Author:  Irk
Title:  Strung Part 6 

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Strung___
Snared in the Lacings___
Part Six___



Veil! Veil!! Don't you pretend I'm not here! You will NOT leave me here to watch things that happened over a thousand years ago! Not without telling me what the hell's going on!!!

In response to Lina's demands, nothing changed. Nothing at all. In fact, nothing and no one around her, in the enitire dream of a room that she currently stood defiantly inside of, moved. The Mazoku Lords stood, frozen, as Lina looked about. All was still, and all was silent.

"...Veil?"

Lina, you were not brought into this realm to have words with me. You were brought here to watch that which is being shown to you.

"Watch what's shown to me? What about Xelloss? Trouble follows him wherever he steps. What does Xelloss have to do with what's going to happen to me? Are you going to show that, Veil?" Lina whirled around, trying to find her shadow-guide. She was nowhere that Lina could see.

...

"VEIL?! Veil?" Lina looked upwards, gazing at the sweeping blue curves spiraling across the ceiling. There was no reply, only the steady null-sound of silence. Her hands shook. "Veil...I..." Lina balled her hands into fists. "I don't know what's happening. A protective enchantment cast on me, that has never been known to collapse on anyone, broke without any warning. I'm all alone in the waking world. I feel this...these words in my mind...every now and then...they come to me in little whispers and speak of death. I feel - I know - that something terrible is planning itself for me. I can feel its breath on my neck. I'm alone, Veil. All alone."

"Except for you."

Lina, you - I'm not...I'm not someone you should depend on. You...you should watch. It will help you, I promise.

"Okay." Lina crossed her arms. "Come down here. I'll watch anything you show me if you come down here. I don't care about your dependability or whatever. If I can depend on you to stick around while I watch this whole charade, that's enough."

A shadow flickered through the air at Lina's side, spiraling down in graceful loops. As it landed, Veil sprung from the floor, her whole form floating up from it in a dance of spiderwebbed haze. As the shadows settled around her like dust, she turned to Lina. "As you wish," she intoned, bemusement just barely tinting her voice.

Lina sighed with relief. "Thank you."

Veil cocked her head. "I really don't understand what can be changed by my presence."

"I'm not alone, Veil. That makes all the difference in the world for me."

Veil nodded slightly, not really understanding anything new but not eager to argue. "You're waking, you know."

Lina's stomach twisted into a knot. She had no great wish to be in reality. She knew that bad things were waiting for her to meet them there. "But...what about the story? And what about Xelloss? What does he have to do with this?"

A sigh fluttered through the shadow woman's lips. "When we must wake, we must wake. You will learn the true importance of Xelloss' presence by this story's end. I promise you that, Lina."

"But..." Lina's voice faded into the distance as the room around them, along with Lina herself, turned as misty as Veil's body. "...But how long will that take?!"

Everything winked out then. All that remained was Veil. The curtain of shadows whispered around her, rustling as she fidgeted.

"She...she wanted me to stay with her."

* * *

"There's nothing in here at all." Xelloss sighed, pushing in the last drawer of the desk he had been searching. It contained nothing that he could use. He sighed. "Well, it makes enough sense." When I lived here, all I really did was study when I wasn't working. Zelas never approved of my readings and workings. Why would she keep the books and notes I had left behind? He sighed. They weren't important, anyways.

A part of Xelloss twisted inside. It felt almost like stomach sickness. It reminded him that he was lying. The work he had done so far into the past had been very important to him. It had given him a tiny sense of self before he'd even known what that meant. It had led him on the path to wisdom.

The path to wisdom ended in Zelas's bed.

Xelloss couldn't dispute that, but he could almost imagine...barely admit to the thought of maybe, just maybe, using that knowledge to flee this snared nest.

But it frightened him just to think of thinking about it.

Still...he could conjure things now, couldn't he? Some paper, a brush and ink...he had not written calligraphy in a long time. A prayer. He could paint a prayer. Surely that wasn't insurrection.

He dragged the chair out and flopped down, hunching down over the desk. Bad, lazy posture. Even Fibrizo had scolded him for that. He plucked paper and brush from the air above him, set the paper down, and dipped the brush into an inkwell. It had popped up from the desk like a mushroom.

Brush hovered above paper, Xelloss' wrist crooked and steady. He waited for words...

The grace of Her rests upon my brow. It is the Crown of Gold, and it is heavy. It is the same as Her hands, which embrace my wrists to lead me. They are the Chains of Fate, and they are heavy. Heavy is my heart, for She presses upon it with Her lips. This is Her Kiss, and it is worth all its weight. It is heavy indeed.

Light is my neck. There is no collar that she would grant me.

Xelloss winced as metal dug into his neck. He straightened a little so that Zelas's collar would not pinch him as much.

This I say of my Lord.

* * *

Run, run, run...run Lina. Oh gods can't stop...they're catching me, they're catching me...who's holding me?

Into the blackness. Into the inky, inky blackness. The red. The black and the red and the black...blackred, the whole world is blackredblackredblackredredredredred...

I can't see...she can't see...we can't see...can see the eyes. The eye. I can see it...see the blackred eye. The Ruby Eye. The Ruby I.



...Where am I?



"Lina? Lina, I know you're awake. Lina? Lina. Lina, open your eyes. Come on, open your eyes, Lina. Only a little bit, Lina. Only for a second. Come on. Lina? Lina! Lina, open your eyes!"

But they're...so...red...

Blackred surrounded Lina, swallowing her. She was falling into it, soaring through it, dancing in it with no comprehension of what was moving her limbs. She flailed, she drowned. Swallowed up again. Blackred rushed into her ears, her mouth and nose, and she only watched, watched as she sank deeper into the murk. Watched the waters around her, glittering in all colors of blackred. As she sank deeper, the water grew lighter, though one would expect it to darken as one grew ever distant from the surface. But no, it was fading slowly into a glow. An underwater dawn. And then the water was no longer blackred, but simply red. Red water, red blood pumping through the greatest beast in the world. It was as if she were inside Shubranigdo, or something even larger...

Vitality pounded in her ears, pounded through her entire body with the greastest pulse in the history of existence. Red itself faded, even in the middle of this bloodstream. Red faded...into...gold?

Lina emerged, gasping for breath above the tumultuous sea as something under her buoyed her up. She cleared her lungs as she treaded the dark, dark surface of a sea that was only its brightest at the bottom.

The darkness was even more terrible, now that she had caught a glimpse of what was gold. Blackred surrounded her up here, terrifying and oppressing. Lina let her arms slacken, feeling herself sink again into this strange sea where she did not float. It was so much better to drown...

Just as she felt the water lap against her brow, a sharp, blinding shaft of light stabbed the darkness mercilessly, burning away the redblack fog behind her eyelids.

Lina's eyes opened.

"LINA!" A dark, wild animal barrelled into Lina's chest. But her body wouldn't move, was numb and paralyzed in that curious transition from sleeping to waking. The animal clutched at her, taking adavantage of her immobility by wrapping its limbs around her in a stranglehold. Then Lina realized that animal was Amelia.

"Amelia!" A hand clamped on the girl's shoulder, pulling her back firmly but not too roughly. Zelgadis frowned at her. He sighed. "Your concern is touching, I know, but Lina is not in any condition to handle a tackle."

Lina blinked. Zelgadis's voice. That's what she had heard urging her to open her eyes.

"Just lay back, Lina. Everything will be okay now that you're awake." Zelgadis's smile would have helped ease her mind, but Lina knew how cool and collected Zelgadis could be at the worst of times. Just because he was at ease didn't mean the rest of the world was. Amelia, however-

"Oh, Lina, I'm just so glad you're safe and awake! I've been worried so long, you've been gone and nobody's known where to find you and I-I and Zelgadis were looking for so long, and if we hadn't found you in the forest then I don't even want to think about what might happen!" Amelia sniffled, then dried her eyes on Zelgadis's cape.

Amelia was a little different in the way she handled things.

* * *

I should just cast myself out into the Sea of Chaos and never reel myself back.

Xelloss sighed. "And then be snatched away by her ivory hooks."

He folded his arms up on the desk, laying his head across them. Maybe I could swim there, though. Just swim for hours, maybe even days. Who knows when Zelas will call me back to finish the rituals?

His body lay still for thirty minutes, but Xelloss' mind remained firmly in it.

What am I waiting for, anyways? I should just go. But I keep hesitating. I keep laying here doing nothing. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be anywhere. Except there.

Thirty more minutes.

...I'm too afraid...of Her pulling me back...to ever dive in, aren't I?

Xelloss sat there, still and silent.

* * *

It's okay. Amelia and Zelgadis are here to take care of me. I don't have to worry.

Now matter how many times Lina told herself that, she still felt horrible.

And why shouldn't I feel horrible? I got myself lost in the woods while running away from a man who loves me more than anything else in this world. And that's not even within a league of the worst parts. I ran away from a proposal. I ran away from a man who loves me because he loves me so much. I left him with nothing but lies to remember me by. And I get myself trapped, alone, defenseless, for no reason other than to never see my friends again. And when those friends come to rescue me, what's the first thing I think about? How much I want them not to be with me.

Amelia was so worried. I could tell she'd been crying for a long time. How long, I wonder? Since they found me? Since she first heard that I was gone? Or since she heard about what I said to Gourry...

Gods, the worst part about it is that I wouldn't take it back if I could.

"Lina?" The voice was almost like a whisper in her ear. That was because it was a whisper in her ear. Lina looked up into Zelgadis's face. It was somber, and somehow very knowing. And Zelgadis was very close. "Lina," he continued to whisper, "once Amelia finishes this healing spell, I'll tell her you want to sleep."

Close enough for comfort, and secrets. He knows. Amelia doesn't, but he does.

Lina inclined her head just slightly. And he'll talk with me about it after Amelia leaves.

Zelgadis bowed away, and Lina leaned back, wondering why she nodded. Why she would possibly want to talk about Zelgadis about all of this. As he murmured something about fatigue to Amelia, Lina tried to understand why she would agree to tell him things that would make him think so little of her. Why she would talk about it at all, when she knew it would hurt her so much. When she knew that talking about any of it would mean talking about all of it. Even the parts she didn't want to think about.

And after she pondered all of this, she realized that Zelgadis was here with her. No one else. Just him, sitting on a stool and looking as calm and in control as he always was.

All of a sudden, Lina felt less like talking than anyone could have ever felt like talking.

Fortunately, Zelgadis didn't.

"I know Amelia seems a little...well, a little more Amelia than usual. You can probably imagine how worried she's been. She actually hasn't been as much of a burden as usual. Strange. But then, we haven't realy travelled together before like, she and I. And she likes me, we all know that. But it's not just her heart bossing around her head again. She really has tried to be more serious, because it was different this time. We've both had our adventures and rescues before, lina, but neither she nor I has ever had to go off and save you. So it shook her into a little maturity for a bit, I guess. Maybe it's good for her. I don't really know."

Lina shrunk back into the cushions just a tiny bit.

"Oh come on, Lina, don't look at me like I'm going to lecture you. I'm not your father or your brother, or whatever." He ran his fingers through his hair a little nervously. "You're an adult, it was your decision what you should do with Gourry." He frowned, almost looking away for just a second, but resisting the urge in the end. "Do you think I don't know what it's like? Amelia's much weaker than Gourry, and while I'm not you, I'm just as prone to draw trouble sometimes, with all my quests for a cure. Do you think I don't consider it, sometimes? Hurting her would be the only way to drive her off, really. That's the only way I can think of."

Lina curled her knees to her chest, hugging them against her. He understands. Damnit, he understands why I did it. I'm so trapped. "But...but you didn't, Zelgadis. You didn't, because you love Amelia far more than I could ever love Gourry."

Zelgadis's eyes seemed to flare up for a bit, but they cooled before Lina could even blink. "No, Lina. I didn't make my decision with love. I made it with reason. I love Amelia, but I also know her, and because I know her, I know that breaking her heart wouldn't make her leave me. And you love Gourry, and you know Gourry, and you know that breaking his heart would. And it's not because she loves me more than he loves you. It's just the kind of person Amelia is. She'll tear herself in half for anybody she loves. Gourry would tear himself in half for you, and in a way, right now he is. But he won't do the same to Sylphiel by chasing after you when he thinks he knows that you don't want him anyways. He'll tear himself in half, but he won't break a girl's heart to do it."

"..."

"Ten minutes and you haven't said a word. It seems I've discovered a secret method for silencing women."

Lina's anger rose as she whirled to face Zelgadis, but the chimera only smiled.

"Got you to move, Lina. See, my lack of tact and people skills really comes in handy, now and then."

The sorceress swallowed back a laugh. "You...you're just poking fun at me because you know I can't cast spells at you for it."

It was meant as a joke. She immediately regretted it.

"Lina..." Zelgadis frowned. "What happened to you, Lina?"


You can find more of Irk's works at http://www.mazoku.com/~snapple/ficarc/ 

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