Chapter IV

Author's notes: Okay, okay! It's late, I know! Please, don't hurt me! From now on, I'm going to try and begin working on a sort-of schedule. Sort-of referring to the fact that it will be rough, probably un-understandable (not sure if that's a word or not, but oh well!) to anyone but me, and more-than-likely, I wont be able to keep up with it.

Either way, I promise, chapters will come faster!

BTW, I am currently working on a new story. Check the bottom Author's notes for more info.

Now, onto the story!

To say that Zelgadis was surprised by what lay before him was the understatement of the century. As he stared into the "cave", which now resembled a countryside sitting atop a large, rolling hill, he could have sworn that he just switched dimensions. He was supposed to be in the middle of a dark, wet cave! Not in the middle of a bright, sunny pasture filled with horses grazing.

Lina, however, simply turned to him and chuckled, "Close your mouth, Zel. You're letting flies in."

Zel could only stutter incoherently as his already stressed brain attempted to process this new information. If he hadn't of been under so much pressure (not to mention sleep-deprived) he more than likely would have come up with something rational and understandable. But, under the current circumstances, he came up blank.

Finally, he remembered that he had someone with him that did know what was going on, and so, he turned to said person and raised an eyebrow in a confused manner.

Lina, almost reading his mind, smiled. Glancing at the sight before her, she felt almost… refreshed.

Before her sat the place she had grown up in. She had seen it many times, and yet, this time, it was different. It was still the same place, the same old hill, same old lake, and same old forest at the edge of the town. Even the town looked like it hadn't changed. Every building stood in a familiar spot, and she found herself remembering so many things.

The smell was still the same: a distinctive mixture of a variety of flowers, pinewood, fresh grass, and animals. She welcomed it. The sounds, too, were the same. The market in the background, people chattering and laughing, the horses patting their hoofs against the dirt ground, the chickens clucking, everything was the same.

Closing her eyes, her smile grew. A soft, gentle breeze blew across the pasture, and the grass fluttered against it.

Lina had always imagined what it would be like to return home. She had imagined a mixture of feelings, ranging from fear to sadness. She had never thought it would feel like this. She felt… right. She felt like she was home.

For the first time, Lina felt like she was where she belonged. She felt like she was in the right place, at the right time. In a way, it scared her. But it was welcomed fear. She realized she had missed the rural feel of home.

Realizing Zelgadis was still awaiting his answer she turned to him. To anyone not from the area, seeing a sun in the middle of a cave was probably pretty unsettling.

"Think of it like the dimensional pocket in my cape, and then make it bigger." She explained with ease.

Zelgadis took a moment to comprehend this new information before nodding in understanding. Something immediately caught Lina's eye, and before he could say anything, she had already skipped off to admire it. Rolling his eyes at how easily she was pleased at certain times, he turned and looked around, getting a good look at his surroundings.

It was beautiful. The sky above had never been so blue, and the grass had never looked so alive. He could see in the distance what looked like a large lake next to a beach. Leading into the beach was a huge field, covered with flowers of all colors and sizes. Turning around, he continued to admire the area, until he came to face the glimmering metal tip of a sword.

Soon, other swords followed, and he found himself surrounded. His sharp hearing caught the sounds coming from the town a distance away. A bell was chiming, and people were making panicked sounds.

The people before him were all dressed in strange outfits; three woman and two men. Two of the girls, one tall and the other short seemed to completely contrast each other. One had dark brown hair in a set of pigtails that curled down and stopped just before her shoulders. She wore a yellow dress that came up to above her knee, and brown boots that stopped a few inches away.

The other, the taller of the two, seemed older, even if only by a year or two. She had short blonde hair that was pulled into a clip, and simple brown eyes. She wore a pinkish red dress that was much more modest than the other girl.

The two men were also rather different. One had blond hair that came up in sharp points, with a strange design painted onto the side of his face. He wore a tight black shirt with a red vest over it, and loose shorts that came down a bit too low.

The other wore a similar black shirt, but he wore tan pants, white gloves, and a long red trench coat. He had red hair that was pulled into a short ponytail.

The final member of the group was a woman who was obviously older than the others. Though Zelgadis couldn't sense a strong aura around her, he felt a chill run down his spine as he looked into her cold, golden eyes. She reminded him of Xellos. She even had the short purple hair. However, one glance at what she was wearing and one would question their sanity. She wore a short, pink skirt with a white apron around it: a waitress outfit.

The purple haired woman, who appeared to be the leader of the group, shouted some commands in a language Zelgadis couldn't understand. Turning her attention back to Zelgadis, she glared and sharply shouted at him, "Intruder! What business do you have here?"

Zelgadis had no idea how to respond to this. However, he knew this woman had little patience by the way she glared at him. Even though their swords wouldn't affect him, the magic spell placed on the leader's sword more than likely would. He could sense the power of the spell; a powerful sorcerer had done it.

Just where was Lina, anyway?

"Hold it!"

Speak of the devil… Zelgadis thought as Lina immediately took a place before him, in front of the leader (and her sword).

"I brought him!"

The leader's eyes narrowed. "And what business do you have here?"

Lina held her head stubbornly, glaring. "Lina Inverse, second sister of the Inverse Clan."

The leader raised an eyebrow, "Proof?"

Lina smirked "You of all people shouldn't need that, Luna."

Luna herself raised an eyebrow, before relaxing. "At ease. She's defiantly my sister."

As the group visibly relaxed, the girl in yellow turned to look at Luna. "If that's the case, then I request permission to pounce."

Luna chuckled, "Permission granted."

And so, the girl pounced. She did not jump, nor leap, nor tackle. She pounced, with as much grace as a cat. Zelgadis had never seen Lina's expression change so fast. It went from relieved, to panicked, to happy in five seconds flat. If it even took that long. As she and the girl wrestled around a bit, Luna moved to look over her sister. She smiled, but it soon faded into a frown.

"We'll talk later, Lina." Lina instantly paled at this remark. Luna ignored her look of terror. "I get off of shift tonight at 7."

With that, the older Inverse sister turned on her heel and began to walk away. However, she paused slightly, and looked over her shoulder.

"You'd better be there this time, Lina."

And then she walked off. The rest of the group looked around in a bit of confusion. Most of said emotion was aimed at Zel. After Lina had finished with the girl in yellow, she stood up and brushed herself off. There was an awkward pause, before the entire group, with the great exception of Zelgadis, broke into chatter.

Zelgadis himself listened, and sure enough, in the background he heard the sound of a bell chiming, and the sounds of the town returned. His hunch had been right. The bell was form of warning system. When it was heard, everyone rushed home. He turned his attention to the people Lina was talking with.

Except for these four… he thought.

Soon enough, their chatter died down, and Lina turned towards Zelgadis. "Zel, these are my old friends." She motioned towards the group before her. Everyone greeted him, and they began to walk towards the town.

Zelgadis himself grew a bit nervous. He hadn't thought about the town. And, the fact that Lina had forced him to promise not to wear him hood, at least this time, was not good. He turned his attention towards Lina again, who was not so patiently waiting for him to snap back to reality. Raising an eyebrow, she shrugged and turned back to her friends.

"The one in the yellow-" she motioned towards the girl that had pounced, "is Mira. The blond guy is her older brother, Valn. The other guy is Tak. And the final girl is Netal."

The group nodded, and they continued walking. Finally, they reached the area just outside of the town. The girl, Mira, turned and smiled at Lina.

"Welcome home."

Author's notes: YAY! I finished it! I think this chapter is a little longer than the others… Anyway, Oh my god! I had FOUR reviewers! Yay! Please review.

Irusta- There you are! I thought you might've lost interest… it's good to see your review!

Mysticalflame- Yes, I am the evil cliffhanger lady! Ha ha. It's real good to see your review. Thanks.

Samanda- Like it so far? I hope so Sammy! It's wonderful to read your review.

Lina Gabriev- Zel became a prince when he married Amelia. I hinted at this in QFK. At least, I think so… Either way, about the Xellos thing. I mentioned that Xellos was dead in the first chapter of QFK. However, he will make an appearance in this story. How? I'll explain it in a later chapter.

Anyway, as for the new story I mentioned: I'm planning on revising Skating Dreams. I know a lot of people loved that story, and when I discontinued it, many were disappointed. However, it's coming back! I'm just… not sure when…

Happy Valentines Day!