"Beastmaster doesn't have a general."
This news fairly shocked Kieran and Kalis. They both looked to Xellos to find out what Lina meant. "What happened to Xira?"
He looks very uncomfotable with where this conversation is going. He knows exactly what happened to Xira, and he's not sure how Kieran will take the news. What will he think once he finds out that Lina was the one who killed her. "Uhm, well, .. Xira died a few years ago. After you guys were trapped on the outside, she didn't really try to defend herself anymore. She got in a fight with a powerful black mage..." His voice trailed off deciding not to tell them who the mage was just yet.
"Xira died?" Kieran went blank in the face. He was having trouble comprehending what he just heard. Mazoku aren't supposed to die.
Kalis went and helped Kieran over to his bedroll. When she came back, she asked Xellos the questions he hoped he could avoid. "Who killed her? How did it happen?" Xellos could tell how serious she was and he knew better than to try his favorite line as an answer.
"That's another story and it's already late. I'll tell you tomorrow." Xellos needed to buy some time to figure out how to tell them who it was.
Everyone went to their places and went to sleep. Everyone except Kalis and Xellos. "Xellos, I'm not tired. I want to know who it was." She is standing over the curled up form of Xellos. She knows that he is only pretending to be asleep. "I know you well enough to know you aren't really asleep. It's just you and me here. You can tell me."
Reluctantly giving up, "Well like I said, Xira didn't care if she lived or died. She would pick fights, daring fate to kill her. One day she got into a fight with a couple of sorceresses. I don't even know why they were fighting her, but she didn't make it through." He was still avoiding her first question and Kalis knew it. Xellos realized that she wasn't going to let him off without him telling her. "It was Lina."
Shock clearly evident on her face, "Lina?" She looks over to where the sorceress was sleeping, and then she walks off into the forest without another word. Xellos starts to go after her, but then thinks the better of it. He stays at the campsite watching the small group of adventurers sleep.
Kalis wandered aimlessly for about an hour after leaving the campsite. Deciding she didn't want to wander too far away from Kieran, she found a tree to take a nap in. Levitating up to one of the higher branches, she had made sure it was sturdy, and got comfortable. She stayed there thinking about how Kieran would take the news. Would he try to get revenge on Lina? Kieran didn't loose his cool often, but when he did, he was most definitely dangerous.
The next morning the adventurers wake up to find one of their group missing. Xellos was sitting on a rock off to the side of the campsite looking out into the forest. Kieran approaches Xellos and asks where Kalis is, and he doesn't recieve much of an answer. Xellos only told him that Kalis was "somewhere that isn't here." Kieran knew that she would come back when she wanted to. Kalis was always the better tracker of the two. He assures the group that it would be okay to leave.
Thinking of Kalis' dissapearence in the middle of the night kept Kieran's mind off of the news that he had recieved just before that. He didn't want to believe that Xira really was dead and by ignoring the whole matter, he could pretend that there was nothing wrong. He kept following the group, purposely keeping his mind on his missing friend.
Zelgadis was contemplating the interesting story that he heard the night before. How could those two be so old? It's not like they are mazoku. There's no way magic could have slowed their aging that much. Still immersed in his thoughts he barely noticed the familiar figure up in a tree further up the road. Is that her up there. He chose to keep quiet just in case Kalis didn't want to be found yet.
Sitting high in the branches of a tree, Kalis watches her traveling companions as they begin to pass under her. She hadn't decided yet if she would jump down and join them, or wait a little longer. She lets them all pass by, deciding that she will wait until they get to the next town to join back up with the group. She wanted a chance to have a talk with Kieran and it would be difficult while they were walking. Kalis could see that he was still in denile; she wasn't going to disolve his illusions so quickly. She'll give him another day or two.
After they had gotten past the tree that Kalis was in, Zelgadis noticed that she hadn't come down, or even make herself known. He glanced over to Xellos and saw him glancing back towards the tree as well. He probably knew she was there sooner than I did. Zelgadis looked over at Kieran and saw him smiling away as though there wasn't anything wrong. Maybe this Xira person didn't mean as much to him as I thought. Or, maybe he hasn't admitted to himself that she really is dead.
Night had fallen and they were still a few hours away from the nearest town. The small band chose to set up camp for the night. Lina was starting to worry about Kalis, she thought that she would have come back by now. "Hey Kieran, are you sure Kalis will be able to find us? She still hasn't caught up with us yet."
"Oh yeah, she's been keeping up with us all day."
"Well, where is she? I haven't seen her."
"Kali-chan is hiding. But she knows exactly where we are at. I bet she is even watching us right now."
Not far away in another tree, Kalis is keeping an eye on the campsite. "Of course I'm watching you guys Xellos," she whispers to herself. Kieran's vulnerable right now.
The next day the group continued on their journey. Kalis stayed hidden from the rest and kept things like bandits and the occasional lesser demon away from the group. Lina really does attract a lot of attention. All in all it wasn't hard following Lina-tachi, they were a noisy group. When she realized that they were almost to town, Kalis decided she wanted to beat them there. Using stealth and speed, she passed the group of travelers and made her way to the town. Once she got there, she found herself a hiding spot in yet another tree and waited for them to catch up.
About ten minutes later the adventurers were just about to walk under Kalis' tree again. But not this time, she jumped down right in front of Lina. "Hey guys, what took you so long?"
After Lina recovered from her near heartattack, she started questioning Kalis. Where has she been? How did she get there so quick? Ect., ect. Kalis just ignores the questions as though they are pointless. She walks up to Xellos and gives him a hug, then leads the group to the inn.
Once in the inn, the dreaded topic came up once again. Xellos hadn't told anyone else but Kalis about who had killed Xira, and Lina never knew who she was. Being as that was, Lina was the one to voice the question. "So Xellos, who was the person who killed Xira?"
"Oh, noone in particular." He recieves a warning glance from Kalis. "Kali-chan knows so why-don't-you-ask-her." After blurting that last part out as fast as he could, he phazed away to safety.
Everyone stared at the empty seat for a few moments before asking Kalis about who the mystery person was. "You know, he was right. It really isn't of any importance. Why don't we all get something to eat and put this whole thing behind us."
"Kalis, who was it?" She looked into Kieran's pleading eyes and couldn't stand it any longer.
Only barely above a whisper, she replied, "it was lina." As quietly as she had said that, the whole table managed to hear. Looks of shock and confusement came from all directions, except for one. Kieran had only stood up and calmly walked up the stairs to his room. With him gone the group was consistently looking back and forth between Kalis and Lina.
"Are you sure? I don't remember any of this. I think I would remember killing Beastmaster's general."
"Xellos told me that Xira got into a fight with a couple of sorceresses and that one of those sorceresses was you, Lina."
"Yeah, I guess. Me and Naga used to come across mazoku all the time in our travels. It's possible that we fought her and didn't know who she was."
Without saying another word, Kalis followed the path that Kieran had previously taken, leaving the rest of the group behind. When she got to the room that she knew Kieran was in, Kalis lightly tapps on the door. After receiving no answer, she slowly opens the door and walks into the room. She sees Kieran sitting by the window staring out at the trees; he had made no notice that Kalis was in the room. She stealthily approaches Kieran and stands in front of him.
Without a word Kalis wraps her arms around Kieran sympathetically. She buries her face into his chest in a tight embrace. She pulls away just a bit and looks up into his face. The two gaze into eachother's eyes for a moment then they lean in for a long, deep kiss. Realizing what just happened; they quickly pull apart and back away from eachother.
In unison, "Gomen." The two continue to look at eachother for a few more moments. A few more silent moments. Kalis leaves the room deciding that she would rather sleep outside tonight.
The next morning everyone met up for breakfast. Thoughts of the conversation the night before were still fresh in their heads. Zelgadis notices the glances between Kalis and Kieran and asks about how he was doing.
"I didn't mean to kiss her!" The whole table stares at him in silence. He realizes what he just said and quickly covers up his thoughts. "I mean, .. I don't want to talk about it. Can't we just forget the whole thing?"
"Kieran-san, if you need a shoulder to cry on, we are all here for you." Amelia stands behind him and puts her arms around him. "Nobody should keep their emotions locked up inside. It isn't healthy."
"I'm fine. Can we leave now?"
"We can leave tomorrow. We're almost to Seyroon and there isn't any hurry to get there, right Amelia?" Lina looks over to Amelia for confirmation and after she nodds in agreement, everyone split up to do their own things around the town. The girls head over to the bathhouse. Gourry goes back upstairs to get more sleep and Zelgadis starts to leave for the library. He notices Kieran still sitting at the table alone and invites him to come along.
At the bathhouse, Lina and Amelia turn into chatty little girls. They go on and on about, in Kalis' opinion, shallow topics such as shiny hair and soft skin. Kalis tunes them out and tries to get the kiss from the night before out of her head.
Meanwhile at the library, Zelgadis is looking through some books for, what else? Kieran is trying to help but he can't get what the kiss had felt like out of his head. He had never thought about Kalis in those ways before, but now.
That night, everyone meets for dinner. It is a quiet meal and even Lina isn't eating with her usual gusto. Noone says a word through the entire meal. Afterwards they all head up to their rooms: Lina and Amelia, Zelgadis and Gourry, and Kalis and Kieran.
After Kalis and Kieran enter their room, they stand in front of their respective beds and wait for the other to speak first. A few minutes later, they both start to speak at the same time, and stop. They wait a little more and the same thing happens. Deciding to get some rest, they both get into their beds and start to go to sleep.
Later on that night Kieran wakes up and gets out of bed. He creeps over to the other bed and looks down at the sleeping form. I can't take this anymore. He walks over to her and lightly kisses Kalis on the lips. She sturrs and he starts to head for the door.
Kalis wakes up, "Kieran wait, don't go. I can't bear for you to leave. You're the only family I've ever had."
"I can't handle this any longer ... I need to .. leave." He spoke the last words barely above a whisper.
Kalis is about to plead more; then thinks better of it. Quietly, "Fine, go Kieran."
"But Kalis."
"I said GO!"
With that Kieran walks out the door, not another word said. With tears in her eyes Kalis whispers, "I love you bro." She then rolls over and cries herself to sleep.
On the other side of the door. "I love you too, onee-ch .. Kalis." He then walks out into what would have been the sunset .. that is if it hadn't been in the middle of the night.