Lina and Zelgadis walked along the road. It was just the two of them, no one else had wanted to come along on this particular little jaunt, and although he'd never admit it, Zel really preferred things that way. In fact, he admitted to himself, he was getting to be almost as much a manipulator as Xellos, arranging every possible circumstance into alone time with Lina. Not that he ever said anything to her about it, but just being near her,with no clingy, annoying Amelia or overprotective Big Brother Gourry to worryabout was as close as he figured he'd ever come to pure bliss. Maybethis time they would finally find his cure, and then...His thoughtsbroke off as Lina started to hum.
Zel recognized the song as an old children's song he and his siblings had sung, what seemed like lifetimes ago. Almost silently he chanted the words as they came back to him.
"Pretend that I'm a King / Sitting on a throne. / Here I have a ring, /
Who to call my own? /
"Pretend I own the world, / I'd gladly give it all / If I had just one girl / Who'd
answer to my call. /
"Pretend that you love me, / Pretend that I love you, / And very soon you'll see /
Pretending doesn't do, /
"But if you're not pretending, / If you're my one true love, / Then there's a happy
ending, / No more my heart need rove./"
He sighed, "Hopeless childish notions." he said to himself...but not quietly enough, Lina overheard.
"Oh, so I'm a hopeless child, am I?" she fumed.
"No, no, I didn't say that. All I meant was that the song was pretty, but unrealistic, at least for me."
"What do you mean, 'for you'? I personally do believe that somewhere outthere is the right man for me, and that someday he'll realize I exist...I have to, or what point in even bothering to try?"
Zel shook his head. "That's fine for you, you're a pretty and intelligent, not to mention powerful, young woman. For me to even hope that there might be just one woman who finds my icy demeanor and hideous body lovable would be pointless, and only hurtful as the one I might allow myself to love rejected me with revulsion stamped plainly on her features." he sighed, "Why even open myself up to such pain?"
Lina scowled at him. "Do I find you revolting? Does Amelia? Sylphiel? Filia? Even Martina? I mean, honestly Zel..."
"Amelia's confused, Sylphiel's too focussed on Gourry to see anything else, Filia worries only about her own needs, and as for Martina, you know perfectly well she would have chased anything male before she met Zangulus. As for you, I've never been able to figure out your reasons for anything. If you'd care to enlighten me, I'd be glad to know."
Lina grinned. "Not a word will you get out of me on that one, buddy-boy, for that, at least, I prefer to remain an enigma, thank you very much."
Zel chuckled. That was his Lina all right, always coming up with these unpredictable answers out of left field exactly when he was least expecting...
A sudden blast, literally out of left field, flew at the pair of adventurers, and Zel barely managed to get a shield up in time. Strangely, evenwith the shield up, Lina suddenly bent double as though she had been kneedin the belly.
"Lina!" Zel exclaimed.
"I don't know what's wrong, but this guy is only a decoy...we HAVE to continue along the road."
Zel dispatched the one who had thrown the spell with a Dil Brando, and dropped his shield. No further attacks came, so he looked over at Lina fordirection. She could barely stand up straight, let alone walk.
"Zel, normally I would never ask this, but..."
"Of course I'll carry you." Zel said gently as he scooped her up into his arms, "You're light as a feather!" he exclaimed, "Lina, with the amount you eat, how do you manage to weigh so little?"
Lina was tired and in pain. In any other company this would have warranted a snappy reply, but this was Zel, whom her heart trusted implicitly, so she actually let the true answer slip out, even though she hadn't meant to.
"I'm not quite normal." she admitted, "Someone, Neechan probably, playedwith my metabolism when I was little. Almost everything I eat is turnedinto magickal energy, leaving only the barest necessities to sustain me untilI have a certain amount of power in reserve. It's a good idea in theory; it does make me very powerful; but it also means that I have to eat almost constantly if I'm using magick at all. You see, if I don't eat to replace what I use, my body starts to burn its reserves as though I'd been on a starvation diet for weeks." she explained as Zel ran along the road with her in hisarms.
He tightened his grip on her slightly, but didn't dare to hug her too hard. All of a sudden, Lina seemed very fragile to him.
Lina yelped as she felt what seemed like a blow to the head, and almost passed out.
"Lina, come on, stay with me, you have to tell me where we're going."
"That narrow place in the road up ahead, with the clusters of rocks on one side." Lina said before passing out.
When Zel reached the place Lina had pointed out, he gently laid her downand put a shield around her, then turned to where he sensed someone was watching him. "Alright, I'm here, come out and face me!" he challenged.
"Ha ha," someone chuckled, "I know she would bring you!"
A decidedly greasy and unwashed man stepped from behind one of the rocks, dragging a girl by the collar of her dress. She had red hair intricately braided and pinned into a bun, and her forest green dress was torn. The collar and petticoats, which must have been white at one time, were gray with dirt, and spotted in places with dried blood from a cut over her eyes. Her head lolled, and she was obviously unconscious. As the man lifted her head by the hair, Zel recognized her...the girl looked exactly like Lina!
Zel growled. "I don't know who you are, or who she is, but since you wanted so much to attract my attention...Astral Scream!" he cast a spell he had recently uncovered. It was a mental attack which caused theone it was aimed at to become temporarily insensible due to a blast of high-pitched sound which only they could hear. The spell was as good as it had sounded, the man slumped to the ground,unconscious.
Zel took advantage of this by grabbing the two girls, who were still outof it, and running as fast as he could down the road. Anyone as determined as this man obviously was would probably track them down, but he wanted to get the two unconscious girls away and give them a chance to wake up...he was REALLY curious as to who this second "Lina" was, and how things which hurt her affected Lina too. He noticed a camping circle off to theside of the road and stopped there. Laying down the two girls, he satdown by Lina and tried to wake her up.
"Lina, I need you to tell me what's going on here." he said, "Please wake up." And don't Fireball me for waking you. he added to himself.
Lina groaned and sat up. As she caught sight of the other girl sheshuddered. "Zel, please tell me that isn't who I think it is." Shepleaded, "Anything but HER!"
"I don't understand." Zel admitted.
Lina sighed. "Have you ever heard of Vrugandi's Mirror?"
Zel thought for a bit. "The Shadow Reflector? Wasn't it supposed to be some great weapon, created to make reflections to fight people?"
"That was the theory, but it worked too well. If the person reflected was truly aggressive, their reflection would be too pacifistic to fight. That's what she is."
"You've actually SEEN the mirror?"
"Seen...and destroyed. It was far too horrible a thing to allow it to be found by anyone else." Lina explained.
"So that girl over there..."
"Is me. But she's sweet and always wants to reason things out, andshe's WAY too trusting."
Finally the object of their discussion began to wake. "Oh...my head hurts!" she complained. She looked around and caught sight ofZel. "Oh my!" she exclaimed, "You look as though you could use a goodhealing spell!"
Zel sweatdropped. "I think I can see what you mean." he said to Lina.
"I'm sorry, that was terribly rude of me, wasn't it. I'm Artemisia, Artemisia Inverse." she introduced herself, then looked over at Lina. "Oh! Lina! How wonderful to see you again!"
"The pleasure's all yours, I'm sure." Lina groaned
Artemisia touched her cut forehead gingerly. "That nasty man...Lylas!" she exclaimed suddenly, "I've got to get back to Lylas! Oh my poor darling, he must be missing his mother terribly! Please..." she turned to Zelgadis, "We have to go back to my village!"
"How far is it?" Zel asked.
"Only about half an hour down the road." Artemisia replied.
"Fine then." Lina agreed. Secretly she had to admit she was a little jealous of her shadow-reflection. Apparently "Artemisia" had matured where Lina had not: She had a son, and presumably a husband, and was living the life Lina had always harboured a secret desire for. Shehad long since admitted to herself that she was far too fond of adventuringto give it up completely, but was it really asking so much to have a loverand companion whom she might think of spending some "settled time" with?
The village the still-woozy Artemisia led them to was small, but not overly so. She apparently ran a healer's shop, and lived above it. Since she was unable to cast Black Magick spells, even if she did know Lina's entire selection up until the time she had been created, she had evidently decided that her vast magickal power could be better put to use by learning White Magick. Before the entered the house she healed her injuries, but there was nothing she could do about the torn and stained dress.
"Lylas, Golan, I'm home!" she called cheerfully.
A red-haired bundle of energy barreled into the front room. "Mommy!" he crowed happily, and she lifted him into her arms.
"Have you been a good boy while Mommy was out?"
"He was quite well-behaved." her husband confirmed, "Who are our guests?
"Well, this is my...I guess you could call her my sister, Lina, andthis is her friend Zelgadis. I met them on the road, and they kindly escorted me home." Artemisia explained. She turned to them, "Lina,Zelgadis, this is my husband, Golan Gabriev."
Zel and Lina threw sharp glances at each other.
"What are the chances..."Zel wondered.
"You wouldn't happen to be related to a Gourry Gabriev, who carries the Sword of Light, would you?" Lina asked.
"Of course I am! He's my older brother by a full ten minutes!"
Lina looked at Zel. Zel looked at Lina. They both looked at the short-haired, tall, blond, blue-eyed Golan, then back at each other.
"I'm surprised I didn't see it right away." Zel said.
"I take it you know my brother?" Golan asked.
"We've traveled with him for almost three years now, actually." Lina said.
"How wonderful!" Artemisia smiled. "It's getting late, why don't you two stay the night? Then in the morning we can discuss that healing spell for you." She patted Zel's arm reassuringly, "I'll show you to theguest room, then get supper started...you need to eat like I do, right?" she asked Lina.
Lina nodded, and Artemisia led them to the room directly over the shop'sentrance. There were two small beds on either side, and Artemisia turned them down before leaving to start the meal.
"It seems she's changed somewhat." Lina said, "I guess once a reflection has been created it can take on new attitudes and grow and change just like any normal person can."
"If you say so." Zel agreed, "What I want to know is, why did you react when she was hurt?"
"Even if we've gone our separate ways, we're still two parts of the same being, so it makes sense that what affects one affects the other. Thefurther apart we are, the less the effect, though." Lina sighed, "I'm gonnatake a nap until Dinner's ready." she said, and curled up on the bed.
Dinner was a sweet, domestic affair, with Artemisia, or "Misa" as Golan called her, doting on her husband and two-year-old son, and Golan asking after his "Adventuresome Brother".
"Well, I'm pretty tired," Lina said, "I think I'll just go to bed early."
"That's fine." Misa said, "I have things to discuss with Zelgadis here, but they'll be best discussed privately I think."
"I'll put Lylas to bed, then." Golan said.
When it was just the two of them, Artemisia turned to Zelgadis. "So, explain exactly what the problem is." she said.
Zel explained to her the circumstances of his transformation by Rezo into his present form, and Misa tapped her chin in thought.
Zel was finding it very strange to be around her. She looked like Lina, her voice sounded like Lina's, even her scent was basically the same as Lina's, but her attitudes and mannerisms were so different...it was bizarre!
"I may have a solution." she said finally, "but it's a pretty heavy-dutycure, and it could be dangerous."
"I don't care if it's dangerous I need a cure! Whatever it is I'll..."
"Don't agree until you hear what it is." Artemisia warned.
"Alright, so tell me, what is it?"
"The only way I can think of to cure you is to cast Resurrection, but ifthe timing is even slightly off, either nothing will happen, or you willdie." Artemisia explained, "You'd have to get someone to almost kill you,then I would cast Resurrection Only on the human part of you. It shouldwork, but it's only a theory, so I want you to think about it tonight, and give me an answer in the morning."
"Fine, I can agree to that." Zel conceded.
"Well then, I have dishes to do before I go to bed. I'll see you in the morning, goodnight."
"Goodnight...and thank you." Zel said.
Deep in thought, he wandered back to the guest bedroom. When he opened the door as quietly as he could, Lina said, "Hi Zel."
"Oh, so you're still up? I thought you were tired and went to bed early."
"I couldn't handle her any more," Lina admitted, "but I didn't want to make a scene. She's only a reflection of me, and yet she as everything I wish I did. A home, a steady source of income, a husband who is lover and helpmeet to her, a child..." she sniffled, "Maybe you're right Zel, maybe it is all just childish and hopeless."
"I don't think so. I think there's definitely someone out there who loves you and will want to stay with you the rest of his life."
"Well, if you say so. Hey, did my reflection think of anything to help you?" Lina asked, changing the subject.
"She did, actually."
"Oh Zel! You must be so pleased!" Lina stood up and gave him a quick hug,"What is it?"
"Actually, Lina, I'm going to need your help. You see, Artemisia'ssuggestion is that if she were to cast a resurrection only on the Human part of me, then..."
Lina turned away. "No." she said firmly.
"Why not? Lina, I thought you understood how important this was tome. I..."
"No, Zel." she said very softly, "I'm sorry, but I can't do that."
"Look, Lina, can't you be reasonable about this?" Zel pleaded.
Lina spun around, tears streaming down her face. "No! No, I won't almost kill you, and NO, I won't be REASONABLE about it! The man Ilove more than life itself wants me to try and kill him, then expects meto be..." She collapsed sobbing against his chest, "Oh Gods, Zel,if you ever died I don't know what I'd do. To think I might be theone who killed you...I'd sooner die, and if I WERE the one, I'd probably just kill myself afterwards. I'd have nothing left to live for."
"Lina." Zel said tenderly, "Why didn't you tell me? I also love you, I just didn't think it was any use saying anything when I have nothing to offer you but a hideous countenance and a scarred heart. But if that's really how you feel..."
Lina sniffed and scrubbed at her tearstained cheeks. "I've loved you almost since the first day I met you." she said, "And I think you're the handsomest and sexiest guy alive, just the way you are now."
Zel's expression was the epitome of stunned. He reached out to touch Lina's face gently, as though he almost couldn't believe his eyes and ears, and had to resort to this more primitive but concrete sense to confirm her existence.
"Alright then, I guess I'll manage without a cure...for now, at least." he said, then slid his hand around to cup the back of her head as he kissed her.
The next morning when Artemisia asked him of his decision, Zel smiled. "Having thought it over, I decided that the dangers were more than I could ask anyone to risk." He explained.
Artemisia looked over at Lina with a knowing smile. "Or were convinced you had something else to live for."
"Something like that."
"What will you do now?"
"We'll probably go back to where the rest of our group is." Zel shrugged,
"Not much point in continuing on to a possible cure when I've decided I don't need one."
"Tell Gourry to drop in sometime." Golan said, walking out of the kitchen, "He really ought to meet his nephew."
Zel nodded. "And the other one on the way as well." he added.
"I...I wasn't sure yet, how did you know?"
"Hearing." Zel tapped his ear, "There are some advantages to this body, after all."
Golan smiled and embraced his small wife from behind. "Thank you for telling me."
"Look at it as my way of saying thank you for all your hospitality."
"I want to thank you as well." Lina spoke up, "For trying to help Zel, and for showing me what might have been, and what could be."
"Bye-bye Auntie Lina!" Lylas jumped into her arms for a hug, "Bye-bye Unca Zel!"
Zelgadis smiled at him. "Goodbye." he said.
Lina put her "nephew" down, and the little family waved farewell as the pair of adventurers headed off down the road.
In a deep and mysterious cave, a thin, scraggly man with long greasy receding hair and an even longer, greasier beard growled in frustration. That damned Chimera was supposed to have come to him for a cure and been turned to his will. Rasputin growled. Now he'd have to settle for that sickly Russian princeling as a tool instead...
please don't ask why he's in here..I don't know, he just is.