This was a hard chapter to write for me, so tell me what you think
of it. Writer's block and the actual situation is what made this
difficult. Please tell me whether or not I did a good job on this!
And in case you're wondering, that was a plug for C&C, I need
it desperately here. *big puppy dog eyes* Please? Anyway, on to the
story. Oh and for earlier chapters, please go to:
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Villa/9072/Fanfic.htm
*~~~*
Disclaimer: I do not own certain characters in this story. They belong
to Rui Araizumi and Yoshinaka Shoko, both of which could sue me if
they pleased because they are the Slayers gods not me. This story
was written for amusement purposes only and I will not make any
money off it. In other words, PUT DOWN THE LAW SUITS!!!
*~~~*
Slayers: Double!
By Murasakikaze
Episode 8: Fallen Tears
The door was blown open violently and as the smoke cleared, Naria
dropped her hand. She stepped to the side and allowed her master to
pass before her, lowering her head slightly as he walked by. Then she
followed him in and watched as Kako took off his glasses and leaned
back against the long table at the end of the spacious room.
"You have interrupted me while I was planning my next move, Xelloss-kun.
How very rude of you." He set his glasses down on the table and
motioned for them to take a seat. "Please, come and join me in your last
meal."
The Trickster Priest nodded and sat down. Naria stood behind him and
waited for the signal that would never come. "So, Kako-dono, I'm very
glad to see you in such good health. I halfway expected you to be dead
by now, such a shame."
Kako seated himself at the head of the table and took a glass of wine
from a passing waitress. "Ah, such a shame it is, isn't it? I used to
be
dead, but it didn't appeal to me much. Too drafty and all, don't you
think?"
"I suppose so, but I'd think the darkness would be what got you the
most," Xelloss replied and also took a glass of wine from the waitress.
He turned to Naria and smiled. "Would you like one?"
The chimeran girl shook her head and resumed her task of watching and
waiting. Kako sighed and stared at his former creation. "Is she always
so
droll?"
"I'm afraid so, Kako-dono. She didn't used to be though. If you removed
the leash and destroyed the program again, I'm sure we'd have a lot more
fun."
The half-breed Mazoku laughed and slammed his glass down on the
table, causing the crystal to shatter. "Now why would I sign my own
death warrant? I may be insane, but I'm not stupid, Xelloss-kun."
"That's debatable," the priest shot back and stood. "We'll take our
leave
then. Come, Naria."
"Hai, Master." Naria turned to go and then suddenly fell forward,
clutching
her head. What used to be a mild headache had developed into
unbearable pain and she was forced to her knees. Xelloss glanced over
his shoulder and found Kako even more confused than he was. What he
understood of the leash system, she shouldn't experience these
symptoms until tomorrow or at the very least late tonight. Then she
coughed and he spotted the droplets of blood hitting the floor. He
tightened his grip on his staff and opened his eyes, scanning the large
dining hall. It was time.
Kako growled and his hand began to shake slightly as it turned a pale
violet color. "Who dares disrupt my home without my knowing?"
It started as a small glow in the corner, but soon it became so bright
both
Mazoku had to turn away. As the light faded away it formed into three
separate figures. One very clear, the other, slightly fuzzy, and the
last a
shadow of what was to be. They stepped forward, each carrying a staff or
glaive respectively, and glared at the former god.
"We are the Fates," they said in perfect unison. Their voices blending
together to form a pleasant and yet threatening note. "We are what has
happened, what will happen, and is happening and you should know that,
Kako Eienjo."
Xelloss looked down at Naria and grabbed her around the waist, slipping
her arm around his neck. "Time to go, Naria. It's not safe here
anymore."
She glanced up, a haunted look in her eyes, and shook her head.
"Can't..."
The general priest smiled and closed his eyes. "Shh, they'll be fine,
but
you need to get out of here."
Again she shook her head, but in her current state she was in no place to
argue and they teleported out. The three figures watched them go and
then turned their attention back to Kako. The former god felt the
changes
happening and smiled.
"It's so good to see you again, Mirai, Imako. I see you've found my
replacement already, I hope he's as good as the original."
The shadow stepped forward and formed her physical body around her
astral presence. The long blond hair fell down past her shoulders and
out
of the usual ponytail while she studied her old friend with cold blue
eyes.
"He's better than you could ever be, traitor."
The childlike goddess, Imako, took her position next to Mirai and pointed
her enormous glaive at the former god. "You have pushed Kami-sama too
far this time, Kako. He looked away when you decided to become mortal,
but turning against the heavens is something none of us can forgive."
The new Kako stood beside Imako and looked up at the former god in
disdain, his staff nearly splintering under the pressure of his clenched
fist.
"Why have you enslaved these chimeras again? Is it to obtain the
Dolphin's Tear or just to watch them suffer?"
The former god grinned as the black energy began to swirl around him.
His hands became long claws and his once human face melted away to
form a featureless violet mask. Two more arms sprouted from his side
and he straightened up, standing nearly ten feet tall with large midnight
black leather wings spreading away from his body. <<Both.>> he
growled and charged forward.
~~~
Lina was the first to reach the gates and knew there was something
wrong. The doors were blown straight off the hinges and lying about
twenty feet inside the city. Oh, yeah, something was wrong. Gaea
stopped beside her panting slightly. "How do you mortals learn to run so
fast?"
Gourry caught the god before he collapsed and grinned. "It's almost like
gym class following Lina, eh?"
Naga laughed (not her usual laugh, but a more relaxed one that didn't
blow a hole in the wall). "Yeah, sure, Gourry. Hey, where'd Amelia go?"
The girl in question was still far behind, helping both inverses who had
both fallen at the exact same time by tripping over each other and had
both scratched their right knees. Only Kami-sama knew how they could
be so clumsy and he wasn't telling. Zelgadis had also remained behind
because Mira-chan began crying as soon as he stepped forward to leave
and even he couldn't take the sound that would make a banshee cringe.
"Mira-chan, the town is just up ahead. As soon as we get there, I
promise to take you to the ice cream shop and get you that surprise I
promised, alright? Just as long as you quit crying." Zelgadis finished
healing her knee and casually tousled her hair. "Is it a deal?"
Mira-chan glanced up from poking her knee and the last of her tears fell
before hugging Zelgadis around the neck. "Hai, Zelgadis Oniisan!"
He grinned slightly, glad his plan had worked, and started thinking about
where to find that Double Choco-whats-er-ma-callit ice cream. Amelia
stood a few seconds later and looked down the road.
"We're so far behind now...Zelgadis-san, I think we should get going,"
she
said and helped Jeze-chan to her feet. The chimera nodded and was
about to stand when the scenery before them blurred and two shapes
appeared. Zelgadis jumped up and drew his sword, using himself as a
shield for Mira-chan once again. As the figures stepped off the astral
plane, he lowered the sword and blinked.
"Ah, what a pleasant surprise. Hello again, Zelgadis, Amelia, Mira-chan,
Jeze-chan. So good to see you."
"What are you doing with Naria, Xelloss?" Zelgadis growled and stepped
forward. The Trickster Priest smiled and dropped the chimeran girl onto
the ground. She struggled to her knees and glared up at him, rage
burning in her eyes.
"Just taking care of her. I suspect she doesn't have very long, so I'll
be
leaving. Ja!" He was about to teleport out again, when a very strong
hand
dropped on his shoulder and lifted him up into the air. Needless to say,
he was very surprised.
Jeze-chan started to blush and glanced down at Amelia who nodded and
patted the inverse on the back. "Hai, don't worry, Jeze-chan, you won't
hurt him."
She nodded and continued to hold Xelloss about a foot off the ground.
"I'm not doing anything wrong am I?"
Amelia shook her head and smiled up at her reassuringly. "Not at all,
you're allying yourself with justice! Now as for you, Xelloss-san,
you're
going to take us to where the others are!"
"So foolish sometimes, Amelia," the Trickster Priest sighed and
teleported out. His form reappeared down the road and both Jeze-chan
and Amelia ran off after him. He took off in the direction of the false
Sairaag, leading them farther and farther away from the two chimeras and
the remaining inverse. Mira-chan noticed Naria on the ground and
gasped. She hadn't seen the chimeran girl until now and watched as she
sat listlessly.
"Naria!" Mira-chan ran forward and hugged the girl fiercely. "Naria, why
didn't you come for me? I was so afraid...Naria? Naria, answer me...
Naria?!"
The inverse loosened her grip on her friend and looked up into closed
eyes. She started to tremble and shook the chimeran girl slightly.
"Naria...wake up. Come on, Zelgadis Oniisan promised to take us out for
ice cream later. Wake up...."
Zelgadis walked over and touched Mira-chan's shoulder. The inverse
shook her head and buried her face in Naria's shirtfront. "No...wake up,
Naria! I still need you! Wake up...please, Zelgadis Oniisan is going to
take us out for ice cream later. He promised...please?"
Naria cringed slightly and slowly opened her eyes. She glanced down at
the small inverse and stroked her hair. "G-gomen ne, Mira-chan...I
m-meant to come g-get you..."
Mira-chan glanced up and hugged her, shaking her head fiercely. "It's
okay! Zelgadis Oniisan and Mirai-sama got me out and now we're all
together again, right? We'll always be together, right?"
No answer.
"Right?" Her eyes found the pained look on Naria's face and she began to
cry again. "No, you said you're be there with me forever...you can't
leave
me!"
Naria sat up slowly and hugged Mira-chan tightly. "Heh...don't worry
yourself over such foolish things...I'll still be here even if I'm
not..."
"No, you can't leave me!" Naria slowly ran her fingers through
Mira-chan's
long red hair and smiled slightly. The inverse began to whimper and
pulled Naria closer. "Don't leave me..."
"Hey, I told you we'd work on that crying thing, right? I'll try not to
leave
before then..." Naria began to slip backwards as her strength left her
and
felt two hands hold her up from behind. She glanced over her shoulder
and found Zelgadis staring at her emotionlessly again. It was just as
well... Mira-chan nodded, her face once more hidden in the folds of
Naria's shirt. "Remember how...I said we were connected...by that really
special thing?"
Again she nodded.
"I'm sorry, Mira-chan...but they took that from me..." Zelgadis closed
his
eyes and cursed silently. It was a lost cause now. "But we're still
together, right? Mira-chan, you're the strongest person I know...don't
lose
that even if I'm not here....because I'll be there when you really want
me
to, alright?"
Mira-chan lifted her head and bobbed her head in agreement. "Hai...I'll
save you some ice cream then."
Naria smiled and let Mira-chan go. "Yeah...save me some of that...I'll
look forward to it...Now go.."
The inverse turned and ran off in the direction that the others had gone,
leaving Zelgadis and Naria alone. He turned to her and scowled slightly.
"Why do you continue to lie to her like that?"
She smiled and shrugged slightly, coughing and letting the thin line of
blood trail from her mouth. "She...needs hope...I'll give her that 'til
I die..."
Zelgadis moved his hands and caught her as she fell backwards towards
him. He maneuvered so he was looking down at her and frowned. "Amelia
should have stayed. You need to be healed."
Naria shook her head and felt his hand wipe away the blood at the corners
of her mouth. "She can't help me now, Oniichan...you know that..." She
winced slightly as the familiar heat of a healing spell washed over her.
"Always the stubborn one, weren't you..."
"Especially when it comes to family and no matter how weird you are,
you're family." He glanced down at her and removed her headband with
his free hand. "You shouldn't wear this. It makes you look like a
chimeran Lina and that's the last thing we need."
Naria laughed then doubled over in pain. "..y-yeah..."
"Don't move, stupid," he growled and shifted his weight uncomfortably
under her. She seemed lighter for some reason, like there was less of her
there. He tried to concentrate and slowly came to realize that her
breathing was becoming irregular and he could hear her heartbeat
faltering. "I-we're going to lose you..aren't we.."
She nodded slightly, staring at her lap. "..They..took...it.
Dolphin's...
Tear...gone...the...leash...gone..."
"I know about Dolphin's Tear, I guessed about that, but why is the leash
so important? If it's gone, doesn't it mean you're going to live?" He
pulled
her up and cradled her in his arms like a fragile baby. His sister was
dying, his only family, and he could do nothing to stop it. He was
useless
once again, even with his power, he was useless once again. Naria
shook her head.
"I'm...too far gone...now. I die...today.." Her voice was soft and her
speech dilatory once again. She turned her face upwards and smiled at
him. "Don't be afraid...I'm not... I'm glad this is happening...really,
I
am...It's a freedom...a chance to go back..."
"Shut up, Naria. Just shut up," he growled and closed his eyes. It was
unnatural to do this for him, but he was trying to remember everything
from the beginning to the end. Just to have something to remember her
by...
***
The first time they met was on semi-good terms until Amelia had asked
for her name...
((Amelia ran to the edge of the forest and tried to listen for the girl's
name.
It floated back to them on the breeze and froze his heart. "Naria! I'm
Naria Graywords!"))
*
The second time they met had been bad...really bad...
((She nodded solemnly and then punched him in the arm. "Did that hurt?"
"Not really..." He had been so sure she was insane.
"But did you feel it?" she pressed him for an answer and he nodded, still
uncertain. "Good, then I'm not dreaming and neither are you."
"I could have told you that," he muttered. Now he was certain she was
insane.
"Then you'll remember all of this," she cupped his chin in her hand and
kissed him. It was quick and over with the same second that her lips
touched his.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" he yelled and pushed her away.
She was going to die for that.
She jumped away and stared at him, smiling mysteriously. "You'll see in
time, Zelgadis Graywords. When you do, look me up."))
*
At the compound, she had almost let him go, but had stopped the drone
from carrying him off. Then she did something that made him respect
her...
(("N-Naria?!" He watched her talk to this robot like it was a living
thing and
realized she was as compassionate as she was weird. She led the
chimera away and took it to the library so it could read...where it would
be
happy. It had been happy.))
*
At the end, he felt saddened as if he'd lost something precious...
(("�Don�t worry about me and remember, your angel is watching you from
above. Don�t lose your memory of us, but don�t tell them either. I liked
your story about the shrapnel, but with your thick head, I don�t think a
flying hunk of metal could do it. Take care of yourself, love. I�ll be
there if
you ever need me. Forever yours, Naria Eienjo Graywords.�" He smiled
and refolded the paper, sticking it in his pocket.))
*
Hope restored to him was once again lost...
(("Naria...you're dying?" Mirai had just revealed it to them all and
after
knowing her for such a short time, he was going to lose her for real.
There was no escape from death...none at all.))
*
They had tried to make the best of their time left together...
((She smiled at him and laughed lightly, hugging him gently. "Hai,
Oniichan! You're always the stubborn one, you know that? Can't you just
for once see the other side of the argument?"
"Would it be an argument if I did?"
She stopped and then shrugged. "Guess not. So keep being stubborn,
Oniichan, or else what are we going to do with our lives other than argue
all the time?"))
*
But it hadn't always been the best...or had it?
(("Oi, HENTAI! Let me go!" she screamed and smacked him in the head
again. "Let me go! You're supposed to be my brother!"
He pushed her away and snarled. "I am and who are you calling a
hentai?!"
"You, Mr. Hentai!" She stuck her tongue out at him.
"You fell asleep, baka!!" he screamed back. A simple fight that siblings
had when they were supposed to be younger. It was stupid, he knew it,
but it just felt good being able to fool around like a little kid again.
To not
care about all the Mazoku running around or her death...))
***
He wouldn't lose her again...he couldn't lose his only family.
"Oniichan..." Naria lifted her head again and coughed again, more of the
crimson blood running down her chin. She grabbed his hand and slid
something into it, staring up into his eyes. She had an almost pleading
look about her that made him cringe. "Take..this..."
He turned his palm upwards and found a simple gold chain glaring at him
in the sunlight. "What's this going to do?"
"...wear it...good..luck..." she murmured and closed her eyes, resting
her
head against him. "Very important...I'm so tired..."
Zelgadis clenched his fist and shook her gently. "No, you can't go to
sleep just yet, Naria. You have to tell me what this is going to do.
You-you can't leave Mira-chan here alone."
Naria shook her head and grew still. "I never wanted to hurt
you...I'm...sorry... Your..past... It should...have been forgotten
forever...you never...should have known..."
"Naria, never mind that. Even if I wasn't ever human, I don't mind that
much. Just tell me what this does." He dangled the necklace before her
and watched her slowly reopen her eyes. "What is this supposed to do,
Naria?"
"...Res..sur...rec...tion..." she said slowly. "...I had it blessed by
shrine
maidens...many...years ago..."
He undid the clasp and began to lower it onto her neck, when she
stopped him. "Naria, you need this more than me."
"No, Oniichan...take it...it'll help you..." she murmured, her voice
growing
smaller as each second passed.
"And you say I'm the stubborn one, wear it!" Once again he tried to shove
the chain around her neck and she responded by pulling away from him.
"Dammit, Naria, if you die, what am I going to tell Mira-chan?!"
Her head began to drop forward and she smiled slightly, strength draining
from her. "...Tell her..don't eat too fast...she'll get...sick..."
"Naria, you idiot, wake up...Wake up, dammit!" He let her go and shook
her slightly, glad that everyone was gone. Her eyes were closed and her
breathing was growing shallower by the moment. It was like losing his
mother again...Even if he had never been truly human he had found
parents and his mother had been the most important person in the world.
Then one day he had found her near death from sickness and being
attacked by bandits. She had held off against them well, but in the end
seventeen to one were not good odds. He vaguely remembered holding
onto her and crying as she died in his arms...he had been so weak...
unable to help her or save her...completely and utterly powerless at her
time of need. "Kuso...not again."
~~~
Kako ran forward and slammed the butt of his staff into the back of the
Mazoku's head, jumping clear as one of the hands came up to try and rip
through his back. He rolled to a stop and quickly fired off a burst of
white
energy before having to duck yet another attack. Mirai took the Mazoku's
distraction as an opportunity and rushed him, slamming her shoulder into
his side and knocking him over.
"Imako, now!!" she shouted and started to run off. The childlike goddess
nodded and pointed the glaive at the old Kako.
"Time which passed before return once more. Power flow from my hands
and assist my deeds...great god of the gods, hear my words and help me
in th-" she stopped abruptly and gurgled out the last few words. Mirai
turned and nearly dropped Kako as she was helping him up; a large sword
of black energy was protruding from Imako's chest.
"IMAKO!!" The goddess ran forward, leaping over the body of the Mazoku
half-breed and crushing the minor Mazoku's ribs with her fist. She
twirled
around and three spikes emerged from her clenched fist, metal spreading
out between the spines to form a deadly fan. As Mirai completed her
spin, the Mazoku's head went flying across the room. "Damn monster!"
The Goddess of the Future grabbed Imako as she fell and tried to heal her
even as her physical body began to fall apart, streaming away from the
hole in white and silver ribbons.
<<Surprised, Mirai? Afraid? You gods can be killed, I remember that
well. This is what makes the future so uncertain now, why you didn't
tell
Kami-sama everything?>> The old Kako stood and backhanded his
replacement and hurling him to the back of the hall. <<It seems your
physical and astral beings have a major problem in dealing with black
energy being introduced into your bodies. Such a shame. Darkness can
be a wonderful thing.>>
Mirai held Imako closer and grabbed onto her hand as the Goddess of the
Present opened her emerald eyes one last time. "I'll wait for you
...Imouto-chan."
"Hai, Oneechan, but don't wait forever," Mirai replied and kissed her
forehead. Imako closed her eyes again and her physical body
degenerated into several ribbons before disappearing into nothingness.
Mirai stood slowly and clenched her fist. "She was a brat sometimes and
we fought a lot, but she was MY brat...Kako...you'll pay for this."
<<Ah ah ah, not Kako anymore. The name given to me is Ceriphan.
Learn it well, little god. You'll die screaming it.>>
The fan appeared in Mirai's hands again and she charged forward,
slashing up at him and tearing a hole through his right wing. She turned
quickly and felt her boots hit a slick spot, spilt wine...She went down
hard
and slid along the marbled floor on her back until she smacked into the
wall. The goddess barely had enough time to open her eyes and curse
her clumsiness when a sharp pain registered in her mind radiating from
her shoulder. She stifled a scream and reached up with her left hand to
grab Ceriphan's wrist where it intersected her shoulder.
<<Clumsy fool...Now I see why I fired you.>> he said smugly, his catlike
eyes smiling down at her evilly. Mirai glared right back at him and spat
in
his face.
"You didn't fire me, I quit!" she yelled and pressed her foot against his
chest, kicking him off her. She quickly regained her footing and her
eyes
found the new Kako fighting for his life against three middle-level
Mazoku.
This was going to be a solo fight against her former employer...and she
wasn't sure if she could win.
~~~
Gaea stopped and turned as they advanced down the street. He quickly
threw up a Balus Wall just in time to catch the five black fireballs
thrown
at them and growled slightly. "Mazoku are crawling everywhere...jeez,
they're like earthworms only they don't help at all. Lina, Gourry,
Naga...go on ahead and take care of everything. You have to get within
the magic barrier he has up before Deep Sea Dolphin has a chance to get
at you."
Lina blinked and barely had enough time to breathe before Naga
screamed, "DEEP SEA DOLPHIN!?"
The Earth God continued to talk as he returned fire with an approaching
mob of Mazoku and trolls. "Aa, remember the Dolphin's Tear? Well, she
wants it back because its raw power alone and bring her out of isolation
in
the Sea of Chaos where the Lord of Nightmares put her. If she gets to
you before you reach Kako's estate, she'll use you as a card and a doll
until she gets it. Now, RUN!"
Lina did as she was told and grabbed Gourry's arm. "We better get out of
here."
"Right! Run on ahead, Lina. I'll stay here and hold them off as long as
I
can," Naga said and stepped up next to Gaea.
"Are you insane?! You can't hold those guys off!" Lina shouted over the
roar of the Mazoku.
The over-endowed sorceress smiled slightly and winked at her. "Anything
you can do I can do better, Dra-mata! Such is the power of Naga the
White Serpent! OHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!!!!"
She quieted down slightly and prepared a spell as Lina tried to pull her
along. "Listen, Deep Sea Dolphin's after you, not me. If I can keep her
from getting to my friends, then I know I can take on these idiots. Go,
Lina."
The shorter sorceress seemed to border on yelling and smiling, then
turned to leave. "Good luck, partner."
Naga grinned and turned to face the army. "You too, Lina."
Gourry blinked and glanced back at Gaea and Naga as Lina pulled him
along. "Deep Sea Dolphin is one of those Dark Lord people, isn't she...?"
Lina nodded and continued to run. "Yep, yet another dark lord I have
trying to kill me, isn't it great to be wanted?"
Gourry sighed slightly and shrugged. "I guess so...but, Lina-"
A huge explosion rocked the building next to them and Gourry barely
caught Lina as they were sent sideways into a storefront. He made sure
she was alright before jumping up and drawing his sword. The smoke
cleared slowly and the dust settled as a thin figure appeared, a ball of
lightning poised on her index finger. Her waist length sky blue hair
swirled
in the wind she created and the light glinted off her elaborate Chinese
style dress. She turned ice blue eyes towards them and smiled
ruthlessly, showcasing her sharp fangs.
"I hope you don't mind me interrupting, but my Lord sent me here to make
sure you don't reach Kako or Dolphin's Tear before I do," she said
softly,
her voice thick and velvety. The Mazoku hurled the lightning spell
towards
them before launching into the larger attacks. She ran forward, hair
flying
away from her face and revealing sharply pointed ears, firing off several
black fireballs. Lina jumped to one side as the spells hit the ground
and
exploded. She rolled to a stop and was about to get up when two arms
wrapped around her from behind, pulling her to her feet and hurling her
backwards into a nearby building.
"What the hell was that?!" she screamed and sat up, rubbing her head.
She caught the tail end of someone with silver hair teleporting out and
found a huge hole where she used to be. "Gourry!!"
"Lina, over here!!" he yelled and waved down to her from a nearby tree.
"Someone threw me up here!"
She nodded, glad to see he wasn't hurt and jumped to her feet. "Back me
up!"
His head snapped up and Gourry saw her as she leapt into the battle.
"Wait!"
The sound of rapid crossfire reached his ears and he struggled against
the
branches pinning him to the tree. He had to help her, or at least get
the
Hikari no Ken to her. Then a very familiar chant began and he wished the
tree was very, very far away.
"..I pledge myself to darkness. Let the fools who stand before us be
destroyed, by the power you and I possess!! Never should have ticked
me off, Mazoku!!!" He heard Lina scream. "DRAGON SLAVE!!!"
~~~
Kako and Mirai were thrown off their feet and slammed into the back wall
of the dining room. The blast was dulled by the effect of the magick
barrier, but it still was enough to force them all to the floor.
Ceriphan raised his head and growled. <<Company...maybe I should
have brought out the good china instead of the evening dinnerware. Hmm,
no matter, their fear will still taste the same...>>
"Mirai," Kako whispered harshly, shaking her awake. "You get out of
here, I'll buy you a little time, but you have to find that Mira-chan
girl and
get the other half from her. I know Kojiro has the other half so it's
safe,
but we need it now. If we can get just a little bit of it's power, it'll
be
enough to rip this bastard's head off."
Mirai nodded slightly and rose from her position on the floor. "First, I
have
to find Naria's body."
"B-body?! So she did die..." Kako trailed off and stood.
"Mortals have a tendency to do that. She won't. I'll be back soon."
Mirai
teleported out and Ceriphan laughed.
<<So it seems that even the gods run out to save their own lives.
Pitiful
yet tactful, just like the Mazoku you should be.>>
Kako tossed his braid over his shoulder and sighed. "Do you always talk
so much, old man?"
<<O-OLD MAN?!>> Even with no features, Ceriphan looked pissed.
The god smiled and materialized a toothpick. "Yea, you're a lot older
than
I am and I'm pretty sure you're a guy underneath all that drag you got
on.
I mean, come on, Ceri-kun, you could have picked a better skirt to wear
than THAT."
Ceriphan glanced down and finally noticed how his Mazoku form had two
legs that melded together to form something like a...erm...<<IT'S NOT A
SKIRT, YOU INSOLENT LITTLE PRICK!!!>>
Kako chewed on the toothpick and watched his anger rise. "Oh, I'm
sorry, did I diss your frock?"
The Mazoku began to glow a dark red color and charged forward. <<I'll
teach you to respect those that can smear your smug face across the
heavens!!>>
Kako dodged and swung out, catching Ceriphan in the head with his
wooden staff. The Mazoku growled and used his wings to throw Kako
back into the wall. The god rubbed his head and slid down the wall.
"Ooh, gotta watch that backhand."
He jumped up and white energy surged around his staff, changing it into a
glowing white sword. He had to hold him off until Mirai had a chance to
get back. "Good luck, love..."
Ceriphan charged forward and slashed at him with his claws while Kako
blocked with his sword. Together they made a deadly dance across the
floor, blades flashing in the light of the day. Kako blocked expertly as
his
predecessor rained blows down upon him, only getting a few minor cuts
for his attacks. Kako knew he couldn't defeat him without help, but
maybe there was help waiting for him in the past..
"Hey, OLD MAN, you want a little company?" he grinned through the pain
of getting his cheek slashed and felt even greater pain as his braid fell
to
the floor.
<<What do you have in mind?>>
Kako smiled and closed his eyes. "Just a little present from the past."
~~~
Naria sat up and found herself in a dark mist that reached up to her
chest.
All around her was darkness except for a small circle in which she sat.
She knew it was cold, but she didn't shiver in the slightest. In fact,
she
didn't feel at all.
"Where am I?" Her voice echoed off non-existent walls and reached her
ears as faint shadows of what the words used to be.
"Loneliness," someone whispered in a soft voice.
"What?" She climbed to her feet and glanced around, reaching for her
sword. It wasn't there. "Show yourself!!"
A dark figure comprised entirely of shadows emerged, a glowing outline
the only testimony that he had a real body. "Pain."
Naria stepped back and felt the ground slip away from her, she quickly
leaned forward and fell back onto the circle of light. "Who are you?"
"Who am I?" the person mocked her, using her own voice. "Isn't that it?
Loneliness and pain, suffering and sorrow, isn't that what life is about?
Do
you really want all that?"
She hesitated and lowered her head. "You can't have life without all
that.
If you don't know sorrow, then how can you know happiness. If you don't
know loneliness, then how do you know to cherish your friends, isn't that
right?"
The shadow seemed to smile and nodded. "Wise choice, young mortal.
Next question; who are you?"
"I am Naria Eienjo Graywords," she replied instantly.
"No, who are you really?" He stressed the last word and waited.
"I...I don't know," she admitted and massaged her left arm. "I never
knew."
"Correct. Do you want to live, young one?"
Naria nodded, then shook her head. "I know that I'm dead...I can feel
it,
but I don't know if I want to live again."
"If you don't know, then watch them live until you make your decision."
The shadow disappeared as all around her, images of her friends
appeared. Naga and Gaea fighting for their lives, Amelia and Jeze-chan
running from the Mazoku chasing them, Mira-chan struggling against an
unknown assailant, Lina and Gourry running towards Kako's castle...
Zelgadis walking away from her still form. "Watch them and see if you
want to live. They will fight forever, but they will die and live at the
same
time. Watch them and learn, Naria Eienjo Graywords."
~~~
"Dammit, where are they all coming from?!" Lina screamed and rounded
the corner. Gourry shrugged and introduced a lower class Mazoku to his
fist.
"Well, you did say you liked being wanted," he teased and slashed at yet
another opponent with his sword, killing it instantly.
"Just great, the one time you remember something is the one time you
decide to antagonize me about it," she growled and tossed a Damu Brass
into the fray of Mazoku. The castle wasn't far now and if they could
hold
out just a little while longer they could ditch the Goon Groupies and get
on with this battle. "Gourry, go right and circle around this building!
I
have a plan!"
He nodded and they were about to split when something slammed into
Lina from behind, forcing her to the ground. She tried to push it off,
but
the dead weight was too much for her. "Jeez, L-sama, can't you give me
the slightest break?! Get this thing off me!! Diem Wing!!"
As she was propelled into the sky, the burden rolled off her and fell to
the
ground. Quickly casting a Rei Wing, she floated down to safety and went
to check out exactly which Mazoku had the guts to knock her over. She
had a few choice words to say to him: Fire and Ball. "You're gonna pay
for that buddy!! Just wait until I-"
Lina stopped as she noticed Gourry's face. Normally he'd be running for
cover after a stunt like that, but this time he was staring down at the
person and shaking his head slowly. "You better come see this..."
"Wha?" Lina cautiously approached, then began to run as she saw the
black leather boots and the shoulder spikes. Dropping to her knees by
her friend, she very carefully lifted her head and stared down into her
blue
eyes.
"So..we meet again, Lina Inverse. I was so hoping that I would be the
one
looking down on you...guess Fate isn't the nicest person in the world,
eh?"
"Naga, what happened? Where's Gaea?" Lina murmured, suddenly
noticing that all the Mazoku had left as if summoned away.
"Gaea, that stupid god...if only he had been watching his back. Idiot...
Sometimes so reckless, just like you, Lina," Naga said with a smile. "No
wonder you needed me, Naga the White Serpent, as your leader."
"Still trying to outdo me, eh, Naga?" Lina joked and tried to heal her as
best she could. "Why don't you just admit that you're MY sidekick?"
Naga's eyes began to glaze over slightly and she laughed. "Because
Naga the White Serpent bows to no one..."
Gourry touched Lina's shoulder as the healing power slowly died off. It
was useless now and Lina had begun to realize that. She was gone.
"We had some great adventures, didn't we, Naga...Guess you're taking
the biggest one without me," Lina whispered and let Gourry lead her
away.
~~~
"Jeze-chan, duck! Blam Blazer!!" Amelia fired off the spell and grabbed
the inverse's hand as she ran. "We have to get out of here and find,
Lina-san. Ooh, Xelloss-san, why did you lead us here?!"
Almost as if on cue the general priest appeared before them and smiled.
"As far away from the other inverse as possible," he admitted.
"WHAT?!" Amelia stopped in her tracks and found Jeze-chan with small
black clouds forming behind her head. "You-you led us away from
Mira-chan?!"
Both princess and Mazoku sweatdropped.
"You evil, evil Mazoku!! I can't believe you'd do something so mean to
poor Mira-chan! You're the ultimate evil and even if fighting is wrong,
I feel
like popping your head like a grape!!" the inverse screamed. Amelia
began to back away slowly, leaving Xelloss to face the once peaceful
inverse's wrath. She quickly yanked him off his feet and held him
suspended in the air. "You take me to Mira-chan now or so help me,
I'll..I'll..I WILL pop your head like a grape!!"
The priest sweatdropped yet again and pointed behind them. "S-she's
over there."
Jeze-chan dropped him and ran off in that direction, yelling Mira-chan's
name. Xelloss straightened his collar and released a sigh of relief as
he
picked his staff up off the ground. "That was odd."
"Definitely, but that doesn't mean you're going to get away with this,
Xelloss-san. I'm going to give you the same lesson my father gave me
about helping others out," Amelia said and clamped a hand over his
shoulder. "Justice is a fragile thing, Xelloss-san, and you must protect
it
even if it doesn't seem right to you. You have to help others out no
matter..."
She rambled on as Xelloss hung his head in defeat. Even if he did
teleport out, then he would be abandoning part of his mission and
Juu'ou-sama wouldn't like that. So he sat there and tried his very
Mazoku
best to zone out each and every word Amelia said.
~~~
Mirai whispered a prayer and laid the young girl down next to the other's
body. It wouldn't be long now, but everything fringed on one choice.
She
just hoped Naria made the right one. Brushing the girl's red hair out of
her
eyes, she let the tears fall from her face. "So young...this shouldn't
have
happened to you, but don't worry...things will change soon."
The goddess closed her eyes and her hands began to glow. "Forgive me..."
~~~
Naria sat on the 'floor' in shock, her mouth hanging open. She was
unconsciously murmuring a single word over and over again and the shadow
smiled slightly. "So you have made your decision, have you, Naria
Graywords?"
She slowly stood on unsteady legs and clenched her fists. She stood,
shoulders hunched forward, in a stance of defeat, but her eyes told a
different tale. "Yes, I have."
~~~
Kako smiled slightly and nodded to an unknown friend. "Yep, your new
company should be here shortly. Sorry for the wait, Ceriphan. We'll get
on
with killing you shortly."
<<In your dreams, you poor excuse for a god. I would already have
brought
back Zanaffar or something to kill me, but you...you're too weak to do
anything like that.>> Ceriphan stepped forward and narrowed his eyes.
"Oh, I could have done that too, but then Zanaffar would have found me to
be
quite a tasty delicacy and I can't be eaten before I see you killed.
Plus,
think of the holes in this new tunic! Kami-sama would be very upset,"
Kako
said and fingered his robes. "Nope, couldn't have that now could we?"
<<And you say I talk too much.>> Ceriphan growled. <<Listen to
yourself.>>
Kako grinned and lowered his weapon. "Oh, but my words come with a
purpose."
<<And that would be?>>
"Time," he replied and jumped out of the way as the doors to the hall
blew
open. "Say hello to the reinforcements, Ceriphan, ol' buddy!!"
The smoke cleared and someone stepped through, clenching their blue fist
and raising a sword above their head. Kako sweatdropped slightly and
realized that predicting future entrances were best left to Mirai. He
quickly
assessed the situation and went back into the battle, hoping to catch up
on
the time he lost.
~~~
Lina ran, trying to block out the picture of Naga in her mind. She had
wanted to stop right then and bury her friend, but the Mazoku had
returned
and pushed them onwards. It was unfair, but that was life, she thought.
She would have to continue on for her...carry her flame as her own.
"Gourry, how much farther is it?" she muttered and threw another fireball
over her shoulder.
"Another four hundred feet," he replied and sliced through a Mazoku in
his
path. At least she had him by her side, Lina realized and felt her old
fire
return. She'd go and get the magical object, destroy the bad guy, and
get
on with life. It's what she had done for a long time now and what she'd
always have to do. It'd be hard knowing she'd never run into Naga again,
but
he'd be there to help...that would ease the pain.
"Lina, get down!!"
She looked up in time to see his hand push her back. As she fell, she
cast
another spell and flipped it off at the nearest Mazoku. She wondered why
Deep Sea Dolphin kept sending progressively weaker minions as they got
closer to the castle and jumped back to her feet. Maybe her power was
fading, but Lina seriously doubted that.
"Gourry, move!!" she yelled and focused her power once again. "Dil
Brand!!"
They ran through the smoke and she coughed slightly. Things were not
going well and she had never fought an entire army before...she wondered
if
this was the battle Mirai had mentioned before and if so, where were the
other warriors?
~~~
"Kojiro-dono, you realize they need reinforcements down there. Our
forces
are holding back most of the Mazoku and the mortals are being hit with
only
a small portion, but we do need help."
The eldest god nodded slightly, watching the scrying ball before him.
"Do you understand me, Kojiro-dono?"
Again he nodded and gently touched the floating globe as the girl
struggled
to her feet. "Yes, Shinigami."
"I can't force her to make a decision and she will need a lot of power to
do
this," the shadowy creature explained. "Are you sure you want to do
this?"
"Yes, Shinigami," Kojiro replied as the God of Death moved away. "And,
Shinigami?"
It turned and waited.
"Bring Imako's presence to me..." he ordered sadly. The god nodded and
bowed as it left. Kojiro turned to watch the crystal ball again and let
the
tear fall. "Even if we are winning...why do I feel like we've lost?"
~~~
Deep Sea Dolphin screamed in anger as Lina and Gourry advanced towards
the castle. "Just get them, will you?!"
"We can't send our more powerful allies there, Dolphin!! They'll be
killed the
second they get anywhere near that damn force field!!"
"Just do it! I don't care about your damn allies!! I want out of this
forsaken
sea of darkness!! I want to spread destruction with my own hands!! Kill
them NOW!" she bellowed, pushing her viewing ball over and shattering it
on
the floor. "DO IT NOW!!"
~~~
"Give her back to me..." he growled, advancing slowly. "I want her
back."
Ceriphan narrowed his eyes and glared at the man before him. <<What
makes you think I'll do this for you?>>
"Because if you don't I'll sever your damn head from your body and send
all
the gods after you in the afterlife," he replied and drew his sword yet
again.
<<You're weak and afraid. Get over it. She's dead and she's not coming
back. I'm glad she's dead, she was useless when she was alive.>>
Zelgadis touched the gold chain around his neck and squeezed his eyes
shut. "Shut up!!"
Kako watched as the chimeran boy met the Mazoku in battle and slowly
realized that _none_ of the Mazoku's hits were getting anywhere near him.
The whirlwind of blades created yet another deadly ballet as they went
across the floor. Sometimes the Mazoku would falter and Zelgadis would
sink his blade into his shoulder and other times Zelgadis would have to
jump
out of the way to avoid getting his head cut off. Yet there was
something
interfering, something keeping the chimera just out of harm's way.
"The necklace...it's hers...her power...YES!" Kako jumped up and focused
his energy at the necklace. As the dark blue glow formed around him,
both
duelists stopped and watched in amazement. "Phantoms of the past, heed
my call and come forth from whence I summon you." He whispered
someone's name and his eyes flew open. "Come back to us!!"
As the wind rushed around the room, both Ceriphan and Zelgadis were
forced off their feet and blown back against the wall. Zelgadis was the
first
to recover and found Kako gone, a young woman standing in his place. She
raised her head and smiled sadly, her blue bangs falling in front of her
eyes.
"Hello again...Oniichan."
~~~
Mirai parted the chimera's lips and was about to slip something into her
mouth when a noise to her left caused her to stop. She looked up in time
to
see a rather large woman rush into the clearing and scream.
"M-MIRA-CHAN!!!"
The goddess instantly realized the implications of being found with two
dead
girls and teleported out, leaving her job undone. Jeze-chan ran forward
and
clutched the redheaded inverse to her chest, sobbing.
"Please, wake up, wake up!! Mira-chan, I don't want you to be
dead...don't
leave me alone. Wake up!!" she pleaded and rocked the smaller girl in
her
arms. "Don't leave me alone.."
"If you don't want to be alone, then join her, human," something hissed
and
Jeze-chan felt the barb sink into her back, leaving a small scratch mark.
"Good night forever, little girl."
The plant-like creature slid back into the forest and left the three
girls in the
clearing. Jeze-chan slowly closed her eyes and whispered her apology to
her friend before passing out beside her.
~~~
"Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why are you letting them die? Take me back there, let me help them!!"
"I cannot stop them from dying, I merely take their spirits when they
do."
"Take me back there."
"Does this mean you wish to live?"
"Yes...anything to save them."
Shinigami smiled as best a shadow could and nodded. "Wise choice, Naria
Graywords."
~~~
Lina and Gourry burst into the castle and threw themselves down onto the
carpeted hall as the Mazoku following them spontaneously combusted.
Gourry used his arms to shield her and smiled at her as they stood. "You
alright?"
She nodded. "Yeah, what about you? I saw that Mazoku cut into you
earlier."
Gourry shrugged and patted the makeshift bandage on his left arm. "Only
a
scratch, I'll be fine."
"Where do we go from here?" Lina wondered aloud and stepped forward. As
she did so, someone's form flickered into view and bowed their head.
"Hello and welcome to your doom. Please remove your shoes as you go
through the carpeted areas, cleaning them is a pain. Thank you very much
and enjoy your stay," the apparition chirped and disappeared again.
"Remove. Our. Shoes?" Lina felt her eyebrow twitch slightly and rubbed
her temples. "Why is it that all my enemies are either insane or weird?"
"Probably because you attract that kind of person, Lina-san," a rather
familiar voice said. "Oh, and if you go two halls down and turn right,
you'll
be in the great hall where Kako..er Ceriphan is."
Lina whirled around in time to see Xelloss smile and teleport out and
sighed.
"I don't even know why he helps us...maybe it isn't even help."
"We still have to go though, don't we..." Gourry muttered with a tinge of
foreboding. Lina nodded. There was nothing else they could do. They'd
come this far and to just turn and run would mean having to fight all
those
Mazoku for no reason. Plus, they owed it to find Naria yet again.
"Let's go
then, Lina."
He stepped forward and not even Lina noticed the slight falter in his
step or
the spasm that rocked his left arm. They both continued on and kept
alert
to every danger except the one at present. The red carpeted halls
stretched
into each other and soon the sound of clashing swords reached their ears.
They began to run and turned the corner to find the worse nightmare
imaginable unfolding before them.
Lina's mouth dropped open and she screamed, "Naria!! Zel!!!"
~~~
Naria faltered and fell, feeling the Mazoku's blade slice into her
stomach.
She jerked slightly, then tried to get up as he shoved the sword deeper
into
her. Then slowly, very slowly, her face began to fade away. The blue
hair
turned brown, the blue eyes became green, and the skin became smooth
and pink. 'Naria' smiled sadly and turned her head to Zelgadis as he
struggled to his feet again.
"I'm sorry I couldn't bring her back completely...forgive me, little
one..."
Kako whispered and closed his eyes. "But you, Mazoku, I'm taking a part
of you with me..."
Ceriphan's eyes widened slightly and he screamed in pain as Kako grabbed
his wrists, glowing a deep blue again. "Time which passed before return
once more. Power flow from my hands and assist my deeds...great god of
the gods, hear my words and help me in this task as I carry out your
divine
will."
As his body degenerated into blue and white ribbons, Kako opened his eyes
and grinned. "Taking you with me, old man...at least part...of...you..."
Ceriphan howled in pain and pulled back as Kako vanished into the same
void Imako had disappeared to. He clutched his hands and desperately
tried to stop the burning sensation that was spreading through him.
<<Damn you, stupid god!! How dare you try and do that to me!! I won't
go
down that easily!!>>
"Yes, but now we can kill you. He took your immortality and that is all
we
need." Zelgadis turned and found Mirai behind him. "Sorry it took me so
long...I had to go back twice. So, C1, shall we kill this bastard?"
"The pleasure would be mine.." he growled and charged forward yet again
with Mirai by his side.
Lina was about to run into the room and help when a small grunt behind
her
made her stop. She glanced over her shoulder and felt like screaming,
yelling, and crying at the same time. Gourry was slumped against the
wall,
sweat glistening on his forehead. The cut on his shoulder had stopped
bleeding, but she realized that the cut itself wasn't deadly...the poison
was.
"You'll feel my sting later, mortals..." the plantlike creature had
hissed
before disintegrating in the fire.
"Gourry!! Gourry, wake up!!" she pleaded, dropping down by his side. He
looked down at her and tried to smile. "Good, you're awake. Just hold
on a
bit and I'll see if I can heal you, alright?"
He shook his head and motioned towards the battle. "You have to help
them, Lina. I'll be fine..."
The sorceress shook her head violently and pressed her hand against his
wound. "I'll heal you first, then I'll go help them. It won't take
long." His
hand clamped over hers and she looked up, near tears. "You're not going
to
die on me, do you hear me? We've gone through way too much for you to
go off on your own now."
He smiled again and patted her hand. "Gotcha. Besides, I'm your
protector...how can I protect you if I'm dead? They need your help now,
though. I'll be fine...I can hold out a few minutes. Go."
Lina hovered on her decision for a moment and heard Zelgadis' cry of
pain.
Her friends were dying around her, first Naga, then Gourry, the other
gods,
everyone. She wouldn't let this continue..she couldn't. "I'll be right
back."
Gourry winked at her and nodded. "Itterashai."
She turned and ran into the hallway, refusing to look back and see his
face.
She had to be strong...for all of them. "Kako, or whoever you are!! You
can't go hurting my friends and getting away with it! The beautiful
sorcery
genius Lina Inverse will punish you for this!!"
"I'm hanging around Amelia waaay too much," she noted under her breath
and prepared a spell. Ceriphan/Kako turned and narrowed his eyes,
backhanding Zelgadis into the wall.
<<Ah, yes, Lina Inverse. I trust you brought me what I wanted, right?>>
he
growled.
"And what would that be, hmm, Mazoku?" Lina shot back, balancing the
Dynast Brast on her fingertips.
<<The Hikari no Ken and your deaths.>> he sneered and flicked an ebony
crystal at her. <<First, you watch them die though.>
Lina tried to dodge the shard, but found that it chased her wherever she
went. Casting a Rei Wing, she took to the sky and somersaulted, rolled,
and jumped to keep ahead of the crystal. She flew up behind the rafters
and stopped to take a breather when the wood splintered behind her. She
turned and gasped as the crystal slammed into her back and enveloped her
in elastic goo. The stretchy tendrils attached themselves to her wrists,
ankles,
head, neck, waist, and legs, holding her suspended from the high ceiling.
No matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't break free and then heard
laughter down below.
<<Feeling trapped? Your bonds won't come apart for quiet awhile now and
by then you'll have watched all of your friends die horrible deaths.
Starting
with this young woman creeping up behind me. By the way, call me
Ceriphan for the remainder of your life...it should be short.>> His eyes
narrowed yet again and he spun around, a sword of black energy emerging
from his wrist. He relished the surprised look on Mirai's face and fed
off
hers and Lina's screams. The goddess grabbed his hand and struck out at
his face as the dark energy ate her from the inside.
"Damn...Mazoku..." she muttered and sneered at him as her physical body
died away. The ribbons of gold and white unfurled from the sword and she
grinned slightly as he glared at her. "Left...yourself...open..."
<<What?!>> He looked up and felt the sword drive itself through his head.
Zelgadis pushed the Hikari no Ken deeper into the Mazoku and smiled
dangerously at him.
"You said you wanted the Hikari no Ken..so take it," he snarled, slicing
deeper into him.
"Yes. Go, Zel!!" Lina tried to pump her fists, but only succeeded in
wiggling slightly. "I'll try and help you as soon as I get out of these
stupid
black Band-Aids!"
Zelgadis looked up at her and smiled. "I'll be up there to help you in a
moment. Mirai, you alri-"
He stopped as he saw the last vestiges of Mirai's body disappear and
follow
after her siblings. He lowered his head and pulled the Hikari no Ken out
of
Ceriphan, jumping back and sending a prayer to the gods to help all three
of
them. Ceriphan disappeared and Zelgadis let out a sigh of relief.
"At..least
it's over."
"Yatta! You did it!!" Lina yelled from her prison on the ceiling. It
looked like
it was over, nothing could beat the good old Hikari no Ken! Her smile,
however, quickly vanished from her face and she tried to shout out a
warning
before it was too late. "Zel, look out!!"
His head snapped up and took the full count of the blow, sending him
flying
back into the wall. He shook his head and jumped up, somersaulting
midair
and landing behind Ceriphan. He struck out at him again with the sword
and felt it connect with Ceriphan's own blade of darkness. Ceriphan
pushed
Zelgadis backwards and leapt into the air, crashing the sword down where
he used to be. Zelgadis moved to the side just in time and drew the
sword
through Ceriphan's midsection as the Mazoku fell back to the earth. The
sword of black energy dissipated and he smiled. "Maybe it won't get them
back, but at least you'll be dead. RA TILT!!"
Ceriphan flew backwards and tipped the dining room table over, smashing
it
to bits under his weight. The bluish energy engulfed him and he
screamed,
feeling his astral presence twist and snap in pain. As he disappeared
under
the assault he grinned at the chimera. <<You...have...potential...>> he
gasped out and vanished along with the spell.
Zelgadis dropped to his knees and let Gourry's sword clatter to the floor
beside him. "He has to stay dead now.."
<<Not until I see you to your death, C1!!>> Zelgadis turned and felt a
knee
slam into his back. He slid across the floor and painfully climbed to
his
feet. <<Now, take your spell back. RA TILT!>>
Zelgadis cringed and flew back, hitting the wall and imbedding himself
into it
as the spell ripped his astral presence to shreds. He had cast the spell
so
effortlessly so many times to only die by the same way he had killed his
enemies. Irony was a bitch.
"ZEL!!" Lina struggled against her bonds and tried to stop the spell
with her
willpower as it slowly killed him. She knew it was useless... "ZEL!!!"
As the last piece of himself began to die he glared up at Kako and tried
to
fire off another spell. The Dynast Brast dwindled to nothing in his
hands and
as he fell to the ground, he heard Lina screaming even more. "Gourry!!
Gourry, stop!! Wait!!"
The blonde swordsman grasped the Hikari no Ken firmly in his hands and
stepped forward uncertainly. Sweat slid off his face and spasms rocked
his
body as he continued on towards the Mazoku before him.
"Let...her...go..."
<<You dare to challenge me in such a state? Hah, mortals are fools after
all.>> Ceriphan held his hand out, palm facing forward, and released the
diem wing, forcing Gourry back and slamming him into the same wall
Zelgadis had so recently hit. The plaster cracked and the wall fell into
the
opposite room, raising a dust cloud that blocked everyone's view. When
the
dust settled, no one emerged from the rubble. <<Pitiful...absolutely
pitiful.
Let's see...that was Naga the Over-endowed Idiot, Gaea the Useless God,
Imako, Mirai, my replacement Kako, Naria, Mira-chan, Jeze-chan, Zelgadis,
Gourry...and, hmm...You!>> Ceriphan counted the people off on his clawed
finger and smiled. <<Now that I've had my revenge on the gods and the
people who killed me before, I can die a happy Mazoku.>>
"You mean..all of this was for revenge on three people?" Lina murmured in
shock. Ceriphan nodded and returned to his human form. Her eyes burned
with an unspeakable rage and she pulled against her bonds. If she got
free,
this jerk would learn a new definition of pain...for a very long time.
"Of course, I won't let the past be forgotten. I vowed that they would
pay for
what they did to me and they have. I will have possession of the
Dolphin's
Tear and return it to her so she can bring chaos upon this uncivilized
world.
Let's see, Kojiro has half of it, so he's next and then there's you...You
ruin
everything we Mazoku do and I think it's time you just die and leave us
alone, Lina Inverse. Sayonara." Ceriphan raised his hand and smiled at
her
attempts to break free. "Now I have bragging rights...I killed the
infamous
Lina In-"
The sound of shattering glass reached Lina's ears and she barely had
enough time to try and shield her face before the shards rained down on
her.
The figure flew in from above and screamed out the spell as their fist
smashed into Kako's jaw. "Visfan Rank!!"
The energy concentrated into her fists broke the former god's jaw and
sent
him stumbling backwards. The stranger ran forward again, striking at him
repeatedly and hitting their mark. Each blow sent him further and
further
back until he was being pounded into the wall. "Gods damn you! You
bastard!! You killed them all for what?! For what?! Give them back to
me!!
Give them back!!"
Lina's head snapped up at the outburst and she almost fainted from
disbelief. It was impossible they were all dead...how did this one
person
manage to survive?! She began her struggle anew and slowly heard the
constraints snapping. It was possible, she had to try...for Zel..for
Gourry...
for everyone.
A sharp snap reverberated around the room and the mysterious figure went
flying back, slamming into the wall. They were back on their feet in an
instant and firing off another spell. "Dynast Brast!!"
The spell hurt him, but didn't slow him down. He ran ahead of her and
grabbed the sword lying on the floor. He'd have a change with the Gorn
Nova in his possession. Ceriphan dodged and charged forward, meeting the
stranger in battle, their Astral Vine enhanced sword against the Hikari
no
Ken. He parried and struck, never connecting and yet feeling every blow
the
other threw. How had they gotten so fast?!
"Confused?!" the other shouted and slashed at Ceriphan's arm. "Wondering
how the dead can rise and become ten times faster?! Seems like the
Dolphin's Tear has interesting side effects when swallowed, doesn't it?!
Now, die and stay dead!!"
The person somersaulted over him and twisted midair, landing on their
feet
gracefully while facing him. Their sword had the residue of one very
ticked
off sorceress' bonds on it. "You've hurt them all and taken them from
me,
but you're going to be the one to stay dead, Kako Eienjo. Lina Inverse,
go!!"
Lina felt her bonds break and fell from the ceiling, chanting as she
went.
"Lord of the Darkness and Four Worlds, I beseech thy fragments..."
The figure grinned and swung their hand in an arc starting from their
left to
their right. Keeping this idiot busy while Lina finished chanting would
be
easy. "Balus Rod!!"
"..by all of the power you possess, grant the heavens' wrath to my
hand; unleash the sword of dark, freezing nothingness.." Lina hit the
ground
and began to run forward, her demon's blood talisman glowing in the
darkness. Ceriphan felt the Balus Rod scratch him and growled, trying to
swipe at the other opponent. "...by our power, our combined might, let
us
walk as one along the path of destruction."
A huge sword of absolute darkness shot out from Lina's hands and the
stranger ran off, leaving Kako breathing hard and facing destruction.
"Now
you die for hurting my friends!! LAGUNA BLADE!!!"
She shoved the sword straight into Ceriphan's stomach and twisted it,
slashing him clean through and then coming back around to tear him in
half.
As the spell dissipated, so did the last vestiges of the old Kako Eienjo.
The Nightmare magic spell lifted and Lina fell to the ground, crying
softly.
What good did it do to kill him if she couldn't save her friends? He was
dead...it was over... Lina lifted her head and found a hand in front of
her
hand. She took it and slowly stood, leaning against the last person
alive for
support.
"Thank you...Lina. I have something for you...maybe it'll help." The
other
said and pressed a small cloth covered object into Lina's hands. "Take
it
and save the others. Zelgadis will be fine. Just heal him and tell him
to
remember the gift I gave him."
Lina nodded and closed her fist around the small crystal figure. It
would
help at the very least and she and Zel would help the others. It would
all be
alright. It had to be. "Thank you...Naria."
The chimeran girl smiled slightly as she felt herself leaving the
physical
plane again. "Will you be alright?"
Lina nodded and stood on her own, watching her former friend disappear.
"What do I tell Zel?"
Naria smiled sadly and shook her head. "Don't tell him anything at all.
This
was your victory, not mine. Good luck with your life, Lina. Take care
of
Mira-chan for me...Tell her not to eat all that ice cream too fast,
alright?"
The sorcery genius nodded and turned away, feeling the light disappear
and
letting another tear fall for a once great friend.
~~~
"I suppose it could have ended there..."
Kojiro nodded and continued to stare out the window. "So why do you let
it
continue?"
The old woman smiled mysteriously and turned to leave. "Because she is
needed, Kami-sama...just as much as Lina-san is needed, but for a
different
reason. Lina-san is here to save the world and help the people of it
survive
and keep living since she wants to keep living. She is here because
someone else needs a reason to live now."
The elder god glanced over his shoulder and smiled. "Make sure Shinigami
knows of this. If you're going...w-will you give her my gratitude then?"
Auntie Aqua bowed low and closed her eyes. "I will."
After she left, Kojiro remained standing at the window, watching Mirai
and
the others reconstruct their astral and physical presence. He knew it
would
be a long time before any real mortals came back to this realm and slowly
let himself slip away. As the outlines of his body blurred and
disappeared,
a slow and calculated smiled spread across his face.
"Because he needs her..." he whispered and returned the realm to darkness
and light.
~~~
Deep Sea Dolphin hugged her knees to her chest and cursed through her
tears. "Unfair...totally unfair..."
"Did you expect it to be fair?" a golden voice asked.
"No, but I still wanted to win. Ah, well, next time, right, L-sama?" She
wiped her tears away and went to cleaning up the mess she had made of
her former minions.
"Yes, until next time, Dolphin-chan."
~~~
"So we won, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so. Hey, don't eat so much!! Leave some for us!!"
"OHOHOHOHOHOHOO!! It seems your inverse has as big an appetite as
you do, Lina Inverse!!"
"Oh, yeah?! Well, eat this, Naga! FIREBALL!!"
Zelgadis sighed and watched everyone fight over the ice cream he had
bought for them. Mira-chan sat happily at his feet, trying to shove
anything
that resembled junk food into her face. If only she knew how close they
had
come to losing all of them permanently. Their half of the Dolphin's Tear
had
been enough to enhance Amelia's healing capabilities once they had found
the poor girl some thirty miles away. It had been over seven weeks since
they had left the false Sairaag and only now had they stopped to rest up
at a
good city.
"WAAHHH!!! Zelgadis Oniisama, I dropped my ice cream!!" Mira-chan
looked up at him with big red eyes and he smiled down at her. "I-It's
all dirty
now.."
"Another Special over here!" he yelled at the waiter and watched him
sweatdrop. This was the fifth ice cream shop they had hit and that
didn't
count the other three cities they had stopped in. "Hey, Mira-chan,
remember don't eat it so fast, alright?"
"Hai, Zelgadis Oniisama!" she chirped and he handed her a napkin.
"Arigatou!"
Gourry and Lina were involved in a three-way fight with Naga over the
last
remaining tub of Fruity Sugar Delight and Amelia was trying to get
Champion (who they had found one week earlier) to stop scarfing down her
chocolate cone. Everything seemed normal again...
"Zelgadis-san, where's Naria?" Jeze-chan's question made him jump
slightly and he cast a glance to the smaller inverse, glad she hadn't
heard.
As if in response, she returned his stare with a smile and another going
over
of her napkin.
"She's...uh..." It seemed as if all the noise in the room had stopped.
Lina
and Gourry had paused in their fight with Naga to see how he would handle
this and Amelia was eyeing him apologetically. "She's...somewhere safe,
Jeze-chan. Don't worry about it."
The Naga inverse was satisfied with this answer and turned away again,
concentrating her efforts on the waffle cone. "But where is she?"
The innocence of the question made him cringe inwardly and he resisted
the
urge to tell her to shut up. "No, no, no!! Champion-chan, don't go that
way!!
I said turn right!!" Amelia yelled. Zelgadis shot her a thankful glance
as the
two inverses got up to help the princess catch her piglet. It ran
forward and
suddenly slammed into the door as it opened, a bell's chime marking the
person's entrance. Amelia scooped the piglet up before it hit the
woman's
legs and bowed in apology.
"Gomen nasai, we didn't mean to hit you like that," she said cheerily.
"Oh, no, you only surprised me. No harm done," the woman replied. "Oh,
and Zelgadis, I have something for you outside."
Everyone looked up, but only caught a glimpse of golden hair in behind
the
glass door. Zelgadis quickly jumped up and ran outside, followed closely
by
the two inverses and the others. The woman turned and smiled at them,
disappearing as the sunlight hit her. They shielded their eyes from the
sudden light and when they lowered their arms Mira-chan cried out.
The girl sitting by the plaza fountain glanced up and took her hand out
of the
churning water. Her bluish hair fell around her face like a waterfall
and
dropped just below her shoulders. The usual black shirt and jeans were
replaced with a white sundress and the sunlight reflected off her wide
smile
as she tilted her head to one side. "Looks like I'm still needed, eh?"
"Naria!!" Mira-chan ran up and hugged her, almost pushing her into the
fountain. She rubbed her face against her shirt front and squeezed her
tightly. "You came back!"
"Hey, I said we'd work on the crying thing, right? Don't I always keep
my
promises?" The chimeran girl smiled and kissed the top of her head. She
looked up and found her brother standing in front of her.
"Okaeri, Naria," he said, handing her the necklace back. Naria smiled as
she took it from him.
"Tadaima, Oniichan."
*~~~Owari~~~*
Itterashai-Come back soon. Used by the parent when the child leaves
for the day.
Okaeri- Welcome home.
Tadaima-I'm home.
*~Authoress' Notes:~*
I hope you've enjoyed this sequel to A Past to be Forgotten and I'm
thankful
to all the people who have brought Naria and me so far. Special thanks
go
out to Morgan Hudson for always reading and giving me the C&C I needed.
He's the biggest influence on my writing so far and I thought he needed
recognition since he's been here from the very beginning. Arigatou to
all
of you who have been reading though. Without you, I don't know what I'd
do.
*~End Authoress' Notes~*