Chapter 3: The Start down a Long, Complicated Road

"Oww!" Amelia hissed, rubbing her leg. A reddish bruise was beginning to appear on it, in exactly the same place where Lina's leg had been injured. Oh no! Just hang on a little more, Mr. Zelgadis! You've got to save Lina! she thought worriedly.

- x - x - x -

Gourry watched in horror as the gazebo came crashing down onto Lina and Zelgadis. Putting a hand on the railing, he leapt down from the balcony, and hit the ground running towards the collapsed structure. The crowd parted before the emperor in shock, as he rushed to the fallen stones. "Lina!" he yelled desperately.

"It's no good, sire," one of the guards spoke up, looking at the rubble. "No one could have survived that."

Another one of the men called out from the crowd "Good riddance! What kind of a priestess was she anyway? More like a demon!"

Gourry's head snapped up at the voice, his normally guileless blue eyes darkening. The man who had spoken took a step back at the look on the emperor's face. Gourry might not have been the brightest of emperors, but there was a reason the Gabriev line had held the country together for many generations.

"You should be ashamed of yourselves!" he said calmly, though his voice trembled with anger. "She's our only hope to save Sairoon! You men would throw away our country's future because of a few small insults? Get out of my palace! None of you are worthy of being Celestial Warriors!" He drew his sword as he spoke, pointing it at the man who had opened his mouth first. A few of the men cursed and left. Others dropped their heads in shame. And still others rushed forward, trying to help the guards dislodge the heavy stones, in the hopes of finding a survivor.

"Get away from there," Gourry commanded, gesturing towards the people who were searching through the rubble. The guards exchanged knowing glances and quickly hustled the volunteers away from the ruins. Lina... Gourry thought to himself as he drew a pin out of the hilt, causing the blade of the sword to fall off. You've got to be alive! Raising the hilt to the sky above, he bellowed out the words that had sealed his family's royal lineage over the ages. "Light, come forth! HIKARI-O!"

The sword blazed to life in Gourry's hands, its magical blade filling the air surrounding it with crackling white energy. Narrowing his eyes, he brought the sword down with one powerful swipe. The energy raced from the blade in a searing line towards the rubble, blasting apart the heavy stones. Tiny bits of stone and dust showed down in thick clouds, which cleared as Gourry ran into the remains of the gazebo, searching for Lina and Zelgadis. The faint sound of coughing brought his attention to one of the slabs still lying on the ground. Gourry noticed a stony blue arm dangling limply from under it, and worked quickly to overturn the rock.

Lina coughed weakly. "Gourry!" she yelled as sunlight hit her eyes. She tried to sit up, holding Zelgadis' unconscious form in her arms. Gourry was kneeling besides her almost instantly, helping to extract both of them from the rubble. She cried out as he pulled her out; her hands were raw and bleeding, and her leg was twisted at an unnatural angle.

"Lina!" Gourry said, his eyes clouding with worry. "I'll get you a healer."

Lina coughed a little, shaking her head. "Gourry, you idiot! Get Zelgadis a healer! He held the whole damn thing up!" She dragged herself over to Zelgadis' side, looking at the chimera worriedly.

Zelgadis was unconscious, which in his current state, was probably a blessing. His shirt was torn, and the stone on his back had cracked in several places, oozing thick, bronze-coloured blood. His breathing was shallow, and already his stone-blue skin had faded to a pale shade of grey.

"Zelgadis!" Lina croaked angrily, feeling a few tears spring up in her eyes. "I told you not to die on me! You stupid jerk! I'm never going to forgive you if you die!"

Gourry, who had been motioning to one of his guards, gently took Lina into his arms. "Lina, even if a healer was here, his injuries are too much," he said to her quietly.

Lina slapped the emperor away, hissing as the raw skin on her palm came into contact with Gourry. "Don't say that!" she yelled.

"Please! Let me through!" Lina and Gourry looked up at the sound of the woman's voice ringing through the courtyard. The woman gasped as she saw the debris. Spotting Zelgadis, she resolutely pushed her way past the guard and ran to the fallen chimera.

As she approached them, Lina caught her breath. The woman was dressed beautiful silks, indicating that she was of some high rank or nobility within the court. Her long, purple hair streamed out behind her in liquid waves, and her green eyes sparkled with unshed tears. Plus she had an ample bosom, Lina noted sourly. All in all, the woman was the image of maidenly perfection.

"Sylphiel!" Gourry said, as the woman settled next to them. "What are you doing here?"

Sylphiel paused to draw a breath, pushing a stray strand of purple hair out of her face. She blushed slightly and lowered her eyes. "I saw the accident, your majesty," she began timidly, "and I have some skill with the healing arts. If it would be allowed, that is," she murmured.

Lina, however, didn't wait to hear the rest of her polite speech. She clamped down with an iron grip on the maiden's arm and pulled her towards Zelgadis. "Enough with the speeches! Do something about this before he dies!" she screeched into Sylphiel's ear. The maiden blushed deeply, murmuring an apology as she spread her hands over Zelgadis' form.

Closing her eyes, Sylphiel began to chant softly. Lina's ears strained to catch the words, but she was quickly distracted as a white glow pulsed outward from Sylphiel's hands. A low moan brought her attention back to Zelgadis, whose color was slowly returning. She watched in fascination as the cracks across his body melded together, merging seamlessly into unbroken stone flesh. When it was over, Sylphiel sat back heavily onto her knees, gasping for breath.

"Wow! I didn't know you could do that, Sylphiel!" Gourry said wonderingly.

Lina started. "You mean that's not the way people are normally healed here?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow. Gourry shook his head vigorously, while Sylphiel blushed another three shades of red. Lina narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the beautiful courtesan. Suddenly, with a triumphant yell, she leapt forward, pulling back Sylphiel's robes.

"EEEEK!" screamed Sylphiel fetchingly.

"Aha!" yelled Lina with satisfaction.

"Lina! I didn't know you liked girls!" whimpered Gourry confusedly.

"Ngggg..." moaned Zelgadis, who was still rather groggy.

Lina sat back triumphantly, holding the hem of Sylphiel's robe up. Gasps rose from the onlookers, not only from the wonderful view of the healer's perfect leg that they were getting, but also from the red character symbol that was blazing out from her thigh.

"Healer," Gourry said in an awed voice. "You never told me you had one too, Sylph!" he grinned at her.

Sylphiel dropped her eyes, modestly blushing, which was something she seemed to have mastered completely, Lina noted wryly. "I didn't think it was anything worthy of your Majesty's attention," the maiden said softly.

"Hey, this means you're one of the Celestial Warriors!" Lina said with a grin.

"Yeah! You'll get to hang out with us a lot more now and show us some of your really good cooking!" Gourry added cheerfully.

Sylphiel raised her head, smiling at Gourry as hearts and stars began to dance in her eyes. "Really?" she whispered breathlessly, staring at the handsome blond in a state of rapture.

Lina blinked. Sylphiel sure has it bad for the emperor, she thought to herself. A sharp twinge from her leg reminded Lina of her own wounds. "HELLO? EXCUSE ME?" she said, suddenly irritated. "There IS an injured Priestess of Cephied here!" Sylphiel came out of her state of rapture with yet another blush and quickly bent to work on Lina's wounds.

- x - x - x -

Back in the library, Amelia's eyes widened as the blood on her hands and the pain in her leg dissipated. "They've already found three of the five celestial warriors! And Mr. Zelgadis is alive, too! Lina will manage to find her way back here in no time at all, at this rate!" she said with a relieved smile.

- x - x - x -

"... and so we need to find the other 2 warriors in order to get the three wishes," Lina finished. Sylphiel nodded, then smiled and offered Gourry another bowl of rice.

"Mrggph... melicious, mylphiel!" Gourry said, grabbing the proffered plate and diving into it eagerly.

Lina sighed, irritated. "Some people just don't have manners," she muttered under her breath. There was the slight sound of choking, and she peered sharply at Zelgadis, who was struggling with his coffee.

"It went down the wrong pipe, Lina," he said hastily, but with a bit of a smirk that made her think otherwise. Lina's annoyance dissipated as she watched the chimera. Even with Sylphiel's powerful healing spells, it had taken him an entire day to get the energy to come down and share meals with them. He had barely spoken two words to her since the incident; privately, Lina was relieved that he was getting comfortable enough to make small jokes again, even if they were at her expense.

"Uhm... miss Lina," Sylphiel began shyly, breaking Lina's train of thought.

The redhead turned to her companion. "Sylphiel, what did I tell you about that? You have to start speaking with confidence or nobody will listen to you!" Sylphiel bowed her head, embarrassed, and murmured an apology. Lina groaned and threw her hands up. "There you go again! Never mind, what is it you wanted to say?"

"Well," the healer began, "it's just that I've heard of this legend of the beast gods' Celestial warriors before," she said. "I might be mistaken, but I think the legends said something about signs, to assist the Priestess in her search."

Lina's eyebrows rose. "Gourry," she said slowly. "Is there something you're not telling me?" The emperor didn't notice, as he was too busy slurping up more of Sylphiel's home-cooked meal. Zelgadis noticed the veins beginning to form on Lina's forehead, and nudged Gourry with his toe.

"Mmmpfh... hrmph?" Gourry gulped and sat up, picking his teeth in a decidedly un-royal manner. "What?" he asked, innocently blinking.

"The signs, Gourry! Sylphiel said there would be signs for the other two warriors!" Lina's fists clenched into balls, but she managed to keep her composure.

Gourry frowned, and scratched his chin while staring at the ceiling. His face brightened as he recalled something. "Oh yeah! There's a scroll that has hints to finding each of the five warriors!" he said, smiling. "But only the Priestess of Cephied can read it," he added. Everyone stared and sweatdropped at Gourry.

"You mean we didn't have to go through that idiotic test you set up in the courtyard to find the others?" Zelgadis asked in a low voice, his eyes glinting.

"Uhm, your Majesty, maybe you should let Lina see the scroll?" Sylphiel stammered nervously, as she caught wind of the aura of flames that were beginning to rise around Lina and Zelgadis.

Gourry smiled broadly at Sylphiel, who almost melted into the floor. "Hey, that's a great idea, Sylphiel! Since Lina's the priestess, she should be able to read it, huh!"

The Priestess and her other two Celestial Warriors facefaulted and fell into the ground.

- x - x - x -

Lina rolled open the scroll that had been brought out. She winced and cracked her knuckles, which were still sore from the pounding she had given to Gourry. Sylphiel had chosen escort Gourry to his room and heal the lumps on his head as Lina and Zelgadis studied the ancient scroll. A gasp of surprise escaped her lips as she scanned the text.

"What is it?" Zelgadis asked, leaning in over her shoulder. He narrowed his eyes at the parchment, trying to make sense of the letters there. "It's in some strange language," he said finally. "Can you read it?"

Lina ignored him, her eyes wide with delight. "It's in English, Zelgadis! Not ancient Chinese, not Japanese, not even British! Good old American English!"

Zelgadis looked at Lina quizzically. "English? Is that your language?"

Lina nodded wildly. "Yeah, it's what they speak back where I come from!" she said. The redhead was surprised by the overwhelming flood of relief that washed over her as she read the familiar letters. I guess I miss home a lot more than I realize, she thought belatedly.

Zelgadis noted the look on Lina's face and let her study the scroll for a few moments in silence. Finally, he approached her. "What does it say?"

Zelgadis' question brought her back to reality. Clearing her throat, she began to read. "'You must seek the five stars of heaven in the kingdom of Sairoon, the chosen lands of Cephied.' Well, duh!" she said. Zelgadis motioned for her to go on. "'The brightest star of Cephied, the Chimera, shall seek you first. Do not trouble yourself with a search.' That must be you, Zel!" Lina said, squeezing his hand. She missed the slight flush that rose to his cheeks as she eagerly continued.

"'The Chimera shall lead you to the Blade of Cephied, a warrior who wields great power.' Hmm, you think they were talking about his position as the Emperor of Sairoon, or that fancy sword he carries around?" she mused absentmindedly. "'The Healer of Cephied shall save the Priestess from great harm.' Hmm, more like fawn all over Gourry. I guess she did save us, in her own way. I swear, though, I wonder if she would have come running out so fast if she hadn't heard the emperor was in the middle of it."

Zelgadis sighed. "Keep going, Lina, we need information about warriors we have left to find, not the ones who are already here." Lina nodded, and scanned the next passage.

"'The Jester of Cephied will reveal his presence when he feels it's necessary.' What kind of a prophecy is that?" Lina sputtered angrily at the scroll. Her face turned red as she read the next line. "'The reasons for this must remain a secret!'" It was just a scroll, but the words seemed faintly mocking as she read them. Muttering some curse words under her breath, she continued to read as Zelgadis waved her on. "'The final star of Cephied, the Dragon, will hide amidst the scorpions, but its sting shall strike down the enemies of the Priestess.'" Lina sighed, studying the passages on the warriors. "That's pretty damn ambiguous, if you ask me. How are we supposed to find two more Celestial Warriors from clues like that?"

Zelgadis frowned, shaking his head. "It doesn't make any sense," he said. "Are you sure there isn't any more?"

Lina squinted at the paper. "Yeah, that's it. Hmm. Unless..." She lifted the paper up to her nose. Zelgadis stared at her, confused. "Well, I'll be damned," she muttered. Throwing the scroll down, she glared at Zelgadis.

"What?" he asked.

"Don't tell me you people have lawyers here, too!" she said suspiciously.

Zelgadis did his best Gourry impression, scratching his head. "What in Cephied's name is a lawyer?"

Lina sighed. "I guess not. It's just because this prophecy of yours had some fine print in it!" Peering more closely at the paper, she slowly read out loud.

"This Prophecy is copyright Cephied, the Celestial Phoenix of the Southern Kingdom. No part of this prophecy may be reproduced, reprinted, or resold in any way...' " Seeing the confused look on Zelgadis' face, Lina decided to skip to the interesting part.

"'...all rights reserved. P.S. This Prophecy only valid en route to Mount Taikyoku.' Mount Taikyoku? What's that?"

Zelgadis straightened. "Mount Taikyoku?" he said in awe.

Lina pierced his thoughts with a sharp gaze. "Oh... sorry, Lina. Mount Taikyoku is the highest peak in all of Sairoon, and the world. It's rumored to be the home of the great mystic Taiitsukun, the Creator and Lord of this world."

Lina rubbed here eyes. "You mean we're going to have to meet God?" she said with a note of disbelief.

Zelgadis fidgeted. "Well, not God, really. I hear she's just a cranky old woman living on the mountaintop." He stopped and sweatdropped as ominous thunder rolled in the distance.

Lina, on the other hand, paid no attention to him. She was busy doing a victory dance. "YES! I knew it! God is a woman! Yeah, baby!" she sang, doing an uncannily accurate improvisation of a Deion Sanders touchdown victory dance.

Zelgadis' sweatdrop grew significantly larger.

- x - x - x -

After Lina and Zelgadis revealed the prophecy to the others, it was decided that they would embark on a trip to Mt. Taikyoku immediately. They had been warned that the journey would be long and difficult. Fortunately for Lina, Gourry's advisors were surprisingly adamant in their insistence that the emperor himself accompany the group to offer Lina his protection. Privately, she wondered if it was because Sairoon seemed to be in the process of tallying their finances, and Gourry had said something about wanting to help. The royal accountants had all turned pale with fear when he mentioned it.

Sylphiel had also eagerly agreed to assist them in their quest; Lina still was amazed that Gourry could be so oblivious to the poor courtesan's attentions. In fact, if it wasn't for Sylphiel's overly-gentle nature, Lina would have suspected that the other woman was jealous of her. "Which is completely ridiculous," Lina had reasoned to herself. It wasn't that she didn't find Gourry attractive; quite the opposite, in fact. The emperor, with his baby blue eyes and flowing mane of shaggy blonde hair was heart-stoppingly handsome, and incredibly wealthy to boot. But every time Lina tried to imagine herself in a romantic situation with Gourry, he would inevitably open his mouth, and the image would be shattered. "If only he weren't so stupid!" she mused to herself in frustration, as she eyed the back of the emperor on the path before her.

"If who wasn't stupid?"

Lina flushed as she realized she had said that out loud. She turned around to face the speaker, who smirked back at her with amusement. "Never mind, Zel, it's not important," she told him with embarrassment.

Zelgadis shrugged at her slightly. "I'm sure that stupidity is something you could learn to live with, Lina, if he offered you a life that was luxurious enough."

Lina felt her eye twitch as she glared at Zelgadis. "And look who's talking, Mr. Money-grubber! Gourry had to promise you two chests of gold just to get you to come along with us!"

Zelgadis smiled blandly in response. That expression drove Lina insane. Zelgadis was enough of an enigma on his own; but when he put on the smile that didn't reach his eyes, trying to read him was like staring into a blank stone wall. "Don't try to give me a lecture, Zel! We're the same, you and I!" Lina said, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"You shouldn't do that," he said mildly.

"What, point out the fact that you're ever bit as greedy as I aAH!"

Lina went flying and landed on her backside with a hard WHUMP. Zelgadis stopped and grinned. "No, point at people while walking backwards at the same time," he clarified.

Lina pushed herself up to her elbows, muttering curses, when suddenly she froze. A couple of the buttons on her uniform shirt had popped off when she fell. Which, in her current position, was giving Zelgadis a wonderful view of her bra.

Zelgadis' eyes widened and his cheeks turned a slight shade of pink as he enjoyed the view. Then he caught sight of Lina's face, which was turning several shades of red, more than a couple of which were from anger. Zelgadis took a few cautionary steps backwards. "I didn't see anything!" he yelped, suddenly finding the view of the treetops extremely fascinating.

Lina let out a string of curses about cheap school uniforms as she closed her shirt, knotting it at the waist. "Don't you give me that crap, Zel!" she yelled at him, standing up with her face still flushed. "I wouldn't have tripped if you weren't being so... so... obtuse!" she seethed.

Zelgadis' face darkened, and he looked back at Lina. Privately, he was thinking "What the hell does obtuse mean?" He concluded that it must have been something very insulting by the way she said it, though. "Well," he replied evenly. "It's not like you had anything down there worth seeing." Belatedly, Zel realized that this was definitely the wrong thing to say to Lina. But it was too late.

"Why ... you ... PERVERTED JERK!"

Lina's scream startled Gourry and Sylphiel, who turned around in time to see Lina chasing Zelgadis into the forest with murderous intentions. They both stared in shock, sweatdropping. "Better not get in her way," Gourry mumbled as Sylphiel agreed.

- x - x - x -

Lina crashed through the bramble, cursing and swearing. "Where did that stupid jerk go... OW!" She swore again under breath, wiping her legs where they had been scratched on the thorny undergrowth. "This is all his fault!" she growled out loud. Chibi-Lina decided to make her reappearance, and whispered into Lina's ear.

"No it's not... this is your fault for overreacting, like you always do!" Lina took a moment to toss chibi-Lina into the forest high above. "HE SAW MY BRA! I am NOT overreacting!" she screamed after the rapidly shrinking figure. Pausing, she looked around. "But I am lost. Damnit!" she said, plunking to the ground in exhaustion.

Zelgadis, in the meanwhile, had actually had a bit of trouble loosing Lina at first. She really was mad, and determined. Fortunately for him, she was only human. "Geez, who knew she'd be so sensitive!" he mumbled to himself as he made his way out of the forest.

Chibi-Zel decided to show up at that moment, settling himself of Zelgadis' shoulder. "But that was a really mean thing to say to her about her chest, Zel. Why'd you do it?"

Zelgadis ducked his head, embarrassed. "Because she can be so childish and demanding at times!"

Chibi-Zel snorted. "Admit it, you're just jealous she was thinking of Gourry. The least you could have done is complimented her on her assets. I know you enjoyed looking at them!"

"I-i-idiot! I'm not jealous!" Zelgadis swore, flushing brightly as he sent chibi-Zel flying into the forest high above. If he had been listening carefully, he might have heard the smack and groans as chibi-Lina and chibi-Zel slammed into each other in the air above and disappeared in a puff of green smoke.

- x - x - x -

Lina pushed through the forest, pausing to lean on a tree as she rested. "Oh man... where the heck am I?" she said, looking around. She caught a glimpse of something sparkling between the boughs of the tree just ahead of her. Sunlight? Lina thought with a spark of hope. Taking a deep breath, she pushed off of the tree and made her way towards the light.

The image of Lina walking away flickered in a pot of water. A pair of sharp blue eyes watched the girl's progress intently. "That just can't be the Priestess of Cephied... so foul tempered and immature!"

Chibi-Lina, now with bandages on her head, peered at the figure nervously. "But her temper is a lot like yours, nyan..." Chibi-Lina shrunk back fearfully as the eyes of her master focused their piercing gaze on her tiny form. A huge sweatdrop formed on her head. "I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it! No, not the mace, not the mace! Nyan nyaAAA-" The squeaks were cut off by the sound of a dull thud. The blue eyes narrowed in satisfaction, and turned back towards the water to watch Lina's progress.

Lina blinked and rubbed her eyes. The sparkling wasn't coming from the sun, as she had originally thought. Nor was it coming from a nearby stream or body of water. No, the light that was catching her eye was the reflection bouncing off a plate of burnished gold. It was the head of a very elaborate buffet setting which was somehow impossibly standing in the middle of the forest. Lina stared with her mouth hanging open for a few moments. "Tha-tha-that's Noritake... what is Noritake chinaware doing in the middle of this forest?" she said. "This has got to be some kind of a joke... I'm hallucinating," the redhead reasoned. "Faint from lack of food." Her nose twitched as she caught the delicious scent of the gourmet buffet wafting towards her. "Well," she said suddenly. "If I'm hallucinating, might as well make it worth my while!" She took off for the table, reaching out to grab a plate full of chicken.

There was the sound of shattering glass, and Lina whirled around and froze. Grey mist swirled around her in thick, sudden waves, obscuring the rest of the forest. "Wha-" she began, backing up until she hit the edge of the buffet table. The light sound of laughter filled the room. Familiar laughter... Lina sucked in her breath as she saw the source. A petite redhead, her sweeping bangs covering her eyes, stepped out from the mists. "It can't be..." she said weakly, staring at the figure before her.

"But it is, Lina!" the figure said gleefully, raising her head. Lina dropped to her knees in shock as she stared into the spitting image of herself, from her torn uniform to her sparkling ruby eyes. Well, not the spitting image... the eyes of the girl standing in front of her had a harder, fierce glint to them, and they were staring directly at Lina. "Don't you recognize yourself?" the girl asked, tossing her hair arrogantly as a cruel smile played across her lips.

Lina's brows lowered over her eyes. "Who the hell are you, imposter?"

Shadow Lina made a mock hurt face. "Why Lina, I'm shocked. How could you think I'm an imposter?"

Lina growled, standing up. "Because there is only ONE Lina Inverse, and I'm it!" she said dangerously.

Shadow Lina shook her head slightly. "But I am a part of you, the real Lina Inverse," she said calmly. "I am the embodiment of your uncontrolled desires, your ambition. I AM you, Lina. I'm who you want to be."

Lina snorted.

Shadow Lina grinned. "Why don't we see what the others think?" she said simply. Turning, she stepped out towards the swirling grey mists.

The real Lina jumped after her. "I don't think so!" she yelled, reaching for her double. Shadow Lina turned and smirked as the real Lina hit an invisible barrier. The mists around her cleared, revealing the surrounding forest. Lina belatedly realized that she seemed to be trapped in some kind of grey bubble, the swirling mists marking the boundary to the real world.

"Do you see, Lina?" the shadow said, smiling at her through the portal. "I am your reflection. But now, YOU are in the mirror. I hope you enjoy the show," she said with a light laugh.

The scenery shifted, and Lina realized that the portal she was looking at was acting as some kind of a window. Shadow Lina's voice floated down from somewhere overhead. "I'll keep the mirror pointing out for you, dear Lina. I don't want you to miss a thing."

Lina swore under her breath. "Bitch!" A tiny voice in her head was wondering if the Shadow had told the truth. "That can't be me... can it?" she thought to herself.

- x - x - x -

Gourry, Sylphiel and Zelgadis were standing by the edge of the forest, wondering where Lina had gone, when Shadow Lina pushed her way out from the undergrowth. Gourry instantly turned to her with a big smile.

"Lina!" he said happily. "We were starting to get worried about you!" he said, offering her a helping hand. Lina smirked and brushed by him coldly. "Oh, I wouldn't be concerned on my account, your Imperial Majesty," she said bitingly. "I'd worry more about the state of your kingdom," she added with a small smile.

"What do you mean, Lina?" Gourry asked, scratching his head.

Shadow Lina rolled her eyes and giggled. "It's amazing your kingdom hasn't been conquered before, with an idiot like you at the helm. Are you sure your parents weren't related?"

Gourry stared at her with surprise, hurt coloring his eyes. "Y-you think I'm stupid, Lina?" he whimpered. Shadow Lina tossed her hair. "Of course you are, dear!" she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "Mmm... but that's ok," she said, sidling up to the confused emperor. Zelgadis and Sylphiel stared in shock as Shadow Lina draped herself over Gourry provocatively. "With a body like yours, you don't need a brain," she finished coyly, as Gourry uncomfortably tried to push her away.

"M-m-miss Lina," Sylphiel stammered, stepping forward and blushing. Shadow Lina turned and smirked at Sylphiel. "Oh come on now, Sylph," she purred. "You should drop that shy act and start putting out more, or I'm going to steal Gourry here right out from under your nose." Sylphiel flushed brightly as her mouth dropped open. Shadow Lina laughed.

"Close your mouth, Sylphiel, you look like a fish! I'm sure Gourry dear doesn't find that very attractive, now do you, Gourry? Shut up," she added, as Gourry began to open his mouth. "Besides, you're the one who's so desperately in love with Gourry after all, aren't you. Oops! Did I say that out loud?" Shadow Lina covered her mouth and giggled, as tears of embarrassment sprang out of Sylphiel's eyes.

"Lina!" she said chokingly, before turning and bolting for the forest, weeping loudly.

Shadow Lina laughed after Sylphiel's retreating form. "Such a crybaby!" she sneered. She hissed in pain suddenly as she was ripped off of a surprised Gourry.

"What's happened to you?" Zelgadis snarled angrily, glaring at Lina as he held her wrist in his tight grasp.

Shadow Lina grinned as she wrenched herself free. "Nothing's happened to me. I'm just telling all of you the truth," she said, shifting the mirror around her arm slightly. If anyone had been bothering to look, they might have seen an image of the real Lina angrily pounding the surface of the mirror inside. But Gourry and Zelgadis were more concerned with Shadow Lina, who was pacing around them like a cat stalking its prey.

"You're not afraid of the truth, are you Zelgadis?" she said, smiling. "After all, you have to face it every day when you look at your reflection." Zelgadis stiffened and stared at her. Shadow Lina's smile grew wider. "My poor little stoneboy, too scared to show his face to the rest of the world. I can't blame you..." she said, smirking. "You are, after all, hideous." Zelgadis flinched slightly.

"What's wrong with you, Lina? Why are you being so mean?" Gourry cut in, staring at her.

Shadow Lina shrugged. "I'm just being my true self," she said simply. She turned as a low growl rose from Zelgadis, who had crouched into a fighting stance.

"You're not Lina," he said dangerously. "What did you do with her?" Shadow Lina laughed and twirled her mirror on the palm of her hand. "Oh, but I am Lina," she said with a smile. "I'm the part of her that she doesn't want you to see." The ringing of metal caused her to turn to Gourry, who had drawn his sword.

"Where's Lina?" the emperor demanded, his eyes hardening.

Shadow Lina smiled and shook her head. "Ah-ah-ah, boys," she scolded, nimbly stepping away from them. "I wouldn't recommend hurting me, not if you want to keep your precious priestess from harm," she teased. Zelgadis sprung forward, and suddenly, a crackling of energy filled the air. The chimera was flung back several feet, crashing into a nearby tree. Shadow Lina's taunting smile dropped, as her voice turned deadly.

"I can see you boys don't know how to play nice. What a pity, and we could have gotten along so well..." Her words began to twist and mangle as Shadow Lina's form shifted and melted into itself, forming into a vaporous, clawed monster. "Now I'll just have to kill you as your precious Lina watches you die..." With a cry, Gourry rushed forward to battle the shadow.

Somewhere far off, the pair of sharp blue eyes watching them narrowed with anticipation. "Let's see what this so-called priestess is really made of..." she muttered to herself.

Inside the mirror, Lina was leaning against the portal, her forehead pressed against the invisible wall. This is like some kind of nightmare, she thought miserably as she watched Gourry and Zelgadis getting pounded by her shadow double. "There's got to be some way to stop her," she said to herself, turning and looking around the tiny chamber. Shadow Lina's words echoed through her head.

"Oh, but I am Lina,"
"But I am a part of you, the real Lina Inverse."
"I AM you..."

She ran up to the table and grabbed one of the plates of china from it.

"If you really ARE me," she said through gritted teeth, "then I'll stop you no matter what it takes!" Raising the plate over her head, she brought it down on the table with a slam.

The blue eyes watching Lina widened in shock. "S-she managed to break Noritaketm china with one hit? Perhaps I underestimated this girl..."

Lina picked up one of the larger shards of pottery and turned to face the portal, just in time to see Zelgadis doubling over in pain as Shadow Lina sent a bolt of energy into his stomach. She gritted her teeth, and didn't allow herself to pause and think about her actions as she rammed the pointed shard of china into her chest.

"Take that, you bitch..." she gasped as she crumpled to the floor.

- x - x - x -

Zelgadis stood shakily as the shadow-creature rose, cackling, above him. He raised his hand weakly to try and block the inevitable blow as the creature stretched its clawed tendril above his head. But before it could land, a piercing scream tore from its mouth.

Gourry and Zelgadis watched in amazement as the shadow creature began to twist and contort violently. A green slash spread across its chest, growing larger as it thrashed about. With a clatter, the mirror encased within the shadow fell to the ground, breaking into a million pieces as the creature melted away in the light.

The last clearing tendrils of shadow mist dissipated, revealing the real Lina, doubled over onto her side. Her long, fiery hair hung limply over her shoulder, and she was twisted slightly.

"Lina!" Gourry and Zelgadis yelled almost simultaneously. The two warriors rushed to her, kneeling at her side.

"Lina, you were acting really scary there!" Gourry began, reaching for her shoulder.

"I... I didn't mean to hurt..." she began weakly.

Zelgadis hushed her quickly, reaching help her sit up. "Don't worry about it, Lina, it's not your fau-" He drew his hand away suddenly when he felt wetness, realizing that they were covered in blood. Her blood. "Lina!" he said hoarsely, gently rolling her onto her back.

Lina's hand slid away from her chest, where the large shard of china was still embedded deep within her skin. Gourry drew in his breath quickly as Zelgadis stared in shock. "What in Cephied's name have you done?" he said angrily, feeling a sense of panic rising in the pit of his stomach. "Hold her, Gourry," he commanded brusquely, as he reached for the shard. Gourry nodded silently, his blue eyes full of worry as he pressed down on Lina's shoulders.

"I'm sorry, Lina..." Zelgadis said through clenched teeth as he tore the shard out of her body.

- x - x - x -

Back in the library, Amelia let out a wrenching scream, clutching at her chest as her shirt become wet with blood. "Oh God..." she whimpered, her vision blurring. Desperately, her eyes sought out the next sentence in the story. "You have to live, Lina... ugh..."

- x - x - x -

Zelgadis pressed his hands down onto the wound, trying to staunch the flow of crimson blood spilling from Lina's chest. He felt lightheaded. This can't be real! We were just arguing moments ago! he was thinking. But it was, and with each passing second Lina's face was turning paler and paler.

"If only Sylphiel were here!" Gourry said, clenching his fists with frustration.

"Wait!" Gourry's head snapped up in surprise at the sound of Sylphiel's voice. "I am here... I couldn't just leave... oh Cephied!" the healer exclaimed, paling as she saw Lina.

"Sylphiel, I can't stop it! I can't stop the bleeding!" Zelgadis said, panic tinting his voice as he stared desperately at the blood oozing between his fingers. Sylphiel didn't bother to speak as she covered his hands with her own, chanting silently under her breath. A white glow seeped through their fingers, and Zelgadis noticed as he gingerly lifted his hands away that the bleeding had stopped. Relief flooded through him as he sat back on his knees, but the feeling was fleeting as he saw the grave expression on Sylphiel's face.

"She's injured herself too greatly. I can heal the wound, but she's already lost too much blood," Sylphiel said, placing a gentle hand on Lina's pale forehead.

Zelgadis shook his head angrily. "No, she can't die! Not now, not like this! Lina's the Priestess of Cephied, she's got to live!" Sylphiel shook her head quietly, her eyes filled with pain. "I'm sorry, Zelgadis..." she said softly.

"Um, guys..."

Zelgadis turned towards Gourry wearily. How am I going to explain this to Gourry? he thought desolately. "Lina's been hurt very badly, Gourry, more than even Sylphiel can heal." he said in a wooden voice.

"I know, but didn't Sylphiel say something about her loosing blood?"

Zelgadis looked quickly at the blond warrior, who had sat back on his heels and was resting his sword on his knees. "Yes, and?"

Gourry brightened, a look of relief washing over his face. "Oh, good... then all we have to do is give Lina some of our blood, and she'll be all better again, right?" He smiled at Sylphiel hopefully.

Sylphiel's eyes had widened as Gourry spoke. "There is a chance it might work," she said breathlessly. "Since we've all been marked by Cephied... but we must hurry!"

Gourry nodded as he nicked his wrist against the blade of his sword, causing dots of blood to appear across his skin. Sylphiel reached out and ran her palm along the edge of the sword, leaving a streak of blood across its edge. Zelgadis froze as he reached for the blade, remembering his stony exterior.

But Gourry stopped him. "Zelgadis, wait," the emperor commanded. A silent understanding passed between the two men's eyes, before Gourry stood up.

"Hikari-O!" he yelled, light blazing out of the hilt of the blade. "Where-" he began, but Zelgadis had already stood, lifting his shirt away from his stone chest.

"I want you to strike me where she cut herself," the chimera said in a low voice.

Gourry paused for a moment, regarding Zelgadis, before giving him a curt nod and skillfully passing the blade across the chimera's stony chest. Zelgadis winced in pain, but quickly kneeled back down by Sylphiel, as the priestess channelled the combined energy of their spilled blood into Lina's deathly still body.

- x - x - x -

Amelia looked down at her chest in amazement, rubbing it slightly. "Am I hallucinating?" she whispered, staring at the white fabric of her shirt. The blood sprayed across it had faded, leaving no trace of the serious wound either on her skin or her clothing. She closed her eyes briefly, tears stinging under her eyelids. "Lina, you've got to come back! I won't lose you, too!" Wiping the tears from her eyes, she sniffed and resumed reading the book. "The devotion of the Celestial Warriors saved the Priestess from her mortal wound..."

- x - x - x -

"Unnng..." Lina turned her head and groaned slightly, a dull pain flooding her chest. The sound of relieved voices brought her fully back to consciousness.

"See, it worked!"

"Oh your Majesty! You're so smart!"

"Gosh, Sylphiel, thanks! But it was you who really did all the work, you know."

Lina could almost hear Sylphiel's blush at this statement. "Lord Gourry..." began the courtesan's breathless reply. She chose this moment to let them know that she was awake.

"If you guys keep that up, I really will curl up and die," she said irritably as her eyes fluttered open. And was greeted by the sight of Zelgadis staring back at her intently, looking slightly angry. "Wha-" she began to formulate a retort for him even as she struggled to sit upright. To her surprise, however, he wrapped his arms around her and carefully helped her up.

"That wasn't funny, Lina," he said quietly. Lina felt the beginnings of a blush forming on her cheeks. An angry Zel, she could deal with. An angry Zel who was behaving nicely, however, left her feeling confused. "U-uhm, s-sorry..." she managed to stutter, forcing the blush to disappear. Before she could think of the ramifications of just WHY she was blushing, she decided to set her brain on another nagging question on her mind.

"Who attacked us, and why? This sort of thing can't be normal here," Lina pointed out quickly. Keeping a hand over her chest, she weakly clambered to her feet. "Something wants to stop us from reaching God."

"Taiitsukun," Sylphiel corrected quietly.

"Whatever," Lina replied, wincing at the remaining soreness in her chest as she spoke. "I would think that the path to a holy mountain would be kept safe for pilgrimages and stuff. Besides, the Emperor himself is here," she said, gesturing with a little more restraint than usual at Gourry. "Who would be dumb enough to attack the Emperor in his own country on holy ground?"

"You're right," Zelgadis said, although he did catch Lina's arm and force her to lean against his own, which caused Lina to lose her own train of thought. She suddenly found the fabric of her uniform sleeve very interesting to study. "Besides, that was no ordinary creature that stopped us here." Zelgadis' voice tightened imperceptibly as he continued. "Only a magician of great power could have done this to you."

Sylphiel bowed her head, thinking. "The old magics have been sealed and forbidden for hundreds of years," she said. "Still, the inherent power of Mount Taikyoku is quite potent. Even for those practicing the forgotten arts, it would be next to impossible to launch such an assault on us from this proximity to the holy mountain."

The four companions looked at each other blankly, each of them stumped for an idea. Well, almost each.

"Uh, guys?" Gourry raised his hand meekly, looking decidedly un-royal. Lina rolled her eyes, some exasperation returning to her senses.

"Geez, Gourry, you're the Emperor, for crying out loud! You don't have to ask us permission to speak!" she snapped. Although considering most of what he says, it's probably one of the only smart ideas he's had, she thought to herself.

"Uh, okay. Well, if bad magicians can't make big spells so close to the mountain, maybe it's something on the mountain that's doing it?"

Lina's eyebrows raised in disbelief. "Are you saying that God's attacking us?" she asked drily.

"No, wait, that does make sense!" Sylphiel suddenly interjected, as her face brightened. "I'm sorry, I don't know why I didn't think of it before," she said with a sudden blush, putting a hand to her cheek.

In the meantime, Lina had done her best impression of turning into a stone copy of Zelgadis, her mouth hanging open. "You mean God really does hate me? I knew something was wrong with the universe, I just knew it..."

Zelgadis' voice cut through Lina's growing panic. "Lina, calm down. Taiitsukun is not God, she's just some old bag of a mystic who lives on the mountain." Another completely misplaced ominous crack of thunder rumbled as Zelgadis said this. "Besides, I doubt she's trying to kill you. Sylphiel, I think you'd better tell us what you know."

Sylphiel nodded mutely. "Taiitsukun is a revered and sacred mystic of our world. But the legends say that those who really wish to have an audience with her must be tested to prove themselves worthy of her attention," she said softly. "I think she might have sent that monster to attack us as a challenge for you," she continued.

Lina cut her off before she could say anything further. "WHAT?" She spun away from Zelgadis, her eyes glittering angrily.

"Uh, Lina?" Gourry said uncertainly as he watched her shoulders shaking.

Unhealthy laughter began to rise from Lina's throat, causing the Celestial Warriors to take a precautionary step back from her. "I have been sucked out of my world by some stupid spell," she began quietly. "I have been mugged by bandits twice, jailed, charged with saving the world, nearly crushed beneath a gazebo-"

"But Lina, that was your fault. In fact, almost all of that was the result of your action-" Zelgadis began, but was stopped by the crackling aura and look of death that Lina shot in his direction.

"SHUT UP ZELGADIS! As I was saying, crushed by a gazebo, and now, impersonated by that- that- SHADOW THING. I'm being tested? To prove myself WORTHY to some PERSON who MAY NOT EVEN BE ABLE TO SEND ME HOME?" Her last words rose in pitch until they were a shrill scream. "THAT'S IT!" she yelled, shaking her fists at the sky. "I don't know how you can see us, but you had better pray that we don't find your ass on that §! mountain, because if we do, I'm going to kick it so hard you're going to make it back to my world without any help from your "§! magic!"

In the real world, as Amelia read Lina's furious challenge to the skies above, the book in her hands began to glow with a dull red light. "Ow!" she said, dropping the quickly overheating book from her lap. Her eyes widened as wisps of smoke began to rise from the parchment. "Is Lina doing that?" she said in awe, staring at the book cautiously. "But she'll destroy herself and everything in it..." she breathed in horror. Leaning over the book quickly, Amelia began to shout at the pages, as if Lina might be able to hear her through the thin sheets of paper. "Lina! You've got to calm down! You're going to kill yourself!" she shouted desperately.

In the book, an earthquake had started to shake the earth as Lina continued to yell obscenities at the sky. The others stumbled and grabbed for purchase, as the petite redhead continued her rant. Suddenly she stopped, as a breeze stirred the air around her. "Amelia?" she whispered, turning in confusion. The momentary distraction seemed to have ceased Lina's tirade, as well as the tremors that were shaking the land. "Amelia!" Lina called out again, this time more desperately. I know I heard her! she thought to herself. But as she spun around once more searching for the source of the voice, she came face-to-face not with her best friend, but a very angry looking young woman with flowing, blonde hair and sharp blue eyes. Eyes that were boring into her with a look of disbelief and anger.

"Stop that immediately, girl!" was the first thing out of the stranger's mouth. Instantly, Gourry and Zelgadis were on their feet, rushing to protect Lina.

"Who are you, and where did you come from?" Zelgadis asked warily, pointing at the offending stranger. The woman narrowed her eyes and frowned at Zelgadis with annoyance. "Your valor is commendable, but I suggest you temper your aggression before you get hurt, Zelgadis," she replied. Zel's eyes widened at the sound of his name, but his fists only tightened.

Sylphiel's voice floated beyond them, her breathless gasp proceeded by a fall to her knees and a reverent bow before the woman. "Forgive us, Oh Great One!" she cried, pressing her forehead against the ground. "They haven't recognized your presence," she explained hastily to the blonde, who was now eyeing her curiously.

"Since when did you barbarians need a formal education to recognize the great Taiitsukun?" the woman asked with a huff.

Zelgadis' jaw dropped open at this statement. "You mean YOU'RE the old bag who lives on the mountain?" he said in disbelief. The woman's eyebrow twitched slightly as some veins popped on her forehead. Noticing her annoyance, he quickly added "But you're well preserved!"

"You had best learn to close that mouth of yours before it gets you into any more trouble, boy. And my name is not 'old bag'... IT'S FILIA!" That was the last thing Zelgadis heard, because as she said this, Filia drew a huge mace with unnatural speed out from under her skirt and smashed him over the head with it.