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Chapter 16

"Mr. Zelgadiss, where is Ms. Lina? She's been gone for an awfully long time..." Hiyo nibbled on her melon bread a little more before taking her usual seat next to Zel. He sighed and glanced for the umpteenth time towards the doorway, hoping for Lina to come back. "I don't know, Hiyo, but I think that maybe we need to leave her alone for awhile." Hiyo frowned.

"I haven't known Ms. Lina for very long, but I don't think she's the type of person to stay by herself for too long. Something isn't right Mr. Zelgadiss. Shouldn't we at least go check on her?" Zelgadiss sighed again, but nodded all the same. Secretly he had been just as worried as Hiyo was about Lina, and he didn't think he'd like what he found if they went to look for her.

They searched the entire bottom floor in less then an hour, through bedrooms, bathrooms, empty rooms, and party rooms. None of them held any sign of Lina, until they came upon the tea room. It was trashed, with all of the ancient class shattered all over the floors, scrapes on the walls, and the glass case had been broken into. This had to be where Lina was, but the only question was where did she go? "Would she have gone upstairs all by herself Mr. Zelgadiss?"

He shook his head. "I have no idea Hiyo, but I hope she's not stupid enough to. In fact I know she's not stupid enough to. Something's up." Hiyo bent down to the floor, spotting something shining on the ground. She gasped and picked the shiny object off of the carpet. "Oh, dear Mr. Zelgadiss. Look!"

There in her palm lay a golden circle earring, unmistakably Lina's. He raised his gaze to meet Hiyo's. "Now I know something's wrong. Lina would never leave this anywhere, no matter how blinded by fury she is." Zelgadiss turned and exited through the door, Hiyo hurrying forward to fall in step with him. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but let's go find Xelloss."

OoO

Lina cursed the man through her gag, but the sound came out only a muffled noise. Her hands and feet were bound to a chair in the middle of the small dark room, and her eyes were also blinded. Maybe that's why it was so dark...

"Now, Lina-san, you know I can't understand you so why even try it?" She said something again, pulling at her binds and shaking the chair with her body. Faroh laughed and she heard his footsteps approaching her. "Sorry to had to have brought you here like this, Lina-san. In truth under different circumstances I could see myself taking a liking to your spit-fire ways."

She didn't respond, only sat very still as his hand reached down to rest on her shoulder. "Ah, don't worry Lina-san. I won't kill you just yet. That I'll wait for your friend Xelloss to witness, otherwise it wouldn't be very much fun." Lina yelled again, making the chair wobble so much she almost fell over. Fun? This guy saw killing her as fun?!

Wait a minute, this guy wasn't just going to kill her...he was going to kill Xelloss too...Shit! Hold on a minute, why did she even care? She should be happy to hear that the bastard was going to get exactly what he deserved-death! Still even she couldn't be that evil as to wish death to him, after all he really had warned her.

"Mm, what's this? Feeling some regret of sorts are we? And to think, he touched you so,"-he ran his hand down her thigh.-"tenderly." Lina screeched at him through the cloth, wiggled herself away, or at least she tried to. The chair was wobbling back and forth with the rocking motion of her body as she let all her fury go. The bastard had been watching them?! Oh hell yeah, he was going to die.

OoO

"Mr. Xelloss! Mr. Xelloss!" Hiyo hurried into the little living room where Xelloss sat alone and confined. He lifted his head towards them, his face not showing any emotion at all. "Oh Mr. Xelloss it's terrible! Ms. Lina has been kidnapped and taken upstairs! We need your help!"

"Oh, she has, has she?" He still didn't move, staying planted to the couch.

"Xelloss as much as I hate you, she's right; we need your help. Don't you feel even a little guilty? If it weren't for you Lina would have never even gone out alone." A small show of emotion flickered over his face, but he still did not move. "Mr. Xelloss!" Hiyo screamed, her tiny hands reached down to grip his shirt. Her voice was suddenly not squeaky and small, but deep and scary. "You will help Ms. Lina, won't you Mr. Xelloss?" He didn't respond, only sat mute.

A growl erupted from her tiny body and she picked him up and easily threw him over the couch, flipping it over on top of him. Zelgadiss gaped at her, stunned at her sudden show of strength and dominance. Xelloss stared up at Hiyo, he had been thrown way off guard by her sudden change of personality. "Now that I've got your attention,"-she walked around the couch to grab him by the shirt again-"You'll help Ms. Lina, won't you Mr. Xelloss?" She growled the words, glaring down at him.

"Er...why, of course I will Ms. Hiyo. Whoever said I wouldn't?" He replied a bit nervously, sighing with relief as she let go of him and a smile graced her face. "Great! Now we can go save her!" She squealed, doing another turn around on attitude. Hiyo glanced at Zelgadiss and frowned at him. "Is there something wrong, Mr. Zelgadiss? You don't look so good." He swallowed and shook his head, giving her a weak smile. "No, no, nothing. Heh..." She shrugged and smiled at them both before turning to lead the way into the entry hall. Zelgadiss exchanged a look with Xelloss.

"God she might be scarier then Lina."

OoO

"It seems your friends are braver then I first thought Lina-san, they are heading for us as we speak to save you." Faroh drawled, laughing. "It seems even Xelloss has been convinced to save you Little Lina, be glad that someone of such power will be here soon."

Lina stayed silent, clamping her mouth shut tightly. She refused to let him get another rise out of her; it only amused him anyway so it really wasn't worth it. The sound of the door slamming open filled Lina with sudden hope. “Master, they are already in the west wing and approaching us very fast." Her hopes were shattered as the sound of the mazoku-with-no-name's voice was heard.

"Fantastic." The sound of Faroh's heavy footsteps approaching made Lina stiffen and hold her breath. "Now we can prepare properly for their arrival." She closed her eyes shut tight, expecting him to kill her right there, but instead the bindings on her hands, feet, and eyes were released. The only one left was the gag in her mouth, which he had chosen to leave tied tightly with magic.

Suddenly his hand slid deep into her hair, and he brought a screech of pain from her throat as he yanked her roughly from the chair to stand. He pulled her head backwards, paralyzing her body with pain. She tried to struggle, whimpering and screaming against the gag in agony. "Shh Lina-san, it'll only hurt for a little while." Her breath caught in her throat as the knife he'd used to untie her was shoved deep into her chest. Lina raised her shaking hands to touch the knife, as if in shock from it all.

His grip loosened from her hair and she dropped to her knees heavily, everything going red. She coughed into the gag, suddenly feeling like it was suffocating her more then anything else. As she fell forward, two pairs of arms encircled her and she fell into someone's chest. She grunted and turned to lie sideways, peering up at her savior. To her surprise it was Xelloss himself, his eyes staring down at her with mute horror. Instantly he removed the now bloodied gag, and she realized that there was blood pouring from her mouth.

"X-Xelloss?" She choked out, cringing in pain as it hurt to talk. He raised a finger to her lips, silencing her gently. "Shh Lina-san, just stay quiet for awhile. Go to sleep, when you wake up I'll be right there with you." Lina didn't protest anymore, and she let the darkness invade her body and lull her into a deep slumber. Maybe she could trust Xelloss one more time, just one last time...

 

Chapter 17

"Xelloss, Xelloss, Xelloss. It would appear that you really do care for this little witch, I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my very own eyes." Faroh taunted, watching as Xelloss handed the possibly-already-dead-Lina to Hiyo and Zelgadiss. He gave them a smile before motioning for them to leave. "Take care of Lina-san for me, I'll handle this."

Zelgadiss hurried Hiyo ahead before giving Xelloss final annoyed glance. "Don't die, you damned fruitcake. Despite what she says Lina cares about you, don't screw it up this time." He ran down the foyer after Hiyo, and Xelloss just shook his head grinning before shutting the door soundly. "So, Faroh is it? I've heard of you, but never would I have imagined you'd look so weak."

Faroh snarled, for the first time showing any other emotion besides giddiness. Xelloss chuckled at how easily this man was provoked and even wondered why Lina hadn't managed to do it herself. "Would you like to continue this outside? I think it would be best if I didn't completely destroy your little home."

Xelloss smirked, and his eyes opened to increase the terrifying image of him beginning to lose his temper. "No? Then have it your way." He flexed his body inwards, a sphere of light incasing his body, and he straightened out like a spring sending a yellow-white light crashing through the walls, breaking Faroh's barrier.

He hovered in the air, not even bothering to look down to make sure Lina and the others were alright. Whilst she lay in his arms he had cast a barrier spell onto her earring, wisely knowing what was to become of this flimsy building. He spotted Faroh amidst the smoke, suspended into the air as well, and he didn't look too happy. He roared as if he was the Dragon King Ceifeed himself and unleashed a red flare of energy towards Xelloss, which he dodged with his usual ease, but he was quicker then Xelloss had imagined him to be. Faroh had anticipated his moves and was suddenly behind him, unleashing another red cosmic wave.

Xelloss groaned as the shot hit him straight through his body, sending him into the ground below. He recovered just in time as Faroh teleported downwards to strike down on him with his staff, but Xelloss blocked it with his own staff, struggling against the knight's power. In a desperate attempt to get away, he exploited the Knight's most obvious weakness. While they sparred he taunted softly. "Oh, come now Faroh, I know you can do better then that. Didn't you say this was going to be my last day on earth? You might as well stop holding back on my account." He teleported around and around with him, appearing at every possibile angle. And yet it seemed impossbile to catch him off guard, for everywhere Xelloss went Faroh was prepared with a rebound attack that he could barely keep dodging.

Faroh jumped back, smiling greedily. "You want me to stop holding back mazoku? Then as you command, Xelloss." He raised his staff over his head, his eyes glowing a dark blue. "I call upon you, oh great lord of the shinzoku, grant me the full extent of your powers and together we shall punish those who oppose us! Dragon Lord Ceifeed become my guide and liege in my quest for power!"

Xelloss cursed himself; it would seem that his plan had backfired. Despite his powers as a mazoku he doubted that whatever the Knight had in mind could be easily deflected, but then there was always other ways of stopping it. A whirlwind of red and black energy encircled the Knight, his staff glowing in an obvious preparation for attack. "Xelloss you fool!" The tornado took form of a huge dragon, growling and snarling as Faroh completed his spell. It detached itself from his staff, closing in on Xelloss with great speed.

A black orb formed in his hands, he expanded his hand outward while the black orb grew as his arms widened. The spell sank itself into the black sphere forcefully being sucked into its dark depth within Xelloss's hands. When the end had been devoured by his energy, Xelloss reversed it using up his powers to their near limit, sending the dragon right back at Faroh with twice as much impact.

The collision of the two brought an immense explosion, and even Xelloss was thrown back by the force. He smacked into one of the only left standing boards still attached to the old mansion, the wood howling as the wind blew through them. Faroh's form appeared amongst all of the chaos, his body laying limp on the ground. Xelloss winced while limping towards him, staring down at him feeling no mercy at all.

"You bastard Xelloss, even while I lay here dying I pity you the most. You'll only end up being thwarted by your own pitiful feelings for a human, and you know it. Lina Inverse will be the death of you, mazoku." Xelloss grinned evilly down at him, bending down close to his face. "Ah, such an impetuous man you are. What you say may be the truth, but since I will be the only one living another day you'll never know, now will you?" He crushed his foot onto Faroh's hand, his face twisting into a look of enjoyment to his pain. So many negative emotions just flowing off this human's body, it was like a Christmas feast and it was all his.

Faroh screamed, and gave Xelloss such a look of pure hatred that he just had to laugh, this was simply precious. Finally his face became stiff and Xelloss watched as his last breath was taken, his eyes falling down slowly. He turned away from the soon-to-be corpse, his face held no particular emotion; it was just an expression of what he supposed to be guilt or maybe even pain.

Before he could reach Lina and the others, the-mazoku-with-no-name appeared with his face an angry mess. "Damn you! You killed my master!" He raised his sword into the air and charged, while Xelloss just simply watched. He almost welcomed the thought of dying, but the mazoku's body suddenly caught fire and his body exploded on sight.

Zelgadiss stood a couple of feet away, his palm upraised and poised. Xelloss smiled. "Awwh, Zelly-san, does this mean you're finally warming up to me?"

Zelgadiss rolled his eyes, walking up to Xelloss to offer him a shoulder to support him with. "This isn't the time to be a smart ass Xelloss, Hiyo is trying everything she knows about white magic to help Lina but not much is working." He said while he helped Xelloss limp to the others.

"I have to say it was smart of you to cast that spell on Lina, Xelloss, you really saved us all." Xelloss grinned sadly. "Yes I suppose so, but if Lina-san doesn't make it then what was the point of protecting her at all?"

Zelgadiss didn't answer, but just stared ahead. Xelloss followed his gaze, and if he'd had a heart he was sure that it would have stopped beating. Lina's face was white-too white. Her head lay limp in Hiyo's lap, while Hiyo's hands were cupped over the wound a faint glow making them seem transparent. She looked up to them with tears in her eyes, her voice quivering as much as her body was.

"Mr. Xelloss, I don't think she'll make it." She sobbed, looking back down at the wound. "I can't take the knife out because it hit a major artery, so if I remove it"-she bit her lip and choked back another sob-"she'll bleed to death. I'm not experienced enough in white magic to stop that much bleeding. Her heart beat is so slow Mr. Xelloss...her body is getting so cold..." Hiyo trailed off, her voice fading similar to Lina's life span.

Zelgadiss let Xelloss down gently to sit next to Lina, while he walked around her to put a supporting hand on Hiyo's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll save her Hiyo, the wound is already closing." Hiyo offered him a watery smile. "I sure hope so Mr. Zelgadiss, if not I don't know how I could ever expect to call myself a protector of the innocent when I can't even save one noble woman's life."

He nodded, and glanced at Xelloss, who was staring down at Lina's pale face with no emotion at all. He reached out a hand to run his finger down her cheek, and smiled wryly. She was ironically just as cold as he was, maybe even colder. It pained him to see her face so dead, to see her usually over-spunked aura of dominance now dampened out by approaching death. "Lina-san..." He murmured absently, now stroking her hair. Even that seemed to have dimmed as well, resembling a flickering candle he watched as her once brightly burning flame now struggling to hold on to the only fragments of life still lingering within her.

One part of him tried to convince himself that he wanted her alive again so that he could complete his orders, but the other part knew that he just wanted to see her smile again, to see her give him that knowing gleam in her eyes as she told of her plans of victory, he just wanted her to be.

Lina was the one regret he'd ever had in all his years of living. Never had he given a second thought to any of the people he had disappointed or misled, but Lina's trust was the one thing he should have never tampered with. They both knew she hadn't disliked what he'd done, but it was just that the reasons he'd done it were all wrong. She didn't deserve that.

Xelloss could admit to himself at least that he held a strong sort of feeling for her, one that he wasn't sure just what to call. Seeing her die right in front of his eyes did not bring happiness to him at all, and that in an of itself was not normal. Just moments ago he had laughed in Faroh's face as he died under his boot, but with Lina it was tearing him apart in the strangest of ways.

And yet all he could do was watch over her, wishing that her eyes would flutter open and she could smile at them all while asking why they looked so sad. Lina was strong, and Hiyo had enough courage to do what she had to do to save her.

Lina would live through this, he was certain she would.

 

Chapter 18

Xelloss put his hand over Hiyo's, gently removing it from Lina's body. "Ms. Hiyo I don't mean to be rude, but I think Lina-san needs someone with a little more experience to heal her." Hiyo gave a small sob before nodding, chewing on her lip. They had been sitting here patiently for hours while she had done all she could to help Lina, but it just wasn't enough. The bleeding was slowing down and the wound looked better, but they still had to take the knife out at some point. "B-But who? I mean, my father knows a great deal of white magic...but he lives at the base of mountains where the lance was once kept. There is no way we could carry Ms. Lina all the way there, she'd never make it that long."

Zelgadiss gave Xelloss a pointed look, and they both knew that Xelloss was the only one who could do it. Xelloss smiled confidently at Hiyo. "Now don't you worry about that Ms. Hiyo, I'll get her there." She looked up at him with wide eyes. "How Mr. Xelloss?"

He chuckled and waved his finger at her. "That's a secret."

She laughed weakly, but her eyes held no happiness or amusement. Lina's current condition was indeed not something to be happy about. Xelloss wasn't in very good shape either, in fact he could hardly walk on his own. He knew he could survive at least one last teleportation, but what would happen beyond that? If he used the last of his power to get Lina to safety then there was no way he could get to Zelas for help. Well, things would work out he supposed.

He scooped Lina up gently, cradling her head in the crook of his arm like a child. Taking a step back, he disappeared from sight with the small woman in his arms.

OoO

Landing in the forest, he nearly collapsed right there. He didn't think he could take much more of this, for if his power wasn't completely gone it was very close. He looked around him and spotted that he had teleported to the right place, there lay a small white house decorated by stones and crosses above the door. Xelloss cringed at the sight but bravely knocked on the door anyway.

A middle aged man maybe in his late 50's answered, the white stubble on his chin and the grayish color to his hair didn't hide the fact that he was simply the mirror image of Hiyo in male form. His eyes were as blue as the ocean and his hair was the same golden copper color as the young girl's, but the scowl on his face told Xelloss that he wasn't nearly as generous as Little Hiyo was.

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded, eyeing the pale-faced girl in Xelloss's arms. It was obvious that this man didn't like him on sight.

Oh, he just couldn't resist. "I'm Xelloss." He replied with a grin.

The man scowled. "Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Xelloss chuckled, but stopped mid-laugh. This was no time for games; Lina was dying in his arms as they spoke. "Actually, no it isn't. But I assume the name Hiyo rings a bell?"

The man gave him a suspicious look, rubbing his chin. "You know my little girl?" Xelloss nodded. "Yes, in fact I was just with her a moment ago. She tells me you know white magic?" The man gave a grunt and a nod. "Yeah, I studied under the high priest of our village. After he died 3 years ago I retired, so I can't help you."

"So you mean to tell me that you don't remember anything about white magic?"

"Well, no but-"

"Then you can't take a moment from your life to save one of your daughter's closest friends?"

"Hiyo never mentioned-"

"I don't imagine she would have, for Lina-san here and Ms. Hiyo have only recently become acquainted. Along with me and an old friend we are on a little journey together. Ms. Hiyo has come to like Ms. Lina; won't you do it for your daughter if no one else?"

The old man sighed heavily, and gave up, opening the door so that Xelloss could step inside. "Just put her on the kitchen table, I'll have better access that way." Xelloss nodded, and set her down gently while stroking a piece of hair from her face unconsciously. The old man watched them closely, his face softening slowly. "I'm

Sano by the way, sorry for being so rude."

Xelloss shrugged it off, accepting his apology without a second thought. "I know what you are, you know. But for some reason you don't seem as fierce as people once thought, almost harmless if I was an idiot." Xelloss blinked, turning a blank face to the man. But soon his face uplifted into a wry grin. "You are smart, Sano-san, your wariness will do you good in the future."

Sano laughed, and thumped Xelloss on the back. "You're not that bad Xelloss." He reached for the glasses lying next to Lina on the kitchen table, and perched them onto the bridge of his nose. "Holy hell what happened?"

"She fell."

"Onto a knife?"

Xelloss chuckled. "It could happen, you know." The old man couldn't resist smiling. "Yes, well I can see that you are reluctant to tell but I do have faith, mind you, that you didn't do this." He turned his attention to Lina, and lifted and eyebrow. "Did Hiyo attempt fixing this?"

He nodded. "That's what I thought, the torn skin around the knife is already repaired and the veins aren't torn anymore." He glided his fingers down the knife and feel around the wound. "I can imagine that Hiyo was scared of how much blood would come out if she removed the knife." Gently Sano pulled the blade out, slowly sliding it out of her. Blood ran freely from the wound, but unphased he positioned his hands over it. A white light emitted from both the wound and his hands as the hole started to close slowly.

Even though only minutes had passed by, it seemed like an eternity when Xelloss noticed Lina's face starting to color again and her fingers twitched slightly. Sano smiled in relief as Lina groaned and opened her eyes slowly. "Mm, Xelloss?" She tried to lift herself up, but gasped and fell right back from the stinging pain. "Miss, I'd advice you not to move till I'm done." Sano said, still trying to concentrate on her wound.

"Done what?" Lina demanded, turning her head to see him better. Xelloss almost forgot that she didn't even know where she was.

Sano gave Xelloss an amused glance before answering. "Done saving you, little girl."

"Little? Keh, you're just another cocky old bastard."

"Maybe so, but it's not everyday a cocky old bastard saves your ass."

"Xelloss why did we come to him? I'd rather of died then woken up to that." She pointed up at Sano.

Xelloss pointed to him as well, smiling widely. "That is Ms. Hiyo's father, Lina-san." Lina looked back and forth between them. "Hiyo's...father." She said slowly, letting the words sink in. "How the hell is he related to her? She's nothing like him!"

Sano laughed. "It's nice to know that my daughter is befriending such nice people these days. She could learn a thing or two from you, Ms. Lina." Lina rolled her eyes and turned her head to the other side, looking up at Xelloss instead. She was still sort of surprised that he had kept his word, and here he was struggling to stand right next to her. "Did you bring me here?"

"Yes Lina-san, I did." Xelloss grinned. "I told you I'd stay with you." Lina blushed, not being able to accept affection easily she averted her eyes from him self consciously. Still not looking at him she asked, "Where are Hiyo and Zelgadiss?"

"I suppose they are still near the mansion."

"What happened after I blacked out?"

"Well, let's just say the mansion isn't exactly in the best of shape now."

"Oh...So he's dead?" Xelloss nodded and reached down to hold her hand gently. "Lina-san, you shouldn't push yourself. Rest for now, we'll continue this conversation once you've regained your strength." Lina opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it and instead just nodded. "Yeah, yeah, alright I will." She turned her head again to Sano. "Oi, old man, thanks for saving me. I'll take care of Hiyo for you."

Sano smiled and nodded. Lina fell asleep again after that, since she'd lost so much blood it might take days for her to fully recover. Xelloss was just happy that she was alive at all, and he'd wait ten years for her recovery if that's what it took. Sano took a step back and left Xelloss with Lina alone to venture into the kitchen. It was a relief to see that even after cheating deaths he could still hold a duel of the tongues with the first thing she laid eyes on.

Xelloss glanced up as Sano came back in with a small bag tied neatly with a tiny rope. "These are healing herbs to help her body recover all her lost blood. Give these to her twice a day whether she is asleep or not, but make sure to let her rest as much as possible. I suppose she should be back to normal within the next four to six days, but you on the other hand,-"He dropped the packet into Xelloss's palm,-"well I'd need to check that gash in your left shoulder to know when you'll recover."

"That is not necessary, Sano-san." Sano grinned. "No, it isn't necessary, but I want to anyway. I can already tell that you are weak. How do you expect to get her back to town in your position?"

"I can't promise you any sort of repayment, Sano-san, remember that."

He laughed. "We'll call it even if you just promise me that Ms. Lina will be in good hands."

Xelloss grinned. "That is one promise that I'll keep."

OoO

"Mr. Zelgadiss do you think they are ok?" Hiyo and Zelgadiss were walking idly down the dirt road towards Hiyo's village, assuming that Xelloss would bring her there after Hiyo's father was done. "I don't know, but I think they are."

Hiyo smiled suddenly, looking up into the vast sky above. "I have faith in my daddy; I know Ms. Lina made it. He wouldn't let her die." Zelgadiss gave her a strange look, but he had no other choice but to believe in the concept just as much as she did. After all for all they knew Xelloss could have taken advantage of the situation and dumped Lina into some river somewhere.

Would Xelloss do that? Xelloss was unmistakably evil, true, but he had a weird soft spot for Lina. He did try everything he could thing of to irritate her, but the effort he put into it was far more then he'd ever used on anyone else. Despite the fact that Zelgadiss wanted to wring his neck everytime he opened his mouth, the way Lina looked at Xelloss made him wonder.

Lina had been very disturbed by whatever Xelloss had done to her earlier, and it made him cringe to think of the many possibilities. Xelloss didn't look very triumphant afterwards though, but usually after making Lina angry he was ecstatic. Could it be that he felt guilty? Nah, Xelloss would never regret anything he did.

He was only a mazoku, after all.

OoO

Xelloss pulled the covers up to Lina's chin, smoothing them out over her small body. Sano had healed them both up nicely, and Xelloss could easily teleport Lina back to the village inn. She hadn't stirred at all since falling back asleep, and her face was still just a little pale. After settiling her into the bed, Xelloss sat to the lower part of the mattress.

Pulling out the little bag, he took out a pinch of herbs just as Sano had instructed him to do. He placed it onto his tongue, leaning down to press his lips to hers gently. He nudged the herbs between her lips, placing the herbs onto her tongue. Subconciously she accepted them, swallowing them down as if natural, never opening her eyes.

Xelloss pulled back, smiling down at her. This was, of course, not the way Sano had told him to feed them to her, but Lina didn't need to know that. He pushed a stray curl behind her ear before standing up and walking to the door. Giving her unconscious form a wolfish glance, he chuckled.

He was going to enjoy herb-feeding Lina-san indeed.

 

Chapter 19

Lina's eyes fluttered open, and she sat up with a yawn and a stretch of her arms. Feeling uncomfortable she pulled at her shirt, and realized that she was drenched in sweat. She cringed and slid the covers off her body, stepping out of the bed to examine herself in the mirror.

To her horror her hair was a poofy mess, her eyes were baggy, sweat was plastered to her forehead, and to top it off she had no idea where she was! Turning around, it was obvious that this was the hotel she had stayed at before heading for the church, but the thing was this wasn't her room.

If it wasn't her hotel room then who's was it? As her searching gaze found an eerily familiar tea cup lying on the small table near the fireplace, she blushed furiously. This was Xelloss's room?

Why was she in his room? She blinked before snapping her fingers. Ah, right! She'd been injured by that fruitcake mazoku, and then blacked out. But she could remember Xelloss catching her just before she passed out. It was a vague image but she could still see his eyes as clear as crystal staring down at her with worry.

Regrettably she also remembered waking up to an annoying old man, one whom she remembered to be Hiyo's father and a white magic user. Curiously Lina lifted up her shirt, and gasped. There was a scar!

Right next to her belly button was about a three inch gash, closed up from what would have normally taken months to heal. If Hiyo's father had used white magic to heal her then there shouldn't be any sign that anything had struck her down. So why did she still bare the mark?

Everything was just too weird to explain, and she wanted explanations. For example: Why hasn't Xelloss killed her yet? Was she going to be the destroyer of all worlds? What were the ryuzoku planning? Why did she have a hole in her damn stomach?

If the ryuzoku were looking for a cheap way to win the war, then that meant the mazoku would start playing dirty too. Maybe even more then they usually do. She doubted that Beastmaster Zelas would try to revive Dark Star, but then again who knows? Would any of the other lords try it, if she didn't? The only ones left reside in water or extremely cold temperatures, but that didn't mean that they weren't taking part in this war.

The shinzoku must know that the mazoku have some kind of plans for her, but what plans? What could they still want with her after all this time? If they planned to kill her then what good would that do? She was no stronger then she was a year ago so what changed?

Growling in frustration she yanked her shirt back down, and turned for the washroom. The sight of how disgusting she looked made her extremely eager to sink into the warm water.

OoO

Dressed only in her slacks and top, Lina exited the washroom towel drying her hair. She stopped mid-stride when Xelloss came into sight, smiling innocently. "I see you've gotten your strength back." She nodded absently and walked around him to the chair her cape was draped over. Pulling on her boots she examined him from under her lashes, suspicions welling up inside her.

He was acting weird, weirder then he usually did that is. There was just something that too cheery about him, waayy too cheeky.

"Xelloss how long have I been out?" Lina asked hesitantly, figuring that his answer would be the reason he was being so strange. "About 4 days, 5 if you count the day you were stabbed." He answered while walking to the other side of the room to sit into one of the tiny chairs, still as cheery as ever. Well, it didn't look like that was the reason he was so damn happy, so then what was it? She looked down at herself, looking for anything strange or maybe an out-of-place clothing article, but there was nothing wrong with her as far as she was concerned.

Lina nearly fell to her knees, realizing what he'd just said, and turned a wide eye to him. "4 or 5 days? Are you kidding me?" She threw down her towel and picked her cape up, tying it furiously.

"I'm afraid it's no joke Lina-san, you haven't opened your eyes in nearly a week." He reached down to clasp the tiny cup, and raised it to his lips delicately, that grin still spread wide across his face. "Damn..." She threw her cape around her, letting it fall back into place. "Listen, Xelloss, I'm going out for a walk. Don't follow me." With another swish of her cape she was out the door, before Xelloss could protest that she might still be too weak to leave on her own.

He shrugged, knowing that she could handle herself for the time being. His smile seemed to widen even more at the obviously confused glances she had been giving him. Lina would never guess what he'd done twice a day every day for the past 5 days. She'd tear his eyes from their sockets if she ever got a hold of this information, and that seemed to please him even more.

Almost jumping with joy he shifted in his seat, feeling something poke at his side annoyingly. He reached into his cape to feel the hard steel shaft of the lance through his gloves. Pulling it out carefully, he held it in his hands meticulously, his fingers running up this sides to feel the strange carvings it bore.

Rubbing the tip with his index finger, he wondered what his master's plans were for the little sorceress. Even though he had been informed of what was to become of her he wasn't exactly sure why. What exactly were Deep-Sea-sama's plans? Nothing was as clear to him as it once had been, and it was indeed frustrating. He'd probably find out sooner or later, but of that he wasn't sure of either.

Replacing the spear within his cape, he picked up the cup and resumed sipping contentedly.

OoO

Entering the dining room, Lina started for the hotel's front door. But before she could even take another half step, two pairs of small arms crushed her body, and a sobbing familiar voice sounded from her chest. "Oh, Ms. Lina! I am so glad that you are ok! Mr. Zelgadiss and I have been so worried about you." Hiyo released Lina and took a step back, beaming up at her. Lina looked over her shoulder to see Zelgadiss smiling at her from the couch, some booklet in his hands.

"Uh, thanks guys. Sorry about the scare." A bright over-done smile lit her face. "I'm fine though!" Hiyo frowned in worry and put a gentle hand on Lina's arm. "Are you sure Ms. Lina? You were asleep for so long I-" Lina interrupted her with a confident laugh, and stuck her thumb into her chest, smiling wickedly. "I am Lina Inverse! You think some knife could get rid of me just like that? You have to be crazy!" Hiyo smiled back, letting out a relieved breath.

"If only it were that easy." Zelgadiss muttered, catching Lina's death glare over Hiyo's shoulder and laughing nervously. She waved her hand nonchalantly, still smiling. "None of that matters now, let's eat to get all this off our minds." They both quickly agreed and went off into the dining room.

While Lina was shoveling food into her mouth, Zelgadiss decided to ask, "So, Lina, where should we head from here?" She swallowed and lifted her head before cocking it to the side. "Aren't you going to leave again, you know, for your cure?"

"What about you?" She furrowed her brows. "What about me?"

"Don't you need help with the spear?" Lina bit her lip in thought, before shaking her head. "Nah, you can leave if you want Zel. I'm not making you do anything you don't want to do." He blushed slightly before answering. "But I want to."

At her confused blink and the flush of her face he hastily added, "A-At least until the war is over. But that is the longest I'll stay." Zelgadiss crossed his arms and turned away from them, his face still very red. Lina exchanged an amused glance with Hiyo before continuing on with the conversation. "But really Ms. Lina, where do we go from here? I mean we could always go to Nara, where that nice man told us to go but-"

"Wait, what did you just say?"

"I said that we could travel to Nara."

"No, after that."

"You mean Mr. Xelloss didn't tell you?"

Lina frowned, and crossed her arms. "No, Mr. Xelloss didn't tell me anything. What about this man?" Hiyo glanced at Zel before answering, "Well, there was some man that came looking for you while you were asleep. He told us his name was Fairagg, and that he was the prince of the kingdom in the great city of Nara. There seemed to be some sort of trouble with his father, King Connor, and that he had been acting very strange as of late." Lina's frown deepened.

"So, what did he want with me?" Zelgadiss broke in, turning around to answer in place of Hiyo. "He'd heard that you were some sort of all-powerful bandit destroyer, so he left his kingdom in secret to seek your help."

"Why does he need my help? Can't he just talk to his father about the way he's been acting?" Hiyo shook her head solemnly. "I'm afraid it is much more than that, Ms. Lina. His father has been going on a tirade for the last couple of weeks, killing innocent people, creating unjust laws, and letting criminals escape the palace prison. The kingdom is in chaos, and apparently his father won't even speak to him anymore."

Shrugging it off, Lina resumed eating and spoke while chewing. "So what? It's not like they can't find someone else for the job right?" Hiyo nodded, but continued on. "That is true Ms. Lina but there was a very interesting part to the young man's story that we thought you might be curious about." Lina paused again, raising her eyes to meet Hiyo's. "Interesting?"

Hiyo nodded again. "On the day that King Connor first started acting strange, he received a gift from what the prince described as a very suspicious visitor. This gift was a spear, similar to yours Ms. Lina, but the color isn't the same. Fairagg said that it was more of a gold rather then a steel silver, but the effect seems to be the same as yours either way."

"So this means that there is a second Heiliege Lance?" Hiyo held up a finger. "Actually Ms. Lina, I went to see my father with Mr. Zelgadiss to look through his records from the old chapel, and I found that there are four Heiliege Lances. There was originally only one of them, but due to the immense corrupted power it held the red priest broke it into four and hid them in separate secret locations to keep even more chaos from spreading."

Lina sighed, and leaned back in her chair. "Then I guess this means that I really do have to take it away from the old man don't I?" Zelgadiss shook his head. "Not necessarily Lina, this could be a trap." She shrugged. "Yeah I know, but we still have to go and check it out. What would happen if gramps started widening his range of tyranny? Eventually he's going to just keep going till he claims and destroys the entire world."

Hiyo nodded, joining in. "If we don't stop him more innocent people could come to harm, and I won't stand for that." Zelgadiss rolled his eyes and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, let's all travel into our obvious doom together then."

"My, my, it seems we are beginning to think alike Zelgadiss-san." Everyone looked up to greet the smiling Xelloss, who chose to interrupt at what seemed to be the perfect time. "It seems that you have all beat me to telling Lina-san the good news."

Lina frowned. "Good news? You call this good news?"

Xelloss smiled wickedly. "Well I am a mazoku, silly Lina-san, of course I dream about the destruction of this world." She let out an exasperated sigh and decided to let the subject go, and turned to the others. "So then it is settled then. We head for Nara tomorrow morning."

 

Chapter 20

"I want...that one, and that one, oh...and that one too! What do you mean they aren't for sale? Make them for sale!" Lina uplifted her palm, showing a fireball in the making, and put it within an inch of the store clerk's face. His eyes widened and he hastily reached down to grab the little gems inside his store case. Tentatively dropping them into her palm he waved her away. "Take them! J-Just don't hurt my store!" Lina grinned and shrugged. "Suit yourself, and thanks for the gifts." She jangled them in the air. "Glad you changed your mind."

Zelgadiss shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Ever the charmer." He murmured, watching as Lina started yet another argument with the clerk. Hiyo gave Zel a worried look and held her hand to her mouth. "Oh kami, would she really blow up that poor man's store?" Zelgadiss norted. "Of course she would, and this wouldn't be the first time either."

Hiyo blinked, and turned to Lina again, who was now getting fighting with the store clerk about another piece that had caught her eye. "100? Ms. you have to be joking! This ring sells, at the least, for 500!" Lina slammed her hand onto the counter, earning a flinch from the man. "That is just way too pricey. Isn't there some sort of sorceress discount in here?"

"No, I'm afraid there isn't."

"Then I'm afraid I'll have to get angry."

"W-Wait Ms., maybe I can-"

"Fireball!"

Too late, Lina's fireball had already burned him to a crisp before he could utter another protest, and before she knew it she was climbing out of broken piles of wood and debris. Taking a look around, she gave a sheepish look and rubbed the back of her head. "Whoops..."

"You! Look what you've done to my store!" The store clerk screamed, pushing himself out of a pile of what used to be his store, and pointing a finger at Lina.

"Heh, maybe I should just leave now since you seem to be so busy?" Turning swiftly, she turned tail and ran with Hiyo and Zelgadiss at her heels. The distant angry cries of the man chased them all the way to the edge of the town, and they stopped to rest. "Ms. Lina, why did you want all these so bad?" Hiyo asked between breaths, her hands supporting herself on her knees.

"Because these aren't just any jewels, these are magically enhanced jewels." She answered roughly, her hands braced against her knees as well. "What is that supposed to mean?" Zel asked after catching his breath."It means that we can use them to strengthen minor spells to last longer."

"What would jewels like that be doing in that kind of shop?"

"I don't know, but they reek of magical aura."

She stood up straight, dusting herself off. "Well now that I've got what I needed from this place, let's get the hell out of here. If we want to make it to Nara before tomorrow's nightfall then we need to head out." Hiyo gave Lina an annoyed look. "Oh, Ms. Lina, like we have a choice."

Lina whipped around, reading to spit fire at the little sorceress maiden when a cheery voice sounded from above, clamping her mouth shut she looked up to the hovering priest with extreme annoyance. "Oh dear Lina, has your nasty temper gotten the best of you again?"

"Shut up, fruitcake."

"Very clever comeback, Lina-san, your wit as usual proves to be just as big as your bust." Lina's eyes twitched at the mention of her bosom, and she shouted an angry spell up at the mazoku. "FIREBALL!" Xelloss as usual dodged it through teleportation, and reappeared just in front of her, his face only centimeters away from hers. He lifted a finger to her lips, and chuckled at the pinkness flooding her cheeks. "Now Lina-san, you wouldn't want to hurt a humble priest such as me, would you?"

She blinked, and after a moment of realizing what had happened her hand came into contact with his face. Xelloss fell to the floor with a grunt and a small 'oof'. "Damned fruitcake! You know I'm sensitive about that! I knew I couldn't trust you to travel with me, damned mazoku! I'll kill you!" Lina screamed down at him, stomping her foot with each word angrily.

"Now, now, Lina-san. I was only making polite conversation." Xelloss responded from below.

"Polite...conversation...?" The strain in her voice brought both fear and excitement to Xelloss, but he wasn't sure that he wanted to be here right now when she was so mad...

Sinking to her knees she grabbed the front neckline of his shirt and started shaking him roughly, cursing him with every name she'd ever learned. "THAT WAS NOT POLITE CONVERSATION, DAMN YOU!" In between shakes Xelloss tried his best to respond. "Lina-san,"-ack-"it was only a joke!"

"They're at it again." Zelgadiss sighed, shaking his head. "Why do they fight so much Mr. Zelgadiss?" Hiyo asked, chewing nervously on her nails. "Because Xelloss is a smartass, and he is the only one who can piss Lina off without getting killed."

"But she looks like she's going to kill him."

"Not quite, when they fight it's more like what I'd call a lovers' quarrel. Even though I hate to admit it, I know that Lina has a strange sort of connection with that fruitcake." Hiyo nodded, turning her attention back to Lina and Xelloss. "Do you think they'll stop anytime soon?"

"The only way this will end without someone, obviously Xelloss, getting killed is if that coward runs."

As if on cue, out of the corner of his eye Zel saw Xelloss teleport from Lina's death grip to hover into the air once again. Lina growled and pointed an angry finger up at him. "Get your fruity ass down here, now!"

Xelloss laughed, not making any move to comply with her wishes. "Now why would I do that?"

"So I can kill you!"

"Are you sure it isn't because you miss me already?"

"Keh, miss you my ass!"

"Come now Lina-san, why don't you be honest with your feelings?"

Lina clenched her teeth, balling her hands into fists. "You...you...argh!" At a lack of words, she stuttered, blinded by her fury. He was so annoying! Why couldn't he just go away? After what happened in the mansion she'd been even more annoyed with him then she could ever remember being, and it annoyed her even more that she let him provoke her they way he did. In a way she had been going a little paranoid, thinking that every teasing insult was regarding what he'd done to her only days ago, and it was so frustrating!

It had to be that stupid smile of his, that I-know-something-you-don't-know-smile. "Ah, yet another ingenious retort Lina-san, bravo." Xelloss taunted, breaking into her thoughts. A low growl sounded from inside her and she curled her top lip, revealing tiny canine-like teeth. "Shut...up!"

Xelloss just laughed again, enjoying every delicious negative emotion oozing off her tiny body. While she'd been sleeping he'd had no one but Zelgadiss to tease, but he was no where near as fun as Lina-san. "Wait, both of you!" Hiyo broke in, holding her arms out wide and planting herself just in front of Lina. "Would you two please stop fighting? We can't just sit here and argue while that poor city sits in ruins."

Lina grunted, but agreed mutely and turned her eyes away from Xelloss. She heard the soft 'thump' as he descended, and walked around both him and Hiyo to continue forward. Hiyo hurried to fall into place next to her while Xelloss stayed a little ways behind with Zelgadiss.

"Ms. Lina, why does Xelloss tease you so much?" Hiyo asked, staring at the side of Lina's face. "I don't know, but I have a feeling that he sees me as his 24 hour buffet. I don't know why he's so focused on me though, he could always annoy Zel."

Hiyo grinned. "I think he likes you."

"I think he likes to piss me off."

"Maybe that too, but I think there is something more."

"Well then stop thinking, it makes things a hell of a lot easier for everyone."

"Ms. Lina you really can't see it?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do." Hiyo persisted, the grin still on her face and growing wider with every word.

"He's a mazoku, he doesn't know how to like."

"After living for as long as he has Ms. Lina, I think he must have some idea of what affection is."

"Don't mean he has any affection for me."

"You don't know that."

"Neither do you."

Hiyo rolled her eyes and folded her arms childishly. "Ms. Lina can't you even consider it? Think about how he saves you so much, and how all of his best efforts are focused on you. I know you are just a little slow, but to just write those facts off as normal is just plain dense."

"I am not slow!"

"Ah, so then you're in denial? Something must have happened between you two."

Lina opened her mouth to respond, but she clamped her mouth back shut as she felt heat flood her cheeks. "Err...no...I mean...well..." Hiyo held up a finger, smling openly now. "So something did happen? I wonder if he thinks about it just as much as you do?"

"I hope not." Lina muttered under her breath.

"Ms. Lina I think you should trust Mr. Xelloss again. I know that what ever he did probably hurt your feelings, but maybe he had an ulterior motive to doing it. Maybe he's trying to keep you from trusting him so it would be easier for you to hate him if he ever had to do something bad, maybe he's protecting you."

"Then maybe I just shouldn't trust him, just like he wants."

"But Ms. Lina he has to be doing it because he cares about you."

"Hiyo, mazoku ain't the type to care about anyone but themselves and their master. Those kind of positive emotions hurt them, so they just don't bother feeling them"

"I think you're scared."

"Huh? Me? Scared? Of what?"

"Of getting hurt. You've been hurt before, haven't you?"

Lina turned her head away, keeping her eyes on the ground. How did this little brat know so much? Maybe she was right, because after losing the most important person to her it darkened a piece of her heart where love was supposed to reside, but she didn't think she could love anymore. Especially not someone who would obviously betray her without a second thought. Hiyo stayed silent as well, recognizing the obvious signs of wanting to stay mute and ponder the past.

"I'm going to kill you." Zelgadiss said through clenched teeth, glaring at the trickster priest from the corner of his eye. Xelloss only chuckled. "Well that's not very friendly, why would you do that?"

"Because you hurt Lina, you bastard."

"That, was not my intention."

"You still did it."

"Indeed I did, but how do you know her insults didn't hurt my feelings as well?"

"Because you're a heartless ass."

"Ouch."

"I hate you."

Xelloss chuckled again. "I couldn't guess."

Zelgadiss grunted and swung his arm around to yank at Xelloss's neckline tightly. "Don't you ever do anything to her again, you bastard." He hissed, throwing Xelloss backwards as if he were acid. Xelloss watched as he walked back on ahead to catch up with the females, and a frown grew on his face. "Well, it seems some things don't change."

OoO

"Oh gosh Ms. Lina! He didn't!" Lina yelped and clamped her hand over Hiyo's mouth, shaking her head frantically. "Shh, not so loud! I don't want anyone else knowing about this, it's so humiliating." Hiyo nodded, and Lina removed her hand slowly.

They were sitting atop the huge bed in their shared hotel room, and Lina had just explained her and Xelloss's little incident. She didn't really know why she told Hiyo, but the best excuse she could some up with for telling her was that she desperately needed advice on how she should look at Xelloss now.

"So that's why you were so mad when we were in the mansion?" Another blush swept over Lina's face and she nodded slightly. Hiyo's cheeks pinkened as well and she held an embarrassed hand to her mouth. "No wonder you were so mad, that's just plain evil."

Lina nodded again. "Yeah, I feel just so stupid. I actually told him to..." She groaned and reached for one of the pillows to shove her face into. "Did you...like it?" Hiyo asked quietly, and even though Lina's face was still in the pillow she could just tell that Hiyo was squirming around right now. Lifting her face up slowly, she thought for a moment before nodding slowly. "Yeah...I guess it did feel kind of good." She could just imagine how red her face must be.

Hiyo nodded, averting her eyes downwards as well. "Then why are you so mad about it?" Lina sighed and leaned backwards against the wall. "Because it was all just a big game to him, none of it meant anything."

"So you wanted it to mean something?"

"No...Yes...I don't know. I'm just so confused, and I have a feeling this is how he wants me to feel."

"Why don't you just talk to him?"

"Talk to him?! No way. I'd just embarrass myself."

"Then just get revenge on him." Hiyo met Lina's gaze and smiled innocently. "Revenge?" Lina inquired, staring at the sorceress she once believed to be innocent and naive with a new perspective. "What kind...of revenge?"

"Seduction." Hiyo answered simply, not batting an eye.

Lina's jaw dropped to what had to have been the floor, because there was no other word to explain her feelings besides flabbergasted. "I can't seduce a mazoku! I can't seduce anyone! I don't even know how to seduce!"

Hiyo put a firm hand on Lina's shoulder to calm her babbling. "I can teach you." She said clearly, staring into her eyes. Lina swallowed hard, already feeling like she was not going to like this at all. "Umm, Hiyo?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't have to get naked, do I?"