"Wow, Lina. I heard that you've been chosen as the consort of L-sama and the Mazoku want you dead and the Dragons swapped you with your fairy step-sister when you were a babe! How do you manage it?" Gourry said around a drumstick.
Lina stared at Zelgadis mournfully. "Just how did you explain things to Gourry?"
"Not very well, apparently," Xelos commented.
"No one asked your opinion, Xelos." Zel growled.
He smiled in response, then beckoned outdoors.
They left Gourry in Lina's care as she tried to explain to Gourry what had happened.
"What, Xelos?"
"...Call me curious. You do know the full 'Prophecy', right?"
"Yeah. I've stumbled across it often enough."
"Then help me figure out Lina's mission."
Zel looked surprised. "Eh?"
"'On Angel's Wings
From Angel's Eggs
Across space and time
to Nightmare halls
Breaking the Door
Barriers down
Trickster Priest
Falling swiftly
Caves of gold
Shattering glass
Wings of Silver
Defeating twelve
Savior of All
Defeated by twelve
Destroyer of all
Silver Wings
Shattered to bits.'"
"Make some sense of that."
"..."
Xelos sighed. "That's my opinion exactly." He blinked. "I think I've got a headache."
"Is that usual?"
"No. First one in... oh, several centuries at least."
"...whatever."
"No opinions?"
Zel sighed."Maybe you're the one who should be telling me, instead of the other way around. Oh well. Look, Xelos. Prophecies tend to get fulfilled by themselves, right? So leave it to itself and it'll work out. Hopefully." He fell silent."I don't get it. It says that after Lina defeats twelve beings of sorts, some wings get shattered. And then there's a choice concerning life or death on the Dark Maiden's Eve, whatever that is."
"Never heard of it myself."
They stared at each other.
Xelos smiled."A couple of unlikely allies, that we are." Then he lost the smile."You know, I did think about letting 'The Prophecy' run its course. In fact, I was planning to do so. However, Lina-chan wants to know what to do next. I can hardly say to her,'Sit around and wait for Destiny to find you.' I'll get killed if I'm lucky."
Zel was silent.
Xelos turned to go back in.
"Xelos, how do you think Lina feels about her power levels?"
Xelos paused."I normally wouldn't say anything and tell you that it's a secret, except it's not. I don't know how she feels. She never tells any of us anything, really." He smiled at Zel."Something I intend to change soon."
"You're evil."
"I know, but I'm a nice kind of evil, ne?" He giggled. "Guess what Ceipheed told Lina-chan to do? He ordered her to trust me! Bye!" He walked into the restaurant.
Zel stared after Xelos in shock. "I don't believe this."
Once inside Xelos wondered if Lina had even guessed what the small part of 'The Prophecy' he'd told her meant. Probably not. To her, the word 'desires' means food, money, clothes, etc. Oh well. It's more fun to seduce her. He smiled wickedly.
Lina threw her arms up in defeat. "Argh! Gourry, I'll make it very simple: I'm in trouble!"
"Oh. Why didn't you say so in the first place?"
There was a loud crack as Lina broke the table in half with her body.
As she got up she muttered, "Never again. Never again. Of all the dense people in the world I get their crown prince..."
"Why, Lina-chan, that's not a nice thing to say about Gourry." Xelos smiled.
Personally, he couldn't give a damn about the rest of the group. Except maybe Zel-buddy. He had a sharp mind for a human, and though Xelos'd sooner die than admit it, the one sane person in the group who wasn't showing any signs of going unstable. However. Back to Lina. Lina was his target, his quarry, and just plain his.
But it was so much more fun playing devil's advocate...
Lina stalked past him.
Of course, that meant that he was getting nowhere with Lina.
Oh well. He smiled to himself.
There was always the night. Nocturnal activities always were his best abilities...
He wasn't sure he didn't have any competition. Zel may not have admitted it directly, but he did care a great deal for Lina. Nowhere near as much as Xelos, but enough to be legitimately called a crush. Gourry...well, Lina had claimed no romantic interest in him, but Xelos couldn't be sure. But it was hard to say what the swordsman felt at all. In some ways he was the happy moron Xelos acted out. But he did care for Lina up to a point. But it was hard to say whether he thought of Lina as a romantic possibility, sister, partner, or protege. But then, it was hard to tell he thought at all.
Xelos sighed. He didn't need to brood. Just catch the fish before someone else has and everything will be fine. He paused in his thinking. Unless of course, someone else has already caught that fish.
Lina fumed. Not that she hated Gourry, but there were times when he was just too dense for her liking. But she did like having him around. Whenever it was that time of month and she couldn't defend herself properly he was great to have around. He also listened very well, just didn't do much about what he heard. He was nice and kind and strong and...dense.
Amelia had just invited the whole gang to visit Sailoon, a short day's walk away. Swell. She could use a break after what'd happened that day.
She yawned. Look at me. Barely even noon and I'm ready to sleep. This 'Prophecy' is such a drag. I hate being told what to do, even by Fate herself.
She saw Zel standing still, face frozen in shock. "Hey, Zel! Where'd Luna go?"
Zel turned to look at her slowly. "She... left."
"Oh." One less thing to worry about. Powers or no, she was Lina's lder sister. That was a position that struck fear into people's hearts.
She turned in early that night.
Rap Rap.
"Lina-chan!"
Of course, annoying Mazoku were worse than Fate.
"What do you want, Xelos?"
"Let me in!"
"Door's unlocked, let yourself in." she mumbled.
He did. "Tsk tsk. Lina-chan, leaving your door unlocked in the middle of a strange town? Whatever shall thieves do to you?"
"Xelos, spare me the wisecracks, give your meaningful speech filled with secrets, then shut up and get the hell out." Lina replied bluntly.
"No. No speeches tonight. Just the deal we made today."
"Now? Xelos, I'm too tired and stressed out to do anything right now."
"...You know I could take that several ways?"
"Huh?"
"Nevermind. I just wanted to tell you what you have to do to repay your debt."
Lina sighed audibly and sat up. "Go ahead. What do you want?"
Xelos cocked his head at her, as though trying to figure out her question and how he should take it. Finally he said simply, "You."
Lina stared at him. "C-come again?" she asked, hysteria building up in her. What she thought she heard, coupled with the day's events, didn't make for her most open mind.
He held up his gloved hands and ticked off his short list. "Your body, your mind, and your soul. Not necessarily in that order." He looked at her quizzically. "You are going to keep your end of the bargain, aren't you?"
Lina screamed.
Or at least she tried to.
"I thought you might try something like that, so I whipped up a quick spell of dumbness. I'll take it off as soon as you nod your head in response to the question, 'will you not scream?'"
Lina stared at him, stricken.
Xelos waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Finally he sighed. "You're not going to promise me not to scream, are you?"
Lina shook her head, eyes wide.
"Well, maybe you do need to let out the shock. Hmmm..." He thought a moment. Then he smiled and cast a quick spell. "Okay." He released Lina's voicebox-
-And his eardrums were blasted back somewhere into the astral planes.
Ow. That's painful. Good thing I put up that sound proofing spell around the room. But why didn't I put it around her? Could've saved me personal damage...
Lina stopped screaming and took a deep breath. Pondering what her next course of action would be she glanced at Xelos.His hair stood on end, all frizzled. Other than that he appeared fine.
"Xelos, you are so incredibly evil I cannot describe it."
He blinked at her. Then he said, "I can't hear you. Give me a couple seconds."
Lina thought about that a moment. Her body may have been small, but her lungs were very powerful. So even a Mazoku couldn't stand her voice.
When Xelos regained his hearing and his hairdo, Lina repeated her comment.
He blinked again. "Lina-chan, I never said I wasn't evil. All I said was-"
"Why, by L-sama, do you want me for?"
Xelos smiled. "Lina-chan, why do think anyone would ask you for your body, mind, and soul?"
Lina gave him one of those looks that told him she thought he was weird. "I wouldn't know. It's never happened to me before."
Okay. She still didn't get it. That threw a definite wrench in the works. Xelos kept the smile plastered on his face, something he'd been finding a whole lot harder to do lately. "Okay then. Lina-chan, may I suggest getting your rest?"
"Like I'm going to get any now!"
Xelos sighed. "Sleep." he intoned, placing a finger on her forehead. Lina fell back into her bed.
"This isn't going too well, is it?" he asked no one in particular.
He walked out of the room to find Amelia. He knew Lina was planning on accepting the Princess's invitation. After what she'd been through any human would've wanted a break. But he needed to ask a favor from Amelia.
He rapped softly on her door. "Amelia?"
"Oh, come on in, Xelos!"
He smiled, but it was more like a grimace. She was as hyper as ever.
He opened the door and walked in. "Amelia, I have something to request of you..." He sat down on her bed and proceeded to explain.
Amelia reached 'Shocked beyond words' within three sentences. Now she was eagerly helping the Mazoku, saying 'yes, I can do that' every three seconds.
That accomplished, he bid the Sailoon princess good night and headed for his own pocket dimension.
Oh, but he didn't sleep. The Beastmaster Zelas suddenly called him away.
"Yes, boss?"
Zelas looked at her minion in an amused sort of way as she puffed on her cigarettes. "Xelos, you've been a bad boy lately. Doing things behind my back." She let out a puff of smoke. "Of course, you have your own reasons for doing so, but..."
Xelos smiled. "But I'm needed in this 'Prophecy'. I'm the only Mazoku who knows the full 'Prophecy' and who fits the descriptions. And if this 'Prophecy' fails, then all of us die." He smiled widely at Zelas. "No chance of resurrection, since there won't be anyone to resurrect us."
"And how are you so sure of this?"
"Me? Why, I just happen to have the full original 'Prophecy' in one of my many stashes." He smiled charmingly. "Complete with punctuation."
Zelas stopped in mid-puff. "What?"