Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Slayers franchise, and am making no money from this fic. I am simply doing this for fun.

Please review! I live for reviews! XD

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Though he was not sorry for what he did, Zelgadis was nevertheless sorry to have made Rii cry. "Rii," he said softly as he moved so he was standing behind her. "Rii...I'm sorry," he said as he sheathed his sword before gently resting a hand on his small lover's shoulder.

Rii jumped to her feet and threw her arms around Zelgadis--burying her face in his tunic. "Oh, Zel!"

Zelgadis wrapped his arms around the small thief and simply held her close. He said nothing, but simply held his distraught love and tried to comfort her with his closeness.

None of the others said anything. None of them knew what to say to Rii that could possibly comfort her.

After several minutes, Rii wiped her eyes with a trembling hand. "What's wrong with me? Why am I crying like a little girl?"

"Because you just lost your father," Nell answered.

Rii sniffled and nodded slowly as she hung her head a little. "I know, but...you saw him. You saw what kind of a person he was...how he treated me...what he almost had happen to Nell."

"I'd rather not think about that," Nell said dryly as she nestled into Xellos.

"Yes, I concur," Xellos said softly as he held Nell closely to him.

Rii sighed. "The point I'm trying to make is...daddy was a bastard. There's no way around that. So, why am I sad that he's gone?" She sniffled miserably and leaned heavily into Zelgadis.

"You said it yourself, Miss Rii," Amelia said gently. "In spite of everything, he was still your father."

"Do you hate me?" Zelgadis asked softly.

"Yeah, Rii," Gourry said. "Do you hate the two of us for what we did?"

Rii was silent for several moments before finally giving her head a slow shake. "No...I don't hate you," she said with the smallest of smiles. "He was bound to end up on the wrong side of someone's blade sooner or later...the life of a bandit isn't exactly an easy one. I guess I've been preparing for this day my whole life." She sighed softly and wiped away any remaining tears. "Besides...the two of you were honorable in your intentions...you were defending Lina and me." She blushed a little as she said this.

Lina smiled and shyly slid an arm around Gourry's waist. "Yeah...that was kinda sweet," she said with a slight blush.

Gourry grinned and slid an arm around Lina's shoulders and drew her close.

While Amelia was genuinely happy for her friends, she could not help but feel like a fifth wheel. Everyone in the group was paired up...even the mazoku. When would it be her turn?

"So...what happens now?" Nell asked.

"Well, technically, I'm in charge of the entire gang now," Rii answered with a small sigh. "But I don't want any part of it. Father was right...I could never follow in his footsteps."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Zelgadis said with a small smile.

"Exactly right," Amelia said with a nod and wide smile. "You're a good person, Rii. You don't belong with people like your father's gang."

Rii smiled. "Thanks, Amelia. You're right. I don't belong here...I've always known that."

"Well, that's just too bad then."

The entire party whirled around at the sound of the new voice and found themselves facing a swarm of bandits armed with different weapons.

"Really?" Lina asked with an arched eyebrow as she placed her hands on her hips. "And just why is that?"

"Because," one of the bandits in the front said. "If Rii doesn't take 'er dad's place, then she's not with us."

Another bandit nodded. "An' if she's not with us, then she's our enemy."

"So what's it gonna be, Rii?" The first bandit asked as he slowly ran his thumb over the edge of his blade.

Nell cleared her throat. "So am I to understand that you're going to kill her if she says no?"

"Well yeah..." another bandits said. "She's the next in line ta take over, an' if she don't want the position, then one of us has ta kill 'er and take 'er place.

Zelgadis growled and drew his sword once more as he moved Rii behind him. "Over my dead body."

Rii smiled, her heart fluttering in response to her lover. "Thank you, Zel," she said as she stepped out from behind him and stood by his side. "But we'll do this together," she said as she drew her twin daggers.

Amelia jumped in front of her friends and pointed an accusing finger at the bandits. "Those who go around ganging up on girls are what I call evil! Prepare to be struck down by the Hammer of Justice!"

"FIREBALL!"

"EEK!" Amelia barely managed to jump out of the way as Lina's attack flew past her.

There was an explosion as Lina's attack made contact with the four bandits in the front. "Oh, I feel so much better now," the sorceress said with a grin--completely unbothered by the agonized screams and the smell of burnt flesh. "Are we just going to stand around glaring and talking all day? Because frankly, I'm bored out of my skull."

Amelia jumped to her feet and spun around so she was facing the red head. "Miss Lina, that was mean!" she said with a glare as her hands flew to her hips. "You almost hit me!"

"Oh, you survived," Lina said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

"The two of you can squabble about this later," Zelgadis said as he pointed his sword towards the mob. "Now that the initial shock has worn off, they're getting ready to charge."

Gourry grinned and drew his sword. "Then bring it on, I say."

"Yeah, bring it on," Rii agreed as she got into a battle-ready position.

Lina grinned and began concentrating red energy in her hands. "Right. One bandit special, coming right up."


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...Treasure room; thirty minutes later...

"Come on, Miss Lina, wake up," Amelia said as she daintily fanned her friend with her hands.

"Wow," Gourry said as he gently pillowed Lina's head on his lap. "I've never seen her faint at the sight of treasure before."

Rii giggled. "Well, be honest Gourry...have you guys ever come across a treasure trove like this before?" she asked as she gestured around her to all the mountains upon mountains of treasure of every different kind.

Gourry blinked and was silent for several moments. "Nope. Nothing this big."

"Not even the treasure we came across at the ruins compared to this," Nell observed as she slowly turned in a circle to take in the vast sight.

"Yes, I must admit that it is quite impressive, Miss Rii," Xellos said before stooping to examine a large, multi-faceted amethyst. "Oh, my...I think this is the biggest I have ever seen..."

"Well, this is the main lair...therefore, it has the most treasure." She looked to Gourry. "I'm sure we can find you a new sword that's better than the one you've got now," she said with a smile before looking to Zelgadis. "And I hope we can find something for you too...that is, if you still want to..."

Zelgadis' heart warmed at Rii's acceptance of him and he slid an arm around her shoulder, drawing her close. "We'll see," he said softly as he tenderly kissed his lover's forehead.

"In any case, you guys are free to take whatever you want," Rii said with a smile. "It's not like there isn't enough to go around."

It was at that moment that Lina snorted awake and slowly blinked as she took in her surroundings. "Oh, good...I wasn't dreaming," she said as a slow, wide smile spread over her face while she sat up.

"Nope," Gourry said with a cheerful grin. "You weren't dreaming," he said as he jumped to his feet and helped Lina up to her own.

Lina's eyes twinkled as she took in the sight of all the glittering treasure. "Alright...let's get cracking!" She all but dove into a nearby pile of gold and began rolling around. "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Amelia giggled softly before rolling her eyes. "Come on, Mister Gourry...let's see if we can't find you a new sword." The princess began wandering off through the vast maze of treasure with the swordsman following along behind her.

"Come on, Zelly," Rii said with a smile as she tugged her chimera lover off in another direction. "I think all the magic scrolls and manuscripts are this way."

Nell and Xellos looked to each other before shrugging and wandering off together in another direction. The necromancer kept her eyes open for weapons that she would feel comfortable training with, while Xellos kept his eyes open for a gift that he could bestow upon his mistress.

For the moment, Lina was simply content to bury herself in the plethora of gold coins and jewels. She had a feeling that they would all be in the room for a while and simply wanted to bask in the glory of all the glittered and sparkled!


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...Rii & Zelgadis' side of the room...

"Here, Zelga-poo, I found some more scrolls for you to--WHOAH!" With her arms piled high with scrolls and manuscripts, Rii did not see the large ruby that had fallen in her path and tripped--sending all the manuscripts in her arms flying and fluttering about as she fell. "Oof!"

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" Zelgadis asked worriedly. The moment he saw the small thief starting to fall, he had dropped what he was reading and leapt to his feet--racing to catch his lover before she fell to the ground. In that moment, he had however forgotten that his body was harder than the average male's.

Rii brushed her hair out of her face and smiled up at her lover. "Never."

Zelgadis smiled and lightly kissed the tip of Rii's nose. "Good," he said as he loosened his grip once he was sure the small thief had regained her footing.

"Have you had any luck?" Rii asked as she looked around to the many strewn manuscripts lying about.

Zelgadis sighed and slowly shook his head. "No...none yet."

"Well, don't give up yet, Zel," Rii said with an encouraging smile.

"Rii?"

"Yes?"

"Would you care if we never found a spell that would turn me back?" Zelgadis asked softly. "I mean...would you be upset if I stayed like this because we couldn't find a cure?"

Rii looked Zelgadis directly in the eye as she gently cupped his face in her hands. "No, I wouldn't. You could stay like this the rest of your life and I would still want to be with you."

"Then why are you helping me?" Zelgadis asked softly.

The small thief smiled sweetly up at her lover. "Because it's important to you." She stood on tip toe and lightly brushed a kiss to Zelgadis' lips. "So as it matters to you, it matters to me. So long as you want to look for a cure, then I'll be right by your side to help you find it. But either way...the way you are now or the way you once were...you're still you. You would still be my Zelga-poo, and that's all that matters to me."

Zelgadis felt as though his heart would explode in his chest. There were no words that could express how much his lover's words meant to him. "Oh, Rii..." his voice was barely above a whisper as he crushed the small thief to him and claimed her lips in a passionate kiss.

Rii was only too happy to kiss her lover back, and she opened her mouth to him when his tongue gently parted her lips. Clinging to Zelgadis, the small thief melted into the strength of his body. She shivered in delight when she felt her lover's fingers tangle into her hair, she and did not so much as bat an eyelash when the chimera lowered them both to the floor.

For the moment, finding the right spell was forgotten. All Zelgadis could think about was the sweet, beautiful, young woman who fit so perfectly in his arms...and he counted his blessings that he had found her.


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...Amelia and Gourry's side of the room...

"How about this one, Mister Gourry?" Amelia asked as she pointed to a broadsword.

Gourry pulled the sword out of a mountain of gold and held it experimentally in his hands. "Not bad...it's a little awkward in my hands though. I might be able to compensate for that, but I'd rather not unless I have to."

Amelia nodded and smiled. "All right, well we'll just keep looking."

Gourry nodded and smiled. "Yep. I'll hold onto this one just in case though," he said as he rested the blade on his shoulder and kept walking along beside Amelia.

"Hey guys!"

Amelia and Gourry both turned and smiled in greeting when they saw Lina approaching--a filled bag swung over her shoulder.

"Have enough?" Gourry asked with a smirk, already knowing the answer as he slid his free arm around Lina's shoulders.

"Nope," Lina answered with a shake of her head. "But I wanted to see what was over on this side. How goes the sword search?" she asked.

"Slowly," Amelia answered.

"Yeah," Gourry answered with a sigh. "Oh, hey...look at this one," he said as he placed the broadsword on the floor and removed his arm from Lina's shoulders so he could pick up the sword he saw laying on a large chest.

"Well, how about that one, Mister Gourry?" Amelia asked.

"Quack," Gourry answered.

"Quack?" Lina and Amelia asked together with raised eyebrows.

The blond swordsman blinked in confusion before clearing his throat. "Quack." His eyes widened in growing panic. "Quack? Quack, quack, quack!"

Amelia's eyes widened. "Oh, dear..."

Lina groaned softly and rubbed her forehead. "It figures...leave it to you, Gourry to find the one wacky sword in the whole treasure room."

"Quack, quack, quack, quack!"

"All right, all right, don't sweat it," Lina said with a small wave of her hand. "We'll fix this don't worry."

"Quack..." Gourry groaned.

At that moment, Nell appeared at the top of a large mountain of gold. "Is there a duck in this room?" she asked with her brows slightly drawn together.

"No," Lina said with a sigh. "That would be Gourry."

"Quack!"

Xellos chuckled as he appeared beside Nell. "Oh, my...this certainly is an interesting turn of events."

"Poor Mister Gourry," Amelia said softly. "Why don't you try putting the sword down?"

"A simple plan is always best after all," Xellos said with a smile.

Gourry blinked and smiled as the thought processed itself in his mind, and he put the sword back where he found it.

"Well?" Lina asked.

Gourry took a deep breath. "Quack." The panic returned to his face and he began running around in small circles while flailing his arms. "Quack, quack, quackquackquack, quack!!"

Beside himself with laughter, Xellos fell off the pile of gold and landed in an unceremonious heap on the floor.

"What is going on over here?" Zelgadis asked as he hurried into the area with Rii right behind him.

"Gourry's what's going on," Lina groaned.

"Quack, quack!"

Lina blinked. "What? I didn't get that."

"Quack, quack!"

The red haired sorceress grinned impishly. "Oh you said you'd give me the sword of light as a gift when you get it back? Oh, Gourry...thank you!" She pounced on the handsome swordsman and threw her arms around his neck before kissing his cheek. "You're the best!"

Gourry flailed his arms madly in protest. "QUACK! QUACKQUACK!! QUACKQUACKQUACK!!! QUACK!"

Rii giggled softly. "I don't wanna know what he just said."

Lina giggled. "Oh, relax. We'll get you out of this pinch. Hey Amelia...remember that cleansing spell you used on Prince Halas?"

The princess blinked. "You mean the one that removed the girl-repellant spell?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Slap it on Gourry and see if it works."

"Okay, I'm on it," Amelia said with a smile before reaching out a hand towards Gourry. "Oh power of light and earth and wind, break now the evil spell that has been cast upon this man."

What looked like tendrils of black smoke emerged from Gourry and vanished.

"Well?" Lina asked.

"Oh please don't let me 'quack' again..."

"YAY!" Amelia and Rii cheered while leaping excitedly into the air.

"Good job, Amelia," Nell said with an approving nod.

"All right, Gourry," Lina said with a smile. "Just leave that sword alone and look for a new one, okay?"

"Yeah...good idea," Gourry answered as he slid his arm back around Lina's shoulders, smiling when she leaned into him. "Any luck with finding any spells, Zel?"

"No...nothing that could be of use to me," Zelgadis answered. Though, as he laced his fingers through Rii's, the chimera found that he was not all that bothered by his 'failure'.

"Well, better luck next time, right?" Gourry said encouragingly as he started walking. He looked to the left and halted in his tracks. "Hold up a second, guys," he said as he removed his arm from Lina's shoulder and moved to the large pile of gold that had had caught his attention. He fixed his gaze on the sword sticking up. Sticking the sword currently in his hands into the pile, Gourry slowly pulled out the new sword. Once he had pulled it free, the handsome swordsman simply held it in both hands and swept his gaze up the long blade. The handle was only slightly darker than the blade--giving the illusion that they were made from the same material--and both shimmered with an almost iridescent sheen. Whole onyxes were inlaid down the center of the blade and handle, and agate dust was worked into the entire weapon.

Lina's eyes widened as she took in the sight. "Wow..." she breathed.

"Oh, Mister Gourry...it's so beautiful..."

Gourry said nothing for several moments but simply smiled--his eyes sparkling and his entire self filled with a feeling of well-being.

He had found his new sword.

"You taking that one, Gourry?" Lina asked as she took a step closer.

"Yeah," Gourry answered. "This is the one."

"Ooo...this sword is magic," Lina said softly.

Zelgadis and Amelia drew closer to the swordsman.

"Yeah...I can feel it too," Zelgadis agreed.

"So can I," Amelia said.

Xellos tilted his head and sniffed the air. His eyes opened a little and he stepped closer to Gourry and peered at the sword before drawing back and recoiling. "That sword..."

Nell's eyes widened in worry and she slid down the mountain of gold and hurried to her demon lover's side. "Xellos? Are you all right?"

The trickster priest seemed to shrink back into his mistress. "That sword...it's a blessed blade. The power emanating from it...while it may not cause any fatal damage to upper level demons like the Shabranigdo and his lords...it would no doubt slay any demon of a lower level."

Nell hurriedly got between Xellos and Gourry's sword. "Gourry will you put that thing away, please?"

"Woops, sorry about that," Gourry said sheepishly before sheathing the blade in his scabbard.

Xellos visibly relaxed once the blade was put away. "Thank you, Gourry."

Rii smiled as she regarded her friends. "Well, a tri to this room wasn't a total loss then. Zel may not have found a spell, but at least Gourry found a new sword." She looked to Nell. "Did you find a weapon to train with?"

Nell smiled and nodded before holding up a double-edged, short sword.

Amelia nodded. "Well, are we ready to go now?"

Lina grinned and pulled out an empty sack from the folds of her cloak. "Nope. Not even close. I've still have a whole bag left to fill."

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