The day was uneventful. Lina was very quiet for some reason and Luna would appear and disappear. And Zel wasn't really in the mood for talk, assuming he ever was. They set up camp and Luna disappeared again. After dinner Lina fell fast asleep as Zel stared into the fire. This was his last chance. If it didn't work, he'd end it. He took out the paper and stared at it. It appeared authentic, but he'd come across some very clever fakes in his time. And he wasn't sure weather or not to trust Luna. Just because she was Lina's sister didn't mean anything. Zel knew full well how different relatives could be. Rezo being a prime example. The chimera looked up to the stars and cursed the old man for making him what he was. With these thoughts, Zelgadiss fell into a dark sleep.

The next morning, Luna was still missing. Zel rekindled the fire and started to set up breakfast, hoping he could get a small share before Lina woke up. While nibbling he permitted himself a small indulgence and turned to Lina, watching her sleep. The petite sorceress was sprawled on the ground, one arm under her head and the other stretched out. Her cape, serving as a blanket had now moved halfway down her slim body. In a moment of softness, her pulled the cape back up to her chin and gently moved some stray red strands of hair off her face. Lina snorted, then rolled to her side and fell back asleep.

Zelgadiss took his time to memorize her serene face as the rising sun glissened upon it, making it glow. It was a rare moment that she seemed perfeclty calm, and Zel wanted the vision fresh in his mind in case this cure didn't work. If it didn't, he vowed to end it, and he wanted something as beautiful as this in his mind when he entered the next life.

He snorted. "Assuming there is one."

"You are a very pessimistic man Zelgadiss."

Zel only barely kept from jumping out of his skin as he turned to face Luna. "Take one good look at me and tell me why I shouldn't be." He retorted.

Luna did so. The chimera suddenly felt awkward and focused on the fire.

"But why death if it doesn't work?" the sister inquired.

"Several reasons," her replied. "One. Who'd care if I was dead? Two. It would end the pain." He glanced at Lina. "Three. I would no longer be able to hurt the people I most care about."

Luna looked at him skeptically. "Do you have a heart?"

"No," he said flatly.

"Then how is it that you care about people?"

Luna got him on that one. Zelgadiss looked again to the serene Lina. "If I have a heart, it's a stone one. All I ever do is hurt them, and it's not like they care about me." Zel realized he was talking and not thinking and cursed inwardly for saying so much. What was it about Luna that made him talk like this?

"I think at least on of those people would disagree with you."

"Yeah? Who?"

As if on cue, Lina gave a great big yawn and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Man, that felt good!" she exclaimed. She looked at her two companions who seemed to be in a heavy discussion. "Did I miss much?" she asked.

Zelgadiss watched Lina lead the party down the lonely road. She seemed too cheerful in such an isolated and dark forest. Either that or after all these years he just could no longer see beauty when it was there. Everything depressed him. Lina skipped along like a child and stopped to pick up a flower. She handed it to Luna. It was almost like Lina was reliving some childhood memory. Then it came.

Lina handed the flower to Luna. For some reason, this place reminded her of the forests around her home. She would always pick flowers and give them to her sister back then. Lina glanced back at Zelgadiss. Much had changed since those carefree days. Zel grabbed for his sword, but it wasn't there, and Luna stayed back. There was a sound behind her. Lina slowly turned to see some great big blob thing right in front of her. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing, blocking a young maiden's way. Now beat it!" she ordered. The next thing Lina was aware of was being in the air with the blob's tentecles covering her mouth, hands and legs. Its slime was soaking through her clothes and her skin crawled. When she got out of this, she'd Fireball it to the sky! The tenticle around her mouth and throat tightened.

Zel cast a Ray Wing as soon as it grabbed Lina. He flew around it, staying out of reach of its tenticles. It definitely wasn't Mazoku, but it wasn't natrual either. It appeared to be some sort of chimera. Another freak like him. Just perfect. It must have escaped from a lab before any further procedures could be finished. It looked like all muscle with a few facial features swimming around the bulk of the body. Each limb had some sort of claw. It obviously didn't like anyone very much. Lina gasped. It appeared like the blob was trying to choke her.

"Flare Arrow!" Zel shouted. He aimed them for the tenticles holding Lina, but he made them weak. He could not help but feel some sort of sympathy for the beast. He flew under Lina as she fell, and caught her. She was slipperey. The blob must secrete some sort of slime. She coughed, trying to catch her breath. Zel spun in mid air and flew away from it. Suddenly, one of the limbs reached out slammed into his back. Caught off guard, Zelgadiss lost his concentration and fell down on top of Lina. What little breath she had just gotten back, he knocked out of her. Why did he always hurt everyone? He got up and faced the beast.

"Flare Lance!" Again, he made the spell weak, but not as much as the arrows. The blob screached in pain and slid down the hill. He turned back to Lina. She was coughing, but sitting up. Luna was beside her. Luna. Why hadn't she helped him? He grabbed her collar and pulled her up to his height.

"Why didn't you help me!" he shouted.

"Why did you weaken your spells?" she replied calmly.

"That was just an unfinished chimera. It probably escaped from a lab and doesn't trust people. After that display and the pain it felt, it will most likely avoid the roads in the future. It won't come after anyone again. But that doesn't answer my question. WHY DIDN'T YOU HELP YOUR OWN SISTER!"

"That was something you needed to do alone."

"I beg your pardon?" Luna made no response. Zelgadiss dropped her and started to walk down the road.

"Obviously, you haven't learned yet," Luna whispered. Lina stood up and leaned on her sister briefly.

"What did he need to learn?" Luna brought up a finger and winked.

"Now that is a secret," she said.

"Diem Wind!" Lina looked in surprise as Luna was blown off her feet by Zel. Granted, Lina wanted to do that for a long time to her sister, but now wasn't the time.

"Zel, what the hell are you doing?!" Zel glowered at Luna.

"Don't you ever do that again. Xellos is the bane of my existance. Any remebrance of him might push me too far. Do you understand?" Luna nodded, but Lina noted that it looked like she was pleased with herself. What is she up to now?

Luna stood up and dusted herself off. "Did you bring it?" she asked.

"Yes, Luna-sama." Lina and Zel turned in utter shock as Xelloss, of all people, appeared before them, a humble, even worried look covering his face. Zelgadiss readied a fireball, but Lina grabbed his hand, turning to the Mazoku.

" 'Sama?' Luna, what the hell's going on here?"

Luna merely smiled. "Did you bring it?" she repeated to Xelloss.

The priest pulled out a long covered item and showed it to Lina's sister.

"No," she said, shaking her head. "Give it to it's new owner."

"Yes Luna-sama," he said quietly. He turned to Zelgadiss.

The chimera pulled free of Lina and let the fireball hover in his hands. "What are you giving me?" he demanded.

The Mazoku undid the tie to reveal a sword hilt. Zel looked at it skeptically, but finally let the fireball dissapate, accepting the gift. The priest then disappeared quickly, glad to be out of that sorceress'control.

Lina looked at Zel's new sword as she asked her sister, "Jeez, I knew you could handle people, but Xelloss? How good are you?"

Luna smiled. "You don't want to know."

"Hey lookie here!" said Bandit #1. The other two followed him to see a small group of three around a dwindling fire. Bandit #2 took out a small pouch.

"Let's make sure they stay asleep," he said. He took a fisful of powder and blowed it over the trio. When the powder hit the fire, the fire almost exploded in more light and stayed bright. The three seemed to stir, but fell back to sleep in seconds.

"I love that stuff!" exclaimed Bandit #3.

"Yeah, yeah, just start looting," said #1. He went over to the young man. By his side was a sword with a jeweled hilt. "Oh yes!" This would be worth a fortune to the right collector, if he ever grew tired and didn't want to keep it. Bandit #2 looked over a young woman.

"Hey! This lady is loaded with gold!" he shouted to the others.

"And this girl is too!" said #3. Bandit #1 went to take a look, kicking the man with his foot. The ivory hood fell back. He whistled.

"I think I found something much more valuable!" he said. The other two came over and fell back in horror.

"Isn't that a Mazoku?" #3 squealed.

"Nope," replied #1. "It's a chimera. I think I know a sourceror who's doing chimera research. He'd pay top dollar for a freak like this."

"Then lets tie it up!" #2 said, pulling out some rope. Bandit #1 sat the freak up and started to bound his hands.

"You won't be taking Zelgadiss anywhere!" someone shouted.

"Shut up #3," #1 said.

"But that wasn't me."

"Eh?" Bandit #1 looked up to see the little girl was standing in front of the fire. The woman was merely sitting up where she was originally sleeping. "But we gave you enough powder to sleep for a week!" he stammered. The girl looked at him demonically.

"I've been building an immunity to that for years! It'd take more than that to take out," she paused, running a hand through her wavy red hair, "The famous Lina Inverse!"

"The the the the the the Dra-Matter!!" Bandit #2 squealed. Bandit #1 pulled the chimera closer to him.

"You wouldn't hurt your own friend," he said, pulling the heavy freak in front of him like a shield. He put a knife to the thing's throat.

"Oh please! He's a chimera; he'll survive." Bandit #1 paled. "Fireball!!"

The next morning, a week later, Lina was counting her new found wealth. Luna was cooking breakfeast. Zelgadiss finally stirred. "Moring Zel!" Lina said cheerfully. Zelgadiss looked down at the fire. Something was bugging him. Lina put away the gold. "What's wrong?"

Zelgadiss looked at Lina. He didn't know whether to thank her or desert her. Oh please! He's a chimera; he'll survive. Her words haunted him. Did she really mean that? Did he matter so little that…But then why did she save him after the first attempt. He sighed.

"I . . . Thank you for saving me, Lina" he whispered. Lina looked at him in surprise.

"I thought you were asleep the whole time! You mean you were awake and you didn't save yourself!!!" She got a spell ready in her hand.

"On the contrary," he said. "I normally would be immune as you are to that powder, but there is a flaw in this chimera form that Rezo overlooked. I'm susseptable to that powder. I was barely able to stay awake, let alone fight back." Lina settled down as Luna passed out breakfast. Zelgadiss looked at Lina. After that, she couldn't possibly care for me, could she?

Zel generally avoided Lina for the next few days. They arrived a beach side town and registered at a first class inn at Luna's expense. Zel briefly wondered where the money was comming from but didn't really care. At dinner he watched Lina literally dig into her food. He himself took all of two bites before excusing himself from the table. Lina barely noticed.

Zel stepped out onto the beach, watching the sun sink slowly into the waves. He put his hand in his pocket, fingering the scroll Luna had given him carefully. Assuming that the cure really did work, would it really be worth it? He'd lost so much since being turned into a chimera, was there anything left of his life for him to salvage? He'd been so obssessed with the cure that he hadn't thought about that. He had family, but none that he wanted to be within a continent with. He thought that he'd had friends, but it looked like he was wrong in that department. Gourry was okay, but not much of a conversationalist. And the poor guy was lucky if her remembered his own name. Amelia was just plain weird. And Lina? Lina had let him down. Just when he was starting to think that there might be a chance…

Zel dropped down and kicked the legs of Luna out from under her.

"Ow!" she whined. "What was that for??"

"I want some privacy. Can't you or your sister respect that?"

Luna stood up and rubbed her sore behind. "Want and need are two different things," she replied.

"And what is it that you think I need?" he asked skeptically.

"What you need is to talk to Lina."

"She doesn't want to talk to me. I'm a freak remember? Just chimera. Besides, I'd only hurt her like I hurt everyone else."

The last rays of the sun disappeared behind the ocean as Luna sized up Zelgadiss.

"Prove it," she said.

"Pardon?"

"Prove it," she repeated. "Prove that Lina doesn't want to talk to you and prove that you'll hurt her."

"Why?"

"Because I positively love proving people wrong," She answered.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine." Zel turned around and entered the restaurant, making a beeline toward Lina's table. As he did so he started to wonder how he got talked into this. Luna seemed to have this ability to make him and Lina do as she wanted. Oh well. Can't back out now, he thought glumly. The chimera sat down across from Lina and watched her guzzle down the quickly shrinking buffet before her.

"Lina, we need to talk," he started slowly.

"Mmmsguhphummm," she gulped, inhaling an entire chicken.

Zel sighed and continued. "Is just a chimera all you think of me?" he asked, being uncharacteristically blunt. Lina grabbed a pitcher and poured it into her mouth. She took a deep breath and shouted, "No! Why the hell would you ask something like that?"

Zel imitated Lina's voice, replying, " 'He's a chimera; he'll survive'."

"Now look, you were asleep at the time--"

"So you thought that since I couldn't hear you you could say what you really thought."

Lina slammed her fist onto the table, almost breaking it in half. "I HAD TO GET THEM TO LET YOU GO YOU, IDIOT!!! You can't take what I said that SERIOUSLY alright??! Jeez, what am I suppose to say??"

Zelgadiss looked around. A few people were staring, but quickly going back to their meal, ignoring the noise. Making absolutely sure no one was looking, Zel pulled his wiry hair behind his ear, showing his full face to Lina. "I want you to say what you really think of me," he said in a low voice.

Lina, unphased by his face, scoffed. "We've been through this. I see a good swordsman, a sorcerer second only to me, an--"

"We have been through this. Don't tell me who I am. Tell me what you see."

Lina looked at him. "After that whole 'just a chimera' thing a few minutes ago? Now that I know what you want to hear don't you think I'm going to say it?"

Zel shook his head. "We're talking about you hear. I expect you to be one hundred percent truthfull. Just give it to me straight. Now no more stalling. When you look at me what do you see?"

Lina didn't need to look at him to tell him. She wondered if she should word it delecately, like before. She decided against it. He was expecting that cold truth and if he had the gaul to ask then he deserved it servered a little blunt. Lina took a deep breath.

"I see an over sensative guy who's so totally vain and obsessed about his chimera apperance that he doesn't realize how handsome he really is!" Lina looked away, crossing her arms. Did she really say that last part? She hoped not. "Does that answer your question?" she asked annoyed.

Zel looked down sullenly, his wire hair falling back into place. "Yes." He stood up slowly and went upstairs to his room. He was foolish to have hoped. He was stupid to actually believe. She had said everrything shy of 'I hate you'. She considered him valueably, but certainly not likable. How could he have been so stupid. Even if he did have a cure, there was no one to share it with.

No one.

He entered his room and cosed the door, taking off his cape and sitting on the bed before even acknowladging Luna's presence.

"What do you want?" he asked pleadingly, wanting desperately to be left alone in his grief.

"I told you so," she answered, with a grin on her face.

"No," he said flatly. "I told you so. She doesn't care about me and I did hurt her feelings."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "This I gotta hear."

Zelgadiss stood up. "She yelled at me, alright?" His voice started to raise, all his fustration suddenly aimed at Luna. "She told me point blank that I was vain, obsessive, ugly, you name it! She hates my guts. The only reason she keeps me around is because I'm valuable. She doesn't give a DAMN about me like you wanted me to believe. Now just leave me alone!"

Luna resisted the urge to facefault as Zel pushed her out of his room and slammed the door. Hmmm, she thought to herself. This calls for something less subtle. She went downstairs to find Lina already in the desert cart.

"Lina," she said. Lina looked up and saw Luna there. Stay calm. "Yes, Nee-chan?" she said. She slowed her eating.

"What did you say to Zelgadiss?" Lina sat back for a moment.

"I said . . . 'I see an over sensative guy who's so totally vain and obsessed about his chimera apperance that he doesn't realize how handsom he really is!' Why?" Lina took another forkful of pie.

"He believes you hate him, think he's ugly, and you only have him around because he's valuable." Lina stood up and chopped the table in half, making all the food go airborn.

"THAT INGRATE! I GO AND COMPLIMENT HIM AND HE TAKES IT PERSONALLY??" Before Lina could finish her tirade, Luna interupted.

"Lina," she whispered. Lina automatically fixed the table, pulling a rope from somewhere, tying it together, caught the food as it came down, replacing it to where it was, sat down in her seat, folded her hands across her lap and put her head down.

"Yes, Nee-chan."

"He thinks he hurt you." Lina's ears perked up. How did he manage that? He could never hurt her. Luna must have read her mind. Again. "He thinks that as a chimera he can only hurt everyone. Any hope of a cure to his chimera form keeps getting blasted by fakes. He feels he has nothing left."

"Excuse me Nee-chan."

"Of course."

Lina went upstairs to Zelgadiss's room. If that was what he really thought, she needed to correct him. Even if he still wanted sepuku, he would at least know why she said what she said. She stood there for ten minutes trying to decide how to word this. Zelgadiss was obviously in sensative mode, so just being blunt wouldn't work. Oh, hell. I might as well just get it over with. She knocked on the door. She heard Zelgadiss, no matter how quietly, grab his new sword.

"Who is it?" he asked suspiciously.

Won't he ever change? "It's me. Lina." She heard him put his sword down. He walked over to the door and opened it. "Thanks." She entered the room, bypassing the chair he offered her. She needed to stand for this. Zelgadiss sat on his bed.

"What do you want?" he asked sharply.

"I just want to talk."

"Why? I know how you feel about me."

"Eh?"

"Vain, obsessive, over-sensetive. Ring a bell?"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!"

"Oh really?" sarcasm dripped from his voice. Lina sighed. Let's try the cliché approach.

"Don't let what other people see affect who you are on the inside."

"Oh please. How Amelia."

"WHAT?"

"Let me try to get this right. 'But Zelgadiss-san, you look so cool as a chimera! Don't let the evil of ignorance defeat your heart of justice!' Was that accurate enough?"

"Will you listen to me!" Lina took a deep breath. Cliché obviously wouldn't work, so she had to explain herself a little more thouroughly. "What do you think a girl wants from a man? Some cheesy pick-up line? No! A girl wants a man who is respectful. She wants someone who she can actually have a conversation with. You know, someone who has something to say. Someone with the intelligence for stimulating conversations. You fit all of that. You have given and deserve far more respect than most people I know. You're a good conversationalist when you actually open up, and you can provide much more stimulating conversation than Gourry. You're far more polite than even my own sister and that's saying something."

"I heard that Lina."

"Nee-chan!"

"Just keep me out of this."

"Oh all right! Now then, where was I? Oh yeah. Besides, the fact that you're a chimera makes you even more handsome."

"Oh this I gotta hear."

"Okay, suppose a man does have all those qualities but is so overbearing because he thinks he's the gods' gift to women. That is such a way to turn the girls away. The fact that you're a chimera gives you a shy and humble quality. It gives you everything any young girl could ever want in a man. At least any sane girl."

Zelgadiss could not believe his ears. His hearing must be wrong. Even though they were far more sensetive than most Mazoku, they had to be wrong. It sounded like Lina was describing the type of man she may want to settle down with, only it was him! The freak. The chimera. The thing. Could Luna actually have been right? Lina really did care for him? It was too much to hope for, but there it was. She laid all her cards on the table. Zelgadiss was speechless.

"Well," Lina said. She sounded like she was suddenly nervous. "I've said what I wanted to. I'll go now." Zelgadiss on instinct got up and opened the door for her. Luna was right there. Zel and Lina facefaulted.

"Nee-chan! That was PRIVATE!!"

"I just wanted to inform Zelgadiss that tomorrow we'll have what he wanted."

"Which is?" Zelgadiss took out the paper he had been keeping from Lina. Lina stared at it. "This…this…the Prophet's Pages?! Luna how?" Luna shook her head. Lina understood that she wouldn't explain. The Prophet's Pages was a book of individual prophecies, written down by a seer before her death. None of the prophecies were earth shattering, but those who were listed in it had major turning points in their lives by reading it. Lina looked at the paper. It had a list of people who were to be written about in the book. About halfway down the list she saw the thing that must have set Zelgadiss off when he first saw this. "The Chimera's Cure". That must be Zelgadiss. "Okay! Let's go."

"I can not accompany you the rest of the way."

"Eh?? Why?"

"I will be gone when you get up tomorrow morning. Here is the map. I hope you find everything you're looking for."
Just a little bit further....