Disclaimer: Don't own Slayers or any of its characters

A/N--Short chapter! Sorry, but I just couldn't seem to make it any longer! Also, not proofread---hopefully will fix any mistakes later tonight, so please ignore till then--I don't have an A drive on my comp so I can only update this on the school comps, so I'm kinda in a rush! Sorry!

Reality and Madness, Illusion and Sanity

Chapter Six

Annoying laughter, high-pitched and grating, floated on the air. A gloved finger waved back and forth in front of her face, smiling lips mocking her, "Now, that is a secret!"

Dark, glittering eyes followed her–hungry and cunning...

Butter-soft gloves ran up her arm, a silky voice whispering low in her ear, "That's the Filia I know..."

Filia's pupils dilated, sweat beading her temple, as she took in a shaky breath of air–unable to look anywhere, but into those glimmering amethyst eyes, so like Zelas's and yet completely different... Holding a completely different level of intelligence, of power... The voices murmured low and distant, overcome by the pounding of her wild heart... She gasped, as one glove encased hand seemed to tighten its hold on her, fingers grazing the cloth just beneath her chest...

Then just as abruptly as he'd caught her, the man released her.

Yelping, Filia rubbed her sore bottom, glaring up at the two Metalliums looming over her. Those startling amethyst eyes disappeared, as he rubbed his arm with a feigned look of pain. "You really ought to look into losing some weight, Miss!" At her outraged look, cruel, annoying laughter filled the air—the sound like nails against a chalkboard to the blonde.

Blue eyes narrowed, fire blazing inside Filia's gaze, form trembling, as she stood–one finger pointing accusingly at the snickering man. "You–you–you! How could you just drop a woman like that? And say such a horrible thing! You rude, arrogant–."

Zelas smirked, watching the scene with growing amusement. "You really shouldn't comment on a woman's weight, dear. It's terribly unoriginal."

Xelloss ducked his head slightly, one hand rubbing the back of his neck shamefully, "Of course, mother. I'll keep that in mind."

Filia's eyes darted back and forth between the two, growing more and more irritated, "Of course, he's your son! You both REEK!" Grasping her arms, Filia shuddered at the waves of revulsion rolling over her, turning slightly green at the twisting, swirling nausea gripping her stomach.

"Now, that seems uncalled for." Xelloss turned toward the blonde, arching an eyebrow at her actions. "We haven't even been properly introduced."

"Oh, where are my manners?" Despite the words, Zelas didn't seem very concerned, instead developing a dark, dangerous purr to her tone. "Xelloss, meet my new student, Filia Ryo. Filia, my son, Xelloss Metallium. I'm sure you two have a lot in common." Red lips stretched into a predatory grin, red tipped nails running gently along the vase's rim. "She was just admiring your little relic, Xelloss. Isn't that interesting?"

"I was doing no such thing!" Filia snapped, hair flying through the air, nearly slapping the priest, as she stormed toward the door. "You," she shoved a finger in Zelas's direction, pausing by the now open door, her other hand gripping the knob in a painfully tight grasp, "are a horrible teacher! And you," now she jabbed it at Xelloss, ignoring the twitch beginning to form over his right eye, "don't know how to treat a lady!"

"Eh...?" Xelloss opened one eye, turning his nose up slightly at the raging female's antics, "What lady? Surely, you can't be talking about yourself! Someone so rude and childish wouldn't know the first thing about being a lady." Laughter—mocking and grating at her sensitive ears—poured from the purple haired man's lips causing the blonde to see red, as she snarled at the cackling priest.

"YOU—YOU—NAMAGOMI!" And with that, she swung the door shut, her angry footsteps resounding down the hall...

Leaving behind a twitching Xelloss, his smile slipping at the sudden insult. "N-n-namagomi?"

Warm, deep laughter broke across the shocked demon, his gaze turning toward his chuckling mistress–watching warily, as she draped herself across the couch, grinning widely at his annoyed face. "She's got spirit! Though, considering what happened the last time, I really shouldn't be surprised..." Her grin faded into a satisfied smirk, one hand reaching out, a wineglass seeming to appear out of thin air. "I wasn't expecting you to appear so soon..."

Xelloss kneeled, the act seeming out of place with his modern ensemble of dress shirt and black slacks. For the briefest of seconds, Zelas considered ordering him to resume his former outfit, but decided against it... Such fond clinging to the past would not do for the moment–maybe later... when there was a certain blonde student available to see... Wickedly curious, Zelas wondered what sort of reaction that would drag from the former dragon and filed the idea away for another day and time.

Unaware of his mistress's thoughts, Xelloss merely smiled, the act bordering on impish, "If my lady wishes, I will leave."

Zelas frowned, "Oh, don't be an idiot." She brought the fragile glass to her lips, sighing contentedly as the aged wine slid down her throat. Her eyes closed, savoring the flavor, before settling into a disappointed frown, "Nothing quite compares to Zephilian wine... Such a pity..." Glittering, mazoku eyes opened, peering at her kneeling servant, "So, what do you think of my new student? She's quite the feast, isn't she?" There was something predatory about the way Zelas watched Xelloss's composed features, a cruel twist to her lips, as she sought any sign of weakness in her general-priest.

If Xelloss was surprised by the question, he didn't show it. "Powerful, but woefully untrained." His smile grew, dark and hungry, "Much destructive possibilities."

"Yes, though she can't even conjure a simple lighting spell." Zelas leaned back, eyes focused on the ceiling, "What a pity." She watched him from the corner of her eye, "You two were quite charming together." From her tone, Xelloss was unsure if she spoke of now or before...

This time, she caught the faintest of twitches, his smile faltering, "If my lady thinks, then it must be so."

Suspicious eyes watched the priest, seeking for any sign, any clue to the priest's thoughts... She found nothing and, not for the first time, Zelas wished she hadn't taught him so well.

"Why are you here, Xelloss?"

Blinking at the sudden change in subject, Xelloss quickly composed himself—used to his mistress's sudden mood swings. "I felt a disturbance, Mistress."

"Disturbance?" Demon eyes peered into the darkness surrounding them, "I thought I felt something in the other students... "

Head bowed, staring into the hard floor, Xelloss nodded slightly, "A power surge disrupted the building's electricity." He glanced up, a sheepish smile adorning his lips, "I'm afraid the power is out in every room, but this one."

Zelas arched an eyebrow, turning her attention toward the kneeling demon, "A power shortage? That's why you appeared before me?"

"Not a normal shortage, mistress." Amethyst eyes opened, meeting her gaze, "A spell of such intensity that it overpowered the entire city; a mere lighting spell so powerful it overcame technology, casting the entire city in a blinding light that shattered the weak glass bulbs the humans rely on." His smile reappeared, "It oriented from this room, my lady."

Zelas feigned disinterest, "Oh? Well, I'm sure the students can manage." She waved a hand at his kneeling form, "You're dismissed."

Not one to disobey orders, Xelloss faded, leaving the former Beast Mistress to lean back, eyes staring into the simple glass of dark wine. "She has a hold on you, even after all this time... I can feel it..." Dark, burgundy liquid swirled gently within the fragile glass, Zelas's eyes narrowing slightly. "I wonder..."

Then, slowly, the mazoku lord grinned, "This should be fun..."

Peering into the dark hallway, Filia scowled, blood still boiling from her encounter with the Metallium family... "Just perfect..." Her anger had failed to abate, especially when she discovered the power outage encompassing the entire school–something the other students easily dealt with by casting a few simple lighting spells, while she... while she...

"ARGH!" Filia slammed into her second table, grumbling at the stationary furniture. Of all the things to happen after her failed lesson with the demon-woman, wandering around in an unfamiliar place with absolutely no light source was not her idea of a good time... Reaching out blindly, Filia ran a hand along the wall, blinking her eyes rapidly, as she tried to adjust to the darkness. It had to be close to supper time, if it hadn't already passed, and a nice cup of tea was the one thing that might soothe her frazzled nerves.

Gritting her teeth, Filia struggled not to think about the smirking Zelas and her smiling son. She had never felt so irrationally angry in her entire life! It was, as if, the combined presence of both Metalliums had stolen every ounce of sense and manners from her mind... Zelas was bad enough, but then that horrible son of hers...

Flames flickered around the snarling blonde—she had never met anyone that crawled under her skin quite like the man known as Xelloss. Just a second in the same room with him and she felt like a completely different person, overcome with wild, angry emotions! One look in his smiling face and she'd felt—rage, fear, betrayal.

Longing...

Snarling, Filia swung her hand at the wall, oblivious to the sound of crumbling wood, storming from the baseball sized hole. She felt stressed and overwhelmed–her emotions overpowering all common sense, even that dark cloud of depression that had followed her since her short stay in that horrible, oppressive hospital... Before all that chaos, she had tended to lead a calm, peaceful life—occasionally her temper had created problems, but nothing uncontrollable... Her teachers had described her as level-headed and focused, an A plus student with so much potential... Student government, prom committee, choir, tutoring—she'd been heavily involved in every influential organization, focused on making something out of herself–focused on making her family and teachers proud...

And then...

Smoke in her lungs, ash clogging the air, and the sound of her brother's voice–frantic and wild. "FILIA! FILIA! FILIA!"

Barely avoiding another table collision, Filia sighed, leaning against the heavy furniture–eyes seeking something beyond vague shapes and shadows in the dark hall. Even now, she couldn't remember... Couldn't remember anything, but the feel of heat running up and down her body, burning within her hands and then the pain... That explosion behind her eyes, knocking her to the kitchen floor...

And then... something soft and light grazing her skin, strong arms lifting her from the floor, and the illusion of charcoal wings... Before realizing she was outside, coughing and spluttering in Val's arms–staring wide-eyed and confused, as their house burned in the distance...

That day, that horrible day... It had seemed so normal, like any other day... A friend had dropped her off, laughing and waving, as she drove away... And Filia could remember entering the two-story house, mail clutched in her hands, sifting through the thick envelopes for anything of interest and then...

Flames...

Shaking her head, Filia forced the memory from her mind–trying to remember what had happened that day had been the cause of all her pain... If it were only the fire, that strange odd fire everyone had blamed on her, then life might have resumed some sort of normalcy... But the doctors hadn't believed her... Had felt something must have pushed her, something important must have happened to create such blatant destruction...

If they had only minded their own business! If they had only left her mind alone! She could have handled the pain, the physical suffering was something she could distance herself from... But it was hard to escape when people were rummaging through one's mind, quiet voices whispering in her ear, drugs running through her veins, meaningless questions she barely understood spoken at a distance...

The fire had been the first manifestation of the migraines... That horrible, blinding pain... But it was only after the doctors began to play their strange, little mind-games that the voices had appeared...

She would never forgive them... Never, never, never...

"Forgive him! Are you mad! Look at me! How could I ever forgive him!"

"I do look at you... All the time... I know what he did was horrible, Mister Zelgadiss, but I can't help but think..." Soft blue eyes shone with the shimmer of tears, delicate fingers running along smooth, gray pebbles, "We would never have met had Rezo not changed you... And while, I do feel for you—knowing how very much you wish for your cure–I cannot regret the circumstances that brought us together..."

Filia blinked, gazing back and forth down the hall, the voices soft and quiet, but so familiar that she couldn't be sure they came from her mind or the shadows around her... Yet, the hall was silent... Leaving her to ponder the odd conversation—why did the voices mimic the students? Why did a conversation she'd never heard seem so familiar? The words...felt right... Now, that she had faces to go along with the voices... There was an odd quality to the voices... Something that had been missing...

If she closed her eyes and focused, she could almost see the quiet stone man and raven-haired girl... Standing beside a small pond, the moon shining brilliantly overhead... The chimera covered in layers of tan cloth, a sword hanging at his waist–his eyes wide and startled, as he stared into Amelia's calm features... A strange white outfit enclosed the girl, her gaze tender, as she pressed a small, delicate hand against the chimera's cheek... And Filia felt like an intruder, her feet carrying her as quickly and quietly away from the private scene as possible...

"So..." Filia opened her eyes, the odd, dream-like scene fading with the act, "Real... Like remembering a scene from a movie..."

But that was impossible... She had only met the two students... And she had definitely never been to a forest area like that! And she would have remembered seeing someone dressed like Amelia–for that matter, she most definitely would remember seeing someone like Zelgadiss!

Impossible! A person couldn't have memories that never happened...

Which only further supported her theory of her growing insanity...

"All the money this place makes and they can't afford decent lighting!" Someone huffed, annoyance heavy in their tone, "Light!" Filia squinted at the sudden brilliance, watching as the tiny ball darted down the hall, pausing over her head. Ahead, Lina grinned, one hand on her hip, "Hey, Filia! Need some help?"

"Oh, Miss Lina!" Filia smiled, greatly relieved to finally be able to see her way clearly, "Thank you very much!"

Lina scoffed, tossing her hair in a devil-may-care way—secretly pleased at the admiring tone in the blonde's voice. "It's nothing. After all, I am the greatest sorceress to have ever lived!" She winked, catching the slightly disbelieving look flash across Filia's face. The redhead motioned slightly and the ball of light zipped back toward her open palm, "If you don't believe me, then I guess you can just figure your own way to the second floor."

"Miss Lina!" Filia stumbled after the smaller girl, "Miss Lina, don't leave me! Please!"

That flashy grin reappeared, "Well, since you asked so nicely." She slowed slightly, allowing the blonde to walk beside her, the bouncing light spell illuminating the path.

"That was cruel, Miss Lina..." There was a slight whine to Filia's tone–the words unbidden, falling from her lips before her mind could fully comprehend their meaning. She blinked, slightly shocked, hand raising to cover her disobedient mouth. "I–I–."

But Lina just shrugged, "Sometimes." She glanced up at the taller girl, eyes glimmering with mischief, "Depends on what the situation calls for—and the outcome, of course." Lina shifted slightly, arms arching to rest behind her head, "So, long session? Zelas give ya hell?"

Filia sniffed, looking away, nose shoved haughtily in the air, "Those Metalliums are horrid! I don't see how anyone here can associate with them! It's disgraceful!"

Lina arched an eyebrow, "Met Xelloss, huh? Yeah, he's a bastard, but he's got his uses... Annoying little sucker, though... Did he give you his trademark line, yet? I swear," a tiny, yet powerful fist slammed into the redhead's other hand, eyes narrowing dangerously, "just thinking about it makes me wanna cream him!"

"I'm afraid I couldn't tell you, Miss Lina. The whole incident was so horrible, so utterly revolting, that I can't remember a thing, but his idiotic, smiling face!" Fire flared in the blonde's eyes, Lina pausing to watch as Filia's hands clenched at her sides, the girl leaning slightly forward, eyes focused on some imaginary foe. "Just thinking about him gives me the creeps! I've never met someone so utterly, positively DISGUSTING!" Huffing, the blonde screeched, throwing her head back with an angry yell—her shoulder blades twitching and itching, the skin seeming to crawl...

"Yeah, I kinda figured you two wouldn't get along."

"Huh...?" The anger deflated from the blonde, leaving her blinking and confused, as the redhead continued down the hall–ignoring Filia's short temper tantrum. "But... Why would you say that, Miss Lina?"

Lina just flashed the girl a mysterious grin, "Call it woman's intuition." The two paused before the first set of stairs, Lina's lips twisting into a frown, "Too many stairs... They really ought to put in an elevator...Stupid lights... A nice levitation spell is what this calls for..." The redhead scowled, as she started up the steps, oblivious to the confused dragon priestess trailing behind her.

"A levitation spell? You mean, flying!" There was an excitement in the other girl's voice that pulled at Lina's attention, the redhead blanching slightly at the awed, dreamy expression on Filia's face—the air positively sparkled around the enthusiastic blonde.

"Yeah... I guess you really don't have any idea about anything, do you?"

The dreamy expression faded, the blonde adopting a slightly put off look, "I know a lot about a lot of things, Miss Lina!"

Lina waved a hand, not really caring to hear what the other girl thought she might know, "I meant about spells. You don't know anything about spells... A levitation spell is kinda like flying, but more like walking on air than anything... I would levitate up the stairs, but it's impossible for a sorceress to use more than two spells at a time. Thus, the walking..."

Filia shot the little glowing ball of light a glance, "But... Isn't that only one spell, Miss Lina?"

The redhead flushed, ducking her head slightly in an uncharacteristic gesture, "Another lesson about sorcery... Women can't use it...during that time...of the month... My magic's weakening... By tomorrow, I'll be hard pressed to cast even a simple lighting spell..."

Blushing slightly, Filia nodded, filing the information away, "I didn't know... There's so much I don't know..." The blonde glanced away, sad and forlorn—mind heavy with the knowledge of how much she still had to learn... Suddenly, Zelas's talk of years of training didn't seem so far-fetched...

However, Lina didn't seem quite so concerned, "You never know," she smiled, catching the blonde's eye, "you might surprise yourself. There's no telling what might be hidden in that brain of yours."

Hidden... Like voices belonging to people she'd only just met? Like dreams of a completely different world with a completely different her?

Filia opened her mouth, a hundred questions on the tip of her tongue, but the two had reached the second floor and Lina was already jogging up the third set. Twisting slightly, as she ran, "You can make it from here, can't you?" Lina didn't wait for an answer, never faltering in her step, "See ya tomorrow!"

And Filia was left alone in the darkness again...

Blinking, Filia stared down the long, dark hall—completely confused about which door was hers.

"Miss Lina!"

It took two tries before she was able to find her room—one door had been locked, the other belonging to a surprised, half-naked chimera, who after much blushing and stammering had offered her a quick lighting spell, nearly running from her once they reached her room... Slightly dazed, Filia entered the dark bedroom, feeling around for her bed, throwing herself on the fluffy furniture once she found it.

Fidgeting, Filia frowned at the sound of paper crinkling, fingers digging under her back, pulling out what appeared to be a simple manilla envelope. "A letter... For me?" Squinting, Filia pulled the envelope as close to her eyes as possible, barely making out her name written messily and familiarly across the surface... Unbidden, a sharp gasp broke past her lips, a hand seeming to reach into her chest and grab her heart...

Clutching the letter, Filia laid back, eyes staring unseeingly straight ahead–tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.

"Val..."

Val Ryo pushed dark sunglasses down, peering into the disappearing sun with a lazy frown. He leaned against the hood of his car, the club's loud, pounding music washing over him, eyes narrowing slightly as a group of drunken teens nearly stumbled into him–golden eyes flashing, causing the kids to jump and scatter. Rolling his eyes, the green-haired man shoved the sunglasses back up, oddly able to see clearly even with the additional darkness...

The stars were beginning to show their faces, slightly visible beyond the purple rays of the sun... His frown turned into a scowl–he hated the color purple... Pissed him off...

Turning from the sight with a slight growl, he threw the car door open, climbing into the seat–hands clenching the steering wheel in a painfully tight grasp. Breathing heavily, Val forced his eyes to shut, mentally counting backwards... Slowly, the anger faded, leaving him only slightly annoyed and tired. When he'd been younger, some whacko psychiatrist had offered the technique, as a solution for his occasional outbursts of rage. Back in those days, he'd been the problem child, always getting into fights over the stupidest disagreements—sullen and angry, as he sat in the therapist's office, barely listening and offering intelligent words like, "Screw you," and "Fuck off", whenever the mood hit...

There had been only one thing capable of calming him down... A gentle pair of tear-filled blue eyes... A sweet, quiet voice whispering his name... Even back then, he'd felt uncontrollably protective of his younger sister, bending to her will at the slightest of gestures... Wanting so badly to see her smile and be happy... He'd spoiled her, but it had been alright... It had felt right to spoil her... They'd been close growing up... Closer than most siblings their ages, closer than most friends sometimes...

All his life, Val could only remember feeling fear on two occasions... Once when driving home, flames in the distance and the knowledge that she was inside—unconscious and dying... That insane fear of losing her...

Val didn't like being afraid...and he hated the idea of losing the people he cared about even more... He couldn't stand to lose another person... Not again... Not after...

Val swerved, barely missing an oncoming vehicle, cursing as he jumped the curb before finally pulling back onto the road–ignoring the angry honks from the disappearing car. Idiot! The last thing he needed to do was get himself killed in some stupid car crash! That would really help the family right now... Their parents were already stressed enough without him adding more... The whole family was struggling to get through each day, trying so hard to pretend nothing was out of the ordinary... That Filia wasn't miles away... Hidden inside a school specifically created for training the Touched–those odd individuals that exhibited powers beyond normal human conception...

He sighed, pulling into his apartment's lot, parking slightly crooked, but not really caring. When they'd been younger, they had sometimes played fantastical games of make-believe... Full of magic and dragons and queens and knights... He could remember spreading his arms, running across the grass, eyes closed as he pretended to fly... And sometimes... Sometimes his feet didn't seem to quite touch the ground... Sometimes, he could almost feel the flap of invisible wings...

And there had been moments... When the air had sparked with something foreign and beautiful–Filia's hands reaching out toward distant, dancing balls of light... But it had been only illusion, a child's fancy creating a different world with different rules... Except...

Maybe it hadn't been... Maybe she'd lifted him from the ground... Maybe, maybe, maybe...

Maybe if he'd stayed home that day... Maybe if his parents had listened before... Maybe if she hadn't been sent to those lunatic doctors... Maybe then... she'd be the same... Maybe then, she'd look at him like she used to–eyes glowing, lips smiling...

"Damn it!" Val punched at the wall, sunglasses clattering to the ground, as brick crumbled around his fist, his eyes angry and wild and lost. "I should've gone for her sooner! I should've never let them take her! Damn!"

But he'd let them take her... He'd watched her leave... And when the time came, when he finally did storm through the guards and doctors, his fist slamming into skin and bone with a sickeningly pleasing sound, it had been too late... He'd waited too long... He was always too late! Always a step behind! Never there when they needed him! He'd failed again! Just like before, just like Ga—

"Hey! Shut up down there! People are trying to sleep!" A sleep tousled head peered out a third story window, eyes glaring blearily down at the green haired youth... Eyes widening in horror at the cold, dark golden stare sent from below, bloodlust growing in the air—the unfortunate neighbor scuttled backwards, slamming the window shut with a bang–anything to escape that dark, angry glare promising violence and pain...

The night seemed to unfurl around the young man, ragged breaths tearing into the silence...

Ten.

"Big Brother! Big Brother! Come play with me!"

Nine.

"Good morning, Valterria! Do you want eggs or pancakes?"

Eight.

"Please! Please, Valgaav, stop this!"

Seven.

"So... You've still got some fight left in you... That's good. You'll need it, boy."

Six.

"We've got a lot in common, you and I... Both wanted dead by our own kinds."

Five.

"I've come here to offer you a choice, Valgaav. Join the monster race and I'll personally kill Lina Inverse for you."

Four.

"Don't be shy, Val! Come meet, Auntie Lina!"

Three.

"Val! Lift me higher!"

Two.

"Whoever thought we'd be fighting side by side. Life's funny, huh?"

One.

"Please..Don't forget me..."

Val slumped forward, rubbing his head wearily... The memories were becoming stronger, more insistent... It wasn't an unusual occurrence—ever since he'd been little, he'd lived a life half in the here and half in the before... Never quite able to grasp the whole picture, just fragments of old memories, old lives full of old friends and old enemies... He'd long made his peace with the odd phenomenon, kept his mouth shut, refusing to let anyone know about the odd memories of a life he could never have lived... Usually, the memories kept their distance, only appearing when he slept... But now...

They were becoming stronger with Filia gone... It was, as if, she had worked as a balm for the strange memories–soothing them away, a force of light to beat away the darkness he knew lurked somewhere inside of him... He needed his sister... He needed Filia...

Or else, he feared, the entire world might suffer...

Shoulders heavy, Val dragged his feet toward his apartment door, another night of questions awaiting his tired mind... Completely oblivious to the fluttering black feathers raining against broken concrete...

Lady Dark Angel---Yes! Xelloss! And look, hissy Filia! So, yeah, not nearly as an exciting first meeting as expected, but trust me, it gets a lot wilder in following chapters  And now that Xelloss is around, he's gonna be showing up a lot in the next chapters. Hope their meeting didn't disappoint too much!

Encyser---How good are you! Ya just keep picking up on those little plot-twists ;P Yes, Gourry's "magical" classes are somewhat in the dark at the moment, but all will be explained—promise! And Faves! Thank you so much! And thanks for pointing out the grammar mistake—it's all fixed now, and I'm sure this chapter is full of them, I haven't proofread again

Valk--- Thanks! I kinda feel bad cause everyone was looking so forward to Xelloss's introduction, but he really hasn't gotten a chance to really shine yet. But I promise he'll be making a lot more appearances in the next chapter.

Betsy---Hopefully his entrance wasn't too bad---Xelloss is a tricky character for me to write. I really appreciate all your kind words, especially the worth waiting for—I tend to be horrible at updates, so I'm glad to hear that hasn't turned ya off completely.

Mistress DragonFlame---Yay for angry Filia—taking out her anger on helpless doorknobs and walls ;P and the vase thing, you are eerily close to a scene happening later on---so be on the lookout  And your comments are always appreciated---how could I not like hearing from someone who shares my slightly sadistic love for Filia? She's just so easy to angst.

Nicci Rockdad---Your favorite! You can't see me, but I'm doing my ridiculous happy dance, completely with random squees ;P

Soobin---As always your comments mean so much to me! I'm glad you think I'm still doing a good job with the characters, especially Zelas—she's a lot of fun to write, so evil and manipulative, but at the same time not entirely bad. And Gourry! He make act like a dumb log half the time, but I suspect he's got a pretty good understanding of danger when he sees it  Thank ya! And I can't wait for that chapter!

Minty Fresh Shock---ack! I've done it again, eh? The sad thing this time was I actually had the chapter written for awhile, but me new comp. doesn't have a floppy drive, so I've been kinda at a loss. Thankfully, though, I've somewhat gotten around the prob. AND! If life's willing, I will try to get the next chapter out sometime next week---Hopefully! Even though no new characters are introduced, maybe it'll make up for this one taking so long. Anywho, thank ya, thank ya, thank ya! So glad my procrastination hasn't made ya give up on this fic :P

Tedabug---Hee, don't worry about reviewing them all—I'm just thrilled ya reviewed at all! And wow, you're gonna make me blush! Thank you for your comments and I hope this chapter suits your standards!