Okay, I couldn't leave this alone all week and a lot of stuff is revealed
in this
next chapter. As always comments can be sent to muteki@juno.com and
any and all C&C will be appreciated.
Disclaimer :
No, I don't own certain characters...so please...put down the scary
briefcases....please....
: End Disclaimer
~*~*~
Slayers: Double!
By MurasakiKaze
Episode 4: Inverted Secrets
"What do you mean 'she's dead?'" Lina Inverse asked as she stared at
the
chimera holding onto the pale Mira-chan. Actually, Mira-chan was leaning
against
him since he was the only one available that didn't shove her away.
"She's gone. It's simple," Zelgadis replied and took Mira-chan by
the arm.
"Come on, I'll take you upstairs."
The inverse nodded vacantly and followed behind him as they went
upstairs.
Lina narrowed her eyes and after a few moments, went outside. The bright
afternoon sun and the clear blue sky gave the impression that everything
was okay,
but the inverses of both her and Naga were depressed and now Zelgadis had
mysteriously appeared without even explaining where he had been. The
Trickster
Priest had also arrived just as Naria had disappeared.
"Things are way too complicated..." Lina whispered and leaned
against the
building, closing her eyes.
"You have no idea, Lina Inverse..."
The sorceress looked up and couldn't help but stare. "But...you...
YOU!"
The person in question bowed their head and nodded slightly.
"What the hell happened?!" she yelled.
"I cannot tell you for your own good, Lina Inverse."
"Just call me Lina and how in the world did you survive that
explosion?" The
young girl tried to glare at the supposed "ghost," but being faced with
someone
supposedly dead it was kind of hard.
"I escaped a long time before the explosion occurred and being a
goddess really
helps. Let's go inside," Mirai motioned towards the inn and walked in.
Lina followed behind her and was greeted by most of her friends
already
downstairs. "What's going on?"
"The real reason why I'm here isn't just to take Naria back. It's
to-" the goddess
began.
"You mean she's not dead?" a quiet voice asked.
Everyone turned to see the inverse standing in the doorway. A
hopeful
expression on her pale face. Her red eyes gave the evidence that she had
been
crying heavily the entire day. Mira-chan wiped away the tears still
lingering on her
cheek and slowly walked over to her namesake.
"Please, Mirai-sama...tell me where she is..." the girl begged.
"She's alive, but she's no longer of this world," Mirai muttered and
shook her
head as the tears started to reform in the mortal's eyes. "Let me finish
before you
cry. The reason I had to take her was to prevent her from a) really
dying, b) from
killing all of you, and c) to head the new army."
"Army?" Amelia looked up from her seat at the table and her eyes
flickered over
to Lina. "What army?"
"There has been a slight problem with the other gods..." Mirai
deliberately
slurred her speech and coughed. "It's nothing we can't handle, I assure
you. We
just need the strongest of the clones back."
"Is there anything we can do?" Lina asked as she joined her friends
at the table.
"Who are you fighting against?" Gourry asked as he pulled a chair
out for the
sorceress.
"A force you can't even comprehend." Mirai turned towards Zelgadis
as another
person entered the room.
"Lina, what's going on down here?" Naga walked in, followed by her
ten clones
and rubbed her eyes. "I was taking my beauty nap, which only enhances my
natural loveliness, and heard people talking without me."
"You're not needed, Naga," Lina grumbled.
A slow smile spread across Naga's face. "Oh? You're afraid to ask
for my help,
Lina? Trying to keep me out so you don't look bad. That's so juvenile!
Ohohohohoho! You will tell me what's going on or suffer the
consequences!"
"Naga, shut up!" Lina growled. "As if I would be afraid to ask a
weaker person
for help! I just don't want you to get killed because of your
stupidity!"
Naga had come to realize that the laughing power of one of her was
enough to
bring grown men to their knees and that having eleven of her could make
anyone do
anything she wished. Now she was going to put her power to good use.
"Teach her a lesson she'll never forget, girls!"
The ten clones behind her stepped forward, hands on hips, and opened
their
mouths. All at once the force of the laughter made three people drop to
their knees:
Amelia, Gourry, and Mirai.
"What in the Nine Hells is that noise?!" the goddess screamed as a
staff
materialized next to her. "Only a demon could produce something that
obnoxious!!"
Lina sighed and shook her head. "She's not a demon, but it's close
enough..."
Zelgadis had wisely stepped out as soon as the girl had entered,
taking the
inverses with him. Mirai struggled to her feet and grabbed her staff.
"Whatever it is it seems to be coming from those ten clones. Dear
Kami-sama,
they've been turned into agents of evil!" The goddess pointed her staff
at them and
smiled slightly. "Return to the hells that you came from!"
There was a bright flash of light and then silence; golden silence.
Lina opened
her eyes and looked around. Then she made a head count: Gourry, Amelia,
Zel
standing in the kitchen, Naga, Mirai....<Whoa..>
"Where'd they go?"
Mirai smiled and the bells on her staff jingled slightly. "I sent
her to someone
who would appreciate such evil. Sorry, Naga, but I couldn't allow such
monsters to
run rampant on this earth."
Naga stared at the blackened space on the floor in amazement. "They
weren't
monsters! They were my apprentices and my...er...followers. Where did
they go?"
Lina smiled in relief and shrugged. "Wherever they are, I'm just
glad it isn't here.
You're enough of a pain as it is."
"WHAT?!"
Somewhere in black space...
"I'll get you for this, Mirai..." the childlike goddess, Imako,
growled as she
pressed the pillow to her head. "I'll so get you for this..."
"Ohohohohohoho! Ohohohohohoho! OHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!"
Back at the inn...
Mirai smiled as she heard the older goddess scream. "Ten little
Nagas, sitting
in a row, taking sanity away from Imako."
Even in the face of disaster, a goddess still had to keep her sense
of humor.
~~~~~
"So they're almost ready to try and attack us?" the shadow on the
wall laughed
and knocked over the small chess piece on the board. "Are you sure the
kamis
would be that stupid? Are they really sticking to the rules?"
"Of course, my information is never wrong. You should have come to
realize
that much at least." The dim light from the candle illuminated the
speaker's sharp
features. "Even you know that I'm a match for most people, including
you."
The shadow nodded slowly. "Yes, I know, but are you sure you want
to go
through with this?"
The man nodded. "Yes, they took away my life once, but never again.
I'm
coming back to take what is rightfully mine. They don't even know that
she's the
second reason for the war."
"And the first is?"
"Oh, you don't need to know that quite yet. Don't worry. When the
time comes
we'll all get what we want."
A crystal globe spun into view and within it was the figure of a
young girl. She
was spread out on a table, her hair fanning out from her and the white
bedsheets
covered her thin frame. The girl turned and curled up into a ball.
"She will be mine again...no matter how much that damned chimera
protects
her..." the man growled and caressed the orb. "You still can't
remember, can you
little one? Oh...but you were a pretty little thing weren't you?
Within the globe, the young red headed girl turned her head to show
the tears
running down her face.
~~~~~
"So where is she now?" Amelia looked up at the goddess who was
pacing
impatiently by the window.
"In this world, preparing for the battle," she replied curtly and
spun on her heel.
"Are you going to bring her back?" Gourry asked as he picked at the
plate in
front of him. It was empty of course and so were the others surrounding
him.
Mirai shrugged. "If she survives."
"How can you brush it off that easily?" Zelgadis grumbled as he
shifted
uncomfortably under the weight of Mira-chan leaning against him. "It's
person's life
you're talking about."
"I could just construct her like I did you," the goddess said dully
and stopped by
the door.
Amelia glanced at the chimera and was going to ask what she meant by
that
when the door flew open and Xellos stepped in. Mirai sighed and waited
for him to
sit. He excused himself for being late and took a seat by Amelia. Lina
returned
from her room and set the small book down on the table. Naga joined them
shortly
thereafter.
"What you're seeing here is a map of our known world," Lina
explained as she
pointed to various colored portions of the map. "You see? Zelfilia,
Sailoon,
Saairag, and the province of Garrou."
"Yes, and the battle will occur over here," Mirai said as she
motioned towards a
mountainous range east of Zelfilia. "We need you over here if you ever
want to get
Naria back."
Everyone studied the map closely and Mirai pointed out the trail
they'd have to
take. The city they were in at the moment was the beginning and the trek
would
take them through the surrounding woods, over the foothills, and beyond a
great
lake until it reached a high plateau known as the Dragon's Nest. It
would take them
ten days to reach it without help, but Mirai planned to deposit them at
the foothills
where it would only take two days after that.
"I can't take you directly to the battlefield because of the aura
surrounding the
Nest. It disrupts teleportation and slightly hinders our own powers.
However, it
puts us on equal footing with our enemy making it a fair fight," Mirai
explained.
"Why make it a fair fight? If you just blew them out of the waters,
wouldn't it be
easier?" Naga asked as she traced the path with a gloved hand.
"Yes, it would be easier, but we must stick to certain rules when we
fight. We
are allowed to pick our champions and help them in battle, but we cannot
fight the
actual war. We are allowed to be powerful, but the contract is signed
for equality to
both sides. This entire thing is for possession of a certain object that
contains such
great power that, if allowed to roam free, would destroy the world." The
goddess sat
back and took in the seven people surrounding her. "Lina, Gourry,
Amelia,
Zelgadis, Naga, Mira-chan, and you...er...Naga's inverse, you are my
champions.
Naria will be waiting for you at the foot of the mountains."
Everyone sat in stunned silence; everyone except one person.
"You're not taking me along?" Xellos asked coyly as he watched the
goddess
move through the room.
"You know why too. You made a deal with Naria so she could protect
those
she loved and it ran out. You're also trying to weasel her into renewing
the contract.
You're an unnecessary annoyance, Xellos Metalium." Mirai narrowed her
blue eyes
and felt something in her snap when the priest just smiled back at her.
"Leave."
"Alright then," he said and stood. "Although, don't expect me to
stay away for
long."
After he teleported out, Mirai slumped back into her seat. "Naria
is in deep
trouble and there are very few options left to save her. I'm asking you
to help me
take her back from what is about to happen."
"Wait a minute, didn't you just say you could just 'construct her
again?'" Amelia
stared at her, thoroughly confused.
"I lied because the priest was here. His race is the one we are
fighting against
and I cannot afford to let him know that Naria is irreplaceable. It
would just further
his lust for her to renew the contract," the goddess said, sinking her
head into her
hands. "I cannot stop them as I am only a messenger and the prophet of
possible
outcomes, but one of them is that everyone is dead and the Sea of Chaos
reforms."
"You have to be kidding...They're going to try that old thing
again?" Lina leaned
back in her chair and stared up at the ceiling. "Exactly how are they
going to do it
this time?"
"By using the power that the certain object holds. Enough power to
destroy this
world and return it to the Sea of Chaos..." Mirai looked up and saw the
blank
expression on Gourry's face. "Does your head register any of this?"
Gourry blinked and the faraway look on his face left. "Huh? Oh,
you mean
about the Mazoku bringing around the world's destruction with that
artifact? I think
it does..."
Everyone stared at the swordsman for a moment until he nodded
slightly. It was
a momentous event: Gourry actually understood what they were talking
about with
all the magical jargon in there.
"Gourry...how did you do that?" Lina was completely astonished with
this new
revelation. He wasn't as dumb as he looked.
"Do what?"
"Understand all that."
"Understand what?"
After the dust cleared and everyone regained their footing, Mirai
stood and
excused herself. The others trickled off to their rooms and Gourry was
left, still
trying to figure out what the heck they had been talking about. Champion
toddled
over to him and soon both were fast asleep.
~~~~~
Naria sat straight up in bed and felt the chill run through her.
Her breath came in
ragged gasps and she could see it fogging up in the air. <Why is it so
cold in
here?> she asked herself as she stood and drew the blankets around
herself in an
effort to keep herself warm. She crossed the wooden floor and went to
the window.
"You'll be here soon, won't you, Zelgadis?" she whispered and closed
her eyes,
releasing her breath in a heavy sigh. "I-...take care of Mira-chan for
me.."
"I wouldn't be worried about her, Naria..." The mysterious voice
mocked her from
the shadows.
"...why can't you just take no for an answer..." the chimeran girl
asked sadly
and turned to meet her old 'friend.'
"Because you know I can still help you...if you help me," Xellos
said cordially as
he emerged from the darkness.
"I don't want to help you. I'm against you." Naria's voice was as
cold as the chill
night air and Xellos smiled again. His eyes opened slightly, revealing
the dark
purple jewels.
"Oh? You don't care about the information I could give you about
Mira-chan?"
he asked and joined her by the window.
Naria shook her head slowly. "N-no, I don't. She'll be fine.
Zelgadis is watching
her for me."
"No, he's not."
Naria turned to him and drew a dagger up against his pale neck.
"Where is she
then, Xell-chan?"
The Trickster grinned and shrugged. "I don't know."
Naria growled in frustration and slammed the Mazoku against the
floor. He still
had his eyes open and was staring up at her with mild amusement. In one
hand
was a knife, the other was kept busy holding the blankets around her as a
makeshift robe. Her clear blue eyes narrowed and another snarl escaped
her lips.
"Then why do you bother me in the middle of the night?"
"It's interesting." Xellos immediately regretted saying that when
the knife flew
down and imbedded itself inches away from a very sensitive area.
"...very...um...
interesting..."
"Leave my rooms and don't come back," she said, her tone growing
colder than
the Antarctic winds. "Whatever you promise comes with a price. Last
time I ended
up helping you I came out the loser. I am not willing to make the same
mistake
twice."
The priest's smile vanished and he sat up, looking at her as she
turned away.
Her hair was down and it cascaded down her back like a waterfall. <She
looks like
the gods she serves...> he mused and readied the teleportation spell.
"You always were beautiful..." he whispered and barely missed being
speared
with another dagger.
"And you were always a snake in the grass." Naria retrieved both
daggers and
sat down at the desk in front of the window. "Mira-chan...if only you
could forgive
me..."
"Yes...why do you have such a strong bond with the inverse?" The
thin voice
permeated the air and sliced Naria's heart in half.
"I...don't...I just like her. She's a good friend, nothing more."
The chimera stood
and looked around her. She was
still alone.
"No...tis out of guilt, I think...what are you hiding little Naria?"
the voice
whispered.
"N-nothing! I hide nothing! She's a fellow clone, an outcast. I
take her under
my wing like I take all the others!" The dagger slid back into the palm
of her hand
and she knew what was coming. <Damn, I thought you->
Her thoughts were interrupted as the person continued speaking.
"But...the
others have homes now...why not give this girl one?"
Naria remained silent and felt the icy hand slip around her neck.
"I knew you'd
come sooner or later..." she hissed.
"Why do you feel so strongly for this girl?" the man asked again.
Naria felt the familiar calm wash over her and desperately tried to
fight against it.
It was worth getting the crap beaten out of her if she could just keep
that one
secret. "Because she doesn't realize it yet...what happened to her...."
"What have you done to her?" The hand materialized and a face
emerged.
"I....nothing..." Naria's eyes flashed back to reality and she began
to struggle.
She had almost told him! "Let me go! I'll never tell you anything
again!"
"But you will, stupid chimeran drone! You're my creation and you're
mine to
control!" Kako's face drew close to hers as he unsheathed the special
dagger.
"You remember this, don't you? Yes, the reason why Mirai protects you
so...the
only other sword that could ever hurt you."
Naria felt the hand close off her air pipe and grabbed it, trying to
break its hold.
"I know that, you bastard."
Kako traced the knife down the side of her face and smiled. "This
should be
fun...shall we try again?"
"How about not?" Naria closed her eyes and focused on the rose
petals. How
swiftly they moved through the air and how easily they twirled in the
breeze. When
she opened her eyes again, she was outside the inn back at the small town
where
she had left the others. "At least that still works..."
Naria opened the doors and found Gourry asleep with the black piglet
at the
table. She walked past them very quietly and slipped upstairs. The
upstairs
hallway was dark and rhythmical breathing came from the opposite sides of
all the
doors, but one. The door at the end of the hall on the right still had a
light burning
underneath the door. Naria checked around her and began down the
hallway.
Muffled sounds came from within and it was apparent that three people
were still up
and talking. Suddenly a small squeak behind her made her stop mid-step.
"Who's there? Please...don't do anything bad. If you do I might
have to tell
Miss Lina about you and she doesn't like intruders..." Naria relaxed
slightly and
glanced over her shoulder. There she was.
"Mira-chan..." The memories welled up again and she shook her head.
If only
Mirai hadn't let her know...
The clone gasped slightly and stepped forward, casting a weak light
spell.
"Naria...you're...you're alright!"
She ran forward and embraced the chimera, hugging her as if that day
was the
last. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks, but they weren't like the
others that had
recently marred her beauty. Naria smiled slightly and placed a hand on
the back of
the girl's head, allowing her to cry. She was finally back with her and
that was all
that mattered. No one could hurt her now.
"Mira-chan, tadaima."
The inverse looked up and smiled through her tears. "Okaeri
nasai.."
Naria couldn't stand it anymore and broke the gaze. "I have to do
something,
okay? Go back to your room and I'll be there in a minute to tuck you
in."
"Hai!" The girl ran off and went to her room, closing the door
softly behind her.
Naria sighed and wished she hadn't been chosen to do this.
"Gotta do what I gotta do..." she whispered and continued on down
the hall.
"Looks like I'm coming to you again, ne?"
As she finally reached the door, she leaned against it slightly and
listened.
"Do you really think so?" Lina was there. One person down.
"Of course, why else would he be pushing her so much?" Zelgadis was
talking.
Good, two down one to go.
"There is also the arrangement she had with the inverse." Naria
froze as the last
person revealed themselves to be Mirai. She wouldn't dare...
"What arrangement?" Lina asked and Naria strained to hear more.
"It was about...two months after she and that Naga girl left you to
go to that
banquet. They got lost and-" Mirai was interrupted as Naria burst into
the room and
held her sword out at arms length at the goddess' neck. "What are you
doing
here?!"
Naria's eyes flashed dangerously. "If you tell them, Mirai...so
help me."
"What in the Nine Hells do you think you are doing?" Lina stood and
placed a
hand on each hip. "Do you think a sword could hurt her?"
Naria ignored her and continued staring at the woman at the
receiving end of her
sword. "You tell them and I _will_ slit you from ear to ear."
Mirai smiled and motioned for the chimera to sit down next to
Zelgadis.
"Please, sit. It's foolish to continue these games. She'll remember
soon enough
anyway."
"Not if I have anything to do with it," Naria growled. "It's my
fault and my secret
to tell...I won't let her get hurt again."
"What are you talking about?!" Lina cried, rousing many of the inn's
guests out
of bed.
"Naria....S-I-T." Mirai's icy tone cut through the air like daggers
and Naria came
back to match the tone.
"No. You will not tell them and I'm here to get the next of the
warriors. Training
starts tomorrow." Naria sheathed the sword and turned to the two people
in the
room. "Mirai, the Mazoku have already begun to tamper with the field
over Dragon's
Nest and they're changing it so we're absolutely powerless. Let's go.
Time is short
now."
"Who are you talking to?" Zelgadis stood and his eyes flickered to
the people
now filling the busted doorway.
Naria reached over and grabbed Lina's arm. "Like I said, time to
go!"
"What the-?" Suddenly a huge explosion rocked the inn and everyone
was
thrown to the floor. Someone two people screamed and one called for
Naria.
The chimera turned abruptly as the scream was cut off. "Damn, I
knew it!
Zelgadis, Lina, come with me!"
She ran out the door and pushed past the Sailoon princess and the
sleepy
Gourry. The two friends shrugged and followed after her. Down at the
end of the
hall, smoke was beginning to seep through underneath the door. Naria hit
the wall
and broke through, her sword at ready.
"Oh crap, that thing's huge!!" she screamed as the two other people
barreled
into her. Lina was the first to get up.
"What are you-oh..that's bad..." Now, you know you're in deep
trouble when the
person who has survived being taken by the Lord of Nightmares says that
something is bad. Especially when they say: "Run for it!"
"I'm not going to leave her!" Naria struggled against Lina and
Zelgadis pulling her
back towards the hall. In front of her were the two inverses, both
unconscious.
Holding one of the inverses was a very large, very mean looking, very
ugly golem
Mazoku. It's eye and the finger were the only things shown as it leaned
down to
pick the girl.
"You're going to kill yourself!" Zelgadis grabbed her arm and tried
to play
tug-of-war with her. "Let her go, you can get her back later!"
"I won't leave her!!" Naria turned to face the two people and
growled. "If you don't
help me, you're nuisances! Diem Wing!"
Both sorceress and sorcerer were blown back and hit the wall with a
dull thud.
Naria turned back and ran forward, catching the creature's eyelash and
hanging on
as it straightened up. That's when she realized that it was she was
very, VERY far
away from the ground and that the Mazoku was not happy about having
someone
hang off their eye.
"Excuse me..." it grumbled. "...but please let go..."
"No!" Naria shouted and felt something pull the back of her shirt.
"Oi, hentai!"
"No, no! Just please let go, that kinda hurts..."
Naria let go in surprise and stared at the hulking creature before
her as it lifted
her higher up in the air and far away from its face. Naria sighed and
hung her
head. The stupid Mazoku was the lowest of the low...the ones they used
only for the
stupidest of jobs. This Mazoku was a reject, one that was only good for
kicking
around and yelling at if anything went wrong. <It's a pansy...shoot
me...>
"Listen up, pansy-boy! Take my friend and I'll have to hurt you,"
she called and
noticed the others appearing by the huge hole in the side of the inn.
The Mazoku wimp dropped to its knees (inadvertently crushing three
huge
restaurants and one strip bar) and began to...cry. "Please, I'm only
doing this to
receive my pay and it's pretty lousy at that, but I have to or my boss'll
kill me!"
"Why are you so yellow?" Naria asked as she was lowered to his palm.
"I was a...reject of sorts. I was an evil person while I was alive,
but when they
recreated me the person kinda goofed up and I came out this way. I'm so
sorry, but
I do have to take her away."
Naria sighed as she heard the chant beginning. "I told you we'd
hurt you."
"Huh?" Naria jumped off his palm and grabbed Mira-chan on the way
down.
After landing she ran as fast as she could to get away from there.
"...be destroyed by the power you and I possess!!" Lina Inverse was
standing on
the inn roof and a powerful black magic blast amplified with the Demon's
Blood
Amulets hit the Mazoku full force. "DRAGON SLAVE!!"
After the dust cleared and the townspeople finished chasing them
away again,
everyone reassembled and stood waiting for an explanation. Mirai rested
a hand on
Naria's shoulder and looked down at her disapprovingly. It seemed the
world's
scorn was on her that day.
"I'm very disappointed in you, Naria."
"What? Think I couldn't tell? Listen, Mirai, if you promised to
save someone for
the rest of your life, wouldn't you have done that?"
"She's been healed, Naria-san, but she won't wake up for awhile.
She was hurt
pretty badly," Amelia reported and placed a hand on the redheaded
inverse's
shoulder. "You really should be more careful."
"Is everyone finding fault with what I did last night? I mean,
Lina's the one who
blew the whole town to pieces!"
"Oh, so now you're going to blame it on me? I had to get rid of
that Mazoku!"
Lina fired back.
"Yeah, Lina was only doing what she does best." Gourry stepped up to
her
defense and Lina was about to smile when he opened his mouth again.
"Blow
things up."
"Shut up, baka!!" The mallet appeared and no one seemed to notice
the little
piglet sweatdrop from its position in Naga's arms.
"Please...don't fight...Mira-chan and I don't like fighting...By the
way, I still need
a name.." the other inverse said meekly.
"You've had three years and you still don't have a name for
yourself?" Zelgadis
sighed as the other's began to bicker over what her name should be.
"Kaki-chan!" Lina cried.
"How about Umiko?" Gourry piped up.
"Alice!" Amelia was getting into this whole
Naga-Inverse-Naming-Contest.
"Miwan!" Lina joked and shot a look at Zel.
"NO!" The chimera growled slightly and turned away.
"Fine, it has to be Kaki-chan!" Lina shouted above the others.
"Why does it have to be Kaki-chan? I'm not going to name her after
a
persimmon!" Naga cried.
"I meant it by summer, you idiot!" the diminutive sorceress groaned.
"What about Kawaii-chan?" Amelia offered.
"She's not that cute." Zelgadis mumbled under his breath.
"WAHH!! You hate me don't you?" The still unnamed inverse burst
out in tears.
"No, we don't! GAH, please don't cry!" Lina tried to comfort the
poor girl as she
the river started to form.
"I still think Alice was cute..." Amelia sulked after having both of
her ideas
rejected.
"Jezebella!" Naga cried emerging from the back of the conversation.
"Where did you get Jezebella from?" Lina asked as she turned to her.
Naga shrugged. "It's just so romantic, don't you think?"
"Uh...no..." Lina sighed and went back to showing the rest of the
group that
Kaki-chan was the best name for her.
"Excuse me..." the inverse said quietly. Everyone ignored her.
"I still think Kaki-chan is a good name for her. Look, she was made
in the
summer and it's summer right now!" Lina argued.
"Excuse me..."
"Did my idea get dropped?" Gourry was still trying to get attention
from the three
women.
"Um...hello?"
"Yes, be glad it did or you'd be in that mess too," Zelgadis sighed
and leaned
back against a tree. Naria and Mirai were off in there own private
conversation and
it looked like Naria wasn't too happy. Zelgadis smiled slightly and
continued to
watch the pandemonium bubble up to the surface.
"...Excuse me..."
"What was that other name you said? Miwan?" Gourry offered
hopefully.
Both Amelia and Zelgadis turned to him, screaming, "NO!"
"Listen we have to find some name for her! I think that-" Lina
began.
"EXCUSE ME!!" Everyone turned to see the Naga inverse standing,
slightly
upset. "I'm sorry for shouting, but you weren't listening to me and the
key to a good
relationship is listening. I thought that Jezebella was a good name..."
Naga jumped up and began to laugh triumphantly. "Ohohohohoho!! You
see,
Lina Inverse? Even my complete opposite knows who the smartest one is!
OHOHOHOHOHO!!"
"ALTHOUGH the -chan part of Kaki-chan was also very good. So I
propose that I
be called Jeze-chan," the inverse said, blushing slightly at having to
yell twice.
Both Lina and Naga conceded and Gourry was still unhappy about being
ignored. He sat down on the ground and began to try to talk to
Jeze-chan.
Zelgadis sighed and turned back to see how the goddess and his "sister"
were
faring. He blinked, checked the entire clearing, and sighed. This was
not good.
"Oi, Lina! They left." He pointed at the place where they had been
and sure
enough, the two were gone. "Guess they didn't want to hear you five
fight the entire
day away."
"On the contrary, they found it very amusing, but found that it was
time that they
left," someone called out. Lina turned and sighed in disgust. Even if
he was a
friend, it was not a good time for him to be there. "Hello again, Lina."
"Hello, Xellos," Lina groaned. "What do you want?"
"Not even a friendly how are you? Sometimes you're almost as bad as
Naria,"
the Trickster smiled (as he always did) and moved over towards the young
Mira-chan. "Hmm...this isn't good...Did a huge Mazoku messenger boy
happen
through here?"
Lina pointed towards the crater and Xellos nodded. "Apparently he
has...I have
to warn you about something..."
"You're volunteering information?" Lina felt his hand slip around
her elbow and he
led her away from the group much to everyone else's discomfort.
"Where are you going!?" Gourry stood up and began to follow after
them with
Amelia in tow.
"Sorry, for her ears only!" Xellos leaned back and smiled. "Don't
worry, Gourry, I
won't do anything to her!"
Before either of them could protest, Xellos and Lina disappeared.
Gourry ran
forward and searched the ground and the trees above them. They were gone
too.
"What is it, Xellos?" the sorcery genius asked as soon as the room
stopped
moving. Teleportation was definitely not something she wanted to do
everyday.
"It's about Naria, Mirai, and something called the Sea of Chaos," he
answered
solemnly. Lina finally realized that his eyes were opened again and she
avoided his
gaze; his eyes scared her for some reason.
She turned away and shrugged. "Yeah, we already know."
"No...you don't."
"What do you mean?" Lina glanced over her shoulder and found a
crystal ball
floating in the air with Xellos behind it. Within the globe was a small
crystal shard
shaped in the form of an Orihalcon statue, only this one held a long
sword in its
hands. "What is that?"
"It's called Dolphin's Tear and it was formed from a real tear shed
by the great
Dark Lord Deep Sea Dolphin. Within this crystal is the power to destroy
the world.
This is the artifact that the gods and the Mazoku are fighting over.
With more power
than the Philosopher's Stone, you can imagine why we'd want it." Xellos
waved his
hand and the image dissolved into a thick mist.
"Why are you telling me this and why would the gods want it?" Lina
was too
interested in the story to even care about the answer she knew she was
going to
receive.
The Trickster Priest laughed and wagged a finger at her. "That's a
secret."
"Fine, why does this involve me?" Lina sighed and watched as the
crystal
formed again.
"Because you're a big part of it, Lina. The gods didn't want us to
have this very
powerful artifact and they really didn't like us back then. Come to
think of it, they
still don't like us...Anyway, they gave the responsibility of hiding it
to a very special
person, someone who could find all possible outcomes and chose the best
one."
Xellos waved his hand again and two hands reached out and grabbed the
crystal
delicately. "And you know who they gave the job to, right?"
"Mirai...Goddess of the Future! Why that little-!" Xellos clamped a
hand down
over her mouth and grinned.
"We have young viewers, Lina," he scolded jokingly. A muffled and
angry reply
came through his gloved hand and he turned back to the crystal ball.
"Now back to
our little tale. So the great Goddess/Child of the Future hid the
crystal where she
thought they would be safe, inside someone."
The picture changed and showed a fuzzy image of a young girl on a
bed. Her
long red hair fanned out from behind her and then she suddenly curled up
into a ball,
an expression of pain on her face. Lina squinted and when the image
focused, she
gasped in surprise.
"No way! MIRA-CHAN?!" The small inverse lay on the bed, crying out
in pain.
Mirai leaned down over her and smiled as a white light engulfed her.
When the light
faded, tears were streaming down Mira-chan's face and then Mirai spoke.
[Forget all that has happened, Lina Inverse. When the day comes you
will be
called upon to serve the world once more. Be wary of those you make
deals with...]
"She thought my inverse was me...I was supposed to have that thing
in me?!"
Lina touched the surface of the globe and it blurred. "So Mira-chan has
Dolphin's
Tear inside of her? The whole thing?"
Xellos shook his head and laughed slightly. "Lina, Lina,
Lina...even you wouldn't
be able to hold the full power of Dolphin's Tear, silly! Since one
person can't handle
the power all by themselves, the gods split the Tear in half and Mirai
had to wait to
find the second person."
Inside the crystal ball, the Tear reformed and was broken into two
pieces.
Mira-chan appeared behind one crystal, her arms crossed in front of her
chest and
her head bowed while a flowing white dress cascaded off her body.
"Mirai had a hard time finding someone else with a power level as
high as yours.
You are a rare person, Lina, to have all that energy rolled into one
single human
being. So Mirai waited a very long time and finally realized her new
host was right
under her nose!" Xellos clapped once and a flash of light engulfed the
ball.
A new image zoomed in and Lina was once again given the opportunity
to be
shocked. Now standing behind the other half of Dolphin's Tear was a very
familiar
person. Her long blue hair was left to fall freely down her back and she
was looking
at Mira-chan with a mixture of hatred, fear, understanding, and
determination.
Xellos laughed at Lina's shocked expression. "Yep, you guessed it!
Naria has
the second half of Dolphin's Tear in her! That's why she feels so
strongly connected
with Mira-chan and why she doesn't want anyone to know about her or
Mira-chan.
You see, it was kind of Naria's fault that Mira-chan has that piece in
her. She
suggested that Mirai find the person with the most power and give it to
them. At the
time, Mirai didn't tell her what it was, but she figured it out when she
saw Mira-chan
this time around. Mira-chan was told to forget, but Naria has been able
to
remember due to the fact that she's also connected to Mirai.
"Once she saw Mira-chan, the memories came back to her and she knew
that a
very powerful and potentially dangerous object was placed in both of
them. Now
she feels like its her fault that Mira-chan may end up dying because of
her stupid
comment! So she's vowed to keep Mira-chan alive even at the expense of
her own
life. Do you get it now?" He ended his long explanation and enjoyed the
rather
stunned expression on Lina's face. This was what he lived for.
"I understand everything except where you come in," Lina replied,
eager to turn
the tables and take advantage of his giving nature.
Xellos smiled again and closed his eyes. "That is a secret. All
you need to
know is that I'm being a neutral party. Time to go back!"
Lina suddenly found herself back in the clearing with everyone
staring at her.
Gourry ran up and did a quick examination of her, thumping her on the
back to
make sure she was still alive.
"Are you okay? What happened?" he asked worriedly. He looked down
into her
red eyes, his brow knitted with concern.
Lina shook her head. "Something very weird. Xellos _volunteered_
information
and told me everything that's going on. Mira-chan has just become our
number one
priority to protect...her and Naria. Zel!"
Lina looked around and discovered that he was gone.
"Zelgadis-san, Mira-chan, and Jeze-chan went off to find something
to eat,
Lina-san," Amelia reported. "And Naga-san went with them, I think."
"We have to find them and have Zel find Naria. She always seems to
hang
around him anyway. Let's go!" Lina began to trudge off into the forest
and heard
Amelia calling to her. "What is it?"
"Lina-san, it's this way! Besides, what's so important?" The
Sailoon princess
pointed down the trail and waited for her to catch up. Gourry was
already halfway
down the path and yelling for the others. "Lina-san?"
"The world, Amelia...the world is important," Lina grumbled. She
hated being so
cliche, but that was all she could think of at the moment. "Come on."
The two sorceresses ran down the pathway and called out for their
friends along
with Gourry.
"I'll have to talk with Naria about renewing our contract...perhaps
now she'll be
more willing..." Xellos watched the trio run off and turned back into the
shadows.
"..And you, Kako...you won't get to her first, you half-breed."
~to be continued...
Tadaima = I'm home
Okaeri nasai = Welcome home
~Murasakikaze
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