"The bard is here, everyone! Hurry! Hurry! Here she comes." Children and adults alike gather at the front gate of the town as a young woman carrying a bag of scrolls approached them.
"Well, young one, what stories do you have for us today?" The village elder was the one to ask her this. It had been years since any bard had stopped off in their little town.
"One that should have been told a long time ago. Gather 'round children, this is one story you will never forget. My name is Celina Grey. This story is one that happened a long time ago to a young woman named Lina Inverse....." The kids and some of the adults gave a little gasp at the name of the infamous bandit killer, also know as the chaos and destruction poster child.....Or if you really wanted to make her mad call her the natural enemy of all that lives, or call her.....
"Wasn't she called a dragon spooker?" A man in the back of the crowed voiced this.
"Yes, that was one of the many names that made her mad. Now do you want to hear my story? It has action for the boys, romance for the girls, and the losing of that love for either side that wants it."
"Tell us please." Everyone got really quiet as Celina cleared her throat and began to speak.
"Once upon a time, in the time where magic was believed in adventures never ended, there was a young girl, about the age of seventeen, who knew the joys of magic and adventure. She had gone against the worst of the worst and still she traveled on. It was only when she found the last flower she didn't know the name for, that the trouble began...........
Three years. It had been three years since the Slayers group had met up together again and started traveling together. It was on that three year anniversary that Lina made an announcement that shocked them all.
"I have something to say." Lina said this as the rest of her friends looked up at her. Due to her drinking the good stuff, her words were a bit slurred.
"What is it Lina?" The ever stupid Gourry was the one to ask this.
"I......." Whatever Lina was about to say was cut off by a loud explosion in the nearby town.
"I'll say it later. Let's go. RAY WING!" Lina picked Gourry up along the way and the others followed her.
When they arrived at the town, the scene that was bring played out before them was one that Lina had been expecting for a while. It was the final piece of Shabrinagadu.
"Ahhh Lina Inverse. How nice of you to show up."
"How could I refuse such an invitation?" Lina stood with her hands on her hips, staring up at the final piece of the dark lord. The others took defensive positions around Lina. Gourry and Zelgadis stood on either side of her. Amelia and Sylphiel were to the left behind Zelgadis, Xellos and Fiara stood to the right behind Gourry. Martina and Zangulus took up the defensive in the gaps on either side of Lina.
"Are you so eager to die you pathetic humans?"
"Half human, thank you very much. No, we are not eager to die. We are eager to celebrate the demise of the final piece of Dark Lord shit. Any other questions before I Giga Slave you out of existence? "
"You can try, Little Girl, but that will not work. I am ten times as strong as my other pieces. Just try your pathetic spell on me." The overconfident Dark Lord laughed down at the group.
"Even so, I still have to try. Gourry, the sword." Lina held out her hand as Gourry plced the Sword of Light into it.
"Here goes nothing.....
Darkness Beyond the Blackest Pitch,
Deeper than the Deepest Night.
King of Darkness who Shines,
Like Gold Upon the Sea of Chaos.
I Call Upon Thee!
Swear Myself to Thee!
Let the Fools Who Stand
Before me be Destroyed.
By the Power You and I Possess!!
......GIGA SLAVE!!!"
Black energy came flowing out of the sword and directly at the Dark Lord, but nothing happened. The dark Lord laughed as his body consumed the energy.
"L-Sama, Why?" Lina fell to her knees with the glowing sword of light still in her hands. She stared at the sword in disbelief. The others were torn between looking at the powerful Dark Lord and at their fallen leader.
"Now you shall die!!" The Dark Lord flung energy down at them. Everyone scattered, all of them except for Lina. Still stunned from her defeat, Zelgadis had to cast Diem Wing to get her to safety.
After her butt hit the ground Lina snapped out of her funk, and got that 'hell or nothing' look on her face.
"Gourry your sword!" Lina threw the sword to her blonde sidekick. He caught it easily, meanwhile Zelgadis and the others had made it over to Lina's side. Sylphiel cast a protection spell around them so they could talk.
"You have a plan, right Lina-san?" Amelia's hope filled eyes nearly broke Lina's heart.
"Of course I do. I am the great Lina Inverse, after all." Lina hated lying to the girl, but if lying to her prevented the tears it was worth it.
"I need every one to spread out around the beast, and cast your moderate spells first, then I am going to try Giga Slave again, and when I do, I need everyone to pull out the big guns. Is everyone with me?" Lina gave one last look at her traveling companions, and friends as they nodded their heads in agreement.
"Gourry, Zel stay by me. Sylphiel release the protection spell. Let's go!" The group split up, firing all they had at the monster, all the while Lina was chanting for Giga Slave. As her voice rose with the incantation, the others got their spells ready. All at once a multitude of spells came at full force towards the Dark Lord.
The others held their breath as the smoke began to clear. What they had hoped to see was one dead monster, but instead the sight that greeted them was a laughing monster.
"What do I do? What do I do?" Lina chanted this as she threw Gourry back his sword.
The Dark Lord was now throwing dark energy left and right. The First volt caught Martina by surprise. It went through her abdomen while slamming her into sharp tree stumps. Zangulus, to avenge her, ran straight towards the beast, getting himself killed in the process as the beast picked him up, and crushed his body, then dropped it in front of Lina, Gourry, and Zelgadis.
"Mommy, I broke my toys . . . Will you buy me a new one?"
The beast thumped the three of them into a nearby wall, forcing them through it.
"Are you two ok?" Lina looked over at Zelgadis, then to Gourry.
"I'm fine, stone body, remember. Are you ok?"
"Sometimes I am glad to be half Mazuka. Gourry what about you? Gourry? GOURRY!!!!" Lina's anguished cry could be heard by the four remaining on the battlefield.
"Let's go!" Amelia said this as Sylphiel, Fiara and Xellos followed.
Nothing prepared them for what they were seeing. Lina was hunched over Gourry trying to cast a healing spell as Zel was lending her magic support.
"Lina ... " Gourry's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Gourry. It will be ok, just don't talk." Tears were running down the young sorceress' face at the though of losing her dearest friend.
"I am dying, Lina. Even I know that one. Take the sword. Give it to your children, I won't be able to have any of my own now." Gourry placed the sword in her trembling hands as he took his last breath. With blurry vision Lina looked down at her best friend, now dead on the ground, then looked at the sword. Lina's ears didn't even register the sound of the others cries as she stood up.
"Your dead." Though said softly everyone stilled at the deadly tone of her voice. Her eyes, no longer bright, now had a hardened look to them.
Determination filled every step, as a she felt the anger boil inside her, new powers seemed to stem from it.
"All right you piece of Dark Lord Shit! Prepare to die. The 'Little Girl' has a new toy of her own." Lina activated the sword and closed her eyes as an ancient chant filled the air.
Darker than Dark
Deeper than Pain
Never ending Hate
In a River of Pain
Unresolved Vengeance
Never Ending
Never Stopping
Let Me be Your Tool
I Pledge my soul to thee
I Swear myself to thee.
Let the fools who cause me pain be Destroyed.
MAZUKA FLARE!!!!!
Bright read and black light came flowing from the sword and surrounded itself around the Dark Lord. Several seconds later Dark Lord was nothing more than a pile of dust, and Lina was a mass reduced to a crying mess.
The others gathered around her in awe.
"Lina. How did you know about that spell. I leaned it centuries ago as a child, but had forgotten it." Xellos was the first one to speak.
"I am half Mazuka, remember. The half I got is eternal youth. I am tired of this pain. I quit." Lina got up from the ground and looked at her remaining friends.
"What do you mean Lina-sam?" Amelia asked her this as tears were running freely down her face.
"Today I found the last flower I didn't know the name for." Amelia, Sylphiel and Zelgadis remember back to the day that they, mainly Lina, had defeated Koppi Rezo. She said she saw in the future a flower she didn't know the name for yet. Now she said she had found it.
"Lina, please don't go. We need you here." Zel's voice cracked a little with unshed tears as he said this.
"Zelgadis, I am tired, and I am lonely. I have lived several centuries. I have buried one too many friends. Lost one to many loved ones just because I was looking for what I wanted. I can't do it anymore. I have to go."
"Lina I ... I love you, please don't leave me. You can go with me to find my cure. Please just think of staying." Lina faltered a little.
"I....I would love nothing more than to do that, Zel. I just can't. If you really love me you will understand."
"I....I understand. Will we ever see you again?"
"One day." Lina walked over and gave Zel a kiss, then gave the others her trademark grin and Victory sign.
"Thank you all. RAY WING!" A tear trickled down Zel's stony face as they all watched Lina fly off till there was nothing more than a speck against the clouds.
"That's so sad." The little girl on Celina's lap said this when the story was finished.
"Did Lina ever meet anyone to marry?"
"No, she never did. She had found her one true love in Zelgadis, but was afraid to take the chance, and be with him, so she never married." A silent tear made it's way down Celina's face at that question.
"Any more questions before I go?"
"Did she ever see any of them again? Did they live happily ever after?"
"Not quiet as happily as they might have wanted to. Amelia grew out of her clumsiness, and became a fine ruler of her people. Xellos and Fiara got married, but in a war between the Mazuka's and the dragons, they were killed. Sylphiel eventually got over losing Gourry, and settled down. She raised a big family, and died in her sleep when she was an old lady, surrounded by her great grand children. I don't know about Zel though. Lina couldn't bring herself to find him, she had only visited the others by viewing them from afar. Seeing Zel just would have broken her heart." Celina stood up and pulled a pouch of her belt.
"Now any contributions you would like to make would be greatly appreciated." Celina closed her eyes and smiled at the sound of the coins filling the bag.
As she gathered her things only a few people were left.
"What happened to the sword of light?"
"That along with Lina's bloodstone's are locked away far from the people who might destroy it's power with disbelief. Now I must be off." Celina gave a impish grin and a victory sign as she started to walk out of the center of town.
"Wait. I have one more question." Celina turned around to look at the man.
"Oh, you are the smartass with the Dragon Spooker remark. What is your question?"
"What happened to Lina?"
"Who cares what happened to her. She didn't deserve to be loved or cared about. She was selfish and only wanted what she thought was best for her." Celina ran out of the village, the man in hot pursuit.
"Why are you following me?" Celina turned around and faced the man.
"I wanted to tell you that you are wrong about Lina. She was loving, caring, and would risk her life to save any one of her friends." The man reached out to grab Celina's arm.
"I am glad some one thinks that she was good. I have to go." Celina once again started to leave. She didn't get more than thirty paced before she heard the man speak again. This time in a sing-song voice.
"Little girl, little breast, scares a dragon from it's nest!" Without thinking twice Celina whipped around and faced the man.
"FIRE BALL" Before the fireball made it to it's target, the man had put up a wind barrier.
"It's been too long, Lina." Celina's eyes grew large as she stared at the man.
"How did you know?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"A magic user can always spot another magic user. Why did you choose such a boring brown for your hair? I used to lie across from the campfire and just stare at your red tresses, just wanting to run my hands through them." The man was getting a few steps closer with every word.
"It can't be. How?" Lina looked into cerulean blue eyes of the man as he spoke.
"The cure for my condition had yet another curse. Immortality. I took the cure hoping that one day I would find you. Not one day has gone by when I have not dreamt of this moment. I love you Lina Inverse. I always have, and I always will."
Tears glistened in her faux green eyes as she looked at the new Zelgadis.
"I want to talk to you as myself not as Celina. Let's go to an Inn." Thw two one time traveling companions now walked back to the town to get a room.
Once inside Lina ran her hands over her face and hair. Her eyes returned to their natural red color, as did her hair as her hands trailed down it's silky length. She gave Zel an impish, and insecure grin, that made all those years of searching worth while.
"I am sorry I was so scared then Zel." Lina started the conversation, looking at everything but him.
"There is nothing to forgive. If yuo hadn't have left I might never have found the cure. There were too many life threatening things along the way to getting it. All that matters now is that it is how it is supposed to be." Zelgadis moved over to Lina and embraced her in a tight hug.
"Now I can fulfill my promise to Gourry."
"I can't remember. What was it?"
"I can't forget it." Lina walked over to where her bag was sitting and pulled out a canvas wrapped object.
"I promised to give the sword to my children." As she said this she unwrapped the sword, bloodstones, and a few other magical items from their wrapper.
"I thought they were locked away."
"They were. They were locked away with Lina Inverse. Celina Grey was born when I buried the image of Lina Inverse." Lina looked fondly at the objects of her past. She closed her eyes to rememebr the fun that she had with the people who had touched her lives through out the centuries....especially Zelgadid, Amelia, Gourry, Sylphiel and the others they picked up at the end of her life as Lina Inverse. Hot, silent tears ran down her cheeks.
"Lina, my sweet, vulnerable Lina. All grown up, but still a child. Forever ageless, and alone. Living like that for only a short while nearly drove me crazy....memories come back hitting you in the gut because you will never be able to see those people grow old with you. I don't know how you did it."
"I did it knowing that one day I would find my perfect match. The one who would be able to grow old with me. Now I have."
Zelgadis bent his head and gave Lina a kiss. When they broke the kiss, Lina tilted her head back and looked at her Zel.
"Who knew?"
"Knew what?"
"That I would find one more flower in the world."
"Lina....My love. Promise me you will never leave again."
"I promise. As long as you promise to give me your name like I always wanted."
"That is one promise I will be happy to make."
Lina tilted her head back and let a heartfelt laugh escape from her lips.
"What was that for?"
"Just thinking about stories."
"What about them?"
"Just that now I will finally have one that ends with 'And They Lived Happily Ever After'"