HOLA MINNA-SAN!!
Sorry I took long typing this fic, but I'm trying to rearrange my typing periods during the week whenever I have my overtime done. Well...I hope you all like...there's still another chptr coming...Take Care!! Adios!!
~~Miss "L" ^_^
The sun kissed the dark sky away as its orange-yellow round, flaming body rides the heavens, heralding a beautiful day to make up the depressing rains that came one night after another. The quiet Slayers crew minus one fast-talking sorceress, a stoic chimera, and an annoying mazuko, came down stairs slugishly, sat at nearest empty booth, and ordered their breakfast, Lina later joined in when they were polishing off their morning food.
Everyone looked at her and noticed that she hadn't have a decent sleep. Her eyes weren't sparkling, hinting her old self, but puffy and dull, her face show signs of despair, lack of sleep, and worn out from her tears and anguish.
"I'll just have coffee, black, please." She told the approaching, patient waitress as she sat down wearily.
They knew that Lina wasn't going to barked her "regular" meal order, but to completely cut off food was alarming.
"Hey Lina! I saved you some bacon, sausage, eggs, and three cinnamin raisin rolls!" The cheery Gourry smiled at the table occupant, hoping that she will get into her old self.
"No thank you Gourry. I'm ::sigh:: not hungry."
Her friends got worried. The waitress came by and set the steaming liquid in front of her. The justice child looked at her, if Martina was here, she would certainly agree with her that this is far worse than the time when Phibrizzo kidnapped Gourry.
"Lina, please eat something. You barely touched your food last night." Amelia pleaded.
Lina looked at her, glanced at her companions, then back at her, she didn't feel like arguing with anyone.
"Fine." She whispered somewhat loudly.
She picked up a piece of bacon, tore half of it, and ate the bit, she then sips her coffee, swallowing both contents.
"There. I ate something. Happy now?" she didn't look up, she almost broke her voice.
Amelia was going to reprimand her, however Aez leaned over and whispered....
"No Love, leave her be...this is a very hard road for her. She doesn't need any displeasures, what she need are her friends."
"I'm sorry Lina, I didn't mean to get you mad at me." feeling ashamed, she lowered her eyes.
The red head continued drinking her beverage, she closed her eyes, and set her cup down. Her eyes reopened after she gave a sigh.
"I should be the one doing the apologies Amelia. I didn't mean to snap at you." giving a weak smile, the princess smiled back.
"Well my friends, I have returned. Miss me?" Xellos popped up, hoping to bring out a familiar outburst from out of this unhappy team.
"Hello Xellos."
"Morning Xellos."
His friends greeted him uncharacteristically, even the brash golden girl greeted with words and not the usual namecalling-whip-out-Mace-Sama-and-whack-him-with-it chore. He didn't even get a thrown napkin at him. He could only hope, he inwardly sighed at his unaccomplishment.
After finishing her dark liquid, she ordered more. Feeling a little better with caffeine in her system, she's somewhat prepared for herself to ask an unavoidable question and an explanation for this horrid nightmare, she asks what had had happened during the time when she was knocked.
They obliged her request and each one told her the ill-fated details. She bit her lower lip as to recieve the physical pain instead of the emotional one.
"I didn't even know he knows how to cast it, especially a boosted one."
"He must of learned it while he was traveling for the search of his cure." Xellos said theoritically.
"So it was bigger than my amplified Dragon Slave, ne? Pretty powerful stuff." she chuckled sadly.
She was thinking of her chimera. A smile crept on her face. They saw it and somewhat felt relieved, they smile a bit themselves. Lina got up and paid for everybody's meal. The sorceress walked out, trailed by the remaining Slayers, except the priest, who was summoned again.
"I guess we....better check out the spot where....where Zelgadiss last stood." her voice faltered.
Once they made it to the wide barren wasteland, each one scour around with long faces, for any traces or clues that would serve a special memory and a heroic reminder what he had done for them, for Lina....for love.
"Lina! Everybody! Hey come here....Look!" Amelia found something on the black floor.
As soon as the group gathered, Lina's hopes dashed to the ground, just like everybody else, she thought their young princess found very good news. Well, it slightly was, the bland fiery hair lady bend down, her fingers touched the blackened, crispy soil, and pointed out....
"The marriage certificate scroll...that damn piece of parchment that caused this whole damn nightmare...my nightmare....reduced to ashes by ::sniff:: Zel, that....I...couldn't get rid of." she stood back up and sniffle some more.
At that moment, a breeze came by, scattering and whirling the black, grey, and white ashes into the air. Their eyes followed the miniture ashen tornado passing by them and danced around a certain part of the area as if trying to get their attention, beckoning to heed it. The crew either arched their eyebrows or shrugged their shoulders at it, but none the less, all of them walked towards it, curiously. Once they reached near enough, the little whirlwind of ashes dispersed up into the a cloudless sky. The indubious and confused group looked at each other and just as they were ready to leave the spot, Lina heard a slight rustle of something on the floor, she looked down and gasped.
"Lina, what's wron...::eyes widened::..Isn't that..?" Val spoke as if he seen a ghost.
The rest followed the dragon's and sorceress' eyes and needless to say, they were a bit disturbed and sadden. They walked around the kneeling, trembling girl, hesistating to touch it but did so anyways. She heard their feet shuffled as she held the singed article of whatever was left of her true love's cloak up to her face. She can still smell his scent of fresh, warm earth and clean, crisp sky, lingering around with even the heavy smoke. Lina closed her watered, opaque garnet eyes and allowed the tears to come in torrents as she hugs the sooted and tattered beige cloth between her shaky hands and her chest, next to her quivering heart. Gourry placed a warm, caring hand on his little sister's shoulder.
"Oh....why gods....WHY L-SAMA?!!! Why him...why did he have to die...?" She yelled angrily at the sky. "No...no..nononono...NNOOOOOOhhh!!!" she screamed from the top of her lungs as she rocked her body back and forth.
Fresh tears were brought up into each Slayers' eyes. Xellos quickly swiped a small moist drop from the corner of his left eye as he sat on a tree branch, hidden far from anyone (a/n: I know, I know....but I'm making him remembered how it felt to be human again.). Their heads bowed down in reverence. After a moment of silent prayers....
"You have to be strong Lina." Filia spoke softly.
"Yeah...Do it for Zelgadiss, he wouldn't want you to be like this." Gourry added his comfort unknowlingly he pronounce his name correctly.
They quizzically looked at him after they heard a soft thump at a far off edge of the forest, they shrugged their shoulders, and reverted back to Lina's crying form.
The still-hidden, now bugged eye Xellos had managed to pick himself and his jaw off the floor, he dusted himself after that surprised shock that caused him to fall from the tree. He was fortunate enough that the group haven't come by to investigate the noise. The priest levitated back up at his perch and continue to observe.
She finally nodded Gourry's comment after the rocking stopped and slowy raised herself up with Zel's piece of cloak at hand. Soon after that.....
"Hello again, everyone!" ...Xellos appeared with his more than usual smiling facade.
"Why are you smiling like that, Namagomi?" Filia didn't like it one bit. He knows Lina is still grieving.... For heavens' sake, he looks like a cat that just swallow a canary. She thought angrily at him...
So of course, she pulls out her mace and threatens him when he didn't answer her....
"I asked you a question Namagomi....what are you up to?" holding Mace-Sama to her side.
The namagomi in question looked (eyes closed of course) at the rest of the people smiling, who in return looked at him with caution, he turns back at the dragon priestess....
"Technically speaking, Miss Filia, you didn't ask me what I am up to, you asked me why I'm smiling, like so I'm doing right now." he pointed his smile just to emphasize his point.
"Namagomi.....you know perfectly well what I'm talking about!" her gloved hand gripping the handle as her eyebrows starts to twitch.
Which in return makes the group, including Lina, a little wary of the situation that will occur, hence backing away from the two (a/n: hey, she may be very sad but she's not stupid enough to be caught by Mace-Sama.).
"Then why haven't you asked me properly?"
"Why do you answer my question with a question, you...you...you Fruitcake?!" now stressed mark, she raised the mace dangerously above, both hands and arms tensing, just itching to thrash that grin off his face. So the group backed a little further away from them just in case....
"Ah...well, my dear Miss Filia....." He opened one amethyst eye, put up his forefinger and wagged it. "....that is a secret."
"Grrrr...ARRRR -- THAT'S IT MAZUKO TRASH!!!!!.....YOU DIE!!!!!"
She flung her mace full force at Xellos, and as usual, he phased out. Filia fell to the ground, hugs the spiked thing as if a security blanket, (a/n: she's not actually pressing it too tightly that would cause her to even get prickle prints) and cried, not because she missed her target, but because of many reasons...What he is, how he killed literally thousands of her race, his kind who managed to kill her friend and ruined their lives, terminated any future marital bliss and happiness for both Lina and Zelgadiss, even if Hallis' have been finally destroyed. What made her more upset is that Xellos didn't even seem to care.
'After all the things we have done, together.....I should have never stop thinking that he's not....he's a mazuko...always has and always will be....' she continued to think inwardly of the purple mayhem.
The remaining Slayers walked close towards her. Val went even closer to his lovely maiden, helps pick herself up, and hugs her protectively. She wept on his chest as she dropped her heavy iron weapon.
"Filia, don't waste you energy on that Fruitcake." He gently lifts her face to his. "Nor your tears." Not knowing her inner turmoil, in his golden-wheat colored eyes bears the fear that she loves Xellos, and not him.
Why is eyes so.....sad. she thought to herself as she found herself looking into his ambers. She hasn't really seen him like this, even with Zelgadiss' death. Her tears still trailing down from her blue agates, she looked down so that he wouldn't see them.
"Don't worry Filia....everything will be okay....you'll see."
The woman-guised golden dragon looked up at the approaching voice, she saw a pair of ruby eyes attach with a small yet smiling face. The owner had already quessed and understood why she cried so.
"Thank you Lina." she offered her a bigger smile of gratitude.
Val drops his arms, letting Filia go. Both dragon and sorceress hugged each other in comfort, then let go of each other. She steps back to where she assumed was Zel's last breath.
"You're right Lina-chan, everything will be fine." Xellos spoke as he phased in again. Speaking 'bout fine, he should be appearing here, right about now.
At a distance, a figure, dressed in a light top and dark trousers came closer to the somber group, no one notices that he approached, except for Zelas' pet trickster...
"Um....pardon me but, what happened here?" the smiling, standing youth inquired.
Mmmmh......I know, sorry it's short but I'm almost done.....working on the last chpter....Well....comments? questions? Please review.....thanks! Adios
~~Miss "L"