Gourry shrieked, "LINA!"

Lina jumped at the sound of hopeless agony in Gourry's voice.  She looked over her shoulder to see her weeping protector on his hands and knees.  She called out, "Gourry?  Gourry are you okay?!" 

Gourry cradled Lina's lifeless body in his arms.  Her glassy eyes stared at him hopelessly.  He had failed her.  He had promised to protect her and he had failed. 

Lina knelt beside Gourry and put a hand on his shoulder.  "Gourry it's okay.  Gourry answer me!"  She watched him smash his head into the cobblestones as he muttered her name over and over.  She yelled, "Gourry, stop it!  You're going to hurt yourself!"  Desperately, she flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly, trying to somehow let him know that everything was okay.

Gourry couldn't be comforted.  As far as he was concerned the girl he had promised to protect was lying lifeless in a rapidly growing pool of her own blood.  He sobbed, "Lina!  I'm sorry!"

Zelgadis watched Lina and Gourry briefly before turning his furious gaze to Phibrizzo.  He snarled, "What did you do to Gourry?!"

Phibrizzo grinned.  "Why don't I show you?"  He snapped his fingers and the moonlit street vanished to be replaced by a grassy plain.

Zelgadis looked around to see that Lina and the others were gone.  He felt fear welling up within him as he looked up into the sky.  The sun, impossibly large, shined down on him.  He covered his eyes and hissed in pain.  To his horror, he noticed that his clothes were gone.  His skin began to bubble and hiss under the intense heat and he screamed in agony.

Hellmaster nodded, satisfied with his handiwork.  He said, "Zelgadis, truly you are a very simple creature.  You're afraid of something as simple as the sun?  It's akin to an animal's fear of fire.  I wonder, are you really nothing more than an animal?"  He snorted, "You're certainly not human."

Zelgadis fought through the pain and stood.  He snarled at the childish form standing in front of him, "I am human!"

Phibrizzo snickered, "You?  Human?  That's a joke!  As far as I'm concerned, you're nothing but-"  A line of blood suddenly appeared across his chest.  He hissed in pain and muttered, "I'll be right back Zelgadis.  In the meantime, they'll entertain you."  He nodded at something behind Zelgadis and vanished in a puff of smoke.

Zelgadis turned just in time to be hit in the face with a rotten tomato.  He wiped the pulp off his face and hissed at the crowd of people that had appeared before him.

The crowd shouted insults at him and continued to pelt him with garbage.

************************************************************************

"Very bold of you, Miss Seyruun."  Phibrizzo said calmly as he wiped the blood from his chest. 

Amelia held a dagger with shaky hands.  She really had no desire to hurt Phibrizzo, but it was obvious that he was doing something to Zelgadis and Gourry.  She pleaded with him, "Please stop.  I don't want to have to kill you."

Phibrizzo nodded sympathetically.  "I can respect that.  To be honest, I would also prefer it if you didn't kill me."  He looked into Amelia's deep blue eyes and smiled.  "You have very pretty eyes Amelia.  Did anyone ever tell you that?"

Amelia glanced over her shoulder nervously.  Zelgadis and Gourry were still writhing on the ground.  She turned back to Phibrizzo and shouted, "Leave them alone!"  She took a determined step towards him and brandished the dagger threateningly. 

Phibrizzo continued on unperturbed, "Yes, very pretty eyes.  I'd even go so far as to call them beautiful.  Can I have them Amelia?"  He flexed his hand and human fingernails became jagged talons. He whispered, "It'll only take a second.  Just a two little pops and I'm done.  What do you say, Amelia?  Vision is highly overrated."

Amelia trembled for a moment before taking a halfhearted swing at Phibrizzo grazing his cheek.  "No!" she said angrily.  "Let them go or I will hurt you!"

Phibrizzo snickered and wiped his face with the back of his hand smearing blood across his cheek.  "You're brave Amelia.  I respect that.  So just hand me the dagger and I'll kill you quickly."  He made a slashing motion with his hand.  "A quick slice across the throat and you'll pass out almost immediately.  It'll hardly even hurt."  He pondered for a moment before adding, "How about this?  I'll even let the others live."  He crossed his fingers behind his back as he continued, "One life in exchange for two.  Sounds like a noble death to me.  Very just."

Amelia's voice quivered as she whispered, "And… and you promise to let Mr. Zelgadis and Mr. Gourry go?  You won't hurt them anymore?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die, Amelia.  I may be a demon, but I am incapable of lying.  Your friends will not die by my hand.  You can't possibly defeat me, but you still have a chance to save them." The Hellmaster said as he put on his most charming smile.  "Be the hero."

Amelia's hand shook as she reached out to give Phibrizzo the dagger.

"No!" Lina yelled as she stood up and charged at the Hellmaster.  She knew that the only way to save Gourry now was to kill Phibrizzo.  She shoved Amelia to the ground and plunged her sword into the demon's shoulder.

The Hellmaster hissed in pain as he looked down at his wounded shoulder.  He glared at Lina, hate burning in his eyes.  He snarled, "You bitch!" as he wrapped his hands around her throat and began to squeeze.

"Miss Lina!" Amelia yelled as she climbed to her feet. 

Hellmaster glared at the acrobat.  "Sleep," he commanded through clenched teeth.  "I'll deal with you later."  He watched Amelia collapse and begin to snore before turning his attention back to Lina.  "Where were we?" he hissed.

Lina answered his question by shoving her blade deeper into Phibrizzo's body.  She snarled at him, her fury matching his own.

Phibrizzo cried out in pain and released his grip on Lina's throat.  He grinned as he grabbed her blade, holding it within himself.  Blood smeared the silver from new cuts in his fingers.  With his other hand, he drew his knife and held it up at eye level.

Lina saw herself reflected in his blade briefly before he drew it back, intending to plunge it into her throat.  She shook her head fiercely and tried to pull her sword out of his arm.  His demonic strength prevented her from doing so, so she did the next best thing.  She twisted it in the wound, driving it even deeper.

The Hellmaster shrieked in agony as he felt metal scrape against bone.  His knife fell from his fingers and landed in the street.  This was why he hadn't used a child as a host before.  They had a remarkably low pain threshold.  He could hear Phibrizzo crying in pain in the back of his mind.  The child's voice was an annoying drone that wouldn't go away.  "Shut up.  Shut up!  SHUT UP!" he screamed at himself.  "It's only a scratch you baby!"

Lina blinked in surprise at the sight of the Hellmaster talking to himself.  She said, "Hellmaster, you're not alone in there are you?"  Unconsciously, she loosened her grip on her sword ever so slightly.  "That's an innocent child isn't it?"

Hellmaster looked up from his interior monologue and grinned at Lina wickedly.  "What, you thought this was my true form?"  He laughed.  "Sorry to disappoint you, but this body is only a loaner.  Hey, would you like to meet the little tyke?  Hold on a second."  Hellmaster's shoulders slumped and his chin fell onto his chest.  It was like he had suddenly fallen asleep.

Phibrizzo opened his eyes and looked at Lina and then at her sword.  He sobbed, "Why are you hurting me?"

Xellos watched the confrontation from atop a nearby building.  He shook his head and sighed, "Be strong Lina.  Kill him."

Lina gasped in shock.  She muttered, "By Ceiphied…"

Taking advantage of her surprise, Hellmaster leapt back into control of Phibrizzo.  The pain that had been reflected in the boy's eyes moments ago was replaced by hatred.  He ripped Lina's sword from his shoulder and flung it aside before grabbing her throat and staring into her eyes.  "Now Inverse," he hissed, "Let's see what keeps you up at night."

Sensing what the Hellmaster intended to do, Lina shook her head and screamed.  She felt the first traces of his consciousness touching hers, like a clammy hand stroking her face.

Hellmaster nodded and closed his eyes.  "Let's see… darkness.  You're afraid of the dark are you?  That's surprising.  Just a little girl at heart, huh?  Let's dig a little deeper, shall we?"

"No," Lina protested.  "No!"  She could feel the Hellmaster going through all of her most beloved memories and innermost thoughts.  She felt herself being dragged along on his mental exploration.

************************************************************************

Lina looked up to see a small house on the outskirts of the city.  Sitting in the road in front of the house was a little red haired girl who looked to be about three years old.  She was wearing pink shorts a frayed short sleeve shirt.  She was crying over a skinned knee.

"Lina, what did you do?" asked a kindly voice.

Lina looked at the door to the house and saw a woman silhouetted in the entryway.  She whispered, "Mom?"

The little girl pointed to her knee and whined, "I fell down and got a hurty mommy!"

The woman stepped out of the house and walked over to the little girl. 

Lina noted that, try as she might, she couldn't make out the features of the woman.  Her parents had died when she was very young and her recollection of their appearances was very sketchy.

Lina's mother sighed, "Oh my!  You certainly did, didn't you?"  She crossed her arms and pretended to ponder for a moment.  "Well, what do you think we should do about it?"

Lina smiled and whispered, "Kiss it better."

The little girl mirrored Lina's smile and said, "Kiss it better mommy!"

"Kiss it better mommy!" said the Hellmaster in a mocking tone.  "By Shabranigdo, you were a whiny child weren't you Inverse?  This is pretty damn boring.  I know!  Let's give you something to really cry about."

Phibrizzo appeared behind Lina's mother with a knife.  He grinned at Lina as he raised the blade over his head.

Lina shook her head and tried to call out a warning to the woman, but she was utterly silent.  The Hellmaster had taken her voice away and all she could do was watch as he drove the knife into her mother's back over and over.

Hellmaster turned from his bloody work to look at Lina.  He snickered, "That was a lot more exciting than seeing you get a skinned knee." 

The little girl covered her eyes and sobbed, "Why'd you hurt my mommy?"

Hellmaster looked down at the weeping little girl and grinned.  "I didn't hurt your mommy.  She fell down and skinned her knee.  You'd better hurry up and kiss it better!"  His wicked laughter made the young Lina cry even harder.

Lina fell to her knees and wept at the sight of the Hellmaster taunting her younger self.

Phibrizzo frowned as he watched Lina.  "Aw, still a crybaby even as an adult, huh Lina?  I hate crybabies"  He kicked the little girl in face and turned to walk down the street.  He called over his shoulder, "Let's see what else we can find…  Oh yes!  This looks interesting."

************************************************************************

Lina wiped away her tears and looked around.  She was back in the apartment that she had shared with Luna for several years.  The sound of giggling drew her attention to the corner of the room.

The red haired girl, now at age six, sat in a shabby chair at a table.  She had her eyes covered and was grinning.  She asked, "Can I open my eyes now Sis?"

A calm voice, full of confidence, drifted across the room.  "Not yet Lina."

Lina turned to see a twelve-year-old Luna kneeling next to the fireplace. 

Luna had been the only family that Lina had left after their parents died.  Being a responsible girl, she had easily found work as a waitress and despite the lousy pay, had managed to put a roof over their heads.

As Lina watched, Luna pulled a loose stone in the fireplace aside to reveal a package wrapped in bright pink paper.  She quietly replaced the stone and walked over to the table.  She set the package in front of Lina and said, "Now you can open your eyes."

The young girl uncovered her eyes and laughed when she saw the package.  She asked excitedly, "Is that for me, Sis?"

Lina shook her head and smiled.  She muttered sarcastically, "No it's for the neighbor's dog, silly."

Luna rolled her eyes and tried not to smile.  She was a very serious girl.  She said, "Of course it's for you.  Do you see anyone else here?"

Lina grinned and took that as her cue to maul the package.  "Thanks Sis!" she yelled as she tore the paper open to reveal a stuffed bear.  Her eyes sparkled with joy and she hugged the toy.  "Wow!"

Luna couldn't resist the urge to smile any longer.  She asked, "Do you like it?"

The little girl giggled and squeezed the stuffed bear even harder.  "I love it!"

Luna said, "Take good care of it."

"Thanks Sis!  I will!"

Hellmaster's voice boomed, "Oh, you are such a little liar, Lina!  We both know what happened to that toy."

The scene shifted to the burning apartment.  Lina saw the smoldering stuffed bear briefly before a burning timber fell on top of it.  She shook her head angrily and said, "But Sis told me…"

Hellmaster cut her off.  "She told you to take care of it!  And what did you do?  You left it to burn just like you left her!  You burden your poor sister for years with your incessant whining and then you have the gall to betray her?  You wicked little ingrate!"

"No!" Lina yelled with tears welling up in her eyes.  "Sis told me to run!  I wanted to help her, but… I… I couldn't," she explained weakly. 

************************************************************************

Zangulus stood in the middle of the street and eyed his surroundings warily.  He sighed and mumbled, "Damn it, what now?"

Gourry was on his hands and knees and looked to be cradling something in his arms.  His arms were empty though and, to Zangulus's shock, he had tears in his eyes.  Every few seconds, he would sob Lina's name and lean down to kiss his invisible burden.

The other man, the one with the white cloak, was curled up in a fetal position muttering, "I'm not a monster," over and over. His eyes were wide open but apparently saw nothing, as he wouldn't respond to Zangulus's voice.

The third person, a young girl in a colorful outfit, lay on the ground snoring loudly.  Apparently the fact that she was laying in the middle of the road on uneven stone didn't cause her any discomfort.  Neither did Zangulus's attempts to shake her out of her slumber.

Finally, there was Lina and her bloody adversary.  That was only way to describe the scene before Zangulus.  Lina glared straight ahead into the hate filled eyes of the bloody young boy.  He had his hands wrapped around her throat as he glared back at her. 

The boy had been wounded rather grievously, Zangulus noted.  A bloody gash ran from just under his right eye to his chin.  Another light wound marked the boy's abdomen.  But the worst of it was his shoulder.  It looked as if someone had gouged a large hole in his upper arm and blood flowed freely, staining his formerly blue shirt a bright red.

Zangulus snapped his fingers in front of Lina and the boy's faces.  Neither acknowledged him, instead focusing on their test of wills.  He began get even more concerned when he saw Lina start to cry and the boy grin evilly.  Apparently, Lina was losing whatever contest they were having.

"Damn it, I want some answers," Zangulus snarled as he drew his sword.  The boy seemed to be the most suspicious of the lot, so Zangulus put his sword to his throat.  He thought for a moment that the child's eye had twitched, but it might have been a trick of the light.  "Hey," he said gruffly.  "What are you doing to her?"  He reached out to grab the boy's shoulder when the child suddenly came to life.

"Zangulus, you bastard!" the Hellmaster snarled as he released his hold on Lina, "Can't you see that I'm trying to work?!"  He bit Zangulus's outstretched hand, drawing blood. 

Zangulus yelped in pain and snatched his hand back, minus a bit of flesh.  He took a step back and tried to raise his sword, but Phibrizzo had already pounced and was now attached to his chest.  "By Ceiphied!" he shouted as he dropped his sword.  Both of his hands were now occupied with the task of keeping the child's thrashing talons from reaching his eyes.

Phibrizzo giggled madly and leaned forward.  He opened his mouth to reveal bloodstained teeth and shrieked, "Got your nose!" before biting down hard on Zangulus's face.

Zangulus snarled and pulled Phibrizzo away from his face.  When the Hellmaster leaned forward to bite again, Zangulus flung his head forward and smashed the child's nose to a bloody pulp against his forehead.

Hellmaster was thrown free of Zangulus and landed roughly on his back.  He reached up to cup his gushing nose and snarled at Zangulus, "You son of a bitch!"  His voice had a nasal sound to it as he stated the obvious, "You broke my damn nose!"  He cocked his head as if listening to something and shouted, "Shut the hell up, Phibrizzo!  I'm sick of your whining!"  He prepared to pounce again, but Zangulus had recovered his sword making him think twice about it.

Zangulus wiped blood off his own injured nose and growled, "If you don't think that I'll kill a kid than go ahead and jump you little bastard!"  He stepped towards Phibrizzo and raised his sword.

Phibrizzo cowered like a cornered animal and hissed at Zangulus.

"No!" Lina yelled desperately, "Don't kill him Zangulus!"  She flung herself into Zangulus, knocking him off balance before his sword could fall.

"What?" Zangulus asked, briefly turning his attention away from his foe.  "Why not?!"

Lina glanced at the wounded Phibrizzo and said, "I have to try to save him!"

Xellos shook his head sadly and whispered, "Oh, Lina," before turning and disappearing from his vantage point on the roof.

Hellmaster grinned and prepared to pounce on the distracted swordsman, when a wave of dizziness overcame him.  He looked down and saw the puddle of blood forming at his feet.  He looked at his foes and saw, to his dismay that they were recovering from his manipulation.  He glanced at Gourry nervously.  Soon, the Sword of Light would be lit again and then…  "Oh damn," he muttered, "Guess it's time to retreat."  He waved at the group cheerily.  "Until next time," he chuckled, "Bye now!"  He turned and darted across the street into the darkened fairgrounds.

"Stop him!" Lina yelled as she took off after Phibrizzo. 

"Make up your mind," Zangulus retorted before running off after her.  After a moment the others followed.

Zanafar had just finished caging the animals for the evening and was headed back to his wagon for a rest when he saw a strange sight.  Amelia and some other people were chasing a wounded boy towards him. 

"Excuse me," Phibrizzo said calmly as he ducked under the legs of Zanafar.  "In a hurry."

Lina had a sudden flash of inspiration.  "Hey!  That kid took my coin purse!" she yelled while pointing at Phibrizzo.  "Stop him!"

Zanafar turned impossibly quickly for a man of his size and scooped the fleeing Phibrizzo up in one enormous hand.  He lifted the boy until they were face-to-face and rumbled, "Did you take that lady's money, little sir?"  He frowned and waved a finger the size of Phibrizzo's wrist in the boy's face.  "That's not a nice thing to do."

Amelia shouted, "Zanafar, don't do that!" but her warning came too late.

Zanafar had brought the childlike demon within striking distance.

Hellmaster hissed and thrust his clawed fingers into Zanafar's eyes, causing the giant to bellow like a wounded elephant.  He leapt from Zanafar's hand and landed roughly on the ground.  He rolled for a moment before coming to rest on his wounded shoulder.  He hissed in pain as he stood and resumed his escape, moving a little slower now.  "Okay," he begrudgingly admitted to the child screaming in his head, "It hurts a little."

Amelia stopped her pursuit and placed a comforting hand on Zanafar's arm.  She asked, "Zanafar, are you alright?"

"Forget him Amelia," Lina called over her shoulder as she continued the chase.  "We have to get Phibrizzo!"

Amelia stared at Lina uncomprehendingly.  How could she be so cruel?  She whispered, "But Zanafar…"

Zanafar growled in pain and shook his head.  "Don't worry about me little Amelia.  I'll be fine."  He blinked a couple of times, noting that he still had some vision in one eye at least.

Zelgadis grabbed Amelia's hand and pulled her away from Zanafar before she could protest.  He growled, "If we don't stop him more people are going to die Amelia."

Hellmaster continued his conversation with himself as he scrambled over a fence and crossed another street.  He huffed, "I know it hurts.  But life hurts, you know?"  He bumped his shoulder on the wall as he ran into an alley.  Pain shot through his body.  "Be a man about it.  I mean, come on.  I've seen worse.  Hell, I've done worse."  He glanced over his shoulder and saw the Slayers enter the alley behind him.  He noted, to his displeasure, that they were gaining ground.  He yelled, "Damn it Phibrizzo!  Why are your legs so short?"  He saw a homeless man leaning against a wall ahead of him and smiled before nodding, "Yes, I know you're a child, but aren't you due for a growth spurt or something?  I mean, you're practically a midget!"  He pulled a handful of coins out of his pocket and scattered them as he ran past the homeless man.  "A gift from the Dark Lord," he hissed.

"Bless you son," the old-timer wheezed as he gathered the coins.

Hellmaster snarled, "Why does everyone say that?  Why can't people just say thank you?"  He ran out the other end of the alley and looked around for a moment.  He was getting tired and couldn't keep this up much longer.  He grinned when he saw a passing horse and carriage.  He sprinted into the street and leapt on the back of the cart.

Lina and the others plowed into the man crouching in the alley a moment later.  Chaos ensued.

Lina hissed in pain as the weight of four people came to rest on her injured back.  "Gourry, get off me!" she yelled as she struggled to get out from under the pile.  She turned to see the unlit Sword of Light inches from her face and said, "Hey!  Point that thing somewhere else!"  She saw Phibrizzo collapse in exhaustion on the back of a cart making its way down the street.  She slammed her fist down on the alley floor and yelled, "Damn it!  We're going to lose him!"

Gourry said, "Sorry, Lina, but…  Ow!  Zangulus your elbow's in my eye!"

"I can't help it," Zangulus snarled, "These two are about to break my arm!"  He glared at Zelgadis and Amelia who were above him in the pile.

"Amelia would you please get off of me?" Zelgadis implored.  "Why are you just sitting there?  You're on the top."

Amelia surveyed her surroundings and nodded, "Oh, right!"  She braced her foot in the middle of Zelgadis's back, much to his annoyance, and leapt forward off the mass of tangled limbs.  She hit the ground running and reached the street just in time to see the cart disappear into the night.

When Lina and the others finally made it out of the alley, the coach was long gone and so was the Hellmaster.

************************************************************************

"Now take it easy for a couple days and you'll be fine," Sylphiel said as she finished applying a bandage to the gash on Volun's forehead.  She sighed in exhaustion.  It had been a long day at the clinic and she was the last one still working. 

Sylphiel smiled at Volun warmly and helped him to his feet.  "Now isn't that better?"

Volun gingerly touched his injured head and grinned.  He said rather loudly, "That's amazing Miss Sylphiel."  He stood up and grabbed his helmet off a nearby table.  "I've never seen a better healer.  Not that the greatest guardsman in Sairaag often needs a healer, mind you.  Why just the other day I was facing down twenty, maybe even thirty villains when…"

Sylphiel chuckled as she pushed Volun towards the front door of the clinic.  She spoke loudly to be heard over his story, "That's very nice Mr. Volun!  Now if you don't mind, it's very late and I'd like to lock up for the evening."

Volun stopped talking for a moment and looked around with a concerned expression on his face.  He muttered, "You know, a young lady really shouldn't be out alone this late."  He smiled and said, "Perhaps you'd allow me the honor of escorting you home?"

Sylphiel shook her head and smiled.  "No thank you Mr. Volun.  I appreciate the offer, but my house is only a few blocks from here.  I'll be fine."

"Oh, well then perhaps you'd allow me to take you out for some dinner?  There's a really nice seafood place about a block away.  Maybe…?" he said leaving his question unfinished.

Sylphiel chuckled embarrassedly and struggled to push the much larger Volun out the door.  "No thank you.  I'm not terribly fond of seafood.  Besides, I ate a little while ago.  Have a good evening Mr. Volun," she said quickly before shutting the door in his face.

Volun's muffled voice could still be heard.  "Well…  How about some drinks?  There's this quiet place just down the street…"

"No thank you!  I don't drink!" Sylphiel called out as she leaned against the door.  She listened for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief as she heard Volun's heavy footsteps moving down the street.  He was a nice enough man, but he was so loud and boisterous.  Nothing at all like her Gourry dear. 

Lost in thought, Sylphiel didn't think to lock the front door behind her.  She sighed and began to check the office to make sure that all the lights were out and the windows were shut.  She was checking the clinic's stock of bandages in the storeroom when she heard a loud crash in the front room.

Cautiously, Sylphiel poked her head out of the storeroom and looked around.

The front door was wide open revealing the dark street outside.  A gust of wind slammed it into the wall again making Sylphiel jump.

Sylphiel ran over to the door and struggled to push it shut.  She shivered slightly as the wind blew across her face.  It was strange for it to be so cold in the middle of summer.  She sighed in relief as she finally managed to shut the door and lock it.  She wondered briefly how the door had come open.  "You're being foolish," she chided herself as she put a hand on the wall to steady herself. 

There was something wet on the wall.

Sylphiel snatched her hand back as if it had been burned.  She looked down to see fresh blood on her palm.  "Oh my," she said, "Is that from Volun?"  But she knew it wasn't.  The blood wasn't even tacky yet.  It was from a few seconds ago at the most.  She looked at the wall and saw a bloody handprint.

A child's handprint.

"Sylphiel…" a voice hissed softly.

Sylphiel jumped at the sound before laughing nervously.  It had been the wind.  That had to be it.  The wind outside had picked up and it just sounded like someone was saying her name.  She looked at the bloody handprint nervously.  The wind certainly hadn't done that had it?

"Sylphiel…" the voice repeated from inside the room.

Sylphiel trembled as she turned from the door.  That hadn't been the wind.  Her eyes widened as she noticed the trail of dime-sized drops of blood on the floor.  She knelt down and, her hand shaking, reached out to touch one of the droplets.  Fresh.  Her eyes followed the blood trail behind the counter of the reception area.

Sylphiel briefly considered yanking the door open and running out into the street, but shook her head angrily.  If there was someone here, and that was almost certain by this point, they were wounded and needed her help.  That was what she was here for, right?  She cleared her throat and called out timidly, "Hello?"  Stood and took a cautious step towards the counter.  "Is someone there?"

The sound of labored breathing drifted out from the shadowy alcove. 

Sylphiel briefly wondered why they hadn't kept the area better lit as she took another step closer.  "Excuse me, are you hurt?" she asked leaning forward to look behind the counter.  She yelped in fear at a sudden movement from behind the counter.

A bloodstained hand slammed a knife down on the countertop.  After a moment, young boy's head, his hair matted with gore and his eyes feral, appeared in front of the startled Sylphiel.  He stared at her for a moment before smiling wildly.  He hissed, echoing her question, "Are we… hurt?"  With a grunt of pain Phibrizzo dragged himself the rest of the way onto the countertop revealing the sad injuries on his body.  He looked up at her, their faces mere inches from each other, and gasped, "What… do you think?!"

************************************************************************

Next Chapter:  Sylphiel in peril and the Slayers regroup.

Author Notes:  Hmm, does anyone actually read this part?  It sometimes feels like I'm rambling aimlessly (I am) and not making any sense at all (I don't).  Anyways, I enjoyed writing the bit about Luna and the whole segment about Lina's past.  The Gourry part was good too.  Reread the end of chapter 9 and you'll notice that the whole thing was pretty much told from Gourry's perspective.

Reviewer Response:

Slash, it's not easy updating as much as I do.  I'm starting to slow down a bit so no more two chapters a week unless I enter another obsessive writing frenzy.  You didn't believe that Lina was dead, huh?  I thought it was pretty convincing myself.

Dragonet, yep she came back.  Never went away really.

Pogo, thanks for the chocolates!  No Zelas yet, but who knows right?

Miss Gabriev, it was creepy huh?  Cool!  Glad you liked the Phibby bit, and hope you enjoyed him in this chapter.

Zaber, don't you ever stop?!  Call Xellos off please!  Although I must admit, I do like a good roller coaster.

Otaku girl, you must have really enjoyed chapter 8 huh?  *snickers*  Lina and Sylphiel scenes?  Hmm, I don't know.  Things are looking pretty dark for Sylphiel don't you think?