AN:
Important note! I've missed one chapter, the story about reuniting frineds is actually Chapter Three, while there are still a bit going on in Chapter Two: Further South.
I apoligise, the secnd chapter was already added.
Previous AN: Time for all of the four friends to meet again. Which means the gang meeting Zel, since Amelia, Lina and Gourry had already met.
But before that, Zel would have some rather unusual meeting. And let me get this straight, it's not that I was planning this person to meet him, it just happened to write itself.
Enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own Slayers, all credits belong to Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi.
Chapter 3
Reunion
Zelgadis Greywords wasn't a very happy man right now.
To be honest, he was hardly ever described as 'happy', but sometimes he was just less unhappy then he was right now.
It had been two weeks when he had come to Ryouma city, and still he didn't get much further than he had been two weeks ago. Neither sorcery stores nor taverns had provided him with any information about Earthlord Rangort. He would give up and left the city to travel even more South, yet there were pretty nice sets of libraries, he would like to visit. Even if he wouldn't find anything about his cure, he could perhaps find some clue how to open the wooden chest he had found in Cursed Tower.
Zelgadis sighed.
The lack of any progress was so frustrating that tonight he didn't go to the library. Instead he entered some decent looking tavern in order to get a drink or two. Or the amount that would be enough to make him sleep.
He tried to enjoy his whiskey while reading about the creation of spells, when someone stood in front of him casting a shadow on his table. Zelgadis looked up just to meet cerulean blue gaze of some unknown woman.
She was very tall. Dressed as sorceress, yet the outfit was really revealing. She must have a lot confidence in her defending skills to let so many parts of her body uncovered. Despite the vulgarity of her attire, she made a very nice impression and somehow, she resembled him of someone.
The second look revealed that she wasn't as old as he though from the first glance.
"I can keep you company, if you buy me a drink." she chirped.
'Great', Zelgadis thought gloomily. "No, thank you."
"OHOHOHOHOH~!" the girl's high pitched laugh made him cringe. "Waiter, a drink for me." she ordered, gesturing towards the bartender. She turned to Zelgadis. "One would think you have a better offer."
She sat opposite to him and closed his book. "Besides I'm doing you a favour."
Zelgadis rolled his eyes.
"In what regard?" he asked harshly, hoping this tone would discourage the girl.
"Take a look around." She gestured. "No one is sitting here alone. Lonely stranger is very suspicious in here. Sooner or later someone would call the guards."
"I can handle it." He answered with irritation.
"Yes, I guess you can, OHOHOHOHO~!" She laughed again. "But it still will make you thrown out."
She might get a point.
Zelgadis had only chosen this place because it was the closest one to his inn. He decided it wouldn't be wise to get himself drunk in opposite side of the city. Sure he had noticed that some people were staring at him suspiciously and he couldn't deny that he had felt some hostile atmosphere. Although he rather had connected it to his look than to lack of company.
"Ah, thank you~!" the girl chirped to the waiter, who brought her quite big glass of wine. "He's paying for it." She pointed at Zelgadis.
"Sir?" The waiter asked for confirmation.
Zelgadis pulled out some money and paid. All in all, he really didn't want to look for other place.
"But you won't bother me so I won't bother you." He said to the girl.
She smiled, but it wasn't a charming smile. "You could at least introduce yourself."
"Why for?"
"Geez… What a gloomy one." she sighed theatrically. "Maybe I'm interested." She smiled flirtatiously.
"I'm not." Zelgadis cleared.
The girl rolled her eyes. "Not your type, OHOHOHOHOHOHO~!" she teased. But her next words were spoken firmly: "Aren't you a travelling mercenary? Maybe I need one. I'm paying well, but I do not hire nameless people."
Zelgadis shot her a glance. "I think that you're capable of taking care of things on your own. If you're dressed like that, you're not third rate sorceress."
The girl sighed. "I take it as a complement."
"Besides, right now I only work for myself."
"Geez… So cold." she whined. "I am Nagha the Serpent, by the way. So would you tell me your name or do you want me to call you Stone Face? OHOHOHOHOHO~!"
"Can't you go bother someone else?"He tried to sound coldly to not show how much her statement had bothered him.
"Sheesh, and I wanted to help you." she rolled her eyes.
"I thought, that you wanted to hire me." He rose his stony eyebrow in questioning expression.
"I've heard that suspicious guy is looking for some magical places." She smiled, then she turned and gestured the waiter to bring her another drink. "About a day trip long there is a nice lake between the mountains. A very strange temple is standing on the island in the middle of it."
"And you're telling me this, because?"
She shrugged. "I like tough cases. And you are one, so I thought I slip a hint to you, Stone Face."
Zelgadis cringed at the Stone Face.
The waiter brought the drink. Nagha turned to him. "Besides you're paying me for information." she gestured towards the waiter.
He wasn't going to pay for her drinks any more, but the information about the temple awakened his curiosity. It might be connected to Earthlord Rangort. And even if it wasn't, it might be worth to check it. Temples in outer world usually were useless but not every of them. The one created by ancient race, the moving ruins, held pretty strong magic. If there was a temple so close to Earthlord Dragons it also might contain strong magic and by that, it would be worth to explore.
Considering this, he pulled out more coins and paid.
When the waiter was gone, Zelgadis captured with his chimeric hearing that the man was mumbling something about 'lucky bastards'.
"What else can you say about this temple?"
"OHOHOHOHOHO~! So now, you're interested." she grinned. "I've been there looking for a treasure, so if you think about treasure hunting, it's a lost case."
Yeah, she looked like someone who wouldn't give others valuable information before checking if she could get from it something on her own. He had travelled with Lina so this didn't bother him. Treasures were nice because they might be magical artefacts, and if not, they could still pay for lodging, meals and information, but… It wasn't his main goal.
"Then why would I find it interesting?"
Nagha tapped the cover of the book he had been previously reading.
"I think that if you want to get to some root of magic, this would be your place."
He took a moment to think the offer through.
Eventually he pulled out the map and straightened it on tabletop.
"Where?"
"OHOHOHOHOHO~! Not so fast. I only had two drinks."
Zelgadis groaned quietly and gestured at the waiter. When said appeared at their table, he ordered the whole bottle of wine for the lady and paid for it. Ignoring the comments about getting lady drunk, he pulled the map closer to his interlocutor.
"Where?" he repeated.
She pointed at one of the mountain lakes. It really looked like a day long trip, or much shorter if he used Ray Wing.
"Thank you." He nodded with acknowledgement. From the moment she had joined him it was the first time he actually sounded like a nice person.
Zelgadis got used to fix his businesses rather harsh. The information he usually was paying for weren't coming from polite schoolboys that were on top of their class. Usually his 'trading' partners weren't feeling obliged to be nice to him as well. Due to his berserker's look, some of them were more harsh than others, but it was the way things just were.
He rolled up the map and put it into his bag.
"That will be my cue to live." he nodded Nagha for goodbye, just when the waiter brought the alcohol. "Hope you'll enjoy your evening."
At the sight of sly grin on Nagha's face, he cringed. "You, too, Greywords-san."
He stopped.
She knew his name.
He turned back towards her with his eyes open wide. She grinned and it definitely wasn't a warming smile.
"How do you know my name?" he asked a little harshly, hitting the tabletop with fist. The gesture was rather empty. He couldn't get the information from her by force, not in a tavern full of people who were again looked at him suspiciously.
Her grin only widened, as she calmly poured the wine. She took her time filling the glass, then she lifted the glass against the lights to look at wine colour, finally her attention focused back on him.
"You know," she said provocatively, a glint of mischievousness sparkled in her eyes.. "Imagine, how much fun you will have, trying to find out."
Zelgadis decided he could grab her and shake to get some sense into her head, but that wouldn't grant him neither the answer nor the sympathy of the crowd. And if some of them had got the information about Earthlord's Sanctuary, it probably would be impossible for him to get it in future after displaying such behaviour. Considering this, he decision was to leave.
The air outside welcomed him with the coolness of spring night.
He didn't feel like getting back to his inn yet. But wandering around this city suddenly didn't seem to be the best idea either. He also didn't feel like make himself drunk.
Perhaps the best option was to take some necessities from the inn and set off to the temple. The night was still young.
He was still weighing his options when a shy voice called him by his full name. He turned around just to see a young boy, about ten, maybe even younger.
"What can I help you?" Zelgadis asked neutrally.
His senses were put in alert.
It might be just a casual ask for help, but it might be a distraction. If the later was the case, he wanted to be prepared.
Slowly, to not catch the boy's attention, he put his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Sir, I have a message to you from Earthlord's servant." He seemed excited saying this, which make the whole thing plausible. Becoming Earthlord's messenger must be exciting thing for a boy his age.
"What is the message?" Zelgadis asked, not moving his hand.
"Here." the boy handed him a rolled cloth, tied up with red ribbon.
Zelgadis, still on full alert, quickly untied the ribbon and stretched the cloth.
In the dim light of street lamps Zelgadis just barely noticed that the letters on the cloth were golden. It looked more like burnt out than written with some kind of ink.
It didn't take long to read the short message.
"Greywords-san
The access to the Sanctuary of Earthlord Rangort has been granted.
Your appointed guide becomes Zaboravi Es Hadron"
Zelgadis looked at the boy suspiciously.
Was this child the guide, that suppose to take him to the sanctuary?
It wasn't like he hadn't met a powerful Mazoku that had been disguised as a young boy. But things like that to happen twice would be extremely odd.
"Hadron-san also wanted me to tell you that he will meet you in exactly two weeks at about dinnertime in Slaughter's House."
The boy bowed politely. Zelgadis thanked him for the message and turned his gaze back to the written message.
Few thoughts passed his brain.
First, that the boy wasn't his guider, which actually due to the law of probability was quite predictable.
Second, as annoying as it was, he still would have to wait for two weeks for the access to the sanctuary.
And finally, since he knew that sanctuary existed and that he would have to wait, he had time to visit the temple. So perhaps his idea to start off tonight was still the best one.
Nodding to himself, Zelgadis rushed towards his inn.
Saying that the temple was located in small island was an understatement.
The temple was the island.
Zelgadis had to admit that during his travels he had never seen anything like this before. Not because it was a miracle of the nature or the exceptionally beautiful example of the sacral architecture. Actually it was completely opposite.
From the first glance it was the ugliest building he had ever seen. And considering how many slum quarters he had been able to visit, it was already saying something.
It had the shape of a cube.
All walls were covered with rectangular holes, some of them were reaching the ground, which probably made them doorways. If Zelgadis was familiar with unfinished European communistic block of flats, he would find some similarities.
Dull light grey colour caught his eyes at the start, although Zelgadis must admit in broad daylight it might look more white
The exterior was nothing compared to the interior though.
There were walls everywhere. Walls and passings to be more precise. Whoever built it probably had never heard about symmetry and aesthetics. Nothing in the structure of walls and passings were predictable. Walls were empty, layer of dirt were separated from layer of damp by ribbon of fungus.
Floors turned out to be surprisingly solid, but that was the only positive.
Zelgadis was wondering if he supposed to cast lighting spell, not sure it light would improve the view or opposite, it might emphasize the ugliness even more.
According to his calculations it was already past sunset, but here in mountains, he still had time before sun would be up enough to bring some more light.
He looked up, to check if there was a second floor and finally he had found something that actually caught his attention.
The ceiling looked like it was mostly made with ventilation shafts. As he walked more further he noticed that all those shafts were falling inside with different angles. Some of them were even laying perpendicularly.
The place was large enough to take Zelgadis some time to walk through it fully. It might by just a stroke of luck that he had found himself in the central chamber just when first sun rays emerged from above the mountains tops. The beam of light passed through one of the shafts and reflected on the wall.
Zelgadis gasped.
Under the touch of light strange symbol appeared. Like someone lit up the spell to make a glowing letters. The more rays entered the room, the more symbols showed up. Eventually the whole wall became covered with it. And then another one, and another. In short time every wall in the temple had the sequence of those strange symbols lit on them.
Zelgadis couldn't recognise the symbols, yet the way it was arranged seemed like it was some kind of alphabet. Even if he was tired just before, right now he felt a rush of energy, shooting through him. He fished into his bag to pull out his notebook in order to capture as much writing as it was possible.
Much later this day, Zelgadis set a camp at the lake. As close the temple as it was possible. The signs vanished with the last ray of sun. To his frustration lighting spell wasn't able to bring them again. On the other hand tiredness had captured him a while ago. He hadn't rested after his journey, due to the light spectacle and he hadn't had a chance to rest the day before, since he had decided to travel at night.
But when the camp had been already built, Zelgadis found himself still awake.
So many things had happened lately.
He couldn't remember when was the last time he could spend a peaceful evening. Probably last time he had been in Seyruun.
Thinking of Seyruun had brought him to think about his friends. It wasn't first time he was wondering how they had been doing. He could bet his hand that Lina and Gourry were still travelling together. And he was more than certain Amelia was home carrying on her priestess duties.
He wondered how long it would take his letter from Ryouma to get her. It had been sent almost just after his arrival to the city, but the road was long and correspondence in this sides was travelling from hand to hand. He had cast a spell to be sure no one else would have opened it, it didn't change the fact, that the distance was still significantly big.
He had to admit that he wasn't especially effusive in his letters, but he knew Amelia was worried, so he was writing to her quite regularly. Just to let her know that he was all right and to share his new leads with her. He usually tried to write more about facts, but with her replies she always managed to ease most of his worries and frustrations. Although he was damn sure that he didn't write a single word about his current concerns, yet she always knew.
So, he kept writing to her and he caught himself waiting for her answer more and more eagerly with every letter he sent.
'Lina would laugh in my face if she knew.' he thought bitterly.
ACHOOO! Lina sneezed.
She wondered who was thinking about her, but shrugged this thought off.
The place they had been was almost a paradise. The city had so many variations of food, that it was hard to decide where to start. Well, today it was too late to try eat somewhere else than their inn, but tomorrow, just wait!
According to the guy they had met on the road, Genravia was a capital of gourmet food. There were restaurants almost everywhere. Each offering a various food. If not the fact that at this time of a day those places were already closed, Lina would demand to visit every place before even carrying about lodging.
Amelia sighed, seeing her redhead friend making plans for tomorrow. Before she knew it, she found herself standing on the balcony, looking at the full moon. It was already quite low, brushing the top of the trees on the horizon, and it had the orange colour.
The princess smiled, remembering the time when Zelgadis had explained her why the sun and the moon had become so reddish while rising and setting. She wished he was with them now. She kept forgetting how hard dealing with Lina could be sometimes. And even if Zelgadis wasn't very fond of some subjects she was bringing up (just like Lina wasn't), he at least could make a nice, interesting conversation that didn't involve scolding, hitting and shouting. In time like this his cool mind would really be helpful.
She sighed.
She worried about him, no matter how great swordsman and how wonderful sorcerer he was. To make the matter worse, the last letter Amelia received from him had come about one and a half month before she had rushed to her mission. Highly probable was that the next one was on its way or maybe it was already at home, and she was too far to get it. She only hoped that whatever he had written to her, wasn't something that needed an immediate replay.
"I hope you are all right, Zelgadis-san." she whispered to the wind.
Time passed so fast that Lina and Amelia barely noticed as they reached Ryouma City. It was the capital city, almost as large as Seyruun, though less friendly. People were too busy here to pay attention at the others, and for Lina, Gourry and Amelia it was really hard to find any trace of Filia. It was almost unbelievable how a girl like Filia could walk through the city unnoticed.
They had been looking for her for all day, since they had got to the city. Asking people, vendors, bartenders, priests, kids and bandits. They had even split up, to cover the more places, since it really was a huge one. And still no luck. When they had finally meet in the inn with so promising name 'The Ryouma Hall', they were so whipped off that they didn't have any more strength to look for a good tavern, and they decided to eat in the closest place, even if the name 'Slaughter's house', wasn't encouraging.
The place itself also didn't gain their trust. Dim lights weren't lightening the corners very well. The room was filled with cigarette smoke and the faint scent of alcohol. It looked rather like a meeting place for people who didn't want to be seen or recognised, than a decent tavern. Though there were some people who were eating late dinner there. But most of visitors were staying in the dark places, covering their faces, or looking suspiciously from under their hoods.
Honestly, Lina wasn't afraid of any suspicious figures. She was hungry, and actually all suspicious people should be afraid of her in that very moment. But even she felt the pressure of this tensed atmosphere. Instead of marching inside violently and demanding everything edible as fast as it was possible or even faster, she followed Amelia and Gourry to the cleanest table not saying a word.
"Strange place." Gourry decided, taking a seat with the full view on the room.
"Yeah." Lina agreed. "I feel observed."
Amelia shuddered. "It's not the place where I would willingly want to spend my free time." she added.
"Too late." Lina muttered, taking a look around.
All those people who were watching them from the moment they had entered to the moment they had sat at their table, got back to their own business already. Lina looked towards the kitchen, wanting to find a waiter, and she felt a strange feeling of something familiar. She turned her head to the place this feeling was the strongest, but nothing caught her attention.
Finally the waiter came, bringing them the menu cards. Lina wasn't going to break the force of habit, she didn't even open the menu, she just ordered everything, insisting to make it quick.
Amelia sighed. She was as hungry as Lina, but mostly she felt worried, and this feeling pushed the hunger aside. When the waiter brought the first dishes, she barely touched the food, nibbling it with her fork for as long as Lina decided that the princess wasn't hungry, and she took care of her helping. Amelia didn't even protest.
"What's wrong with you?" the sorceress asked, between bites.
"I wonder what happened to Filia-san." she answered. "Why..." She stopped and looked at her friend with annoyance. "You at least could listen to the answer, since you've asked, Lina-san!"
"Huh?" Lina muttered with her mouth full of delicious roast, she was too busy to pay attention.
"Never mind. Amelia huffed.
She should have known better than bringing up the conversation during the meal. But Lina was the one who asked...
Eating the full course took some time, and when Lina put down the water carafe, with a happy smile on her face, Amelia had a speech already prepared in her mind. She opened her mouth to share her doubts with her two friends, but she screamed instead, feeling that someone was touching her shoulder.
"Easy. It is just me." said a familiar voice.
Zelgadis noticed them the same moment they had entered the 'Slaughter's house'. He was going to call them, or walk to them, but recognising the hungry look on Lina's face, he decided to wait.
Hanging around Lina and Gourry during meals was rather an embarrassing experience. Why would bother with dealing with it, if he could come to them after they satisfied their hunger? He might as well wait for the guider in their company, and he actually doubted the dragon would show up today. It was very late already.
He chuckled observing how these two hadn't changed at all. Well physically speaking, it had to be said that while Gourry really looked the same, Lina did changed a little bit. Her face looked more mature, and even if she was acting so foolish, like she was right now, fighting with Gourry over the food, she still seemed to look more grown up then the last time they had met. That also went for her breasts' size. Some people were often teasing the sorceress of looking not cute and unfeminine, but he had to admit that even this changed slightly. It seemed to be the sum of her behaviour and this more mature look, the chimera decided. Back then, to look as a cute girl, Lina had to dress herself in some fancy dress, and even then, she had to wipe the signs of her temper off her face. Her behaviour, though still violent and ill-tempered rather emphasised her feminine nature now.
Zelgadis laughed in his thoughts. He had to admit to himself that this long and careful observation of Lina was supposed to keep him as long as it could from taking a closer look at the last person that had entered the tavern with them. The person that had changed the most from the time he had seen her...
Amelia was now taller than Lina. It was pretty easy to notice, since when they had entered, these two girls were walking next to each other. Her face looked really mature right now, probably because of her haircut, since she couldn't grew up that much for just a half year. It was surprising how much the short hair emphasised her sharp jawline, slender neck and smooth shoulders. She had to shortened her bangs also, to match the length, and that made here eyes even bigger and bluer.
He almost chocked himself realising how much Amelia resembled a person he had recently met. It wasn't the resemblance he would want to find, yet she and Nagha looked strikingly similar.
On second thought, the outlines might look similar, but the gentleness and modesty that Amelia was gifted with was her huge advantage. Although he wondered how she would look like dressed in Nagha's clothes…
'Better don't go there.' he warned himself.
Just to be safe, he turned his attention towards Gourry, noticing the weapon his friend had been carrying. It didn't look very special in any way, he the deduced that Gourry's search for a weapon that would replace his Sword of Light was rather effortless.
But what they were doing here?
And why was Amelia with them?
Eventually there were no more things to eat on their table, and Zelgadis rushed towards his friends. He wasn't especially quiet, but his silent footsteps were blending in the noises the other people were making. No wonder that when he put his hand on Amelia's shoulder she screamed with fright.
"Easy." he tried to calm her with his cooled voice. "It's just me."
She turned on her seat immediately, looking at him with wide eyes.
"Zelgadis-san, I'm so happy to see you." she said cheerfully, astonishment in her gaze changed into happiness, before she crushed him in very enthusiastic hug.
"I am too, but Amelia... I am unable to breathe." he spluttered.
Amelia didn't look at it, but she was really strong. And every time she was that close to him, she had a tendency to choke him accidentally. No matter if it was a simple hug, or if she was grabbing him from behind, trying to prevent him from doing something she wouldn't appreciate.
"Ah... Sorry about that." she smiled apologetically, releasing her grip.
"Yo, Zel." Lina waved at him.
"Zeldigas, what are you doing here?" asked Gourry with surprise, shaking his friend's hand.
BOINK
"And what are you doing here, you moron?!" Lina mumbled, hitting Gourry in the head. "He also must get Filia's letter. Besides it's Zelgadis."
"Filia's letter?" Zelgadis looked at the three of them uncertainly. "Is that the reason why all of you are here?" he asked all of them, but particularly Amelia.
The princess nodded, but the uncertain tone of voice of her chimera friend had to alarm her.
"You did get Filia-san's letter, didn't you?"
Zelgadis shook his head.
"All right, better sit down. Both of you. We really should think about Filia's situation."
They obeyed. Amelia sat back on the chair she had been occupying before, and Zelgadis took a seat next to her.
Looking at her her friends, Lina noticed that Amelia seemed to be happier now, than during past few days. Nothing new, she had been very fond of their chimera friend from almost the beginning of their acquaintance. Zelgadis from his side, looked a bit nervous and a little bored. 'Strange combination' Lina thought, yet she hadn't missed the fact, that since he had come to them, he was taking a careful look around. Twice.
"Where have you been that you didn't get Filia's letter?" Lina asked him. She really was curious how it was possible to not get that message, the person who was delivering it to her and Gourry seemed to be very determined to do his job.
"Travelling." he answered casually.
"And what do you think we were doing? Running out Phil's budget and patience in Seyruun?" Lina felt annoyed. What kind of answer it was anyway?
"Rather not, since you weren't there when I was leaving." Zelgadis noticed calmly.
"Argh... Don't interrupt me! The messenger who delivered us the letter told us that he had been looking for us in eight towns before he had caught a trace of us. You see that we also were travelling, but still he managed to find us. Were you avoiding him or what?"
Zelgadis sighed. He really wished to know what Filia had written, that made all of them rush South so feverishly. But he got a feeling that if he started to explain Lina what he had been doing for the past months, they wouldn't go anywhere close to this point. He turned his head to Amelia.
"Amelia, tell me what was in Filia's letter that put you in such alert. I don't think I can get that information from Lina."
"Don't ignore me, moron!" Lina hissed, but Zelgadis ignored her completely, focusing his attention on the princess.
"Right, Zelgadis-san." Amelia nodded eagerly. "It..."
But Lina didn't like to be ignored, and before Amelia had even a chance to come with the answer, she fished the crumpled message from her pocket and shoved it straight into Zelgadis' face. "Read by yourself!"
One look was enough to read the short message signed by Filia Ul Copt. His eyes widened in shock, when he realised the meaning of these five words.
"Is it real?" he asked with a doubt.
"Yeah." Lina answered with a shrug. "Apparently it is. I thought it was some king of trap, since Filia always seemed to me as a person who loved to write long letters. But we visited her store, just to find out that she had already rushed looking for Val. The trace was supposed to lead her to Ryouma, so we followed her."
Gourry, who was nodding for the whole time when Lina was talking, now looked at chimera with confusion.
"But what brings you here Zelgadis?" the blond swordsman asked again.
Lina grabbed him by the collar, pulling him closer to her, that she could be sure, he wouldn't be avoiding her threatening gaze.
"We already told you, you jellyfish brain! He's for the same..." The grip on Gourry's collar loosened, as Lina paled slightly. It lasted few seconds, after which the sorceress managed to gather herself back. She patted Gourry on his back approvingly. "Good question, Gourry." She turned to Zelgadis. "Go ahead, Zel! We want some answers at least!"
Zelgadis shrugged. Lina was really fired up, and refusing to do what she wanted was practically pointless. She wouldn't listen any of his reasoning. Besides it wasn't a secret.
"I'm looking for a way to turn my body back to normal." he said.
"I know that much!" Lina yelled. "I mean why here?"
"Why not?" He answered with a question. "I've never been here before and it's as good place to look for leads as any other."
Lina sighed heavily. Talking with Zel sometimes really needed some patience. He was avoiding giving her clear answers, and she couldn't blame him that much. Every time they joined his searches for a cure, it finished with some kind of disaster. It didn't change the fact that Lina liked to know what was going on around her. She looked at their chimera friend with determination to find out what he was up to, when she caught a glimpse of Amelia's annoyed stare.
"Fine. I leave it for now." she gave up. "Better say what do you you think to do with this?" she pointed Filia's letter.
"It is hard to believe that it could happen." Zelgadis admitted. "Why would anyone want to kidnap Val?"
"What do you say about Xellos?" Lina suggested.
Zelgadis' eyes narrowed. "Xellos... Of course." he agreed harshly. And then he felt Amelia tugging the rim of his sleeve. He looked at her with a question. "Huh?"
"Zelgadis-san, do you really think that Xellos-san could do something like that to Filia-san?" she asked looking a bit starry-eyed.
He rolled his eyes, recognising this look. She was really so naïve sometimes. "Amelia, a golden dragon and a Mazoku? Not gonna happen."
"But Xellos-san cared about Filia-san." she protested.
Her eyes were shining and Zelgadis knew that if he didn't say something quickly, she would give them hell long speech about tragic love, justice and how true friend supposed to help to reunite those two 'cursed' lovers. Should he agree with her? But her reasoning was silly...
"A-Amelia... M-maybe it's not the time to think who and why, but think how to find Filia." he breathed out, hoping it wasn't too late.
"Right!" Lina waved her clenched fist in the air, showing her fighting spirit. She sent Zelgadis a look that was saying 'good work'. "But I'm still thinking it was Xellos." she added with a wink.
In the same moment a tall man stepped closer to their table. He was wearing dark brown coat, with the hood pulled so low, that they all could see only his lips. When he began to speak, they noticed his elongated fangs. And then, low bass that balanced on the brink of audibility, hung around their table, when the man said - "It wasn't Xellos."