By Jessica

    The bandits didn't even know what hit them. All they knew was that one minute they were happily eating and making merry over their latest raid, and the next minute, the camp was in chaos. Everything was on fire, and the things that weren't were being used by various bandits as weapons or shields to hide behind. In a very short time, the camp was devoid of working bandits. The lawbreakers had either been torched, tied up, or run in cowardly fear.

    Enter, one little girl with hair matching the fire and one tall man with a dumb expression and a big sword.

    "How long that time, Gourry?" the girl asked cheerfully as she started digging through the rubble.

    "Uh... forty-seven seconds," he replied.

    "Wow!" she said holding up a huge, gold coin. She grinned and put it in her sack before dumping the other contents of the treasure chest in her bag,   "That's a new record, isn't it?"

    "Um... yeah," he smiled. "I think so, Lina."

    He grunted as she tossed a now-very-heavy treasure sack at him. Staggering under the weight, he trailed after her.

    "Boy, I never knew how much I've missed all this!" Lina said happily, "It's a nice vacation from all those quests."

    "All what quests, Lina?" Gourry asked stupidly. Of course it was a stupid question. All Gourry ever asks are stupid questions. It's his calling.

    "I am going to choose to ignore that question, Gourry," Lina replied with cheerful calm, "I refuse to let you make me mad with such a dumb question."

    "Okay!"

    So they continued, raiding the abandoned bandit camp.

    A soft cry of distress could just barely be heard in the hall of the inn. That is, if anyone had been standing right outside, pressing their ear to the door of the room where the sound had been made. Since no one was silly enough to be doing that at the precise time... oops... end digression....

    Anyway, the sound came from a room where a young man had been sleeping. Needless to say, he was no longer sleeping. He sat straight up in bed, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. Shivering slightly, he hugged himself tightly. As the dim light from the moon filtered through the window, it glinted off his skin, revealing stone.

    Zelgadis moaned softly as he remembered where he was and what he had been doing. Sleeping. It had only been a dream. Another dream. Damn it all, anyway. He shivered again and laid back down.

    The nightmares had been getting worse. Every night, he woke up in a cold sweat, disoriented and frightened. And it made him mad that he had so little control over it. But he refused to let the dreams dominate his actions. He would continue in his search for a cure to become human once again, even if it killed him. He had almost died so many times, he was starting to get used to it. Of course, that was always with Lina. Now, they had separated, and he was alone once again.

    The purple-haired priest hummed cheerfully to himself as he walked through the dark halls of the mansion. It was always dark, even in broad daylight. Of course, it helped that it was always dark and cloudy during the day over Wolf Pack Island. Xelloss didn't mind. He thrived in darkness. You might say he lived for it.

    So, he continued toward his destination, a single door near the end of the hall. He knocked politely, although he didn't really have to. The door opened on its own immediately, and he walked in. A woman with long, flowing blonde hair and bracelets on her legs and wrists leisurely took a drag on her cigarette and blew out a cloud of blue smoke. Beastmaster. She smiled darkly.

    "Prompt as ever, Xelloss," she commented.

    "You called for me?" he replied, kneeling out of respect for her.

    "Yes." She grinned maniacally. "I did."

    She stood and approached him slowly, taking her time. She reached out and set a hand on his shoulder, making him frown in mild curiosity.

    "I wonder how you'd look as a mortal," she murmured.

    "Wha-"

    That's all the farther he got because in the next moment, all he knew was pain. His world exploded. He felt something being torn from his blackened soul. There was screaming, but he couldn't tell if it was in his head or if he was actually making the horrible sound. Then darkness.

    "Miss LINA!"

    The excited squeal could be heard all across the kingdom. Lina gasped and fell back to the floor as Amelia threw herself at her. She laughed and returned the hug.

    "I missed you too, Amelia," Lina replied.

    "Are you still traveling the countryside? Righting wrongs? Punishing bad guys? Fighting for the cause of justice?" Amelia shot off the questions rapidly.

    Lina sweatdropped.

    "Uh..."

    "Oh, Miss Lina!" Amelia squealed, "May I come with you? Please? Daddy doesn't need my help right now, although he'd never say that. Please let me come with you!"

    "Uh, okay," Lina shook her head dazedly, "Sure, Amelia."

    "WAHOOOOOOOO!" Amelia's delighted shout made the sorceress wince. Gourry grinned behind her.

    "It'll be like old times, Amelia," he said.

    "I missed traveling with you guys," Amelia grinned, "we had such great adventures."

    "Yeah," Lina smiled weakly. "Old times."

    Amelia and Gourry smiled happily.

    The day was starting out bad for Zelgadis. He had gotten up in a bad mood thanks to the dreams. He wanted nothing more than for them to stop. It was bad enough that he frequently had nightmares as it was, but they were getting worse. Every night now. He was getting fewer hours of sleep each night as a result. So not only was he moody (as per usual), but he was tired and cranky. His temper was short, and he snapped easily. It wasn't something he liked, but he couldn't help himself.

    Now that he was traveling again, he didn't feel any better. That just meant that without any of the distractions of surrounding people to keep his mind on safe subjects. He kept drifting back to the dream. It was slowly driving him crazy to have to think about these dreams. They were always the same... Rezo turning him into a chimera, only much more traumatic than the actual event.

    Yes... none of it was real. It didn't happen that way. That's NOT how it happened! It didn't hurt that much. It wasn't that frightening. It wasn't that bad.

    That's what he kept reminding himself of to keep the dream from mixing with reality. He trudged onward, telling himself the same things, over and over. The fantasy is worse than the reality.

    It was the light that finally woke him. Xelloss's eyelids fluttered open, and he stared blankly at the sky, wondering why he hurt so much. Pain was nothing. He'd been hurt many times before, but the pain never bothered him. Now, he felt as if he had fallen off a building before being hit by a wagon--both after he'd been struck by lightning. He could barely move.

    A shadow fell across his face, and he managed to focus his blurry gaze on a kind face. He frowned as he realized he couldn't sense the emotions from this person. In fact, he wasn't sensing anything around him. He couldn't feel the forest animals. He couldn't see without having his eyes open. And he was scared. He was never afraid.

    The person was actually a woman, dressed in peasant's clothing. She knelt by his side and started feeling his arms and legs for broken bones. Xelloss tried to pull away and sit up, but she just shushed him and held him down easily.

    "Shh," she whispered, "You're going to be okay. Just don't move."

    He groaned softly and closed his eyes.

    "Gods, everything hurts," he whispered. "Where am I?"

    "You're outside of a small village, not far from Seiyruun," she told him, "My son found you while he was out tending the animals. It looks like you ran into trouble."

    "Trouble..." he chuckled, then coughed dryly. "I guess so. Who are you?"

    "My name is Kira," she told him, "My husband won't mind if I bring you into our home. You think you can move with my help?"

    "I don't know," he answered honestly.

    "What's your name?" she asked as she helped him sit up, then pulled his arm over her shoulder.

    Xelloss opened his mouth to reply, then wondered. Would this woman know him? Many did. Especially now that he'd spent so much time with Lina Inverse. Of course, even then, most didn't know WHAT he was, or what he'd done.

    "Xelloss."

    "Well, Xelloss," she smiled kindly, "Let's get you off the ground and someplace safe, okay?"

    She helped him to his feet, and he leaned heavily against her. She commented on how light he was, considering his height--to which he had no good answer. She mostly carried him because he couldn't hold himself up. By the time he laid down again, he was exhausted and fell asleep immediately.

    Zelgadis sat straight up in bed, panting heavily. A cold sweat dampened his face and clothes. Quaking tremors coursed through his body, making his hands shake and the rest of him shiver violently. He hugged himself and rocked back and forth in bed, wishing he wasn't alone but knowing he would never accept it if someone was there to see him. It was still very late--or very early, depending on how you looked at it--but he knew he wouldn't sleep anymore that night.

    He crawled out of bed, still shaking. He felt weak and had to grip the night stand to keep from falling.

    A knock on the door startled him, making his heart skip a beat. He lost his balance and fell to one knee, clutching his chest and breathing hard. He wondered who would knock on his door at this hour, even as the knocking came again, more persistently. Getting back to his feet, he looked at the door. It was so far away. He didn't know if he could make it that far.

    "Who is it?" he asked, trying to be heard through the door all the while trying to keep his voice soft enough so as not to wake the other tenants. It wasn't loud enough. The knocking came yet again, this time loud and frantic, as if someone was trying to get away from something outside.

    The door splintered and swung in with a loud bang. Zelgadis just stared in shock as a middle-aged man with a slight paunch stumbled to his feet and held out a pitchfork menacingly. He looked around quickly.

    "Who's here?" he demanded. "What madman is attacking my customers?"

    Zelgadis gaped, wondering what the hell had gotten into the innkeeper. His shivering slowed as the shock of the strange situation sank in.

    "No one's here," he said with more strength than he felt, "What made you think someone was in here attacking me?"

    "I heard a shout," the innkeeper said, lowering his pitchfork a bit and standing straight, "Are you okay, Mr. Greywords?"

    Zelgadis didn't wonder how the man knew his name. He just assumed that the innkeeper knew the names of all his customers and knew which rooms they were all in. That, or he just couldn't forget a face like Zelgadis's.

    "Fine," he said curtly, "No one's here, as you can see. There was no attack."

    He gripped the night stand tightly as he felt his legs weaken again. He fought off the images of the nightmare, but they came flooding back to him like he was still sleeping. The innkeeper looked at him worriedly, but he didn't notice. Letting out a soft whimper, Zelgadis's legs finally gave out, and he fell to his knees, holding his head and trying to rid himself of the dreams. He could feel the innkeeper by his side but didn't acknowledge him. He blacked out as his mind overloaded and shut down from the struggle. And he was blissfully aware of nothing.

    Lina Inverse, Gourry Gabriev, and Amelia Wil Tesla Seiyruun set out early. Okay, they got up early, ate a breakfast that could have fed a small army--heck, it could have fed a large army--and set out around midmorning. They were an odd group, a sorceress, a swordsman, and a princess, but they were oblivious to that. Anyway, they walked down the path, happily chatting about nothing and enjoying the day.

    They weren't far from the city when they saw a man riding on horseback riding at full speed toward them. He pulled to a stop in front of them and looked down, a frazzled worried expression on his young face.

    "Are any of you people doctors?" he asked breathlessly.

    "That depends on the nature of the injury," Lina replied easily, "What's wrong?"

    "A man in the village, just down the road, has collapsed," he said hurriedly, "Our doctor has fallen ill several days ago and is unable to help him. I'm heading to Seiyruun to find another doctor."

    "What, he just up and collapsed?" Lina demanded, "No fevers? No chills? Nothing else of any use you could tell us?"

    "Well, not in that respect," the man said edgily, wanting to move on, "The man was strange, though. He's not like normal humans."

    "What do you mean?" Amelia asked.

    "He's got skin of stone!" the man replied.

    "Zelgadis!" Lina gasped.

    "Oh no!" Amelia jumped forward and gripped the man's pant leg. "Sir, where is Mr. Zelgadis?"

    "He's still in the inn," the man pointed down the road, "There's only one in town. Now, I've got to go find a doctor!"

    He pulled away and continued down the road. Amelia grabbed Lina and Gourry and started running.

    "Come on, Miss Lina, Mr. Gourry!" she shouted, pulling them along as fast as she could. "We've got to help Mr. Zelgadis!"

Lina pulled free of Amelia's grasp and grabbed onto Gourry's other arm. She nodded at Amelia, who just offered a relieved smile.

    "RAY WING!" they shouted simultaneously. They rose into the air, Gourry in tow, and moved at high speeds toward the next town.

    Wow. So THIS is what it's like to be unconscious. How odd. Wait... something... pulling at me. Something touching me. Stop that. I don't want people touching me when I can't feel them. Not when I can't tell what they're feeling. Stop.

    He groaned softly and opened his eyes, slowly focusing on his surroundings. He felt something cold against his forehead and a soft hand against his cheek. After a moment, he turned his eyes to see a young woman with long, blonde hair and kind blue eyes smile down at him. She gazed into his eyes and again stroked his cheek.

    "Hi," she whispered, "you're awake."

    "Obviously," he replied, his voice hoarse for the first time in his life. He was still in pain, but it hurt less than before. "Who are you?"

    "I'm Kali," she replied, "Kira, the one who brought you here, is my mother. Are you feeling any better, Xelloss?"

    "A little," he looked past her and saw that he was in someone's house--most likely Kira's. And he was in a bed, covered with blankets. Kali noticed his searching gaze and stood up.

    "You're in my house," she informed him. "Would you like something to eat? Something to drink?"

He shook his head slowly, then his stomach grumbled. Kali laughed and shook her head.

    "You don't have to be shy," she said, "I'll get you something. Do you think you can get up and come to the table?"

    "Yes."

With some help, he managed to stand on unsteady legs and walk across the room to the kitchen. Kali pulled out a chair and made him sit. She smiled at him before moving to start to cook.

    "Do you know what happened?" she asked him, "How did you wind up like that, hurt, in the middle of the field?"

    Well, Kali, he thought sarcastically, I'm actually a mazoku whose master decided it would be funny to turn mortal. By the way, my mazoku nature is still quite in tact, and I don't give a damn about you or your family, or if anything ever happens to you...

    "I don't remember," he told her.

    "That's not good," she said worriedly, placing a cup of tea in front of him. "That could be a sign of post-traumatic stress. Maybe a doctor could help you regain your memories about the incident."

    "I doubt it," Xelloss replied with a forced smile. "Don't bother. I know enough to know that I don't really want to know more."

    "Okay," she said, obviously uncertain but willing to let it slide. "Father will be home soon, Xelloss. Mother went to get him. What do you do?"

    Xelloss paused, wondering at the abrupt shift of subjects. He glanced down at his clothing and noticed that he wasn't wearing his typical priest's garb. In place, he had on plain, black pants--much like his original pants--a yellow, peasant's shirt, and a black, tattered vest over it. His shoes were nonexistent, just a pair of white socks.

    "I'm a priest," he muttered absently, wondering where his original clothing had gone.

    "Really?" Kali grinned at him, "for a temple around here?"

    "...No," he sipped at the tea casually, "I don't work for any specific temple."

    "A traveling priest!" Kali guessed wrong, "Do you know any magic? Most priests I know do."

He shook his head, not really wanting to discuss his abilities. He wasn't even sure if he could still use magic. It wasn't like he knew a lot of spells. He tried to avoid using them anyway. It just drained his own magical capacity to use other mazoku's magic. Typically, he just called on his own power.

    "That's too bad," she smiled, "Oh well. Look! Here come Mom and Dad!"

    "Oh, goody," he muttered under his breath. Kali didn't hear him.

    "Miss! Miss! You can't go in there!" A man outside a door held Lina back while she tried to force here way into a room. She glared at him and pushed forward.

    "Listen," she growled, "That person in there is my friend. We want to see him!"

    "He's resting," the man protested.

    "Out of my way!"

    "When he wakes up-"

    "Fireball!"

    The crispy man coughed smoke and let them pass. Amelia ran into the room, followed by Lina and Gourry. She stumbled to an abrupt stop, causing Lina to stumble into her. They all stared.

    Zelgadis was strapped down to the bed, his arms and legs tied to the bed posts. He was silent and still, his eyes closed and his face turned to the side, pressed into the pillow. His stone face was streaked with trails left behind from tears. A man--the innkeeper--sat next to him, watching him.

    "Wha-" Amelia gasped.

    "What the hell is this?!" Lina demanded.

The innkeeper looked up in surprise to see the shocked trio standing just inside the doorway.

    "Who are you?" he asked.

    "Lina, Amelia and Gourry," Lina replied, "We're Zel's friends. Why is he tied to the bed? What kind of twisted inn IS this?!"

    On cue, Zelgadis moaned softly and shifted on the bed, tugging at the ropes restraining him. Suddenly, he let out a feral cry and started fighting violently with the ropes. He twisted and bucked in the bed, sobbing and shouting wordlessly.

    The innkeeper jumped forward to hold him down.

    "Shh, Mr. Greywords," he said firmly, "Please, calm down. Shh."

    After almost two minutes--which can be a very long time--Zelgadis's struggles slowed, and he fell silent again, never opening his eyes.

    "Holy shit!" Lina gasped.

    "Oh, Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia whimpered. "What's wrong with him?"

    "I don't know," the innkeeper sat back, "Last night I heard a shout from his room and thought someone was being attacked. I came in here to find him alone and barely on his feet. He collapsed a few minutes later and has been unreachable ever since. He started fighting like this just a few hours ago. It took five men to hold him down the first time, so we resorted to tying him down. We didn't want him to hurt himself. Now, he just lays here, acting up every hour or so."

    Amelia crept forward and crouched by Zelgadis's head. She had tears in her eyes as she stared at him. Hesitantly, she reached out and touched his cheek, feeling warm, damp tears on her fingers.

    "Oh, Mr. Zelgadis," she sobbed, "Please, wake up!"

    He opened his eyes.

    Xelloss leaned back against the wall, wondering how in L-sama's name he had gotten into such a mess. He tugged experimentally on the chain holding his hand to the wall, but as was to be expected, it didn't give.

    First, he had been brought into a pleasant home, run by a pleasant woman and her pleasant daughter. Then, in comes dear old dad. Dad was a bandit gang leader. That was a bit of useful knowledge Xelloss didn't have until it was a little late. Somehow, his name had been connected to Lina Inverse's, and the man had been on him faster than he could react. Now, Xelloss was chained to a wall in the bandit leader's lair. How typical.

    He looked around curiously, studying the activities around him. Tons of filthy, crude bandits swarmed around, drinking and eating noisily. One particularly dirty bandit threw back a mug of beer, most of it missing his mouth and winding up all over his face and clothes. Xelloss was mildly disgusted. These people had worse table manners than Lina!

    Another bandit, drunk and slobbering, fell down in front of Xelloss, who was sitting cross-legged in the corner. The obscene man dragged himself to his hand and knees and leered at Xelloss.

"Hey, sweety," the bandit slurred, "Hows about yous an' I goes an' ge's us some fun!"

    Xelloss balked at the bandit's hand on his arm and drew back. This was almost too much for him. Reaching out impulsively, he snatched hold of the man's throat with his free hand. He reveled in the strength he felt, realizing he hadn't lost ALL of his power. The bandit's eyes widened as he leaned in and sneered at him.

    "Touch me again, and I'll make you the ugliest stiff there's ever been, got it?" he growled.

    He squeezed down on the bandit's throat, loving the gurgling choke emitted from the frightened drunkard. He let go, and the bandit reeled backward, falling hard on his backside. Xelloss smirked at him and watched as he stumbled away desperately. Then, he hesitated. He wondered how wise it was to threaten people when he could back up very little that he said. He huddled back into the corner again, wishing it was as easy to break chain as it was to break skin.

    Amelia felt her heart leap in her chest when Zelgadis opened his eyes. She smiled at him through eyes glittering with tears.

    "Oh, Mr. Zelgadis!" she sighed, "You ARE awake!"

    His mouth moved a bit before any sound came out.

    "Amelia..." he whispered hoarsely. "How-?"

    He shuddered and tried to pull his arms around himself, only to be stopped by the ropes. Incomprehension and shock flooded into his eyes as he looked up to see his arms tied to the bed posts. He yanked down on one, testing it.

    "What's this?" he asked, panic rising into his words. Amelia touched his arm and shushed him.

    "It's okay, Mr. Zelgadis," she said, "It was to keep you from hurting yourself while you were asleep."

    He looked at her worriedly, fear still threatening to show through.

    "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice still weak, "I thought you went back to Seiyruun."

    "I'm traveling with Miss Lina and Mr. Gourry again," she said, "See?"

    His eyes traveled past her to see Lina and Gourry standing there, dumbfounded. Lina smiled weakly.

    "Hey, Zel."

    Images. Pain. Fear. They came flooding back in again, and he winced. A small whimper escaped his throat, and he clamped his eyes shut again. Then, he uttered the words he never thought he'd say.

    "L-sama," he whimpered, "Help me."

And he passed out again.

    L-sama, this is just too cruel.

Xelloss coughed and tasted bitter iron in his mouth as blood rose in his throat. That was a new experience, too. He'd never bled before. He gasped again as he felt a solid fist collide with his gut. A pained moan escaped him as he sagged between the men holding him up. The bandit leader--Bob was his name--sneered in his face and laughed outright.

    "You'll learn not to mess with my boys," he said, circling around him.

    "Tell your 'boys' to stop harassing me, and I'll stop harassing them," Xelloss quipped weakly, not bothering to follow Bob's movements with his eyes.

    He choked as a burly arm wrapped around his neck, cutting off his air supply. The hands pinning his arms let go, and he instinctively reached to pull the arm away from his throat. Unfortunately, THIS particular bandit was stronger than the last one. He just squirmed in the man's grip, trying not to pass out.

    "As soon as that brat, Lina Inverse gives herself up to me, I won't need you anymore," Bob told him, "Then, you'll die. How does THAT sound?"

    "Sounds-" Xelloss gasped hoarsely, "like fun-"

    Then, he found himself on the ground again, sucking in air greedily. Bob left the other bandits to chain him to the wall again. Xelloss curled up, unused to the pain and need to breathe. He shivered against the wall and smiled to himself. He wondered how Bob was going to react when Lina didn't respond to the ransom like he expected--if she responded at all. Lina wouldn't care if he died or not. It was only fair, considering he would kill her in an instant if ordered to do so. This would turn out to be an interesting situation.

    Lina and Gourry sat at a table, eating less than usual. Amelia was still up in Zelgadis's room, unwilling to leave his side.

    "Geez," Lina muttered, sipping at her water, "I wonder what could do that to Zel."

    "Poor guy," Gourry agreed, "Do you think he'll be okay, Lina?"

    "I don't know," she tossed up her hands in exasperation, "Do I look like a doctor to you?"

    "..." he stared at her, "Sorry."

    She sighed deeply and buried her face in her hands.

    "This is nuts," she murmured, "I don't know what's wrong with him, but he wants our help. What am I supposed to do? We don't even know what's wrong with him."

    "Maybe he's got the flu," Gourry suggested.

    Lina absently hit the swordsman over the head with a pan left over after dinner. She stared off into space while he twitched on the floor, working things through in her mind. They were still like that when a man ran into the bar, waving an envelope around.

    "Where is Lina Inverse?" he asked loudly.

    Lina looked up and waved her hand casually.

    "I'm Lina," she said.

    "This is yours," he replied, shoving the letter into her hands and running back out the door. Lina stared after him for a moment, wondering what the big rush was. After deciding she didn't care--he was, after all, just a postal worker--she looked down at the letter. Ripping it open, she read the contents. And burst out laughing.

    Gourry rose from the floor, rubbing his head and wincing.

    "What's so funny, Lina?" he asked.

    Lina fell off her chair, still laughing hysterically. Gourry picked up the letter and read it. His eyes widened in surprise.

    "Wow!" he muttered.

    "That's RICH!" Lina choked out, tears streaming down her face as she struggled to contain herself. She wiped the tears from her eyes and chuckled a few more times. "Gourry, I just found a nice way to keep ourselves distracted until Zel wakes up again. Tell Amelia we'll be back in a couple days. THIS I've got to investigate."

    Xelloss was roughly woken from a light sleep by the bandit leader Bob. The burly man grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet (after unlocking the chain holding him to the wall). He grinned down at Xelloss through yellowed teeth.

    "Your time is almost up, you irritating thorn," he sneered, "Lina Inverse is here, demanding to see you."

    Xelloss blinked in surprise.

    "You mean she actually came?" he asked.

    "You act like she wouldn't," Bob laughed, "Lina Inverse may be a bandit killer, but I've heard she is loyal to all her friends."

    "Whoever said she was my friend?" Xelloss replied with a dark grin, "I merely traveled with her. Neither of us would bat an eye if the other one died."

    "Then why is she here?" Bob asked haughtily, "You're just trying to trick me."

    "Oh no," Xelloss's smile grew, "In this case, the truth will do just as well."

    "Shut up," Bob demanded. "You don't know anything."

    "Whatever you say," Xelloss smirked.

    Bob dragged him away from the wall and into a large dining hall. Xelloss gasped in surprise as the bandit leader's arm wrapped around his neck yet again. He gritted his teeth in irritation and squirmed, just to be bothersome. He knew he couldn't get free on his own accord. He wasn't that strong without his mazoku powers. Briefly, he wondered again why Lord Beastmaster had done this.

    Something caught his eye, and he snatched it up off the table, unnoticed by the bandit leader. He slipped it into his pocket just before he felt himself get swung around and whirled to a stop. He smiled at Lina's shocked expression. This was certainly an unusual situation.

    "Xelloss?" she asked curiously.

    "Hello, Lina," he said lightly. He frowned inwardly as he heard how hoarse his voice was. "My, if this isn't embarrassing."

    "No kidding!" she scowled at him, "What's the joke? You're actually letting this guy push you around?"

    "Shut up!" Bob growled, "Lina Inverse. Surrender yourself, and I will let this man go free."

    Lina snorted and let out a curt laugh.

    "Yeah," she grinned, "Right. Whatever. Not a chance."

    Xelloss felt Bob's grip around his neck loosen a bit in uncertainty. He applauded Lina for her surprise tactics, although he knew she was just as surprised.

    "I'm serious," Bob said.

    "I'm serious too," Lina shot back, "I'd just as soon see you kill him than turn myself over."

    "See?" Xelloss chuckled, "What did I tell you?"

    "Shut up!" Bob demanded.

    "Sure thing," Xelloss grinned and reached for the stolen item in his pocket, "Whatever you say, Bob."

    "This is just too weird," Lina shook her head, "Xelloss, why don't you just fry this guy?"

    "If I could do that, we wouldn't be here, Lina," Xelloss flicked his wrist and heard a soft, satisfying click. Lina's eyes widened as she saw what he held.

    "So, I guess you'll both die," Bob said, squeezing down on Xelloss's neck again.

    "I guess so," Lina smiled easily.

    Xelloss gritted his teeth. He was going to have bruises all around his neck when this was done. Suddenly, a maniacal smirk touched his face, and he shoved his hand back. Bob choked and gurgled in his ear as Xelloss shoved the switch blade deep into his stomach. In a moment of sadistic pleasure, Xelloss pulled the knife up and twisted. Bob fell in a heap on the floor, blood pouring from his gut. Xelloss turned and tossed the knife down on the dying bandit. He grinned and backed away.

    "Never underestimate me," he chuckled.

    Sensing that someone was near him, he turned at grinned down at Lina. She just glowered at him.

    "What the hell is going on?" she demanded. "Since when do you kill people with simple switch blades or let bandits hold you hostage?"

    His face fell, and he sighed.

    "THAT, I'm sure, is a long story," he grumbled, "And I don't know all of the details."

    "Well," Lina grinned and pushed her sleeves up. "Since we're here, might as well let loose."

    "Have fun," Xelloss grinned, then ran out of harm's way, closely followed by Gourry. Lina turned and smiled at the scene of panic before her.

    "Fireball," she said calmly.

    The place exploded in flame.

    "Amelia..."

    The young princess opened her eyes tiredly at the sound of her name. She lifted her head quickly, realizing she had fallen asleep with her arms and head on Zelgadis's bed. After his last struggling spell, she had been exhausted and must have fallen asleep without realizing it.

    As she woke up, she found herself face-to-face with Zelgadis. His eyes were open and glassy with fever. She smiled gently.

    "Good morning, Mr. Zelgadis," she murmured.

    He sighed and leaned his head back against the pillows again. His body was weak from laying down for so long. For now, he held the dreams at bay, but it was making him sick. He could already feel his body temperature rising and shivered as chills overtook him. Amelia covered him with more blankets and placed a cold cloth on his forehead.

    "What's wrong, Mr. Zelgadis?" she asked worriedly, "You're getting so sick!"

    He shook his head and closed his eyes, not wanting to talk about it. Whatever was causing these dreams had to stop, and stop soon. He knew there must be an outside source forcing the dreams on him with such frequency, but he didn't know what. He just knew that it would either drive him insane or kill him if it wasn't stopped.

    "Mmm, Mr. Zelgadis..." Amelia murmured in concern, "Please..."

    He shuddered and tugged on the ropes again. That still scared him. Hurt himself? He didn't think he'd ever do that. Hurt someone else? Possibly. What frightened him was his lack of control over his actions. Was it possible that he would hurt Amelia or another one of his friends in one of these spells? He hoped not, but he just didn't know.

    "Amelia," he whispered, quickly getting her attention.

    "What is it, Mr. Zelgadis?" she asked hurriedly, "What do you need?"

    He shivered again and squeezed his eyes shut, fighting off the nightmares. A half-sob, half-giggle of madness escaped his throat.

    "Don't leave," he begged, then plummeted down into his world of terror.

    Tears rolled down Amelia's face as she held his hand. She sobbed and threw herself at him, hugging him tightly.

    "Oh, Mr. Zelgadis!" she whimpered, "Please get better!"

    Lina, Gourry, and Xelloss walked along the path toward the village where they had left Amelia and Zelgadis. Well, Lina and Gourry walked. Xelloss limped along with a small branch he had located, using it as a crutch of a sort. He had already filled Lina and Gourry--although he knew Gourry would promptly forget--about his lack of mazoku power and subsequent troubles because of it. In return, Lina had explained their problem with Zelgadis.

    "Sounds like we've BOTH got some difficulties ahead of us," Xelloss commented.

    "No shit," Lina muttered, "I've never seen Zel like this before. He could barely complete a coherent sentence."

    "That's too bad," Xelloss said semi-honestly. "When did this start?"

    "I don't know," Lina shrugged, "Days ago, weeks, months? All we got from him were a few broken questions and a plea for help."

    "Sounds curious," Xelloss winced and continued along.

    "Are you going to be okay?" Lina asked.

    "Just dandy," he offered a weak smirk. "I never realized how horrible it was to be human. And to top it off, I'm hungry."

    They walked into the town and made their way to the inn where Amelia and Zelgadis were. Once there, Xelloss immediately flopped down into a chair at a table and ordered something to eat. More than anything, he was just relieved to be off his feet. Lina considered joining him, then decided to eat later and check on Zelgadis and Amelia. She found them still in the same room.

    Amelia sat on a chair, her face red and tearstained, holding Zelgadis's hand. She heard Lina enter and looked up.

    "Oh, Miss Lina!" she cried, "I don't know what to do! He woke up awhile ago, but he wouldn't tell me anything! He just asked me to stay and then passed out again. I think whatever this is, it's driving him insane!"

    "All right, Amelia," Lina hugged her friend while the princess sobbed on her shoulder. "We'll help him. Why don't you get some rest and eat something. I'll stay with Zel for awhile."

    "I promised him I wouldn't leave," she whimpered.

    "And you're not," Lina pointed out, "If he wakes up, I'll call you. But you're no good to him if you're passed out from lack of food and exhaustion yourself."

    Amelia finally gave in and stumbled down the stairs to the bar. She found Gourry and... Xelloss?... there, having already ordered. Gourry, as usual, was inhaling his meal. Xelloss, who, oddly enough, had actually ordered something, was eating at a much more leisurely pace. He swallowed his food and took a sip of tea before smiling and waving cheerfully at Amelia.

    "Hello, Amelia," he greeted.

    "Hello, Mr. Xelloss," she mumbled, slouching down in a chair. Xelloss handed her a plate with some chicken on it, which she took gratefully. "What are you doing here?"

    "Eating," he replied glibly.

    She just sighed and munched on a chicken leg. Gourry patted her shoulder gently and gave her a glass of water.

    "How's Zelgadis?" he asked.

    "Not good," she shook her head tiredly, "He woke up again a few hours ago, but he's been out ever since."

    Xelloss just smirked as he stuffed more food into his mouth. Gourry gave Amelia a sympathetic look and continued to scarf down his own meal.

    Zelgadis stood in the middle of a vast plane. He was surrounded by fog and nothingness. Occasionally, he was aware of voices. He thought he heard Lina and Amelia for awhile, but then they had stopped talking and he was once again alone.

    He hated being alone. He used to think it was better that way, hardened himself to believe he was better off by himself. But he didn't want to be alone. Not really. He wanted someone to be with him now. Anyone. He didn't want to face the impending madness by himself.

    Laughter taunted him. Rezo. Koppi Rezo. Phibrizzo. Shaburanigdo. Gaav. They laughed at him. He couldn't overcome them. He hadn't been able to do it before, and he wouldn't be able to do it now. He needed help. But there was none.

    Rezo appeared before him, pointing at him and mocking him. A monster who had created a monster. Koppi Rezo appeared and taunted him even more. Always trying to outdo the original. Phibrizzo laughed and called him a fool. He WAS a fool, for thinking he could overcome them. Shaburanigdo pointed at him. He had killed his friends, and he would destroy him as well. Gaav just grinned down at him and said they were the same. The same. Alone and trying fruitlessly to survive.

    Zelgadis cowered down and closed his eyes and covered his ears. He shouted desperately, not wanting to listen anymore, all the while still hearing every word, ever laugh, every taunt. He couldn't stop it. He shouted again and ran.

    Letting out a gasp, Zelgadis's eyes flew open. He tried to sit up, but the ropes sent him back down to the bed. He groaned and twisted against the bonds.

    "Make them stop," he whimpered, struggling against the ropes desperately, "Make them go away! Stop! Please..."

    After sending someone for Amelia, Lina moved forward and held him down.

    "Zel," she tried to reach him, "Zel, it's Lina. Zelgadis!"

    His feverish eyes focused on her, even as he still struggled. He yanked at the ropes around his wrists.

    "Lina!" he gasped, "Lina, make them leave me alone! Make them stop."

    He whimpered again and started twisting against her grip.

    "I don't want to be alone anymore," he cried, jerking down hard on the bonds. Lina saw one start to loosen and reminded herself to get that fixed before he did this again.

    "Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia ran into the room and helped Lina hold him down. He looked at her and slowed down.

    "Amelia," he whispered.

    "I'm here, Mr. Zelgadis," she told him, "I won't leave you alone."

    He stopped struggling and laid still, panting and staring at Amelia. She smiled and brushed lightly at his wire hair.

    "I won't leave," she said again, "I'll stay with you. You don't have to be alone."

    "Promise?" he asked softly.

    "I promise," she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him. He stared at her dark hair, and a tear rolled down his cheek to dampen it. Amelia pulled back and smiled at him through her own tears. "I promise," she repeated.

    Zelgadis relaxed considerably and actually smiled in return. He sighed and closed his eyes tiredly.

    "I'm hungry," he murmured finally.

    Lina grinned and stood up.

    "I suppose we can manage that," she said with a wink. "In the mean time, if you promise to behave yourself, we'll untie you so you can sit up."

    He chuckled wryly and nodded in agreement. Lina left to get food while Amelia untied him. He sat up and leaned back against the pillows. Amelia smiled happily at him.

    "I'm so glad you're feeling better," she said, "I've been so worried!"   

    Zelgadis smiled tiredly, the simple act making Amelia's heart do several little flip-flops in her chest. She giggled girlishly and held his hand. They sat like that, just smiling at each other until the food came, and Zelgadis ate more than he'd eaten for a long time.

    Soft cursing could be heard in the stairwell of the inn. It was Gourry who heard the irritated swearing and went to investigate. He found a certain purple-haired priest halfway up the steps, leaning weakly against the wall. Xelloss scowled at his inability to walk up the stairs with any ease and swore again as pain shot through his sides--a result of broken ribs from the beatings he took.

    "You okay, Xelloss?" Gourry asked curiously. He found it odd how Xelloss had his eyes open all the time now. It didn't intimidate him, for very little could scare him. Sometimes, that wasn't a good thing.

    Anyway, Xelloss looked up, not pleased that he was being observed.

    "Sure, Gourry," he grumbled, pulling himself up another stair. "I'm having a great time."

    "Need some help?" Gourry asked, walking down to stand over Xelloss, who just stared at him skeptically.

    "I need my powers back!" he snapped, then yelped as he lost his balance and fell backwards. Gourry reached out and caught his arm, pulling him back before he fell down the stairs. It made an interesting scene, Xelloss clutching onto Gourry's arm for dear life. He swore yet again as one of his legs gave out from under him. Gourry caught him, again, and held him steady.

    "You sure you don't need help?" he asked worriedly.

    "Of course I need help!" Xelloss sighed wearily, "I need help walking up the stairs, Gourry because, dammit, I can't do it myself."

    Gourry just grinned and nodded in semi-comprehension. He lifted Xelloss with ease and carried him the rest of the way up the stairs. Xelloss wasn't happy, but he didn't protest. He just scowled as Gourry put him lightly on his feet.

    "You know," Gourry chuckled, "with both you and Zel hurt, it would just be easier to put you two in the same room. That way we could care for you guys at the same time!"

    Gourry smiled at his own cleverness. Xelloss considered the idea to be a good one on every respect except one: it would work for anyone except him. Zelgadis would just as soon kill him than look at him. And in this fragile condition, it wouldn't be very hard for him to do so. But, Gourry actually believed that this was a good idea and grabbed Xelloss by the arm to drag him down the hall. If he'd been in the mood for a struggle, Xelloss would have protested, but he just wanted to lay down and sleep.

    Lina and Amelia looked up as they heard Gourry come in, Xelloss in tow. Xelloss sank wearily to the floor where Gourry left him, next to Lina.

    "I don't know how you humans do this," he whined, "L-sama, I'm so tired."

    "Can it, Xelloss," Lina grinned, "Hey, Gourry."

    "Hi, Lina," Gourry grinned back, "I just found Xelloss having a hard time climbing up the stairs and decided to bring him in here."

    "Sure," Xelloss groused, "Announce to the world that Xelloss Metallium could not walk up a short flight of stairs. Thank you very much, Gourry."

    "No one told me HE was here," Zelgadis's voice got their attention. Everyone looked up to see the boy glaring down at Xelloss from his position in bed. "And what's with the weakness? And who throttled you? You've got bruises all around your neck!"

    Xelloss sighed and dragged himself to his feet.

    "As much as I'd love to continue this conversation and explain myself to you," he said, limping past the bed and glaring down at Zelgadis. "I'm going to bed. Don't kill yourself in the meantime. I'd HATE to see that happen."

    "Oh, I'm sure," Zelgadis glowered back at him, then winced. Xelloss flinched at the same time and gripped the bed post to keep from falling. He whipped around and stared incredulously at Zelgadis.

    "What the hell was THAT?" he demanded.

    But Zelgadis didn't hear him. He had fallen back against the pillows, holding his head and squeezing his eyes tightly shut. A choked whimper escaped him. Xelloss staggered back and fell into Lina's arms while Amelia jumped forward to help Zelgadis. Xelloss just stared with wide eyes at Zelgadis, who had begun to twist and fight with Amelia and now Gourry, holding him down.

    "Xelloss?" Lina's voice shook him back into reality. He became aware of the position he was in and allowed Lina to help him sit in a chair. She looked at him oddly, "Xelloss, you reacted to that. Whatever's affecting Zel can affect you too!"

    Xelloss nodded dumbly.

    "I just felt a powerful surge flow through the astral plane," he replied, "I thought I had lost contact with it."

    Just then, Zelgadis let out a loud shout, and Lina jumped into action. Gourry and Amelia were having difficulty keeping Zelgadis on the bed, so she helped them hold him down. An idea popped into her head, and she reached forward to touch his forehead.

    "Sleep!"

    Zelgadis fought with the spell for a few seconds before shuddering one last time and falling limp. Everyone fell back panting from exertion.

    "I can't believe that actually worked!" Lina gasped.

    Amelia got back to her feet and proceeded to tie Zelgadis back down to the bed. Soon, he was as they had found him, and they dropped into chairs to relax.

    Xelloss got up and limped over to Zelgadis's bedside, a questioning expression on his face. He leaned on the night stand next to Zelgadis's bed and stared down at the sleeping chimera boy.

    "What is it, Xelloss?" Lina asked, coming to stand by him.

    "Something about this," Xelloss held his hand out over Zelgadis for a moment. Nothing happened, and he shook his head in exasperation. "I can't see what's happening in his mind."

    "Why?" Amelia jumped forward, suddenly suspicious. "Why would you want to, Mr. Xelloss?"

    He never looked away from Zelgadis.

    "Something's wrong," he muttered, "Something isn't right about this. If I was to hazard a guess, I'd say there was mazoku involvement."

    "What would the mazoku want with Zelgadis?" Lina inquired.

    "Nothing," Xelloss shook his head, "But Zelgadis is more sensitive to astral disturbances than most people. Dealing with shamanism automatically makes him more aware of astral plane occurrences, and having demon blood running through his veins heightens his sensitivity. He's just an innocent bystander unfortunate enough to be affected."

    "What do we do about it?" Lina demanded, shaking Xelloss roughly by one arm. He winced as her fingers tightened around his biceps.

    "Lina," he grumbled, "This is none of my business. I'm not even mazoku right now. And please let go of my arm..."

    She just clamped down harder, making him yelp in pain.

    "Ow, ow, ow!" he tried to pull away, "Lina-a-a-a!

    "Like it or not," she growled, "You're involved. If you can help, then you're GOING to help. Understand?"

    "Yes!" he pried desperately at her fingers, "Yes! Just let go!"

    Lina grinned and let go. Xelloss fell to the floor and sat up, grumbling under his breath and rubbing his arm tenderly.

    "I never thought I'd see the day when I gave in to physical violence," he muttered.

    "There's a first time for everything," Lina quipped, "Now, what can you do?"

    "Not much unless someone's willing to help me amplify my meager power," he replied.

    "Amelia!"

    "Anything to help Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia bounced forward and crouched in front of Xelloss, "What do I do?"

    He considered her for a minute, then smiled brightly.

    "This is ideal!" he claimed, "Okay, Amelia. I need to enter Zelgadis's mind. In an hour, I want you to break the connection and pull me out. Fair enough?"

    "Yes!" she helped him up and pulled two chairs over. Then, she touched one hand to Zelgadis's face, and the other to Xelloss's. She concentrated hard and muttered a few focusing words under her breath. Xelloss relaxed and closed his eyes as soon as the spell was complete and slouched down in the chair. Zelgadis was already as relaxed as they come, so he just laid there. Lina and Gourry sat back to keep an eye on things while Amelia let her own mind drift for her sanity's sake. She had faith that in an hour, Lina would shake her out of it so she could break the bond. Until then, she would just meditate.

    FLASH.

    Xelloss found himself standing in an endless, white void. A thick fog hung low around him, making it impossible for him to see more than a few meters in any direction. As he moved, he felt the familiar sensation of his cape floating along behind him and looked down to see that he was back in his traditional priest's garb. Of course, that made sense. This wasn't his physical self. This was his true astral projection. He smiled and continued on.

    Soft laughter echoed through the plane. There was no exact source of the sound, and it didn't sound familiar. A scream bounced across the plane, and he searched for its source. He found it, mere meters from him. A young boy, who looked dangerously like Zelgadis, was caught up in powerful tendrils of magic. He twisted and fought, screaming desperately to get away. Xelloss looked toward the other end of the tendrils and saw Rezo, the famous red priest. He smirked to himself. Destroyed so easily. Pitiful, really.

    Turning, he saw Shaburanigdo rise out of the mists. In one claw, the dark lord held two rag dolls. No, Xelloss realized, humans. Well, dead humans. One sorcerer, one man who looked like he belonged on the battlefield in that armor.

    Xelloss was amazed. Every way he turned, some powerful dark lord or human was doing some sort of damage. Koppi Rezo destroyed a city, laughing maniacally the whole time. Gaav and Saegram flung power around as if it was water, battering against a weakened Amelia, Lina and Gourry. Phibrizzo was there too, killing Amelia over and over again.

    "Incredible," Xelloss said with a curious smile, "He's really gotten around."

    As he stood there, a bemused expression on his face, he became aware of a protected space among the mayhem and destruction. With a thought, he teleported to the place, happy that he could do that in this place. He spotted it almost immediately.

    A huge, translucent bubble waved slightly in the mists. And inside this bubble stood Zelgadis. He was pale even here, staring blankly at what was happening around him. Xelloss frowned at him and waved his hand. Zelgadis didn't see him. He made faces, jumped around, started doing acrobats... but Zelgadis didn't respond. He touched the bubble.

    A gut-wrenching scream pierced the air, surprising Xelloss into jumping back. The scream died, and Xelloss looked up to see Zelgadis staring down at him murderously.

    "Oops," Xelloss muttered with a weak smile. He waved halfheartedly at Zelgadis, not surprised when the chimera's scowl just deepened.

    "Hello, Zelgadis," he greeted softly.

    Zelgadis didn't respond. His protective barrier swirled around him and darkened. Shortly after, it became impossible for Xelloss to even see through it. It suddenly crackled with a strange sort of energy and flared out to hit him-

    FLASH.

    Xelloss gasped and opened his eyes to find himself staring into the furious, red eyes of Lina Inverse. She had a tight grip on the front of his shirt and was shaking him back and forth roughly. He choked on her grip and reached to pull her hands away.

    "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" she demanded, shaking him again.

    "Ow!" Xelloss grunted, feeling his teeth clack together with each shake.

    Lina let go and moved away at the sound of Zelgadis's angry shouts. Shaking his head to clear it, Xelloss looked over to see Lina and Gourry holding Zelgadis down. Zelgadis's eyes were open and insanely furious--in a strange, blank way. He tossed his head back and forth and pulled violently on the ropes binding him to the bed. A normal human would be cut and bleeding from the chafing of the ropes around both wrists. But Zelgadis barely felt it against his stone skin.

    Xelloss saw Amelia standing off to the side, tears streaming down her face. She too had been thrown violently from Zelgadis's mind, although she had only been in it in the most basic of sense. She had not completely submerged herself as Xelloss had.

    Jumping to his feet, Xelloss reached out--and grabbed the night stand to keep from falling. He stifled a moan as he felt pins and needles dance through his legs. Now he knew the joys of sitting in one position for a long time. It wasn't pleasant. Gritting his teeth, he reached out again and grabbed Amelia by the arm. She startled and pulled away at first, but Xelloss was bigger and stronger--barely. He pulled her forward and shoved her toward the bed.

    "Talk to him!" he ordered, "Make him hear you!"

    Shaking with fear, Amelia nodded and leaned over Zelgadis. She trembled and touched his face gently, taking courage when he didn't pull away from her hand.

    "Mr. Zelgadis?" she murmured anxiously.

    "Louder! TALK to him, don't whisper!" Xelloss nudged her forward again and pulled Lina back. Lina jerked her arm away and glared at him. He held her glare with his own. "She can't get through to him if you're in the way."

    "Since when do YOU care?!" she demanded.

    "Since it affects me!" he shot back. "Zelgadis is on the edge of insanity, and if he falls off, I may be stuck as a human forever!"

    "Well," Lina sighed and rubbed her temples. She motioned for Gourry to back off and squinted at Xelloss, "Although your reasoning may not be the most selfless, noble of reasons, at least you're willing to help."

    "Your confidence in me is overwhelming," he replied dryly. He glanced over to see that Zelgadis had stopped struggling. Amelia continued to speak to him. "Anyway," he looked back at Lina, "we can't do anything until Amelia is strong enough. I'd send you in, but I know you'd just blow up at him and ruin it."

    He crashed to the ground as Lina's fist contacted with his skull. She gritted her teeth irately and glared down at the man on the floor. He groaned and held a hand to the growing lump on his head.

        "I guess we won't be able to do anything until YOU'RE better now!" she claimed, and stalked out of the room. Xelloss just sighed and leaned back against the wall. He was just fine sitting here on the floor. And with any luck, Zelgadis would wake up soon. It would be much easier to do this with his consent rather than forcing their way in.

    The next morning, Amelia startled awake. She smiled softly when she saw Zelgadis sleeping peacefully on the bed. His eyes fluttered at her movement and opened slowly.

    "Hi," she whispered, aware of Xelloss, sleeping in the next bed. Xelloss had slept soundly all night, probably his first good night of sleep since he had become human. Amelia didn't really like him, but she felt bad about waking him, so she tried to keep quiet and let him sleep.

    "Amelia," Zelgadis's voice was hoarse from shouting the night before. He winced as he fought off the dreams. On the nearby bed, Xelloss moaned and turned over. Amelia glanced at him briefly before looking back at Zelgadis.

    "Are you feeling better, Mr. Zelgadis?" she asked.

    "A little," he smiled at her, "You stayed with me."

    "I promised I would," she replied, blushing.

    "I heard you last night," he whispered, then frowned, "What was Xelloss doing in my dreams? He's never been there before."

    "Um, well..." Amelia stammered, knowing Zelgadis wouldn't be happy about what they did.

    "Amelia," his voice took a distinctively warning tone.

    "Well," she gave him a guilty look, "I helped him enter your mind. He wanted to see what was happening. He said he could feel strange surges across the astral plane when you started dreaming again."

    "You HELPED him?" Zelgadis started to sit up, then fell back as the ropes stopped him. He squirmed uncomfortably and frowned at Amelia. "Get into my MIND?"

    "Yes, well..." Amelia stammered, trying to explain herself.

    Zelgadis jerked and winced, squeezing his eyes shut tightly. Amelia cried out in alarm. Xelloss gasped and fell out of his bed.

    "Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia exclaimed, shaking him desperately, "Come on. You can fight this!"

    Zelgadis squinted at her, trying to use her words as an anchor. Xelloss scrambled to his feet and jumped forward. He leaned over Zelgadis and glared at him, deathly serious.

    "Zelgadis, I want to send Amelia in to find out what's happening!" he said quickly, "I want you to let her help you. If you fight it-"

    Zelgadis shuddered one last time and fell back. Xelloss swore softly and grabbed Amelia's arm. Amelia let him pull her to a chair and push her into it. He looked at her.

    "Concentrate on my astral body," he ordered, "Use it to get into Zelgadis's dreams. They are only a short distance away from the astral plane."

    Amelia nodded absently, then closed her eyes. Xelloss grabbed her hand and touched his other hand to Zelgadis's forehead. He knelt on the floor to keep from falling over during this and closed his eyes. He could barely contain himself when he actually felt Amelia and Zelgadis--their feelings and thoughts. But he forced away his elation and concentrated on channeling Amelia's mind through his body to Zelgadis. In a moment, he was so deep in meditation that even the explosion outside did not pull him out.

    Lina jerked awake and leapt out of bed at the loud sound outside. Pulling on her shirt and pants, not bothering with anything else, she ran down the hall. She ran into Gourry on her way out, and they ran outside together.

    They were met with a scene of such chaos and destruction that Lina had to blink a few times to be sure she wasn't seeing things. The entire street was in rubble. The buildings lining it were mostly in flames if not already crumbled to the ground. A single figure stood in the midst of the destruction, a dark smile on his face.

    "Well, well, well," he walked forward. The flames at his back left him in a shadow that made it all but impossible for Lina and Gourry to make out who he was. "The infamous Lina Inverse."

    "Since you know MY name, it's only fair that you tell me YOURS!" Lina called back.

    Low, evil laughter. Lina and Gourry stood defensively, one preparing a fireball, the other gripping the hilt of his sword. The man just laughed harder.

    "You think that will work?" he sneered.

    "What do you want?"

    "Well, sadly enough," the man stepped into the light, revealing his face. He was good-looking, with chin-length lavender hair that floated around his head despite the present lack of wind. His eyes were a gold that might have been enchanting but for the evil lurking behind them. He smiled, revealing a set of sharp, white fangs. "I'm not here for you."

    "That didn't answer my question!" Lina was getting irritated. She studied the man. He wore simple peasant's garb--brown, tattered pants and a yellow, short-sleeved shirt. Despite the humble outward appearance, Lina suspected she was dealing with a mazoku.

    "Ah, but Ms. Inverse," he wagged a finger at her in a manner that was curiously like Xelloss's little 'that is a secret' finger wag. "I don't have to answer to you. But, I just think I should remind you that you really shouldn't leave your friends unprotected when they're so vulnerable."

    He teleported away, leaving behind a shocked Lina and a dumbfounded Gourry. Lina swore.

    "Amelia and Zel!" she exclaimed.

    Gourry chased after the frantic sorceress as she bolted back into the inn and up the stairs. Lina burst into the room and stumbled to a stop. Zelgadis was gone, the ropes holding him still in place, but the man they were holding vanished. Xelloss was nowhere to be seen either. Amelia sat slumped over in a chair, her eyes closed.

    "Amelia!" Lina screeched, jumping forward to help her friend. She held the young princess and shook her gently. "Amelia?"

    Amelia sagged limply in Lina's arms, not moving. A soft groaning alerted Lina and Gourry to the fact that Amelia was not the only person left in the room. They looked over to see Xelloss crumpled in the corner, the dents in the wall telling them exactly how he had gotten there. Gourry went to the fallen priest's side, poking him lightly.

    "Hey, Xelloss," he said worriedly, "You okay?"

    Xelloss coughed a few times and spit out some blood. He nodded weakly.

    "I'm alive," he choked, accepting Gourry's proffered hand and climbing to his feet. He limped over to Lina and Amelia. "Damn it."

    "Why isn't she responding?!" Lina asked, shaking her friend.

    "Xelan caught us at a bad time," he explained, "Amelia is still in Zelgadis's mind. The connection was broken before I could pull her out."

    "She's WHAT?!"

    Xelloss choked as Lina grabbed him in a headlock. As a human, those impossible ways to bend just didn't work for him anymore. Lina realized her mistake and let go. Xelloss collapsed to the floor, panting. He smiled weakly up at her.

    "It's still possible to get her back!" he assured her, "We just have to find Zelgadis and reinitiate the link."

    "Why did they take Zel anyway?" she demanded to know, "I thought you said he was an innocent bystander!"

    "I'm not privvy as to the reasoning behind Xelan's actions," Xelloss protested, rubbing his neck tenderly as he sat back on the floor.

    "Xelan?" Lina caught the name, "Wait a minute. You KNOW him?"

    "Of course!" he smiled brightly, "Xelan is my brother."

    The first thing she noticed was how dark it was. She looked around in confusion. Xelloss had described a great white plane, not black. And misty, not this... whatever it was. More like a huge black void of nothing.

    A flicker off to her right made her whirl quickly. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, making her heart pound in her chest. Nothing. There was nothing there.

    "Oh dear," Amelia murmured, looking around, "I'm lost. Mr. Zelgadis? Mr. Xelloss? Anyone?"

    Of course, she didn't get any answer. Then, a low giggle echoed around her. She searched around madly, trying to place the source of the laugh. But she couldn't see anything. The giggle came again.

    "My, my, my," came a soft, taunting voice, "What a pleasant surprise. Two for the price of one."

    Amelia's heart sank. She was alone, without Lina or the others, and someone was going to attack her. Licking her lips nervously, she looked around again. Maybe. Just maybe, she would find Zelgadis here. The voice had said two were here, hadn't it? Maybe Zelgadis really WAS in here with her.

    Xelloss wondered briefly how long he would survive if he continued to remain near Lina Inverse in this form. He coughed a few times as Lina grabbed him roughly by the front of his shirt. Gourry danced around anxiously in the background.

    "Lina!" he protested, "Should you really be doing that to Xelloss when he's hurt?"

    Lina studied Xelloss, who had his eyes squeezed tightly shut and his teeth clenched, shook a bit, trying not to cough. Sighing deeply, she dropped him and waited patiently while violent coughing wracked through Xelloss's mortal body. He moaned softly and sat back.

    "I'm never going to survive this, am I?" he complained.

    "Explain yourself, Xelloss," Lina replied, having no sympathy for him. "Xelan is your brother?"

    "Oh!" Xelloss chuckled a bit, then coughed again. Gourry handed him a glass of water, and he nodded his thanks. He smiled at Lina's confusion.    "Xelan is my brother in the loosest definition of the word. As you know, mazoku are not conceived by human methods. We are created. A dark lord decides he or she wants a loyal follower, so a servant is created. Not all servants are very loyal. Like humans, each mazoku has their own distinct temperament," he glanced at Lina to be sure that she was following. She was.

    "So you're saying that you and Xelan were just created by the same dark lord," she ventured.

    "Exactly," Xelloss grinned at her, "You always were a bright one, Lina."

    "So, you were created by the same dark lord... may I presume you're speaking of Beastmaster Zelas?" she inquired.

    "That's right," he sipped his water thoughtfully.

    "Does that mean you have the same abilities then?" she asked.

    Xelloss choked on his water as he started to laugh. He coughed a bit more and shook his head. He smirked as he recovered.

    "Of course not!" he chuckled, "Xelan is a much lower level mazoku than I am."

    "It looks like he gave you quite a beating a few minutes ago," Lina pointed out.

    Xelloss hunched his shoulders and pouted. He scowled at the sorceress.

    "It wasn't my fault!" he protested, "He's still got his mazoku powers. I don't. Not to mention he caught me while I was meditating. I would have had a better chance had he caught me while I was sleeping!"

    Lina sighed and rubbed her forehead tiredly.

    "Think," she mumbled to herself, "Need to think..."

    "Perhaps it would be wise for us to search for Zelgadis," Xelloss suggested, struggling to get to his feet, and failing miserably. He frowned unhappily and looked up at Lina, "The sooner we find him, the sooner we find out what Xelan is up to."   

    Lina sighed and nodded. She looked down at Amelia, still sitting in the chair, looking like she had fallen asleep. Reaching forward, she picked up the petite princess and looked back at Xelloss.

    "Can you walk?"

    He offered a wry chuckle and shook his head.

    "I can't even stand up," he admitted.

    "Gourry, help him," she ordered, "We'll need him before this is done."

    "I feel so loved," Xelloss grumbled as Gourry crouched down by his side to help him.

    "Meanwhile," Lina shifted Amelia slightly in her arms. "I'm going to find a safe place to leave Amelia."

    She left the room, leaving Gourry to help Xelloss.

    Amelia sighed wearily. It seemed to her that she had been walking for hours. Still, she hadn't found anything. She let out a tired sob and fell to her knees.

    "It's so hopeless!" she whimpered, "Mr. Zelgadis, where are you?!"

    She thought about him, all helpless and hurting. She didn't like that. The Zelgadis she knew was always strong and dependable--well, dependable as long as it didn't get in the way of him finding a cure. She thought about him holding her that time in the ghost town Sairaag, when she had gotten hurt. It was then that she had realized her feelings for him. She wanted desperately to get it through to him how she felt.

    A movement off to her left made her look up curiously. She gasped and scrambled to her feet to stare in amazement.

    "Mr. Zelgadis!"

    Sure enough, it was Zelgadis. Sort of. Amelia barely recognized him without the blue, stone skin. His hair was a soft, violet and his eyes weren't as hard and flinty as she was used to, but this was definitely Zelgadis. He just stood there, his arms wrapped tightly around himself. His eyes were wide with fear and impending madness as he stared at things only he could see.

    "Mr. Zelgadis?" Amelia reached out hesitantly to touch his arm. He startled before she even came close to him and looked down at her.

    "Who are you?"

    Amelia froze in shock. How could he not recognize her? After traveling together for so long. After having spent so much time together. How could he even ASK such a question?

    "M-mister Zelgadis?"

    He hesitated, then peered closely at her.

    "Amelia?" he asked cautiously.

    She broke into a rapturous grin and threw herself at him. But she hit something before she could reach him and fell back as a strange, static electricity ran through her. It didn't hurt. Not really. It just surprised her. She stared at Zelgadis in confusion. Was this that protective bubble Xelloss had spoken of? Zelgadis just frowned down at her.

    "What are you doing here?" he demanded. "How did you get here?"

    "Mr. Xelloss helped me enter your mind, Mr. Zelgadis," she said shakily, "Is that- is that okay?"

    His frown deepened.

    "My mind?" he shook his head, "This isn't my mind. LOOK at it!" he gestured to the black void, "Nothing. There's always SOMETHING. Dreams, images, thoughts... never this."

    "Then where ARE we?" she asked.

    "A dark zone," he replied seriously. "In the astral plane."

    The road was fairly smooth and uneventful. Somehow, Lina had located a hay wagon, and the three--she, Gourry, and Xelloss--(plus Amelia) used it to travel to Seiyruun. They reached the city within the day and put Amelia in her room to be guarded day and night--not that the simple guards could do anything to protect the princess should Xelan decide to come. But Prince Phil insisted, and thus it happened.

    Phil had his best doctors examine Xelloss and care for the ex-mazoku, while he had his best chefs prepare a huge feast for Lina and Gourry. So extensive was the amount of food that even those two together could not finish it. They sat back, content and full, when they finished eating. Lina sighed happily and patted her stomach.

    "You just can't beat Seiyruun dining," she complemented.

    A loud snore was her response from Gourry. How nice. The swordsman had fallen asleep in his chair after he had finished eating, as usual. Lina just smiled and sipped some wine. They had time to relax now. There was no need to push her dumb friend.

    As Lina contemplated going to her room, she noticed a small movement at the door and looked up. Xelloss smiled at her from the entrance and limped in. His attire had changed again. He now wore clothing like that of a nobleman. His pants were still black, but his shirt--long-sleeved and fitted--was a deep, royal purple that set off his hair and eyes nicely. Lina guessed that a woman had picked out the outfit. She had to admit, the fruity bastard looked good. With his eyes open all the time, he didn't look nearly so irritatingly cheerful, even with the smile.

    "Good evening, Lina," he greeted, sitting down and helping himself to a bowl of fish. "You look well."

    "You don't look half bad yourself," she replied, studying him curiously, "Your limp is fading."

    "Another session with the doctor tomorrow, and they expect a full recovery," he said happily. He shot Lina a warning glare, "That means no rough treatment from you until then!"

    "Of course!" she smiled brightly, "Would I hurt you?"

    "Yes."

    Lina shrugged and sipped at her water again. Xelloss's stomach growled while he ate, and he flushed slightly.

    "It's taking awhile to get used to that," he mumbled.

    Lina chuckled.

    "Well, Xelloss," she said, getting serious. "Xelan is YOUR brother... or whatever... so you must know a little bit about where he might be."

    "Actually..." Xelloss rubbed the back of his head nervously.

    "You DON'T?!" Lina threw up her hands in exasperation, "Geez, Xelloss! What good are you?"

    "HEY!"

    "Well, do you know anyone who WOULD know?"

    Xelloss picked up a carrot and chewed on it thoughtfully. He took a sip of water and put the glass down again. Lina waited. And waited. And waited. After a long time of waiting, she smiled demonically.

    "You DO know someone," she predicted.

    He sweatdropped and smiled apprehensively.

    "What makes you say that?" his voice wavered slightly, anxiety laced through it.

    "You would have said something by now," Lina replied, her grin growing. "So? Spill it. Who do you know who would be able to tell us where Xelan is hiding?"

    He stood quickly.

    "Well!" he grinned cheerfully, "It's getting late. I think I'll turn--eck!"

    Lina had him in a tight headlock, his arm wrenched behind his back, before he could sneak out. Her devious grin had turned into a malevolent glare. Xelloss grunted and winced as pain danced liberally through his arm and body.

    "Lina!" he choked, "I- I don't think--*choke*--it will--*gasp*--do us any good!"

    She just growled under her breath at him and reinforced her grip. Xelloss had tears in his eyes at this point, but he still smiled anxiously.

    "If you don't tell me, Xelloss," Lina warned, "L-sama help me, I'll kill you right here."

    Xelloss chuckled.

    "A girl after my own heart," he muttered.

    Lina wrenched down on his arm in warning. He winced and smiled.

    "You REALLY want to know?" he taunted her--begging for more pain in Lina's opinion.

    "YES!"

    "Lord Beastmaster!" he gasped as her grip became almost unbearable, "Lord Beastmaster would be able to tell you!"

    He collapsed to the ground as Lina abruptly dropped him.

    "L-sama, what did I do to deserve this?" he complained, rubbing his arm and panting for air. Lina just stared at him thoughtfully.

    "How do we get to Beastmaster?" she asked.

    "I always knew you were a little off, but that is complete insanity," he said calmly, dragging himself off the floor and flopping into a chair tiredly. He squinted at her through one eye, "Lord Beastmaster would rather kill you than help you."

    "I have YOU," she pointed out.

    He broke out into hysterical giggling, as if that was the funniest thing he had ever heard.

    "Sure, Lina," he grinned, "I'll just walk up to the front door and say, 'Hi, Lord Beastmaster! Remember me? I used to be your Priest and General. You made me mortal awhile ago,'" he shook his head, "That's ludicrous, Lina."

    "How so?" she sat down and drank some of her water, "If she gave you that much power in the first place, she must have a liking for you somehow."

    He grinned. Then, he scowled.

    "Stop that!" he demanded, "I'm not going, and that's that!"

    Lina just grinned.

    The sound of clapping resounded through the void. Amelia whirled around, searching for the source. Zelgadis just stood there, staring straight forward, no expression on his face. His whole body tensed, as if expecting a blow.

    "Very good!" the voice Amelia had heard before echoed again through the void. A small giggle frightened the princess rather than putting her at ease as a giggle should. "Of course, Zelgadis has always been one of the smarter ones in your little gang. Yes, you are on the astral plane. Welcome to my domain."

    "Who are you?" Amelia demanded angrily, "Show yourself, creature of darkness!"

    Her bold demands were met with bitter laughter. She tensed and looked around wildly. Nothing. Zelgadis stiffened and perked his ears at something she couldn't hear. He winced and shook his head slowly, his eyes ever-widening. His mouth moved slowly. Amelia saw that he was repeating just one word... 'No.' She shouted angrily.

    "What do you want with us?"

    "With you?" laughing again, "My dear, nothing! You and your chimeric friend are just little added bonuses! I'll play with you until I tire of it and kill you. Nothing more."

    With that said, the voice broke into hysterical laughter that chilled her to the core. She shivered and hugged herself tightly. Looking again at Zelgadis, she saw that he had dropped to his knees, still hugging his arms across his chest protectively. The protective barrier around him suddenly swirled and crackled, making itself visible to her.

    "Mr. Zelgadis!" she gasped, "Mr. Zelgadis, we've got to get out of here!"

    "Go away, Amelia," he replied, "Leave me alone."

    "You don't mean that!" she reached out, only to jerk her hand back as it hit the bubble, "You don't have to be alone!"

    "Go away, Amelia."

    The day was perfect. The sun was shining. There were very few clouds in the sky, and the ones that were there were a light, fluffy white. Lina and Gourry sat next to each other in comfortable silence on the front of the hay wagon. After only a half hour of whining about the chain holding him to the wagon, Xelloss had fallen asleep in the hay in the back. Lina grinned at the memory of his struggle and toyed with the key to the manacles around her neck.

    And it had gone on as such until Xelloss grew weary of his struggles and settled down to a long nap. Lina sighed with relief and anticipation as she saw the seaport up ahead. She grinned and sat up a little straighter.

    At the boat--which Prince Phil had already reserved for them, saving them the hassle of negotiating--they easily dragged a sleepy Xelloss on board and pulled up anchor. Once they were out of sight of the shoreline, Lina unlocked Xelloss's manacles. He rubbed his sore wrists dejectedly and slinked off to his room to pout.

    Lina looked out over the blue-green ocean and inhaled deeply, taking in the salty air. As she let out the breath in a huge sigh, she felt cleansed somehow. She smiled as the sounds of Gourry's seasickness-induced retching over the opposite side of the boat reached her. He never had liked boats very much, and this one had a fairly rough ride.

    "Xelloss is wrong," she informed the seagull perched on the side of the boat next to her, "Zelas won't kill him. There is something going on, and she needed him to be mortal because of it. I intend to find out what's wrong and fix it. Sound good?"

    The gull cocked its head at her before letting out a gull-like screech and lifting off to return to land before it became too distant to fly. Lina grinned and continued to stare out to sea.

    In a dark room, miles away from anything, a beautiful, deadly smile was reflected in dim firelight. A soft giggle echoed through the dark room, and the woman lifted a cigarette to her lips. She blew out a gray cloud of smoke and smiled again.

    "Well, Lina Inverse," her voice was rich and seductive, "It appears that you really are the smart girl. Very well. Come to my island. If you're smart, you will survive."

    The woman giggled again and opened her eyes. They glowed and flickered as some power flowed through her. Then, all was dark.

    Amelia stared down at Zelgadis for a long time, realizing that this had been what Xelloss was talking about. Zelgadis was fighting her, refusing her help. Well, she, Amelia Wil Tesla Seiyruun, would not accept this. She posed automatically as these thoughts ran through her head. As a fighter for peace, love, justice and truth, she would not allow Zelgadis to be hurt anymore.

    "MR. ZELGADIS!" she shouted, quickly getting his attention. His head snapped up, and he stared at her with wide eyes, "I will NOT allow this behavior! You are going to let me help you get out of here, and that's that!"

    He frowned at her.

    "What can YOU do?" he replied, his voice bitter, "What could you possibly try that I have not already tried?"

    "The power of two people is much greater than the power of just one man," she replied. "Drop the barrier and let me help you!"

    She held out her hand toward him. Electric energy danced across the astral plane around them. They could hear screaming as mazoku tried to teleport and got caught in the barrage instead.

    "Hold my hand, Mr. Zelgadis," Amelia begged, "Hold my hand, and I'll never leave you alone again."

    Tears glittered in his eyes as the words penetrated the barrier in his mind. Slowly, the wall he had built to protect himself crumbled and fell. Amelia smiled as the bubble around him flickered and faded. He slid his hand into hers and stood up to face the energy assault. Amelia's heart pounded furiously in her chest, threatening to burst through as she held his hand. She knew that together, they would face this threat. (Sappy, I know, but this IS Amelia we're talking about.)

    Xelloss was the first to wake. And the first thing he noticed was that they were no longer on board the ship. Dread filled his being as he looked around at the dark woods and listened to the forest sounds. He groaned softly in mild despair.

    "Oh, L-sama," he murmured, "We're on Wolf Pack Island."

    He found Lina and Gourry just a few feet away and immediately set to waking them.

    "Lina," he whispered desperately, shaking her harder than he would have had he been in his right mind. "Lina, wake up!"

    Grumbling under her breath, Lina opened her eyes and glared at him.

    "Xelloss," she warned.

    He let go quickly and hopped back.

    "We need to wake Gourry and get moving," he informed her quickly.

    Lina smacked Gourry over the head, upon which occasion he sat up, babbling something incoherent from his dreams. He saw the surroundings and grinned.

    "Why didn't anyone tell me we were stopping to spend the night in the woods?" he asked.

    Lina hit him again, and he shut up. She grinned as well.

    "Judging by the anxious expression on Xelloss's face, we must already be on Beastmaster's island," she announced.

    Xelloss just cowered and huddled behind Gourry--being that he was the largest person around to hide behind. Lina shook her head and grabbed the ex-mazoku's wrist. He yelped but let her drag him along, not being able to do anything better.   

    "Wow, what a huge house!" Gourry commented as they walked up to the front--at least, Lina thought it was the front--door of a gigantic mansion.

    Lina nodded, also awed by the sight. Xelloss just stood there stiffly, shivering and hugging himself with his free arm--his other arm still caught up in Lina's grip. She knocked.

    To Lina and Gourry's great surprise, the door opened immediately. In the entrance stood a majestic woman with long, flowing blonde hair and bracelets jangling on her wrists and ankles. She held a cigarette in one hand and smiled darkly at them.

    "I see you've all made it here safely," she said, "And you've even brought along my Xelloss."

    At a sudden shift of pressure in her hand, Lina looked to see that Xelloss had dropped to one knee and bowed his head. She let go of his wrist and let him pull his hand down to his chest. The trembling that went through his body was obvious to her, and she looked back at the woman.

    "Beastmaster," she realized, "I'm surprised that you welcomed us yourself."

    The woman smiled and shrugged.

    "I usually let the servants answer the door," she replied nonchalantly, "but this is too important to leave to the lowers. Come, all of you. I will explain what is happening and why you are here."

    Lina and Gourry moved forward to follow her, but Xelloss stayed where he was, frozen to the spot. Zelas noticed this as well and returned to look down at him.

    "Xelloss," she said, "I am glad you have come."

    He shivered and bowed his head further.

    "If all turns out, you will soon be back to normal, my little trickster," she told him.

    With that, she turned on her high heel and continued on. Xelloss stayed where he was, leaving Lina and Gourry to wonder. They had no choice but to follow Zelas, leaving him behind.

    As they disappeared down the shadowy corridors, Xelloss lifted his head. A dark smirk played across his lips, and he rose to his feet. He walked into the house and went to a corridor different from the one Zelas had used with Lina and Gourry.

    Zelas smiled down at Lina and Gourry.

    "It appears as if all the players are in place," she commented, "You are here to search for your friends. A young princess and that interesting chimera man."

    "Yes," Lina nodded her head furiously, "Xelloss said that you would be able to tell us where they are."

    "Yes," Zelas nodded slowly, "The chimera is in one of Xelan's rooms."

    "GREAT!" Lina turned to go, "We'll just go get him and be on our way then."

    "Don't be so hasty," Zelas grinned at Lina's impetuousness, "Getting your friend back solves nothing. He will still be plagued by dreams unless the source of those dreams is destroyed."

    "And you want me to destroy it," Lina realized, her heart sinking.

    "And just what is this source?" Gourry asked curiously.

    The response to that question came from behind them rather than in front, where Zelas was sitting.

    "Xelan is the source," Xelloss said casually, "I thought that much was obvious."

    "It is," Lina sighed, "That's Gourry for you."

    At Zelas's dark smile, she turned to look at Xelloss. He was dressed once again in his traditional priest's garb--staff still missing. He smiled brightly and entered.

    "Xelan is creating a disturbance in the astral plane," he said, "Am I right, Lord Beastmaster?"

    "As always," Zelas took a drag on her cigarette and blew out a cloud of smoke. She grinned down at Lina and Gourry. "You see, Xelan is disrupting the currents that run through the astral plane, making it impossible for many higher level mazoku to teleport, including myself. I have seen the results of attempts. Sheela, Dynast's general, will be out of action for several weeks due to these disruptions."

    "Oooh," Xelloss smirked, "Too bad. Remind me to visit her while she's down."

    Lina sweatdropped.

    "I take it you don't like Sheela very much, do you, Xelloss?" she murmured.

    He just smiled wider. Zelas chuckled and shook her head, as if amused by a young child's antics.

    "We'll discuss that later," she said, "Back to Xelan. Because of the nature of these disturbances, I decided it would be best not to send Xelloss in to stop him. He is particularly sensitive to changes on the astral plane and would not have hesitated to investigate. Of course, it would have killed him, and I'll just not have that."

    "A rather stupid way to die," Lina commented.

    "So that's why you made me mortal!" Xelloss smiled brightly and punched his fist into his open palm in realization, "That's quite a relief."

    "But Xelloss still sensed the disturbances when he was around Zelgadis," Lina added.

    "He has always been sensitive to changes on the astral plane," Zelas repeated. "Mazoku or not."

    "Great," Lina sighed and rubbed her temples tiredly, "So, what do we do?"

    "You, Lina Inverse, have to draw Xelan out of the astral plane and into this world," Zelas said with a predatory smirk. "Once in this world, he can be killed. It doesn't matter by whom."

    "But how the hell am I supposed to get to the astral plane to convince him to leave?"

    Zelas pointed at Xelloss, who just lifted his eyebrows curiously.

    "Me?" he chuckled, "How am I supposed to send her to the astral plane?"

    "You succeeded in sending the princess there," Zelas replied, "Therefore, you must do what you did then with Lina. Only this time... keep the connection so Lina does not become trapped in the chimera man's mind as the princess did."

    Xelloss frowned at the implied ridicule in that statement but dared not comment. He could pout later. Instead, he brought forth his ever-present smile and folded his hands behind his back.

    "So," he said cheerfully, "Where is Zelgadis?"

    "Elmekia La-"

    "Wait! Amelia!" Zelgadis clapped a hand over her mouth before she could complete the spell. Rather than look at her, he stared cautiously at their surroundings. "We don't know what kind of effect a spell will have on this plane."

    "Oh," her eyes widened in realization, "Right. So, what do we do?"

    "This is the astral plane," he stated simply, "We do whatever our astral bodies allow us to do."

    "That's kind of a cryptic answer, Mr. Zelgadis," Amelia fretted.

    He smiled down at her and patted her shoulder lightly.

    "Comprehension is not required," he replied, "just think about something you want to do and try it."

    She nodded and closed her eyes to concentrate. A huge table covered in food appeared near them. Zelgadis facefaulted and stared at the feast incredulously while Amelia looked at him with embarrassed innocence.

    "Sorry," she murmured, "I guess my thoughts were a bit distracted. I AM kind of hungry."

    Zelgadis sighed and waved his hand at the table. It disappeared as if it had never been. Amelia's eyes widened in surprise.

    "HEY!" she gasped, "How did you-?"

    "Being part demon gives me some advantages," he replied elusively. "Here, I'll show you what I meant."

    He turned to face the electrical storm that steadily approached them. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on what he was about to do. Then, lifting his head abruptly, his eyes snapped open, and he brought his arms up over his head. A dome of blue, swirling energy appeared over their heads. Amelia stared in awe as the electricity in the surrounding area suddenly whipped toward them, as if attracted to the field. But as it struck the barrier, it dissolved harmlessly into the blue swirling matter. Zelgadis grinned and looked down at the stunned princess.

    "What is this made of?" she asked curiously.

    "Positive energy," he replied, "Like in a magnet. The electricity is negative, so it is attracted to the field, but it is canceled out as it contacts the protons. It's simple physics."

    Amelia shook her head in confusion and shrugged.

    "Sure," she murmured, still in awe, "As long as it works."

    Zelgadis sweatdropped and smiled weakly.

    "I guess so," he murmured. "I can't defeat a mazoku in this domain, but at least I can protect us from his weaker activities."

    "I never doubted you, Mr. Zelgadis!"

    Lina glared at Xelloss as she laid down on a cot near Zelgadis.

    "If you even THINK of trying something, I'll make you regret it like you've never regretted before," she snapped.

He smiled and put his hand to her forehead, oblivious to her threat. She glowered in warning.

    "I've never regretted anything I've ever done before, Lina," he twisted her words to suit his snide remark. "Now be quiet and relax. Concentrate on my astral body and use it to enter Zelgadis's mind. It's only a short distance from the astral plane. If you find yourself on the astral plane, stay there and find Xelan."

    "I know what to do," she grumbled, following his orders. Xelloss chuckled softly, then settled down. He knew Zelas was only a few feet away, so he did not fear another attack from Xelan. This was good. He needed to use his whole concentration to help Lina into the astral plane.

    Touching his hand to Zelgadis's forehead as well, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the task at hand. He slouched down as he dropped into a state of mind very close to that of a person in deep sleep. Just before he became unaware of anything, he felt Lina's chi flow through him. Had he been aware much longer, he would have taken the time to be shocked at the power behind the young girl's life force. But he wasn't, so he didn't. The end was near, and Lina would be the deciding factor, as usual.

    The first thing Lina noticed was how dark it was. She looked around curiously and confirmed what she had suspected the instant she arrived. The astral plane.

    "Well!" a familiar voice startled her. "I see you've finally come, Lina!"

    Lina turned to look at the man who had spoken with absolute shock written on her face. He just responded with a dark smile.

    "Xelloss?!"

    "I can't hold this much longer," Zelgadis commented casually. From the tone of his voice, Amelia would have thought he was sitting down to a cup of tea. She shuddered at the icy calm and squeezed his hand encouragingly.

    "Miss Lina will get us out," she said confidently.

    "Lina ALWAYS bails us out," he grumbled.

    "We've done our fair share of bailing," Amelia protested.

    He chuckled and nodded.

    "It's only fair that she helps out by doing a few big things now and then," he agreed.

    He looked around suddenly.

    "Something is changing," he announced.

    "The lightning!" Amelia pointed to the 'sky.' "It's going away!"

    Zelgadis grinned and looked to the side, where the lighting was concentrating off in the distance. He chuckled softly.

    "It looks like Lina's arrived," he realized.

    Lina stared incredulously at the trickster priest. He looked a bit different than what she was used to. His priest's garb had very little color variety. His typically yellow shirt was a misty black, the pants and cloak even darker. His purple hair and eyes seemed brighter and more evil. The only thing unchanged appeared to be his staff. The rest of him was different... more sinister.

    "Xelloss!"

    "You already said that," he quipped, giggling madly. His cloak and hair swirled around in the currents of 'air' that were on the astral plane.

    "But... you said you lost contact with the astral plane!" she gasped.

    He giggled again.

    "You misunderstood," he replied, "I can't explain it in the way my physical self explained it. Consider me a completely different person. I lost contact with your world about a week ago. But that does not mean that I'm no longer there, just as I'm still here."

    Lina shook her head in confusion.

    "Lost," she mumbled, "I'm lost."

    Another giggle.

    "Well, let's just call it a secret and leave it at that, shall we?" he grinned as electricity suddenly flared up around them. "It looks like Xelan has detected you. That's good."

    "GOOD?!" Lina screeched, "Are you INSANE?! I'm not ready yet! I don't even know what I can DO here!"

    Xelloss just giggled merrily and twirled lightly in midair. Lina wondered if perhaps he WAS insane.

    "You'll have to figure it out," he laughed, "Or we'll all be killed. Doesn't sound like a very pleasant outcome, does it?"

    "You're completely nuts," Lina informed him.

    "Better to be crazy than dead!" he winked at her, "Have fun!"

    Lina let out a horrified yelp as he faded into the darkness. She reached out to grab his arm, but her hand passed right through him. His insane laugh bounced around her.

    "Now, now, Lina," he scolded, "You don't REALLY want me here."

    "Why not?" she demanded, "You've been helpful before!"

    "Have I?" he chuckled and shook his head. "HE has. Not me. We are two different people. You see, when he's in battle, causing trouble, killing, and loving it... that's me. When he helps you pathetic humans and saves your lives time and time again, that's him. We are not the same. My dear, Lina," his already dark smirk darkened even more, and his eyes opened to reveal sinister intentions, "if I remain here, I will hurt you, not help you. I know that is not my master's intentions, so I must leave. Do you understand now?"

    Lina stared at him numbly as lightning struck, less than a few feet from her. Somehow, she found herself nodding, even though she didn't want to believe it. Xelloss's eyes lit up with excitement as the electrical storm grew suddenly violent. He laughed and leapt up to meet it. Lina watched in horrified fascination as the lightning seemed to punch right through him, yet not cause any damage. He laughed again and waved down at her, far below.

    "Have fun, Lina!" he called. "I wish I could join this battle, but it's not meant to be. Bye!"

    He dissolved into nothing and was gone. It took a bolt of lightning striking the ground less than two feet in front of Lina to snap her back into reality. She turned to face the threat: Xelan.

    "Well, well," Xelan smirked down at her, "The infamous Lina Inverse finally shows her face. I see you were conversing with Xelloss, the spoiled bastard that he is. I'll deal with him when I've finished killing you."

    Adrenaline pumped through Lina's veins, and she grinned suddenly. She lived for such improvised battles. Despite being in Xelan's domain, she was in her element.

    "You don't seem to think that I have much of a chance, do you?" she taunted him, grinning diabolically.

    "In my playing field?" Xelan laughed at the absurdity of it, "You have no chance whatsoever. I will kill you with a snap of my fingers."

    "And to what purpose?" she shot back, "So you can say you defeated the great Lina Inverse? But then, you'll have cheated. You haven't taken me on equal playing ground. You won't kill a great sorceress. You'll kill a helpless little girl. Because that's what I am here, isn't it?"

    Lina grinned as Xelan hesitated. She stepped forward boldly.

    "Follow me to MY world!" she challenged, "Defeat me there! Then, no one will dare challenge you again!"

    Xelan smirked at the obvious bait. But he took it anyway.

    "Play it your way, Lina," he laughed, "You have five seconds to flee this place, and I will follow you to your world."

    "Fair enough," she nodded, "Begin!"

    A second later, she had disappeared. Xelan laughed and followed her.

    Lina's eyes snapped open, and she shot to her feet. She found herself staring at Gourry, and a very satisfied-looking Beastmaster. The woman/mazoku took a drag on her cigarette and grinned at the young sorceress.

    "You have done well, Lina Inverse," she complemented.

    "Wha-what?" Lina looked around wildly for Xelan, but he was nowhere to be seen. "Where's Xelan?"

    "Gone," Zelas stated simply, "I killed him."

    "He's already DEAD?!"

    Lina sighed and sat down on the cot again. She looked down to see Xelloss still on the floor between the beds, shaking his head slowly, as if to clear it. His violet eyes slid over to look at her and caught her strange expression.

    "What's your problem?" he grumbled, holding a hand to his temple. "You sure know how to leave behind a grade A headache. Amelia didn't give me that much trouble."

    "I saw you on the astral plane," she announced.

    "You did," it wasn't a question. He chuckled softly and got to his feet, only swaying slightly from the pounding in his scull. He squinted at Lina,     "Speaking of Amelia. She's still trapped inside of Zelgadis's mind. I think it's about time to get her out."

    No sooner were the words out of his mouth, then they weren't in the room anymore. The room disappeared, only to reappear--as a different room.

    "Hey! It's Amelia's room!" Gourry announced intelligently.

    "So it is," Xelloss brushed off Gourry's stupidity with practiced ease and smiled. "I suppose it's time to separate the two."

    Rather than attempt to move Zelgadis from the floor, where he was still sleeping soundly--a task which would require moving a young man made of one-third golem, very heavy rocks. Instead, Gourry easily lifted Amelia from her bed and went to Zelgadis's side. Xelloss touched her forehead and then Zelgadis's. He went back into a trance.

    A minute later, Amelia's eyelids fluttered and opened. She looked up into Gourry's face and screamed. Gourry dropped her in alarm, and she scrambled away, clutching at her heart and panting.

    "Mr. Gourry!" she gasped, "You scared me!"

    "Sorry, Amelia," he just smiled, "Welcome back!"

    "Mr. Zelgadis!" she exclaimed suddenly, turning to stare down at the chimera man. Xelloss's hand snaked out to hold her back. Amelia looked in surprise to see him gazing down at Zelgadis with a plotting smirk on his face.

    "Not yet, Amelia," he said softly, "I still need to do one more thing."

    He closed his eyes again, hand still on Zelgadis's forehead.

    Somewhere back on Wolf Pack Island, Zelas Metallium smiled. She lounged comfortably in her bed and drank wine. Still smirking, she looked over at her newest rug. It was a wolf hide with pale, violet fur. Glass, golden eyes stared blankly at the ceiling.

    "Lose one, lose two," she laughed quietly, "Get one back, make two into a throw rug."

    She shut off the light and slept.

    A few minutes after pushing Amelia back, Xelloss pulled back again, a satisfied smirk on his face.

    "He's all yours," he announced with a funny little giggle.

    Amelia threw herself at Zelgadis and hugged him relentlessly. At the sudden pressure around his shoulders, Zelgadis's eyelids fluttered and opened to stare at the young princess in amazement. Hesitantly, he lifted his arms and gently hugged Amelia in return.

    "I'm so glad you're back, Mr. Zelgadis!" she exclaimed, tears evident in her voice.

    Zelgadis looked up in surprise, and found Lina and Gourry just grinning down at them. Xelloss stood off to the side, looking vaguely disgusted by the display but happy nonetheless. Oddly enough, he held a ruby-tipped staff in one hand--the one which had been missing for so long.

    "I promise, Mr. Zelgadis," Amelia said suddenly, drawing his attention away from the others in the room.

    "Promise what, Amelia?" he asked curiously.

    "That you'll never be alone again!" she declared, pulling back and grinning at him. Zelgadis blinked, caught off guard. Then, he smiled and pulled the young girl into another hug. The scene ended as a happy one.

    Over a week had passed since everything had returned to normal. Shortly after Zelgadis had woken up, Xelloss had disappeared. Not just leaving, but actually teleporting. He was once again mazoku. Lina didn't mind. That just meant that there was one less person she had to be annoyed by--constantly, anyway.

    Now, Lina Inverse walked along the path next to Gourry, laughing at something he'd never intended to be funny. Zelgadis and Amelia walked next to each other in comfortable silence, both smiling. The next town was only a few miles up the road, and there was supposed to be a beautiful spa there--according to the princess of Seiyruun. Lina planned to take full advantage of the presence and relax. She knew she deserved the break.

    "It looks like you've all recovered from your ordeal," came a well-known, irritatingly happy voice. They looked up to see Xelloss standing on the path in front of them.

    "Hello, Xelloss!" Lina smiled. "You look better."

    "I healed very quickly once I became mazoku again," he informed her cheerily, "Anyway, I know you four are looking forward to a break, so I'll just say and do what I came to say and do."

    "Get on with it," Zelgadis grumbled, "And then leave."

    "You're welcome, Zelgadis," Xelloss quipped with a grin. They couldn't help but notice how much more cheerful he looked when his eyes weren't open all the time. "And Lina, thank you for saving me from that horrible bandit."

    "No problem," she laughed at him, remembering the incident, "It was worth it to see you helpless and irritated like that."

    He twitched slightly and lifted an eyebrow.

    "And one more thing," he said with a devious smirk. "I believe you met my other side."

    "Creepy and crazy!" Lina giggled at her own joke.

    "And a bit helpful at times," Xelloss completed, his smile growing. His eyes opened suddenly, and he grinned down at the sorceress. "Here's a bit of retribution for all you did for me."

    Lina staggered as he punched her full in the face. Xelloss floated out of range and examined his fist thoughtfully as Gourry pulled out his sword, and Zelgadis and Amelia prepared to attack. His laughter drifted down to them.

    "A single bruise is a small price to pay for everything she did to me," he claimed, "Take care!"

    He disappeared, leaving Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis to help Lina to her feet. She held a hand to her reddening cheek dazedly.

    "I'm REALLY looking forward to that spa!" she declared.

    "You mean, you're not mad by what Mr. Xelloss did?!" Amelia was appalled.

    "Mad?" Lina grimaced, "Of COURSE I'm mad! But I can't do anything about it. And he's right. I deserved it. I suppose I picked on him a little too much."

    Zelgadis smirked.

    "I wish I could have seen THAT."

    "Maybe you will again, someday," Lina grinned. She gave him an evil wink, "Amelia can tell you all about it later. But for now, let's get to that spa!"

    Three voices simultaneously replied with a happy, "Yeah!"

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