Slayers Dream : Chapter 7

Purin-chan: Eh heh...not quite a dead fic yet. It's summer and I have more time now...
Though I think the spark is dying, read forward with caution :/.

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    "Lina..."
    Lina stirred a bit, then opened her eyes. She looked around.
    "Lina..." The voice came a bit louder this time.
    She looked around attentively for the source of the voice, but she couldn't see anything. Everything around her was pitch black.
    "Where are you?" her voice rang out. "More importantly, who are you?"
    There was a moment of silence. "...Lina, I'm right here with you."
    Lina reached out with her hand to try and feel for a wall of some sort. It was then that she saw the golden glow surrounding her body. Suddenly, the glow left her body and seemed to form a woman-like figure before her.
    "Hello, Lina."
    Lina stood petrified before her, fear and shock written across her features. "Lord...of...Nightmares..." she managed to say.
    She frowned. "You could at least pretend to be happy to see me, Lina," she said, hugging her tightly. "You're my favorite daughter after all."
    It felt as if she had been touched by an angel, and she immediately relaxed in the embrace. Trying to keep it from getting completely silent, she asked, "If I'm your favorite daughter, who's your favorite son?"
    L-sama went quiet, then replied, "My favorite son is someone you have come to know quite well..."
    "You mean Zel?" Lina's voice slightly weakened as she spoke his name, pain fairly evident in her speech.
    "No... I mean the other one you have come to know..."
    "Gourry?" Lina asked, stupefied.
    "No."
    She thought for a moment, then questioned hesitantly, "It can't be... Xellos... can it?"
    Yet another silence.
    "M-masaka..."
    "Lina," she said, letting go of her. "You have to kill him."
    "Kill him?" Lina asked. "But why?"
    "Because he is trying to kill you, dear. You and the chimera who took your heart away from him." She kissed her lightly, then stepped back. "Goodbye my dear child... It is already time for us to part."
    "Wait!" Lina cried out. There was a blinding flash of light, and Lina's subconscious drifted back to her.

    Zelgadis stopped in front of a portal. A familiar melody came from it, soothing him. He reached out and touched the bright blue light, feeling warmth and happiness flow throughout his body. He began to pass through when he heard the words - Don't go!
    Zelgadis withdrew his hand and asked, "Who are you?" He walked around the portal towards the source of the voice, oblivious to the fact that the portals were vanishing behind him.

    Lina stirred slightly in Xellos's arms. She slowly opened her eyes and found the trickster priest watching her with amusement. She blinked a few times, her memory coming back to her as she began breathing normally once more. She tried to sit up, found herself too weak to do so, and rested in his arms.
    "Xellos..." she began, "you..."
    He was grinning cheerfully again. "Couldn't do what I intended to do, and it seems as though you got a message from her, too, didn't you?"
    Lina broke eye contact with him, suddenly remembering what L-sama had told her to do. "Ne Xellos... Why couldn't you kill me?"
    He chuckled slightly, then gave her the one eye open look. "You still haven't figured that out? That isn't like you, Lina-san."
    "Figure what out?" she asked, puzzled. She gazed at him quizzically, unable to read anything on his usual perky face.
    "What's the fun in me telling you?" he asked. He seemed to be mocking her ignorance, though it was only playful, she could tell. Suddenly, he bent down to whisper in her ear, "So then did you figure out why she ordered both of us to kill each other? Despite the fact that she claims we are her favorite children?"
    "N-o..." she whispered back, slightly startled that he knew everything that was going on. Her eyes were fearful of what may happen, but she wasn't making any assumptions at the moment. "No, I haven't..."
    He forced a smile, then said, "Either we're being slow today..." He leaned back a little, his face less than an inch from hers. His amethyst eyes were open and bore deeply into hers. "Or there is something big on your mind..."
    She blushed lightly at his actions and swallowed. "I'm just thinking about..."
    "Having to kill me," he finished for her. "I thought about having you kill you for weeks now," he paused to take in the captivating fire of her eyes, "and decided to try and turn you into a mazoku instead, but you already know how that turned out." He continued, "Lina-san, L-sama wants one of us dead to prevent us from staying together. That is the only reasonable conclusion I can come up with."
    She stared back into his eyes, confused to as what she should be feeling. "So what are we supposed to do now...?"
    Xellos wasn't smiling any more, which was highly unlike him. The humor in his eyes and voice had gone as well.
    "The only think we can do... have you kill me."

    Sylphiel watched silently as the sun disappeared below the horizon. As the first star appeared in the sky, she clasped her hands together and started to pray.
    "I hope this will all turn out all right..." She closed her eyes, feeling a soft breeze blow by, toying with her hair. "Gourry-sama, I hope you are doing well without me..." She looked up at the star, its light bringing warm tears to her eyes. "Please wish for their happiness as well..."

    Amelia walked down a long corridor. She seemed to be in deep thought, for she didn't notice the voices coming from Lina's room as she passed by.
    "Zelgadis-san is a closer friend to me than he is to Lina-san...right?" she asked no one in particular. "I know they were travelling together for quite a while, but he couldn't have become attached to her that easily..."
    She paused before the main castle doors. "What am I saying... I have a kingdom to protect... I'm not that carefree justice-loving child I used to be..." Her lips curved into a faint smile. "And when Zelgadis-san does come back, I will welcome him with open arms as any good friend would." She smiled at her resolution, then turned and headed to her chambers to sleep.