Chapter 1: Galactic Angel

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The soft fluttering of galactic winds. Silky feeling of star dust and sunlight dancing across his hull. Soon, so very soon, he would find the Mapman. The one who would lead him to the flowing light.

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Sirens screamed through Tokyo as troops mobilized. Huge, hulking tanks drove out from hidden garages and soldiers marched through the streets, setting up heavy artillery. An unidentified, flying object had entered Japan's airspace, a huge object. Announcers warned people off the streets for their own health as Lina and Gourry took that warning as the order it was and then ignored it.

"Lina!", Gourry yelled, struggling to keep to keep pace with the fiery redhead who was his best friend.

"What?!", she yelled back, glancing over her shoulder as she ran.

"Where are we going again?"

SLAPSLAPSLAPBEAT!

"YOU MOLDY, BRAIN DEAD ZOMBIE! I TOLD YOU! WE'RE GONNA GO SEE THE ACTION!" with that, Lina grabbed the now mangled Gourry's leg and dragged him along the pedestrian walkway over an empty street.

"Lina Inverse!"

Lina paused and looked over the rail. Her eyes widened in shock. It would have been hard to tell that the person that stood before her was a man if he hadn't been shirtless. Sharp, icy eyes behind long lashes, short, lavender hair, pale skin, and a very feminine and streamlined face. He was shorter than Gourry, but taller than her by at least a head, slender frame sleekly muscled. Loose, white pants and black boots were his only clothes. A silver bangled, black sash and sword belt hung around his waist, and he looked like he could use the sword with deadly accuracy. Dark blue bracers covered his wrists and he wore a red stoned necklace. He wasn't wearing much by the standards she had been brought up by, but then again, he didn't look ... human. An indefinable aura surrounded him, giving the distinct impression that he was not and had never been human.

"I am Zelgadis Greywers, space privateer. Lina Inverse, you are the Mapman, and I have come for you.", his voice was strong but it had a whispering quality to it. Almost ... sexy ...

"Lina? Do we know him?", that was Gourry, who, having recovered from the beating, was now staring at Zelgadis.

"I've never seen him before."

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He could sense the aerial fighters of this planet. The people here were primitive, their weapons could not harm him and their strength was useless against his own. With exquisite care for their fragile city, he landed with the grace of dove. He had found the Mapman.

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The wind picked up suddenly as the city held it's breath. A huge spaceship slowly lowered itself between the buildings. It landed so gently it never even touched the sides of the buildings or causing a single piece of paper to stir for all it's size. Lina and Gourry stared up in shock. It looked like ... Zelgadis!?

Built to resemble the man who stood before them, the ship's arms were encased in huge wing-like structures, it's feet and lower legs melding flawlessly into a sleek, streamlined tail. It was like an angel, wings spread, fingers reaching to the sun, clothed in light drenched streamers and feathers as it's ivory hull gleamed in the fading light of the setting sun that shone at it's back. Taller than the tallest building, yet more dainty than a feather, it stood on the single needle tip of it's tail.

A beam of light shot from the ship and sucked the three inside.

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"What are you doing to Lina?!", Gourry asked, just a little worried. Zelgadis had, with much shrieking about him being a space pervert, strapped a protesting Lina to a table and carefully set a band of metal around her head. The table slid into a slowly spinning tube.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt her," Zelgadis answered coolly, pressing a button. Panes of light slid the length and breadth of Lina's body. "Mapman, how are you feeling?"

"HOW DO YOU THINK I'M FEELING, YOU PERVERT!?!?! AND WHY THE HELL DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME MAPMAN?!?!?!", she screeched, struggling.

"The Mapman is the chosen descendent of the Nomad Star Tribe, in whose body the location of the lost treasure is encoded," he answered, a schematic of Lina floating in front of him. A schematic of Lina with no clothes.

Needless to say, Lina took one look at that and started screeching like a banshee, fire shooting from her mouth. "PERVERT!!!!!!" She paused in mid-shout, "Treasure?"

"Lina?! Lina's related to some alien?! And boy, she has small breasts," Gourry's rather dimwitted reply to the whole event earned him a swat from Lina, who had managed to escape her bonds.

"Alien?! How can you be so sure, where's your proof?", she asked, turning to Zel. "AND STOP LOOKING AT THAT!", she yelled, beaning him. "Ow! You're hard!" Lina stuck her fingers in her mouth and glared at him, promising his imminent demise.

"The legend says The day shall come when time itself shall cease, when Earth comes apart at the seams, then the white Mapman shall show the way to the flowing light."

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A beam of white light shot from the clouds and engulfed part of Tokyo, burning it to ashes. The second beam went straight through the ship, searing a hole through it's trunk.

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Lina stared in shock as Zelgadis turned, listening, and then screamed in agony as blood shot from suddenly open wounds at the top of his spine and out his stomach.

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He was falling. It hurt. He had felt the very metal vaporize as the beam struck him, slicing through the center of his being. Falling, falling. His delicate landing was nothing now as he crushed the buildings in his fall, feeling his hull being torn as he skidded along the ground, desperately trying to remain airborne. Pain. Everything was pain.

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Zel groaned, having fallen against the hold, "She must have found me ..." Red lights flashed through the room, casting an bloody glow across the floor and broken equipment. A tiny furry being bounded across the room and into Zel's lap, licking the hand that clutched his stomach wound.

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Twin visions. One of the ceiling, broken and blood-tinted, the other of the sky and the dark brown ship that slowly dropped from the clouds. Like a vulture seeking wounded pray, the almighty Bitch that was his sister ship slowly lowered itself with a smug, self-righteous air. Built reminiscent of a vulture, the hunched, brown tinted wings and dark toned, cobra hooding slid open to reveal rows and rows of white Digger Missiles.

He had managed to turn his fall into a crushing glide. His only hope lay too far in front of him. The bay ...

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A woman's voice echoed through the bridge, "I've found you at last, Zelgadis. You've betrayed your siblings and stolen Rezo and you will be punished!"

"Eris," he whispered, ice blue eyes closing as he desperately attempted to escape. He had found the Mapman and he would not lose her now!

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He screamed again as her Missiles found their way through his back. The fighters of Earth had scrambled, honing in on her. A hopeless quest, her fire power would crush them like gnats ... but they might be a distraction. He was almost there ...

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She smirked as the fighters of this primitive, backwater world attacked her. Like mice up against a mighty lion, they were helpless before her. Their strikes only proved to be ticklish, like a lover's caress. She smiled, taunting "Now that feels kinda good."

How appropriate that what was nothing to her would prove the end of her brother. She smiled wider and returned her attention to his annihilation. There was only empty, smoking space. Where was he? She looked, scanning the area. "Damn! They got away."

She sighed and hovered, waiting.

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He made it. He would be safe here in the bay as he regenerated. She wouldn't find him with her scanners. The cool water caressed the seared and melted wounds, easing the agony that shot like fire though him. He closed his eyes as the restoration system engaged.

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Lina picked herself off the ground, groaning. She assumed they were safe, since all was quiet and they hadn't been blown to smithereens. All the better in her opinion. She looked around at the blood-tinted room and spied Zelgadis, prone and covered in blood.

"Zel! Are you alright?" she asked, concerned. She didn't dare touch him with these wounds. He looked bad, covered in bloody, open craters. His voice was calm, though, as if it didn't hurt at all.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Lina started, staring in awe as the wounds closed with a hiss of steam, "Your wounds are disappearing."

"You have to understand, I'm not a human being. I'm the brain of this living ship. A machine made alive."

"Lina? What's going on?" Lina took a moment of her time to beat the stuffing out of Gourry as she screamed at him, "WHAT DO YOU THINK?!?!"

The wad of cloth and flesh that was her friend posed an interesting question, "When are we going home? I'm hungry."

Lina looked down at her stomach and grimaced. "Me too, I wanna eat dinner."

Zelgadis didn't move, "Mapman, I will send you and your lover home, but first you must help me."

Gourry answered since Lina was blushing like a spotlight over "lover", "Help you?"

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Lina smiled a little. Zelgadis was moving again, the inside of the ship already repaired by ... well, it had been something! But now ... now they had to find out what Zelgadis wanted in the first place. Lina glowered at his back, remembering the naked schematic of herself. It better not be anything perverted like helping him repopulate his race.

Zelgadis stared out into the water through a view port, feeling Lina's eyes on him. Time to tell. "I am one of six ships built to find a lost treasure, the flowing light, and to discover everything we can about the Mazoku."

That got Lina's attention, "Treasure? The Mazoku?"

Zel smiled a little, "The Mazoku are the most advanced beings in the entire universe. Rezo, who created me, betrayed them once and escaped with me. But Rezo was ... " He trailed off.

"What happened to him?"

"He's dead." Zel was silent for a moment, eyes far off, "Someday, we too may see the Mazoku. You must never forget that they are the most dangerous race in the universe."

Lina squirmed, uncomfortable, before shrugging it off, "So what about the Treasure?"

"The treasure is the flowing light. Rezo wanted nothing more than to find this treasure, so I have continued this mission to carry out his will. I have no choice but to obey Rezo's will or die in the attempt."

After a moment's pause, Lina asked, "What is the flowing light?"

"No one knows. It is believed to be a power unlike any other."

"Power ... ," Lina's voice was low, thoughtful.

"The ship will be repaired in three days," he continued, "Meet me at wharf number three on the evening of the third day. You must come with me Mapman." He turned to her, dead serious and prepared to make her come.

"Coming?! Of course I'm coming! You think I'm gonna miss a chance to get my hands on the ultimate power? No way!" she smiled, eyes all sparkly, "Just think ... all the power, the money I could earn, the food I could eat ... The food! I must go, " she struck a pose, finger to the sky, "It is my duty to try new foods and test them for human consumption everywhere!"

Zel sweatdropped.

Gourry, who had playing with the furry white thing, also known as Zolf, lifted his head to look at the two. "If Lina's going, I'm going."

"No you're not! This is my mission!"

"Hey, I wanna eat good too!"

The discussion degenerated into a fight. Zel sweatdropped again.

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"Lina! Lina! Breakfast!" Lina screeched down the hall at warp speed, and started shoveling food into her mouth. Luna raised an eyebrow under her bangs. Lina was eating slower than usual. "Lina, are you feeling okay."

Lina laughed nervously, "Yeah, sure, why do you ask?"

Her sister shook her head. She'd find out soon enough when Lina got in trouble. Why bother to pry it out of her now? Luna turned back to her cooking as Lina sighed in relief. That was close.

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School dragged on and on and on. Lina was sleeping, as usual, so she didn't care. Nice dreams about all the food she was going to eat and the power she would get her hands on .......... and about a certain .... someone.

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Rain. She hated rain. No time to worry, just time to hustle. She had an appointment to keep with Zelgadis. Wharf number three, wharf number three ... she thought, running down the dockyard. There!

She skidded to a halt at the edge of the pier. A figure was standing there, staring stupidly into space. "Gourry?"

Gourry smiled happily and nodded. "I'm coming too."

"Hey!"

"Someone needs to watch you, and I'm your guardian," Her friend smiled again, gesturing expansively. She sighed. If he remembered the meeting and had mentioned the unfortunate incident in their past when he had made himself her "guardian", he really would be stubborn about this.

"Fine, fine," she grumbled, secretly pleased.

"I've been waiting for you Mapman." Lina looked up, startled, staring at the figure in the shadows of the construction equipment.

"Zelgadis?"

"I'm sorry, but you won't be going with Zelgadis." The figure stepped out of the shadows. A woman. Short, spiky, black hair, dark eyes, and skin as pale as Zelgadis's. She was wearing a tight black leather mini-dress, a spiked collar, black heels, and short black cape. She smirked again, pulling the long whip she held taut.

There's something about that voice ... "I know that voice. Now I remember you, you're the space ship that totally destroyed Tokyo!" Lina yelled, jerking Gourry back, ready to run.

"Get back here!" the woman shouted, lashing out with the whip and slamming Lina into a wall. Gourry tried to attack, only to join Lina. The woman smirked, "I like your spirit!" Her smile darkened, "But prepare to suffer."

She swung the whip back to strike and felt it catch. She spun, looking for the interference. Lina looked up through blurry eyes as the woman paused. Someone had stopped her ... Zel?!

"You keep your hands the hell off my payload, Eris." He said, soft voice deadly as he pulled the whip tighter.

"Zelgadis.", she growled, jerking at the whip without much luck, "You've always done excellent work, but I can't say I ever liked you very much."

"Nor I you, Bitch." he shot back as he jerked the whip to the side and swung her away from Lina.

Eris cried out in shock, she had forgotten how strong he was. She flipped to a standing position and snarled at her "brother". Snapping the razor whip again, she struck out at the unflappable calm that had annoyed her forever. He dodged, inhumanly fast as he darted through the construction beams, always just a little ahead of the flying weapon. A leap and he ricocheted off a wall, flipping between the edges of her whip, sword drawn as he struck, cutting along her cheek and ripping an earring off. She cried out in pain.

"I don't have the time to deal with you right now, Eris." Zel turned, smiling, as the ship surged from the harbor, sending huge waves across the docks and slamming them into the walls. The tractor beam shot from the ship and sucked Zel, Lina, and Gourry from the water.

"Give my regards to Xellos, Bitch!" Zel shouted gleefully as he was pulled into his body.

The galactic angel engaged its thrusters and left a sputtering Eris to fend for herself on the flooded docks as it streaked towards the clouds.

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Even in air this thick he loved flying. The flow of molecules over his wings and down his tail, the smooth transition from holing to true flight, the easy movement of every circuit and gear. Only ... now he had passengers. The Mapman and her lover. Lover ... why did that bother him?

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Lina loved this. The quick, effortless flight as she sat gazing out one of the wide twin port - the eyes of the ship - into the darkness of the stars and the sky ... She could get to like this. "Where to?"

Zel's eyes never left the sky, "We're heading to Antarctica."

"Antarctica?"

"The flowing light is there."

"Are you sure? How do you know?", she asked, hopping off the counter in front of the twin ports.

"A map was encoded in your genetic data."

Lina snorted, "I should hope so, you pervert."

Zel glanced over at her and rolled his eyes.

Lina ignored him and looked back outside. He was so fast ... moments ago they were over the ocean, and now they were gliding over the edge of Earth's southern-most continent. The ship slowed as she spotted penguins sliding down icy slopes and jumping into the cold waters. A cliff made of snow fell apart to slide into the sea as they passed, broken by the vibrations of the ship's flight. A mountain range was before them. Even as she registered it, they were across, slowing to a halt. Then she say why he had stopped. Deep, symmetrical markings in a much too ordered plane of flat, undisturbed, unbroken ice.

"These are the remains of a Nomad Star Tribe encampment," Zel said looking down at the markings as they started to glow, blue-green light writhing along the marks, "it seems to sense your brain wave emissions."

A brilliant flash of light flared from the markings, blinding them. Lina yelped, covering her eyes, "Ah! What was that?"

The light cleared. All was still. The penguins were held in air, the ice cliff had ceased to fall. It was as if ...

"The legend of the nomad Star Tribe is coming true! Time on earth has stopped," Zelgadis's voice was an awed whisper. A schematic appeared on the view screen with the barest of thoughts, "I didn't think it was possible ... "

It was a schematic of the Earth, irregular lines criss-crossing it as it seemed to break apart along those lines, pieces moving outward.

Gourry asked a typically dense question, "What's happening? Is the Earth expanding?"

"No, it's more like when the Earth comes apart at the seams," Zel answered, voice still low and awed.

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It was amazing. He hadn't believed it would come true, that he would actually find it. Not bothering to wait till the movement of the Earth, he dipped forward and dived into the crevice that was opening beneath him.

It was amazing. Energy in the form of lightning danced through the crevice, as if the Earth were alive and these were the thoughts of a deeply buried mind, leaping across the gaps in it's mind. The energy danced across his hull, yet never stung, just was ...

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"There it is!" Zel cried, pointing at a sudden flash of light at the end of the crevice.

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He opened a port and sucked the light inside as he glided into the huge, pulsing cavern ... he was at the center of the Earth. The frozen heat was intense, the Earth's internal process held in perfect stasis.

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Gourry and Lina hovered around Zel as he plucked an object from a cylinder that raised from the center of the bridge, obviously transported from the outside of the ship. The object was made of three finger-thick hexagons stuck end to end, the center one wider than the outer two. The outside hexagons were half metal, engraved with silvered runes in an unknown script. It seemed to be made of green glass. Little, white dots - almost like diagrams - were held within the green. It almost ... shone ...

"What is that?" Lina asked, hanging on Zel's arm to get a better look.

His voice was low, awed, "A Star Map."

Lina snatched it away to look closer, curious. This is the flowing light?!

The Star Map flashed as Lina touched it, flaring brilliantly. She jerked back, shocked. Words suddenly popped into her mind and she spoke them before she realized what she was saying, "Fireball!"

A fireball shot from Lina's hands and exploded on the far wall. Zel hissed in pain, even as he and Gourry stared at her. "What?!"

Lina stared at her hands, then at the Star Map, eyes wide. "The Map did it, it gave me some sort of power ...", she whispered. "YES!" She flashed victory and cheered.

"If you're done hopping up and down ... ?"

Zel's rather dry remark brought an incredibly giddy Lina back to Earth. "Oh, sorry Zel."

Gourry was happy that Lina had found her power. He glanced outside a port as she cast a healing spell on Zelgadis. Now maybe she wouldn't beat on him as much ... wait a minute ... "Something’s going on outside."

Zel turned from Lina's attentions to look out, his eyes widened, "Time is beginning to flow forward again! We have to go."

The ship turned and prepared to engage the thrusters, only to be slammed into the walls of the cavern by a series of deadly, painful missiles. Zel screamed.

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She smiled. It had been pure brilliance to stock up on her Digger Missiles and then follow her wayward brother. Pure brilliance to put that tracker on him, which had just been destroyed by a carefully placed hit. She smiled wider as he slammed into the wall, "I brought along a little toy to finish you off and I'm going to enjoy this immensely!"

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Lina and Gourry ran to Zel as he fell, "Zelgadis!"

"I didn't realize Eris was following us," he whispered, trying to push himself up.

Lina gently rolled him over, "How are you?"

"Not good. .... I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Because I forced you to come on my journey. I searched for the flowing light because I wanted to carry out the will of Rezo, my maker," he said, voice strained as the ship rocked in another blast. I didn't truly understand why I was searching or what for, but now I've found it, he added mentally.

"Zelgadis ... "

"Even though I appear to be human like you and Gourry, my true essence comes only from this ship," he whispered, "There's no need to worry about me, my long journey is over. This quest could have ended any time. It's over now." It's over now.

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Whispers that seeped from the vaults of memory, a blind face turned to his own, "Fear the Mazoku." It was gone as quickly as it came.

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She crowed, "And now you will die and fall whimpering like a child!" She had him, after all this time and searching, vengeance would be hers! For Rezo, for Xellos, and for the others!

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"Lina, you must take Gourry, and follow Zolf. Zolf, take them to the escape pod." He relaxed as Zolf chirped and bounded down the hall.

Lina and Gourry looked back at him for a moment before following him.

The escape pod was at the end of one of the wing tips. Gourry jumped in after Zolf, lifting a hand to help Lina inside. Zel's voice whispered through the ship, "I've already set the coordinates, the pod will take you home. Please take care of Zolf."

"Lina, what's wrong?" Gourry asked as Lina looked down, her hands tugging on the bow of her school uniform.

"Nothing, I....," she said softly, looking down at the pod, "flowing light ... " an answer, the Map had given her power ... and Zel ... "I can't leave you to die alone!!" she shouted, turning and running back to the bridge

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He didn't want to die alone, not now ... not after ... So close, so very close. He felt another blast slam through his hull, burning fire arcing along his circuits. Faintly ... faintly ... she hadn't taken off. She had to! She must! Where was she?

He ran a scan as he slowly drifted, feeling the darkness tug at him. Another blast, another new pain. Found her. In the tunnel ... why was she coming back?

The next blast exploded in the tunnel ... Mapman ... "Lina ..."

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It hurt. Lina was sprawled on the floor of the tunnel, not only glad to be alive, but glad that the falling metal hadn't crushed her. She groaned, pushing herself up. If this was what Zel felt like, she had new sympathy for his plight. She whispered a healing spell under her breath, sealing the cuts and burns. Then she was running again.

Lina screeched into the bridge and rushed to the fallen form of Zel. She grabbed him, careful of his wounds. "Do you understand what the flowing light is?" she cried, feeling uncharacteristic tears threaten to spill over her cheeks. "If it's truly useless to you, you can throw it away." She had no idea what she was saying, she just had to get him to be stubborn and live, "But if it means anything at all, anything, then your journey's not finished till you find it."

"Besides," she whispered, "you promised to take me with you and feed me all that food, so don't you dare die on me!"

He smiled wryly at that even as he started to fade, slumping in her arms. Panic gripped her. She couldn't lose him, not now, not when he had become her friend ...

"DON'T GIVE UP ON ME, ZEL!!!!!"

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A memory rose from the depths of his memory banks. A memory clouded in pain. Red light flickered from many fires, a red haze over a barren, rocky land. A man ... a man in red, red robes, looking at him in shock and horror. The man cried out, "Zelgadis! AHHHHHHHHH!!!"

The man was silenced as he was shot full of holes. Falling, falling, would he never stop falling? Streaks and flows of crimson blood, joining the red of his robes, the red of the land ...

The man raised his head, barely alive, but fighting death with every breath. His voice was barely above a whisper, "Zelgadis ... as long as you live ... never give up ... "

He could only stare in horror as the man sank to the ground, forever still.

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Zelgadis was staring at her, but Lina got the feeling he wasn't seeing her. His lips moved suddenly, voiceless. She saw determination flare in his eyes as he pushed himself up, only to fall. She caught him, holding him up.

"Never give up," he voice was choked, but determined. Zel twisted in Lina's arms, "Fulminous Cannon, prepare to fire!!!"

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She growled as her brother turned. How dare he! She saw the cannon moving out into the dim, ruddy light as the top panel of his head slid open in preparation to fire.

Think you can stop me, huh? Well, think again.

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Lina felt Zel arch in her arms as the missiles struck the ship, causing little explosions of blood along his body. His head tilted back, resting on her shoulder, eyes glazed from the pain, but his voice was strong, "Fulminous Cannon, fire now!!!"

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Her eyes widened. NO!

It was too late. The twin beams slammed into her, going straight through her body and slamming her into the wall of the crevice. She screamed.

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He didn't have any time, no time at all actually. Time was moving forward. He engaged his thrusters and decided to get the hell out of there. Besides, it felt nice resting his human body in the Mapman's arms.

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Lina stared out a port, clutching the wounded Zel in her arms. They're only hope of survival had better not die! She bit her lip, watching the crevice close. Even at the speeds they were going, they weren't going to make it ... "Hurry, the crevice is closing!"

"I know!"

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It was closed now, crushed around him, but that didn't matter, his speed was enough as he burst out of the ground and shot toward the sky, dancing through the Northern Lights.

He shot from the atmosphere, pulling free from Earth's gravity, and headed into deep space.

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Gourry had joined them on the bridge, "Where are we?"

"The north pole, we went in through the south and came out the north," Lina answered, staring out into the glittering beauty of the Northern Lights as they sped through the glimmering beams, she looked over at Zel, "Zel, how are your wounds?"

"I have full faith in my restoration system," he said, smiling at her. His wounds had sealed in this form, even though his hull and body was still broken and scarred, but he would live. "But anyway, take a look at this," he said, drawing attention to their Star Map, "I thought there was something wrong with this, this is useless by itself, but when all three pieces are joined, it will have a scope that covers the entire galaxy."

Lina smiled, "Then your journey isn't finished."

"My search is definitely not finished. I guess I'm in the middle of my long Odyssey." Zel smiled back. "Care to join me?"

"YOU BET!" she and Gourry chorused in unison.

"After all, someone has to keep an eye on you," Lina said, winking at Gourry. "And you owe us, anyway." Zel rolled his eyes.

Gourry nodded. "Food and adventure."

"You're right, jellyfish-brains, food ... and adventure," she whispered as they sped into the stars.

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Luna plucked a letter out of the mailbox.

Dear Luna,

I've decided to go on a personal trip for a while, so don't worry. I'm off to find food, adventure, and avoid school. Anyway ... I'll be seeing you! Bye!

~ Lina

Luna smiled, having expected something like this. Good luck, Lina-chan.

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