Lina was happy, because Crysanth was happy. It seemed as though Xelos had been right and that the environment was truly good for her Angel. But was it good for Lina?
She shrugged, and twirled a bit. It was a beautiful place, she had to admit. She made a note never to cast any heavy destruction spells in the vincinity. While she'd destroyed plenty of places with little thought to the consequences, this was one place she preferred to keep whole.
"Lina-chan, it wasn't very nice of you to stick me with the tab."
Lina didn't even bother turning around."So?"
Xelos sighed."You're being unreasonable."
"Me? Unreasonable? Whatever gave you that idea?" Lina danced over to some flowers. "Hmm...that can be made into medicine or poison, depending on what you mix it with..."
Xelos looked mildly surprised. "Are you only interested in the chemical properties of flowers?"
"What?"
"Don't you ever think of, I don't know, putting some in your hair or getting a bouquet or something?"
Lina turned around enough to let him see a frown."Why would I?"
Xelos shook his head in slight wonder."Well, maybe you should. I'm not saying to go overly girly girly - believe you me, I've seen plenty of girls ruin their personalities by trying to act like something they weren't - but perhaps noticing the fragile beauty of a flower occasionally might bring out some of the good in you." He considered."Not good good, but the best in you kind of good."
Lina stared at him as though he'd started speaking Greek.
Xelos shrugged, then stopped down to select a few choice looking flowers."Like perhaps these. The reds offset the yellows very nicely. And that blend of blue and violet works just right when you place them against these white ones." He held up his handful."See?"
"What I see is a loony Mazoku, a few herbs, a mint flavored tea, and two kinds of healing medicines."
Xelos chuckled."Here."
"What?" she asked blankly.
"Hold out your hands."
Lina shrugged and did so. Xelos placed the flowers in her hands and wrapped her fingers around the stems. Then he stood back."You know, you make a pretty picture with those in your hand."
Lina looked at him in disgust and tossed the flowers aside.
"Li~na-cha~~n~!" Xelos whined."I picked those especially for you!"
She stared at him."What, am I supposed to act like some silly lovesick girl now? 'Oh, wow! He gave me flowers! I am so touched! My face is getting hotter, I wonder why? My heart's beating faster...Oh!' Gimme a break!"
Xelos stared at her, and opened his mouth to say something when -
Pain Lina gripped her head.
Pain She stumbled, trying to ignore the cacophony in her head.
Pain Her vision blurred. Was that Xelos? He looked like some hippo with a bad hair day...
Pain She closed her eyes.
Pain
She felt something warm around her. Arms...? Whose were they? Someone was talking in her ears...Who?
Crysanth was screaming something...or was she?
She - And butterflies were flying. It was such a pleasant day. She spread her long white wings and flew high above. Being an Angel was such fun. After all, she was Crysanth, one of the many Angels dedicated to preserving nature.
No, she wasn't. Something was drawing her back. She looked around at the air around her. A face appeared - Her face. But she didn't have red hair! She -
And Lina opened her eyes, breathing heavily."Oh by L-sama... what...what was that?" She gripped the cloth she was against."What was that?"
Then she noticed something.
"Xelos..." she growled.
"Now, now," he said pulling away from her."I don't think that at the time you were in any condition to argue with me as to what you needed and what you didn't. I used my judgement." He eyed her carefully."So what happened?"
"I...I don't know. For a moment there I...I couldn't tell who I was." She hugged herself, staring at a spot in midair."I had wings. White ones. I was...I was Crysanth. I was flying with my wings..." She shuddered involuntarily."I wasn't me."
Xelos gazed at her."She's taking control slowly. She's doing her best to hold back, but she has her limits..."
"I didn't want her! I didn't want this stupid prophecy! I didn't want this quest and I didn't want to replace my sister and..." she trailed off.
She was miserable. Simple.
"Xelos, did she...live before?" Lina shivered."I was seeing...I think they were Crysanth's memories."
"Why don't you ask her?"
"She's not answering me. I think...she's just as scared as I am. That pulling feeling...It was like, for a moment, neither of us really existed in any sense of the word." Lina shook her head."No, it was more like...we were each other and yet we were neither."
"Interesting..." Xelos commented.
"Interesting? Interesting?!" Lina turned her full glorified anger on him."My life is ending, and all you can say is that it's interesting?"
"Shh...Lina-chan, would you like another massage tonight? A really throrough one? You look worse for the wear." he said, changing subjects like they were going out of style.
Lina stared at him.
Then," Are you Lina Inverse?"
Lina groaned."You know, you guys have got to pick up better opening lines. Heck, even Amelia's are a bit more interesting." Then she blinked. There was two of them this time. They looked like inverted copies of each other."And you two are?"
"Dark Twins - Fire and Ice." they replied in unison.
"Okay...." Lina moved into a better vatage point."Look, why don't we take this fight elsewhere? I've developed a fondness for this area and would rather it's not damaged."
The Twins smiled toothily."No. We fight here." With that they attacked.
Dark Ice threw daggers and spears at Lina, who dodged all except one. It struck her squarely in her right shoulder.
She winced, then danced some more to escape the snake of fire that Dark Fire had sent at her. Figures. Buy one, get one free.
She winced again. Her shoulder was going to need some heavy duty healing after this.
Then - Pain... Lina shook her head. Not now. Now was too crucial to buckle over with confusion.
And where the hell was Xelos??
Then they attacked from both sides. This is gonna hurt... she mused, looking left and right. If I let them whack me good. She dashed down the center, leaving her back vulnerable.
Oops. Big mistake, I could die right now...
Then that dizzying non-existence existence tried to take over her mind again.
She shook it off. What were those spells she taught me? One was ice and fire... If I can lure them to be in the same spot... She turned around and stopped running."Nyah nyah, you can't catch me!"
The Twins paused."She is very unpredictable, almost chaotic."
Fire agreed. "A pity we must destroy her."
Now! Gathering the power in her hands quickly, she recited the spell quietly, not wanting to alert her current assassins of her idea.
"Crysanth Ice Fire Spiral!" Energy shot out of her hands.
The Twins screamed in agony...and still they were there. Okay, time for a new plan...Uh...
Black energy finished them off. Xelos appeared from behind the Twins smirking. "Honestly, I don't know what you'd do without me."
Lina looked at him wearily. "How badly did I damage them?"
Xelos grinned."Enough to cripple them. I think you need to use Dragu Slav or something similar next time around, Lina-chan." Then he cocked his head at her."What? You look very odd, Lina-chan."
"I am not Lina-chan. I am Crysanth..." she said, hesitantly."I-I'm missing my wings..."
Xelos stared at Lina-not Lina."This is a little soon for you to be taking over her body. She should at least have the wings before you show up. So the takeover isn't permanent." He glared at Crysanth."Go back to the back of Lina-chan's mind."
Crysanth looked puzzled. Then Pain she clutched her head in agony. She heard a vague yelling...was it her voice? Or was it the Other?
She heard someone screaming.
Then...
She drifted over Lina's head, watching, worried. :Lina-love, I'm sorry. I couldn't help it!: But as part of her was wondering about Lina's will. Being able to push the Angel out of her body, even if the takeover was a bit premature, was no easy feat.
Lina sat down on the grass."Huh...?" she asked, dazed.
There was a face in front of hers. Her mind attempted to get reorganized and she recognized it."Xelos..."
He smiled, a real smile of relief."It's not time for you to go yet, Lina-chan. There's much to be done yet."
Lina nodded, still a little dazed. Xelos pulled her gently to her feet.
"Ne, Lina-chan. How about some lunch?"
That snapped her out of her dizziness. "Lunch? Sure - " Then she winced. "On second thought, first get me a healer, then lunch."
Xelos looked at her shoulder. "Hmm...They did a real number on your shoulder here."
Lina tried to pull her shirt up, as the hole was large enough to reveal things she'd rather not show Xelos.
"Come over here." he said, pulling her over, eyeing her shoulder."Let's see..." He thought a moment."I don't recall any healers in town. Can you heal yourself?"
"No. Otherwise I wouldn't bother asking." Lina said through gritted teeth.
"Well then. Hold still, I'm going to try something." He winked at her and started chanting, gathering a small blue black ball of energy in his hands.
But Lina couldn't understand what he was saying. It was no language she'd ever heard of.
He sent the ball right onto her wound. There was brief pain, but nothing compared to what her bouts with Crysanth's mind did to her. Then no pain. Lina looked at her wound in wonder. It was healed, without a trace of the damage that had been done.
"What kind of spell was that?"
"Ah...that's a secret." Xelos smiled.
Lina glared at him."How do I know whatever it was won't have ill effects?"
"Lina-chan, why would I want to hurt my pretty little flower?"
Lina just stared at him."You have some major personality and mental problems."
Xelos pouted cutely."I do not. Now, how about lunch?" He got cheerful again.
Lina clapped her hands."If you're paying."
Xelos froze."And if I don't?"
"Do you really want to know?" she asked menacingly.
"Right this way, Lina-chan," he said, deciding that whatever it was didn't bear any importance on the situation. And that it probably would be very painful.
Meanwhile, in Dintric Town Zelgadis was having a headache. Is happiness what I want? Or do I just want acceptance? No on in that town seemed to mind the way he looked. But then, this was the town Gourry was from. Maybe it was a general cultural thing.
Right.
Amelia was hyper, dancing around and terrorizing the meaner men in the community with her bubbly and sugary cheerfulness. Finally one guy exclaimed,"All right, all right! I'll be nicer to everyone in town if you'll just leave me alone!!"
Gourry was having fun demonstrating his talents to an onlooking group - the majority of which were female, Zel noted with some form of amusement.
He wondered how Lina was faring with Xelos, and sighed.
Knowing the trickster priest, probably not very well.
Chapter 13 | Story Index | Fanfiction