Lina was standing in the burnt out ruins of her old home.  Something was wrong though.  The timbers were still smoldering and the thick scent of smoke threatened to gag her.  She coughed roughly as she looked around.  This didn't make any sense.  After she'd escaped she'd gone immediately to Xellos's house and spent a week there.  She never came back to the house until two nights ago.

A melodic voice called out from somewhere in the rubble.  "Lina…"

Lina trembled at the sound of that voice.  She whispered, "Sis?" 

There was the quiet sound of something shifting in the rubble. 

Lina's eyes widened.  Luna was still alive.  She had a chance to save her sister.  She immediately ran over to the source of the noise and began to haphazardly fling debris over her shoulder.  "Hold on Sis!  I'm coming!"  Flipping back a heavy piece of the fireplace she gasped in horror at what was revealed.

The nightmare that had been Luna Inverse rose from the ashes.  Two bloodshot eyes glared at Lina from a pale gaunt face.  Her once beautiful plum colored hair was matted with dried blood.  In the same sweet voice she called Lina's name again and reached for her.

Lina shook her head and moaned in fear.  She rolled onto her back and immediately wished that she hadn't as she felt a hot lance of pain rush up her spine.  "Ow…" she mumbled.  A nightmare?  Where was she?  What had happened to her?  She struggled to recall the events of the evening.  There had been the tavern, and then Zelgadis.  After that, the two Slayers had attacked her.  Had she died?  No, she hurt way too much to be dead.  So what had happened then?

Deciding that she needed more information to figure that out, Lina cautiously opened her eyes to reveal a dark room.  Pale pink moonlight spilled into the chamber from an open window.  Moonlight?  That meant that it was nighttime.  She was sleeping in the dark!  Her eyes darted around the room and confirmed her worst fears.  A menacing figure was right next to her bed making horrible growling noises.  She screamed and sat up, holding up her arms to ward off any danger.  "No, no, no!" 

"Huh?" was the figure's quick-witted reply as he was startled out of his doze.  There was a crash as the stool he had been sitting on tipped over.  He stood up and reached out to Lina, grabbing her arms.  "Lina, stop!"

Lina shook her head and thrashed about still screaming "No!" repeatedly at the top of her lungs.  Her worst fear had come true.  After four years of vigilance on her part, the creatures of the night had finally caught her sleeping on their time.  She shrieked in terror when the figure grabbed her arms.

A dark haired woman appeared in the bedroom doorway holding a lantern.  "Gourry dear, what's happening?"

The figure called over his shoulder.  "It's alright Sylphiel."

Lina stopped thrashing about.  The woman had spoken a familiar name.  Her eyes brimming over with tears, Lina cautiously looked up into the face of her supposed attacker.

Gourry's face, illuminated by the dim light of Sylphiel's lantern, stared back at Lina.  He smiled warmly and whispered, "Are you okay, Lina?"

Lina collapsed against Gourry's chest and cried.  She trembled uncontrollably as he put his arms around her.  "Gourry, I was so scared and it was dark, and I'm really scared of the dark, and I thought… I thought you were…"  An image of Luna flashed across her consciousness.  Her body was wracked by sobs, and she was unable to continue.

Gourry whispered into Lina's ear, "It's okay, Lina.  I won't let anything happen to you."  He rocked her back and forth while gently stroking her hair, trying to calm the terrified girl down.

Zangulus limped into the room, his sword drawn.  "What's going on?  I heard screams."

Sylphiel lowered the lantern slightly and looked away.  It hurt to see Gourry hugging this other girl.  She muttered, "It's alright Mr. Zangulus.  She was just having a bad dream.  You need to get some rest."  She turned to help Zangulus back to his bed, sparing one last pained glance at the two embracing figures.  She gasped when she saw a splotch of red spreading across the back of Lina's nightgown.  "Oh dear."  The girl's struggling had reopened her wounds.

Lina eyed Sylphiel nervously as she approached the bed carrying a pair of scissors.  She whimpered Gourry's name and held him tighter.

Gourry looked at Lina's back and grimaced.  Fresh blood stained the simple gown she was wearing.  He cupped her face in his hands and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile.  "It's alright, Lina.  Sylphiel's going to help."

"Sylphiel…" There was something familiar about that name, Lina thought.  That was it.  She was Gourry's girlfriend.  She reluctantly released her hold on the swordsman and let her hands drop limply to her sides.  She forced herself to look at the dark haired woman.  She was as beautiful as Lina had feared.   She mumbled, "You saved me, right?"

Sylphiel nodded as she measured and cut a length off cloth off a roll.  "That's right, Miss Lina.  Arms up please."

Lina did as she was told and Sylphiel pulled her nightgown up to reveal the bloody mess that was her back. 

Sylphiel shook her head and sighed.  "Oh dear.  This might sting a bit."  She applied some alcohol to Lina's back, eliciting a hiss from the younger woman.  "Sorry about that."

Lina looked down at the scars crisscrossing her exposed abdomen, then up at Gourry who was staring pointedly at the wall.  She covered herself as best she could and she felt tears of shame welling up in her eyes.  Of course Gourry was disgusted.  After all, she was hideous.

Sylphiel finished her ministrations and eased Lina back down to a prone position.  She favored the Slayer with a warm smile.  "Take it easy now, Miss Lina.  You'll be fine in a few days if you don't exert yourself."  She picked up her lantern and began to leave.

"Um, Sylphiel?" Lina whispered almost ashamedly.

Sylphiel stopped and turned back to the bed.  "Yes?"

Lina flushed red in humiliation.  "Will you… Will you leave the light, please?"  She knew how childish her request must have sounded.

Sylphiel smiled indulgently.  "Of course."  She walked back over and set the lantern on the bedside table.  "Better?"  She turned to Gourry and laid a hand on his shoulder.  "Gourry dear, let her be.  She needs to get some rest."

Gourry shook his head.  "It's alright Sylphiel.  I think I'll stay up with her a while longer."  He smiled at Lina and took her hand.  "That is, if you don't mind?"

Lina shook her head mutely.  She actually would have complained if Gourry had left.

Sylphiel stared at Gourry for a moment.  "Oh."  The shadows concealed her pained expression.  "Goodnight, then."  She quickly retreated from the room, almost knocking Zangulus over as she passed him in the hallway.

Lina looked down and muttered, "I'm sorry."

Gourry blinked at her in surprise.  "For what Lina?"

Lina opened her mouth to speak.  She wanted to apologize for being so weak in front of him, for complicating things between him and Sylphiel, for being a burden upon him, but most of all, for treating him so badly.  She muttered, "For… I don't know.  Everything I guess."

Gourry grinned and waved dismissively.  "Ah, you don't have to apologize Lina.  My life's been pretty exciting since I met you."

Lina looked up at Gourry's face and noticed his black eye for the first time.  "Gourry, what happened to you?"

Gourry touched his bruised face gingerly.  "Oh, this?  It was just work."  He noted the concerned expression on Lina's face and shook his head.  "I'm fine.  You need to get some sleep, okay?"

Lina shook her head fiercely. "I don't sleep at night, Gourry.  It's not safe."  She had to admit that the bed was awfully comfortable though. 

Gourry scratched his head.  "Not safe?  Why is that Lina?"

Lina sighed and fluffed her pillow.  "You jellyfish.  Don't you remember what I do?"

"Um, you exterminate pests, right?"  Gourry grinned.

Lina opened her mouth to protest but decided that she was too tired to argue.  She muttered, "Yeah, Gourry.  Pests.  And they only come out at night."  She fought to keep her eyes open.

Gourry shook his head and wondered briefly why Lina was afraid of rats.  "Is that all?"  He winked at her and whispered, "Don't worry Lina.  I'll protect you."

Lina nodded drowsily, already well on her way to unconsciousness.  She yawned and muttered, "You promise that won't let anything get me?" 

Gourry nodded.  "I promise."

Lina briefly considered trying to stay awake, but surrendered to exhaustion.  It was safe here.  Nothing was going to get her as long as Gourry was standing guard.

Seeing that Lina was asleep, Gourry smiled and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.  He sighed.  There would be no rest for him after what he had seen tonight.  He scratched his head.  "But wasn't I asleep before?  Hmm."  Well, now he'd made a promise.  So no more sleeping tonight.

Zangulus's voice drifted into the room from the hall.  "You didn't ask her, did you?" 

Gourry made a shushing motion and pointed angrily at Lina.  He stage whispered, "She's sleeping."

Zangulus frowned as he limped into the room and walked over to the window.  He gazed out the window and muttered darkly, "Well, I'm glad someone can sleep."  He drummed his fingers on the windowsill for a moment.  "What happened tonight?"

Gourry shook his head.  "I'm not sure.  Lina will know though.  I'll ask her when she wakes up."

Lina sighed, "Ask me what, Gourry?"  She rolled over onto her side and began to snore quietly.

Zangulus walked over to the bed.  He whispered, "See?  She's awake!  Ask her!"

Gourry shook his head and shushed Zangulus again.  "She's just talking in her sleep.  Lower your voice."

Zangulus threw his hands up in frustration.  "For the love of…" 

Gourry held up a warning finger.

Zangulus rolled his eyes and hissed, "Fine.  Gourry, she just asked you what your question was!  She's not asleep."  He watched Lina snore for a moment.  "Well, she wasn't a minute ago.  Wake her up and ask her!"  He reached out to shake her shoulder.

Gourry grabbed Zangulus's hand and shook his head.  "Leave her alone, Zangulus.  She's hurt.  It can wait until morning."

Lina murmured, "Quiet please.  Sleeping."

"No it can't!"  Zangulus pointed at the crimson moonlight spilling through the window.  "You ever stop to think that there might not be a morning?!"

Gourry glared at Zangulus.  "Lower your voice!"

Lina groaned in frustration and put her pillow over her head.  She mumbled, "Guys, please shut up…"  The two arguing guards ignored her request.

"You're yelling too, Gourry!"

"Yeah…"  Gourry thought for a second.  "Well it's only because you are!"

Lina sat up and screamed, "Will everyone please SHUT UP!"  She proceeded to mercilessly beat Gourry over the head with her pillow, as he was the only one within striking distance.  "What in the hell is the matter with you people?!  I'm trying to sleep!"  Deciding that the pillow wasn't doing enough damage, she looked around for something else to punish her protector with.  Her eyes lit up when she spied something on the bedside table.

Gourry's battle hardened instincts kicked in and told him that now would be an excellent time to make a strategic withdrawal.  He swiftly dropped to his hands and knees and crawled out of Lina's reach.

Zangulus grinned triumphantly as he watched Gourry scramble under a table for cover.  "See Gourry?  I told you that she was awake!"  He was suddenly struck between the eyes with a thrown drinking glass.

Lina glared at Zangulus and hissed, "Of course I'm awake!  How could I possibly sleep with you guys screaming at each other?"  She massaged her throbbing temples and muttered, "What's the problem anyway?"  She gave Gourry a murderous look.

Gourry held up his hands to block any further attacks from Lina.  He thought hard for a moment before blurting out, "Well Lina, it got really foggy and the dead invisible guys attacked us until the moon turned red."

Lina's anger faded instantly and was replaced by complete befuddlement.  She nodded slowly, a quizzical expression on her face.  "Okay.  Right.  That was very helpful.  Thank you Gourry."  She turned to Zangulus and raised an eyebrow.  "Translation please."

Zangulus was leaning against the wall, rubbing his nose.  He shrugged.  "Well actually that made about as much sense as what happened.  We were finishing up our rounds for the night when it got really foggy."

Gourry interjected.  "Don't forget the invisible dead guys, Zangulus."

Zangulus muttered, "Yes, I'm getting to that part Gourry.  Anyway, the streets were empty and it got really cold.  That's when it happened."  He shuddered briefly.  "They came out of the fog."

"Who came out of the fog?" Lina snapped impatiently.

"Dead men."

Lina blinked.  "Dead men?  How do you know that they were dead?"

Zangulus had a worried smile on his face.  "Because I recognized a couple of them."  He glanced at his partner.  "Remember Mad Matt, Gourry?"

Gourry nodded solemnly.  "The crazy guy from a few weeks ago, right?"

Lina looked at Gourry nervously.  Mad Matt must have been pretty bad if Gourry remembered him.  "Hmm.  Maybe you only thought you killed him?"  She glanced back and forth between the guards.  "You think that's a possibility?"

Zangulus snorted.  "When I finished with him, they had to carry him to the morgue in two bags.  I'm pretty sure he was dead.  He wasn't the only one either.  I recognized a few criminals I had collected back in my bounty hunting days."

"Okay, I believe you.  They were dead."  Lina sighed nervously.  "So, what did they do?"

"They came out of the fog and attacked us.  It was weird though.  It was like they weren't really there.  Instead of moving through the fog, it seemed like they were a part of it.  You could see through them."  Zangulus shook his head.  "It doesn't make any sense."

"And that's how you guys got those?" Lina asked, eying the guards' injuries.

Gourry shook his head.  "Uh-uh.  They couldn't touch us and we couldn't touch them.  They disappeared after a while."

Zangulus nodded as he looked out the window.  "Yeah, and then that happened."

Lina yelped in surprise as Gourry gently scooped her up in his arms.  He carried her over to the window so that she could look out into the night sky.  "Oh boy", she muttered.

The city was bathed in red light, making it appear as if the dark buildings were smeared with blood.  The crimson moon hung overhead in the night sky.  As the three of them watched, it began to pulse rhythmically, sometimes growing brighter, sometimes dimmer.

"Well, this looks like it's going to be a lot of fun", Lina muttered sarcastically.  "Take me back to bed Gourry."  After getting comfortable she looked to Zangulus and then Gourry.  "Well, goodnight."  She rolled onto her side and curled up under the blanket.

Gourry grinned and took his seat next to the bed.  He pulled her blanket a little higher over her shoulders and whispered, "Goodnight Lina."

Zangulus stared at Lina and Gourry incredulously.  "Goodnight?  Aren't you going to tell us what in the hell's going on?!"

Lina yawned.  "No idea.  And there's no sense in worrying about something that I don't understand yet."  She closed her eyes and tried to block out the extremely irritating sound of Zangulus's voice.

Zangulus sputtered, "But, I don't understand it and it's worrying me!"

Lina sighed.  "Well that's your problem isn't it?  Goodnight."

"But…"

Lina's gritted her teeth and her voice took on a dangerous tone.  "I said goodnight."

"But…"

Lina rolled her eyes and growled, "What part of 'goodnight' don't you understand?!  Gourry, where's my sword?"

Zangulus took a nervous step back almost tripping over a stool.  "Well I guess it is kind of late.  Goodnight."  He hastily limped out of the room.

Gourry looked around the room briefly.  "I don't know Lina.  I don't think you had it when Sylphiel brought you in."

"Didn't have it?  Damn it."  Lina rolled onto her back and groaned in frustration.  "It's back in the alley with those two girls.  Or it was a while ago, anyways.  Who knows what pawn shop it ended up in?"

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In the hours just before dawn, the brightly painted wagons of the Seyruun Traveling Circus rolled up to the gates of Sairaag.

A short man in poorly fitted armor stepped out of the guardhouse.  He looked at the man driving the horses of the lead wagon.  Tall, medium build, brown hair and a moustache.  Well, he didn't look like a criminal.  Supposedly, the guards were supposed to inspect all wagons entering the city after dark, but he decided to let this one slide.  He'd seen too much weirdness for one night and there was no way he was going to search twenty wagons this close to quitting time. "Papers?" he said in a bored voice. 

Christopher produced the necessary traveling papers and handed them to the guard.  "Having a long night, friend?"

The guard spit something green into the grass and chuckled.  "Hell yeah.  I tell ya, you see all sorts of weird crap in this line of work.  As if the weirdos weren't bad enough, now the weather's actin' up."  He nodded up at the pale pink moon, barely visible as the dawn approached.

Christopher looked up and nodded.  "There's something you don't see everyday, huh?"

The guard laughed.  "You got that right.  Whole world's going to hell in a hand basket if you ask me."  He flipped through the sheaf of pages disinterestedly and handed them back to Christopher.  "Everything seems to be in order, buddy.  Festival grounds are straight ahead.  Center of the city.  Can't miss 'em.  Enjoy your stay in Sairaag."

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Phibrizzo whistled a cheerful little tune as he walked down the cobblestone street.  It had been an excellent night and was shaping up to be an even better day.  Things were moving along at a quicker pace than he had ever anticipated.  He didn't know why mortals hated living in Sairaag.  He found it to be charming in a rustic sort of way.  He closed his eyes and stretched out his consciousness to feel the pulse of the dark city.  It's inhabitants.

On a street corner, a merchant had just opened his produce stand for the day.  The Hellmaster knew that his fruit was overpriced and overripe on top of that.  The merchant was a greedy miser, but that was okay because, unbeknownst to him, someone had just stolen his coin purse.

Grinning wickedly, the Hellmaster turned his attention to a married couple out for a morning stroll.  The man was cheating on his wife with her sister, but that was okay too.  She was planning to kill him and live off his wealth.  The real joke was that he had lost all his money gambling a few nights before.

Phibrizzo chuckled as he came back to himself.  He continued to skip cheerily down the lane, pondering the wonder that was Sairaag.  The real beauty of the city was that nobody gave a damn about anybody else.  If you hear a scream in the night walk faster because it's not your problem.  A lovely attitude to have in Phibrizzo's ever so humble opinion.

A tired voice drifted out of a nearby alley.  "Spare a silver young man?"

Phibrizzo stopped in his tracks and looked at the bum by the side of the road the way a spider looks at a fly.

In an instant, the bum's life history flooded into the Hellmaster's mind.  He sensed that this one was a good person.  A former chef by the name of Ashford.  Apparently, the old fool had run his restaurant into the ground by giving too generously to the church and feeding one too many of the downtrodden.  Instead of upsetting Phibrizzo, it pleased him to no end that this man's good deeds had rewarded him in such an appropriate way.

Phibrizzo thought for a moment and chuckled.  He said, "Why as a matter of fact I do have some jewelry that I don't need anymore, Ashford.  Would you like that?"

The bum nodded eagerly.  "Anythin' you can spare young man.  I'd surely appreciate it."  A moment later, Phibrizzo's statement sunk in.  "How'd you know my name boy?"

Phibrizzo sighed and rummaged around in his pocket.  "Oh, you needn't worry about that.  Ah, here it is!"   He pulled a small object out of his pocket.  "There you go, old timer."  He winked and tossed the object onto the old man's lap.  "Don't spend it all in one place now."

Ashford smiled gratefully.  "May Ceiphied bless you my boy!"

Phibrizzo's grin disappeared and his childlike features briefly twisted into a mask of hatred.  He snarled, "Don't mention it", before slipping into the crowd.

Ashford looked down into his lap and gasped.  The simple gold ring was beautiful in a modest sort of way.  The severed finger wearing it was not.  The man screamed and threw Phibrizzo's generous gift into the gutter.

Phibrizzo looked over his shoulder and giggled.  "Honestly, you give someone what they ask for and they're still not happy.  Oh well."  Something in the street caught his eye.  "Hello, what's this?" he muttered.

A train of circus wagons was slowly making its way down the lane.

Phibrizzo grinned and sat down cross-legged on the side of the street.  He rested his chin on his hands in an innocent way and watched the wagons go past.  "The Seyruun Family Circus" he muttered, with just a hint of a smile on his face.  "I think I'll see the show tonight.  Maybe I'll play some games and win a stuffed bear or something."  His face lit up.  "Oh, and cotton candy!  I've got to get some cotton candy!  And maybe a candy apple!" he said as he clapped his hands excitedly.  "And the children" he whispered eagerly.  "I can't wait to play with all the children."  He scrambled to his feet and ran off in the same direction as the wagons.

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Next chapter:  Lina takes a day off.

Notes:  Kind of short this time.  Also, a whole lot of exposition without any action.  I promise that will be rectified in the next few chapters.  All in all, liked the Gourry/Lina bit.  Everything else was decent.  But I'm not here to review my own stuff.  That's your job!  By the way, I figure now is as good a time as any to tell you that we're headed into R rated stuff.  Probably already have, but anyways I've upped the rating.

Reviewer Response:

Thanks for the compliment Dolphin!  How's the Slayers E-mail story coming?

Thanks Miss Gabriev.  Phibrizzo's been a blast to write.

Pogo, I've up to chapter 9 now, and mostly I'm just waiting on my overworked beta reader.  I'm glad you like the more "shades of gray" than "black or white" approach I took to the story.  There will be more of that in the upcoming chapters.

Colin, complex huh?  Complex is good.  Convoluted isn't.  Tell me if I ever cross the line between the two.

Zaber, how can I refuse a request like that?

Otaku Girl, sorry about the confusion, but Xel isn't Zel's dad.  Take another look at what he hit with the sword in chapter 4.  Also you'll see how Lina got the tickets in chapter 7.

Liltingtune, I'm glad to have you aboard on one of my stories.  I've loved a lot of your stuff, as you've probably read in my reviews.  Couple of questions for you:  Did you ever finish reading Slayers: Revival and are you ever going to finish Lovely Lina the Songbird?  Loved that one.

Thanks for reading!  And a special thanks to my overburdened and under appreciated beta reader, Boo-san!