Lina lay in her bed hours after Amelia had fallen asleep. Her thoughts were on the strange Mozoku girl. Why did she want to be human? Humans were weak and helpless compared to the Mozoku Race! Lina did not understand it at all. There had to be some reason though. Otherwise, Rinri would not have come to help with the Claire Bible. Lina's thoughts drifted outside the window. She knew Gourry was out there, waiting for her to wake up, so she silently got up and went to look for him.
"Gourry, is that you?" Lina asked a figure coming toward her in the darkness.
"Yeah Lina, it's me. You couldn't sleep huh? Me either. That's two nights in a row. Man am I tired," Gourry said, falling into step beside Lina.
"Why can't you sleep Gourry? What's up?" Lina asked, taking his arm and leaning against it. Her eyes closed and she listened to the wind blow. She shivered. Gourry put his arm around her in an attempt to warm her up.
"Gee Lina, I'm not too sure. All I know is that I can't sleep. I just toss and turn and keep Zelgadis up. He eventually gets mad at me and throws me out. So then I wander here to talk to you, Lina. I like talking to you," Gourry said.
"I can't sleep either tonight. I was tossing and turning trying to figure out what Rinri wanted to be human for. I really can't see any logical reason!" Lina said with a frown.
"Well did you ever think that maybe...she was in love with a human guy?" Gourry asked, "I mean, love does funny things to people sometimes doesn't it? Or maybe I'm wrong as usual."
"No, Gourry, I think you have a point. I think we should bring it up at breakfast in the morning, provided she even shows up!" Lina said, congratulating Gourry for his uncharacteristic flash of intelligence.
The two friends walked off of the hotel grounds and on to the streets of Seyruun. They didn't know where they were going or when they'd come back, but it didn't matter. Each was happy with the other's company. Little did they know, however, that a pair of squinting eyes was watching them.
Xellos stepped into view just as Lina rounded the corner. She was just two steps ahead of Gourry, which gave Xelloss plenty of time to grab Lina and disappear with her.
"What do you want creepy boy?" Lina demanded from the floor. Xellos smiled down at her and winked.
"Why, the Claire Bible of course. I hear that Rinri had teamed up with you. What a pity. She'll be dealt with in due time however. We can't have Mozoku defectors you know," the trickster Priest replied.
"You mean you're a Mozoku too? Oh man, this day had just gone from bad to worse," Lina moaned. She rattled her chains, "Why the chains Xel, I don't have the book?"
"I know, Lina dearest, you're just the bait. I'm going to kill two birds with one stone. I'll get the book, and I'll get Rinri. Simple as that," Xellos smirked and giggled.
Lina spat at the purple-haired laughing boy and growled.
"Oh my," Xelloss breathed, "You are very beautiful when you're angry and homicidal, Lina." Xelloss knelt down beside Lina and stroked her face, "Yes indeed, beauty and power. That's exactly what I need." Then, Xelloss was gone.
"LIIIINNNNAAAAA!!!" Gourry shouted a he ran down the streets of Seyruun, searching, unsuccessfully, to find the little red-haired sorceress. He wound up back at the inn where he found everyone sitting down to eat breakfast. Then he realized that it was dawn.
"Gourry, go take a bath, I don't really want to know where you've been, but you smell awful," Zelgadis pointed to the bathroom.
"Wait!" Gourry said, out of breath, "Lina's gone! She's been taken by Xelloss. I don't know where. All I know is that I turned a corner to follow her and she was gone. All I heard was Xelloss' giggles."
"He took her to lure me and the Claire Bible," said Rinri quietly. She picked up her glass and sipped at her orange juice. "I'll go. It is my fault after all."
"I wanna go to! I want that cure! And if Lina's the only one who can do it..." said Ranma.
"But I'm a sorceress, too!" piped Amelia. Everyone face-faulted.
"Yes, and I'm a sorcerer," Zelgadis began, "But I'm afraid the two of us aren't nearly as powerful as Lina. Otherwise, why do you think she never lets us try the Dragon Slave of Giga Slave, hmm?"
"Yeah, okay, I guess you're right...so in the NAME OF JUSTICE...let's save Miss Lina!" Amelia cried...and for the second time, everyone face-faulted.
Lina rocked back and forth in nervous anticipation. She didn't know where she was or even how Xelloss had caught her off guard like that. Now, though, she knew he was definitely the enemy. She hoped Gourry and the others would come soon.
Rinri summoned up her power to transport the entire party to Xelloss dark lair. She had no trouble with the location since she'd been there so many times as his mistress. She hated him for that. He had never once said that he loved her. He wasn't true Mozoku anyway. But she'd since become acquainted with human forms of love and had herself fallen in love with a young sorcerer named Misoken. He was a handsome man, a gentleman, and most importantly, he loved her. He knew she was Mozoku and loved her anyway. He had asked for her hand in marriage. Rinri figured that a good present would be her humanity. She absolutely needed Lina to say the spell...if it was in the book at all.
Gourry tapped his feet on the ground as Rinri prepared to transport the group to Xelloss' lair. He didn't completely trust this woman, but it didn't matter anyway. He would do anything if it meant saving Lina. Gourry waited for Rinri to finish her preparations and then, as the translocation began, he held his breath.
"Well, Ran-chan, I sure hope this works. I don't want you turning into a girl on our wedding night or something!" Ukyou said as she tried to cuddle with Ranma on the bench. Akane meanwhile, was trying her hardest not to smash Ranma's head in.
"Hey Ucchan, get offa me okay?" Ranma yelled as he attempted to free his arms. Akane relaxed a little. Maybe Ranma wasn't that bad after all. Akane decided to try her hand. When Ukyou had been pried loose, Akane slipped her arm through his. Behind Ranma's head, she stuck her tongue out at Ukyou.
Ranma's head was spinning. Was Akane actually voluntarily touching him? Akane nuzzled her head into his shoulder. Yup! Ranma smiled.
"Gee Akane, what's up with this? Why are you being so nice to me? Did I do something right?" Ranma asked.
Akane just smiled, "You bet you did something right Ranma!"
"Well, what was it that I did right?" Ranma continued.
"That...is a secret!" Akane giggled, attempting to imitate Xelloss. Ranma laughed. Akane sure was cute when she was like this!
All of a sudden, the bench was gone, right along with everything else in the room. Rinri's spell seemed to be a success. The scenery changed and Ranma, Akane, Ukyou, and Ryoga were thrown violently to the ground. Rocks from somewhere started pelting them so Ryoga tried to cover Akane. To his and Ukyou's dismay, Ranma beat him to it.
"Hang on Akane!" Ranma yelled as he threw himself over her body.
Ukyou grabbed Ryoga by the collar and pulled him on top of her. "C'mon Ryoga-honey! You can save me!" Ryoga yelped as a stone hit him squarely in the back.
"I've got it! BOTSAI TENCHIN!" Ryoga shouted as he smashed all the rocks that flew at him and Ukyou into little pieces.
Ukyou looked at Ryoga's fist. They were moving nearly as fast as Ranma's AMIGURI-KEN attack! Ukyou was impressed.
After the rocks stopped coming, Ranma tried to get up. It was harder than it looked since he was buried in rocks. Plus, he could see some evil looking Mozoku coming out of the shadows toward them. Ranma forced himself up. He pulled Akane to her feet and pushed her behind him.
"Ranma! What are you doing! You can't fight them!" Akane grabbed Ranma's shoulder to dissuade him, but he shook her off.
"Look stupid tomboy, I'm doing this for you anyway! Geez Akane!" Ranma said, seconds before starting the fight.
Gourry hacked and cut with the sword of light. Apparently, the sword could hurt Mozoku, because several had already fallen beneath his mighty blade. He watched Ranma and Ryoga fight and wondered just what style they used.
Zelgadis and Amelia were back to back now, hurling FIREBALLS and FLARE ARROWS left and right, mostly without effect. Zel pulled his sword out and began using it instead. He heard a whimper from behind him and felt Amelia slide down his back.
"Amelia!" he shouted as he grabbed her arm. She was cut down the side of her left leg and was sweating violently. She was also unconscious. Zelgadis saw no more point to staying there, so he shielded them with a RAY WING and flew to safety, "Amelia are you alright?" he looked off to the battle and wondered where the mysterious Rinri was.
Ranma was losing fast. His regular attacks weren't working at all. It was time to try something else, "KATCHUU TENCHIN AMAGURI-KEN!" Ranma yelled as he used his Chestnut Fist attack on the nearest Mozoku. But for every one Mozoku he killed, three more took its place. Soon, he was outnumbered. He, Akane, Ryoga and Ukyou decided to run.
"SAOTOME ANYTHING GOES MARTIAL ARTS FINAL ATTACK! Ready...set...RUN AWAY!!"
"Ranma I think you can stop now," Akane said shakily from under Ranma's arm as she was dragged along the dark tunnel.
"Not until you're safe Akane, okay? Your dad would literally kill me if I let anything happen to you anyway," Ranma said looking down at her face. She was smirking...either that or getting ready to kill him. He could never tell.
"Stop this second Ranma, before I mallet you for being a pervert!" Akane shouted over the roar of the following Mozoku.
Ranma wondered which was worse: death at the hands of Mozoku or death by Akane's mallet. He decided to stop. Ryoga and Ukyou ran into his back, sending all four tumbling down the corridor to be stopped by a large wooden door with prison bars over the window. The small group from Nerima had inadvertently stumbled upon Lina's cell.
"Wha? Who's there?" Lina said from within as she struggled with her chains, "Please help me out of here." Then Lina heard a loud roar. A Mozoku horde was hot on the trail of whoever was at her door.
"Lina? Is that you?" called Ukyou, "It's us, Ranma, Akane, Ryoga, and Ukyou! We'll get you out of there." Ryoga used breaking point on the door.
"BOKATSAI TENSHIN!"
"Woo hoo! I'm free!" yelled Lina as Ryoga used breaking point on her chains.
"Hurry! They're getting closer!" Akane shouted as she and Ukyou ran in the cell, wide eyed and terrified.
"FIREBALL!" Lina yelled as she blasted a hole in the wall. She then used, "LEVITATION!" on Ranma and the others. They all shot up into the sky like arrows. Some of the Mozoku flew after, those that could anyway, but the rest just sat down and watched. Soon, at the speed Lina and her friends were flying, they would be well out of reach of any Mozoku. Only problem seemed to be that this was the Mozoku lair, and they couldn't get home without Rinri's help. And it looked like Rinri had been a traitor after all.
"Can't trust a stinkin' Mozoku anyway," Lina muttered.
Rinri, in Ukyou's form flew along with Lina, wishing she weren't such a coward. At least now Gourry, Zelgadis, Ukyou and Amelia were safe. The Mozoku were after her, not them. Rinri decided to drop the guise.
She screamed in Ukyou's voice, which then turned into her own powerful Mozoku voice. She broke free of Lina's levitation spell and flew back toward Xelloss' keep. Her mighty wings pumped the air and created great gusts. Soon, her master would pay for shunning her. Rinri's power was building and it showed in her battle aura. As she reached the keep, she drew a sharp breath and plunged herself through the wall into the midst of fifty angry Mozoku.