Ghost Slayers

Chapter Fifty-two

By Relm

After seeing your boyfriend disappear before you very eyes and then find out that it was an evil book that did caused it one could be very upset and easily frightened. Such was the cause when it came to Naga after Sailune theatre was cleared. Val was still missing and probably bodiless and there was an evil body stealing book on the rampage that could be anywhere. Naga was beside herself with fear. In this sort of situation Lina would offer to let Naga stay with them in Ghost Slayers HQ for the night. However usually it was a close friend she would offer this to and not a person that pissed her off and Ghost Slayers HQ wouldn't be crawling with ghost like creatures. Seeing Zelgadis, Xellos or Gourry in their see through state probably would upset Naga further. This didn't stop Amelia from trying to plead her sister's case.

"C'mon Miss Lina! Why can't my sister come back to Ghost Slayers HQ with us? She's very upset! She shouldn't be alone!" Amelia protested.

"I don't care she's not coming back to HQ with us!" Lina shouted back.

"Why not?! She's scared!"

"And that's exactly my point Amelia! If she's frightened now how do you think she'll react when she sees Zel, Gourry or Xellos? And Slimer? How do you think she'll react to him?!" Lina snapped. Truthfully she had actually forgot about Slimer right until she started talking. 'Yeah Slimer would really freak her out... Actually that might be fun to watch...' Lina couldn't help but smirk a little.

"We could warn her about them, about Slimer. In fact I'm sure my sister will like Slimer he's such a friendly ghost." Amelia pleaded.

"Slimer is friendly but he ain't no Casper. Amelia don't even try and rationalize your way into letting her come with us."

"But Gracia shouldn't be alone right now!"

"Then stay with her!" Lina shot back. "Go home with her or take her back to your place if you're so worried about her."

Amelia frowned. She didn't want to come right out and say it but Amelia herself was a little scared. This book could be anywhere and Amelia would have rather be around a lot of people. Being with someone who was frightened that she had to make feel better when she didn't even all that great wasn't something Amelia was looking forward to. Amelia was too freaked out herself to really babysit her older sister. She knew it was just silly of her because she was a Ghost Slayer after all and should be used to scary things. But some habits die hard.

"Miss Lina wouldn't it better if we all stayed in groups of three or more?" Amelia suggested inappropriate small little voice.

"Why?"

"Well safety in numbers right?" Amelia laughed nervously.

Lina just shook her head. "You're scared aren't you? For crying out loud Amelia don't be such a chicken. I highly doubt the book will show up at your place and you really shouldn't be afraid off ghosts." Lina chided in disgust.

"Please could someone come with me? I don't want to be alone with my sister!"

"And there lies the problem; no one wants to be alone with your sister." Lina joked.

Amelia looked to the others hopefully but all she got was cringing in response. "Fine I'll take Gracia home. But I'm calling if there is anything spooky that happens!" Amelia threatened them.

"And I will have my phone shut off." Lina joked back in response.

"Miss Lina!" Amelia screeched in protest.

Lina rolled her eyes. "Fine call me if anything goes wrong."

"Miss Lina what about the book though?" Sylphiel finally piped up. "Shouldn't we figure out where the book is now?"

Lina shook her head. "To be honest Sylphiel I'm far too tired to even think about that stuff right now. Chances are our brains will be too muddled to even come up with any real possibilities right now. Better we get some sleep and deal with the problem tomorrow."

"But Miss Lina what if the book attacks again tonight! How can you just sit back idly and do nothing?!" Amelia exclaimed.

"I wouldn't be sitting idly I'd be sleeping." Lina darkly joked back.

Both Sylphiel and Amelia groaned.

"Seriously though when has the book attacked right after it attacked someone else?" Lina mused. "There's a good chance that the book needs some time before it actually establishes itself in a new location."

"That or it waits till it can get its victim alone." Filia added with a dark edge to her voice. She wasn't happy one bit about this situation at all. Even though she wasn't on the greatest terms with her step-brother she still wouldn't wish any ill will on him. The thought that he was wandering around lost in his mind and without a body made Filia feel very uneasy.

"If that's the case then why did it attack your step-brother with Amelia's sister in the room?" Sylphiel wondered.

"I doubt that he was the original target. The book was probably after Amelia's sister and grabbed Val instead. And the book was probably got tired of waiting. Who knows how many times it already tried to attack Naga? If it had tried multiple times and was getting frustrated then maybe it figured it was okay if there was a witness because the book was going to disappear right afterwards." Filia rationalized.

"That or the book was trying to get two victims instead of one." Lina interjected.

"Either way the book is clearly getting bolder or more powerful. Is it really wise to wait until tomorrow?" Amelia whined.

"Amelia I've made my decision and that's final! If you want to think of where the book might be while you're at your sister's home then go for it. But the rest of us are going to go back to Ghost Slayers HQ and/or our homes to get some sleep. We'll start fresh tomorrow morning."

"What about Val?" Naga spoke up quietly. She hadn't said much of anything since they got outside the theatre. Even as Lina and Amelia were talking about Naga didn't seem to hear or care. She was just so quiet lost in her own mind. It was so rare to see her not be so loud and brazen. This Naga was meek and silent. "Aren't you going to find him?"

"We will Gracia but in the morning." Amelia reassured her. "It's really late and I don't think we can really check all the places we need to when nothing is open."

"That and Val isn't going to aware of the passing of time. He'll just be going through a loop." Lina added.

Naga frowned but didn't say anything more on the subject.

Once plans were in order all the Ghost Slayers and buxom actress piled into the Ghost Slayersmobile to leave. Naga didn't drive to work (she had intended to get drunk after the play as it was) so there was no worrying about extra cars. Sylphiel was going to pick up Amelia in the morning and then they were going to work out where they thought the book might go next.

Sylphiel, Lina and Filia could have gone to their homes after they got back to the Ghost Slayers HQ parking lot but they were all too tired. There were showers in the building and they all had extra clothing in the lockers so there was no problems with them staying. The biggest issue would be food but they had eaten prior anyway.

"I feel like I could sleep for a week!" Lina groaned as she and the others climbed the stairs.

"You really should get that elevator fixed." Filia added with just as much enthusiasm.

"Tell that to falling plaster. I think the walls would disagree."

"Well then replace the stairs with an escalator!"

Lina just shook her head.

Upstairs the other 'residents' of Ghost Slayers where still in the tv room hanging around. Zelgadis was reading his paper, Gourry was asleep on the couch and Xellos and Slimmer had clearly been up to something as they jumped when the others came in the room and hid something. Both of them looked mischievous/guilty.

"Do I want to know what they were doing?" Lina asked Zelgadis.

"Not really." Zelgadis replied in a dry voice.

"I think I should keep Slimer away from Xellos. They are clearly bad influences on each other."

"So was Filia's step brother attacked by the book too?"

Lina nodded. "It looks that way."

"Where is he?"

"I have no idea. This is the first time the book has attacked someone with someone else in the room."

"That you know off." Zelgadis corrected her.

"True. There could be other victims. Still I don't know where Val could be."

"Well aside from me the Gourry and Xellos gravitated to people they close to so wouldn't Val do the same?"

"If that's the case then it's either Filia or Naga. He was with Naga when he got attacked so I guess he'd show up around Filia...?"

"Then he could already be wandering around Ghost Slayers already."

"Let's hope that's the case. I really don't feel like looking all around Sailune for that grump."

...

"Gracia don't you have any tea or anything to drink that isn't wine or liquor?" Amelia asked as she looked through Naga's kitchen.

"OHOHOHOHO! Why would I need anything else?" Naga called out from her bedroom.

"Because tea calms a person's nerves when they are tense."

"OHOHOHOHO! So does wine my sister. And I'll expect a glass ready and waiting for me when I come out!"

"Which one do want red or white?"

"I don't care! As long as it's booze it doesn't matter."

Amelia looked at the vast array of wines Naga had to choose and felt her head spin. She wasn't a wine drinker so Amelia had no idea what to grab. There was another problem Amelia had to face, how would she open a bottle once she chose one? Amelia picked up one of five different corkscrews Naga had and Amelia's stress level went up higher. She had no idea how she was going to open the bottle.

Looking back at the wine Amelia almost sighed with relief. She saw right away one bottle with a screw top. Amelia didn't care if the wine was good or not that's the one she was going to open.

Naga came bursting out of her bedroom wearing very sexy black lingerie. "Servant girl get me my wine at once!"

Amelia frowned at Naga. "You know I don't like it when you say things like that to me."

"Oh Ame don't be so serious! And pour yourself a glass too. I don't want to be drinking alone." Naga ordered Amelia not giving a choice in the matter.

"Fine. But I'm going to go to the bathroom first." Amelia announced as she got up. In reality Amelia didn't actually need to use the bathroom, she just wanted to wash her hands. She figured that if she took long enough that Naga would have finished off the wine before she got back.

This was actually the first time Amelia had been in Naga's apartment as her sister had just moved into it recently. So when Amelia went to open the door she thought was the bathroom she was instead greeted with sight of a linen closet. Sheepishly Amelia grinned and closed the door. As she turned around she was greeted with an even more alarming sight. A transparent Val standing buck naked in hall toweling himself off with an equally transparent towel.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Amelia screamed.

...

Too tired to even make it to a bed Lina was near comatose laying on the couch of the Ghost Slayers HQ tv room. Her phone sat on the coffee table beside her so in easy reach in case of a call. Lina however wasn't expecting a call so when her phone started to ring and danced across the table Lina cursed. "What?!" Lina growled into her phone.

"Miss Lina! He's here!" Amelia's panicked voice rang through Lina's phone.

"Ughhh... Who?"

"Mister Val!"

"So?"

"What do I do?"

"Do you have your equipment?"

"Yes."

"Is he transparent?"

"Yes."

"Is he giving off thermal readings?"

"Yes."

"Then zap him! You have your equipment with you! What's the problem?!"

"The problem is he's NAKED Miss Lina!"

"Completely naked?"

"He's only got a towel on and he's not even wearing it!"

Lina let out a dark chuckle. "Zap him anyway. I'm going back to sleep. See you in the morning." Lina hung up her phone before Amelia could protest. 'I'm evil.' Lina smiled an evil smile as she drifted back off to sleep.