Disclaimer: This series is intended as in-between vignettes of my other fanfic, Of Life and Lemonade, so in order to understand it, you probably should read that one first. Since that one is Amelia-centered, this series will focus on the other characters that pop up. Slayers is owned by very talented people who make all the money.

Since I had to take out the lyrics to conform with FF's TOS, if you've got Unforgiven II by Metallica and Black by Pearl Jam, I used these two songs as inspiration for this chapter. Please don't sue.

Warning: This chapter will be rated 'R' due to underage drinking, drug use, profanity and attempted rape. Do not read if you are offended with any of these. You have been warned.

Occurs around chapter 22 of Life.

Chapter 6

Tell Me How To Forget

Val quietly closed the door to Amelia's room. She was sleeping peacefully beside Lina who was tied rather rudely to the bed. Figures. Amelia was always complaining to her that she thrashes around too much when she sleeps. Val smirked at the numerous naughty thoughts running through his head, but then, just as quickly frowned when he remembered the reason he was at Amelia's house in the middle of the night.

Wen was dead.

Sitting cross-legged on the bed in the guest room, Val thought about his old friend. Guilt assailed him beyond what he was used to. Wen was dead. Took his own life. What could he have done differently to make him understand that he wasn't being isolated? He shouldn't have listened when Wen told him to leave him alone. He should have kept bothering him to the point where he'd have to remember that he had friends, even if he didn't want them. Hell, if anyone knew that lesson, it was Val.

He had known dark days without anyone to pull him through, and he had known dark days when there were people who believed in the real Val: the Val beneath all the crap of his life that was piled on top of his heart. They could have easily walked away from the sinister events surrounding him, the blackness that seemed to follow him regardless of his best intentions. They could have left him to destroy himself.

But they didn't walk away. Filia was his guiding light, Amelia was his princess, and Lina was his saving angel. It was a certain thing that if it weren't for those three girls, his life would be completely worthless. That was, if he still had a life.

His thoughts ran once again to the past, and to the night when he realized just how much he had gained when he had almost lost it all.

"Come on, Amelia. We're going out tonight." Amelia looked up from her computer to see Val poking his head in the door. She seemed surprised to see him, so he explained, "Beth let me in. Come on and get ready. We're going to a party."

It was a Friday night halfway through the school year, and it was obvious that she wasn't working on homework. With little prodding to accompany him, the then fifteen-year-old girl pushed Val out of the room so she could get dressed. He waited for her downstairs, and rolled his eyes when Beth fussed over how well he had cleaned up. Not that he was wearing anything spectacular. White jeans and a short open Chinese-style shirt was certainly unconventional, but compared to some of the other 'high fashions' which those other kids were wearing, he was relatively conservative.

Amelia trotted down the steps and rounded the corner, giving him a quick wave as she passed him by. Wearing white jeans and a white and pink blouse, she looked very cute: the epitome of innocence. He rolled his eyes again. She returned a few moments later with a huge smile on her face.

"Daddy said I could go. It's Michelle's party, right?"

He smirked. "Come on. I've got a surprise for you."

Her interest piqued, she grabbed her little pink purse and her jacket and followed him out the door, calling quick goodbyes to Beth and Jordan on her way out. Val couldn't help but grin at the unabashed curiosity on her face as he tried to shield her view from the surprise.

"Come on, Mister Val! What's going on?" she begged, adding the formal title to his name. She had been doing that a lot, recently, and though he didn't mind it, it was a constant reminder of the fact that she was trying to treat everyone with more respect and courtesy.

The way Val figured, she was the one who deserved respect and courtesy.

"You'll see, Princess. Close your eyes." Obediently following his instructions, she held out her hands to him, and he guided her carefully down the walkway. Amelia had always been true to her word, making sure he remained surrounded by positive influences, even though they attended different schools. Filia had become very doting, to the point of annoying, and even that brat Lina wasn't leaving him alone. Only Amelia remained understanding of his need to be independent, his own man.

Of course, she also had become stricter on him when she did tell him off. She had been doing well, too, and he was proud of the way she was able to pull herself together and become the girl she had always tried to be. In her sophomore year of high school, she was already popular and well liked, and though she hated to deceive people, they had agreed to keep their time in Anderson a secret. Her father had sealed both of their files, giving him a chance to succeed in his own school.

And he certainly had done well. In his three years of private high school, he found that the teachers didn't see him as a screw-up, the other kids thought of him as an interesting person, and Filia proved to be a formidable personal guard. The last, he wasn't sure if he really appreciated, but she made sure people did not bother him as much as they probably should have.

Amelia was still standing in front of him with her eyes closed, and he smiled. "Open your eyes, Amelia."

Her large blue eyes opened, and then widened in surprise. "Wow! A new bike! That's so cool!"

It was a brand new green and black Kawasaki ZZR600, a sleek sportbike that he had saved up his money for two years to buy. It wasn't much, but it was a quick little thing that he could use to zip around town. And more than that, it was all his own, bought and paid for with his own hard-earned money from the gas station he worked at after school and on the weekends.

Grinning at her reaction, he offered, "Wanna try it out?"

Her smile faltered a bit. "But… but I don't know…"

"Come on! I'll show you how…"

It took just a bit more convincing on his part, but she soon agreed to learn how to ride. She had ridden with him enough times to have a pretty good idea of what to do, so when he took his place behind her on the bike, all he had to do was guide her through the motions. A bit shaky at first, she soon got the hang of it, and he allowed her to open it up and go a little faster down the hill. He was very proud of her.

It was then that a thought occurred to him.

She felt right in his arms…

Michelle's house was a posh place, in many ways like the Seyruun's, but much more modern and clinical. It was situated right on the beach, and the huge picture windows afforded a grand view of the ocean. The party was like many high school parties: lots of kids, lots of music, and lots of booze. He hadn't intended to bring her to a party where she would feel uncomfortable, but she merely smiled and shrugged and poured herself a glass of water. He took a glass of punch and tried to play off the fact that it was spiked. They mingled and hobnobbed, ate and drank, and as the night went on, Val continued to try to keep his mind off of his friend.

They had been close for the past three years, but he had never thought of Amelia as more than just a friend. When he had first seen her on the bus to Anderson, he had thought that she was just a druggie/miscreant like him. She was pale and thin, appearing for the life of her that the world was about to end. Not caring whether or not he got in trouble, he tried to find out just how hard this kitty could scratch. Pretty hard, apparently. Though it was usually directed at someone else, he soon found that she could fight back almost as well as he could.

His second time there in as many years, Val kept to himself at Anderson, content to exist in a reality that only cared if he wasn't causing himself or anyone else any harm. His watched everyone there, assessing peoples' weaknesses and turning about in his head different ways of gaining the upper hand. He had everyone figured out. Except Amelia. He had heard her in group, mumbling about stuff that didn't have anything to do with his life, and he had heard about her time in solitary, but none of it added up in his head.

And so he watched her. As he always had, he would stare at her, but what began as scrutiny slowly became curiosity, which quickly became a challenge when she began to come out of her shell and stare back. And just when he thought that he had her figured out, she surprised him by asking him to go home with her!

That had been the best thing to happen to him in a long, long time. And now, he was able to patch up (for the most part) his relationship with Filia and her family, and he was actually doing well in school. He still had yet to find a suitable girlfriend, but… what was stopping him from asking her? He shook his head. They had too much history between them that there was really no room for a relationship like that. And besides, he didn't want to mess up the one truly good thing he had in his life.

Val's eyes roamed the sun deck and found Amelia sitting on the low wall outside. She was looking out over the shadowy beach, her eyes seeming to want to pierce the darkness to find the source of the gentle hush of the waves. Gathering up his courage, he decided that he would at least spend the rest of the party with her, enjoying her laugh and her smile, even if he couldn't summon the tenacity to ask her out.

As he approached the door, two guys paused in their run along the beach to talk with her. Rather than brush them off or leave, Amelia actually hugged the blond one. She greeted the dark-haired kid amicably as well, but it was clear that she was very familiar with the other one who still had his arm around her waist.

"Oh, Ken, you're too funny!" He could hear her giggle through the slightly open door. She looked so happy…

Jealousy and anger rushed through his head and straight into his heart. Those all-too-familiar feelings that had been absent from his life for so long flooded back, and he scowled. It was always the same thing: just when he finally figured out what he wanted or cared about, it was always taken away from him! Damn! It was so fuckin' unfair!

He stalked back into the house, poured himself another glass of punch and emptied the rest of the vodka bottle into it. What the hell was the point of it all? He downed the drink, and then another, and then went in search of anyone else who was having a good time. Stumbling into a room, he noticed a sickly sweet smoke emanating from it, and he immediately joined in with the 'fun'.

Only much later was he able to piece together the sad events that occurred afterwards. Apparently, someone along the way decided to have more fun by adding something much stronger to the bong that they were sharing. Although he had dabbled in his share of drugs, Val still didn't know what hit him.

Amelia found him later, tripping hard, huddled in a corner. The world was awash with lights and sounds, but in his mind, they were harsh and grating. His own laughter sounded too loud for his ears; her white shirt was too, too bright. She had begged him to let her help him, but instead, he bullied her into bringing him out to the beach, away from prying eyes. Somewhere it was quiet. Somewhere he could think.

He had wanted to get her alone, too, so that he could explain how he felt, or how he thought he felt. He wanted to show her that she meant a great deal to him, and that nobody would understand her the way that he did. That damned blond bastard Ken didn't know anything about her. Ken didn't know the dark nightmares that she used to have. Ken didn't know about Anderson, but Val did.

"I know you, Amelia," he whispered into her hair, but it was a leering sound that was foreign to his ears. "I know you better than him."

Her arms were around his waist, half comforting and half holding him up. She pulled away so she could regard him, and he saw her face filled with concern. Her lips were trembling, and her too-blue eyes were shimmering. Damn, she was beautiful.

"Val…"

Resting his forehead against hers, he cut her off. "We're alike. Two-of-a-kind. You know me better than anyone else…" His mouth suddenly closed on hers, and he only barely registered her astonished gasp before he encompassed her.

His next memory was of Amelia's tear-streaked face below his, as he pinned her to the cold sand. Frightened by the fear in her eyes, Val pulled back and realized that he had been kissing her. No. Kissing would have been a kind way to describe the twisted bit of smothering he had been doing. And his hands were all over her… Oh, fuck... What am I doing? What have I done!

Horrified and repulsed by the thought that he had been about to force himself on Amelia, he rolled off of her and began to stagger back to the house. The world was tilting wildly, and his eyes didn't seem to want to focus.

"Val, please stop!" she begged, suddenly wrapping herself around his waist. How could she bear to touch him when he had just…? "Please, just stay here until they get here!"

His anger at himself was suddenly redirected, and Amelia became the new target. He rounded on her faster than either of them had thought, grabbing her hair and wrenching her forcefully away from him. She hit the sand hard and was eerily still.

"Amelia!" he choked out.

"Amelia!" someone screamed.

He turned around, and saw a couple of blurry figures running across the sand towards them. Blond hair… Cracking his knuckles and ready for a fight, he lashed out and connected, sending the blonde figure to the sand. A sudden weight was on his back, and he turned and slammed the dark-haired figure to the ground. The blonde was up, and he was about to punch again when he realized that it was actually Filia…

Val ran to her, but someone was suddenly in front of him, barring his way. Red hair flashed in his vision for a second before he tried to backhand it to the sand as well. She caught his arm, and swung it up and out of the way, but he kicked out and followed up with a punch, and she went down. Dammit, he had to make sure Filia was okay. Something hit his back hard, and he stumbled to the sand, but he kneed it away. Suddenly, he was slammed in the face with a purse.

He was beginning to get beaten up pretty badly, and all he could see was red and gold and black. As he stumbled, ready to go down, he reached out for the nearest attacker, put her in a headlock and was quite ready to snap her neck for bothering him.

"Val, let her go…"

A moment of clarity visited him once again, and he looked down and realized that he held Filia in the chokehold, Amelia was battered and bleeding on the ground next to him, and Lina was standing between him and dozens of bright lights. Beyond her, he could make out several police officers with their guns trained on him.

What… what have I done?

"Val," Lina repeated, "let her go. I won't let them hurt you, but you're not yourself. I can't let you hurt anyone else."

"You don't know who I am!"

"Maybe not, but she does." Lina pointed to Amelia's prone form. The crystal clear memory of trying to force himself on his friend crashed into his mind, and his arms went numb, releasing Filia. Someone rushed over and pulled the girl clear of him before several police officers pounced.

"Stop! Please, don't hurt him!" Lina was yelling, trying to plead with the police. They weren't taking another chance of him taking a hostage, but that was the very farthest thing from his mind as they took him down and handcuffed him. He didn't even care that he had a mouthful of sand or that a knee was digging painfully into his back. All he cared about was...

Is Amelia okay? Oh, shit, if I… if I hurt her… What have I done?

"Amelia!" he yelled as the police dragged him away. She was still lying on the cold sand being attended to by Lina, but at his call, she opened an eye, and all he could see was an accusing glare.

Val lay strapped to the hospital bed, staring out of the window and wishing he could die for all the damage he had done. He didn't remember much, but the flashes of images he had retained from that night made his waking moments a living hell. All he could really remember was that look on Amelia's face and the horrible things he could have done…

He heard the door open and someone sit down, but still his gaze was fixed on the tree branch just outside his barred hospital room window. It seemed that the hospital was taking as many precautions as they could. He wondered when the police would show up to haul him away for assault.

"Nice place you've got here," the person said, and Val closed his eyes. Why, of all people, was she the one to visit him?

"Go away."

"Big baddie, can't beat me up when you're strapped down like that, can you?"

"Go away, Lina!" he screamed, turning and trying to leap out of the bed at her. The straps held him in place, and he strained against the leather cuffs.

"You're still feeling it, aren't you?" she asked, not flinching one bit. Her level gaze pierced his anger, and his erratic emotions began to deflate. He settled back on the bed. "Alcohol, pot, crack, and heroin. Interesting combination, Val. You really know how to party, don't you? Of course, you weren't the only one. Five other kids ended up in the hospital, too, because of it."

His eyes widened. Shit. Leave it to some idiot to add something like that to the pipe and screw everyone over. She continued, "One of them is worse off than you, so count yourself lucky that Amelia found you when she did."

Amelia…

"Is she okay? Is she here?" Lina shot him such a look that he knew that if he weren't Amelia's friend, she would probably kill him on the spot if she could. Did that mean…?

She sighed. "She's okay, but I don't think she'll be coming to visit you any time soon."

Val felt the world begin to close in on him. He croaked, "Why?"

Now it was Lina's turn to go off. "Why? Look around you! You're strapped to a bed in a secured area of the hospital, hooked up to IV's because you've been passed out for two days, all because you were stupid enough to drink it up and do drugs in front of her! What the hell did you think would happen when her father found out that you beat her up while you were tripping?" She loomed over him, every fiber of her being wanting to throttle him.

"Her dad is keeping her away?"

"Of course, you idiot. I wouldn't be here either, if it weren't for her insisting that I come down here to keep you company. Your family's pissed off at you, too, but they're in another wing of the hospital watching over Filia."

"I didn't…"

"You were an idiot and kicked her ass, too. She's got a couple of cracked ribs, and bruised kidneys." She made a disgusted sound and crossed her arms. "And after all that both families went through to make sure you stayed clean and on the straight and narrow."

"I didn't…" he repeated, not knowing what to say.

"You're damned right, you didn't. You didn't think, Val," she said, poking him hard in the forehead, "and that's just plain stupid. I don't know why Amelia's got it in her head that she's responsible for your behavior…" she muttered as she walked to the door. "I don't even know why I'm doing this at all."

Val just stared at the door after she left. So Amelia knew. She knew why… The door opened again, but this time, the girl he hoped to see the most, yet also wished to never face again, followed Lina inside.

"Your dad will kill me if he knew I brought you here, Amelia," Lina whispered, but Val still heard it. Lina snuck her in?

"I won't stay long, Miss Lina."

Amelia stood there, with an unreadable expression on her bruised face, and that was when he realized that Lina had ugly welts across her arms and face as well. He inwardly winced at what he had done to Filia if she was in the hospital. Shit, he had never meant to hurt anyone, and never any of these girls…

Val turned away from them in shame, and only when he heard the door open and shut again did he relax. He couldn't look her in the eye after what he did to her. Luckily, he had stopped in time, but what if he hadn't? He could have raped the girl who meant more to him than…

He felt like vomiting.

"What changed?" a tiny voice asked behind him, and he jumped in surprise. She was still there. "We were doing so well, I thought. Was it something I did?"

"No," he whispered. How could she be blaming herself for something that he had done to her? "I wanted… I wanted to be there for you…" She can't know. You can't guilt her into a relationship with you.

"But you were there for me. You always have been."

But she needs to know about you. "If I was, then you wouldn't need him."

"Him? Ken…?"

Val's brows creased in anger once again, but this time it was at himself for allowing his stupid jealousy get him into so much trouble. Now it had cost him his only three friends in the world. His renewed life was slipping away, like a half-remembered dream. This was his reality: getting in trouble for drugs and violence. Living happily with a new family and surrounded by loved ones was merely a pipe dream.

"Oh, Val," Amelia whispered, her voice cracking, and sounding as if her heart were breaking. Although he hadn't wished to look at her, he couldn't help it. She sounded so lost. Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes, and her hands were covering her mouth.

She placed a hand on his scarred cheek. "I'll always need you. We share so much that nothing will ever come between that."

Though he wished it were true with all his heart, he knew it would never be. He wasn't worthy of her love. She would find someone special one day, and they would share everything. She would be happy without him, especially after everything he had put her through.

And though it pained him to think it, that day would come, but until then, he would continue to be there for her if he could. He would continue to love her from afar, unrequited, as long as she was happy.

"I'm so sorry, Princess," he sobbed, not trying anymore to hold back the tears. "I never meant to hurt you."

The hand on his cheek moved over to cover his lips. "And I never meant to hurt you either," she whispered. He finally allowed his gaze to travel up to her eyes, and in them, he saw his own feelings mirrored. She knew him. His heart felt the tinniest fraction lighter, but his resolve did not waver. A fleeting look of sorrow passed over her face, and he knew that it was the same for her.

Her fingers moved from his mouth, and he lifted his head to meet her as she kissed him gently on his lips. It was not passionate, nor chaste, but it spoke more than either dared to say. For both of them, it was a kiss of friendship and love, of regret and disappointment, of a shared past and a separate future. It held a promise of closeness and a wish for happiness, but it did not hold what he had once dared to hope for.

He was the one to pull away, and when she smiled at him, everything in that kiss settled into his heart like a balm, strangely soothing. Well, if he couldn't be the guy for her, then he would just have to be the one to protect her. That was just the way it would be. Never me…

"We'll always be friends, Val, no matter what."

"Always, Amelia."

Lina had come in soon after that, and hurried Amelia away so her dad wouldn't find out that she had visited. Val's self-loathing slowly began to lessen over time. Lina was his only company for the next few days since no one else was allowed to see him. He decided to explain to her what had happened, including the parts that pertained to Amelia. He was tired of always fighting her, and since she was Amelia's best friend, he figured she would understand. The hot-tempered girl surprised him by being more understanding than he could have imagined.

After a week in the hospital and Lina visiting him every day after school (without Amelia's insistence), Val began to feel better about himself. There was something about Lina's 'keep-on-living' attitude that struck a chord with him, and he found himself actually beginning to like the girl more. No wonder Amelia had improved so much after Lina began to visit her at Anderson. Lina Inverse was life personified. He began to share information about his life bit by bit, and the girl never judged him or looked down on him. The more time he spent with Lina, the more he appreciated the extension of friendship she was offering.

When Val finally went home, he went on a self-imposed crusade to clean up his life even more. Filia didn't hold the incident against him, and after a very long talk with his foster parents, they soon found it in their hearts to let it go, though they kept him to a strict curfew. Filia chastising them for their narrow-minded rationale also had something to do with it, but Val felt no desire to cross his family again. He sought to make it up to Filia by doing whatever she needed him to do. They began to spend more and more time together, and in that time, he noticed similarities between her and his older sister, Bell. His sister had always tried to protect him and guide him, so with a smirk, he allowed his new 'big sister' to do the same.

He noticed that she wasn't spending as much time with Xelloss anymore, but when he asked her about it, she merely shrugged and muttered that the man was being an idiot. Val's protective instincts kicked in, and he began keeping track. Whenever she came home and it appeared she had been crying, Val took a tally, trying to figure out if they were isolated instances or if they were an ongoing pattern of behavior. After coming home red-eyed for the forth time in two weekends, Val rushed out to confront Xelloss, and the two had words. Val knew better than to get in a fight, but if he so much as insulted Filia…

Filia and Xelloss broke up the following weekend in a huge display. Val had tailed her to a nearby park, and the once-lovebirds had it out with each other. Val phoned Lina, and when the ex-couple went their separate ways, Lina intercepted Filia while Val caught up to Xelloss in the parking lot. After one punch and a threat of letting Xelloss' Firm know about what their employee had done, Val was on his way to meet up with the girls. Good riddance.

It took months of convincing before Amelia's dad allowed Val back into the house. Beth watched him like a hawk, Jordan eyed him suspiciously, and Phil just glared at him. Val pleaded his case with them all, and with Amelia on the other side of the couch helping him, they soon won over the family jury. She wasn't allowed to attend any more parties, but Val didn't mind since he didn't. And true to her word, Amelia remained close with him, joking and playing as if not a thing had occurred.

For Val, however, it hurt him to know that he wouldn't be the one, but he bore it with the silent hope that he could wait her out. Until then, he tried to think of her as he thought of Filia: a sister-figure. He tried, and failed. She just wasn't that to him. She would always be his princess.

And he would always be her knight.

Val had grown to accept his role in Amelia's life in the ensuing years, and he had even been able to let her go to live her life with other people. Ken actually proved to be a nice guy, but he and Amelia had grown apart over the summer after her sophomore year. Chad was someone he hadn't found out about until she was just about finished with his stupidity. If only Val's college classes weren't so time-consuming, he'd have known about the jerk.

Val hardly thought of Amelia in romantic terms anymore after two and a half years, the same way he hardly thought about his time in Anderson anymore, but deep in his heart, he knew that both would always be a part of him. Although it seemed like another lifetime ago, Amelia was still here. Now.

And she was again interested in someone else.

Though she had said that she wanted to hook Zelgadiss up with her sister, and though he had said that he wasn't interested in her, Val had seen the look on her face when she kissed Zelgadiss goodbye the night before. He had also seen the look on his face when she hugged Val. They both had it bad, and neither of them realized it.

"Keep your chin up, Amelia," Val said to her as he was leaving the morning following their late-night talk with Lina. He was beginning to see that the times were changing, and with everything that had happened recently, it was hardly a surprise that his relationship with her would change as well. "What's it you usually say? 'Tomorrow's another day' or something like that?"

She laughed. "That's Scarlet O'Hara, silly. But I guess it's kinda like that: 'There's always a tomorrow.' I'll keep on looking forward."

And I will, too.

"That's the spirit," he whispered, his hand on her chin lingering for the briefest of moments. Not wanting to dwell in the past, he gave her a quick hug. Maybe we can both learn to forgive… ourselves, he thought as he placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. Maybe then, I can move on.

A/N: Hope that clears some things up for you all about Val's relationship with Amelia, Lina, and Filia. Common pasts (even bad ones) serve to bridge the gaps between people, but that doesn't mean that they'll turn out to be good relationships. I have to admit that I wasn't initially keen on hooking Amelia up with anyone other than Zelgadiss, but after writing more about her past with Val, I began to like him more and more. He really is a tragic figure, and nothing right seems to happen to the poor guy, but I'm trying to find a happy ending for him. But never fear faithful A/Z fans. Remember: "Canon couples with a few non-traditional pairings along the way…" is how I put it in the first chapter after all. This is just all the dirty laundry that has to come out before they can have a healthy relationship and live happily ever after... well, we'll see how that goes. –winks-

Special thanks to everyone who's reviewed: Ichiban Victory (Hey, thanks! Xelloss is such a mysterious character, and he's always got a reason for doing the things that he does – for good or bad. But everyone has an Achilles' heel…), Valk (I'm very much looking forward to the next Xel/Filia chapter as well, but I wanted to get to Val first. I hinted a bit at why the two broke up, but we'll get into that a lot more in another chapter. Thanks!), Kaeru Shisho (These two are so fun to write about. They've still got a lot of stuff to work through, but we'll see how willing each one will be. Filia's got her hang-ups, but Xel does as well – both are pretty well justified, too. It's going to be a bumpy ride… -winks- Hope you liked this chapter as well! –hugs-), Savage-eagle (Wow. –blushes- Thank you so much! I feel honored that you're enjoying them! And as for more stories? I'm in the initial planning stages for a sequel to Slayers: A Spaghetti Western. I'm also planning a Slayers romp through insanity with one of my friends, but I think we will need many margaritas and tequila shots to reach the goal we're planning. But first comes L&L and WML…), Lina Gabriev (Thanks so much! Oh, Xelloss is the master of pushing people's buttons and doing inappropriate things, so never say never with him! And as for Val… -sweatdrops- I've got to find a nice girl for him somewhere. After all I've put him through, he deserves someone who'll accept him, warts and all, so to speak. I'm thinking… -winks- I hope this chapter also answered your question about his friendship with Lina. Thanks again!), dragonet (Thanks, I think? –chuckles- I know that my stories won't appeal to many people, but I appreciate the fact that you've at least tried. I'm glad you enjoy the side stories, though!)

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