Disclaimer: Slayers is not mine. Wish it was....

A decision is made

Sylphiel takes charge

"NOO!!" Sylphiel sat up with a scream. "Take it easy, there Sylphiel" Lina placed a hand on her shoulder "you are safe now". The shrinemaiden nodded slowly. She leaned back in the bed and looked around. "Miss Lina?" she asked "why am I in bed like this?". Lina stood up and walked over to the window "you don't remember?" she asked, in an unusual soft voice. Sylphiel shook her head. She could remember talking to Anna, but everything went blank from there. Linas silence only made her worry even more. "Miss Lina..." Sylphiel begged "please tell me, has anything happened?". The sorceress turned away from the window and walked back to the bed. "You were attacked last night in your room" Linas voice was stern. "We heard you scream and when we came up to your room, we found you unconscious on the floor".

Sylphiel closed her eyes trying to remember. "Anna!" she gasped "Is she ok?". Lina took Sylphiels hand "We don't know where she is"

"How's she doing?" Amelia asked as soon as Lina came out of the door. "She upset about the little girl" Lina informed her friends "but she seems to be ok".

"Anna..." Sylphiel whispered. She starred up in the ceiling trying to remember back to last night. She suddenly felt something in her right hand. "What is this?" she asked and curiously opened her hand. "Miss Linas wedding ring" she whispered as she stared into the bright red gem. "If only you could tell me what happened back there" she mumbled as she put it on her finger.

"Are you sure we should leave her alone like that?" Amelia asked again. "There's nothing wrong with letting her have some time on her own to think things through" Zelgadis said "besides we are just outside the room in case she wants to talk". The Seyruun princess sat down in a chair "I just wish we knew what happened to that little girl" she sighed.

"At the very least there was no sign of blood in the room..." Zelgadis remarked dryly. "Don't say that!" Amelia gave the chimera an angry look. "Calm down Amelia" Gourry stood up from his chair "Zel's right, you know". Lina gave him a strange look "for once Gourry, you are absolutely right".

"I never noticed how strange this ring really is..." Sylphiel wondered out loud. The red gem almost seemed to glow with an unnatural light of it's own.

"Yes, it's a pretty thing, isn't it?" A voice came from behind her. Startled she turned around. "Mr. Xellos?". The mazuko priest gave her a cheerful smile "It's a bit late to still be in bed, isn't it?" Xellos joked. Sylphiel lowered her eyes. She didn't find the situation amusing at all. "Come on now" Xellos cheered "why the long face? Tell uncle Xellos all about it". Sylphiel turned away from him. She didn't know what was worst, the fact that he most likely knew what was going on, or that he most likely were enjoying her pain. "Excuse me, but could you please leave me alone?" she whispered. Xellos sat down on the bed next to her. He actually felt a bit disappointed that he had failed to get a response out of her.

"It's a shame about that little girl, isn't it?" Xellos decided to try another approach to get a rise out of her. "Anna?" Sylphiel turned to look straight at the priest "do you know something about Anna?". Xellos walked over to the window "I must say, the view from up here is quite spectacular isn't it?. A hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around "Mr. Xellos!" Sylphiel frowned "I must insist that you tell me everything you know!". Xellos' smile broadened, this was what he had been after all along. "Shame on you" he poked her nose gently "losing your temper like that". She blushed and lowered her head. ".But I might know something after all" Xellos continued. "Yes?" Sylphiel asked hopefully. "But that, of course, is a secret" he waved a finger in front of her face and vanished.

"Sylphiel?" Lina peeked into the room "I heard shouting. Is everything ok in here?". The shrinemaiden stared out of the window in silence. "Sylphiel?" Lina stepped inside and closed he door behind her.

"Miss Lina?" Sylphiel turned around. From the look on her face Lina figured that she was upset. Sylphiel sat down on her bed "I need you to tell me where I can find Xellos". For a few seconds Lina waited for the shrinemaiden to go on, but when she just sat on the bed in silence, the sorceress decided that it was time to take charge of the conversation. "Now why would you even go looking for that fruitcake anyway?" She asked casually "If you ask me, we're better of without him".

Sylphiel stood up from the bed "He knows where Anna is" she shouted.

Her reaction took Lina completely by surprise and left her speechless. "Fine then" Sylphiel turned away from the sorceress "miss Lina, I'm afraid I wont be able to attend your wedding".

"Miss Lina, what happened in there?" Amelia asked "Miss Sylphiel looked really upset". Lina sighed as she slumped down in a chair. Her conversation with the shrinemaiden certainly hadn't turned out the way she had hoped for.

"I have a feeling that something big is going on here" Gourry said and casually put his arm around Lina. "What do you think you're doing you pervert!" Lina cried and sent him flying through a window with a well-aimed punch. "But miss Lina, you're about to get married" Amelia pointed out "Isn't he supposed to do something like that?". Lina blushed a little "sorry" she giggled "old habits die hard. Gourry I'm sorry". She cast a levitation spell and jumped out of the window "Gourry I'm sorry, ok!"

"Even if I had all of eternity, I'm not sure that I'd be able to figure out the nature of their relationship" Zelgadis remarked. Amelia nodded in agreement.

"Think we should to check on miss Sylphiel?" Amelia asked "I wonder if there is something we can do for her?" Zelgadis shrugged "I'd prefer we just gave her some time alone to think, but you know her better than me".

"Can we come in?" Amelia gently knocked the door to Sylphiels room. When she got no response from inside, she slid the door open. "Are you ok in there?" she asked carefully. Sylphiel sighed and put a bag down on the floor "why do everybody insist on asking me how I am?". Amelia motioned to Zelgadis to stay outside while she went inside. "We are just worried about you, that's all" She explained "It's just, that this is so unlike you, miss Sylphiel". The shrinemaiden sat down on a chair with a blank expression "I know miss Amelia" she sighed.

"Why don't you explain it to me then?" Amelia asked carefully. Sylphiel took a deep breath and nodded slowly "it's just...". She burst into tears "I just don't want to lose any more people". Amelia crouched down in front of her. She struggled to find words of comfort, but was unable to say anything before Sylphiel went on. "My father is dead, so is my hometown. I almost lost miss Lina once. Eruk has vanished, and now Anna too" she sobbed. Amelia nodded in silent understanding. "But I won't allow any more people to get hurt ever again!" Sylphiel raised her voice "Xellos knows where Anna is, and I'll go all the way to Wolfpack island to find out, if I have to!"

"You know, I don't think you'll have to go that far". Both girls jumped in surprise and stared at the door. "What do you mean miss Lina?" they asked in unison. Lina casually walked into the room. "What I mean is..." a smile spread on Linas face "That I might know where Xellos can be found". Sylphiel practically jumped up from her chair, almost knocking Amelia over in the process "Really, miss Lina?". Lina nodded "I happen to know that he has been hanging around Filia a lot lately. I wouldn't be surprised is we are able to find him there".

"I hate to be blunt about all this" Zelgadis remarked as he and Gourry followed her inside "but what do you mean by we? Certainly you can't mean that you are going to go with her? ". Lina shrugged "Gourry and I both agree that we can't have a wedding when the maid of honor is about to leave on some adventure on her own. Besides, I've always wanted at springtime wedding anyway..."

Amelia visibly paled "but... but what about all the preparations we have made already?". Lina sent Amelia a strange look "I'm sure Phil can figure out something. Besides wouldn't it be against the code of justice to let Sylphiel wander of alone?". Amelia struck a pose "You are right miss Lina!!" she shouted "of course Mr. Zelgadis and I will accompany you as well!". Zelgadis crossed his arms "why is it that I have to come anyway?" he muttered. "I think you are in for it Zel" Gourry whispered "when Amelia sets her mind on something, she can be as bad as Lina is".

Zel took a step away from the swordsman "I think they heard you Gourry" he whispered back.

"What do you mean by that Gourry?" Lina shouted while preparing a fireball. "Yeah, what did you mean by that?" Amelia agreed while preparing a fireball of her own. "Mommy..." Gourry whimpered as the two spells flew towards him. The explosion could be heard all over town. "Whoops" Lina giggled nervously when she realized what she had just done. "Amelia, haven't I told you it's dangerous to toss fireballs around like that?" she scolded the Seyruun princess. "But miss Lina..." Amelia tried to point out that both of them had been involved, but a glare from Lina made her forget about it. "Sylphiel can I ask you to heal the poor guy?" Lina asked in a sweet tone.

"Honestly Gourry" Sylphiel whispered as she started casting a healing spell " I thought you had learned to be more careful around miss Lina". A puff of smoke rose from his mouth "I'll try not to forget" he coughed.

"But miss Lina, I thought miss Filia would come to your wedding?" Sylphiel asked. The two of them were heading down to the throne room to make preparations with prince Phill. "Well, she isn't" Lina shrugged "I got a letter from her yesterday. Apparently she's to busy opening a new shop to go to Seyruun. Besides, she told me that Xellos had been hanging around her lot lately, and she's not about to leave everything to him". Sylphiel nodded in understanding. She would think twice before ever leaving the priest in charge of anything.

"Well, here we are" Lina stopped walking. "My room?" Sylphiel asked, trying her best to hide the confusion in her voice "I thought we were going to see prince Phill?". Lina opened the door "I am going to see prince Phill" she corrected the shrinemaiden "you, young lady, are going to bed". Sylphiel couldn't help but giggle as the sorceress' tone of voice. For some reason she felt like a kid that was sent to her room. "If we are going to leave tomorrow, you'll need your rest" Lina pointed at the bed. Sylphiel lowered her head and slowly walked inside. "Miss Lina?" she stopped in front of the redhead "tell me a bedtime story?". Lina gave her a gentle shove "go to sleep, or I will fireball you to sleep" she threatened. "Honestly" Sylphiel could hear Lina complaining loudly as she continued her way to the palace throne room "Kids these days!".

Sylphiel sat down on the bed. Despite everything that had happened, she felt happy. Lina could be rude and loud sometimes, but she also had a rarely seen gentle side. The two of them had had their misunderstandings in the past, but their differences was also what made their friendship so strong. Sylphiel stretched, she really was more tired than she had thought. She quickly changed out of her clothes and crept under her blankets. "I'll find you somehow Anna" she promised before she closed her eyes and drifted of to sleep.

"Found your way here again?" a woman asked. Sylphiel slowly opened her eyes. The greenhaired woman was standing a little distance away. "This is a dream, isn't it?" Sylphiel asked while looking around. The green field she was standing on looked like the place she had visited in her dreams before. "I must commend you for figuring that out" Millenia spat sarcastically and sat down. "Why am I here?" Sylphiel asked "I just don't understand". Millenia stood up "And you don't have to understand either" she snapped "you really have no business here anyway". Sylphiel cringed, something about this woman was really starting to scare her. "Anyway" Millenias tone softened "Now that you are here, I think someone wants to talk to you about something". Sylphiel raised her eyes "Anna?". A ghostly image of the little girl appeared behind the woman.

"Big sis Sylphiel?" the image took a step forward "Don't trust her! She's...". Millenia snapped her fingers and the image disappeared. "What a naughty little girl" Millenia shook her head "She was instructed to only greet you, but she had to cross the line...". Sylphiel stood up "What happened to her?". The shrinemaidens voice had lost it's usual calm, gentle tone "You tell me where she is, or I'll make you regret it". Millenia shook hear head "oh please" she groaned "a violent shrinemaiden, what has the world come to?"

Sylphiel felt dizzy as the world started spinning around. "I'll come save you Anna, I promise!" she shouted as everything faded into black.

"Anna!" Sylphiel sat up in bed with a jolt. "A dream" she breathed heavily "only a dream". She slumped back in the bed "That woman, my dreams, Anna. I wonder what it all means?".

She turned her head towards the window. A pale ray of moonlight illuminated the room. "I promise" she whispered as sleep once again overcame her.

Authors notes:

Ack... Looks like I did it again, doesn't it? I know it's been a while since I updated this story. It's just that I've been so busy with other written works to get anything done on this one. In fact, it's almost been a month since the last time I had the spare time to continue writing on this story. I hope that that will change sometime in the near future, seeing that I really enjoy working on Slayers fanfiction, but sadly I can't promise anything. As I've said before, I can only promise that someday I will finish this. I've spent far to many hours working on it just to give it up that easily.