By Jessica

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGH!!"

The frustrated cry rose into the forest as a girl struggled with something in her hands. Her fiery red hair dropped over her face as she leaned forward and fiddled around with the thing citing in her lap. Finally, she sat back and yanked on her hair impatiently. Her ruby eyes flashed irately as she tossed the jar aside.

"They always close those things too tight!" she complained, "How's a delicate maiden such as myself supposed to get the damned thing open?"

"Relax, Lina," a young man came over and picked up the jar. He offered her a carefree smile and sat down next to her. He had long, blonde hair and gentle blue eyes. He was also dumber than a brick wall. "Here."

With a quick twist of his hand, he removed the lid from the jar and handed them both to Lina. She stared at them dumbly for a minute before frowning, then scowling.

"Yeah, well..." she muttered, "I loosened it for you."

Gourry grinned at her and nodded.

"Sure you did, Lina," he said easily.

"Don't patronize me, Gourry," she snapped.

"Pater what?" (Dumber than a brick wall...)

Lina ignored him, and he promptly forgot what she had even said and smiled again. He peered over her shoulder as she started tugging gently at the contents of the jar.

"What's so important in that jar that you needed it open anyway?" he asked curiously. His question earned him a bonk on the head.

"GEEZ, Gourry!" Lina exclaimed, "How many times do I have to tell you this? And it's even a SIMPLE one!"

Gourry smiled nervously and shrugged. Lina heaved an impatient sigh and tossed the now-empty jar aside. She carefully unwrapped the blanket in her hands and spread it out on the grass. On it was a large, faded sketch. Lina's eyes grew big and starry, her grin growing huge.

"THIS is a map," she said, pointing to the blanket.

"Aaaaaah," Gourry smiled stupidly, "I see."

"Of course you do, Gourry," Lina sighed. She shook her head and leaned forward to study the sketches again. She pointed to a nondescript point. "This is where we're going. It's only a few days' travel from Seyruun, which is good, since we're going there first anyway."

"What's in Seyruun?"

"Argh!" Lina shoved her elbow into his scull, a move which would have knocked out most people. Gourry, however, was accustomed to this treatment and bounced back quickly. Lina glared at him. "AMELIA AND ZELGADIS ARE IN SEYRUUN!!"

"Really?" he brightened up, "That's great! We haven't seen them in a long time."

Lina sighed yet again and gathered up the blanket.

"Come on, Gourry," she grumbled, "We're going."

"Where?"

"Seyruun."

"What's in Seyruun again?"

BONK.

"Ow."

^_^

Three days later, Lina and Gourry were eating dinner in the palace at Seyruun. No, this is not how all guests are initially treated when they visit a city. It helps to be friends with the daughter of the prince of the city before you go up to the front gate and ask for a dinner. And since Amelia just happens to be this daughter, Lina and Gourry were invited to spend the night in the palace.

The other guest at the time was Zelgadis. He and Amelia watched with amusement and horror (respectively) as Gourry and Lina devoured most of what was served. As usual, their table manners were atrocious. Zelgadis glanced curiously at the rolled-up blanket Lina had been carrying as he sipped his coffee before looking back at the young sorceress.

"What's with the blanket, Lina?" he asked, blunt as ever.

Lina grinned deviously and swallowed the last of her dinner.

"Wouldn't you like to know!" she declared, the statement bringing a frown to Zelgadis's face.

"Well?" Amelia glanced at the blanket as well, "Don't keep us in the dark, Miss Lina. What IS it?"

Lina picked up the blanket and led them to the next room, where a clean table stood in the center of the study. She spread the blanket/map out and pointed at the same, insignificant little point on the map that she had before with Gourry.

"There is a guy here that's supposed to be able to cast all sorts of unusual spells," she announced. "Spells that no one else knows. Not black magic, white magic, or even Shamanism, but something else entirely. This map will lead us to him."

"Very well," Zelgadis rubbed his chin thoughtfully, stone against stone scraping lightly. "Let's go. We'll head out first thing in the morning."

"Hold on there, Zel," Lina grinned, "I was looking forward to a couple days of rest before starting out again. Give us a day before pushing out."

"But-"

"If this guy can cure you, then he'll still be able to cure you one day later," Lina said logically, "Now, I'm going to bed--taking this with me," she scooped up the blanket and held it protectively to her chest. She offered Zelgadis a wink, "and we'll head out the day after tomorrow."

^_^

True to her word, Lina was ready to leave when she said. She, Gourry, Amelia, and Zelgadis set off toward their destination, happy to be together and traveling again. And to pass the time as they walked, they reminisced over old times and dreamed of what they would be doing in the future. When they tired of that, Lina explained more about where they were going.

"This guy has supposedly discovered a whole new branch of magic," she told them, "He spent a lifetime studying the three main forms of magic and devoted most of that time trying to put them together to form this new magic."

"What kind of magic is this?" Zelgadis inquired cautiously.

"I'm not completely certain," Lina admitted, "But rumor has it that it's something of a mixture between all three."

"Like your Lord of Nightmares spells?" Amelia asked.

"Something like that," Lina nodded. "A little different though. The spells I cast call directly on the Lord of Nightmares. These spells--again, this is only rumor--these spells do the same thing, only indirectly. Supposedly this guy can use these spells to break all sorts of rules created by nature. Since L-sama wouldn't normally allow that, you can't call on her power to do this."

"But you just said-" Amelia broke in blankly.

"DIRECTLY, Amelia," Lina emphasized, "He can't call DIRECTLY on L-sama. But if he manages to tap into Her power through a more indirect route, he might just be able to do it."

"Again, you're just guessing, aren't you?" Zelgadis sighed.

"Yes," Lina allowed, "All the same, it's worth looking into, don't you think?"

"Yea!" Amelia grinned.

"Can we stop to eat somewhere?" Gourry asked, effectively changing Lina's track of thought to food. All conversation ended there as the group set out for the nearest town and ordered dinner.

^_^

At last the day arrived. The day when they were to find "this guy" who could cast all sorts of strange magic. And our favorite sorceress was sick.

"ACHOOOO!"

Lina's sneeze echoed through the forest, announcing her cold. She shuffled along with her friends, her nose red and runny. She wiped at it with a large handkerchief and sneezed again.

"Man, this sucks," she grumbled, "Of all times, why did I have to get sick now?!"

"You should get more sleep, Miss Lina," Amelia said, hovering around her worriedly, "You were up late the past few nights and up early. Not to mention we've been traveling for three days. Of COURSE you made yourself sick!"

"When you're right, you're right," Lina sighed, "And I hate it. Leave me alone."

"You should really be in bed."

"And put off seeing this guy any longer?!" Lina shook her head vehemently, "No way! Not a chance."

"Really, Miss Lina," Amelia pressed, "There's a town not far-"

"Shove it, Amelia!" Lina coughed, "Damn. I'm fine."

"Leave her alone," Zelgadis agreed, "There's no point in pushing the point. Once Lina decides she's going to do something, she'll do it. There's nothing to be done."

Amelia sighed and fell silent. They continued along the path.

^_^

"Well," Lina looked up at the door to cave. It was simple wood and not very secure-looking. She frowned uncertainly, "I guess this is it."

The door flew open, startling the group. An old, decrepit man stood in the doorway, grinning up at them with a smile of missing and rotting teeth. He had thin, wispy white hair and a hunched back. They cringed at the sight.

"Hello, strangers!" he exclaimed, his voice stronger than what they'd expect of a man of at least eighty. In fact, he fairly boomed his greeting. "Welcome to my humble abode! It's been a long time since anyone has come in search of my spells. That IS what you're here for, isn't it?" he glared at them suspiciously, "You're not those people from the Jehovah witness group, are you? I TOLD them I didn't want them coming around here anymore!"

They sweatdropped as a group, and Lina smiled nervously.

"Uh... no..." she mumbled, "We're here to learn about your spells."

The horrible smile came back again.

"In that case, come on in!" he insisted, standing to the side to let them enter. "Make yourselves at home."

The inside of the house was much different than the dilapidated front door implied. Instead of rotting wood, the tables were rich, well cared-for mahogany. The furniture was plush, and the colors as bright as the day the piece had been made. The rest of the house followed suit. Everything was expensive-looking and well kept. All in all, it was a nice home. Zelgadis DID note, however, that there was a strange lack in mirrors.

<<That would explain why he doesn't take better care of his appearance,>> he snorted softly, <<he doesn't know how terrible he looks.>>

"Please, have a seat," the man gestured toward the table and hustled around in the kitchen nearby. "Tea, anyone?"

"No thanks," Lina spoke up, "We just came to ask you a few questions about your spells, Mr...."

"Call me Harry," he laughed, "Lina Inverse, is it? I'd recognize a girl of your stature anywhere. You killed old Shabby, did you?"

"...Yes."

"And Zelgadis Greywers," Harry continued relentlessly, "Only human, golem, demon chimera in this world. I knew your grandfather. Kind of quiet, that one. He went mad, did he? That's too bad."

Zelgadis stared.

"And the princess of Seyruun!" Harry still went on, astounding them with his knowledge of who they were. "This is quite the honor, QUITE the honor! Yes, indeed. It's not every day that I have royalty in my house, no sir!"

Amelia's mouth hung open in a very UN-princess-like manner. Finally, Harry turned and looked at Gourry.

"Oh, dear," he murmured, "I'm afraid I don't recognize you. That's very unusual. VERY unusual. Would you mind...?"

"Gourry," Gourry said with a grin, "Gourry Gabriev."

"The man with the sword of light?" Harry pulled out a pair of spectacles and studied Gourry intently, "No... that's not right. That young man had a sword of light. What are you trying to pull here?"

"I lost my sword awhile back while fighting with Valgaav," Gourry announced sadly, "I never got it back."

"Oh," Harry grinned, "Then, that explains why I didn't recognize you. If you haven't got your sword, then of COURSE I wouldn't know you!"

"Um... Harry?" Lina spoke up finally, "This name game is all well and good, but we did have a reason for coming here."

"Of course, of course," Harry nodded, unfazed. "The spells. I've got just the one you need. With this one, you'll be able to grant each of your friends one wish--anything they desire. Be it money, fame..." he glanced toward Zelgadis and Gourry, "and other things... You will be able to do this!"

Lina stared at him.

"You're teasing me," she decided.

"Nope!" he grinned again. "No sir, not at all! You just sit here," he led her to a sofa and stood in front of her as she sat. "And concentrate. No talking back in the peanut gallery either. I need complete silence."

"What am I supposed to concentrate ON?" Lina asked impatiently.

"Concentrate on your own life force," he replied. "I'll do the rest. Just keep that life force of yours strong and steady."

"Gotcha," Lina relaxed and closed her eyes. She sniffled a bit to clear her nose and folded her arms. "Okay, ready."

The man began muttering under his breath, and before long, crackling, black energy began to glow in his hands. Odd how black can somehow emit light, but it did. Finally, the man opened his eyes and placed his hands on Lina's shoulders.

"POWER TRANSFER!" he declared.

Lina sneezed.

The power in Harry's hands crackled violently, and he fell back. Lina jerked as the energy hit her as well and instinctively covered her face. No sooner had the power faded, then Harry was pushing her out the door.

"LEAVE!" he demanded furiously, "Leave right now! Get out of my house, lest you destroy something!"

And that was how Lina and her friends found themselves suddenly on the front doorstep of Harry's house. The door slammed behind them, making them all jump. Lina slumped dejectedly to the ground and buried her face in her hands.

"How could this happen to me?!" she demanded, "Of all times for this to happen, I get a cold, sneeze, and ruin everything!"

"There, there, Miss Lina," Amelia said soothingly, patting Lina's shoulder, "It's okay. It's not the end of the world."

"No, but she DID manage to screw up pretty badly," Zelgadis said bluntly, making Lina wince at the harshness of his words. "You guys stay here and cry about it if you want, but I'm going back to town to get a warm bath, and I'm going to bed."

They stared after him as he walked into the woods and disappeared. Amelia forced a smile and turned back to Lina.

"Come on, Mr. Gourry," she said, tugging at the swordsman's arm, "Let's help Miss Lina cheer up!"

Lina sneezed again.

"On second thought," she revised, "Let's get Miss Lina to bed and spend a relaxing evening at the inn."

^_^

Later that evening, Amelia had the fun-filled job of sitting next to Lina while the young sorceress cried on her shoulder.

"I really screwed up this time," she wailed, "I had the opportunity have what I wanted most, and I let it slip through my fingers, all because of a stupid cold!"

She coughed and blew her nose noisily into a handkerchief. (Can you believe that? Gross. But, they didn't have disposable tissues back then.) Amelia winced at the sound and forced a smile.

"It's all right, Miss Lina," she comforted, "We've gotten along this long without having our wishes granted. We can survive without it."

"But Zel was so mad!" Lina pointed out, sniffling and wiping her nose, "I don't know if he'll ever talk to me again! And surely Gourry must be upset. I could have gotten him his sword back."

"Well," Amelia thought about that, "Mr. Zelgadis can be a bit unforgiving at times."

"I wish he'd just lighten up," Lina heaved a ragged, tear-filled sigh, "I don't care if he has to get drunk or whatever, I just wish he'd relax and let up a bit. He didn't have to be so mean about it."

Amelia sighed and patted Lina's back in a motherly manner. Finally, she pushed the young sorceress back against the pillows and made her stay.

"Sleep," she ordered, "I'll go make sure Mr. Gourry and Mr. Zelgadis are okay. You need to get better."

"Thanks, Amelia," Lina smiled, her red nose and cheeks making the smile almost comical. Amelia returned the smile and closed the door behind her. Lina fell asleep shortly after, while Amelia went to do said task.

^_^

After a short conversation with "Mr." Gourry, Amelia discovered that he barely recalled the events of the day, let alone the consequences. He was on his way to bed, so Amelia left him in search for Zelgadis. When she found him... well, it wasn't what she expected.

"Excuse me?" Amelia stared blankly at the waiter. "I must have misheard you."

She laughed nervously as the waiter just sighed and shook his head.

"Mr. Greywers went for a walk," he explained, "I recommend that you go search for him though. He may be a bit... unbalanced."

Amelia frowned, but left to do what the waiter had suggested. She glanced down the street. No one. The other way, she saw him. Sitting. In the middle of the dark street. Gulping nervously, she approached him cautiously and stood in front of him.

"Um... Mr. Zelgadis?" she asked gently, "Are you okay?"

Before Amelia had spoken, Zelgadis had been sitting with his head bowed, staring at the ground. As she spoke, he looked up at her through bleary eyes.

"Hi, 'mel-ya," he murmured with a small smile. "Whatcha doin'?"

Amelia stared at him. Her jaw dropped, and she just stared blankly. For a minute, she just moved her mouth, stammering. It wasn't for quite awhile that she managed to get her mouth working well enough to actually speak. When she finally did, she didn't say anything truly intelligent.

"Mr. Zelgadis!" she gasped.

Zelgadis appeared to think about that for a moment.

"Mmm... nope!" he grinned at her, "Ah think ah'd know 'f ah w's part a sumthin' like that."

"MR. ZELGADIS!" Amelia flushed a deep crimson.

"So pers... priss... p... stubborn," he sighed, then smiled again, "No, 'mel-ya. Yer jus' standin. Is it."

"You're drunk!" she realized. "You've never done that before!"

"Mmm," he offered her a glum expression, "Not true. When ah firs' was changed, ah drink lots."

"Oh, Mr. Zelgadis!" Amelia gasped, compassion welling up in her, "I'm sorry."

"No big deal," Zelgadis waved her off, "Ah'm tired. Ah wanna go sleep."

"Let me help you," Amelia jumped forward as he staggered clumsily to his feet. He tripped on his own feet and fell heavily against Amelia. The poor girl, barely two-thirds his size, staggered under the weight of his stone body. Zelgadis just chuckled softly and pushed back to his feet again.

"Sorry," he mumbled halfheartedly. "Ya think Lina's still mad a' me?"

"Lina thinks you're mad at HER," Amelia replied, guiding him back to the road as he started wandering into someone's front steps. Zelgadis paused and looked down at her.

"Why?" he wondered.

"Well, you WERE pretty mean earlier," she pointed out.

"Oh," he shrugged and continued on. Amelia made sure he didn't trip over the steps as he made his way into the inn and to the room. She guided him to bed and made him sit down.

"You, Mr. Zelgadis, are more drunk than anyone I've ever seen," she declared, "You require a good night of sleep!"

"'Meyla?" he looked at her, suddenly serious in his inebriated haze.

"What, Mr. Zelgadis?" she looked up at him from where she was, pulling his boots off his feet.

"Do you like me?" he asked, clear in his moment of seriousness.

Amelia blinked, caught off guard by the stray question. Then, she reminded herself that this wasn't Zelgadis. This was a very DRUNK Zelgadis. He wouldn't normally ask these questions.

"Of course I like you, Mr. Zelgadis," she said, smiling brightly.

"Good," he grinned back. "Good. Great. Bed time now."

Amelia nodded, took his cape and brooch, then pushed him under the covers. In seconds, Zelgadis was snoring softly, hugging his pillow tightly. Amelia sighed and left the room. Lina sick, Zelgadis drunk. What else could possibly go wrong? She just wanted to go to bed.

^_^

Lina woke up feeling worse than when she had gone to sleep. Her cold was full blown and nasty. She sniffed loudly, found that she could barely do that, and coughed until she was hoarse. After that, she sneezed. The perfect beginning to a perfect day, she decided.

"Need a tissue?" a nicely decorated handkerchief appeared in front of her, which she took gratefully.

"Yes, thanks," she mumbled thickly.

"Think nothing of it."

HONK! In mid nose-blow, Lina paused. She realized that she didn't recognize the voice of the person who had given her the tissue as one of her traveling companions. Cautiously, she looked up. And saw a familiar, smiling face.

"Good morning, Lina," Xelloss said with a grin.

"What are you doi'g here?" she demanded, her words distorted from her stuffy nose.

"That is a secret, Lina," he said with a wink. "It looks like you've caught a little bug."

"Go away."

"Most people like company when they're sick," he replied.

"I'b dot bost people," Lina said. She started coughing again, the action effectively cutting off any comments she would make.

"My, my," Xelloss floated over her bed and sat cross-legged in midair in front of her, smirking, "That sounds like a bad cough. You should take something for it!"

"Like you'd dow," she grumbled. "I doubt you've ever bed sick id your life."

"That's true, Lina," Xelloss chuckled, "Mazoku don't get sick."

"I wish you could experience this," she groaned and put her hand to her forehead. "I've got a fever, ad I'b biserable."

"If that were possible, I'm sure-" Xelloss cut off and wiggled his nose a bit, as if getting rid of an itch. He smiled again and continued on. "I'm sure if-"

He cut off again, this time with a unexpected sneeze. A strange expression of mixed confusion and curiosity crossed his face. All of the sudden, he became very flustered.

"Well, Lina," he said quickly, "It looks like you've got your hands full."

He sneezed again and frowned.

"I really should be go-"

Another sneeze. He pulled another handkerchief out of nowhere and blew his suddenly very stuffy nose. Lina opened her eyes curiously and stared at him.

"Are you okay, Xelloss?" she wondered.

"I-*sneeze*-I'm not-*cough*-I don't think so," he set down lightly on the floor, then glanced toward a nearby door. Lina noticed then how pale he looked--even for him. In the next moment, he shocked her twice. One: he flickered, as if to teleport away. But then, something backfired, and he ended up back where he had started, appearing to be even more unhappy. Two: he dashed toward the door to the bathroom. Lina frowned as she heard retching. Xelloss? Throwing up? SICK?! How was that possible?

"Ub... Xelloss?" Lina called out anxiously, "Are you okay?"

"What the hell did you DO to me?!" his shout was surprisingly weak. He didn't come out of the bathroom. "HOW DID YOU DO THIS?!!"

Lina normally would have been laughing hysterically at this point. But, the fact was, she just didn't feel well enough to find the amusement in this. She looked up as Amelia walked in and offered a strained smile.

"Good morning, Miss Lina!" she exclaimed. "You look... worse."

"I feel terrible," Lina sighed. She opened her mouth to say more, but then was interrupted by the sound of more retching from the bathroom. Amelia, for her part, didn't look all that surprised.

"Oh," she murmured, "Is Mr. Zelgadis in here?"

"Excuse be?" Lina shot her a confused glance.

"Mr. Zelgadis was awfully drunk last night," she explained, "I'm sure he'll have a bit of a hangover this morning."

"A hangover?" Lina asked in disbelief, "Zelgadis?"

"Yeah," Amelia nodded, "Is he in there?"

"Doh," (No) Lina shook her head. "It's Xelloss."

Amelia did a rather comical double take at that moment.

"Xelloss?" she asked curiously, "Is he sick?"

"I guess so," Lina shrugged, "He just started sneezing and coughing, then ran to the bathroom."

"This is all YOUR FAULT, Lida!" Xelloss whined from the bathroom door. He slinked out and collapsed into a nearby chair, clearly exhausted. His violet eyes were partly open, and he glanced at Amelia. "Hi, 'belia," he mumbled.

Amelia, for her part, just gaped at him.

"Mr. Zelgadis was drunk," she stammered, "Mr. Xelloss getting sick... Miss Lina, this is all so crazy!"

"I doh!" Lina sighed, "But for dow, I just deed a dap. Call be whed subthig truly life-threateding habbeds."

Xelloss added his comment to the conversation: a soft snore. Amelia sighed and stood to pull the sick mazoku out of his chair. He mumbled a bit under his breath and allowed her to pull him to the next room. She was sure Gourry wouldn't mind lending his bed for the day.

In the hall between Lina's room and Gourry's, they ran into Zelgadis. The young, chimera man, holding a hand to his aching head, looked like he wanted to crawl back into bed and never come out again. He spotted Amelia, who was cautiously guiding a half-asleep Xelloss down the hall.

"Amelia?" he muttered, "What's Xelloss doing here?"

"I don't know, Mr. Zelgadis," she replied. Xelloss groaned softly and leaned against the wall.

"I'b so tired," he murmured in confusion, "Why ab I so tired?"

"Did something happen last night, Amelia?" Zelgadis asked, ignoring Xelloss for the most part--he afforded the sick, trickster priest a quick glare. "I feel like hell."

"Don't you remember?" Amelia inquired curiously.

"Remember what?" he shook his head, "All I know is that at one moment, I was drinking a cup of coffee in the diner, the next, I'm waking up in bed feeling like a was run over by a runaway cart."

"Why don't you go sit with Lina for awhile," she suggested, not answering his question, "I'm sure she wouldn't mind your company. Perhaps a quick apology too. I'm putting Mr. Xelloss in bed. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"A bed would be dice," Xelloss muttered.

Zelgadis just stared after them in confusion, and Amelia tossed him a helpless glance. She continued around the corner to Gourry's room, pulling Xelloss after her. There was a strange sense of deja vous as she took his staff and made him sit on the bed. First Lina, then Zelgadis, now Xelloss? She helped him pull off his boots, gloves, and cloak, then pushed him under the covers.

"Rest and soup is the only thing that ever helps a cold," she told him, even as he drifted off to sleep. He muttered something unintelligible and shivered under the covers. Not having an extra blanket, Amelia just spread his cloak over the bed as an extra sheet. Then, sighing softly, she left to see how Zelgadis and Lina were doing.

^_^

That day passed as was to be expected. After a long, uncomfortable silence--about two and a half hours (of course, Lina was asleep during part of that time)--Lina and Zelgadis mumbled their apologies and started talking again, as if nothing had happened. Gourry came in to help Amelia take care of Lina and Zelgadis. Xelloss slept through most of the day. By dinnertime, Lina was feeling well enough to leave bed and eat in the diner. Zelgadis had sufficiently recovered from his hangover to join them. And Xelloss stayed in bed, a high fever keeping him in a restless sleep.

Amelia sat down at the table, where Lina, Zelgadis, and Gourry were already eating. She heaved an exhausted sigh and slouched down in her chair. Everyone paused in their eating to glance at her worriedly.

"Are you okay, Amelia?" Zelgadis asked.

"Yeah, Amelia," Gourry nodded and swallowed his food, "You look like you're going to faint."

"I'm worried-" she paused to check her wording. Then, deciding that was indeed the word she wanted to use, continued on, "I'm worried about Mr. Xelloss. Whatever sickness he's got seems to be hitting him rather hard."

"What?" Lina smirked, "Is his complaining getting that bad?

Amelia shook her head.

"No," she stared tiredly at a glass of water, willing herself to have enough energy to pick it up. She didn't. Instead, she looked back at Lina with an odd frown. "I don't think he's even aware. He kept muttering a bunch of gibberish in his sleep, but wouldn't wake up. His fever is awfully high."

"Maybe he needs some soup," Gourry offered, "Like Lina. She felt better when she had some soup."

Had she had the energy to hit him, Lina would have. Instead, she just shook her head.

"I was already awake, Gourry," she said, rolling her eyes at his stupidity. "We can't force feed Xelloss when he's not awake."

Zelgadis caught the strange wording of her statement and snickered. Gourry just glanced at him in confusion. Amelia sighed and put her arms on the table, then dropped her head into them. In moments, she was sleeping soundly. Lina stared at her for a moment before looking up with questions in her eyes.

"I still don't understand how he got sick in the first place," she commented, "One minute he's fine, the next, he's throwing up in the bathroom."

"Not to mention that, as a general rule, mazoku don't get sick," Zelgadis added.

"Well, Xelloss did," Lina pointed out, "And I really don't want to find out what happens if he gets truly delirious."

"What's delious mean?" Gourry asked.

"Geez, Gourry," Lina sighed, "First, it's not delious, it's DELIRIOUS, okay?"

"Uh..."

"Can't you EVER have some brains?!" she burst out, "Always asking stupid questions! I wish that you'd just FIGURE it out! Why can't you just be smart for a few days?"

Gourry flinched at her harsh words and sighed.

"If you feel that way about it, Lina," he murmured, standing up.

"No! Gourry, wait!" Lina reached out and missed his wrist as he walked past, "Gourry, don't be that way!"

"You WERE rather mean, Lina," Zelgadis pointed out, watching the swordsman walk up the stairs to the inn.

"Like YOU can talk!" Lina shot back. She slumped down in her chair and pouted. "This day just keeps getting worse and worse."

"Well, look at it this way," Zelgadis sipped at his coffee, "It can't get much worse. If it does, then the day can only get better from there."

Lina sighed.

^_^

The next day was better. Zelgadis and Lina were once again on speaking terms. Amelia announced that Xelloss was awake, albeit still very sick. At least he was no longer running such a high fever. Lina, her cold mostly gone by then, decided to tackle her problem with Gourry. Fortunately for her, he rarely remembered anything, even things that made him angry. The apology should be simple, if necessary at all. Or so she thought...

"What?" Lina stared incredulously at Gourry. He just stared at her sadly. "What did you say?"

"I said you really hurt my feelings, Lina," he repeated. "What you said yesterday was not appropriate. I've put up with your derogatory statements about my intelligence far too long. I don't think I should have to tolerate it."

<<Appropriate?>> Lina thought, blinking at him silently, <<Tolerate? DEROGATORY?? When did he learn those words?>>

"If you apologize sincerely, I'm willing to forgive this offense," he continued, "And frankly, I think I deserve an EXTREMELY sincere apology."

"I... I..." Lina stammered, blushing furiously. She was hugely embarrassed, not to mention flustered over how Gourry was acting. "I'm sorry, Gourry. I never realized-"

She cut off and looked up at him with an imploring gaze. He just crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow, waiting for her to finish. She bit her lip and looked down again.

"You're not going to accept an excuse, are you?" she murmured.

"Nope."

"In that case," she fiddled with her cape a bit, "I'm sorry. I promise to pay more attention to what I say to you from now on."

"And..."

"And," Lina struggled for more words, "I want you to... um... let me know if I ever say anything that... um... yeah. If I say something... inappropriate... let me know."

She looked up at him hopefully. Gourry smiled and patted her shoulder.

"That wasn't that difficult, was it?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied, deadpan.

He laughed and stepped past her, toward the stairs.

"Come on," he called over his shoulder, "You treat me to dinner, and I'll forget everything you ever said."

Lina grinned. That sounded more like the Gourry she knew. Chasing after him, she latched onto his arm and squeezed it gently, in a sort of hug.

"Whatever you want, Gourry," she grinned.

^_^

Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, and Amelia sat together at dinner, all happy for once. Zelgadis had come to terms with the cure slipping through his fingers. Gourry and Lina had made up. Lina was feeling better. And Amelia took a mid-afternoon nap, which left her feeling refreshed and, generally, back to her usual, chipper self.

"So," Amelia practically bounced on her chair, "What are we going to do now? Go punish evildoers? Crush crime with the Fist of Justice!"

Lina smiled. Gourry frowned.

"Actually, Amelia," he broke in, "As princess of Seyruun, aren't you supposed to be a pacifist?"

Amelia gave him a strange, confused look.

"...I guess so," she nodded, "Um... why?"

"Well," Gourry glanced at Zelgadis, then back at Amelia, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't pacifism mean that you don't fight at all? A 'fist' of any sort--even justice--would imply violence of some sort. Which means, you've created some rather oxymoronic ideals."

Everyone stared at him, openmouthed. Such a long monologue in itself was unexpected. But it was not the extensive dialogue that threw them, it was the variety of longer-than-two-syllable words.

"I guess..." Amelia stammered, "I guess you're right... I guess."

Gourry smiled triumphantly and sat back with a smug expression on his face.

"Something is terribly wrong here."

Xelloss's weak voice startled the already stunned group. They all turned to see him standing unsteadily near the table. He found an empty chair and sat down with obvious relief. Pulling out a handkerchief, he blew his nose noisily and sniffled a bit. He was still pale--well, more pale than usual--and shivering with chills from the fever, but he was fully dressed and mostly awake.

"Mr. Xelloss!" Amelia jumped up, "What are you doing out of bed?!"

He waved her away impatiently and stared at Gourry.

"He should not have just said what he said," he said, his words still sounding a bit distorted from the cold. "There is no way Gourry would normally use many of the words he used."

"Why?" Gourry frowned, "Did I say something inappropriate?"

"Yes," Lina snapped, "Since when do you use words like 'oxymoron' and 'pacifism'?"

"Well..." Gourry fell silent, thinking about that one. Lina nodded and looked at Xelloss.

"And you said it yourself," she added, "Mazoku do not get sick!"

"Not to mention Mr. Zelgadis getting drunk," Amelia added.

Zelgadis flushed in embarrassment. He had a hard time believing he had done that, despite the descriptive explanation of events Amelia had given him. Xelloss chuckled, then coughed.

"It seems awfully coincidental that all these strange occurrences are happening at once," Zelgadis agreed.

"Exactly," Xelloss coughed again. Amelia handed him a glass of water, which he sipped gratefully.

"So, something unnatural is causing all this?" Lina concluded uncertainly.

"I hate to jump to conclusions without much information to go on," Xelloss shivered and pulled his cloak more tightly around himself. "But, I was with Lina when I got sick."

"Are you saying this is MY fault?" Lina demanded with a dangerous scowl.

"Well, I don't think I was with Lina when I got drunk," Zelgadis offered.

"And we don't know when Mr. Gourry started acting so smart," Amelia added.

"Well," Lina thought about it, "Since I know I was with Xelloss when he got sick, we'll start with that."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement. She paused for a minute to gather her thoughts, then started.

"Xelloss showed up and offered me a tissue," she recounted, "Then, he gave me his trademark motto when I asked him why he was here."

"No need to get sarcastic, Lina," Xelloss mumbled.

"Then, you made some comment about me being sick," she continued, looking at him.

"And you made some comment about me NEVER being sick," he added.

Lina brightened a bit, remembering what happened.

"And then, you said that mazoku never GET sick!" she said quickly, "And I said that-"

Everyone waited impatiently for her to continue as realization hit her.

"Oh, L-sama," she murmured, "It IS all my fault!"

"What do you mean, Miss Lina?"

"I told Xelloss that I wished he could experience what it's like to be sick," she explained, "and then he got sick. And the night BEFORE, I said I wanted Zel to lighten up."

"How does that conclude with me being drunk?" Zelgadis asked moodily.

"Well," Lina blushed a bit, "I DID say something about that while I was complaining."

"Great." He slouched down in his chair and crossed his arms.

"And I said that I wished Gourry would be smart!" Lina declared triumphantly, "And here he is, spouting out big words and intelligent comments."

"Well, that explains the HOW," Zelgadis said, "Now how do we FIX this?"

"I don't know," Lina shook her head. "Harry kicked us out, so we can't ask him for help."

"Actually," Gourry interjected with a sudden piece of insight, "Harry never SAID we couldn't come back. He just told us to leave at that time."

Lina opened her mouth to contradict him, but stopped. She grinned suddenly and stood up.

"That's RIGHT!" she realized, "Harry never said we couldn't come back. We should try it!"

"Yeah!" Amelia agreed wholeheartedly.

"We should return as soon as possible," Zelgadis suggested.

"Right," Lina nodded, "We leave tomorrow morning."

"That would be the logical time to leave," Gourry agreed, "That way, we'll have the whole day."

"... Right," Lina echoed. "Xelloss?" she turned to look at the mazoku, "You've been pretty quiet. Anything else-"

She cut off when she saw him. His head was in his arms on the table; he was sound asleep.

"Oh well," she shrugged and looked back at the rest of the group, "It's settled then. We set out first thing after breakfast tomorrow."

^_^

The next morning, right after breakfast, Lina, Amelia, Gourry, and Zelgadis were ready to go. The only one missing was Xelloss. Amelia went up to get him, and a minute later, it was her shout that sent the others chasing up after her. They found Amelia hovering outside the bathroom door with an anxious expression on her face. Through the thick door, they could hear the muffled sounds of Xelloss's vomiting. Lina sighed impatiently.

"Of all times for him to get sick!" she groused, "Xelloss! Are you okay?"

The sound of water running--it was an upscale inn--could be heard through the door. After a minute, it stopped, and the door opened.

"Whoa," Lina gasped, "You look terrible!"

And he did. His bold, purple hair was messy. He was paler than usual, and dark circles had appeared under his eyes. His cheeks were flushed with fever, and his usually cheerful, smiling face was just the opposite of what it usually was. His violet eyes were open and dull from exhaustion, and he didn't even attempt to smile. Instead, he just shuffled past them and started to crawl back into bed. Lina grabbed his arm, effectively gaining his attention.

"Xelloss!" she protested, "We were going to see if we could get this fixed today!"

He just glanced tiredly at her hand, holding his arm tightly, and looked back at her. His gaze was expressionless.

"I'm going to bed," he told her.

"But-"

"Good day, Lina."

Without another word, he slipped out of her grip, into bed, and pulled the covers up. Seeing that Lina was about to protest again, he shot her a warning glare, then rolled over and went back to sleep. Lina heaved an exasperated sigh and tossed her hands up helplessly.

"Well, I've planned on going, and we're going," she declared, "Whether or not you come!"

He responded with a soft snore. Growling impatiently, Lina whirled and walked out, followed by the others--minus one sick mazoku.

^_^

Not too much later, they arrived at Harry's front door. As had happened the first time they came, the door opened before anyone could knock. Harry stood in the doorway and peered up at them.

"Well, you're back!" he exclaimed, "I was beginning to wonder how long it would take."

Lina wobbled and fell over in shock.

"You mean, you were EXPECTING us to come back?!" she asked incredulously.

"Oh my, of course!" he smiled, "After a backfire THAT bad, I wouldn't expect anything less!"

"But you kicked us out!" Amelia pointed out.

He chuckled and shrugged.

"I had to erase the aftereffects of that spell from my house," he explained, "To fix everything at once would mean certain death. Suicide. I'm not ready to die yet. But I hardly expected you to leave. I just needed you out until I cleaned up."

Lina growled furiously, her face turning an angry red.

"What?" she asked, her voice dangerously soft, "You mean, you could have FIXED THIS THAT SAME DAY?!?!?!"

"Please, Miss Inverse," Harry smiled, "Calm down. Just tell me now what your problem is, and let's see if we can fix it."

Lina had to count to over fifty before she could calm down. When she finally did, she found that she had been invited into the house. Smiling in embarrassment, she followed Amelia and Zelgadis in., and Gourry brought up the rear.

"Have a seat," Harry offered. "Tea?"

"No," Lina said quickly, "We've got a couple problems. First, Gourry. Something's wrong with him."

Harry went straight to Gourry and examined him closely.

"He looks okay to me," he commented.

"Thank you," Gourry frowned, "I don't understand why Lina's so upset. I feel fine. I don't have a fever. I'm not nauseated, and my appetite is intact."

"Oh," Harry grinned, "I see what you mean. He's managed to gain a bit of intelligence in the past couple of days."

"Can you fix it?" Lina asked anxiously.

"Of course!" Harry said indignantly. "But you implied that you have more than one problem. I'd like to fix everything at once. That makes my job a lot easier, you know."

Lina rubbed the back of her head and laughed nervously.

"Well," she stammered, "That's the thing. He's not here."

"He?" Harry looked at her, "You make someone else exceptionally smart? Or perhaps fairly stupid."

"He's already too smart as it is," Lina grumbled, then louder, she said, "Actually, I made him sick."

"How sick?"

"Sicker than I was when I came here the first time," she said sheepishly.

Harry lifted two heavy, white eyebrows.

"That bad, huh?" he chuckled, "And he opted not to travel?"

"Well, he was throwing up in the bathroom this morning," she nodded.

Harry paused to consider this for a moment. Finally, he smiled and clapped his hands together lightly.

"In that case, we'll just have to go to him," he declared, "It is necessary for everyone affected to be present when I negate the spell."

Everyone let out a sigh of relief at that bit of good news. Lina grinned cheerfully and stood.

"Great!" she exclaimed, "Let's be off!"

"Yes, let's," he agreed. He hesitated as they walked out the front door and looked at Lina curiously. "You never mentioned the name of this other person affected."

Lina facefaulted and came back up smiling widely. It was an extraordinarily false smile, lined with anxiety.

"Actually," she stuttered a bit, "His name is Xelloss."

Harry froze.

"Xelloss?" he shot her a curious glance, "As in Xelloss Metallium? Zelas's little minion?"

"That would be him," Gourry piped up.

Harry burst out laughing, and they continued on their way. The group watched him in confusion.

"What's so funny about that?" Amelia wondered.

"Well, I doubt he'll be very happy to see me," Harry said, "In general, mazoku tend to avoid me. I'll deal with the higher-ups, but I refuse to work with the lesser mazoku. They're so crude."

"But you'll help Xelloss?" Zelgadis asked curiously.

"He would be considered a higher-up by most standards," Harry nodded, "Actually, I'll go as far down as Priests and Generals. Since Xelloss is both, I'll consider it."

"Wait a minute," Lina frowned, "What do you MEAN 'consider it'?"

"Don't worry, Miss Inverse," Harry smiled widely, his horrible smile. "I'll make sure you get fixed up."

No one could think of anything to say to that, so the group fell silent. After that, conversation ranged the safe topics, and nothing more was said about the spell until they reached the inn.

^_^

At Harry's insistence, the group sat down to eat dinner before getting down to business. <<A man after my own heart!>> Lina decided with a silly grin as she scarfed down her meal. She wondered briefly if she might be related to him somehow. She dismissed the thought and concentrated on her food, only after sending Amelia up to make sure Xelloss was okay.

Amelia crept into Xelloss's room--once Gourry's--apprehensively, peering around the corner to make sure she wasn't disturbing him at any inopportune moment. She found him sitting in bed, sipping at a cup of water absently.

"Ahem..." Amelia cleared her throat softly to make her presence known, "Mr. Xelloss?"

He looked up and spotted her in the doorway.

"That was fast," he observed, "I didn't expect you back this soon."

"Actually," she smiled brightly and stepped into the room, "We brought Mr. Harry back WITH us!"

"Harry?" Xelloss lifted an eyebrow curiously at her, "Is he the one that did this?"

"Yep!" Amelia smiled brightly, "And he said he needed everyone present, so he came here with us."

"That's great," his voice held very little emotion, so Amelia couldn't tell if he was truly happy about it or just indifferent.

"Aren't you glad, Mr. Xelloss?" she inquired.

He blinked, then smiled tiredly.

"Of course," he nodded weakly, "I just don't feel like using the extra energy to add any emotion to my voice."

"Oh," Amelia stared at him blankly for a moment. Then, she smiled brightly, "Okay!"

"Helloooooooooo!" Lina's voice drifted in from down the hall. Xelloss winced a bit, and plastered a smile on his face for when the cheerful sorceress burst into the room. "Hi, Xel! Feeling better?"

"Just great, Lina," he said, his voice strained with his attempt to sound cheerful, "I hear you've brought the guy... who... oh... L-sama......"

His eyes snapped open as Harry walked through the door. He let out a strange, strangled cry and shoved himself out of bed. Of course, he wasn't nearly strong enough to make such a quick move, and he ended up half on the bed and half on the floor, still staring up at Harry in shock.

"Mr. Xelloss!" Amelia jumped forward to help him up. Xelloss, for the most part, ignored her. He struggled to his feet and gripped the bedpost for balance.

"What are you doing here?" he hissed, his body language indicative of a cornered animal. His eyes were open and showed mixed animosity and fear. His teeth were bared, and he held his hands out in front of himself as if preparing for a fight.

Harry, for his part, remained calm. He assumed the smile usually held by Xelloss and waved carelessly.

"It's good to see you, too, Trickster," he said, his voice taking a decidedly supercilious tone. He lifted a single, bushy white eyebrow haughtily. A frighteningly feral growl rose from Xelloss's throat, startling Amelia into pulling away from him. Harry just tsked softly and shook his head. "So defensive!"

"What are you doing here?" Xelloss repeated, his voice low and dangerous.

"I'm here to fix a mistake for this young woman," Harry replied easily. "I hear you got mixed up in this little mishap."

As if on cue, Xelloss sneezed, and Harry burst out laughing. Xelloss's glare reflected his undisguised hatred for the man. His breath came in short gasps as his cold impeded with his ability to breathe. Amelia gripped his arm worriedly.

"Mr. Xelloss," she said softly, "Please sit down. You're still sick."

"That's right," Harry grinned at him, earning himself another glare, "You should really be in bed."

Amelia pulled at Xelloss's arm, but he pulled away again, then dissolved into a fit of coughing. Harry, by this time, was growing tired of the game, and sighed.

"I'm not going to do anything, Trickster," he said finally, even offering his hand to help.

"Get away from me!" Xelloss snarled. Erratic, barely-controlled energy crackled around in the room.

"Whoa!" Lina jumped forward quickly to regain control of the situation. "Xelloss, calm down! Harry! What's going on?"

By that point, Xelloss really was backed into a corner. Every now and then he flickered, proof that he was trying to teleport away, but the cold interfering with his ability to do so. Everyone except for Harry was shocked by his reaction to the old man's presence. Sighing impatiently, Harry held out his hand to stop Lina from approaching the distressed mazoku. He stepped forward.

"Relax, Miss Inverse," he said, suddenly grave, "I'll handle this one."

Xelloss shuddered and sank to his knees where he was--in the corner. He hugged his arms across his chest, never taking his wide eyes off Harry. The fever made his eyes glitter even more intensely, and his whole body trembled as he struggled not to cough.

Only Harry recognized the full extent of the fear Xelloss was displaying by his hostility and glanced quickly at Lina.

"Leave the room," he ordered.

"But-"

"I SAID, leave," he repeated, dead serious. "I'll take care of this."

Lina hesitated, but Zelgadis wisely put a restraining hand on her arm. They left. Amelia edged her way away from Xelloss, who, she noticed, followed her movements with his eyes. The door snapped shut after the last person left, and they were left alone.

Harry turned and looked down at Xelloss, who just growled softly.

"Is this all you are?" Harry asked scornfully. "The mighty Xelloss, killer of hundreds of thousands of dragons, General and Priest of Greater Beastmaster... what good are all those credentials if you can't back them up?"

"I don't have to prove anything," Xelloss growled.

"Of course not," Harry replied, his tone insulting, "You're obviously smart enough not to attempt an attack. Many of your subordinates have fallen from such recklessness."

A dark smile spread across Xelloss's face.

"You managed to catch me while I'm down," he said. As if to prove his point, he coughed a few times, "That's twice the advantage you have."

Harry chuckled wryly.

"Still got that odd sense of humor, I see," he smirked, "Now, are you going to let me help? Or are you going to resist me?"

"You really expect me to expose my chest to a man I trust less than any other mazoku?" Xelloss sneered at him, "I didn't live this long by acting foolishly."

"Of course not," Harry scowled impatiently, "But whether or not you agree to this, I promised Miss Inverse that I would correct my mistake. To do that, I need you to be here."

"And if I refuse to participate?" Xelloss challenged.

"Then, I will be forced to resort to harsher methods of persuasion," Harry replied, his smirk growing dark.

"Does Lina know how you really are?" Xelloss grumbled. He shivered as the chills from his fever caught up with him.

Harry smiled.

"I didn't think so," Xelloss coughed a few times. "I'd rather suffer a cold for the rest of my existence than work with you, old man."

Harry sighed.

"Are you really going to push me into forcing this on you, Trickster?" he asked sadly.

"No self-respecting mazoku would agree to working with the likes of you," Xelloss replied sharply.

"Very well then," Harry sighed again, "We'll do this without your consent."

^_^

"What's TAKING so long?!"

Lina paced anxiously back and forth in the hall. Gourry and Amelia stood, just as anxious, watching Lina pace. Zelgadis, imperturbable as ever, leaned casually against the wall and watched her pace.

"Relax, Lina," he said, "When Harry finishes putting Xelloss in his place, he'll call us in."

"But WHEN?!" she demanded. "It's been so quiet! You think Xelloss will try anything?"

"Xelloss isn't stupid," Zelgadis replied, "He's quite obviously feeling threatened by Harry's presence. He wouldn't act like that unless Harry knows or once did something to elicit such a violent response."

"So you think Mr. Harry can hurt Mr. Xelloss?" Amelia asked curiously.

"Well, Xelloss CAN'T hurt Harry," Zelgadis confirmed indirectly.

"That's very comforting," Lina interrupted, "But I still don't like the idea of leaving those two alone in there."

The door opened. The four turned their heads as one and saw Harry smiling in the doorway.

"Let's get started, shall we?" he suggested.

Nodding dumbly, Lina followed him in, the others right behind her. Harry indicated for them to sit in a circle, on the floor. Lina spotted Xelloss, where he had been when they'd left the room. The usually cocky, smiling mazoku was huddled back into the corner, shivering silently. His knees were pulled up to his chest, his arms draped over the top, and his head down. Although Lina wasn't sure exactly what she had expected to see, she knew this wasn't it.

"What's wrong with Mr. Xelloss?" Amelia asked the question Lina had been thinking.

"He'll be fine," Harry dismissed him carelessly. "Have a seat. This may take a bit longer than it usually would, but it's still only a matter of minutes."

Still glancing apprehensively at the shivering mazoku in the corner, Lina and the others sat in a circle. Harry snapped his fingers casually, and Xelloss flashed out of the corner and into an empty space in the circle in front of Harry. Xelloss appeared to be a bit disoriented for a moment, but he recovered quickly and started to get up.

"Sit down, Trickster," Harry ordered.

"Go jump off a cliff," Xelloss shot back, proceeding to move. Harry shook his head and placed a surprisingly strong hand on Xelloss's shoulder, easily holding him down. Xelloss growled angrily and gritted his teeth. "Let me up."

"I won't let you ruin the spell break," Harry replied calmly. "Now, sit down."

Xelloss stiffened as some unseen power pulsed through him and collapsed back to the floor on his hands and knees. Harry smiled and stepped into the circle. He tossed one last glance back at Xelloss.

"Are you going to behave yourself?" he asked.

"Can I kill you after?"

Harry sighed and went back.

"I thought you wouldn't make me do this," he said sadly.

"And I thought I had made it clear that I wouldn't willingly work with you," Xelloss growled.

Harry chanted a few words under his breath, and in his hands glowed a dark gold power. Xelloss glared at him but did not resist as Harry reached forward toward him. Xelloss gritted his teeth as Harry pressed both hands against either side of his head, and the gold energy flowed into him. A moment later, Harry pulled back. Lina gasped when she saw Xelloss open his eyes to reveal brilliant gold.

"What did you do?" she asked.

"I'm controlling him," Harry replied casually. "Now, he will do what I want him to do. But this also means that we must hurry. Beastmaster Zelas won't like this, and it won't be long before she appears to find out why she can't find her favorite minion."

"Then let's get this over with," Lina said, "What do we do?"

"Same thing as before," he replied. "I want you all to hold hands. I will concentrate on you, Miss Inverse, because you are at the center of all this."

They did as he ordered, and he placed his hands on Lina's shoulders. Muttering a few words, he opened his eyes.

"Spell break!"

Dark, black mist rose from Lina, Gourry, and Xelloss toward the ceiling. Harry stared at it, and it slowly disappeared. Only a minute later, the spell was finished, and everyone relaxed.

"So everything is better now?" Amelia asked, looking at Lina, Gourry, and Xelloss worriedly.

"Everything is back to normal," he nodded, "Except for one thing--Xelloss!"

The gold in Xelloss's eyes flickered as he struggled to overcome Harry's control. They could all hear his teeth grinding as he finally regained his body. He let out a savage snarl and staggered back out of the circle. Harry watched calmly as Xelloss blinked rapidly, disoriented for a moment. After a second, when he figured out where he was, he turned and glowered back at Harry, murder in his eyes.

"That was WAY over the acceptable margin of force," he said dangerously.

"You mean, you don't LIKE the feeling of someone else in your mind?" Harry asked innocently.

Xelloss glanced at his staff, across the room, and an instant later, it disappeared and reappeared in his hand. He scowled at Harry again.

"No one does that to me," he said dangerously, "No one."

"Ah," Harry smiled knowingly, "You and your secrets. You DO have some very interesting secrets in that head of yours."

Xelloss stiffened and stared at Harry with eyes promising a long, painful death. Harry just smiled widely.

It was the sound of Lina's laughter that finally broke through the tension between the two. Harry glanced at her curiously, as did Xelloss. Lina snorted and grinned at them.

"You mean, you were actually able to read all of Xelloss's thoughts?" she asked incredulously. "You know how much information like that would be worth?"

"Miss Lina," Amelia sighed, "Always able to find the financial possibilities behind everything."

The glare Xelloss had been sending toward Harry suddenly turned on Lina.

"Don't even THINK about it!" he snapped.

"Relax, Trickster," Xelloss jumped as he found himself next to Harry. The old man patted his head smugly, at which occasion Xelloss teleported across the room, disgust written plainly on his face. Harry chuckled, "I won't tell anyone your secrets. They are meant to remain secrets after all."

Xelloss eyed him suspiciously, but let it go. He smiled suddenly, for the first time realizing that his cold was gone.

"Are you going to behave yourself from now on, Trickster?" Harry asked.

The scowl reappeared on Xelloss's face at the sound of the man's voice. He glared at the old man, then turned up his nose at him.

"Next time, you won't catch me while I'm unable to use magic properly," he snapped. "And if I find that you've been telling others my thoughts-"

"Which you won't," Harry interrupted.

"-I'll find a way to kill you," Xelloss continued, dead serious... so to speak. "Good day."

With that, he disappeared. Harry shrugged and turned to the rest of the group.

"All is well now?" he inquired.

"Gourry?" Lina asked.

"Yes, Lina?"

"You've got the intelligence level of a very smart amoeba," she stated.

"Really?" Gourry grinned, "You think so?"

"Yes," she nodded seriously. Then, she grinned. "I'm glad you're back to being you, Gourry!"

He smiled.

"Everything's great," Lina announced.

"I guess I'll be on my way then," Harry replied, heading out the door.

"Wait a minute!" Lina called after him. "That's IT? You're not going to give me another chance?"

"Nope," he winked, "One strike and you're out. You've messed with powers greater than the normal, and that's how it works. Sorry."

"I've got a question," Zelgadis spoke up softly.

"What?"

"How much stronger than Xelloss ARE you?" he asked curiously, "We've never seen anyone other than the five greater mazoku able to beat up so much on him. Valgaav, too, I guess. But he was another situation altogether."

"Ah, Mr. Greywers," Harry grinned at him, "THAT is a secret!"

And he disappeared. The air around him seemed to bend, and in a swirl of light, he was gone. The group stared in bafflement at the space where he had been standing.

"That was..." Lina stammered, "That was weird."

"Well, I'm hungry," Gourry announced. "Anyone else ready to eat?"

"I think Gourry's got the right idea," Zelgadis nodded, "Let's just forget this ever happened."

"I'd like some soup," Amelia commented, then sneezed.

"Get in bed, Amelia," Lina smiled kindly at the younger girl, "I'll bring some soup up for you. And for now, the rest of us can go down and order some late-night snacks."

"Thank god," Zelgadis sighed, and walked out of the room.

Gourry grinned and trailed after him. Lina helped Amelia into bed, then went down to join the guys in eating. As they ate a 'small' snack (any Garfield fans out there?), they were silent. No one mentioned the events of the past few days, and they were happy. It never happened. Harry did not exist, Zelgadis hadn't gotten drunk, Lina and Xelloss hadn't been sick, and Gourry was always an idiot. Life was good. Life was normal. It was as it should be.

Lina looked up from eating.

"I heard about this enchanted jewel not far from Atlas City-" she started.

Zelgadis threw his bread at her. Gourry gave the chimera boy an odd look, then picked the piece of bread up and ate it. Lina picked herself up off the floor and grinned.

"Just kidding."

^_^

That night, a freak accident occurred, not far from that town. In a cave buried deep in the woods, a fire ignited--no doubt due to careless cooking techniques or some similar mistake. Everything inside was destroyed, and nothing escaped alive. A set of charred bones were discovered in the rubble, and were later identified to be those of an old sorcerer. An accident, everyone said. Poor man. Burned alive from a cooking accident. Oh, well. He was old anyway. An accident, after all...

^_^