Hello! Let's see… it'll be my birthday for at least a few more minutes. I really wanted to post this on my birthday, since it's one of my favourite chapters I've written so far. I hope others will enjoy it too! As always, I don't own anything, I'm just a fan writing some fiction.

24- Cutting Ties

Morning came a little too early for everyone's liking.

They shut the curtains and slept late.

Even the early risers amongst the bunch enjoyed a few extra hours of rest- though, when Pestis stumbled into the kitchen late in the morning, Zelgadis was already making breakfast for the group. While everyone else ate, Zelgadis and Amelia went out for a walk together. They didn't leave sight of the house, but they walked in circles around it for several hours. Pestis grew concerned at one point when he looked out the window and thought he saw Amelia crying. But the next time he saw them it looked more like a snowball fight and he wasn't worried anymore. In the meantime, Lina was awake by noon, and once she saw her friends having fun in the snow, she quickly grabbed her coat and ran out to join them… for three minutes until she decided it was too cold and returned indoors.

And so on went the day.

There was still a great deal of personal tension, but everyone seemed to agree that there were more important things to consider at the moment. It seemed odd that no one was really worried about what was going to happen. They all knew that they were going to have to confront Azarel, but they would be together. They might only be humans, but they were six humans- and Pestis, of course.

"Do you think Azarel is going to come to the front door, or…?" Lina ventured as the group finished eating dinner.

"I haven't shovelled the walk to the front door." Pestis replied, grabbing the stack of plates on the table. "It'll be the back door, if any."

"You think she'd just appear in the house to surprise us?" Zelgadis was gathering dishes as well.

"I wouldn't put it past her." Gourry murmured.

"No, no. Azarel will come to the back door. I'm 99% sure." Pestis replied.

"Ninety-nine? Why not one hundred?" Lyos rolled his eyes.

"Nothing is ever one-hundred percent, Lyos." The professor gave a laugh, ignoring the tone of Lyos' voice.

"There's already not enough room for all of us at the kitchen table." Lina pointed out. "Where are you going to put Azarel?"

There was a sudden chorus of "She's not sitting next to me!" "I'm not going to give her my seat." Keep her as far away from me as possible."

"I was thinking of just having you guys listen in on the conversation from the next room." Pestis replied. "It would give the one-on-one feel that Azarel wanted, but you could join in the conversation at any time if you thought it was necessary."

"What if Azarel burns down the house?" Lyos crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

"She needs you alive, idiot." Lina retorted.

"That's what I'm afraid of. What if she's trying to get to Lyos through Pestis?" Shizuri asked.

"Something like that crossed my mind as well." Pestis nodded. "That's another reason why I want you all in the next room. It's possible that Azarel really wants to talk to me alone, but it's also possible that this was a setup, and that you were supposed to want to join me."

"Mister Xellos did seem pretty accepting of your request." Amelia agreed. "He's tricky. He says one thing and does another. Even if he claims that he's not on Miss Azarel's side…"

"Xellos is never on anyone's side. He does whatever is best for him, and that's why he's worse than the villain sometimes." Zelgadis complained. "At least most villains are predictable."

"So what is Xellos, then? Is he an anti-hero?" Lina asked.

"You're an anti-hero, Lina."

"Hey!"

"There's a specific term for what Xellos is." Pestis offered.

"Yeah, I know that." Lyos sniffed. "Sounds like a total-"

"I was going to say chaotic neutral." Pestis interrupted. "But whatever you want to call him-"

His sentence was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. Everyone in the room stiffened and looked at one another.

"Oh! Oh! I haven't even washed the dishes yet! This place is in no shape for company!" Pestis jumped and began frantically dumping water into the sink.

"Forget about that, Pestis! You've got bigger things to worry about! Answer her before she gets impatient!" Lina growled, grabbing him by the shoulder and shoving him in the direction of the door.

"We'll be listening in from the next room." Amelia assured him. "We're here for you. Don't worry."

"Thanks." Pestis gave a nod and unlocked the door. He had to take a deep breath before opening it, however, and steadied himself for a long moment.

The door made a cracking noise as it opened, and revealed a thin, dark-cloaked figure outlined against the snow.

"Good evening."

"H-hey…"

The professor was hardly eloquent when he finally managed to speak. Azarel's disguise this time was very average and nondescript, but Pestis recognized it right away. "…Azarel… I, uh, haven't seen you in that form… in a really long time…"

"I haven't seen you in a really long time." Azarel responded with a shy smile. "…uh, may I come in? If you leave the door open, your house will get cold."

"O-oh! Yes! Yes! Come in!" Pestis jumped aside to allow the Mazoku to enter the house. Azarel took off a pair of boots at the door, knocking them together to get the snow off of them before placing them aside in the corner of the room. "D-do you want coffee?" Pestis' voice continued as Azarel settled down at the kitchen table.

"No, thank you. I appreciate the offer, though."

"Well, uh… okay. I'll- um- just get some for myself… uh…" Pestis had already begun pouring a mug, so he quickly stammered a response and jumped back over to the table. Azarel gave him another smile, this one a bit more open than the one before. The professor caught himself staring and cleared his throat loudly before continuing the conversation.

There was no turning back.

"So, uh, what brings you here, Azarel?"

"I wanted to meet with you, remember?"

"Oh! Right, right!" Pestis waved a finger in agreement. "Yes, I remember that now. Sorry. Just slipped my mind."

Azarel giggled. "So where are your friends? Xellos told me that they'd be here too."

"They're in the other room." Pestis replied. "I thought that… I ought to talk to you some on my own first. I didn't know what you wanted, after all."

"That's thoughtful of you." Azarel commented quietly. "That's one thing that hasn't changed after all this time."

"N-no, I…" Pestis paused for a moment, realizing what had just been said. "Er, thank you."

"But then, I suppose you can't say the same about me, can you?"

"Well, no, but… you're different, sure, but that's not a bad thing!" Pestis exclaimed. "I mean, not necessarily! I mean, it's just- different is- I mean- uh…"

There was a long, awkward pause. Neither of the two looked at one another. Pestis cleared his throat again.

"S-sorry."

"We miss you." Azarel spoke, ignoring his apology.

"Who?"

Azarel was absentmindedly tracing circles on the tabletop with one finger. "The Mazoku race. You were one of our strongest allies."

"That was an awfully long time ago."

"Was it?"

"The world changed."

"The world never changes of its own accord, Pestis." Azarel looked up and fixed the professor in a serious gaze. "Nature seeks to remain the same. Living beings are the ones which change the world."

The two were quiet again. Azarel stayed focused on the professor, but he didn't seem to want to look back, and focused his eyes on everything except for the Mazoku across the table from him.

"You changed too, you know."

"Did I?"

"From my perspective you did. But maybe it's relative motion."

"You were never the same since Vireas was sealed away. You became a different person." Azarel commented.

"That was so long ago, I barely remember who I was back then." Pestis replied.

"I remember well."

"Do you?"

"You were far less cynical than you are now."

"Cynical?"

"Towards the Mazoku race, I mean."

Pestis thought it over for a while, spinning a spoon around in his coffee. "I don't believe that I'm all that cynical towards the Mazoku. They are just as capable of experiencing all sides of the emotional spectrum as humans are."

"But, by nature, Mazoku emotions must be polarized." Azarel replied.

"No, not always."

"But good Mazoku, I mean."

"What makes a Mazoku good or bad?" Pestis continued. "That's a question that one could argue over for hours and get nowhere."

"What was that book you wrote, though?" Azarel asked. "Something about the habits of effective Mazoku?"

"I never wrote anything like that." Pestis shot back. "But I assume that you are referring to efficacy when you talk about a 'good' or 'bad' Mazoku, then?"

"A Mazoku that can cause unlimited destruction and chaos… that's the best Mazoku there is."

"I've got a bunch of friends in the other room who'd beg to differ."

"They're humans. What would they know?"

"Humans are more perceptive than you imagine."

Azarel sighed. "As always, you seem to idealize the human condition."

"What do you mean by that?" Pestis stood up warily, reaching for the coffeepot again.

"You always did seem to want to be a human. I've never understood why. Why in the world would you lower yourself to the level of such vulgar and ephemeral creatures?"

"Maybe I want something that humans have." The professor waved a finger in Azarel's direction, and instead of returning to his seat approached his guest on the other side of the table. "Humans have short lives, yes, but that is what drives them to leave their mark on the world. They care not only about their own well-being, but the well-being of subsequent generations. Heroes defeat dangerous monsters so that those who come after them can travel without fear. Parents protect their children and teach them valuable lessons in hopes that they will one day grow older and be able to teach those lessons to their children. With each generation, the race grows and changes, improving upon itself with time."

"Yes, but-"

"I'm not finished." Pestis cut Azarel off mid-sentence. "Humans may live short lives in comparison to Mazoku, but unlike Mazoku, they are part of something greater. Humans evolve. Like any other mortal creature, their race can adapt to fit the challenges posed by the environment. A great change or catastrophe might kill many, but those who live can rebuild and create a civilization even stronger than the one before it."

"So you say. But-"

"By nature," Pestis pounded a fist onto the table. "Mazoku can not evolve. Individual Mazoku might be able to adapt to certain changes in environment, but I firmly believe that, should some catastrophic change in the world take place, it is likely that the Mazoku race's culture and traditions would not survive."

"Are you saying that the Mazoku race might die out?" Azarel jumped up and pushed him backwards a few feet.

"No, no." Pestis shook his head. "The Mazoku race will never die. They have no need to fight in order to keep living. But they do fight to keep their ways intact. Their culture itself is based upon the traditions which have always been upheld. Mazoku can adapt somewhat, but not on the scale of mortal evolution. It takes far more time."

"What's your point?" Azarel pressed impatiently.

"My point is this." Pestis breathed. "In the past, large upsets in the power balance have spelled disaster for the Mazoku race. Pathosmaster's betrayal of Shabranigdo and splitting of Hellmaster's power during the height of the Shinma War were the main reasons why Shabranigdo lost his advantage over Cepheid and was split into pieces. And, might I remind you that, with no major upsets following this split, it still took the Mazoku race three millennia to recover enough to mount a counter-attack?"

"I still don't see-"

"And it was during this counter-attack that the Demon Dragon King Gaav was sealed inside a human body. With the hierarchy altered, the Mazoku race fell prey to the gods' attack and Ragradia was able to seal away the portion of Shabranigdo."

"But-"

"After that, the Mazoku race was able to take orders from Shabranigdo, but it wasn't the same. Now we've reached the point where a human- a vulgar and ephemeral creature- has been responsible for the loss of multiple pieces of our Lord Shabranigdo as well as two of his retainers."

"I am aware of Miss Lina's conquests." Azarel spat.

"But what you don't seem to be aware of is the possible consequences of releasing the Demon King of the North. You've been sealed away for a thousand years, during which time our race has grown accustomed to obeying his orders. What do you think is going to happen if you were to release him? We don't know for sure what will happen if we break the Aqualord's barrier. Why are you risking so much- the sake of one of the four remaining pieces of Shabranigdo? If you think I'm opposing you to spite the Mazoku race, you've got everything wrong. I want to protect the world- including the Mazoku."

Azarel stood still for a long moment, letting out a sigh of frustration. "I… will be frank with you, Pestis. I was coming here to recruit you. I wanted you on my side. I thought it best that the two strongest retainers of Shabranigdo be working together rather than against one another-"

"Wait half a minute." Pestis interrupted. "Who are you calling a retainer of Shabranigdo?"

"Myself, for one thing." Azarel replied. "As Phibrizzo's second-in-command, I should be the one to succeed him as Hellmaster. Likewise, now that Vireas is truly dead, it is your responsibility to-"

"Responsibility? Oh, no! I think you're mistaken." Pestis interrupted. "And you're dead wrong if you think that anyone could ever replace Vireas."

A wicked smile spread slowly over Azarel's lips. "So, then," the Mazoku began more loudly than was necessary for the small kitchen. "it's true? That's you're still in love with Vireas, I mean…"

There was a moment of silence. For the first time that night, Pestis looked Azarel dead in the eyes.

"Of course not. I'll admit that there was a time, long ago, when I was starry-eyed over a certain powerful Mazoku lord. But the romantic affections that you are referring to, and my current respect for Vireas as a leader- as a friend- are not one and the same."

"You did love him once, not without cause." Azarel kept the same smile. "What cause then withholds you to mourn for him?"

"Don't start feeding me that." Pestis snapped. "I am not allowing this serious conversation to delve into a battle of classic drama."

"I speak not to disprove what you spoke. But I am here to speak what I do know." Azarel murmured.

Pestis slammed both of his hands onto the table. "He was my friend, faithful and just to me- but ambition is a grievous fault, and grievously hath he answered it!"

"I can respect that opinion, I suppose. But to say that no one could ever replace him is underestimating your own skill. You do yourself a disservice, Lord Pathosmaster."

No further words were exchanged after that. All the group listening from behind the door could hear was a soft thud and then the clamour of chairs crashing together while a vase toppled off of a shelf and broke into pieces on the floor. Amelia was the first one to burst into the kitchen in fear that Azarel might have attacked Pestis, and the rest of the group was quick to join her.

But… Azarel was the one tangled in the heap of chairs and broken ceramics, while Pestis backed away. His strike had darkened much of Azarel's lower face and likely bruised the Mazoku's pride as well.

"…don't… call me that…" Pestis finally choked out.

Azarel struggled to stand, a thin plume of dark smoke emanating from what looked like a cracked jawbone. "I'm sorry, but I'm not sure how to refer to you if you refuse to use your official title. How am I to show my respect?" The words weren't as clear and fluid as Azarel's speech usually was- a sign that, whatever damage Pestis had done, he'd done thoroughly.

"Show that you respect me by respecting my wishes." Pestis took Azarel's hand in an attempt to help with the confusing task of stepping back over the maze of chair legs. "I will never be Pathosmaster."

Azarel accepted the professor's help, stepping carefully over the heap of chairs before abruptly shoving one elbow into Pestis' abdomen. He doubled over, halfway out of reflex and halfway out of shock, before Azarel threw a punch at his cheek and kicked him across the room. The limp figure of the professor hit the bottom of the stove and his glasses skidded across the floor before coming to rest next to the icebox.

"Pestis!" Lina tried to reach out to him, but Gourry grabbed her before she could involve herself in the conflict.

Azarel loomed over the professor.

"You're fighting a battle that you're destined to lose. You can't just decide that you don't want to be Pathosmaster. It's the very nature of your soul- it's who you are. Deny this, and your identity is gone."

"No." Pestis murmured, sitting up with the help of the cabinet behind him. His left cheek was already showing the signs of a bad bruise, but he didn't seem to be paying attention. "I'm still Alexandre Nisery. I'm still me."

"Alexandre Nisery is Pathosmaster."

"No, he isn't."

"They're one and the same."

"No, they're not."

"You can't fool yourself forever."

"No, no, no, no!" Pestis lunged forward and grabbed the collar of Azarel's shirt, pulling himself back to his feet so that he could look down at the cause of his troubles. "Alexandre Nisery doesn't need Pathosmaster's power to wring your scrawny neck! It won't do much to hurt you, but I'll be damned if it doesn't make me feel a hell of a lot better-"

"Pestis! Pestis, stop! You don't know what you're saying anymore!"

It was Zelgadis who finally intervened, grabbing Pestis' arms and pulling him away from Azarel. He fought weakly against the chimera's grip, but only for a few seconds before he sank to his knees in a sobbing mess. The rest of the group kept their eyes on Azarel- Gourry had even drawn his sword- but the Mazoku didn't seem to have any reaction to the professor's outburst. Perhaps there was pain in the injury that Pestis had delivered, and perhaps there was pain in seeing a former friend in such a state of despair, but Azarel showed none of it.

"Th-this… isn't over. I'm not usually this patient, but I'll give you some time to… change your mind. I'm sorry for the broken vase."

Lina tried to step in before Azarel disappeared, but she wasn't quite fast enough. There was a long pause, and the only noise that the group could hear was Pestis' muted whimpering.

"…Broken vase? That's it?" Lina finally spoke. "She causes all that trouble, and the only thing she apologized for was the vase?"

"It was a very nice vase." Lyos commented.

"That's beside the point!"

"Mister Pestis…" Amelia murmured, sitting down beside him and Zelgadis. The professor didn't stir, but at least he wasn't crying any longer. "…to think that, all this time, he was dealing with such inner turmoil…"

"Pathosmaster- of course! His nickname should've tipped us off." Zelgadis sighed. "No one in their right mind would name someone after a disease, except…"

"But to think that he would be the subordinate of someone so… so…" Amelia struggled to find the right word and simply let the sentence trail off. "…Mister Pestis isn't like him at all."

"What is 'Pathosmaster' anyway?" Shizuri asked, helping Gourry straighten up the piled of overturned chairs while Lyos cleaned up the broken vase shards.

"The original Pathosmaster, Vireas, was a deranged Mazoku Lord who broke away from the Mazoku race and tried to destroy Shabranigdo." Lina replied. "He was sealed away by the Lord of Nightmares for it, but about half a year ago, he tricked some rogue Mazoku into releasing him and set out once again to challenge the universe's most powerful beings."

"Lina put a stop to that, though. She killed him." Gourry added.

"It wasn't me- it was the Lord of Nightmares…" Lina murmured. "If it wasn't for her, I'd be dead."

"But you're not." Gourry pointed out.

"So, what? Professor Nisery is this guy's successor or something?" Lyos asked, sweeping the last few pieces of the vase into a pile on the floor. "What does that mean, exactly?"

"Nothing." Lina replied, looking over at Amelia, Zelgadis, and Pestis. "It's a huge relief for me, actually."

"What?" Shizuri seemed confused.

"When Azarel mentioned a successor to Pathosmaster, I got scared." Lina explained, taking a chair from Gourry and sitting down at the table. "I was so afraid that we'd have to go through the horrifying events of seven months ago all over again. I couldn't let that happen, but… now I see that there's nothing to worry about. Pestis is our friend. I have no doubts about his loyalty."

"It's not his loyalty that I'm worried about." Zelgadis joined in the conversation. "It's Azarel's interest in him. She's determined to get him on her side…"

"What was it she said a few weeks ago, Gourry?" Lina asked. "Something about… that she'd make him grovel at her feet or through resistance meet with death…?"

"Don't ask me to quote someone from that long ago."

"Yeah, sorry."

"I don't like the sound of that." Zelgadis murmured. "I have a bad feeling that Azarel is somehow losing her sanity. She's slipping… and that's dangerous."

"We're just going to have to hope that the Claire Bible will offer us the information we need." Lina responded. "That's all we can do for now."

"And then what?" Shizuri asked.

Lina paused, and glanced around the room. No one spoke.

"I don't know."