In Another Life

Chapter 3

The Joy Of Confrontations

The world's shaking. Grrr... I fling my arm out to stop the world. And hit something.

"OW!"

Make that, someone.

"Miss Lina? Does this mean you're better?" they remove their hand from my shoulder.

I groan. That has to be the world's most chipper voice on the planet.

"Ughh." I groan again.

"Such intelligent responses."

And that has to be the world's most sarcastic voice.

I crack open an eyelid. "Shnizbucket... what hap-" I squeak when I take in the people surrounding me and I scramble/scoot away from them unsteadily. "Who- -" I look frantically from one person to the next.

"Miss Lina?" The girl with the short black hair looks worried again. Amelia. She looks like Amelia... but at the same time, different. Then again, I suppose not looking like some painted picture helps a lot with changing a person's perspective. "What do you remember? Were you attacked? Did you eat something strange?"

"Lu-Lina?" I repeat. "I- -what- Me? I..." Okay James, think! What is going on here? A dream? It has to be!

Wait. I think I've thought that thought before.

"I'm..." The four people are staring at me expectantly. "I ha-had a - uh- a bad dream." How lame of an excuse is that! "I guess it clung to me when I woke up. You- you know what they say..." I laugh weakly, "A person isn't responsible for any physical reaction they have up to thirty seconds after they've woken up."

Yup. They think I've lost it.

What on earth would make them back off? Am I really who I think I am? Only one way to find out...

"Leave me alone or I'll dragon slave you?" Note to self: Next time make it sound more threat less question.

Amelia, I'm assuming it's her, could be wrong. I mean, how often do people land in anime worlds? Mary Sues don't count. Anyway, Amelia seems to buy it. Gourry seems to buy it. Zel and Xell? Well... they had more in common then names that sounded similar when shortened. Xellos slit his eyes open just barely, and in my direction, oh joy, then closed them. I'm sure my heart stopped.

Zelgadis raised an eyebrow. "Really? A dream? Where we were... a story?"

"My subconscious wishes for the darndest things..." I laugh weakly. My heart feels like it's pounding so hard that it could burst free. I wipe my sweating palms on the shorts I'm wearing and stand up. They had laid me down in front of my tent after I had passed out. Or so I am guessing. Xellos is quiet but his head is still turned in my direction. And had his eyes been open I would think that he would be trying to figure out a puzzle. But I was the puzzle. "I... is there... I wanna freshen up- Amelia?"

I'm hoping I don't have to ask directly, 'Where's a stream or nearby river?', simply because I don't know what Lina knew. I don't know how I wanted her to answer a question I wasn't asking, but maybe someone would take mercy on me.

"Oh, I already freshened up. But we'll break down camp while you get dressed." she offered, smiling brightly.

"Th-thanks." I grit out. I kneel and crawl into my tent and search around, boots. Clothes. I dig through the backpack. Brush. Soap. Towel.

I crawl out with the items cradled in my arms and take a peek around. Gourry and Amelia are busy breaking down their tents. Zelgadis must have done his before I woke up, because he had nothing but a bag by his side. He was sitting stirring a pot of food. My stomach rumbled violently. Zel looked up and cocked an eyebrow. "Food first?"

"Uh... no. I can wait. My stomach just thinks it's hungry."

Big mistake.

Amelia Froze. Gourry dropped a tent pole on his own foot. Zel dropped the spoon into the pot.

"M-miss Lina?"

"WHAT?" I snap irately. She shrinks back. Ah, Lina Inverse personality beginning to build. I pick a direction and storm to it.

"Miss Lina," she sounds reluctant to speak to me, "Th-the lake is that way."

I glance. Oh. "I'm taking the scenic route!"

Gourry works past his shock to a state he's normally in; confusion. "Barefoot?"

If only I could throw a damn fireball- - I feel a sudden burning sensation within my stomach and through my fingertips then suddenly the dirt around him explodes in a puff of dust and fire. He shrieks and jumps back and I drop my boots in shock, my mouth agape. Did- - had I done that! It looks like it had been more scare tactic then physical damage.

"That's a new spell." Zel comments with dry amusement.

"That is what you meant to do, right Miss Lina?" Amelia asks hesitantly.

"THAT WASN'T FUNNY, LINA!" Gourry shouts at me.

I pick up my shoes and quickly leave. Without answering them.

Oh no oh no oh no. This is - - beyond normal. How did I get here? Why? And why was I in Lina's body!

I walk for about five minutes before I find the lake. I take off my shorts and hop into the red pants and then walk over to the water and dip a part of the towel into it. I wipe down my face then dry it. Nope. Still in the middle of the woods. I shake my head and go over to the clothing. Socks... I put them on, then the boots. There's no bra. What the hell? No bra? I look at the yellow piece that I know she wears around her chest. Maybe that's why she has this.

"I'm so screwed." I sigh. I am about to remove my sleeping top when I feel a prickling on my neck. I hesitate. "Who's there?"

I turn around, no one in sight- -

That must mean..

"Xell? Is that you?" I glare. "Xellos, no one appreciates a voyeur. So go the hell away."

"How did you know I was near?"

I screech and whirl around. "XELLOS!" I put a hand over where my heart should be. "Could you at least make noise and pretend to be human!"

He raises both eyebrows, then slowly opens his eyes. "Now what makes you say something like that... Miss Lina?"

Holy hell, his eyes really are slitted. My mouth parts and I emotionally withdraw into myself. "I- - don't know what you mean- - it was just an expression."

Stupid heart, I feel like I could throw up, faint, and scream all at once. Somehow, if I actually manage that, I don't think it would be as amusing as it sounds.

"What do you know?" he asks softly.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The words are thick in my mouth and hard to get out. I back up towards my clothes. "Quit freaking me out or I'll scream for the others."

"Would you really want to do that?" he follows my steps. I open my mouth to answer but he continues, not expecting an answer, "I am very curious. Why is it that you have a translation spell on you? It's one of the most complicated ones I've ever seen. And the strongest. It wasn't until I heard the word Dragon that I noticed a twisting of the spell. It's woven so thickly and masterfully around you, that only the strongest of sorcerer's or demons would have been able to notice it. In fact it was only when you used a chaos word that I was able to notice it at all."

"Ch-chaos, word?" I struggle to remember where I've heard or read that phrase.

"Chaos words are what activate our magic. Well, most magic. Demons and a few dragons don't really need the chaos words, per say. Those who don't house the knowledge of the power words within themselves and are able to reach through- - well you know the rest. You have been studying for far longer then most people realize, I'm sure."

"You mean, 'Fireball' is a chaos word?" I try to not look too confused. He smiles and closes his eyes.

"Well, to a point. But the true chaos words, are the ones that draw from a power beyond any others. It is a language that died long ago. You know of course how there is a staff holding up the world and so on, and of course that there are other worlds, ne?" I nod, it seems he's gone from interrogator to story teller (for the moment, at least). "The people in this other world spoke the language of chaos fluently, though there were other languages as well. They were a people who could not access the magic, in fact, their world drained so much magic just to stay alive, that magic was all but impossible to perform. I understand that occasionally magic could be performed, but the reason why is vague at best. They were destroying their world, and to survive the damage being done to it, the world had to drain the very magic from the air. From the people. Just to supply the silly humans with everything they pulled from it. Daily. Those people were specially chosen and made, why or for what, or by whom is unknown, but what is known is that most were destructive, so in the end it was best that they were unable to perform magic like us. No one knows how our world came to know such things, but a long time ago a higher power came into this knowledge of the language, and one thing leading to another, the humans here have learned a spattering of it and now use it to summon up spells."

"Oh." That was... Interesting. So why was he telling me this story? He smiles suddenly and steps towards me.

"So..." He breathes out the word with a sigh. I back up until I'm sitting on the rock with my clothes on it, leaning back away from him. He's now leaning over me, completely invading my personal space. He grabs my chin in his gloved hands and is staring into my eyes, "I must ask you, why?" Why? I was lost trying to follow his conversation. His ability to change topics was astounding. But it seemed he didn't care if I was clueless. "You never needed a spell like this before. You're behavior has also changed drastically this morning from the way you were last night. You couldn't even remember where the lake was. And I know for a fact that you spent an hour bathing in it last night."

I'm going to die. The way he was acting... maybe Lina didn't know he was a demon yet. Maybe this world was completely it's own and therefor I have nothing to base my actions on. For all I know Amelia and Gourry were lovers, Zelgadis evil, and Lina the flunkie. I doubt it, but at this point it was still up in the air.

"I told you that little story for this reason, if I'm not mistaken, which I am very sure I'm not, I do believe the language your little spell is translating for you, sounds very... very, familiar."

I bite my tongue to keep from saying anything without thinking first. What should I do? What was he getting at! Lina wouldn't be this cowardly. I couldn't take this lying down-! Er, leaning back.

"What does it matter?" I spit out, terror was just a bit easier to deal with when focused into anger. If Xell really was a demon though I had little chance of hiding my emotions (negative ones anyway) from him. "So what if I cast a translation spell on myself and woke up on the wrong side of the bed! That story has nothing to do with me. And I could have made the human comment to anyone being so stealthy that detecting them was all but impossible!" I put my hands on his shoulder and shove upwards. It is like pushing against a wall. The only thing that happened was I ended up losing my balance and falling back onto my elbows. I clench the cloth bunched up beneath my one arm, just to focus on something else.

He was tilting his head at me, curiosity was there, but I had a sick feeling he was enjoying this- - instilling fear in me. Well, that was a demons turn on/food. What floats his boat would sink another's while in harbor.

He leaned till his nose was nearly touching mine and I felt my fear and something else curl in my stomach. Dammit. Anything but that type of emotion! What kind of sicko would be attracted to this kind of situation and behavior!

Obviously I was that kind of sicko. I clench my eyes shut and will that away. This wasn't a game. He was a demon. Would eviscerate me before something like that. Old nuns, dead puppies. Old nuns, dead puppies. Old demons, soon to be dead fake sorceresses. Any minute I'd open my eyes. I'd open my eyes and I would be gone. Not here, not here.

A puff of air brushed against my face, I could feel his presence practically overwhelming me.

Author Notes: Creative Liberty. I've made it that English is the 'Chaos' Langauge. Why? Because while watching the Japanese Dub I realized the 'activation' words were either English or bastardized English... So yeah. No this is not Mary-Sue/Xell. Xell mind ucks anyone who's a threat or a curiousity or breathing.

Oh God. I just want to be back in my own body again!