that 'Abscedo', the name of this chapter, is actually a two-parter. It was originally a single chapter, but it was unusually long, so I split it. It's still longer than 'Invenio', though O_O
"DAMMIT!!" I pounded a fist against the window, gritting my teeth in frustration. "There has to be a way… some other way than this!"
Someone laid a hand on my shoulder. I tore my eyes away from the scene, looking desperately at Rodimus for an answer. He shook his head.
"It's out of your hands now, lad. The only thing you can do now is wait… and hope."
Hope?
Hope is a weak excuse to avoid admitting an impossibility.
And yet… hope is what keeps us all going, isn't it?
Zolf nodded. "That's the spirit."
"Hope, eh?" I sat, resting my arms on my knees. There was nothing else any of us could do now.
Nothing we could do…but hope.
"So…" Bob trailed off.
Once the more emotional part of the reunion was over, my mother let go of me, walked over to the Brau Demon and smacked him.
I blinked.
"Heey! What was that for?!" he cried indignantly.
"You deserved it. I'd distinctly told you not to go ahead of me while we were looking for my daughter, but nooo, you had to run off and play the big, scary strange monster just to frighten her to death." She grabbed his snout and pulled his head down to eye level. "I won't have such behaviour from you. Do you understand?"
Bob nodded meekly.
Yup, that's Mommy, all right.
She turned to me with a gentler expression.
"My, how you've grown since I'd left…" She patted me on the head like she used to do, smiling. "Don't worry about the height, sweetie. That will come eventually. You don't have tall parents for nothing, after all."
I couldn't help giggling a little. "I know, Mommy. But you don't have to point out that you're still a head taller than me," I said, pretending to pout.
My mother grinned. "You'll grow. That's the only part left to develop, seeing as you've gotten some fine assets from your father's side of the family…" She scrutinized my chest. "My, but those are nice. I'm stuck with these tiny things, while you're taking after your grandmother; she had hooters the size of—"
"Mooom!" I groaned, blushing and lightly swatting her poking finger away. " It's bad enough that I get that from Miss Lina; do you have to do it too? It's not my fault that my chest is so big…"
"While this conversation is very interesting, Madam Seyruun," Bob drawled, "I think you should hurry a little in telling her the more important stuff. We haven't got much time left."
Mommy put her hands on her hips. "If I've told you once, I've told you dozens of times…it's RUDE to interrupt people."
Bob blinked. "But…"
"No buts, mister. Now move away; this is a private conversation."
"But…"
"I know the time, so go. Or I'll tie your tail into a knot."
Cowering, Bob slithered away. I gave my mother a curious look.
"Um… how do you two know each other?"
She sighed. "He used to be my pet when I was a travelling sorceress. That was before I met your father, of course."
I was surprised (and a teeny bit annoyed). "Pet? But that's not very just! Brau Demons are smart creatures that don't deserve to be treated that way, even if they are… demons."
She sighed. "I know, I know. I was young and proud back then. I made a few mistakes that I'm not too happy with today, but I can't do anything about them now. Anyway, after I got married to your father, I entrusted Bob to my friend Rezo, whom I thought would take care of him." She held out a hand to stop my question. "I was wrong about that too, I know. That whole Shabranigdu business. Poor Rezo; he was a good man before the insanity took hold of him."
"…So then…"
"By that time, Bob had been… combined, with your friend Zelgadis."
"What?!" I exclaimed. "That means… he really IS the same one…"
My mother nodded. "That's enough about Bob, I think." Her expression became more sombre. "I'm afraid that Bob is right; I don't have much time left to talk to you."
"Why?"
"Lina has cast the Giga Slave."
"Giga… Slave? Isn't that the spell that she used to defeat Shabranigdu with?" I was confused… wait. If she cast it… the world might--
She closed her eyes and exhaled. "Don't worry, it won't blow the world up… but it will destroy Hellmaster Phibrizzo as well. With his death, the souls of your friends and you will return to their respective bodies… and leave this place."
"Meaning that… I won't ever see you again?"
She ruffled my hair affectionately; there was a comforting smile on her face.
"Don't worry about it. Now is the time where I give you the motherly advice I haven't bestowed upon you for years," she chuckled.
"Mooom…"
"Hush, dear. Now, I know you've taken after your father in many ways, including his enthusiasm about Justice, but please, keep in mind that there's a line between idealism and realism." She gripped my shoulder. "Don't be rash when you have to act. Try to think of the consequences when you do something; trying to talk the Chaos Dragon into surrendering was one of the strangest things I've seen you do yet, and it wasn't exactly a good idea, was it?" She frowned.
"I know… it was a really stupid thing to do," I mumbled sullenly.
"Good. That's a lesson you'll need to keep in mind for the years ahead." Her eyes gazed into the darkness behind me, seeming to stare at something far away in the future. "Ceipheid, how time flies… you're fifteen already, aren't you?"
I nodded. She wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug that I welcomed.
"My dear Mel… how I wish I could still be around to help you with what you're going to face. There's so much more for you to do in the living world…but as long as you have your friends," she backed away slightly to look me in the eye, "you'll be all right. Always stay together and help each other, understand? You'll need them more than ever, one day. Just as they will need you."
"… Mommy? Is… something going to happen?"
She nodded gravely. "But I'm afraid I can't tell you, sweetie. Only those who are no longer in the living world know its future, and that information is not for the likes of you." Her eyes held a faint trace of tears. "I'm so sorry, Mel."
I hugged her reassuringly. "It's okay, Mommy. I understand… and I'll be ready to face whatever it is when it comes."
"That's my girl."
"We're running out of time, Madam Seyruun!!" Bob's voice called from the darkness. My mother sighed.
"One last thing, then… I approve."
I blinked. "Huh?"
She gave me a sly look. "Don't play dumb, dear. You know whom I'm talking about. It seems that someone has a thing for a certain cool, somewhat depressing chimera…"
"M-mooom!!" I wailed, feeling the blood rushing to my cheeks. "It's not like that! Mr. Zelgadis and I are just friends, that's all…"
"Really?" She raised an eyebrow, then shrugged. "If you say so, dear. Just keep in mind that if you do decide to go out with him, you have my approval. He's a very nice boy, even if he does have a bit of a shyness problem."
"Mommy…"
"Oh, and when you start dating with him, do be careful and make sure that he keeps his hands away from the no-no areas. Sometimes even the most reserved people have hidden fetishes, you can never tell…"
"…"
"All right, all right, I'll stop." She chuckled. "You're red enough to glow in here. I think I'll leave it to Phil or Lina to give you 'The Talk'."
I exhaled, feeling the blood leave my cheeks. Getting tips on my… love life was not quite what I'd expected. How much had she seen of me with Zelgadis, anyway?
Most probably, everything. Moooom…
She smirked slightly before turning away and yelling, "Bob! Get back here now! We're done!"
The Brau Demon slithered towards us with a glum look. My mother gave him The Evil Look, trademark of all mothers. He fixed a grin on his face.
"Sometimes," I heard him muttering through his teeth, "I wonder why I used to be nice to you."
"I love you too, Bob-honey," she replied sweetly.
Bob glared at her before turning to look at me. "It's almost time to go."
My mood fell. "Already?"
He nodded sombrely. "Madam Seyruun, please proceed."
My mother gently took my wrist and, with an index finger, traced the line of my wrist. A pink glow illuminated the path of her finger, then solidified into the shape of a familiar bracelet.
"Those talismans you have are magic amplifiers," she explained as she did the same for the other wrist. "What I've done will activate them when you return. As long as you wear them, they'll increase the capacity and strength of your magic. They'll only work for you, though."
"Why?"
"They're heirlooms from my side of the family. Only those of the same blood can use them, and only if the previous owner allows them to. They also function as locator beacons in the Astral Plane; with one, you can find the other."
I studied the two glowing 'bracelets' now wrapped around my wrists; they weren't quite the same as the ones I wore. They seemed to be formed from light that throbbed with power, and I could feel that power slowly seeping into me, somehow… And now, I noticed, my arms and body were glowing a brighter white in the darkness.
"I… Thanks, Mommy." I smiled gratefully. She returned it with a grin.
"They should help you out of a scrape or two, at least. And as for the rest, Bob and his 'partner' can take care of them." She eyed the demon meaningfully. He bowed his head in agreement.
"Heck," he commented cheerfully, "I don't even have to do anything. Zelgadis'll act by himself to save her."
A valiant attempt to stop blushing failed.
What are you so embarrassed about? You know he would.
But stiiill…
"Well, it's time to part, then…" My mother rapped me lightly on the head.
"Ow! What was that… for?"
My initial surprise faded as a thin band— no, thread—of colour drew itself around each of my right fingers, forming a glowing ring on each digit. Every band was attached to another thread of the same colour that shot off into the darkness, forming faint guides to unknown destinations, perhaps.
"Four yellow and one red…no blue? Not too surprising, I suppose," Bob commented.
"What are they for?" I asked, puzzled.
"Each thread leads to someone you know. All your friends, save Lina, are here in Limbo. They're safe, yes, but all of you need to gather together to leave this place. There's an exit that a friend of mine is providing," said Mommy.
"My friends?" So Bob was right. They…lost. Only Lina's left… "Which one do I follow?"
"That's up for you to decide," she replied.
I examined the threads. The yellow ones were glowing with various degrees of intensity; three of them were fainter than the remaining one. The 'red' thread wasn't really pure red; it seemed to be a mix of red and yellow that weaved together into a single cord, forming a line far brighter and thicker than the rest.
Well, if I have to pick one, I guess the brightest one would be the best. And it seems to pull stronger, somehow… all of the threads feel like they're tugging me to wherever they lead, but the red one pulls the hardest. Is it trying to tell me that I should follow it?
"Mel…" I faced my mother, who was watching me with a forlorn expression. "Take care of yourself and your father. Seyruun will be under your rule one day, but don't let royal duties interfere with the more important ones." She gave me one last hug, then reluctantly let go and stepped back.
"I'll always be watching over both of you…" She smiled sadly. "So go on, then. Go back to where you belong."
"I…" My voice choked. "I'll miss you…"
"We'll meet again… someday. Be strong for me, child."
Wiping my tears away, I managed a smile. "I'll try."
"Goodbye, sweetie. And remember… I love you."
And I was alone again.
~TBC
A/N: This was at turns fun and frustrating to write. I found the hardest part to be the end; I have real problems writing emotional scenes. I like the way the general chapter turned out, though I think that better work could have been done to develop Amelia's thoughts. Never mind. The next chapter has a lot less dialogue. Oh, and more Zel, too. ^_^
On Ame's Mom, a.k.a Mdm. Seyruun: She's a blend of an older Lina's attitude and my own mommy's personality (she calls me sweetie too ^__^), which makes for a frightening combination, really. ^_^ I had loads of fun writing her conversation with Amelia, since it's reminiscent of my own experience with being given the 'lecture' on how to behave with my future boyfriend O_O;;
I believe that most of the physical endowments of Amelia and Naga come from Phil's side, judging by his physique ^_~ The height, the…chestological area (no, I'm not implying that Phil has THOSE _;;) and the hair. The facial and overall body structure, however, likely came from Mom's side of the family, since my theory is that if they were Phil's genes, Ame and Naga would be more stout and slightly more square-jawed.
Just another one of my many biological theories in Slayers. ^_~ You should hear the ones I form in my head about Zel's physiology…Alright, shutting up now. See y'all next chappie, in another two days' time ^_^