Amelia smiled. She was glad her daddy had let her treat her friends to a really fancy meal. It had been the first time they had been to a nice place since their latest mission started. All her friends, Lina, Gourry, Zelgadis, and even Xelloss, had made it. The Citrine was her favorite restaurant. Mahogany walls and tables, forest green carpet, black tiles in the entrance way... It was picturesque. Even Gourry and Lina had slowed their eating to admire the place.
"Wow, Amelia... is one snazzy place! You eat here a lot? Man, what I'd give to be a princess..."
However, the scenery wasn't the real reason Amelia loved to eat here. It was a young singer that had really caught her eye, the very first time her daddy had brought her there...
Amelia cuddled at her father, slowly falling asleep, lulled by the mundane chatter of her parents and sister, the tinking of cuttlery against plates, and the wet noise of wine glasses being refilled. She had nearly drifted off when the dimming of the lights roused her attention. On the small stage the forest green curtains were being pulled back to reveal the most beatiful woman Amelia had ever seen. Waves of golden hair that gathered about her ankles, shimmering gold eyes, and skin that seemed to glow. Her aura held in it both power and gentleness. Amelia watched with fascination as the woman opened her mouth and began to sing.
A high, operatic melody floated through the room, in a language no one recognized. The audience smiled and clapped as she started into a second song, and Amelia's father stood to leave, as it was time to go. But Amelia couldn't move from the table. Her eyes were riveted on the young woman, unable to tear herself away from this beautiful, seemingly unhuman woman and her majestic voice that filled Amelia's young mind with fantastic images.
After the woman left the stage, Amelia raced after her, determiend to meet this woman. Something drove her towards the golden lady. Amelia caught up with her and reached out a chubby hand to grasp the lady's golden cloak. The woman turned, her frown inquisitive. "Yes?"
Amelia fumbled and looked away, unable to meet the woman's gaze, and unable to stare at the bliding beauty of the necklace she wore. Ruby, sapphire, amethyst and topaz, all held together by gold. "I... I had to meet you."
"You wanted my autograph?"
"No... I, I wanted to know... what your song meant? It made such pretty pictures."
The woman's golden eyes widened as she knelt down to Amelia's hight. "Pictures? What kind of pcitures, little girl?"
Amelia shuffled her feet on the forest green carpet. "Pictures... of.... it looked like something blowing up, and a lot of stars. And gold stuff everywhere, all over the place, all... chaotic.. or something..." Amelia blushed, barely able to speak to this woman.
"So you saw them too?"
"Too?"
The woman smiled gently and held up Amelia's face with her glowing fingers, forcing Amelia to look into her eyes. Eye like seas of gold... "A few other people, not much older then you, say they've seen them when I sang for them. I put a reminder of each one of them on this necklace." She jestered to the gen stones. "People who can see these things are very special, especially to me. I'm going to put one of you on there, two. Now, I think your daddy's looking for you."
Amelia nodded and walked away, but turned again. "Lady, will I... ever here you sing again?"
The woman smiled. "Maybe. Come back in ten years. Then I'll sing for you again."
Amelia grinned and dashed out of the hallway. Behind her, the golden lady added a pink pearl to her necklace. "Five gems... five people who can see the chaos. There were others, but these, these five. They will lye about my neck, held together by gold."
"Amelia, who's the entertainment here tonight?" Zel asked, cocking his head towards the stage.
Amelia grinned. "My dad said her name was Kairos."
Zelgadis looked up. "Really? Rezo took me to see her when I was little."
"My aunt took me to one of her perfromances when I was a kid too." Gourry smiled wistfully. "She had a beautiful voice."
Lina looked away from her meal. "No way! I saw Kairos when she was on tour. She came to our village... I really don't remember what she looked like, but I saw someone a while ago that reminded me of her. Don't know who.."
Xelloss smiled fondly. "I saw Kairos while I was on a break from work. Possibly the most beautiful woman I'd ever met. But your right, I saw someone who looked like her a while ago too."
The rest nodded. Zelgadis tapped his fingers on the table. "I think... sometime when we were fighting Phribrizo... But I could be wrong..."
Gourry shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure that was it." Gourry caught the other's surprised looks. "What? Nobody forgets a woman like that...."
Suddenly the lights dimmed and the golden woman stood on the stage. Her hair and eyes glistened throughout the room, and the necklace around her neck, ruby, sapphire, amethyst, topaz and pink pearl, all held together by gold, shone as though it were alive. She simply smiled a dazzling smile, and then dispeared.
The Slayers breathed the whisper all at once. "L-Sama...."