Disclaimer: I do not lay claim on certain characters. If I did, I'd
probably be sued by
very nasty men/women in business suits and cellular phones...or
worse...Ling.
Author's notes: I hadn't intended on making this chapter that serious,
it just turned
out that way. Don't get mad 'cause the jokes will come back later if my
characters
decide not to kill me for this. ^^;; Happy reading and as always,
please send C&C
to taliashimae@juno.com
Slayers: Double!
By Murasakikaze
Episode Six: Recover Lost Ways
"The Dragon's Nest is situated on top of an extinct volcano that had
blown its
top nearly 1,000 years ago during the resurrection of Shabranigdo. It's
said that
within the crater of that particular volcano is where most of the world's
dragons are
born and bred, hence the name. There's a magical shield protecting the
inhabitants
so the young can be raised safely. That's why we're heading there and
probably
why the Mazoku decided it was the place for the battle." Lina shrugged
and
continued walking. "I don't really know why the gods would even let
themselves get
carried away into a battle of this magnitude, but apparently they have a
good
reason."
She shot a glance at Mira-chan who only smiled back at her. "They
want to
keep the object in their possession for as long as they can manage. I'd
hate to
see what the Mazoku would do or what I'd have to do to stop them."
"Lina-san, have you told her yet?" Amelia nodded towards the
unsuspecting
inverse. "She does have a right to know."
Lina sighed and shook her head. "Think about how she'd handle it.
If she
doesn't remember, it's probably for a good reason too. We'll let Naria
break the
news to her if we ever find that stupid chimera."
"Who's calling who stupid? I'm not the ones who've been wandering
in the
_wrong_ direction for the past hour." Lina jumped and looked behind her.
Naria
smiled and waved. "Well, interesting to see you finally noticed me
walking behind
you. I wanted to get your attention, but the story sure was-!"
The rest of the sentence was cut off by the fact that Lina was
throttling the poor
girl. Amelia jumped in the tried to pry the sorceress off her to no
avail. "Why didn't
you just speak up?! Where have you been?! Where the hell did you go to
and
where's Zel?!"
"Get. Off. Me!" Naria gasped and shoved the younger girl off her.
She sat up
and drew in a few ragged breaths. "First, let me explain. I may look
like Naria and
sound like her and act like her, but I'm _not_ her."
It took a few seconds to sink in before everyone had to ask 'Naria'
to 'repeat that
one more time.' The clone knew it was going to be a very long
explanation.
~~~~~
Naria's eyes opened slowly and she blinked in the bright sunlight.
She barely
remembered walking into the clearing and seeing Zelgadis, then everything
went
black. Kojiro was a god, but he certainly wasn't a very good one, she
grumbled to
herself. It was then that Naria realized someone had their arms around
her and that
someone was leaning over her. The person came into focus and Naria's
eyes flew
open.
"Hentai! What the hell are you doing?!" she screamed and punched
Zelgadis in
the head, repeatedly. "Let me go, hentai!!! Let me go!!!"
The other chimera woke up and abruptly shoved her off his lap while
trying to
deflect the blows. "Oi! Oi! What are you doing?! Stop that!! I said
stop it!!"
Naria jumped up and began beating him over the head with the nearest
object; a
very large, blunt branch. "What the hell were _you_ doing?! Kami-sama,
you're
supposed to be my brother!!"
Zelgadis caught the branch in one hand and wrenched it from her
hands. "What
are you talking about?! You fell asleep, baka!"
"Baka?! You're calling me a baka, Mr. Hentai!" she shouted back.
"Hentai?! What the hell are you talking about?! You fell and I
caught you, then
you fell asleep in my arms. What happened to you while you were gone
anyway?"
Zelgadis tossed the branch away and looked at her as she calmed down.
"While I was gone? Well, I-" Naria stopped and lowered her gaze to
the ground.
She slowly shook her head. "Nothing happened...absolutely nothing..."
He studied her for a moment and sighed. "If nothing happened, then
you can
come with me to find Lina and the others then. Come on, let's go."
She shook her head again and stepped back. "No, I have to get to
Dragon's
Nest and help the others. I have to find Mira-chan...I have to..."
Naria grabbed her head and winced in pain as she dropped to her
knees.
Zelgadis caught her as she fell and lifted her chin to look into her
eyes. He shook
his head and picked her up. "We're going to find Lina first. You're
definitely sick
and if Mirai is right, then you're dying. Do you know how much time you
have?"
Naria nodded slightly and closed her eyes. "Six days before the
leash disrupts
my system, four days before the dominant program takes over. She's told
you what
it is, hasn't she?"
Zelgadis nodded hesitantly as they ran out of the clearing. Her
voice was so
soft, Zelgadis could barely hear her question. "What is it?"
~~~~~
"Marone, put this boy into the cell and find out how to operate the
sword and
where it is!" Kako threw Gourry's limp body to the elven assistant and
stalked off.
"She's returned to the human world."
Marone nodded and bowed before dragging the swordsman out. "So,
Kako-san
has gotten a new toy has he? I suppose he'll want to dispose of you once
he gets
the sword...but then again, where would the fun be in that?"
As soon as the doors had locked, Marone took his small dagger and
prodded
the young man until he woke up. Gourry raised his head slightly and took
in his
surroundings first: small jail cell, cot, wash basin, no visible weak
areas. He then
sat up and studied the elven creature glaring at him through the bars.
"Gourry Gabriev?" Gourry nodded and the creature smiled.
"Well...Lina will be
quite interested in getting you back, won't she? Tell me how to use the
Hikari no
Ken, where it is, and then I'll release you."
Gourry was smart enough to shake his head as if he didn't
understand. The elf
sighed. "We know of you, but nothing about you...too bad you're mute."
The swordsman decided that playing dumb was what he was best at and
continued playing the game. Marone asked where the sword was again and
Gourry
shrugged. "Won't tell me, eh? Well, when Lina and the others come to
Dragon's
Nest we'll find out soon enough. Sayonara, Gourry-san."
As soon as the creature left, Gourry slumped against the wall and
studied his
morbid cage. He wasn't worried about himself, but only for one person.
"...Lina..."
~~~~~
Amelia sat on the banks of the river and absently tossed another
pebble into the
clear, fast moving waters. The moon above her was obscured momentarily
by a
passing bank of clouds and the darkness only reflected her mood. They
were on
their way to a place where she wasn't sure justice alone would be able to
prevail.
She lifted her eyes to the stars and hugged her knees and made a wish.
"Give me
strength...Kaasan..."
~~~~~
"Why can't I help her?" Mirai touched the globe and watched the duo
run through
the forest. "Kojiro, please...I can't just watch her die!"
The god in question shook his head slowly. "I don't want to see her
die either,
Mirai, but have you seen any other future for her?"
Mirai lowered her eyes and continued to watch the crystal ball.
Kojiro jumped
up and walked over to her, causing the viewing glass to grow dark. "You
have,
haven't you."
She nodded. Kojiro's eyes flashed and the crystal ball cracked
slightly. "Why
did you not inform me upon this revelation?"
"It would still hurt her and possibly cause her to lose any memory
she has of her
life before she was a chimera, no matter how few those memories are," the
goddess
replied simply and began to work on fixing the crystal ball. "Also
because it would
kill the others."
Kojiro was silent for a moment, then he turned away and began to
walk out of
the room. He paused at the door and placed a hand on the ornate knob.
"Do what
you must to keep both Lina Inverse and her friends alive...that includes
Naria
Graywords."
"Sir...I can't do anything to save all of them," Mirai replied just
as the crystal ball
repaired itself. "I'd either have to kill some of Lina's friends or Naria
or all of them."
"Find a solution that keeps them alive and the Tear out of Mazoku
hands," he
ordered and left.
Mirai sank to the floor and buried her head in her hands.
"Imako...what would
you advise me to do? Return to the future? Ask for help from the Past?"
The childlike goddess crawled out of her hiding space and walked
over to her.
"You should have known this was going to happen."
The Goddess of the Future nodded. "I did and don't sound so smug,
you little
brat. Just tell me what you would do in this position."
Imako sat down next to the younger goddess and smiled reassuringly.
"Sometimes the answer lies in two places at once, dear sister. I advise
you to look
to yourself and someone you used to know."
"Yeah, and would you cut off your own leg too?" the immortal joked
and raised
her head, throwing long blond curls behind her. "I can't ask him for
help, he's the
enemy."
"Kako may have gone insane and turned against us, but he can still
provide
information...just use your own powers to see what that is, baka." Mirai
looked
down at the older goddess and thought for a moment. She nodded and
stood,
gazing down into the crystal ball. Imako sighed. "You can't protect her
forever,
Mirai. She's a mortal and she's dying anyway. Only Kako can stop the
leash from
destroying her and you know he won't. Besides, when Kami-sama needs the
Dolphin's Tear, she'll die giving it to him just as Mira-chan will."
Mirai nodded and turned to leave the room. "I know, but I still
can't condone
such actions. I will be in the possible futures if you need me."
A blinding flash of light left Imako rubbing her eyes. She smiled
and glanced up
at the two people in the globe. "If only she could figure it out...for
now, Naria,
I'll give you a small present from the Present."
~~~~~
"Miss Lina...is Miss Amelia going to be alright?" Mira-chan looked
over her
shoulder at the young girl by the banks and lowered her head. Lina was
about to
say something when Mira-chan continued. "I'm afraid she'll fall into the
river if she
leans over any farther..."
After the dust cleared and both Lina and Naga recovered from the
minor
facefault, Lina sent Mira-chan to go get the Sailoon princess. Jeze-chan
immediately got up to go help her after excusing herself.
"You know, they're really sweet...but kinda stupid..." Naga said
upon reflection.
"Looks like your inverse is exactly like you then," Lina shot back.
Naga was
about to say something else when Amelia and the inverses returned. Lina
took the
opportunity and dodged the other sorceress' fury. "You going to be okay,
Amelia?"
"Hai, Lina-san. I'm just worried about Zelgadis-san. He'd been
gone a really
long time and we didn't leave him any note to say where we were going,"
the
princess lied as she sat down by the fire.
Lina smiled. "Don't worry about Zel and Naria. I'm sure they're
fine and they'll
find us some way or another."
The sorcery genius noted how Amelia cringed at the mentioning of
Naria's name.
Apparently, the princess still hadn't gotten over the whole fianc�e joke.
Lina
shrugged slightly and continued roasting the sweet potatoes over the
fire. After the
meal was done and everyone had gone to sleep, Amelia crawled back out of
her
sleeping bag and wandered over to the riverbanks. She looked up at the
crystalline
sky and let out a soft sigh.
"I know they're brother and sister, but I still have to wonder...a
long time ago,
Zelgadis-san said he was an only child and was glad he didn't have any
siblings..I
just have to wonder..." The princess tossed another pebble into the river
and
watched the ripples extend out and get carried away by the current. The
nagging
question of what was waiting for them at Dragon's Nest reappeared and she
sought
refuge in the stars again. "Help us, Ceiphied-sama..."
From the forest someone snickered and darted away from the treeline.
"Ceiphied won't be able to help you where you're going..."
~~~~~
The next time Naria was consciously aware of anything she and
Zelgadis were
resting in a clearing. He was snoring lightly and Naria decided not to
wake him up.
She quietly stood up and tiptoed out of the clearing, climbing up the
nearest tree
and watching the stars from the top branch. She was glad that Mirai
hadn't told
Zelgadis all of the deal with Xellos, but she'd still have to punch that
goddess
squarely in the jaw the next time she saw her. Naria let out a soft sigh
and studied
the galaxy above her. A shooting star suddenly appeared and lingered in
one spot
before streaking across the sky. She quickly shut her eyes and crossed
her
fingers, breathing in and out slowly.
"Wishes never come true, Naria-san." The chimera opened her eyes and
tried to
ignore the person sitting next to her. "Still not happy to see me?"
"When was I ever happy to see you, Xellos?" she asked irritably and
glared at
the Mazoku general priest. He just smiled back at her and moved closer.
"Don't
even ask since you know my answer. I'm not going to let you use my mind
anymore...not after what you made me do."
"Still angry about that, ne?" he sighed and leaned against the tree
trunk. "It
wasn't that bad, was it?"
"No, not at all. I really don't mind downloading a program that'll
kill me later on
or going on a killing spree through the nearest town to see people
suffer. No, it
wasn't bad at all," Naria grumbled and half-heartedly kicked at the
priest. "Just go
away, Xellos. I want nothing more to do with you."
"But I want everything to do with you, Naria-san. You interest me a
great deal."
The Trickster opened his eyes and smiled again. "I can even save the
people you
love from what is about to happen to them..."
Naria sat up and studied the Mazoku's face. "What do you mean 'what
is about
to happen to them?' What's going to happen to them?"
Xellos wagged a finger at her and shook his head. "That is a secret
until you
agree."
"I'd rather die than agree to your deals," Naria growled and turned
away. Xellos
closed his eyes and shrugged.
"Okay, but you won't be the one to die this time."
"What the-?!" When Naria turned around, she was alone in the treetop
with the
stars. She settled back into the crook of the branches uneasily.
"Stupid Mazoku
fruitcake..."
A small breeze ruffled through the trees and Naria once again closed
her eyes.
"Wishes do come true and I'll make sure this one does, Xellos Metallium."
She
opened her eyes and gazed up at the starry night sadly.
Suddenly, a stifled scream broke the silence of the glade and Naria
shot out of
the tree. She hit the ground running and emerged into the clearing to
see the
reason why she should have stayed behind. Kako stood holding an
unconscious
Zelgadis under his arm, a thin line of blood running from the corner of
the chimera's
mouth.
"Oniichan!!" Naria rushed forward and was only met with Kako's knee.
She felt
the air being pushed from her lungs and was forced back against the tree
trunk.
She didn't even wait to catch her breath before picking herself back up
and charging
forward again. "O...nii....cha..n...."
"I'll take you later on, little one. For now, your brother makes a
fine trophy and
he'll be sitting right next to that inverse of yours." With that Kako
vanished just as
Naria reached the spot they had been at. She fell forward, feeling the
strength
leaving her body again. Her hair fell around her face as the tears began
to mingle
with them. She had failed...failed in everything. Naria raised her head
slightly just
as consciousness decided to leave her. The only sound in the clearing
was her
head slamming against the hard earth beneath her.
~~~~~
Lina sat straight up and jumped out of bed. "Mira-chan!!"
The young girl was struggling against a tall man with dark green
hair and
glasses that seemed to slip off his nose but still remain in place.
"Hello, Lina
Inverse. I've come to collect my other prizes. Give me the Hikari no
Ken."
Naga raised her head and grabbed Jeze-chan just as she ran past
while
watching the stand-off. Lina tightened her grip on the sword and refused.
Amelia
broke through the underbrush and let out a small gasp.
"Zelgadis-san!!" she screamed and ran forward, only to be caught in
the jaw by
Kako's fist. Lina caught her as she fell and returned her burning gaze
to the man
before her. Floating behind him in a rope of thorny rose vines was her
friend, clearly
dead to the world. Amelia struggled to her feet and grabbed the handle
of the Hikari
no Ken. "In the name of the ever-burning Justice, let my friends go!"
Before Lina could protest, Amelia whipped the sword from its sheath
and pointed
it at the Mazoku half-breed. "Give them back now!! Hikari yo!!"
Kako gave Amelia a half-smile and struck Mira-chan's pressure
points, sending
her into the inky darkness of unconsciousness. "So, it takes will and
those two
words, does it? Thank you, Amelia wil Telsa Sailoon. You've shown me how
to
bring the destruction of the world around."
"Amelia, give the sword to me," Lina snatched it out of her hands
and closed her
eyes. "You want to see its power...fine. Elemekial Lance!!"
As the sorceress fired the spell off, her eyes burned with the rage
of a thousand
golden dragons after the last remaining Mazoku. "Double Feature! Gaav
Flare!!"
After the burning and the smoke subsided, Naga lifted her head and
moved her
cape to show Jeze-chan hiding next to her. The inverse raised her head
and looked
around. "Where's Mira-chan, Naga? And Lina and Amelia..where is
everyone?"
The White Serpent's gaze swept over the devastated clearing and
heard the
clash of swords fifty feet to their right. She told the inverse to stay
put and took off
in that direction, praying that she wasn't too late.
"Give him back to me, Kako!" Lina growled. "And let Mira-chan and
the others
go!"
Kako dodged the blast and countered with another spell that left a
sizeable hole
in the embankment. "I can't do that, Lina Inverse. I need the Tear to
get back at
those gods that took my life away. Balus Rod!!"
Lina ducked and rolled away, firing as she stood and blocking
another sword
strike as he rushed forward. Amelia was still out cold from the punch
she'd received
and the Lina Inverse was getting the beating of her life. Kako ground
his elbow into
her spine and kneed her in the stomach, sending her crashing _through_
the trees.
The Hikari no Ken's light slowly began to flicker as she stood
unsteadily.
"I won't lose to you..." she managed to choke out, wiping away the
blood
coming from the cut on her cheek. Kako's laugh echoed in the empty glade
and he
stepped forward, ready to take yet another trophy to add to his
collection. Lina let
the sword drop and smiled. "Take it then...if you can see it.
Lightning!!"
The blinding light gave Lina enough time to bring the glowing sword
down upon
Kako's shoulder, leaving quite a nasty gash in him. The Mazoku stepped
back,
clutching his newly gained wound and snarled. He was about to lunge
forward when
a hand forced its way through his stomach and out the other side. He
slid off the
arm and fell forward, growling before disappearing with Zelgadis and
Mira-chan
only. It was too dark to see the owner of the arm until she walked
forward and tried to
help Lina up.
"You owe me one, Inverse-san," the clone grumbled and let the arm
hang limply
by her side. "Mazoku blood stings like acid."
"Where did you come from? I thought you left us back at the road."
Lina
quickly began to heal the various wounds she had and ran over to check on
Amelia.
The young girl would be fine other than a sore jaw.
The clone stepped up and nodded. "I did, but I got to
thinking...you're _the_
Lina Inverse, aren't you?" After waiting for the confirmation, the clone
continued. "I
was wondering...is the story that you're eighty or ninety years old
true?"
Naga had never seen a person run that fast.
~~~~~
I never thought I would lose my mind
That I could control this
Never thought that I'd be left behind
That I was stronger than you
If only I knew what I've done
You know, so why don't you tell me
~~~~~
Naria opened her eyes and found herself looking through someone
else's eyes.
She felt trapped and alone even while thousands of voices bombarded her.
She had
the overwhelming emotion of being lost even though she knew exactly where
she
was and what was happening. A million ideas flowed through a mind that
was no
longer hers. Naria tried to shake her head, but she couldn't. It was
impossible, she
hadn't agreed.
<I knew you'd come around, Naria-san.> a familiar voice taunted her.
Naria was frozen with an unknown fear. <No...I didn't agree! I
don't want this
again!>
<Oh..but you did and you have to go through another five years.
Thank you,
Naria-san...the Mazoku needed the Dolphin's Tear...> An evil laugh filled
her head,
but it wasn't hers anymore.
<NO!!!>
Mirai watched the young chimera toss and turn as the nightmares
flooded her
mind. She just wished she could do something about it. The goddess
knelt down
by the bed and put her head next to the girl's clenched fist. The door
opened and
silently closed again as the latch caught. Kojiro walked over and placed
a hand on
Naria's forehead and the girl grew still.
"She won't dream for the rest of the night. What have you seen that
will ensure
that she and the others will live?"
The goddess closed her eyes and a small holographic image popped up
in front
of her showing a battle scene. Naria stood in the middle, her eyes
looking vacant
and blood on her hands. Around her were the pieces of other warriors:
stray red
hair, broken blue armor, a staff broken in half, a cracked blue crystal,
torn off-white
cloth, a shattered jeweled skull. A single tear traced its way down the
chimera's
cheek as she turned and left the battlefield. She moved through pools of
red water
and the occasional body would obstruct her path only to be stepped on and
walked
over. Kojiro watched the procession emotionlessly.
"So you would have to activate the berserker program prematurely,"
he
whispered and turned away from the vision. Mirai nodded and lowered her
head.
"Casualties would be?"
"Lina Inverse, Gourry Gabriev, Amelia wil Telsa Sailoon, Zelgadis
Graywords,
Mira-chan Graywords, Jeze-chan Graywords, Naga Gracia Sailoon, Xellos
Metallium, Kako Eienjo, Imako Eienjo, Mirai Eienjo, Kako Eienjo the
Second:
dead," Mirai said voice devoid of emotion as if reading from a list of
groceries.
"Naria Eienjo Graywords, Kojiro Eienjo, half the Mazoku population, the
Gods,
nearby townspeople: nearly dead. Dolphin's Tear: shattered."
Kojiro lowered his head. "Damn, I was hoping for better odds. If
she dies,
what happens?"
The vision changed and it showed Mira-chan and Naria curled up and
apparently
not breathing while a group of other people gathered around them.
"Mira-chan
Graywords, Naria Eienjo Graywords, and possibly Jeze-chan Graywords would
be
the only casualties other than Mazoku."
"Have you explored any other possibilities?" Kojiro waited for Mirai
to shake her
head before continuing. "Explore them then report to me. For now I must
change
my vote in the Council. If you cannot find any other solutions to the
problem, bring
me the Dolphin's Tear by the end of the third day."
Mirai nodded slightly and waved her hand over Naria's still form.
Soon the bed
was empty and the goddess bit her lower lip. "I hate my job..."
~~~~~
Don't wanna lose you now
I know we can win this
Don't wanna lose you now
No no, or ever again
~~~~~
Naria opened her eyes and found Jeze-chan poking her in the
forehead.
"Naria...are you dead?"
After confirming she wasn't dead by sitting up and scaring the poor
girl out of her
wits, Naria asked Jeze-chan where the others were. The inverse pointed
to her right
and watched as the chimera ran off. She sighed and poked at a slow
moving
spider. "Why doesn't anyone stay anymore for tea?"
~~~~
Naga held Amelia as Lina put the Hikari no Ken back in its sheath
and cast an
angry glance at the clone who was busy rubbing a sore spot on her head.
One
would think a bunny slipper wouldn't hurt so much even after repeated
beatings
with said slipper. It does.
"Hey, chimera, what's your name?" Lina called, trying in her own way
to
apologize for the bump rising on the girl's head.
"Name?" The chimera thought for a moment then looked back up at her.
"Chimera Number 67 or C67."
Lina sighed, "Well, I'm not going to yell C-Six-Seven every time I
want to talk to
you, so do you have a nickname or something?"
C67 had to think again. "Nickname...Oh, yes. I recall Naria using
my real
name a few weeks ago. She was the only one who called the drones by
their real
names, you know. Very remarkable how she could remember all four
thousand of
us by name, but she was a very smart chimera by all respects." The clone
noticed
Lina's temper starting to flare again and quickly decided to _not_
continue with her
current line of thought. "Syman!! My name is Syman Sanadan or Sy for
short. I
prefer Sy."
Lina calmed down and smiled. "Then you're welcome to tag along, Sy.
At least
until we find Naria or get our friends back. The unconscious girl is
Amelia wil Telsa
Sailoon, the Crown Princess of Sailoon, and the over endowed idiot is
Naga
_Gracia_ Sailoon. Or as she likes to be called: The White Serpent. In
my opinion,
Goldfish Feces works just fine."
The sorceress laughed and ducked the fireball aimed at her. Sy got
up, walked
over, and stuck her hand out to Naga. "Great aim, next time try hitting
her."
"Explosion Array!!!"
Sy was beginning to learn that sarcasm was not taken well with that
particular
group.
~~~~~
Door opening. Two people thrown into the same room. Door closing.
A shadow
passed by and was gone again, leaving Gourry alone with his new
cellmates. One
was trying to recover from being unconscious and one was still out cold.
The
swordsman lay on the single cot and watched from one open eye. There was
hardly any light in the small jail cell and what light he had made it
hard to see
anything other than the silhouette of the two new additions. One of the
people
raised their head and Gourry got a good look at their outline.
"Zelgadis, what are you doing here?" he asked and sat up, breaking
the silence
that had reigned over the cell for the past day and a half.
The chimera turned his head at the mention of his name and blinked
in the
darkness. "Good to see that you're still alive. Lina was worried about
you."
Gourry jumped invisibly. "She was? She doesn't need to be, I'm
fine. I just
have to play dumb around them and they won't get a thing out of me. That
little elf
guy thinks I'm mute so he doesn't question me much."
"All he has to do is tell Kako that you're mute and he'll figure it
out. You were
talking when you were with Lina," Zelgadis sighed and picked a small girl
up off the
floor. She looked like Lina except for her clothes and it took Gourry a
few minutes
before remembering that it was Mira-chan.
"How's she doing?" he asked and pointed at the inverse.
"Out cold. She'll be fine though." He set her down next to Gourry
on the bed
and sat down on the floor. "Have you found a way out of here?"
Gourry shook his blond head and laid Mira-chan's head down on the
pillow,
joining Zelgadis on the floor. "The cell is rock solid and the bars are
now electrified
after I tried to punch them out."
Zelgadis nodded and rested his head against the cold rock wall.
"We'll figure
some way out of this cell. You'll be the one to go, too."
The blond swordsman blinked and stared at his friend. "Why?"
"Baka, you can find Lina better than anyone I know and she'll be
looking for you
too. The fates seem to conspire that you'd find each other quickly,"
Zelgadis
explained and let out a small sigh. "Once you get out, could you do
something for
me?"
Gourry, having accepted that he was going to go instead of Zel,
nodded after
asking what it was. The chimera lowered his head slightly and answered
in a quiet
voice. "Find Naria and make sure she's alright..."
~~~~~
There were four people sitting in the clearing when Naria came
running into it.
She recognized three of them, but couldn't recall the last one. She
walked up and
placed a hand on the girl's shoulder before dropping to her knees and
trying to
smile. "I'm sorry...I should know you, but I can't remember your
name..."
The girl stared at the chimera with a confused expression. "I-I'm
Amelia wil
Telsa Sailoon..."
Naria gave her a lopsided smiled and pointed behind her. "Jeze-chan
is
waiting...I think...it's time for me to rest."
Lina watched as the chimera fell forward and her head knocked
against the hard
earth. "That was weird...Naga, go get Jeze-chan. Sy, can you explain
what just
happened?"
Sy nodded sadly and pointed at Naria. "That is Naria Graywords and
what you
just witnessed is a basic shut down of a memory node. Since we had to be
modified from being human, we were given brains like computers.
Apparently,
Naria's leash is already starting to pull back on her. Her brain is
shutting itself
down like a computer crashing its hard drive. She'll start forgetting
people, places,
events, and eventually who she is before her dominant program takes over
and she
dies."
"N-Naria-san is going to die like that?" Amelia gasped and looked
down at the
girl asleep on the ground. Sy nodded. "I'm dying like that too, all of
us who have
leashes are. Man, C1 sure was lucky."
"C1? Who's C1?" Lina turned to the girl with renewed interest. Kako
had
mentioned him earlier and maybe it was a clue. Sy sighed and again
pointed at
Naria.
"Her brother and the male clones' "father" of sorts. She's C2, the
female original
and the one I was created from. I think C1's real name is...is...oh,
yeah. Zelgadis
Graywords. He was the only one to be built and was given a human soul,
but he
escaped and that's when the new version of making drones was created." Sy
flashed a smile fit only to Disneyland Jungle Tour tour guides and
continued. "I
actually got the chance to meet him once. Really nice guy, you know. A
little
belligerent, but otherwise very nice."
"Y-you mean...Zelgadis-san...HE WAS NEVER HUMAN?!" Amelia screamed,
waking one chimera and all of a nearby city's inhabitants.
Sy rubbed her ears and winced in pain. "No...and thanks to the
chimeran drone
program neither are we." She pointed to herself and Naria and tried to
get the
ringing to stop. "He should have told you...I mean he found out at the
compound
since Naria-erk!"
"WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT, SY?!?!?" Naria
roared and continued trying to strangle her clone. "IT WAS SUPPOSED TO
BE
FORGOTTEN!!"
Lina broke them apart via the magic fireball and both she and Amelia
began to
rain the questions down on Naria. "Were you the one who told him to lie
to us?"
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" "Where the hell is Zelgadis now?! I
want to kill
him!!" "How are you _not_ human if you're alive?!" Both of them screamed
the last
word together. "EXPLAIN!"
After shoving both angry sorceresses off herself, Naria straightened
her shirt
and smoothed back her hair. "You want to know, then shut up and let me
explain. It's
all out in the open anyway. I used to be human, but through a process
that you
almost went through, Lina, I'm a chimeran drone with no real soul or
mind. I'm run
like a computer with programs and a memory, but without the worry of a
power
source or battery. I'm not a true chimera since I'm not really a mixture
of creatures,
I'm just made to resemble one. I can die, but I won't just run out of
power
somewhere on the side of the road or something.
"I didn't want to tell you because it didn't concern you. Neither
of you are
involved in my past or in Zelgadis' past and we both don't want you
snooping around
or feeling sorry for us. Zelgadis is alive in every sense of the word,
it's just that his
body was built by mixing human, demon, and golem DNA and he was given a
past
and a memory along with a soul. I told him to lie because I didn't want
him to have
to live with the pain of remembering that he was never human. There was
a past at
Garrou that he was never there to experience and I didn't want him to
have to
experience it in the present. His past is to be forgotten, just Garrou
Compound
Number Six is to be forgotten along with the experiments and the people.
As for
where Zelgadis is..." Naria closed her eyes and sighed. "He's in a
pocket
dimension and unconscious, but alive. I have to be there with him.
Please
understand that what I did was to protect him and the others. Sy."
The young clone looked up expectantly. "Yes?"
"Go back home to Miss Sanadan. I'm sure she's worried about you."
The clone
nodded and disappeared into the forest. "I'm going. You can come with
me if you
want, but I warn you that it'll be dangerous and you might get hurt."
Lina stood and grabbed the handle of the Hikari no Ken. "We're
ready to do
whatever it takes."
"Yeah!" Naga chorused as she and Jeze-chan stepped out of the
underbrush.
"Where are we going?"
Naria smiled slightly and adjusted her headband. "To get my
brother."
~~~~~
I've got this feeling you're not gonna stay
It's burning within me
The fear of losing
Of slipping away
It just keeps getting closer
Whatever reason to leave that I've had
My place is always beside you
~~~~~
"It's not shaping up as well as I thought...his incompetence is far
outweighing
his usefulness," Deep Sea Dolphin snarled and watched the proceedings
through a
tinted crystal ball. "Marone, make sure he doesn't do anything
stupid...and get the
swordsman back. He wasn't mute, you idiot. If you fail me again, be
ready to take
Kako's punishment as your own."
The elven creature cringed at the mention of punishment and
disappeared in a
ball of black energy. Deep Sea Dolphin turned and watched the Sea of
Chaos
churning around her home. "Soon...very soon...I'll get you for banishing
me to this
forsaken place...Lord of Nightmares..."
~~~~
Doors. Light. Air. More doors. People. Desk!! Kojiro watched
the display with
much interest and laughed his head off as the messenger slammed head
first into
his desk, only rattling the pencil holder. The small boy didn't look a
day over five,
but the god knew he was more like five thousand sixty-three.
"Five thousand sixty-three and a quarter, sir..." the young boy
corrected as he
sat up and rubbed his head. "When did you move your desk forward three
inches?"
"Yesterday, I dropped something beneath it and didn't want to move
it back.
How have you been, Hikaru? You haven't been by the office in a quarter
of a
millennia and I feared the worst about you. What, did you move to
management
too?" the older god joked and leaned over his desk. The God of Light was
busy
trying to climb up on the provided chair and had just managed to look
rather dumb
as he fell off again. "Still clumsy, I see..."
"Yeah...I guess that even five thousand years can't break a good
habit," the boy
laughed, his voice amazingly loud for such a small frame. "Anyway, I'm
here with a
message to you from the Council, Kami-sama."
"Kojiro is fine, Hikaru. I don't call you Hikaru-sama, do I?" He
smiled and
watched the lesser god grin sheepishly.
"I guess not, Kojiro, but you don't have to. Now for the message,
the other gods
have become antsy about not having the Dolphin's Tear in their possession
while
Kako-kun now has half of it. There have been rumors of the Mazoku
increasing their
attack and that Deep Sea Dolphin is the actual head of the attacks. We
can't touch
her unless we have the extra power of the Tear. The Council advises you
to gain
access to the Tear now," Hikaru reported and put away a small piece of
paper.
"Kojiro, between you and me, I'd try to get at least half of it and keep
it away from
the Mazoku. Even at half power, the Tear is quite powerful."
"I gave Mirai three days, now down to two to get the Tear or find an
alternative. I
won't go back on that, Hikaru," Kami-sama said, his voice giving away the
hint that
he was tired and worn down from the pressure and stress. "I will find a
better
solution to this other than complete annihilation."
Hikaru bowed low and grinned. "I knew I could count on you. Good
luck,
Kami-sama."
After the lesser god had left, Kojiro turned to watch the warriors
train. Many of
them were already dying in a battle against the Mazoku even with their
powers
and training. "Luck...we'll need all the luck we can get..."
~~~~
Zelgadis tapped the bars again and sighed as he received the same
shock he
had gotten the other seventy times. Gourry kept a vigil on Mira-chan and
also
watched the chimera out of the corner of his eye. He had tried blowing
the bars
apart with a few high density fireballs and several flare arrows followed
by freeze
arrows and anything else he could think of, but all of the spells fell
short of doing
anything other than making the guard very pissed at him.
"Is it working yet?" he called out hopefully. Zel shook his head
slightly and
realized that another day had passed. He had already spent two days
racking his
brain for the best and least painful way out of the cell, but he knew
that time was
growing short and Naria's time was almost gone. She had said she had
four days
and three days had already passed by since he had been sitting in the
jail cell.
Gourry moved closer to the bars and touched it only to have his hair
stand on end.
"Maybe we should just wait..."
"I'm going to get you out of here and it doesn't matter if the bars
are or aren't
electrified." The chimera stood and walked over to the bars, examining
them and
occasionally tapping on them to receive a small spark or prolonged shock.
"They're
just used to stun you or push you back. The force isn't that
great...Gourry."
"That's what you think," the other man said as he coughed up a puff
of black
smoke.
The swordsman stood and walked forward. Zelgadis pointed at the
bars and
explained his plan. He would divert the electricity to two bars and then
Gourry
could break out. They seemed to be in a pocket dimension and Zelgadis
would use
whatever consciousness he had left to use a summoning spell and break
through
the weak barrier. It was a long-shot, but it was all that he could think
of in such a
short time. Gourry nodded slightly and grabbed Zelgadis' sword, which
Marone
had idiotically left in its sheath. "At the count of three. One. Two.
Three!"
Sparks rained down on the swordsman as he began to hack away at the
bars.
Zelgadis gritted his teeth and dug his heels into the stone floor. None
of them had
much time left and he didn't want to stay there anymore than Gourry did,
but Gourry
had a better chance at getting to Lina. Finally the clang of bars
hitting the floor
allowed Zelgadis to step back from the bars. He could barely hear
footsteps
running closer over the ringing in his ears and quickly recited a
summoning spell. A
hole opened up and a small bat flew through. Gourry jumped through the
opening
and barely made it out just as the far door burst open and Marone came
running
down the hall.
"Baka...left me my sword..." Zelgadis grinned and slumped against
the bars,
sliding to the floor unconscious once again.
~~~~~
"Naria, you okay?" Lina leaned over the young girl and brushed the
hair out of
her eyes. The chimera nodded hesitantly and Lina was barely able to see
the force
with which she was clutching her side. The only reason she could see it
was
Naria's knuckles were a brilliant white against pale blue. "You're not
okay. Amelia,
Naga, Jeze-chan! We're resting now. Amelia, come here for a moment."
The princess came obediently and kneeled down by Lina and Naria.
"What's
wrong, Lina-san?"
"Help me move her." Lina slipped a hand under Naria's left arm and
Amelia took
the right. Together they tried to drag her so she could lean back
against the trunk
of a nearby tree. Naria tried to wave them away, but the pain had gotten
so intense
that she wasn't able to move.
"...time...up...today...is..." Naria coughed and her hand started to
shake.
"...fourth....day...get....awa....fore....oo....lat..."
Amelia leaned in closer and tried to catch the rest of the words the
chimera was
struggling to say. "Lina-san...she's saying something about a
berserker..."
Naga stepped up and rolled Naria's head back, opening one of her
eyes and
examining her like a doctor would examine a patient with a rampant
disease.
"What was that Sy girl talking about with leashes, dominant programs,
and-erk!"
The White Serpent couldn't finish her thought as Naria's hands
jumped up and
encompassed her throat. Tears were barely visible from beneath the
chimera's
bangs and she slowly stood up, dragging Naga to her feet. Her mouth
moved with
unspoken words and as Lina and Amelia tried to pry Naria's fingers from
Naga's now
red neck Jeze-chan began to whimper.
"Jeze-chan, help us! Don't just stand there, help us out here!"
Lina screamed
and successfully got one of Naria's hands off Naga, only to have it latch
onto her
arm. "Kuso!!"
Amelia turned to the inverse and was shocked by the expression of
terror on
her face. "Jeze-chan, please help us!"
The clone shook her head furiously and pointed at Naria.
"She's...she's asking
for your help. She's asking you to help her."
Lina twisted free from Naria's iron grip and laughed. "Help her do
what? Kill
Naga?!"
Jeze-chan shook her head. "No, her. She's saying, 'Kill me
please.'"
Naga began to turn blue in the face and pressed her hand against the
chimera's
stomach. Jeze-chan's comment of how she was smiling didn't reach the
sorceress
as she gasped out, "Sleep!!" As the spell took effect and Naria loosened
her hold
on Naga's throat, Jeze-chan began to cry. As soon as the chimera was
fully asleep
and Naga's face had stopped being blue, Amelia tried to heal the ugly
bruises that
were rising on her neck.
"Naga-san...that wasn't too wise getting that close to her," the
princess chided
her, genuinely angry at the older girl.
"Not like I wanted to be _that_ close to her, Amelia," Naga croaked
and took in
another deep breath. After waiting three minutes she tried to talk
again. "What
made her go crazy like that anyway?"
Lina ignored her ex-partner's question and kept trying to comfort
the distraught
inverse. "She's just asleep, Jeze-chan, I promise. When she wakes up
we'll be
able to help her and she's not in pain right now. She'll be fine. Oh
for L-sama's
sake, stop crying already!!"
The girl sniffled and rubbed her eyes. "Naria...Naria isn't going
to be alright..."
"Why do you say that?" Lina shot a glance at the sleeping drone and
then
peered into eyes that were Naga's but weren't.
"Don't you remember what Sy said? First she'd start to forget
things...then
she'd change...then-then-I don't even what to think of it! Mira-chan
will be so sad
when she finds out! She doesn't know Naria is dying and when she finds
out I won't
be able to make her happy again!" Jeze-chan wailed and buried her face in
her
hands. "She's dying and we can't stop it!!"
Lina bit her lower lip and kept trying to comfort the girl. She
hadn't forgotten
what Sy had said, nor did she forget what Mirai had said a long time ago.
"Pick her
up, we're continuing to Dragon's Nest and maybe we'll find Gourry, Zel,
and
Mira-chan along the way. Come on."
Naga nodded and turned to Amelia. "Carry her."
"Why am I the one to carry her?" Amelia whined as she gingerly poked
the
chimera in the back. Naga sighed and picked Naria up, depositing her in
Amelia's
arms. (Of course, the weight of having a chimera dropped on her caused
her to fall
to the ground...hard.)
"Because she's creepy now and I don't want to," Naga growled and
stalked off.
>From underneath the sleeping chimera there were some very unprincesslike
words
being said.
~~~~~
Zelgadis opened his eyes to find chains on his wrists and ankles.
He also found
that he was suspended a good 18 inches off the floor. His head felt
groggy and
everything was muddled, but he still knew that he was in danger. He
raised his
head slightly and felt the pressure decrease in his skull along with the
ringing in his
ears.
"Are you alright, Mr. Zelgadis?" Mira-chan asked for what Zel
realized was the
tenth time and poked him in the leg. "You've been asleep for an awfully
long time.
Are you dead?"
"Leave me alone," he growled as a response as he realized her voice
was giving
him more of a headache than the effects of being electrocuted. "And
don't say a
thing..."
"Hai." Several minutes of golden silence followed before Zelgadis
could actually
hear her fidgeting around. He let out a frustrated sigh and looked down
at her. The
small inverse was sniffling slightly and shivered as she felt someone's
eyes on her.
So in a rare moment of insanity, Zelgadis decided to be friendly.
"Cold?"
The inverse nodded and heard him moving around above her. Then a
very warm
cloth fell down on her head, completely covering her as she sat on the
floor.
Zelgadis watched as his cape fell over her and her curious eyes peered
out from
beneath the edges of the off-white mantle. He stared down at her
impassively and
then turned his attention to the bars where a guard was now posted around
the
clock. The little orc-like creature glanced at the two people over its
shoulder before
going back to sleep.
"Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Mr. Zelgadis..." Mira-chan whispered and
wrapped
herself in his cloak. "It's almost like having her here too..."
Zelgadis looked down his nose at her and tried to smile. "You like
my sister a
lot, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question and
Mira-chan only
nodded in response. "Why?"
The inverse drew the cape up around her shoulders and sat with her
head
lowered. "She's the only other person who's ever been nice to me. Most
people
scream 'Dra-mata' and run the other way in terror. Jeze-chan is the same
way only
its 'Run! It's the laughing girl!' Naria was nice to both of us from the
moment we met
her."
This time smiling cam naturally to him and he tried to move only to
hear the
chains remind him of his predicament. "I suppose she does have a good
heart
under all that thickheadedness."
Mira-chan smiled slightly and her voice became uncharacteristically
low. "She
thinks of you a lot." Mira-chan let that statement sink in before
continuing. "Once
while I was up past my bedtime, I heard her talking to the stars and she
was talking
about you. She kept saying how she'd make you proud of her even if it
killed her
and how she'd keep those she loved out of harm's way. Later on that
night, she
was talking in her sleep and she kept saying she was sorry to you.
What's she so
sad about, Mr. Zelgadis?"
The inverse looked up expecting an explanation and only received the
cold
shoulder. Zelgadis scowled and turned away. "She talks too much."
"I'm sleepy," Mira-chan yawned and stretched out on the floor of the
new cell.
"Oyasumi, Mr. Zelgadis."
After a moment he heard her rhythmic breathing join with the soft
snoring of the
orc outside and he sighed. He whispered good night to her and looked up
where he
knew the sky would have to be. "Stay safe, Naria...she'd miss you." He
let his
head drop and heard himself say, "And so would I."
~~~~~
I never thought I would lose my mind
That I could control this
Never thought that I'd be left behind
That I was stronger than you
Don't want to lose to loneliness
I know we can win
Don't want to lose to emptiness
No no, Never again
~~~~~
Silence.
"I hate silence...it means-"
Loneliness.
"...and loneliness means that my mind is filled with-"
Darkness.
"...and when the darkness comes he comes with-"
False Promises.
"False promises lead to-"
Pain and Sorrow.
"...and that only leads back to-"
Silence.
"The darkness is something I can learn to refuse, but pain, sorrow,
silence...
him. I can't stop them from invading my mind, taking my
memories...taking my life.
If he took my life from me, I'd lose my family, my loves, my friends. If
I lost them...
the silence would come and I'd be alone again." The star filled sky
above her was
all that she could see. The forest was perfectly quiet with only the
occasional chirp
of the crickets to keep from the dreaded silence. Naria sat on the edge
of a
nondescript cliff that overlooked the peaceful wood spreading out for
miles in each
direction. A chill wind was continuously whipping past her, stirring up
the loose
folds of cloth and keeping the wiry hair from her face. In the stars
were hidden
faces and dances of people that she knew. Naria smiled and watched them
live
their lives so close to her and yet so far away from her. "But there is
one good
thing about the darkness and the silence. It means the night and the
night means-"
Dreams...
Amelia continued to drag the makeshift cart behind her and turned
just in time to
change the smile that drifted across the chimera's face. Lina and Naga
were
walking just in front of them and Jeze-chan brought up the rear.
"Lina-san..."
"What is it, Amelia? Are you getting tired?" the sorceress said as
she glanced
over her shoulder.
The princess shook her head and pointed at Naria. "What do you
think she's
dreaming of that'd make her so happy?"
Naria hugged her knees and watched as the drama in the sky unfolded.
A
certain raven haired girl bounced across the heavens and laughed as
another girl
with fiery orange hair (and a temper to match) started to yell at an
oblivious blonde.
The swordsman was busy joking around with his stony faced friend who
refused to
give him the slightest hint that he was having a good time with his
friends. A tall,
voluptuous female came running up (laughing her head off as usual) and
tagged the
redhead on the back of the head before continuing on her trek. The
redhead yelled
and ran off after the older woman, screaming at her to slow down so she
could
introduce her to a fireball. Somewhere in the background was a small
human girl
with starry eyes and flame colored hair along with a girl that looked
mysteriously
similar to the laughing woman. They were smiling and laughing at some
kind of
joke the shorter one had made. Together the procession continued across
the sky
until they disappeared from view. Naria smiled again, a little sadly
this time as she
wasn't with them, but smiled nevertheless.
Lina shrugged. "Who knows what'd make a chimera happy. Coffee
maybe."
~~~~~
Don't wanna lose you now (loneliness)
I know we can win this
Don't wanna lose you now (emptiness)
No no, or ever again
Don't wanna lose you now
And I know we can win this
Don't wanna lose you now
No no, or ever again
Don't wanna lose you now
~~~~~
~to be continued...
More Author's Notes: Yes, I recently received a Backstreet Boys CD and
upon hearing
Don't Wanna Lose You Now, I decided to stick it in here. *shrugs*
Sounded good to
me, maybe not to you. Opinions are opinions, ne? Tell me what you
thought of the fic
and yes, this is another plug for C&C. ^_^;; And yes, I also know I
came out with this
a lot faster than Episode Five. Be happy, not sad.
The only sig that says, "I don't have a sig." and ends up lying.