One year had passed since Zelgadis and Lina had confessed their love for one another. They were currently unmarried and had no children. They were just on the road enjoying life.
Lina sighed and rolled her eyes. "For the last time...I'm only paying you twenty gold pieces."
The man she was doing business with shook his head furiously. "No can do lady. This piece is worth really worth two hundred gold pieces. You're lucky that you're even getting it for sixty."
Lina got an evil look in her eyes. "Oh...I know I can persuade you to lower your price."
The man looked nervous. "Eh?"
Lina smirked at him. "FIREBALL!"
In the end, everything burst into flames.
Once the smoke cleared up, the man was charred and scared. He looked up to see Lina towering over him with a wicked grin.
"Persuade you enough?" she asked, innocently.
The man nodded mutely and handed her the item, which was an enchanted sword with a real gold hilt and in the center of the hilt was a tear shaped, emerald jewel. She then threw a sack of twenty gold coins in front of him.
"Here's your payment," she told him.
He grabbed the bag quickly and then ran away as fast as he could.
Lina grinned as she looked at the sword. "No one messes with the beautiful, sorcery genius, Lina Inverse!"
"Except for me," a deep tenor voice said behind her.
Lina nearly jumped out of her skin as she turned around and glared at her lover, Zelgadis.
"DON'T DO THAT!" she shrieked.
"You never seem to mind when we're alone," he whispered in a voice that was making her shiver with excitement.
"Well, that's only when we are alone. Refrain from doing that in public," she huffed at him.
Zelgadis pouted at her and she gave him a look of death. "I mean it, Zel."
Zelgadis sighed and said, "Okay, fine."
Lina folded her arms across her chest and said, "Good."
Zelgadis looked down the open road and asked, "Where do we go now?"
"You've never met my family, have you?" she asked.
Zelgadis shook his head. "No, never."
"Then how about we go to Zephilia?" she asked.
"Why? What's there?" he asked.
"My family," she replied with a smile.
"Ah," he said.
"Well, do you want to go?" she asked.
"I don't see why not, but I thought that you wouldn't want to go," he said.
Lina looked at him confused. "Why wouldn't I?"
"Due to the fact that your nee-chan is probably there," he pointed out.
Lina paled. "I may be scared of her, Zel, but she is my nee-chan. Why wouldn't I want to see her?"
"Just for the reason you gave me," he said with a shrug.
"Oh, shut up," she muttered.
Zelgadis grinned at her and said, "Shall we go?"
"Hai," Lina mumbled.
As they walked to Zephilia, Zelgadis looked at Lina curiously.
"Lina?" he said.
"Hai?" she replied.
"Why did you buy that sword?" he asked
Lina blushed and said. "I bought it so I could use it. Why else would I buy it?"
Zelgadis smirked. "Lina?"
"Yeah, Zel?" she asked.
"You're blushing," he said.
Lina's face flushed. "Who asked you?!"
"No one. I was just...curious," he said with a grin.
"You didn't remember, did you?" she asked with a sigh.
Zelgadis looked at her with feigned innocence. "Remember what?"
Lina glared at him. "What today is, baka!"
Zelgadis pulled something out of his beige cloak and held it behind him out of Lina's sight.
"Not really, Lina. Could you refresh my memory?" he asked, cutely.
"I mean it, Zel! Don't act cute! That's my job. ANYWAY, we'd better keep going if we wanna make it there before nightfall," she said.
"Why don't we just use Levitation?" he asked, looking confused.
"Because any use of sorcery in Zephilia is prohibited. Why do you think I left?" she asked him, but not really asking.
"How old were you when you left?" he asked.
"I was ten," she said.
Zelgadis looked at her astounded. "Only ten?"
"Yep," Lina confirmed.
As soon as Lina turned her attention to the road, Zelgadis pulled from behind the object that had been in his cloak and then turned to her.
"Lina?" he said.
"Hmm?" she replied.
"Look at me," he told her.
Lina turned to him, noticed the object in his hands and gasped. It was a small black box that could only contain one thing within it.
"Open it," he instructed her.
Lina nodded and the opened it. She looked at the object within the box and looked as though she were going to cry.
"Oh, Zel," she sniffled. "You did remember."
Inside of the box was a thin, gold chain with a ruby pendant that looked like a replica of one of her talismans.
"Zel, it's beautiful," she whispered.
"I'm glad you like it. It suits you," he said.
"Do the honors, Zel," she said with a grin as she handed him the necklace.
Zelgadis took the necklace from her and placed it around her neck. Lina then turned to him to show it off.
"It just makes you look even more beautiful, Lina," he said with a smile.
Lina blushed. "Arigato, Zel. I also have something for you."
Zelgadis smirked. "I never would have guessed."
Lina took a deep breath in order to refrain herself from whacking him and smiled instead.
"Here you go," she said, still smiling as she handed him the sword.
Zelgadis took the sword from her and examined it. It was very nice in his opinion and he could always use an extra sword.
"Arigato, Lina. It's a very beautiful piece of work. It must have cost you a fortune," said Zelgadis.
Lina gave a smug grin. "Not really. I got it for a lot less than the guy who had it before me, actually."
Zelgadis rolled his eyes. "It figures."
Lina ignored his comment and looked up at the sky to notice that it was already becoming dark.
"Ah, shit," she muttered.
"What is it?" he asked.
"There's no way we're gonna get to my house tonight. We'll just have to camp outside for tonight and then pick up from where we started in the morning," said Lina as she looked for a good campsite.
"Why don't we camp behind those trees?" Zelgadis suggested, pointing to some very large trees in the grove.
Lina shrugged. "Looks good to me."
Zelgadis and Lina then walked off in the direction of the campsite and settled down there for the night.
"I'll take the first watch, alright Lina?" Zelgadis told Lina.
Lina just yawned and said, "Sounds great. G'night."
Zelgadis watched as Lina quickly fell asleep. He looked at her with never ending affection in his eyes as he brushed away stray lock of fiery hair from her forehead. She was everything to him and it took him so long to realize it as well.
No need to bring up the past anymore, he thought, happily.
The next morning, Lina woke up realizing that she hadn't taken watch all night. She sat up and looked at Zelgadis.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked with a yawn.
"Because you were very tired and needed to sleep," he said.
Lina snorted. "Right and like you didn't?"
Zelgadis folded his arms across his chest. "I try to be considerate to you on our anniversary and this is the thanks I get."
Lina's expression softened as she walked over to him and embraced. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, Zel."
Zelgadis embraced her back, not answering, knowing that she hadn't finished talking.
"It's just that," Lina continued, "I've never had someone be so considerate of my feelings."
Zelgadis looked at her confused. "But you've been in a relationship before."
Lina rolled her eyes. "Hai, I have, but it was with that kurage."
Zelgadis chuckled at what she said. It had been a while since he had heard that description of Gourry leave her lips.
"What are you saying?" he asked.
"He would always make me take watch while he slept like a large child," she said.
"That sounds just like Gourry," he said, holding back a laugh.
"Sometimes I just wanted to kill him!" she exclaimed.
"You two were never able to get along very much in the first place. Sometimes, if I recall correctly, Gourry would end up being the one trying to kill you," Zelgadis pointed out.
"Makes no difference. He would have lost anyway," she remarked in an arrogant tone of voice.
Zelgadis at that point got up off of the ground and stood up, while Lina did the same.
"Let's go, Zel. We don't wanna end up traveling for days," she said as she went ahead of him.
Zelgadis followed her as they departed for Zephilia once more.
In the midst of their travelling, they encountered some very interesting characters and Lina knowing that they were obviously bandits stepped forward.
The bandits were surrounding Lina and Zelgadis. Zelgadis had his sword, Astral Vine, drawn, while Lina just stood there with a grin on her face.
"Are you Lina Inverse?" one of the bandits asked.
"Hai," she replied, casually.
"There is a price on that pretty little head of yours. A large sum of bounty money is going to be given out by the Bandit King to the one who kills you," he said.
"Is that so?" Zelgadis asked him through gritted teeth.
"Hai. Now, Lina Inverse...give up and come with us," the bandit told her.
"Well now, you see...I can't do that," she replied with a wicked grin on her face.
The bandit looked at her with wide eyes. "Nani?!"
Lina sighed. "FIREBALL!"
Once the explosion caused by her cleared up, the bandits were on the ground looking nicely charred.
Lina turned to Zelgadis with a grin and asked, "Wanna go now?"
Zelgadis nodded as they made their way through the burnt bodies on the ground.
"Must you do that every time something like that happens? I feel worthless at times just sitting on the sidelines," said Zelgadis.
Lina stopped in her tracks and looked at him. "You are not worthless, Zel."
"I just want to be the one who protects you at times," he said, sadly.
Lina walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry about it, Zel. There will probably be a day in which I will need your protection against an enemy. Don't beat yourself up over the fact that you can't act macho in front of me."
Zelgadis pretended to look offended. "Oi!"
Lina in turn feigned innocence. "My, whatever did I do?"
Zelgadis rolled his eyes and grinned at her. He then noticed that she was nearly about to step on something by accident.
"Oi, Lina? You're about to step on a slug," he told her.
Lina's face turned pale as she turned around and on the ground was a large slug.
Lina began to cry and scream. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"
Lina jumped onto Zelgadis' shoulders, staying as far away from the slug as possible.
"Zel, kill it! Please kill it!" she said, hysterically.
Zelgadis was mind boggled at Lina's hysterics over a slug. He had never seen her react like this to a bug before.
"Do you have any salt on you at all?!" she asked, gripping him harder, refusing to let go.
"Ano...I don't know, Lina. Let me check," he said with a semi-amused look on his face.
Zelgadis knew that he had no salt on him. Why would he? It would be ridiculous to carry salt around. He was only checking his cape to humor Lina.
"I have no salt, Lina," said Zelgadis after he finished searching through his cloak.
"Then step on it, but don't let me see you do it," she said as she turned her face away.
"Alright, Lina," he said as he stepped on the slug.
"Did you kill it?" Lina asked after a minute.
"Hai," he said.
"Good. Now, could you carry me until we're away from the slug's remains?" she asked, sweetly.
Zelgadis sighed and said, "Fine."
Zelgadis carried Lina for a good fifteen minutes.
"You can let me down now," she said.
Zelgadis answered by putting her down on the ground, gently.
Lina looked up at him from her sitting position and then stood back up.
"Why are you so afraid of slugs?" he asked.
"Ano...because I've had a bad experience in the past with them. I don't want to talk about it anymore. Okay?" she asked him, pleadingly.
Zelgadis looked at her with concern. "Alright, Lina. I won't."
Lina let out a breath of relief. She then looked up and noticed that they were getting nearer to Zephilia.
"Come on, Zel! We're almost there!" she said in an excited voice as she dragged him by the hand, while she ran.
The minute they approached a hill that was very nearby the town, they could both smell smoke.
"Where's that smell coming from?" Lina questioned.
Zelgadis sniffed, trying to detect the direction. Once he found it, he pointed. "There."
Lina's eyes widened in shock. "Iie."
Zelgadis watched as she rushed down the hill and ran towards a cliff that overlooked the town completely. She just stood there paralyzed at what she saw.
Zelgadis followed her shortly after and stood next to her on the cliff.
"Is something wrong, Lina?" he asked, concerned.
Lina said nothing, but pointed straight ahead of her in response.
"Oh...L-sama! Is that...is that..." he faltered as he saw his beloved fall to her knees in tears.
She was sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't know what to do. Her parents were most likely dead and she didn't even know where her sister was.
"Oto-san...okasan...nee-chan," she managed to blurt out through her sobs.
Zelgadis looked helpless, but he knew how she felt. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. He attempted to soothe her as best as he could.
"It's ok, Lina. It's ok. I promise that we'll find the assholes that did this and then we'll kill them. Please don't cry," he pleaded.
Lina just kept on crying in Zelgadis' arms. He the got up off of the ground and held Lina in his arms, cradled tightly against him.
He was about ready to leave when he heard a woman's voice from behind him.
"Lina-chan?" the woman's voice said.
"Who are you?" Zelgadis asked, not turning around.
"I am Luna Inverse, Knight of Cepheid," she answered.
He slowly turned around to face her and came face to face with Lina's sister.
They didn't look anything alike. Lina's sister was a very attractive woman with a very full figure. She had dark pink, shoulder length hair with a circular braid around the top of her head. She was dressed in a short, black outfit and was carrying a very large sword in her left hand.
"Are you my sister's bodyguard?" she asked him.
"Hai," he replied, showing no emotion.
"Are you anything else to her?" she asked.
"I love her and she loves me," he replied.
"You two are lovers then. Do you share the same bed?" she asked.
"Hai," he answered.
"Have you made love to her?" she asked.
"Iie," he replied.
"Iie?" she asked.
"We want to wait until we're properly married," he told her.
"A man of morals. Good," she said, approvingly.
Lina began to stir in Zelgadis' arms and when she opened her eyes...
"NEE-CHAN!" she screamed as she gave pounced on her sister and gave her a hug.
"Lina-chan?! You're never this happy to see me. What's the occasion?" she asked, very curiously.
Lina looked at her confused. "You mean you didn't know?"
Now it was Luna's turn to be confused. "Know about what?"
Lina pointed at flaming Zephilia. "About that."
Luna looked to where Lina was pointing and paled.
"What happened?" Luna asked her sister.
"I don't know, nee-chan. I was planning on visiting our parents, but when I got here, Zephilia was already up in flames," said Lina, blinking away the newly forming tears.
Luna looked at her little sister sadly.
What you must be feeling, Luna thought sympathetically towards her sister.
"This is unfair," Lina muttered. "So totally and completely unfair."
"I totally agree with you, Lina-chan. I totally agree," said Luna as she and her sister watched their beloved hometown go up in smoke.
Zelgadis walked up to the pair and sat down next to Lina, putting an arm around her shoulders.
"Zel?" she said, looking up at him.
"Lina remember what I'm about to say always. Aishiteru," said Zelgadis.
Lina looked at him sadly. "What are you telling me?"
"I feel that there is another battle coming on and if I die in it, I just wanted you to know that," he told her, tenderly.
"You won't die, Zel. I'll make sure of that!" she exclaimed as she clutched onto his tunic.
Zelgadis responded by caressing her hair gently. "There is a possibility, Lina, but for your sake, I'll try to stay alive."
"Arigato," she mumbled into his tunic.
"Lina, you do know that nobody would intentionally attack a town like Zephilia without a very good motive," Zelgadis started.
"Yeah, I know that, Zel. So the question is: why? Why would anyone wanna attack Zephilia?" Lina asked herself.
"The attackers must be powerful," Luna observed.
"But there's nothing in Zephilia that anyone would actually want...unless this is this work of some madman," said Lina.
"But...the town does own something valuable, Lina," Zelgadis said calmly.
"What would that be?" Lina asked.
"You and your nee-chan, Lina," he finished off.
"So you're saying that the burning down of Zephilia was like a threat to my nee-chan and I, pretty much warning us that there will be a great danger that we will have to encounter soon," said Lina.
"That's one way to put it. Another way would be that someone just wants you and your nee-chan out of the way for some reason," said Zelgadis.
"Somebody wants us dead. Someone big and important," Lina said seriously.
"You just might be right, Lina-chan," said Luna.
"Yes, but the 'who' is still a mystery," said Lina.
Luna sighed. "That's true."
"I feel so tired. I guess I had too much excitement for one day," said Lina who yawned at the same time.
"Let's go and find an inn to stay at for a while," said Zelgadis. "We need to think of a plan to unfold who our target is."
"Alright, Zel. Let's go," said Lina with a yawn, apparently too tired to speak.
"Hai, let's go," said Luna as she followed Lina and Zelgadis to an inn.
Once they reached an inn nearby, they got their room numbers and keys and went directly to bed. Zelgadis didn't sleep with Lina that night, due to the fact that she and her sister were sharing a room.
They all settled into bed and finally fell asleep.
Back in the heavens, L-sama frowned. She didn't like the fact that two of her chosen ones were targets of some scheme. She knew she couldn't interfere with her people's problems. She wished that she could, but she couldn't.
Suddenly Xellos appeared before her and bowed.
"I'm sure you know what's happening, L-sama," Xellos said.
"Hai and I want you to do everything in your power to stop it," L-sama ordered.
"Yes, my lady," said Xellos as he disappeared.
Once Xellos was gone, L-sama turned to her world and frowned even deeper than before.
"What is going on?" she asked herself by whispering.
L-sama just stood there, praying that the worst would never come.
Back on the world that L-sama created, the night was calm and brisk. Nobody would ever suspect that a very big battle would be happening very soon.
A note to the readers of this story. I cannot put Prince Phil, Naga (Gracia), Martina and Zangulus as major roles. They will have small parts in this story. The main characters will be Lina, Zel, Amelia, Gourry, Sylphiel, Valteira, Xellos, Filia, Zelas, Luna and L-sama. I hope that you enjoyed chapter one and ja ne!