Sylphiel sat at the table, stomach cramping. Lina griped loudly between gulps of tea, "-Can't believe that he's alive again! Spouting that stuff about Flagoon and Chaotic Balance! As if he knew what he was talking about," she shouted for the sixth time. "And I fell for it!"

Tears stung Sylphiel's eyes as the latest storm raged outside. She could feel the feedback from Flagoon. Fear. A jolt of shock every time lightning struck. Wild terror nearly overtook her as a bolt hit one of the trees out in the forest. The trunk split down the middle and the whole thing toppled over, falling apart as it went, fire sputtering on the top. The terror continued to rise in the back of her mind to a level that began to affect her. She hunched lower in her chair, beginning to shiver.

Another crack of thunder and Lina looked over, "Sylphiel... Sylphiel! What's wrong?"

Biting her lip, Sylphiel's eyes watered, "It's ...Flagoon- I- he's terrified!" Her hands curled on the hem of her shirt, and she hunched lower in her chair, "Mrs. Lina! I- can't... I can't leave him out there!"

Taking a breath, Gourry stood and headed out of the room, returning with Lina's cloak and shoulder guards and his sword, the latter of which he attached to his belt. "Then we'd better go before the storm gets any worse." He smiled at Sylphiel, coming around to place a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, we'll find him for you."

Sighing, Lina donned her gear and headed towards the backdoor, opening it and getting a blast of cold stinging raindrops in the face. Looking back, Lina pulled a face, but headed out into the storm anyway, followed by Gourry. Taking a shivering breath, Sylphiel pushed herself to her feet, "Wait- I'm coming too!" Running to the front room, she grabbed up her shoes and pulled them on, hopping on first one foot, then the other, and pulled the back door closed behind her, jogging through the wall of freezing rain to catch up with Lina and Gourry. Lifting a hand Sylphiel cast her own lighting spell, since Lina's, though bright, hardly illuminated more than ten feet around them. Her other arm lifted to shade her eyes from the rain.

There was another jolt of terror from Flagoon as a bolt of lightning hit the ground some distance off, but it was close enough for the thunder to immediately follow. Sylphiel sniffled, eyes stinging with tears. "I shouldn't have thrown him out," she sobbed, barely audible in the storm as they struggled to get to the edge of the trees.

"Look, you didn't know he was afraid of storms," Lina replied and Sylphiel didn't refute her, "but I don't understand why he would be. Unless it's Rezo who doesn't like the storms."

Gourry wiped his soggy bangs back from his eyes, "Storms like this hit trees all the time," he pointed out with far more intelligence than he usually displayed.

Lina peered back at him, "I guess you're right, lightning's already struck one tree in this forest too."

A sob wracked Sylphiel as a particularly strong gust of wind whipped past, and somewhere in the forest a branch broke and crashed to the ground. "That sounded like it took half a tree with it," Lina commented.

"Mrs. Lina- I can't feel him anymore!"

Though they tried to pick up the pace, it was difficult going in the dark with the rain pouring down through the trees, unabated by the partial shelter of the thick cover of leafless branches. The lighting spells cast weird shadows on the ground and between the trunks of trees and patches of thick underbrush that clutched at the trio every step of the way. The leaves underfoot were slick and they lost their footing nearly once every ten or so steps, but slowly, they made progress, finally coming to a stop where half a tree had indeed fallen. It was an old tree, rotted and dead, and firmly blocking their path, partially propped up on the top-side by a few branches of a neighboring tree.

Turning, Sylphiel stumbled off down the trunk, climbing amongst the leafless branches, trying desperately to see under the trunk, fearing the worst. Behind her, she could hear Lina and Gourry following, Lina cursing the fallen tree when she tripped over one of the branches. Reaching down, Gourry pulled her to her feet again, and they caught up with Sylphiel just as she spotted the pale hand that was sticking out from beneath a tangle of branches. "No!" Sylphiel sobbed and knelt in the muddy leaves, reaching down to take that cold hand, "Flagoon- Flagoon- I failed you!"

Lina, dissatisfied with their find, reached around the shrine maiden, glove pulled off, and placed her fingers upon his wrist. "Sylphiel, he's still alive. Just knocked out, I think. Let's see if we can get him out from under this damn thing and see how bad he really is."

Clinging to that small hope, Sylphiel wiped her face on her sleeve- a failed gesture as the rain continued to pour down on them. Without being asked to, Gourry took a position beside the tree and set his feet, face turning red as he strained against the weight of the fallen half of the tree, but slowly, it lifted and Lina sent her lighting spell further in. Flagoon was partially face down in a muddy rut, but a dip in the land had saved him from more fatal injuries, since a broken piece of a branch had nearly skewered him, leaving a bloody tear in the back of his shirt. A bleeding cut on his temple was the only other injury Lina could see.

"It looks like he tripped and got conked in the head," Lina told Sylphiel and slithered under the trunk, "Gourry! A bit higher, please?" she shouted and the swordsman gasped for a breath and put his back into it.

"Hurry!" he gasped, "This thing's heavy!"

Sucking a breath of her own, Sylphiel sprawled on her belly and slithered beneath the tree after Lina, catching hold of Flagoon's shirt as Lina pulled at his legs. Together, they managed to move him, but that was more because the ground was so slick; he slid better. "Let it go, Gourry," Lina called one they'd pulled Flagoon from beneath the tangle of branches.

With a bang and crunch, the tree dropped and Gourry collapsed to his butt in the mud, panting. Again, Sylphiel burst into tears as she leaned down to listen for breathing. Swallowing, she held her own breath and listened as hard as she could, but the results were still the same. "He's not breathing, Mrs. Lina. I'll have to give him mouth to mouth."

"Better hurry it," Lina replied, "the storm's getting worse and we've still gotta carry him back."

Taking a deep breath, Sylphiel stared at the face of her family's murderer, the destroyer of her home and life. It had taken a lot for her to pick up what she had left and make something of herself after the disaster, it had taken everything she had- every scrap of willpower to keep going. And now... now she was forced to save his life again, because... because she wanted Flagoon back, and he had the ability to take that from her again. "I hate you," she whispered, and leaned down, adjusting his head and making sure his mouth was clear before placing her lips to his and beginning to force him to breathe again.

Two rounds, and he still hadn't come back, even with Lina casting a healing spell on him. Sylphiel readjusted his head and tried again, and was surprised when he coughed a mouth full of muddy water into her. Gagging, she spit it out and sat back as he bubbled and finally coughed good and hard. "Let's go," the shrine maiden told Lina and the sorceress quit her spell and motioned Gourry over.

Hauling Flagoon across his shoulders, Gourry stood, hair muddy and hanging limp around his face and shoulders. Lina didn't look much better, and Sylphiel suspected she looked half drowned as well. Getting to her feet, she helped Lina up with a hand, and they turned, following the path they'd forged through the woods and storm back to the house. It was still difficult going and it was a relief when Sylphiel opened the back door and they tumbled into the kitchen. Struggling against the wind, Sylphiel shut the door and turned to look at the pitiful creature that was being hauled like a pack across Gourry's broad shoulders. Flagoon's lips were blue, but he was still breathing. "Follow me," Sylphiel told the swordsman, "Lina, you can take a bath if you want."

Nodding tiredly, the redhead wrung her hair out and turned, heading for the bathroom door while Sylphiel went the other direction, leading the way up the stairs and to Flagoon's room. Gourry eased his burden to the floor and Sylphiel, blushing stripped Flagoon's clothes for the second time and found a robe to start drying him off with. He was terribly dirty and beginning to develop deep dark bruises on his shins and arms, but once he was dry, Sylphiel pulled new bedclothes onto the limp, unresisting body and had the waiting Gourry pull Flagoon the bed.

"You're a real good doctor, Sylphiel," Gourry commented with amazement. "My mom was too. She used to do this for people who got caught in the snow on the mountains. Our dog would go find them and lead me and dad to them. We always gave them brandy when we found them. Mom said it was to help warm them up."

Sylphiel nodded, "good idea," she breathed, amazed to find out this bit of Gourry's past as well as hear sound advice spew from his lips. "I'll find something dry for you to wear too, Gourry dear," she told him and pulled out some of the clothes she'd selected for Flagoon to wear on a temporary basis and handed them to Gourry. "Here," was all she said and with that, Sylphiel left the room, heading into her own to pull out a loose dress for Lina to borrow. Back downstairs she went, knocking on the bathroom door and calling, "It's just me, Lina," before entering and leaving the dress on the bench. "I'll wash your clothes tomorrow," she told the soaking sorceress who gave a thumbs up from amidst the steam of the bath.

"Sounds great," Lina agreed.

Hesitating, Sylphiel stared down at the floor, finally realizing that she too was sopping wet and tracking mud everywhere. "...Thank you..." she whispered, tears stinging her eyes once more.

Shifting, Lina sat up slightly and folded her arms on the side of the tub, "Look, Sylphiel...I've been thinking: I know how much Flagoon means to you, and... I see the dilemma you've got. To keep the one, you have to accept the other. But think of it this way, Syl... Would Flagoon choose someone who would hurt you? Yeah, his track record isn't so great, but you're the last shrine maiden of Sairaag. Flagoon needs you as much as you need it, and that Kopii is just stuck in the middle...again."

Wiping her face, Sylphiel sniffled. "I- I- I ..." she stopped and took a breath, "I could accept the body, but- not him. Not Rezo. He destroyed my home, Lina, and laughed about it. I... won't... can't... throw him out again..." Taking another breath, Sylphiel lifted her head to give Lina a defiant stare, "But I won't forgive him."

Blinking lazily, Lina gave a slight smile, "I don't know about that. He is quite a bit different now. He made a joke about being a copy... Flagrezo? That's certainly the last thing I would have thought I'd hear him say." Lifting a hand before Sylphiel could speak again, Lina added, "But you have the right to be mad at him. I'm a little angry at him too, for having not told you in the beginning the whole truth. However, Sylphiel... you're soaking wet and muddy. Go get changed before you catch something."

Drawing a breath, Sylphiel dabbed her tears again with a muddy sleeve and turned, leaving the bathroom. It... helped, talking to Lina like that, she'd been told by another source the things she'd not wanted to admit to herself. It felt less like she was being too soft hearted when Lina told her to accept, if not forgive Rezo. Lina was right. To have the one, she had to take them both, even if it churned her stomach and made her want to throw up. Heading over to the sink, she poured herself a glass of water and rinsed her mouth out, trying to forget the taste of his lips- as well as wash out the gritty mud clinging to her teeth.

Gourry reappeared as she was hunting in the bottom of her cabinets for a flask of brandy she knew her father had hidden away. Finally, Sylphiel located it and got to her feet again, and paused long enough to pull off her sopping wet boots and dropped them by the door. Gourry was holding his wet clothes at arm's length and looking confused, so Sylphiel took the bundle and tossed it into the bathroom next to the door, atop Lina's muck covered garments, then headed up the stairs.

Again, she detoured, this time to her room, where Sylphiel changed into a loose soft, but warm nightgown that reached down to her ankles and had long sleeves. It was her winter nightgown, but she needed it at the moment. Nerves were taken in a death grip, and Sylphiel headed into the guest room with the flask of brandy, perching on the edge of the bed, she pulled Flagoon up partially and poured some of the alcohol into his mouth. He sputtered, but swallowed it, then gagged, briefly opening his eyes, and closed them again without even registering who was sitting over him. Sylphiel administered another swallow of the brandy to him, then let him lay back in bed, and on third thought, she took a swallow of her own and gagged as it burned its way down to her stomach, but it immediately took the hard edge off her interpretation of the situation. Getting to her feet, she collected her muddy clothes as well as Flagoon's and wove her way down the stairs to dump the new bundle atop everything else she had to wash. Rescues in the rain were very messy business indeed.

Gourry had retreated to the living room and restarted the fire, which was quite warm by the time Lina emerged from the bath and the swordsman took himself off to occupy the tub for a while. Taking a seat on the couch, Lina worked at brushing her hair, the firelight flickering off her beautiful bloody copper curls. Sylphiel sighed with envy as she took a seat nearby, looking down at a lock of her own bedraggled hair that had found its way over her shoulder. "Don't think that, Syl," Lina startled her by saying, "Your hair is pretty too."

"..." Sylphiel closed her mouth and thought about what she'd been about to say, then went ahead and said it. Lina was her friend, and... if you couldn't talk about things like this with your best girlfriend, then who could you? "I ...just think I'm plain, Lina. You might not have large breasts, but you make up for it in every other way." Sylphiel realized that she'd been crying a lot today and wiped her eyes again, "No one ever really notices me, but... no one ever forgets meeting you."

Leaning over, Lina lowered her brush, "It's because I'm pushy," she stated bluntly, "And loud. I know I am, I had to be if I ever wanted to be noticed with my sister Luna around. She could have had any of the guys in town... she... even stole my first crush, just because she could." Reaching over, Lina placed her hand over Sylphiel's. "I'm sorry about Gourry. I know ... I really didn't mean to take him from you." Lina tactfully didn't mention her observations of Kopii earlier and his reactions to Sylphiel, the shrine maiden didn't need that on top of everything else.

Somehow, Sylphiel found that she could smile, even if her vision was blurred by tears, "It's alright, Lina. I think you two are better suited to each other anyway. He's like your other half."

Moving closer, Lina hugged Sylphiel briefly, "But you gotta admit, sometimes he's dumb as a rock."

A laugh bubbled up from her stomach, and Sylphiel returned Lina's hug, "Yes, but that's what's so charming about him," she agreed, and they both laughed softly. Sighing, seriousness returning with her cleared vision, Sylphiel spoke softly, "You're such a wonderful friend, Lina... thank you ...for listening to me. Thank you for telling me what I... didn't want to admit. I might never forgive him, but I think, as long as he doesn't talk to me, I won't have a problem."

Lina gave Sylphiel another squeeze, then picked up her brush again and applied it to Sylphiel's hair, combing out the mud. "You're welcome," she replied with a smile. "I know you'd do the same for me- you have done the same for me in the past."

Gourry reappeared then, trying to pick apart a knot in his hair with his fingers, lacking a comb to use. Standing, Sylphiel brushed the mud dust from the leather couch cushion and smiled at Lina, "Still, thank you," she repeated and headed for the bathroom to make use of the tub for her second bath of the day.