Is it you?

Author: Nicca-Chi Title: Is it you? : Chapters 1-5

Is it you?

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Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own The Slayers but a few added little spells and chars and such. Please don't sue me and I'll give you cookies:D

--

Lina scarfed down the hefty helping of food lay out so graciously in front of her. This morning she had stopped by just another small town to grab a bite for lunch; it had indeed been a long month for her without humanity. She stopped munching momentarily to glance at the empty chair in front of her, and she sighed heavily.

This pain was never going to end, was it? It had already been a year since Gourry had left, and she should be over this by now. She wasn’t of course.

There was no easy way to say that she was still completely, and hopelessly, in love with him. Thinking about it only seemed to make her heart ache more, so, as usual; she just stopped thinking about it.

As she left the diner a storm cloud evaded the clouds above, and a sigh escaped her lips. Why did it have to start raining right when I decide to head out again? Eventually she gave up questioning the gods and dragged herself to the nearest hotel.

Getting a room was not easy, as the hotel manager had heard of the rumored blood-thirsty killer Lina Inverse. It took awhile but she managed to assure him that she was not the Lina he spoke of.

After collapsing onto the fluffy bed near the window Lina heard the first droplets of rain fall against her window pane. The sound made her a bit sleepy and the soft pitter patter seemed to be coaxing her into rest.

The water hadn’t had to tell her twice as, since she was already tired from yesterday’s trip, her eyes drifted downwards and she fell into a deep slumber.

OoO

Lina’s sleep was interrupted by the roars of thunder outside her window. She groaned rather un-lady like and cursed. The notion of falling back asleep was not a very likely one, so she her feet off and onto the floor.

A chill swept through the tiny room as Lina tip toed to the fireplace. After lighting the fire she shivered as the flames began to sooth the coldness invading her body. Staring into the fire her mind reeled around and around. This reminded her of the last night she’d spent with Gourry, as he had stared into the flames just as she was now.

What had he been thinking about while dazing into his own thoughts?

Sylphiel no doubt. A wave of jealousy swept through Lina and for a moment the idea of slaughtering Sylphiel seemed almost enjoyable. Lina blinked and flushed, had she really just thought of harming Sylphiel?

Sighing, she walked over to the window to gaze out at the rumbling skies above. The day of Gourry’s wedding had been a day similar to this one, only that they had been inside of the old church near Amelia’s castle.

At first Lina had been hesitant to attend because of the possibilities of exposing herself to Gourry, but as soon as she had stepped into the quiet chapel her anger slowly melted into guilt. Gourry looked happier than she’d ever seen him, and that goes double for the little maiden Sylphiel.

Lina’s heart had sunk lower into her stomach as she watched Gourry coddle his new bride. It had been unbearable to realize that she had never made him smile like that before, and she had been with him far more than Sylphiel had.

That had been the last time she’d seen the happy couple, and she preferred it that way. It’s not like she’d have anything useful to say to him. Besides the fact that she still had feelings for him. But that wasn’t important.

Getting over Gourry was harder than she first thought it would be. Just falling in love with him was hard enough.

Suddenly Lina’s sleep had caught up to her and she leaned against the window sill, her eyes were closing slowly…slowly…

She jerked her head back as, out of nowhere, two arms encircled her small waist. Her skull came into contact with someone’s jaw and suddenly whoever it was wasn’t behind her anymore.

Lina spun around and looked around the room. There was no one there. Her senses on edge, she crept to her sword lying on the side table next to the bed. A familiar voice interrupted her actions.

“Ow, Lina-san. That hurt.” She knew that whiny voice, didn’t she? Lina turned slowly to face her old friend and a small smile formed on her face at the sight of the pouting Xelloss.

“You deserved it, scaring me like that.” Xelloss chuckled. “As heartless as ever, Lina-san.” Lina shrugged and leaned against the wall behind her, crossing her arms against her near flat chest.

For awhile they just stared at each other, Lina with a suspicious frown on her face, Xelloss with that annoying stupid grin on his. This was the reason Lina didn’t like reunions. “What do you want Xelloss? I’m not in the mood for this. Make it quick because I shouldn’t be giving you even the short 5 seconds that I am.”

Xelloss raised an eyebrow at her before speaking, knowing that it would piss her off even more. “I just came to check up on you Lina-san. It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen you.” He teleported to her and reached his arms out to hug her, his efforts were only thwarted as usual when Lina’s hands were shoved into his chest.

“Don’t give me that Xelloss. I want to know and I want to know now. And if you tell me that it’s a secret then so help me…” Xelloss stared down into her face before deciding that it was best not to tease her at the moment; not that there ever was a good time for it.

Lina glared up at the damned priest, he hadn’t changed in the least. Not that Lina really minded, she was just honestly happy to see someone she knew. That someone she hadn’t expected to be Xelloss but what happened, happened, she supposed.

He had expected her to be surprised at his entrance, but he hadn’t expected to get a sore lip from the hot little sorceress. His teasing was supposed to have lightened her mood but it seemed to have done the exact opposite.

She watched him think, wanting for him to open his eyes so she might be able to see what he was thinking at that exact moment. It was so frustrating trying to get a mazoku to talk. Lina had never been particularly patient and unconsciously her foot started thumping.

Not that Xelloss cared about Lina’s feelings, but he couldn’t talk to her if she was reading to bite his head off at any second. He needed to calm her down, or at least try not to tease her as much for the moment. “Alright Lina-san, I’ll tell you. It has, indeed, become my direct order to follow you.” Her eyes scrutinized him. “For how long?”

Lina dreaded the answer, she knew that it wasn’t going to be an answer that she wanted to hear. But when did Xelloss ever not annoy her? “As long as my master wants me to.” He answered simply, grinning widely at her. She rolled her eyes. Like she hadn’t expected that one.

Xelloss knew that that was the kind of answer that Lina hated the most, but at the moment it was the only answer that he could give her at the moment. He had a strong feeling that she wouldn’t like the main reason he was following her, the real reason.

"Where is Gourry-san?" Xelloss asked, attempting to steer her away from the subject.

"He left."

"He...left?"

"Yeah."

"Well, where did he go?"

Lina rolled her eyes and answered with an irritated tone to her voice. "He's in Atlas city, I don't know where exactly."

"Why did he leave?"

She opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Biting her lip she decided to lash out at him with her own question. "Why do you ask so many questions?"

"Why won't you answer the question?"

That left her silent again, and she turned her back to him. "It doesn't matter, it was a long time ago." Her voice had softened, and there was a break on the last word.

"Gourry-san isn't coming back, is he?"

Surprisingly Lina didn’t react at all, she just simply sighed and walked to her bed while mumbling something about burning priests. “Lina-san are you alright?” Lina turned a curious eye to him. For a moment she felt that Xelloss could actually be caring about her, but she shook that thought off. He was, afterall, just an annoying mazoku.

The emotions that she emitted were those of surprise, then sadness, then only to follow was disappointment. “I’m fine, just…tired.” Xelloss stared at her for a moment before nodding. Lina was never usually this unresponsive, but since she did look tired Xelloss ignored it.

Lina watched Xelloss sit cross-legged on the wooden floor near the fireplace. It felt like she had missed something, something the mysterious Xelloss had not told her. It was a feeling that bothered her all through the night and even chased her in her dreams.

OoO

Lina awoke to her empty hotel room, and for a moment started to assume that Xelloss’s appearance last night had only been a dream. But her hopes were shattered as the sneaky priest teleported into her room. “Good morning, Lina-san.” He chirped.

Xelloss smiled at the pale faced Lina, it seemed that he had startled her. “Morning…” She mumbled drearily and swung her feet off the bed. He watched her as she scurried to the wash room to, he assumed, wash and dress for the day.

She slammed the bathroom door closed and leaned up against it, breathing heavily. For some reason she felt shy waking up to find Xelloss in her room. She shrugged off the odd thoughts of the priest and filled the tub with warm water.

After stripping she sank into the deep waters of the bath and moaned with exquisite pleasure. This was heaven.

Closing her eyes in ecstasy she felt a nagging at the back of her head, and sat back up in the tub. Her conversation with Xelloss had not been a relief to how she'd been feeling lately, not that any of her conversations with Xelloss ever ended up good.

OoO

As soon as Lina opened the bathroom door Lina’s eyes caught sight of Xelloss’s striking violet eyes and her breath caught in her throat. They were the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen, so majestic and other-worldly. Their deep lavender depths seemed to be pulling her in, and she wandered to Xelloss without even thinking about it.

Xelloss peered curiously into Lina’s amber eyes and wondered why she was coming towards him with such a passionate look on her face. She stopped only when they were toe-to-toe and gazed up at him with wonder and stupor.

Lina felt the distant touch of Xelloss’s finger under her chin, and her face was lifted upwards. She looked up at him with parted lips and a funny feeling in her stomach. He is going to kiss me…

Her eyes fluttered open as Xelloss only placed a gentle kiss onto her nose, his eyes now firmly shut and his mask back into place. She was ashamed to realize that she had wanted very much for Xelloss to kiss her, it also made her feel a bit scared.

The smile returned to his face and he walked to the other side of the room. "Lina-san you might want to consider getting dressed before giving me that look, I might become tempted." Lina frowned at him and looked down, blushing bright red.

Xelloss teleported from the room laughing, dodging the table lamp hummed dangerously in his direction.

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Blah Blah i dont own blah blah;3

hehe...review!

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After Xelloss and Lina left the hotel, they set out according to Lina's indications. As they walked, Xelloss became utterly curious. "Lina-san, where exactly are we heading?" Lina glanced at him and thought about it for a moment. She supposed it was alright for her to tell him, he'd find out sooner or later.

"Of course you know of the upcoming war between the mozokus and the ryu, ne? Well I have a feeling that I will eventually be involved in that war, and I am preparing myself for it." Xelloss stared at her for a moment, expecting her to explain. When she didn't he prompted, "And what do you intend to do?"

Lina smiled. "I intend to find the Heilige Lance, also known as the Holy Lance. It is rumored that it was used to kill the first god turned mortal, Amatsu Mikaboshi, and of course the blood that ran down the blade turned it into a somewhat abnormal relic." Xelloss nodded, and encouraged her to go on. "This blade is said to have even greater powers than the strongest mazoku and ryu's powers clashed together. It was passed from leader to leader through many generations of tyrants who used its powers to corrupt their kingdoms. One leader had eventually been driven insane from the immense power that the Heilige Lance gave to him, that it drove him far enough cast a spell upon the blade. The spell was called, "Heilige Lance Chikara". Of course he had no powers of his own as he was just an ordinary ruler, so he made a pact with the legendary Dragon King."

"This spell was meant to give whoever held the spear the illusions of ruling the world and etc. But it also gave whoever held it in their possession immense strength and it also serves well as a talisman. Since Gourry has give me The Sword of Light, I plan to combine my powers along with the sword and the spear. I know that the ryu have already found a strong leader of their forces who's powers could even threaten Garv's. I just know that I will be pulled into this war one way or another I might as well give myself a little leverage." She grinned at him. Xelloss frowned.

"Lina, you do realize that you have just pointed out that this spear can give you the ideas of world domination don't you? Don't you think it's a bit too early in the war to start resorting to those sorts of things? It might turn out worse than with the Giga Slave." Lina pursued her mouth and thought for a moment before waving her hand nonchalantly. "I can handle that Xelloss, and anyways, if I get to crazy you could always kill me." She laughed and walked on ahead of him.

Xelloss did not move nor smile at Lina's attempt at humor, for he had assumed the worst for a moment. She didn't know, good. Before she could question the odd expression on his face Xelloss asserted her with another question. "So, Lina-san, where is the spear now?"

Lina pointed with her index finger towards the northwest. "The Heilige Lance is said to be kept in the mountains of Kumamoto Prefecture, where The Red Priest hid it away in an attempt to bring peace. Not that it helped but he sure did put it in a pretty easily accessible place." She smiled cheerily to herself, immensly proud of her research. "If it is in such an easy to reach place than how do you know someone hasn't yet taken it?" Lina laughed.

"Haven't you heard of the ﻿Abura-sumashi that reside in the mountain pass? No one dares even try to get to the spear, for the ﻿Abura-sumashi's pass is the only way to get to the top. There is a barrier around the rest of the mountain so there is no way to get in even if you fly." Xelloss rubbed his index finger against his cheek.

"And just what do these ﻿Abura-sumashi do?" Lina though for a moment. "Ah, yes! I remember. They come out when a person enters the pass, and start desperately begging for oil. If you don't have any oil to offer the ﻿Abura-sumashi will get angry and attack. The legend goes that you are never seen again if you anger one." Xelloss chuckled. "And you know for sure that you can handle one of them?"

Lina nodded. "Of course! Who do you think you're talking to? I am Lina Inverse, the reknown sorceress of many secrets. I will get that spear, even if it kills me." She turned her head away from him again and started to walk in a sort of march. Xelloss laughed to himself. Lina was definetely never boring to be with.

OoO

After traveling for the entire day Lina and Xelloss finally decided to settle down and make camp near the trail that headed for the trail that lead into the mountains. Lina settled herself down onto her mat near the fire, and watched as Xelloss sat cross-legged opposite her on his mat. She smiled to herself thinking back on their day.

She would have never suspected that Xelloss was such a fun traveling companion. There hadn't ever been a time when she had been traveling with someone who made her feel happy to be traveling farther into her doom. He never talked about the war, or her past, or anything that might dampen her mood.

The one thing that seemed to surprise her the most was that he hadn't even been trying to tease her, in fact it seemed like he had been making a conscious effort not to. And as much as she liked not being teased this bothered her and made her trust of the priest begin to fade. Could there have been other details to his orders? Or did he just decide to be a little nicer to her?

The later seemed to be the less likely.

She glanced at him, seeing that his body had gone completely still. He looked sound asleep, and it was a bit creepy to see him sleeping while sitting down instead of laying on his mat. But what did she know about mazoku sleeping habits?

Why did she feel bad about doubting Xelloss? He had never really been worthy of her trust, but somehow he had gained it and even earned a spot on her conscience. How strange.

Xelloss just being here actually made her feel much better; he seemed to make the gap Gourry left not as important. He didn't take Gourry's place, no one could, but at the same time he dimmed the light that usually brought her attention to it on a constant basis.

She smiled at his sleeping form. "Thank you, Xelloss. For the first time since Gourry left I don't feel so lonely. I feel so happy, arigatou." After whispering these heartfelt words she lay her head down and drifted asleep.

Xelloss peeked one eye open at her and smiled. She was playing right into it without a second thought, and she was even believing that he was here only for the sole purpose of following her. The trust he was building was becoming more and more dependable as the days wore on. As soon as his master gave word to go along with his last order, he would be ready.

OoO

Lina had awoken early the next morning to make their breakfast, and left Xelloss for a short while. When she came back she was happy to find him still sleeping in his strange sitting-up way.

After breakfast was done Lina pondered on how to wake the mazoku up, how would one go by such a thing? Say his name? Slap his face? Pour water on his head? Lina decided on a more calmer approach and cupped his face gently. "Xelloss." She whispered sweetly.

His eyes shot open and Lina felt herself being sucked into their depths once again. To her horror her hand refused to remove itself from his face and all she could do was stare into his violet pools of mystery.

Xelloss blinked into awareness and was indeed surprised to find Lina caressing him into the waking world, and she didn't seem to want to let go of him. He smiled and reached up to take her hand in his. He heard her suck in a deep breath and try to draw her hand away from his, but he didn't let go, he was enjoying this too much to just let her go.

He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed each delicate finger tip to them gently, sending a new series of goosebumps up her arms with each hot breath he blew onto her hand. Her breathing was strained and once again she tried to pull herself from his grasp, but her attempts were obviously half-hearted.

He smiled at her and planted an open mouth kiss to her palm. Her lips began to part, just a bit, enough for him to see the wanton desires start to show themselves from within her amber eyes.

With on quick movement she was in his lap, her back pressed against his broad chest. He was both surprised and delighted to find that she did not struggle against him at all, she only melted her body with his. He bent his head down and sucked at her neck gently, and flicked his tongue over her smooth skin. This proved to be a success as Lina shivered slightly from the pleasure.

Xelloss reached out his hand to turn her head to the side, so he could see her face. She licked her lips in anticipation as his face neared hers. The kiss was sweet and warm, it filled her with hotness from her hair down to her toes.

A heat ignited onto her body and she kissed him back, feeling a strange desire curl up inside of her, it seemed to be begging to be released. She reached her hand up to gently traced the sides of his face while his hands wrapped themselves around her waist. His hands were so hot on her body, and she bit his lip in approval to his caressess.

To her extreme dissapointment Xelloss broke away from their kiss and picked her up by the waist to set her down next to him on his mat. He was grinning that stupid grin again, the one that pissed Lina off.

He did that on purpose! He ended the kiss early because he knew I wouldn't like it...wait...since when did I not like the idea of Xelloss not kissing me? Shit.

She glared at his annoyingly smug face, and felt her anger grow to such an extent that her temper flared. After chanting the spell so quietly that even Xelloss hadn't realised it till it was far too late.

"Fireball!"

Xelloss barely managed to dogde the monsterous fireball spell as he teleported in the knick of time. But not fast enough to prevent his cape from getting seared.

--

ahh i enjoyed writing this chapter. as you can see this won't be short story as i will come to create my own plot with hours of research and planning, and eventually make a long story with lemon, romance, death, drama, blood, lemon, more blood, lemon, new characters, lemon. did i mention lemon?

Chapter 3

Note: Thank you so much to Purin-chan! You have no idea how much i admire your talented stories and your amazing ability with words. I've been reading your X/L stories for such a long time and in truth you are the reason why this couple is my favorite. I shall now call you Purin-sensei! Hehe, anyways, please keep reviewing my stories. I promise to follow all directions from the master of lemony arts;3

--

After their yet another awkward encounter, Lina and Xelloss decided to eat their breakfast in silence. Not that Xelloss had ever been the talkative type, but for now he decided that it was best he not anger the little sorceress further. He glanced down at his charred cape, and inwardly pouted. It was worth it though, for now he knew that Lina had some sort of interest in him. That was yet another advantage in his favor.

Lina tore at her food with canine-like teeth, glaring at Xelloss. Oh how she wished that this fish was his leg, so she could tear it off and watch him scream in pain. Even with all of the menacing looks she gave him Xelloss seemed to just grin at her.

Xelloss simply smiled at Lina while taking tiny, polite bites, of the fish she had cooked so considerately that morning. He knew that Lina wasn't mad at him, she was just embarrassed that he knew what she wanted even when she didn't know herself. For some odd reason, that brought a sense of pride to him over the fumbling idiot Gourry. The swordsman had never kissed her like that, she probably would have sent him to hell for it.

What did he care what Lina felt for him over Gourry? He didn't care. It was his orders to gain Lina's trust, and that's exactly what he was doing.

Lina watched a strange expression cross over Xelloss's face, breaking his mask for a split second. It was one of the few times that Lina could actually say that she knew that mazoku had feelings of somewhat, too. She stared at him, wanting to know exactly what he was thinking about. It was so unfair that he could probably read her like a book.

She didn't want to admit it, but she liked the way Xelloss had kissed her. It was so passionate, and open. Gourry would have never kissed her like that, for he had too much respect for a young maiden. But Xelloss ignited a flame that licked her skin, and burned the very core of her being. Lina swallowed, embarrassed. What was she thinking?

Xelloss caught her stare, and grinned mischievously. He noted the light blush that graced her cheeks and raised his eyebrows at her, as if asking her if something was on her mind. Her lips parted and she stared mutely at him helplessly, he had caught her.

She felt like a trapped animal, this was torture. "Something the matter, Lina-san?" He drawled. Lina shook her head violently. "No, no. Everything is fine."

Smiling smugly, Xelloss resumed nibbling at his food. He looked forward to the day's events.

OoO

"Lina-san, what are you doing?" Xelloss questioned, watching Lina unsheathe her sword. After traveling all morning and through the afternoon they finally reached the infamous mountain pass.

"Isn't it obvious? This is where the Abura-sumashi reside, I am getting ready for them." She answered, rather annoyed. He was supposed to know these things.

Just as she'd finished talking a small Abura-sumashi appeared before them, blocking their path. It was a tiny creature, with squiggly little hands and feet. It held out an oil can and looked up at them with a pleading look. Lina sheathed her sword again and couldn't resist scoffing.

"This is it? This is why people are so afraid to pass through here? I could through this thing off the side of the mountain if I wanted to!" Lina rambled to herself, expressing her superiority.

While she rambled Xelloss watched the little Abura grovel for oil rather pitifully. If mazoku had hearts Xelloss might actually feel bad for the little one. Lina sauntered past the pleading little thing and ignored its final plea. "Oil, please. I need oil.'' He tugged lightly on Lina's cape.

''We don't have any damned oil you brat! Now let go!'' She turned away from the Abura, but Xelloss didn't move. He knew what was coming. Lina turned at the sound of the suddenly booming voice behind her.

''No oil? No oil?! NO OIL?!'' Her eyes widened and a sweat drop appeared on her head. The little brat had grown to the size of a troll! ''No oil, no mountain.'' Before Lina could respond, the now enormous Abura threw her by her cape into the mountain wall.

She moaned as her body crashed down and into the ground. The Abura-sumashi still kept on though, and picked her up again, this time throwing her for the opposite mountain-side.

But Xelloss teleported to her rescue, catching her in his arms before she could slam into the mountain. He set her down gently and tried to comfort her, but she shoved him away and shouted an angry spell. "Wind which blows across eternity, gather in my hands and become my strength!''

''Buramu Gasshu!''

An arrow of wind appeared from her poised her hands and shot out at the Abura, and it exploded on contact, shattering her victim into pieces. She smugly turned back to the mountain trail that led into the first layer of the mountain.

''Humph. 'No oil, no mountain.' my ass.''

After climbing for almost an hour's worth of mountain, Lina and Xelloss reached the archway to the next layer of mountain. But just before they reached it, a fog enveloped the travelers. Nothing could be seen anywhere around them, it was all just smog.

Lina looked behind her. "Xelloss?'' She called, seeing no following priest in sight. Her eyes darted everywhere, feeling a little nervous she started to creep closer to the exit.

"Xelloss, this isn't funny." She tried to keep the shaking out of her voice but failed miserably. A shadow flew through the fog, and an eerie shriek sounded. It rang in Lina's ears and left a terrifying echo.

She decided that if Xelloss really had been hiding, he would have jumped out by now, so she decided to take charge. She mumbled her spell and lifted her arms into the position of an arrow launcher.

"Wind Brid!"

The fog around the arrow of wind disappeared and a figure was materialized. ''Xelloss!'' Lina exclaimed, and ran over to him. ''Jeez Xelloss, you scared me... Disappearing like that...'' Xelloss just simply smiled down at her.

''Xelloss?'' Lina reached up to touch his face. ''Xelloss?'' She tried again, but he still only smiled at her. She jumped when his hands suddenly encircled her waist, drawing her into his embrace. "Hey!"

Lina looked up at him, and his eyes were now open, revealing his beautiful eyes. She knew that something wasn't right, and shoved against his chest, punching him and pushing with all her might. It was no use. ''Xelloss what is wrong with you?!''

Xelloss ignored her question. ''Don't worry Lina-san, I am here now.'' Before Lina could object, Xelloss's lips smashed onto hers, bringing tears to her eyes. This was not the same sort of kiss they had once shared, this one made Lina cringe in pain. She felt Xelloss's hands squeeze her lower back so hard the bruises started to form, and she screamed against his lips.

He still didn't react, only moved his lips above hers, and crushing them harder as he did. Lina's lips hurt so much she felt her teeth being pressed into them. She tried one last time to shove him off, and this time he let himself be pushed away from her.

Lina's hand reached up to touch her swollen lips, and felt blood on her fingers. She gasped and stared at Xelloss in mute anger. ''What's the matter, Lina-san?'' He reached for her again, but she backed away, unknowingly trapping herself with his body looming in front of hers.

"Xelloss what's gotten into you?" Lina shrank back as he reached out his hand again, this time grazing it gently against her neck. She swallowed, and nervoulsy reached out to take his hand away from her. But before she knew it his fingers were clasped tightly around her throat.

She gagged as her fingers tried uselessly to pry his hand loose, and felt her body being brought into the air. Her legs kicked frantically as she felt her lungs constrict painfully. Xelloss smiled at her and brought her body up just a bit higher, just before he crushed her into the stone wall, slamming her small frame into it.

Lina groaned as her body was smashed backwards, and the sound of bones cracking made her wince. She slid down the wall in a useless heap. Whatever breath she had left in her lungs was sucked from her body, and she coughed uncontrollably. The impact had broken her leg and, she found as she tried to support herself with her arm, apparently her shoulder too.

Xelloss simply stared down at her, his smile becoming more and more menacing all the while. His eyes opened to reveal his violet depths to her, seeming to make his face even more terrifying.

But suddenly it wasn't Xelloss who was staring down at her anymore, his form started to change right in front of her. Now what stood in his place was a hideous old woman with long golden white hair, and the red kimono she donned was tattered and torn. Lina's mouth opened in silent horror as her gaze fixed itself on the woman's mouth, it took up the entire width of her wrinkled face, and the sharp fangs that dangled from her gums brought a chill through Lina.

"Baka! Did you really think I was this 'Xelloss' you speak of? Aho!" The old woman cackled down at the crippled Lina.

"Urusai, oban. You ashi de matoi." The old hag glared down at Lina, her eyes spitting fire at her. "You'll regret that, wench." Lina rolled her eyes and tried to stand up again, only to fail as two of her main limbs were useless. She looked up again to glare at the old hag but her eyes widened as she stared at her.

The old woman's hair had turned from long and white to red-eyed snakes, they hissed at her and closed in. Lina screeched in unbearable pain as one of the snakes wrapped itself around her broken leg, and the others wrapped themselves around her neck, wrists, and waist.

Lina was brought into the air yet again, and another scream of agony erupted from her. The snakes were squeezing her so tight...so tight... Her limbs were aching and her weakened bones were failing under the weight of the pressure being applied.

Her body bucked again as one of the snakes bent her leg backwards and then pulled it out straight. Lina made the mistake of looking down and into the old woman's face, for the woman's eyes were now a blood-thirsty red and her mouth was wide open, and her tongue peeked out to lick her fangs in anticipation. The old hag was going to eat her!

Soon Lina couldn't fight anymore as the snakes squeezed all the blood from her body, they were weakening her so there would be less resistance to the feast. SHe was being lowered into the woman's mouth when the snakes bodies were chopped off.

Lina screamed as her death seemed to be closing in as she fell straight into the mouth of her predator. But there was Xelloss again, catching her out of the air and into his arms. Bringing her higher above the woman he surveyed her tattered and bruised body. "Are you alright Lina-san?"

"I'm fine." This was an obvious lie, she knew, but she refused to bring herself low enough to gain a mozoku's pity. Xelloss raised an eyebrow but decided to leave it alone for now.

His gaze turned down to the old woman now spitting fire up at them, and he descended to her slowly. He resumed his mask and put on his best smile. "And what's a beautiful woman like yourself doing in these dirty mountains? Surely you deserve to be somewhere that matches your beauty."

The old hag blushed and raised her hand to her wrinkled face in embarrassment. "Oh, my..." She waved her hand nonchalantly to the exit and smiled at them. "You and your little friend can go now, Bishonen, I have lost my appetite." Then she batted her eyelashes at him before disappearing into thin air.

Xelloss wasted no time bringing Lina through the archway that led to the next layer of the mountain. As soon as he set her down against the mountain wall, she moaned in pain from her broken limbs. A frown of concern creased his brow and he touched her cheek lightly. "Lina-san, where does it hurt?"

Lina ignored his question, and instead asked one of her own. "What is wrong with you, you stupid priest! Why were you flirting with that oban?!" Xelloss chuckled at her obvious jealousy, but he didn't point it out. Even Lina didn't know why she was so mad about it.

"Lina-san that was a Yamanba, she is a yokai that tricks travelers with illusion and then eats their souls. She is very hard to escape unless you are charming enough to avade her clutches." He winked at her.

Lina laughed, but the laugh got caught in her throat and instead she coughed up more blood. As she reached up to wipe her face she caught Xelloss's eyes. his real eyes, scrutinizing her. "I'm fine." She repeated, annoyed that he wouldn't just let it go.

He ignored her and rubbed his hands up her legs, squeezing all the tender places. Lina glared down at him, and prepared to strike. "What are you doing you damned-" She sucked in a breath as his hands squeezed the bone that had been shattered.

"Your leg is broken." Xelloss stated, looking up into her eyes again. "Is there anywhere else?" Lina bit her lip, and winced as her teeth came in contact with her bloody one. "My shoulder too, that oban dislocated it." Xelloss nodded and resumed his body search, investigating anywhere else that might have a major injury. Except for the many yelps of pain from bruises and scrapes there were no more broken bones.

"Why did you let her get so close?" He asked, capturing her with his eyes again. Lina blushed and averted her eyes from his. "She disguised herself as you...so I ran to her." Her cheeks colored and Xelloss raised an eyebrow, but didn't press the issue.

"Well, I can help you with the broken bones but the rest you'll have to rely on your white magic for." Lina didn't have the strength to be annoyed at him for stating the obvious, so instead she just nodded meekly and leaned her head back against the wall. "You're going to push my bones back in to place, ne?"

Xelloss didn't answer for a while before finally nodding; he knew how painful it was for a human to go through that. Lina nodded again, and shivered. She knew of this method, and of course she had broken lots of limbs before, but never had she ever been faced with the solution of forcing them back into place.

She lifted her head up again and stared boldly into the violet murky depths that were Xelloss's guide. "Alright, do it. Just make it quick."

OoO

Two hours later, Lina lay on her mat beside the fire. Xelloss had popped her bones back into place with surprising strength, and speed. It didn't hurt as much as she thought it would but it hurt. Her minor wounds had healed already through her magic so she wasn't as sore as she used to be.

Now Lina just sits alone, her amber hair resting on her slim shoulders, her golden jewelry glowing in the dim firelight. She stared at Xelloss sitting very still in his upright sleeping position, and smiled.

Xelloss had brought a new light to her thoughts, and gave her notion that there were mazoku who didn't go around destroying things and killing innocents. In fact Xelloss wasn't that bad at all, he was sort of sweet. Either that or he was sickeningly charming.

Lina was grateful for his cheery company for once, for she didn't need someone like Xelgadiss to bring down her mood. She did that enough already. The thought of liking his company would have never crossed her mind if he hadn't received orders to follow her, so she was grateful, just this once, to beastmaster-sama.

Her eyes drooped and Lina rested her head on the mat. She whispered an inaudible sentence that Xelloss would have never caught if he'd really been sleeping all this time.

"Thank you, Xelloss-san." Were her last mumbled words before falling asleep again.

Xelloss opened one eye at her, grinning slyly. She was falling right into his plans, and everything was going just fine. Lina Inverse trusted him and liked his company, which meant that she'd never expect the other half of his orders.

But one thing bothered the mazoku priest greatly, what she'd said about the Yamanba. Obviously she hadn't know the legend of the mountain yokai or she;d know that in order to leer you in she disguised herself as a loved one to gain trust, and not to mention confuse the hell out of you.

Lina had said that the yokai was him, but that was impossible. The yokai had made a mistake when she'd invaded Lina's mind, and misunderstood Lina's lust for him as love. Xelloss knew that it had to be a mistake.

No one could love a mazoku.

--

kya! something happened to my clipboard last night and I only posted half of this chapter. But I just updated it so this is the whole thing, so I got it covered. And once again sorry for the Japanese, its my second language and in truth I use it more than my first! gomen-ne! And I am a fast updater so I post each new chapter daily, if possible. So check back frequently for new ones;3

Chapter 4

Note: Hehe, yes MoonPrincess the yokai does only take form of the one you love, but then when you are helpless or whatever she'll get old and ugly and eat you lol, and thanks for your reviews. your stories are the bomb...X/L;3

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Upon awakening Lina lifted herself onto her shoulder, and was pleased to find that it was no longer pained her to lean onto it. Despite the tremendous pain she went through last night it was all worth it in the end one way or another.

Xelloss had been very gentle with her, treating her like a fragile piece of glass. It had surprised her that he even offered to help at all, he could have just waited it out for the wounds to heal with her magic. If all he was doing was following her then why did he care whether or not their trip was delayed for a while longer? Maybe he didn't like seeing her in pain? Lina shook her head, arguing with herself. That's impossible-mazoku were selfish beings only capable of destruction.

So then, why had he tended to her so carefully?

Lina abandoned her thoughts and instead turned her head to Xelloss, and fully expected him to have been watching her the whole time. Or at least she'd turned her head to where she thought Xelloss would be. The priest was nowhere in sight, only his mat lay where he usually sat behind the fire.

She jumped to her feet in a frenzied panic, the same bitter feeling creeping into her heart as that day one year ago. Xelloss had left her just as Gourry had, leaving her alone to face the emptiness in her heart.

Why didn't she expect this? Xelloss had orders to follow her for as long as his master wanted him to, and apparently it hadn't been a very long run. Lina felt utterly pathetic for expecting anything from him, a monster with no emotions towards humans whatsoever. He had been here on business, nothing more.

Lina knew he had no heart, but couldn't he have at least said goodbye? He didn't even have as much courtesy as Gourry had to at least leave a note or a clue to tell her that he was leaving.

That was all that ever seemed to happen to Lina; people were doing nothing but leaving her alone. They saw Lina as just some crazy sorceress with no goals or point in her life. She wasn't worth their time.

The angry tears sprang to her eyes again, making it harder to fight the wave of emotions surging through her body. Her tears were just making her even more angry at herself more than Xelloss.

Lina slowly sank down to her mat, and cried her heart out. She wasn't going to hold any of it back anymore, she needed this closure and she knew it. She cried for the loneliness, for love, for her friends, but most of all she cried for Gourry. Gourry was like a nightmare everyday, all she did was run to him as fast as her legs would take her, but he just sank deeper into the horizon.

No one had ever double-thought Lina's smile as she waved them on with their own lives, no one ever suspected that all she wanted to do was get on her knees and beg for them to stay with her. But she knew that wasn't her place to make them give up their lives for her own, even she couldn't be so selfish.

"Lina-san?" Her head snapped up, and a new wave of tears rushed from her heart. Was that Xelloss's voice? She stood up on wobbly knees and turned to face the man in question, and another sob tore through her body. Her hand flew to her mouth to soften the sounds of her cries, but it didn't make much of a difference.

All of her barriers were crumbling to pieces and she ran to encircle her arms around his waist, her face buried in his chest. Xelloss awkwardly clasped his hands behind her back. "Lina-san what's wrong?"

Lina answered into his chest in a watery mess of tears. "You were leaving me...I was alone again." She sobbed harder and clutched his shirt in her hands. The thought of him leaving terrified her to an extent greater than she'd ever imagined.

"Lina-san, I didn't leave. I'm right here." He gazed down at the small head melded with his chest, and furrowed his brow. Never had he suspected that she would react like this, even if he had anticipated some sort of disarray at his absence, but he hadn't known she'd cry like this. He had left the camp for awhile only to see what would happen, and in truth expected to come back to find her gone.

Instead she stood here, sobbing uncontrollably in fear of his departure. He didn't know when it happened, but he no longer liked the idea of harming Lina in any way; his master would not be pleased.

Xelloss lifted his hand to the back of her head and held her to him gently. "You idiot, I was so scared." She whispered, finally lifting her head to grace his eyes with the sight of her face. Xelloss smiled down at her. "Lina Inverse isn't supposed to be afraid of anything."

Lina smiled back weakly and lifted herself onto her toes, pressing her lips to his gently. It was only a peck, and yet it was her emotions she had kissed him with. Everything she'd felt that morning, no, everything she'd felt for the past year was poured from her heart to his lips.

He was caught off guard by her sudden show of affection, and felt a small pang of sadness well up inside him. The only thing he'd tasted one her soft pink lips were her tears and sorrow. It felt like she was calling out to him, begging him with her eyes to tell her that her pain would eventually subside, that one day she wouldn't be alone anymore.

Xelloss gazed down into her amber eyes still red from her tears, and kissed her forehead lovingly. "It's ok Lina-san, I'll stay by your side."

If only he'd meant it.

OoO

Lina sighed heavily and sank deeper into the warm water. She had excused herself earlier so she could bathe for awile, she needed to wash her pain away. After finding the perfect spot she'd used her magic to blow a hole in the ground, fill it with water, then set it on fire.

This morning had been confusing for her, but it had also taught her something about herself. Thinking about how close she was to throwing herself off the mountain was a scary thought; never had she imagined reliving old pain would affect her so strongly.

She didn't know whether or not it was Xelloss in particular leaving, or if it was just the fear of being left alone again that scared her so badly. Either way it had surprised her that she'd let Xelloss see her in such a weakened state.

The usual Xelloss would have teased her to no end, but instead he'd held her close, whispered sweet encouragements in her ear, and stroked her hair tenderly. It had made Lina experience a new hope that her pain would blow over, and she could travel alone again.

Lina of the past enjoyed her days as a rouge sorceress and prided her life as a wanderer. Where had that Lina gone to? The old Lina didn't need anyone to tell her that it was going to be ok, that they wouldn't leave her alone again, that her existence meant something to them. The old Lina could have told herself those things and continued on just fine without a second thought.

Something told her that maybe that had just been a mask of her own, that while traveling alone she'd built a wall between herself and the world. That killing off hundreds of bandits was just a way of fooling the world into believing that she was strong.

After 5 years of opening herself again, it hurt to see everyone desert her without even a glance backwards in her direction. And why would they stay? She had nothing to offer any of them, nothing at all.

Her tiny fist sloshed into the water as a result of her frustrations. She hated feeling so confused, it was like being trapped inside of a soundless bubble as she watched in helpless stupor as everyone turned their backs to her, oblivious to the shrieks of protests coming from her seemingly silent cage.

She climbed out and grabbed the towel off of a nearby boulder in an angry charade. These thoughts only angered her and brought new troubles to mind. The poor towel was being rubbed furiously over Lina's skin as Lina took all her anger out on the act of drying herself off.

When she had the last of her apparel in tact she stomped out of the little alcove, a hostile aura forming around her tiny body.

OoO

Xelloss bravely glanced sideways at the fury-filled sorceress traveling beside him. For some reason unknown she had marched into the camp with an animosity that even made him a little worried.

She hadn't spoken to him since returning from her bath and for awhile Xelloss suspected that Lina was disgruntled due to his earlier actions. It wasn't like he could ask her what the problem was, she'd only ignore him or turn a monstrous eye his direction.

So he decided to leave the subject alone for the moment, as he could feel them approaching the Heiliege Lance. The mountain seemed to shrink as they traveled higher into the clouds.

A strong aura was beaming down from the very top of the mountain, telling Xelloss that Lina had not exaggerated the power of this mystical lance. The sound of Lina drawing in a small breath confirmed that this feeling was definitely the lance.

"Xelloss, you feel that, don't you?" A hint of fear crept into her voice as she lifted her head to peer up the mountain, wondering what could lie inside its mystifying depths.

"It would seem that we are getting closer." She nodded and swallowed down the thought of turning back. It was too late now to back down, whatever was up there was going to be in her hands no matter what. She felt like she needed this lance, or maybe it needed her.

After climbing for another half hour, a dead end came into sight. That wasn't right, this was supposed to be where the relic had been hidden. It was supposed to lay at the very top of the mountain, awaiting whoever dared climb to the top to grasp its power.

"No..." Lina reached out to lay her tiny palm against the rock blocking them from heading forward. "This isn't right. It has to be here Xelloss, it just has to be." Xelloss watched her silently, and stared up at the huge wall of rock.

This didn't look normal, this rock had been placed here by magic. By no means was this a natural happening, it was far too coincidental. "Lina-san, try breaking the wall. Maybe this isn't a dead end."

She looked back at him with wide eyes, obviously not thinking that there might have been another force keeping them from finding this lance. Taking a step back she took a deep breath and chanted, "Source of all fire, crimson fire burning bright! Gather together in my hand and become an inferno...Burst Flare!"

A ball of light appeared in the targeted area, and in the next instant the ball exploded, raising a tongue of blue white flame. The rock shattered into a thousand pieces, and a slow smile curved the sides of her mouth as a tiny glow signaled success. She let out a low whistle and glanced back at Xelloss.

"We found it." Xelloss smiled, feeling her relief sink into him as well and influence his own feelings. "It would appear that we have, Lina-san." She stepped over the rock remnants and shoved past a few of the bigger pieces. Xelloss followed suit, purposely refraining from mentioning that he could easily teleport them to the center. Instead he curiously followed the sorceress through the rocky trail.

Lina pushed over the last boulder that blocked her entry and they reached a hollow alcove, and another wall stood at the end. The wall bore strange markings, which were obviously talismans to keep trespassers out. That damned priest was smarter than Lina thought.

There were two magically lit lanterns hanging on each side of the cave, and the floor had words engraved as a warning to wanderers.

Beware, for what lies beyond the sealed door before you can only bring destruction to the world around you. If you dare to break the seal than have these words in mind; you have been warned.

Lina laughed nervously, feigning bravery. "That is so corny, couldn't he have come up with a more original encryption?" She swallowed, feeling a bit edgy as she walked over the inscriptions on the stone floor.

Shaking herself out of her unsettled state, she tried to concentrate and ran her finger along the engravings on the door. They looked like they were from centuries ago, like the red priest had used an ancient language and culture to confuse a sorceress such as herself. Maybe, just maybe, all it took to break this wall was one of her more frequent spells. She doubted it but decided that she had nothing to lose.

"Oh, source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson let thy power gather in my hand. Fireball!" The sphere of fire shot out of her poised hands, and crashed into the wall. But it did nothing, the wall still stood firm. There was not a scratch on it.

Lina let out a frustrated sigh and stomped her foot. "Why don't you try a more powerful spell? The red priest was a foe of extremely powerful energy if you recall, and maybe you could use one of your more formidable spells on his talisman?" She rolled her eyes at him, and spat, "If you know so much then why don't you do it?"

She hadn't meant for her voice to sound to so harsh, but she'd accidentally let her anger out on him-again. Why did she always do that? No wonder people didn't like her. But he hadn't seemed to mind.

Xelloss shrugged, keeping his composure. "I might tear down the entire mountain." The smugness in his voice made Lina bristle.

"And you're assuming that I won't?"

"You don't think it's worth the risk?"

She gave him a look before turning back to the wall, taking position again. "Wind, crimson flame. Grant the power of thunder to my hand! Digu Volt!" Lightening shot out of Lina's palm from her extended arm. This time a huge crack ran down the wall, making the writings glow an eerie green. A hollow creak sounded as the door slid open, and a thump was heard when it ceased movement.

Lina turned back to the now grinning Xelloss, and rolled her eyes. "Well I could have you know." He opened one eye and she saw a triumphant gleam buried inside its violet abyss. "Yes, Lina-san. Indeed you could have."

She refused to sink down so low as to start another argument with the idiot priest, and instead held her tongue with great effort. "Whatever, just come on." She turned away from him and stepped through the now open doorway.

A stone staircase led down into the pitch black chasm, it looked more to Lina like an ocean of darkness. With a deep, shaky breath, she formed a small ball of light in her hand as a guide and stepped down the first step.

What had she gotten herself into?

--

Phew! I had alot of trouble with this one for some reason. I kept coming to a loss of words and eventually I just got so frustrated that I actually left the computer for an hour or two. But I came to my senses and found an inspiration of sorts, and vwalah! hehe, i hope you like it. And as I type my mind is reeling for idea on the next chapter! and btw i made a strong effort not to use as much Japanese this time so i hope you like!;3

Chapter 5

Note: Thanks for the grammar tips Purin-sensei, I do have a hard time keeping up with those little things since I have so many things I am trying to do all at once! Gomen-ne "bows deeply" I promise to try harder;3 Oh and beta reader? What is that...?

--

Lina descended down deeper into the darkness. The stairs didn't seem to ever end, they had been walking for what seemed to be forever. "Lina-san, is there anymore to this legend that you know of?" He had felt there to be another strong aura lurking somewhere in the darkness, one that wasn't the lance.

"No...why?" She glanced back at Xelloss with a curious eye. "I feel there to be another presence merged with the lance; possibly guarding it?" Lina shook her head. "No, the legend ends with the priest hiding it away in these mountains. There isn't anymore. It's probably just the lance's power." She shrugged.

Xelloss wasn't convinced, but didn't press it. If there was anything else down here Lina could handle it. She always did face things with a head-on approach that he admired greatly. Even if her opponent was he himself, Lina would still take him on as if she was the Lord of Nightmares, but with more attitude.

Lina jumped when her feet hit solid ground and looked back at Xelloss, relief was written all over her face. "We're almost there." She lifted her hand up, so that her tiny ball of light could brighten the dark walkway.

The hall was covered with dust and cobwebs, and the smell of mustiness made Lina wrinkle her nose. This place held an untouched air to it that mystified Lina and disgusted her at the same time.

A faint colorless light shone towards the end of the hall, and Lina squinted into the darkness. Xelloss beat her to asking, "What is that light?" Lina shrugged. "I don't know, but it has to be the Heiliege Lance, what else could it be?"

Xelloss nodded and continued on beside her. The power of this spear was very dangerous for the things it did to humans' bodies could be lethal. Of course since he was a mazoku it had no affect over him whatsoever. It worried him how he could feel Lina being pulled closer to it, like she was losing herself to the thought of having it in her hands.

They walked for a bit longer and when they reached the glow Lina was proven to be right. There on a pedestal stood the spear known as the Heiliege Lance in all its glory, it glowed brightly with a powerful essence that made Lina want to reach out and touch it.

She stepped forward and reached her hand out, her fingers aching in anticipation, but Xelloss placed his hand wisely over hers, knowing of the consequence. "Lina-san, remember what kind of influence the spear has on humans. You shouldn't touch it now, I'll do it."

Lina hesitated, not knowing why she was reluctant to let anyone but herself touch the spear, but dropped her arm back down anyway and nodded. Xelloss stepped forward and lifted a gloved hand out to grasp the glowing spear.

"I wouldn't if I were you." Both Xelloss and Lina looked up, surprised, to find a hovering translucent being above them. Seemingly oblivious to their lack of words, the being continued, "I'm not sure if you are aware, but this spear holds a power far beyond anything you could ever imagine."

Xelloss took his hand back, and grinned slyly up at the ghost. "And I assume you are the god from legends, the one whose blood has run down this object?"

"You assume correctly, mazoku. I guard this relic from power-hungry beings such as you and your little friend, you have no idea what this spear will do once it is in the hands of that one." He pointed an accusing finger down at Lina.

"Yeah, we know what kind of power it possesses. What's it to you whether or not we snatch right from under your old wrinkly ass?" Lina had been slightly annoyed at the old man's tone, she felt obliged to feel insulted by his manner.

"It matters to me not, little sorceress. I am only here to do everything within my reach to stop you from taking it; this is my punishment from the gods above as a result for being so careless in my earlier life."

"I doubt you could stop us."

"Believe what you want, but be warned that even if you do manage to defeat me the results of harnessing the power within this spear will only cause unbelievable destruction and-"

"Yeah, yeah we read the floor. Now if you'll excuse me..." She stepped around Xelloss to reach for the spear again, this time more to annoy the ghost then anything else. A small spark of light struck her hand and she yelped more in surprise than in pain, and turned a livid glare up at the spirit. He simply smiled down at her with his index finger poised downwards, and she realized that the lightening had come from it.

"Damned old man!" She spat, cradling her hand in the opposite one. Xelloss bit back a chuckle and crossed his arms, his staff lay pressed against his shoulder. "Why were you sentenced down here to guard the spear?" He asked, trying to steer the conversation to a safer, more mature level. Lina could get them both killed if she tried hard enough.

"I used my powers to turn myself into a human so that I could live and die in peace with my wife, but the humans of my village found out of my powers and saw my presence as an omen upon their land. They turned on my wife and children, slaughtering them mercilessly right in front of me. My wife was the last to die, and the monsters beheaded her while tying me to a stake. The spear they used to kill me was of course the Heiliege Lance, and my blood ran cold down its tip."

"If you were a human at the time, then how did your blood have any affect upon the spear?" Lina decided to speak since she had calmed down a little listening to the ghost's sad story. She couldn't help feeling sorry for him.

He offered her a grim smile and spoke with a bitterness that shook Lina to the core. "It is the curse of the Gods my dear, we can try all we want to become fully human but it is futile. Our holy blood will always run thick through our veins with a vengeance, no matter what form we take."

Xelloss spoke again, his voice turning cold and emotionless. "On another note, I am sorry to inform you that we are here to take the spear from you. It is your choice whether or not let us have it, either way it will be ours." He had never particularly liked gods, and this one was no exception. The patience he once had was wearing thin and he was growing annoyed at the god's babbling.

"Have it your way then, mazoku. I regret having to kill off such intelligent foes such as yourselves, my sincerest apologies." The spirit replied calmly. His cold manner made it obvious that he was unaffected by the thought of killing humans-or mazoku.

He raised his hand to unclench his fist, leaving his palm uplifted and bare. Another shot of lightening, this time bigger and much more powerful, flew out of his hand and threatened to strike them.

Xelloss grabbed Lina by the waist and swiftly teleported a few feet away, saving them from being fried to a crisp.

The spirit turned and rounded in on them again, firing off a series of lightening bolts to which Xelloss easily dodged with teleportation.

Lina could only be dragged along with Xelloss, helpless to the chaos surfacing around her. It annoyed the hell out of her to not be able to do a thing to stop any of it, so finally she shoved herself out of Xelloss’s arms.

As another bolt headed straight for her she cast a swift barrier spell, deflecting the shot. But just as her barrier went down another lightening bolt was fired towards her and she was forced to jump out of the line of fire.

“Xelloss, I need you to hold him off! I can defeat him but I just need a second to recite the spell!” Xelloss nodded, and teleported just in front of Lina, holding up his staff to form a barrier of his own around them.

Lina stood her ground and raised her hands. “Xelloss when I give the signal, move.” He didn’t look back but simply nodded at her again.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting the words flow from her mouth. “You pitiful twisted creatures, not of this world…by the Light of Purity I possess, I bid thee, begone to the nexus of our two worlds!”

Xelloss took this as his cue to leave, and teleported behind Lina.

“Megido Flare!” She screamed, her eyes opening as a burst of blue flame escaped her outstretched hands. The flames engulfed the spirit and his monstrous scream echoed through the entire cave.

Lina watched in horror as the spirit’s face twisted in agony and his hands reached to her, his eyes wild and livid with anger. His mouth opened in a silent scream of pain, and his figure disappeared into nothingness, leaving Lina shaking. But his raspy voice came out of nowhere, as if to haunt her purposely.

“Be warned, Lina Inverse. You will bring death and cruelty to this impure world of the human, and you alone will be the cause of the extinction of all humanity.”

Next Chapters 6-10

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