Disclaimer: Slayers is the property of Kadokawa Shoten. I own only the writing..Unless Kadokawa Shoten wishes to SUE me, in which case the writing belongs to Cavis Darktower, and I had nothing at all to do with it.

If Kadokawa Shoten doesn't want to sue me, then it's mine.

Faces: Finale Chapter 5 Lovers and Enemies

Amara Ul Copt took a breath and began.

"I'm really not sure what to make of the situation," she said. "I mean, while it's true I still don't understand ALL Mazoku customs and rituals in courtship, I can't help but get the feeling that Jinny chan is uncertain about our blossoming relationship."

She turned her head to the side and adopted a sad expression. "I want to be a good Mazoku wife. I really do. But it's difficult when he won't open up to me. What does he want? What does he like? What does he desire from me? Those are the questions I need him to answer before I can fulfill my destiny and bring peace to the world."

Turning back to the front, she went on. "I try to be as honest as I can with him. I know that mixed marriages are difficult. I told him up front what I wanted. For him to hold me." She clasped her hands. "Take me." She closed her eyes in rapture. "To use me in delightfully wicked ways until I scream to him, YES! YES! YES!!!!"

She blushed and turned aside again. "But.I tell him these things and I see revulsion in his eyes. But isn't that what Mazoku like? Revulsion? Anger? Bitterness?" She sighed in resignation. "Perhaps I should just go home. Maybe Jinny chan has reconsidered his decision, and REGRETS taking me from Filia and the others." She sniffled. "Maybe it would be better if I left him in peace."

The dragon turned to the front again. "What do you think?"

The audience she faced consisted of thirty or forty Mazoku, including a few of Xelas' wolves, a few field officers, and Iffy. Every single one of them was doing their best to hold back snickers at their General Priest's expense. Not out of respect for Lord Jinnar, mind you, but to keep Evil Princess Amara from leaving the island and denying them the most fun they've had on this island in ten centuries.

Iffy waved the idea aside with a bright smile. "Nah! You're just making too much of it! He likes you! Really! You're doing a great job! Just keep doing exactly what you're doing, and everything will be great!" She grinned broadly. The snickers continued.

"You really think so?" Amara asked.

Iffy's grin was one of evil delight. "Positive."

Filia marched quietly behind Xellos as he led the way to Wolfpack Island. Only a few days had passed since she had first accepted him as her mate, and the relationship still perturbed her.

But not in a BAD way, mind you.

She stared at his back as they walked. Filia had come to the conclusion that the method Mazoku used to mate was some kind of melding of spirits, and that as a result of that melding, their two spirits and minds were in a state of overlapping.

This had rather.uncomfortable.consequences for her.

Consequences that were beginning to manifest themselves again as she walked. She swallowed uncomfortably as she felt her blood pumping a little faster in her ears.

She had come to the inescapable conclusion that, along with everything, Xellos had shared his Peak with her, almost like some kind of disease.

And every disease had symptoms.

Her tail began to swish back and forth a little faster as she walked. She walked a little faster until she was just behind him and rested her hand on his shoulder. (Xellos,) she called quietly to his mind.

He stopped and turned his head toward her. (Yes, Filia chan?)

Unused to playing the role of the seductress, the dragon maiden wrapped her arms around him and asked, (Could we stop for awhile?) She pushed a bit of innuendo into the send and waited for him to get the hint.

Xellos smiled eerily and sent back, (There's a town a few hours up the road.) As if that explained everything, and even came close to placating her, he continued on, moving out of her arms.

Filia blinked at his back and, to her half-surprise, growled low in her throat. She ran up and encircled him with her arms again. (Xellos!) she whined mentally. Her tail wrapped around him. (It's not fair. You've had months to get used to being in Peak.)

His smile in her mind suddenly revealed what he was playing at. She looked through his thoughts until she found it and gasped. "You're getting back at me, aren't you?!" she cried out loud.

"It's only a few hours, Filia chan," he told her. He gasped suddenly as Filia sunk her teeth into his shoulder. Pain flowed through him, and he swallowed as his Peak began to reemerge within him.

(Now,) Filia whined in his mind.

Xellos disappeared and reappeared a few yards away. (Now, now, Filia chan) he told her with a wave of his finger. (We can't keep stopping every so often or we'll never get to that town.) He started walking again.

Filia stared at him in annoyance and need. Then, she did a very un-Filia- like thing.

She charged.

Xellos was taken off balance as the dragon woman slammed into him at full force, knocking him to the ground. The road they had been traveling wound around a hill, a hill that they were now rolling down.

The two higher beings finally stopped rolling as they struck a small stream, soaking them both. Xellos jumped to his feet, his breath quickening. Finally! This was more like it! Once a Mazoku woman accepted a mate, it was usually she that instigated mating. He had worried that Filia would be reluctant every time.

Filia stood up, her hair soaked and her dress clinging to her body. Her hat had fallen off during the tussle, revealing her blonde hair in all its glory. She stared at Xellos, her own breath fast and shallow. Realizing how she must appear to him, she let her hand travel to her neck then down to her breasts. Closing her eyes, she sighed in longing.

In a second, she was on the ground again as Xellos tackled her.



The patrons of the tavern looked up with mild interest as the door opened, spilling the last bit of the day's light into the dark recesses of the bar usually reserved for those who wished to avoid the outside world. Two shadowy figures entered, illuminated by the setting sun outside only for the briefest of moments. They went immediately to the bar and sat down.

The bartender nodded at the two of them. "What'll it be?"

"Can I have some apple juice!?" Mutsumi asked, smiling broadly.

Zelgadis sighed. "Just water."

The bartender served their drinks before going to the other side of the bar to serve real scoundrels.

"Zelgadis chan?" Mutsumi began, turning toward him. "Why are we here again?"

The chimera took a long drink of his water. This wasn't because he was particularly thirsty, it was just that it took him a minute to remember the answer to her question.

"If we're going to go to Wolfpack Island," he said, "We're going to need some help."

"Help?" Mutsumi asked blinking.

"Yes, help," he replied in annoyance. "This bar is exactly the kind of place to hire cut-throats and mercenaries. We're bound to find someone here willing to come with us."



The auditions did not go well.

"In the name of the Moon."

"NEXT!" Zelgadis called out.

The girl in the fuku threw her scepter to the floor and stormed away from the table with a "Fuck this! I am out of here!"



"We'd help," the man in the black suit, fedora and sunglasses explained, "But we're on a mission from God."

"Next," Zelgadis announced dully.



"Well that's the trick, isn't it?" the man in the white shirt and black vest said with a roguish smile. "And it's gonna cost you," he announced.

Zelgadis waited for him to state his price.

"Ten thousand," the man declared. "All in advance."

Mutsumi's eyes widened. "Ten thousand?! We could almost buy our own airship for that!"

"But who's gonna fly it, kid?" the man asked mockingly. "You?"

"You're darn right I could," Mutsumi shot back. "I'm a pretty good."

"Just go!" Zelgadis growled with a wave. The man looked about ready to protest, but Zelgadis beat him to it. "Get out of here!"

The man and his seven-foot tall, brown, furry companion stood up and walked away from their booth with a huff. Zelgadis rested his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Zelgadis chan," Mutsumi said sadly. "I shouldn't have lost my temper like that."

"It's okay, Mutsumi," Zelgadis mumbled into his hands.



Filia readjusted her hat again as she walked down the road. Her dress was dry again, but disheveled and her hair was still a mess, but she honestly didn't care. She was still basking in the afterglow.

It had been different this time, of that she was sure. It seemed to be different every time they "made love" as Filia preferred to say. The first time they mated, the mixing of their souls was chaotic, like mixing oil and water. It was abrasive in some ways. But as they continued, with each successive mating, the mixing of souls became easier, more comfortable.

She wasn't quite sure what to make of it, and almost sought out her link with Xellos to ask him about it, but paused. He had been acting strangely for the past few hours.

The dragon woman looked left and found the setting sun. A lot had changed for her in the short time she had become Xellos' mate, but one thing hadn't.

(Hang on, Amara,) she thought. (I'm coming.)

She blinked as she felt Xellos' mind flinch and stopped in her tracks.

There was something wrong here. She could feel it.

What was it?

She retraced her steps, mentally and physically.

(Is there something wrong, Filia chan?) Xellos sent to her, but she didn't reply. There was something wrong with the feel of that sending. It was almost as if he were saying something just beneath the surface of the thought, but what?

He was saying something else, something he didn't want her to see.

She closed her eyes and went into his mind, taking the thoughts he sent her and looking past them, behind them, until she found what he was REALLY saying.

(Sore wa himitsu desu.)

Her eyes snapped open with a gasp! She looked to her left.

The sun was going down.

On her left side..

The sun was setting to her left, in the west.

She was facing north.

Wolfpack Island was south.

HE WAS LEADING HER IN THE WRONG DIRECTION!

"You bastard," she whispered out loud at him, not believing what she was feeling. "How could you?"

He stopped in his tracks, his shoulders slumped. "Filia," he began quietly.

She shook her head. "How could you?" she asked again.

"Because you're my mate," he whispered, still not facing her. "And I have to protect you."

"I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOUR PROTECTION!" she screamed at him.

"Filia."

"You had no right!" she cried.

"You're my mate," he said, as if that explained everything.

"I'm your mate, not your whore!" she screamed. She turned and started running back down the road.

"Filia!"

"Stay away from me!" she cried.

Xellos ran after her. In the heat of the moment, both forgot that they had powers that could have sent them miles away with a thought. It was mere instinct that led Filia to run and Xellos to chase her.

The Mazoku caught up with her and grabbed her elbow. Filia tried to wrench free, and the two of them went tumbling down the hill again, but this time in a passion of a different kind.

When they reached the bottom, Filia began struggling again. Her fist lashed out and struck Xellos, knocking him around, when he turned back, a dark energy bolt was in his hand, pointed at her.

It was pure Mazoku instinct. When attacked, counterattack.

Filia gasped and went still.

Xellos caught himself at the last second and steadied himself.

"Go ahead," she whispered. "Go ahead. Shoot me. It's better than being a slave!"

The energy bolt disappeared. Xellos stood up and walked a few steps away. Nearby, a brook was flowing towards the river not far away, providing water for a bed of flowers. He stared down at them.

"Dammit, Xellos!" Filia cried, tears running down her face. "Don't you understand?! Don't you realize that I KNOW the kind of risk I'm taking!? I'm scared too, dammit!"

He didn't say anything, just stared at the flowers.

"Xellos!"

He shook his head as he stared. "I.I wasn't meant to feel these things," he whispered.

Filia stared at him, not comprehending. She opened her mind to him and searched his spirit.

He bent down and picked one of the flowers.

That's when she felt it. It was a familiar feeling, one she had felt many times, but now she felt it from him.

"Xellos," she whispered.

"I can't stand it, Filia," he choked out. "I see this.and I see you.and you're so beautiful." He was having trouble forming words. "You don't know what it's like where I'm from, Filia. Beautiful things..like this." he held up the flower. "Like you.We destroyed them, Filia. Centuries ago. ALL of them! They're gone! All gone!"

He turned to her. "And they'll do the same to you." He fell to his knees before her. "I can't let them do that to you, Filia."

Filia gasped as she saw a tear drop fall from his eye and land on his leg. "Xellos, you're crying."

He reached up and touched his moistened cheek, shaking his head. "That's not possible," he whispered. "I.I can't cry."

She crawled to him and took his hand. "We're becoming the same, Xellos," she whispered. "Both of us."

The Mazoku looked into her eyes. "I can't let you die," he whispered.

"You won't," she assured him. "We can get Amara out of there, Xellos. I know we can. I can't do it alone." She squeezed his hand. "I need your help. Please," she begged. "Whatever we face on that island."

"We face together," he finished for her, picking up on her thoughts again.

She nodded. "Together."



(Zelgadis dear?)

(Zelgadis dear.)

(Zelgadis dear!)

Zelgadis' eyes snapped open as he picked his head up from the table. He knew that voice. He could swear he did, so why couldn't he put a name to it?

"Zelgadis chan?"

The chimera looked across the table at Turtle Princess and looked a question at her.

"You seem distracted. Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"No," he said quietly. "Nothing."

(Sy.Sylia?) he asked himself. No, that wasn't it.

"You look tired," Mutsumi noted. "Perhaps you should go back to your room and rest."

"No!" Zelgadis said quickly. He didn't want to sleep. Every time he slept he could feel more of it slipping away, that woman's name. They had been at this inn for four days, and every day it seemed he lost a letter of her name, a note from her voice.

He had to stay awake.

Why were they here again?

He closed his eyes and sought the answer.

What was wrong with him? He knew this was important. Why couldn't he remember then?

Why couldn't he remember her name?!

Mutsumi looked at him with sympathetic eyes. Poor Zelgadis chan was sick. She could see it. Reaching out, she took hold of his hand.

(Zelgadis de.) He felt Mutsumi's hand touch his, and the voice faded away.

"You just need to be cheered up!" Mutsumi announced with a smile.

Zelgadis stared at the table and blinked. He had almost had it.

She pulled him out of the booth and towards the dance floor. "Come on!" she implored.

Feeling almost inebriated, Zelgadis followed.

(Sylva?) he asked himself.

The band up on stage began playing a lively tune, and Mutsumi began to lead him in a dance, which, for the Turtle Princess, was more of a series of unorganized and impromptu hops while holding Zelgadis' hands. After the two bumped into a few people, the other dancers gave them a wider berth.

The band, The Coral Reefer Band, by the artwork painted on the drums, played with a joyful enthusiasm one didn't expect to find in such a seedy establishment.

"Is it ignorance, or apathy? I forgot these lessons Taught to me, Some say life isn't fair! Hey! I don't know, I don't care!"

Mutsumi giggled as she swung Zelgadis around.

"Therapy is awfully expensive, Popping bubblewrap is radically cheap, You choose which one helps with your problems, I'm going to get some sleep!"

Zelgadis tried to think over Mutsumi's laughter and the band's playing. His head was swimming. Images, faces he couldn't attach names to danced in front of his eyes, taunting him. A redhead, a brunette, a blonde.

A woman with violet hair.

"If you're looking for a quote from me, I'll be under the mango tree, Just can't say how I'll get there, Hell, I don't know and I don't care, I don't know and I don't care, I don't know and I don't care!"

The song ended, and Mutsumi threw herself in the chimera's arms, laughing giddily. "Oh! That was so much fun!" she gasped out. "Wasn't it, Zelgadis dear?!"

(Zelgadis dear!)

(Zelgadis dear!)

(Zelgadis dear!)

An image of that violet-haired woman popped into his mind.

(ZELGADIS DEAR!)

He pushed himself away from Mutsumi and stared at her. The woman blinked.

"Zelgadis dear?" she asked, taking a step toward him. "What is it?"

Zelgadis stepped away from her. She shouldn't be calling him that. Only one person called him that. For her to say it was.was.WRONG!

"Just stay away from me," he whispered.

She bounded forward again. "I don't understand," she said. "What is it?"

As she got closer, the violet-haired woman's image began to fade, but seemed to fight back, keeping itself firmly planted in his mind. He stepped away again, and the image reasserted itself.

"What are you?" he asked.

Mutsumi blinked, her hand going to her forehead in apology. "I told you," she said, throwing her hands grandly into the air. "I AM MUTSUMI! TURTLE Q."

"Yes! I know that part!" Zelgadis snapped.

"Zelgadis dear," she said worriedly. "I don't know what's wrong, but if you're sick." She snapped her fingers suddenly. "We should see my father! He knows lots of things! He might be able to help you feel better!"

The chimera took another step away from her. On stage, the band was preparing to play another song.

"Now, I'd like to play a little song we haven't done for awhile, but I kinda wanted to play it," the lead singer, Jimmy, said. "It's called 'Tin Cup's Chalice,' a song about seeing that sunsent from Mallory Square for the very first time."

It went right by Zelgadis. "Your father?" he asked, searching for some clue to what this woman was and what she was after.

Mutsumi smiled broadly and bounded toward him again. "He's told me so much about you already!" she said. "He said when you met on that island, you seemed like a very nice young man! And he was right! He told me how nice you were to little sister Achi and he."

Zelgadis stumbled back on his rear end. (Achi?!) he thought. A small girl appeared in his mind as more memories surfaced.

(Shinzoku!) he thought. (But why.) The answer boomed in his head like a thunderclap as an image of one-eyed man pushed its way to the front of his mind.

"Your father is the Wind Dragon King," he whispered.

Mutsumi nodded enthusiastically. "Hai!" She moved toward him again. "Zelgadis dear, I."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" he screamed.

Jimmy and the rest of the Coral Reefer Band, along with everyone else on the dance floor stopped and turned to him.

"Why wouldn't I call you that?" Mutsumi asked, smiling in confusion. "You're Zelgadis dear!"

"You.You don't call me that," he said in uncertainty. "She calls me that..She."

"Who?" Mutsumi asked.

He opened his mouth to form words, her name, but no name emerged.

"Zelgadis dear?"

"Stay away from me," he whispered.

"Zelgadis dear."

The chimera backed away until the back of his legs hit the stage, and he tripped, falling into the drum set and knocking snare and kettle drums everywhere. He scrambled to his feet and ran to the back of the stage, past the curtain and out the door.

"Zelgadis dear!" Mutsumi called after him.

The stone man ran. He didn't know what Mutsumi was doing to him, but he knew that proximity was what was causing it. He had to get away from her.

He dashed out the back door and into the forest out back.



Gandrav watched as the three Femillian shrine maiden ninjas sat around their campfire, sharpening their weapons. Twelve more berserkers had joined his cadre that morning, and although he was sure they would prove useless against the ninja women should they turn on him, he felt a little more comfortable all the same.

Their outfits, while all the same style, were three distinct colors: red, powder blue and light green. Veils, rather than masks, covered their faces, and silk hoods covered their hair, a glimpse of which could be seen through the diaphanous material. It seemed as if the designer of the outfits had gone out of his way to make them feminine, as if to shout out, "YES, THESE ARE WOMEN! GET OVER IT!"

Still, their silence made Gandrav uneasy. They spoke only when directly addressed, and even then replied in curt, one or two-word answers.

The werewolf snorted in derision.

Before he could continue with his worrying, a berserker came up to him and whispered into his ear.

"Where?!" demanded the red-clothed ninja, not even looking up from the fire.

Gandrav blinked in astonishment. The women were at least forty feet away, and the berserker had only whispered to him that Greywords had been sighted. The berserker paused and whispered the answer.

Before Gandrav could react, the ninjas were gone.



When Zelgadis had gone about a mile, he stopped and put his hands to his head. He had hoped that once he was away from Mutsumi, the effects of being near her would lift, but it seemed to cling to him like rain soaked clothing. He struggled against it, trying to remember names and faces.

The redhead, Lina, he remembered her. She was the violent one.

The blonde, Gourry, the stupid one.

Amelia.he had hurt her somehow.

Blue-violet hair..Green eyes. He could see her.

But he couldn't remember her.

He growled to himself and shut his eyes, taking deep breaths, trying to collect his thoughts.

Mutsumi must have been sent by the Wind Dragon King, but why? Revenge? She didn't even seem aware of what she was doing to him.

But if she WAS related to Achi, who had powers over the mind.

His head hurt. His MIND hurt.

He blinked as something appeared out of the corner of his eye. Turning quickly, he saw a person in a powder blue tunic standing fifty feet away.

Just standing.

Zelgadis blinked, then his face fell.

"Awwww..SHIT!" He turned to his right suddenly, just in time to see someone in an identical outfit, except red in color, point her wrist at him. A large but thin net sprang from beneath her sleeve and covered him, entangling him.

The chimera fell to the ground, struggling with the net. He pulled his sword free and slashed upward, cutting the net in two! Leaping to his feet, he faced his attackers. A third one, in green, joined the other two, standing before him as if they didn't have a care in the world.

Zelgadis snorted and prepared a spell.

"Kogatana!" the one in red called out.

As one, three hands went to three belts and pulled three short knives. The ninjas closed their eyes and chanted for a moment. Zelgadis paused, suspecting some new trick.

The ninjas raised the knives above their heads, screamed, and somersaulted forward. At the end of this move, the knives leapt from their hands, blades glowing a pale green, right at the chimera.

Zelgadis' reflexes kicked in. He dodged left, then right, avoiding two of the knives. The third, however, buried itself in his shoulder.

The chimera screamed and fell on his back. He grasped the handle of the knife sticking out of his right shoulder and pulled. The blade glowed brighter, but refused to budge. He screamed in pain again and let go. Growling, he pointed at the three.

"BLAM BLAZER!"

Nothing.

He blinked and stared at his hand. "FIREBALL!" he tried again.

Again nothing, except that the dagger in his shoulder glowed a little brighter every time he tried to cast a spell.

The ninjas seemed to expect his weakness and pulled their weapons. The red one pulled two katana, the blue one pulled a pair of sai, and the green one twirled a pair of nunchucks in her right hand.

Zelgadis climbed to his feet, and seeing what was stacked against him, he stood defiantly before them for a moment. He had only one choice now. To use a tactic he'd seen Lina use before, even though he hated the thought of using such a trick, even against an enemy like this.

But he did anyway.

Turning, he ran like hell into the forest.



Filia splashed the water from the stream onto her face and sighed in relief. The water felt cool against her skin and it helped bring her some relief from the sun.

They had long since turned south and the trip was going smoothly for both of them. Their earlier fight seemed to bring things into the open, forcing them to confront the changes they were both going through. Picking herself up, she headed back to their encampment. As she walked, she regarded the changes she had been seeing in her "mate."

Xellos was almost like a boy going through puberty. She noticed how he looked about him as he walked, taking in the sights and sounds and smells of the world as if through another person's eyes. He seemed to actually take pleasure from it.

She was happy for him.

The dragon was also relieved that, while Xellos seemed to be changing for the better, she was not changing for the worse. Aside from a Peak-induced itch she felt almost every second she wasn't less than three feet from him, there seemed to be no side effects of their mating.

As she was clearing the trees, she stopped and stared.

Xellos was crouched on his knees, holding out a small piece of carrot to a tiny bunny that had wandered into their camp. The bunny hopped forward a bit, then back in uncertainty, then forward again. It sniffed at the carrot and tentatively began chewing. Xellos' white-gloved hand reached out slowly, but paused, as if unsure, then moved forward again and began to pet the animal.

"Awwww!" Filia sighed, her eyes lit up in stars. "He really is changing," she said to herself. "I guess Amara really was right. No wonder she wanted Xellos."

She stopped.

Her eyes narrowed.

Amara.

Wanted Xellos.

Fire leapt into her chest, and a red haze fell over her vision. A throaty growl emerged from her throat, and she stalked forward.



Xellos watched, fascinated, the tiny creature eating out of his hand. He knew what it was, of course. He had seen people eat the adult versions and make hats out of their skin, but the younger ones seemed to exude an air of innocence he had only felt in Amelia. He was feeling something, and he really couldn't tell what. It was like protectiveness, only different.

The bunny stopped chewing, looked up past him, and took off running in the other direction. Blinking, he turned.

Filia grabbed him by the throat, flipped him over her waist and pinned him to the ground by his neck. In a second, she was straddling him, her other hand grabbing some of his hair. Fire was in her eyes as she hissed at him.

"You're MY mate!" she told him dangerously. "MINE! The only squint-eyed, purple-haired golden dragons I see had better be the ones I give you! If I EVER see you looking at her, or touching her, or smiling at her, I'll KILL you BOTH!"

Xellos arched an eyebrow. "I see." he replied.

Filia blinked suddenly, as if waking from a dream. "Wha.What am I saying?" she whispered.

"I believe you were threatening me with death," he said with a smile.

"She's my sister," she breathed in horror.

"Ah," the demon said in realization. "You're concerned that perhaps I'll find Miss Amara's charms more charming than yours?"

Filia replied by squeezing his throat and growling at him. "Mine, Xellos," she hissed. She blinked again. "What's happening to me?"

"Peak for females is not unlike that for we males," Xellos told her with a grin. "We get fiercely protective of our mates.and jealous of any potential rivals."

She sat up, but didn't get off him. Staring down at him, she asked, "Is Amara in danger?"

The Mazoku thought for a moment. "I don't think so," he said finally. "You're just unused to feeling these things. Just as I am. You'll get used to it."

She swallowed back her fright and fell forward on top of him. The dragon just laid there for several moments, then, "I should've known it was too easy."

Xellos patted the back of her head in a loving but annoyingly patronizing fashion.

"Ano."

The two blinked in surprise and looked up. A woman with brown hair had just cleared the tree line and was waving at them.

"Excuse me," she began, "But have you seen."

Filia squeaked as Xellos threw her off him and turned. Reaching toward the campsite, his staff flew to his hand, the ruby at the head, glowing. He growled.

"Stay back!"

Mutsumi stopped dead in her tracks. "Ano.Gomen nasai, but.I'm looking for a friend that.." She took another step forward.

"I said stay back!" Xellos cried again, holding his staff out in warning. Mutsumi took another step, and, to Filia's surprise, the Mazoku responded by firing a blast of fire at the woman's feet.

Mutsumi took a step back. "Ano.Have we met?"

"Too many times," Xellos growled. "Go back and tell your master that I'm not some mundane to fall for simple mind tricks like yours."

Filia looked from one to the other in puzzlement. Mutsumi put her hand to her head in apology and started back into the forest.

"Gomen," she said, "I'll just be going."

Xellos waited until he was sure she was gone before lowering the staff.

"Xellos?" Filia asked. "Who was that?"

Knowing it would take too long to explain, Xellos opened his memories to her. Filia gasped as a flood of images crashed into her mind. Images of a woman, a little girl, and a war.

"That, Filia chan," Xellos said quietly, "Was the Goddess of Forgetfulness."



Gandrav waved his hand in front of the crystal ball and waited for his master to appear. It took only a moment before Scarrin's yellow, cat-like eyes were staring at him from across the world.

"Yes?" he asked.

"The Femillians wounded him," Gandrav reported. "We hope to have him soon."

"Let's hope, for your sake," Scarrin warned him.

"If he proves as difficult now as he has in the past, I may need more men. More berserkers."

"Impossible," Scarrin told him. "Diol needs them for another.project." He smiled.

Gandrav growled at this.

"Besides, the Order should prove more than capable of bringing him in," Scarrin assured him. Gandrav seemed unconvinced.

A berserker walked up to him and interrupted, whispering in his ear.

"My lord, we have him," Gandrav announced.



The ringing of swords only drew more of them to where he was. Unable to use magic, Zelgadis used his sword with devastating results. Another berserker would go down, adding to the ten already on the ground, and two more would launch themselves at him.

The dagger in his shoulder burned, and he could feel himself weakening. Whatever sorcery had created such a thing, it did more than absorb his magic, or perhaps it had some different effect on him because he was a chimera. He wasn't sure. What he was sure of was that he was getting weaker with each swing of his sword.

He blocked another thrust from a berserker and responded by burying his sword in the reptilian's neck.

Suddenly, he was knocked backward as something pierced his midsection. Looking down, he saw another glowing dagger protruding from his abdomen. The strength in his body seemed to drain away as he struggled to his feet.

The red-clad ninja was standing in the tree line not far away. He watched as the other two appeared next to her.

Zelgadis fell to one knee as his energy was sucked from his body by the enchanted weapons. Staring down at the ground, breathing as if he had just run a marathon, he shut his eyes and said a single word.

"Sylphiel."

A berserker approached him and regretted it a second later when the chimera screamed and bolted to his feet, swing his sword up and slashing the reptile through the chest. Turning to the next one, he deflected two swings from the creature's axe and thrust forward, impaling the berserker on the three foot metal shaft.

He fell to his knee again as another knife embedded itself in his right side. Zelgadis took several deep breaths and screamed again, slicing the legs out from under another berserker, then plunging his sword into the fallen creature's chest.

His back arched spasmodically as a knife pierced it. His eyes squeezed shut in pain. He fell to his knees and opened his eyes again.

He could see her standing not far away, wearing her usual traveling clothes, but rocking a blanketed bundle in her arms. She looked absorbed by it, staring down at it, her lips moving as if speaking softly to it.

Zelgadis let go of the painful breath he had been holding, shuddering with each attempt to draw air.

"Sylphiel." He didn't so much as speak the name as mouth it silently to himself. Merely being able to remember it was enough without having to shout it. "Sylphiel."

He reached out with his hand as if he could touch them both.

A berserker rushed up behind him and broke a metal spearshaft over his head. Two other with war hammers were on him a second later, pounding away at him like a slab of stone in a quarry.

He fell face forward into the dirt and looked up, continuing to reach out to them.

Three more berserkers rushed forward and began slamming the butts of their weapons against his head and body. Even his stone body couldn't protect him for long against such an onslaught.

His hand shook as he reached an inch farther. The woman and baby seemed to pay no attention to him.

"Sylphiel," he mouthed again.

Finally, the woman looked up at him and smiled.

Then he saw no more.



To Be Continued.

Author's Notes:

I've finally found a way to get Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band into a fic. I'm so proud of myself. Send comments to doscher009@earthlink.net. The brief guest appearances by Sailor Moon, the Blues Brothers, and Han Solo were done using characters that do not belong to me.

Now to pimp some websites.

www.sylphiel.org is the Give Sylphiel a Chance Foundation, a Sylphiel shrine that promotes shrine maideness through the baking of cookies and the destruction of its enemies.

www.cavdav.dragonsanime.com is the Two Guys Fan Fic Review Site.

http://elfwood.lysator.liu.se/loth/l/i/lizziechan/ is the site of Liz Berrios, an aritst of no small skill who has agreed to do some art for the Faces Cycle. Some of her other work can be found here.