Lina awoke drowsily. She sat up in her bed, slightly disorientated. What hit me? She felt as though something important had happened yesterday. Oh yeah. She'd just replaced her sister Luna as Knight of Ceipheed, blasted her way out from the Temple and had gone to see Ceipheed with Xelos' help-
Wait. That was the problem. Xelos.
All of a sudden Lina was wide-awake. She'd just sold herself to the devil, practically. Damned if she was going to be his toy.
She got dressed and headed downstairs to eat breakfast. The gang was down there, too. Amelia greeted Lina with her usual peppy hyperness.
"Ne, Lina! We're leaving after we eat so we can get to Sailoon soon! Hurry up!"
Lina managed a weak smile and ate.
Sort of.
"Lina, you've only eaten four plates of food. Are you feeling okay?" Gourry, the ever-perceptive one of the group, asked.
"Not hungry." She stood up and left the inn.
"Lina? Not hungry?" Amelia asked, surprised.
Gourry reached over to grab Lina's remaining plates. "Well, it's a shame to let these go to waste."
Lina was scared. And rightly so. She currently belonged to Xelos, like some object. Something he could very easily break.
She closed her eyes and leaned against a tree. She was in trouble.
"Ne, Lina-chan! We have a ways to go before we reach Sailoon! You must eat to stock up on strength!"
Lina's eyes snapped open. Xelos grinned. Then he stopped grinning when Lina's eyes kept widening to as wide as they would go.
DONK!
"Lina-chan-! That hurt!" Xelos whined.
"I'll do a lot worse than that if you don't stay away from me." came the dire threat.
Xelos pouted. "Ne, Lina-chan, I can't do that. I have to stay and protect you!"
"...You've been hanging around Gourry for waaaay too long."
"I have?" Xelos looked cutely thoughtful. "Maybe I have! But it's all because of you, Lina-chan!"
Lina gave him a I-think-you've-gone-loony look.
Okay. She still didn't get it. "Ano, Lina-chan, Amelia's all ready to leave. If you'll just follow me I'll take you to them."
Lina was about to smartly refuse when a flash of memory illuminated her mind. :Trust him, knight of mine...: She groaned mentally. It had been a direct order.
Though why she had to trust a snake who'd nearly double-crossed her twice now she didn't know.
"Lead the way, Mazoku." she said resignedly.
Xelos pouted. "I have a name, Lina-chan. Please use it."
Lina politely suggested a bodily function that made Xelos' eyes widen. "Lina-chan! Such language!"
By the time they'd found their way back to the group and started for Sailoon Xelos was seriously considering writing his will.
Zel watched Xelos attempt to make conversation with Lina and fail a dozen times over. He wondered what had happened. Granted, Lina had never really trusted Xelos since they'd discovered who he was, but she'd never gone completely cold on him.
Which wasn't too good.
They needed Xelos for this trip. The Mazoku general was powerful, which could come in handy, and definitely knew more about 'The Prophecy' than he let on. Which also could come in handy. Right.
He sighed. Sometimes he just hated his life.
Lina sighed. Sometimes she hated her life. That made about the sixteenth time Xelos had tried to come on to her, which she'd prompt doused with a fireball or two.
Oh, he was still polite and 'nice', as his definition of it went, and offering more helpful information that he'd ever offered before, but....
He owned her.
She didn't like being owned.
She didn't like authority.
Xelos owned her.
Xelos believed he had authority.
She, therefore, didn't like Xelos.
Simple.
Right.
But how was she supposed to get herself out of this one? Prophecies she could handle. Fate she could tolerate. Xelos? No comment.
"Ne, Lina-chan, you sure know how to make yourself a rose with thorns."
"...Xelos, why are you talking about flowers?"
"Never you mind, Gourry. Just keep walking and be the good, blissfully stupid swordsman you are."
"Okay." As said before, readers, Gourry was not too bright.
"Now, Lina-chan," Xelos purred, turning back to the target of his attentions, "How about a bushel of diamonds? I know you'd like those. Or how about a bandit to slay every hour?"
"Go to blazes."
"Oooh! How about an exotic trip to a volcano island? They're really nice this time of year!"
"I'd sooner eat horse turds."
"I know of a good restaurant downside that serves those really well-done. Spices and everything!"
Lina screamed.
"Oh. We could do that, too, if you like."
"Would you please stop trying to please my every whim??"
"Oh. I can do that!" Xelos perked up. "How about I torture you? I know of several really neat methods dating back to the emergence of the Dragon Hierarchy."
Lina stared at him, her lower lips touching gravel.
"Or maybe not." Xelos said.
"Anybody got aspirin?" Lina groaned.
While all this insanity was going on Zel kept his distance. He trusted Lina, but...just in case...he wanted to be able to run as far away as possible. Amelia was doing the same, watching through wide eyes. Gourry was watching with a dazed expression that said, 'I don't really know what's going on but that's okay'.
"I've got aspirin," Xelos offered helpfully.
Lina screamed again.
"Are you Lina Inverse?"
Lina whipped her head around, grateful for the temporary distraction. "Who wants to know?"
A figure stepped out onto the road. "Are you Lina Inverse?"
"Yeah. What's it to you?"
The androgynous figure eyed her carefully. Lina in turn studied... it.
It had short dirty blond hair and brown eyes. A pretty face, though strictly androgynous. The voice was beautiful, but androgynous too. The person wore loose, baggy clothes of gold and silver. "I am Dark Light. You are soon to be Deceased."
That rankled Lina's nerves. "Who do you think you're talking to?"
Dark Light eyed Lina. "The Chosen." it said simply.
Xelos' eyes widened. "I know you. Dark Light, of the Twelve Darknesses!"
Dark Light smirked. "Xelos Metallium. Mazoku. Weak."
Xelos glowered evilly. "Watch it, Dark Light. I might just decide to not kill you."
"Watch it, Xelos. I might just decide to torture your prey."
Xelos froze momentarily. Then he went on smoothly. "Your job to kill her. My job is to help her see through this Prophecy." He smiled, one that made shivers run up and down Lina's spine. "Touch her and die."
"Oh, I don't think I need to touch her to kill her," Dark Light said in an amused tone. With that a strong blast of black energy was sent straight at Lina.
Notimetoduckdeaddeaddead Lina closed her eyes.
Two things happened simultaneously.
Xelos threw up a shield that dissipated the energy inches before it touched Lina. He also threw a blast of his own at Dark Light.
Dark Light's eyes widened before it was consumed by the magic, becoming specks of dust in the cosmic realm.
Lina opened her eyes cautiously. "Um... where'd it go? Am I dead?"
"I destroyed it. You're alive." Xelos said casually, taking down the shields. "Now, shall we continue..?"
"No."
Xelos looked startled.
Lina grabbed him by his shirt and glared at him. "You are telling me what the %^$%#^%& is going on, and fast, or I'm toasting your Mazoku butt and maybe I'll make you as non-gender specific as my late assassin was!"
Xelos sweated. Lina's threats, he had learned, did not come lightly.
"Uh...Lina?"
"What?" Lina growled out the side of her mouth at Zel.
"Maybe you should wait until we get to Sailoon before giving him the third degree? I mean, I'm all for questioning him and such, but isn't it kind of silly to do it in the middle of a road?"
Lina looked at Zel, then reluctantly loosened her grip on Xelos. Then she eyed him. "One false move and you're lunch."
Okay... Xelos re-evaluated his situation.
His chances of winning Lina over apparently just dropped to 0%.
He groaned mentally.
Gourry was his usual brilliant self. "Do you think he'll taste good?"
DONK!
"Ow..."
Xelos fell back. He wasn't about to leave Lina alone now. Not when the Twelve were getting ready to kill her. Of course, that Dark Light was now dead so it meant they were up against Eleven, but that was beside the point. He knew of the Twelve. They would attack in levels of power. Dark Light was their weakest. Though had Xelos not been there, Lina and company probably would've been compost now.
So they'd get gradually stronger as more attacked. This was not good.
"Xelos, you don't seem to be making much of an effort to keep on Lina's good side." Zel commented in a low voice.
Xelos frowned a genuine frown. "I honestly don't know what she wants. I try-you saw I did-to please her, but she doesn't like that."
"Xelos, she doesn't need any of the things you offered. Please tell me you knew that."
Xelos looked at him blankly. "No. I'm more used to seducing people who jump at the chance for those things."
"Lina can do all those by herself. And you of all people should know when she's not being literal. Horse turds?"
"I do know of a place that serves it very well done..." Xelos defended.
Zel just stared at him. Then he shrugged. "Look, use those great brains of yours and your other senses and offer Lina what she needs."
"Actually, there are times when she could use a good spanking..."
Zel groaned. "I pity her."
"I was kidding."
"I wasn't."