Lina hurried along after the boatmaster, Gourry trailing behind her like a loyal pet. Immortality. That's gotta be rough, she thought to herself. Even if his family is still around, he'll live longer than any friends he might make. That sounds so...lonely. Lina herself had stopped aging a while ago, due to the amount of magic she used, but she was nowhere near becoming immortal. One thousand years is a long time to be alone. She finally caught up with Felix, who walked far faster than she. "Slow down!"
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "You want to hurry to save your friend, don't you?"
"Yeah, but there's no need to run all the way there!" she complained, brushing her hair out of her face.
Felix watched her carefully. She really was rather attractive, with all that long red hair and those ruby-colored eyes. She was so vibrant...almost seeming to scream out "Look at me!!" It's no wonder she's a sorceress.
"Ano..." Lina's voice interrupted his thoughts. "What are you doing?"
He blinked a few times before realizing he'd been staring and looked at his feet, embarrassed. "Gomen! I was just...thinking..."
Behind them, Gourry looked back and forth between the two, utterly confused. He shrugged it off, guessing it was something beyond his comprehension and continued on. After all, they did have to save Amelia. Even though the swordsman still didn't understand what Xelloss would want her for.
Lina glared a little at the boatmaster. She didn't quite like it when guys stared at her. Especially since when they did, they often made rude comments about her chest size or how skinny she was. She never let any of them get away with it, of course. Not even cute guys can escape the wrath of Lina Inverse!
Not that Felix was cute or anything, Lina told herself quickly. Okay, maybe just a little bit. But magic and fighting thrilled Lina so much more than the thought of having a boyfriend. Which is why she had stayed away from romance for this long. It just didn't excite her... Lina cleared her mind of all romantic thoughts and glanced at Felix out of the corner of her eye.
"I'm assuming you can fight," Lina asked the boatmaster. "Because we're going to need as many people on our side as possible."
"I can fight, yes," Felix replied. "It's just that...
"Just that what?"
"Well, you'll have to understand. I've never fought against my brother before. I don't want to fight him," Felix admitted. "But I guess that's dumb, right? He's all ready to kill me and I'm still pinned on the hope that maybe the love for a brother will persuade him to spare me!"
"It's not dumb," Lina replied quietly. "It's not dumb to hope that your brother will love you again."
"BWHAHAHAHAHA, Xelloss still loves me," Felix said. He pushed a branch out of the way and motioned for Lina to go ahead of him. "I know he does. He's just a little upset because I'm ruining his plans and all. He may come around and he may not. All I know is that if we get out of this alive, my job as a boatmaster is over."
Lina placed a hand on Felix's arm. "Then you can join us. I'm sure Amelia will enjoy your company. And you can take us to meet your parents."
Felix nodded and glanced at her. "Thanks, Lina."
"Where are they, where are the, where are they?!?" Amelia shrieked, pacing back and forth in her makeshift room. Ever since coming to Wolf Pack Island, she had lost track of time, but it felt like she had been here for weeks. "Maybe Lina and everyone turned around and went home. It's not like Zelgadis-san would come and rescue me after he confessed his undying love to-to, Filia!"
The image Xelloss had shown her flashed through her mind. Why oh why had Amelia ever thought Zelgadis had liked her? Or more important, who did Filia think she was? The dragon maiden knew she liked Zelgadis! Who gave her the right to steal a princess's object of affection?
Amelia stopped pacing and slumped down by the windowsill, gazing out the window. Too many things were going on with their group of friends, and it seemed like after this was all over, things were never going to be the same... "Ahh, this sucks!" she exclaimed.
"Such harsh words for a princess," a low voice teased her from behind.
She didn't bother to turn around; it was obvious who had come to bother her again. "Bite me," she snarled.
Grinning, the Mazoku bent and sank his teeth into her shoulder.
"Ow!" Amelia cried. She whirled around and slapped Xelloss hard, across the face. "I didn't mean that literally, you pervert!"
She didn't expect his grin to widen so at the sudden onslaught of pain. He let his head loll to the side and peered out at her through slitted eyes, an expression of contentment on his face. It was a decidedly scary sight.
Amelia scooted away from him quickly, the fear obvious in her eyes. "Sick, sick Mazoku..." she whispered, more to herself than to him.
"Perhaps." His eyes opened suddenly, his gaze seeming to pierce through her thoughts. "Wouldn't you like to know," he teased her playfully, all traces of the anger he'd previously shown gone. Or at least hidden.
She glared at him. "Aren't you ever going to leave me alone?"
Xelloss seemed to ponder that for a moment, then turned a smiling face to her. "Nope!" He sat down next to her and started to play with her hair, twisting it into little crisscrossing braids that disentangled themselves as soon as he let go. "You're stuck with me forever, Ame-chan. Not that that's a bad thing, of course," he added. Xelloss began running a hand through her thick hair, admiring the silkiness of her black tresses.
Amelia shifted uncomfortably. "Stop that!"
"What do you mean?"
"Stop that."
"Stop what?" the Mazoku inquired, gently stroking her cheek with his other hand.
"That."
He ran his thumb teasingly across her lower lip. "I don't know what you're talking about, Ame-chan. What is it you want me to stop?"
"...that..."
The Mazoku smiled. "Oh, you mean this?" he asked, cupping her face in his hands. "Or this?"
Amelia wasn't sure how long he kissed her. She wasn't even sure at what point her brain had stopped functioning completely. Everything had gone completely fuzzy after awhile, and her blood was pounding too loudly in her ears for her to hear anything else. Xelloss finally broke off the kiss with a smile, leaving her gasping for her next breath. He was probably gloating silently, she knew, but all she could do was look into those incredible feline eyes...
"Did you enjoy that, Ame-chan?" Xelloss murmured throatily.
Amelia blinked. Of course she didn't enjoy kissing Xelloss! What was she doing?! "No, no I didn't, Xelloss."
Xelloss raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"
"I would get more enjoyment out of kissing a dead smelly fish!!!" Amelia cried.
Before Amelia could even react Xelloss reached out and slapped Amelia across the face. She crashed into a small table and lay there, stunned.
Xelloss cursed quietly. He had split one of his knuckles open in the process and now he was dripping blood on the nice carpet. Xelloss carefully licked the wound, all the time glancing at Amelia with an unreadable expression on his face. He looked happy in one way, but his face also bore an expression of sadness...
Xelloss picked up Amelia's head and gently cradled it in his arms. "See Ame-chan, you can't make me angry. If you do, then I'll have to hurt you. And I don't want to hurt my favorite toy..."
He's crazy! Amelia thought. She contemplated faking unconsciousness but Xelloss would probably know she was awake and would strike her again. Besides, a thin line of blood was flowing from a cut on her lip, thanks to Xelloss, and she wanted to wipe it away because it was driving her crazy.
But Xelloss beat her to it. Like a mother cat tending to its babies, he licked the blood off of Amelia's chin. The touch of his tongue made Amelia recoil inside and despite what she tried, she couldn't stop a shudder that ran through her body.
Xelloss looked down at Amelia. "Is something wrong, my dear sweet Ame-chan?"
She considered saying 'yes', just to spite him, but she didn't want him to hit her again. Amelia suppressed a shudder at the thought of his anger increasing. Yet if she told him there wasn't anything wrong, she'd be lying. So she did nothing, only stared at him in silence with her fear-filled eyes.
He sighed and gently wiped at her cut, from which blood was still flowing. "I'm sorry I frightened you. You see, it does no good to make me angry. Perhaps now you won't anger me again..."
Amelia whimpered mentally, afraid of what he might try in the future. And afraid of what he would do to her if...when she refused him. Lina-tachi, please...please hurry!
Filia carefully guided Zelgadis through the maze of trees that was Wolfpack Island, following the trail left by Lina and Felix. The chimera was still slightly woozy from Xelloss's attack, and hadn't quite gotten his balance back. She regarded him fondly; he really was attractive. Even though he didn't think so himself. "Zelgadis-san..."
"Hai?" he asked.
Filia blushed slightly. "Ano...I want to ask you something. Do you..." she trailed off, noticing that he wasn't really listening. "Is something wrong?"
He kept glancing back and forth at the foliage on either side of them, in an almost paranoid fashion. "I feel like we're being watched," he said suspiciously.
The dragon maiden nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean, Zelgadis-san. I'm sure the Beastmaster has spies all over this island."
"I have a bad feeling about this," the chimera muttered.
"So do I."
Almost as if on cue, there was a rustling sound in the bushes nearby...
Filia fwapped Zelgadis.
"What was that for?!" He exclaimed, stunned.
"You had to go and jinx us with saying you had a bad feeling!" Filia said.
"So? You said it too!" Zelgadis pointed out.
"That has nothing to do with it!" Filia answered.
"Yes it does! You double jinxed us!"
A booming laughter was heard as a man stepped out of the bushes and slapped Zelgadis in the back. It wasn't a hard slap, but because Zelgadis was still weak, he landed face first into the dirt.
The chimera quickly got up again and whirled around, sword drawn. His eyes widened when he saw who was in front of him.
"Prince Phil!"
It was indeed Amelia's father that stood before Zelgadis and Filia, hands on his hips, portraying a justice pose.
"What are you doing here?!?!" A very surprised Zelgadis asked. This was great. Phil was known for making stupid mistakes and he could very well make a mistake that could cost his daughter her life...
"I heard my Amelia was in danger, but I refused to believe it!" Phil said, grinning. "I know my daughter can take care of herself. She would never let anyone harm her."
"So why did you come?" A sweatdropping Zelgadis inquired.
"Because I figured the rumors I heard were false! I figured Lina was in danger and she needed me to rescue her!" Phil replied cheerfully.
Zelgadis promptly facevaulted. Talk about clueless. Despite all the times Lina helped out Phil, he actually thought she was weak?! "Oh, for crying out..."
Filia shushed him. "Ano, Prince Philionel...about your daughter..."
Phil turned his gaze on the dragon maiden. "And who's this lovely young lady? Your wife?"
Both Zelgadis and Filia nearly fell over. "WHAT?!"
The prince looked back and forth between them, confused. "Is there a problem?"
The dragon maiden pulled herself to her feet. "Ano...your Highness, we're not married."
His smiling face quickly turned into a stern frown. "You know, justice doesn't condone such relationships..."
"It's not like that, either!!" Zelgadis yelled, his face aflame.
"Oh." The prince's usual expression returned. "Well, we ought to get going!" he boomed, walking ahead through the vegetation. "To hurry and save Li - what's this?"
Filia and Zelgadis quickly jogged after him...and stopped abruptly when they reached a high stone wall. Footprints were scattered all around the area, and part of the stone had been cut away to create an entrance in the wall, leading to pitch darkness. The chimera examined the wall briefly and determined that it had been carved out by the Sword of Light. Which meant Lina, Felix, and Gourry had to be inside...
The red-haired sorceress quietly chanted an even stronger light spell than the one she'd previously cast upon entering the castle, illuminating the dark area before her. "That's better." She wondered briefly if they'd ever be able to find their way out of the castle again when they saved Amelia. If they saved Amelia.
She shook her head. Stop thinking like that, Lina. You'll save her. No matter what it takes. She sighed for a moment.
Lina suddenly got a tingly feeling at the back of her neck, like someone was watching her. For the millionth time that day. "Felix..." she growled, turning around and smacking him in the head. "Quit looking at me!!"
The boatmaster winced. "Sorry, Lina." He rubbed the sore spot on his head gingerly. "I guess I just like to look at beautiful things!" he added, a sly grin on his face.
Lina...blushed. Even though she would never admit it to anyone, her face actually did turn a deep shade of red. Lina quickly whirled around. "Stop it, Felix."
"Stop what?" He said happily. He too had noticed the blush on her adorable cheeks.
"Stop-just stop doing this!" Lina turned around again and found herself very close to the boatmaster. So close that she could......kiss him.
Felix mentally congratulated himself. He had backed Lina up against the wall without even trying. And that goofy swordsman had wandered around on his own, leaving the two of them alone. "What is it you want me to stop doing, Lina Inverse?" He whispered huskily.
Lina gazed at Felix through her long eyelashes. Her insides were slowly becoming pools of mush. "I want you to stop...."
"Yes?"
"I want you stop being so damn irresistible and kiss me already!" Lina said in a rush, grabbing the back of Felix's head and kissing him, long and hard.
Felix's eyes widened in surprise. My my... This Lina Inverse was even better than he thought. She wasn't one of those 'let the guys make the first move' type of girls. And that really turned him on.
The two came up for air and Lina glared at Felix for messing with her mind.
"What did I do now?" The boatmaster asked gleefully.
Lina fwapped him. "You stole my heart, that's what you did!"
He gently stroked her cheek with one hand and grinned sheepishly. "An eye for an eye, right?"
She blushed as Felix bent his head to kiss her again, her thoughts dwelling on everything except the mission to save Amelia. For the moment, that was the furthest thing from her mind...
The pair was interrupted by a light cough from behind them. Lina looked over Felix's shoulder and blushed an even deeper shade of red. "Zel! Filia!" And another person..."Prince Phil?!"
Zelgadis was looking particularly embarrassed at having stumbled upon the two, especially considering the circumstances. He was a little annoyed that Lina chose to trust the boatmaster that much, but there were more important things to think about at that time. Filia was too shocked to even speak, Felix was ready to kill the others for interrupting them, and the prince looked ready to make another one of his justice speeches about relationships and young people. "Ano..." he stammered. "Where's Gourry?"
Lina's face was aflame. She rationalized that the best thing to do was to pretend nothing had happened. "Well, he wandered off somewhere a few minutes ago."
The chimera facevaulted. "And you let him??" he asked incredulously.
Lina looked at her feet. "I was a little preoccupied at the time..."
"......" Zelgadis decided not to press the issue. It was better just to find Gourry and get on with saving Amelia. She'd been stuck in the castle far too long with Xelloss. Far too long...
"Oi, minna...why're you all talking about me?"
Everyone turned in the direction the voice was coming from. "Gourry!" He stood there awkwardly, scratching his blond head in befuddlement.
"Where have you been?" Lina demanded, still trying to pretend nothing had happened.
"Well...I guess I took a wrong turn or something, because I got lost. And I walked for a long while, but then I took another turn and ended up back here!"
Sweatdrops appeared all around. "Baka," the sorceress muttered.
The swordsman was still talking. "It took a really long time, and I guess I took a lot wrong turns, because one time I found myself in this really big kitchen. Oh, and I saw Xelloss along the way. And then..."
"Wait a minute, you saw Xelloss?!" Filia exclaimed.
"Yeah..."
"And you didn't follow him??"
Gourry looked confused. "Why, should I have?"
The entire group facevaulted. Lina picked herself off the floor and grabbed the swordsman by the neck. "YES you should have, yogurt-for-brains!! Now show us where you last saw him!!"
Amelia sat cross-legged on the floor, praying to every god she could think of that Lina and the others would save her soon. Cephied, Vrabazard, Balwin...it didn't matter which. Just as long as she was saved. "Oh, Shabranigdo-sama, please help me..."
She heard a low chuckle behind her. "Yare yare, Ame-chan," an amused voice whispered, "I never thought you'd be praying to the Mazoku's god."
The princess didn't look at him. "It was worth a try." She stiffened as Xelloss hugged her from behind, burying his face in her raven locks. He sat there for untold moments, just holding her and breathing in the scent of her hair. Nothing more. It was actually kind of nice, Amelia admitted, although she was deathly afraid that it would turn into a repeat performance of the previous day's events. She leaned back slightly into his warm embrace and closed her eyes, deciding that it was okay to do this. He was just hugging her, nothing else. It was all right.
Until he started nibbling along her jawline. Amelia's eyes snapped open and she pushed him away. "Don't do that."
His breath was hot on her neck. "Why not?"
"Because...because I don't want you to."
The Mazoku chuckled darkly. "Don't lie to me, Ame-chan. I know that's not true." He tried to kiss her, only to have her shove him away again.
"Please, don't do that."
"Why?" he asked teasingly, enjoying the little game he was playing.
"Because..." Amelia turned to face him, her voice sounding meek. "Because you're scaring me."
Xelloss was shocked at the blatant fear in her eyes. She feared him, feared his strength and power, feared he might hurt her. The Mazoku had hurt her once in blind anger, a mistake on his part. A mistake he was wholly sorry about. He couldn't keep the shock from his voice. "Ame-chan...I..."
Suddenly, the door flew open, interrupting his apology. He whirled around as several familiar voices cried out, "Amelia!"
Lina could not believe what she was seeing. There was Amelia, on the ground, in Xelloss' arms!!
Zelgadis' mouth dropped open. Like Lina, he was shocked, but that didn't stop him from voicing his opinions. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!?!"
Xelloss smiled. "Well, dear Zelgadis-san, when two people are in love - "
"In love?!?!?"
"Yes, we're very much in love, right Ame-chan?" Xelloss looked down at the princess.
"Go to hell," Amelia muttered, trying to get out of Xelloss' grasp.
No one, except maybe Amelia, expected Xelloss to hit Amelia, hard, across her face.
"XELLOSS!!!" Lina roared, delivering a kick to his face. "Don't you dare touch her again!"
Zelgadis and Prince Phil raced over to Amelia and helped her up. Tears were streaming down her face.
"Don't worry," Zelgadis whispered. "You're safe now."
"Oh, really?" Xelloss asked, rubbing his jaw contently.
"Zel, Phil, get Amelia out of here," Lina said, glaring at the priest. "NOW!" She yelled when they still hadn't moved.
"Yes, maybe you should get out while you have the chance," A voice whispered behind them.
Lina whirled around and gasped in shock. Zelas was standing with a knife to a very unhappy-looking Felix's throat.
Xelloss raised an eyebrow. "Zelas, what are you doing?"
"Helping you out," she replied.
Felix wrinkled his nose. "PHEW! Someone has been drinking!"
"Shaddupppp," Zelas slurred, wobbling slightly.
"Hey, watch that knife!" Felix yelped. "I don't want to leave this island carrying my head under my arm!"
"Believe me brother," Xelloss said quietly. "When I get through with you, losing your head will be the least of your worries..."
Lina walked over to Zelas and snatched the knife out of her hand. Felix ducked out of Zelas' grasp and watched her fall to the ground. "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Not now Felix," Zelgadis complained, grimacing at the sound of his laughter.
"Stop laughing!" Xelloss yelled, stomping his foot down like a two year old. "I'm trying to be evil here!"
"Well, it's obviously not working," Felix replied darkly. "We won. Now let us go."
Xelloss snorted. "Yeah right, like you can order me around. I'm much stronger than you, Felix. I will kill you before the night is over..."
"You're pretty sure of yourself, brother," Felix commented. "That was always your weak point." He turned to Lina. "Ready?"
Lina nodded and held her hands up. "FIRE - "
Xelloss laughed hysterically. "It'll take more than a mere fireball to hurt me!"
"Who said we want to hurt you?" Felix asked, grinning. He raised his hands up to show black energy flowing from them.
"What are you - "
"BALL!!!!!!!!!"
"TELEPORT!!!!"
A huge explosion filled the room and Xelloss coughed from the smoke. He looked around wildly, only to find he was alone. Damn his brother for that stupid teleportation spell!!! But it didn't matter, they could run, but they couldn't hide for very long...
The group huddled in the dark hallway, scared to breathe for fear of being heard. Lina's heart was thumping so loudly she swore Xelloss would hear it from the other end of the castle. She looked around at everyone in the group.
Amelia was curled up in her father's arms, looking very scared and very tiny. Zelgadis was watching her with a concerned look on his face, but he had his arm slung casually over Filia's shoulders. She had her head pressed against his chest, her face bearing an unhappy expression. Gourry looked confused, but that was normal for Gourry. And Felix... He was staring at Lina once again, breathing deeply.
"Are you alright?" Lina asked him.
"Sure, sure," Felix moved his arms wildly and grimaced slightly. "I just haven't used that spell in awhile. I've gotten quite lazy sitting in the boathouse all those years."
Lina moved forward and hugged the boatmaster tightly, not caring what the others thought. She pressed her face against his chest as he stroked her hair lightly. "Don't worry, Lina. We'll get through this... I won't let Xel touch you, I promise..."
"That's quite a big promise to make, brother."
The entire group leaped to their feet, turning towards the sound of that familiar voice. Xelloss sat suspended in midair, pretending to examine his fingernails. Felix growled and pulled Lina closer to him. "It's a promise I'll keep."
The Mazoku raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that so?" He turned his gaze on the red-haired sorceress. "I'm warning you now, Lina-san. This isn't your battle. All of you are free to go...except for my brother and my dear Ame-chan. You should take this chance while you still can."
Lina spat at the Trickster. "Up yours, Xelloss. Any fight that concerns them concerns me."
"And me." Prince Phil drew himself up to his full height, cuddling his daughter to him. "As Crown Prince of Seiyruun, I must stand against villains like you! Kidnapping innocent girls is the work of evil! You stand in the way of justice, so I shall bring my justice down upon you!" He set a reluctant Amelia on the floor and advanced towards the Mazoku. "PACIFIST..."
"Phil, no!!!" Lina yelled in frustration. "What are you doing, you can't beat him!!!"
"...CRUSH!!!!!!!!"
Xelloss's smile widened. "Too easy," he murmured, lifting a hand towards the prince. A stringy black web shot out from his fingertips, entrapping Phil in its sticky fibers and drawing him into the Trickster's possesion.
"Daddy!!" Amelia cried in alarm, horror filling her large eyes.
Xelloss looked at Phil, mocking a thoughtful expression. "My, my...what to do with him now? Perhaps..." He grinned. "Perhaps Ame-chan would like to trade with me."
"A...trade?" The princess looked wary.
"Oh yes, quite a trade, actually. His life...for yours."
"Nani?!!" Amelia's mouth gaped open in horror. "You...you...that's terrible!"
The Mazoku shrugged. "I said I would use any means to have you, Ame-chan. The decision is totally yours. Will you stay with me, or shall I kill your father?"
Felix pushed himself in front of Amelia. "No brother. My life, for the prince's. Let them all go, and I'll stay here."
"NO!" Lina cried, grabbing Felix's arm. "What the hell are you doing?!"
Felix shot Lina a sad smile and took her hand in his. He gave it a gentle squeeze. "I got you into this mess, it's time I got you out of it."
"Oh, how noble of you," Xelloss said, rolling his eyes in disgust. "You heard what I said, I want you AND Amelia. I will not accept anything less."
"Then we'll just have to kill you," Lina replied coldly, stepping in front of Felix.
"Lina..." Felix whispered nervously. "You have no idea on what you're getting yourself into..."
Xelloss's body started shaking with silent laughter. "What's the matter, brother? Afraid I'll break your new whore?"
Before Zelgadis or Gourry, if Gourry even understood what was going on, could react to the degrading comment, Felix thrust his two hands in front of him, and shot out a greenish type of magic at Xelloss. Xelloss naturally blocked it, but he momentarily let go of Phil...
It was all Lina need, as she rushed in and yanked Phil away from Xelloss. She stumbled under Phil's weight, and crashed to the floor on the other side of Xelloss. He was surrounded now, by two sides.
All the anger Xelloss had at his brother, the anger he had shown before when he was with Amelia, came rushing back. "BASTARD!" Xelloss screamed, unable to control himself anymore. Screw what Zelas had told him, they were all going to die. Starting with Felix...
The boatmaster barely saw his brother's attack coming, a furious ball of black energy. He'd never seen Xelloss this angry before. Felix tried to avoid it, but wasn't able to completely duck out of the way before the ball grazed his back.
"FELIX!" Lina choked out a cry as her beloved collapsed onto the floor, his clothing singed from the attack.
He gave her a brave smile, not wanting her to see him in pain. "BWAHAHAHAHA, I'm all right, Lina. Just a scratch," he gasped, wincing. "I..."
She didn't hear him finish his sentence, the rain of magic around them loud enough to block the sound of his voice. "Felix..."
Xelloss's eyes were blind with rage as he incessantly fired spells at the group, aiming for everyone except Amelia. He had enough of his sanity intact to merely fire spells near her, keeping her occupied. The Mazoku was conjuring up some of his most powerful attacks, putting both Gourry and Filia out of commission for the time being.
Zelgadis knelt near the dragon maiden, his eyes burning with fury. How dare that...that Mazoku harm his Filia?! He nodded quickly to Lina, preparing to fry Xelloss from both sides. "DAM BLAST!!!"
"ELMEKIA LANCE!!!"
To their surprise, he sufficiently blocked both spells with another, simultaneously knocking them both to the ground. "Damn," Zelgadis swore under his breath, getting up for another try.
Amelia was watching the battle from the shadows, keeping aware of the spells Xelloss kept throwing her way. His power was completely focused on attacking her companions. Completely focused...she thought, suddenly realizing exactly what that meant. He's not using any shields! This was her chance to make a difference in the fight!
The princess carefully regarded the Mazoku as her friends affronted him again, noticing where his attention was focused each time he fought. There was a chance! She waited until Lina and Zelgadis recovered and went back into the battle, then stepped out from the shadows, chanting softly. "RA TILT!!!!!" she cried.
Xelloss turned his attention, too late, to the little princess. He watched in surprise as the white blast struck him. And then he was falling...falling... First all the priest could see was white, but soon it faded away into black nothingness.
Amelia choked back a sob as she watched Xelloss' head collide with the floor. His neck was bent in an odd angle and his skin had taken on an ashen color. She had just struck the person who might have become her...lover, if the others hadn't rescued her in time. Although the thought repulsed her, she had to admit she probably would have given herself up for the priest, if he hadn't struck her again and again.
"Amelia... Amelia!" Lina shook the princess, her alarm growing when Amelia didn't response. Amelia looked very stunned at what she just did.
"Good job, Amelia," Zelgadis said, placing a hand on Amelia's shoulder. "But if we don't hurry up and get the hell out of here, Xelloss will wake up."
Amelia blinked a few times and stared up at the chimera. "Zelgadis-san..." Before everything that had occurred, before Zelgadis and Filia were an item, Amelia would have rushed into Zelgadis' arms and pretended for a few sweet moments that he was hers. But now...now everything was different.
Zelgadis shot Amelia a sad smile before walking over to Filia, cradling the maiden in his arms.
"Amelia..." Lina said quietly, the sadness apparent in her voice. "They got together just recently...they never meant to hurt you - "
Amelia waved away Lina's words. "I already know. Xelloss told me. It was just another reason for why I should submit myself to him." Tears shined in her eyes. "But of course, I didn't. That's why he kept...he kept hitting me..."
Lina did the only thing she could think of. She pulled Amelia towards her and hugged her tightly, letting the princess cry on her shoulder. Lina caught Felix's eye; the boatmaster was lying on the floor, his head propped up on his fist. There was pride shinning in Felix's eyes, like he was proud to have Lina as his girl. Lina blushed and looked away, which caused Felix to grin.
"We better get out of here," Zelgadis reminded them as Xelloss moaned, still unconscious on the floor.
"But won't he follow us?" Gourry asked, looking at Lina for the answer.
Amelia stiffened in Lina's arms. "Gourry!" Lina hissed, shooting him a dirty look.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHA! That's why we have to put as much distance between us before my brother wakes up!" Felix said, standing up slowly.
"Felix," Lina complained, rolling her eyes. "Enough with the laugh."
Felix's face turned serious. "I'll put a binding spell on the castle and this room itself, and hopefully, that will buy us some time to get as far away as possible."
Amelia pulled away from Lina. "You can do that?"
"Of course I can, little lady!" Felix answered, winking at her. "It's one of my best defensive spells! And even Xelloss has had a hard time getting through it in the past!"
"So just cast it and get us the hell out of here!" Zelgadis demanded, picking up a sleeping Filia.
"You're so impatient, " Felix commented, closing his eyes as he started casting the spell. A deep purple haze filled the room as all the items and all the rooms of the castle binded to become one.
He opened one eye and looked at Lina. "Go."
Lina nodded. "Come on everyone, we're getting out of here."
Zelgadis teleported Filia and Gourry out of the room, and Amelia followed suit with her father.
Lina was on her way out when a sudden movement caught her eye. She cried out loud as Xelloss grabbed Felix's ankle, and pulled, causing the boatmaster to collide with the floor. Lina raced towards the center of the room, but the binding spell was already intact, and Lina crashed into an invisible wall. She watched in horror as Xelloss started attacking Felix, and silent tears rolled down her face as Felix cried out in pain.
"STOP, XELLOSS!" Lina screamed. This was it, she didn't care anymore. Didn't care about the fact that the spell probably wouldn't kill Xelloss. She just wanted to save her Felix!
So Lina started chanting...
"Darkness from twilight, crimson from blood that flows; buried in the flow of time; in Thy great name, I pledge myself to darkness! Those who oppose us shall be destroyed by the power you and I possess!"
She shot one last look at Felix, squeezed her eyes shut, and yelled, "DRAGON SLAVE!!!!!!!!"
And suddenly the world went black...
"Shh," he whispered, brushing her hair out of her face. "We're safe now."
"We are? But Xelloss..."
"You got him," the boatmaster informed her.
"I did?" Lina looked confused. "But the Dragon Slave..."
Felix shushed her again. "My brother wasn't using his shields again. He was concentrating his full power on attacking me. And he was already weakened by Amelia's Ra Tilt."
Lina was silent for a moment. "So he's dead?"
The boatmaster shook his head. "No. Only incapacitated for a while. But I don't think he'll bother us again, not for a long time." He smiled. "Not after the fight you and Amelia put up."
The sorceress returned his smile. "Where is Amelia, anyway?"
Felix hugged Lina to him, glancing up at their companions. "She went to get us some water. We have a long journey ahead of us."
"Oh? Where to?"
He kissed the top of her head. "Wherever you want to go."
Amelia bent sadly by the stream, scooping water into the cantines. It was a little difficult for her to see Zelgadis and Filia together like that. She'd had a crush on him for so long. But it was never meant to be, she supposed, trying to cheer herself up. Zelgadis loved Filia, and that was that. There was someone out there for her, surely. Someday...
The princess turned away from the stream and nearly dropped the cantines. The familiar purple-haired priest sat cross-legged in the grass before her. Amelia almost screamed aloud, but realized that Xelloss wasn't actually there. It was a vision...a projection of sorts. "You! W-what...?"
His head was bowed submissively, thick bangs hiding his eyes. "I'm not expecting condonement for what I've done, Ame-cha...Amelia. I don't expect you to forgive me," he spoke dejectedly. "But I do want to apologize."
She watched him with surprise, she never thought he was the kind to regret his actions. "I..." she trailed off, not really knowing what to say.
"You don't have to say anything," he told her, almost reading her mind. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I kidnapped you. I'm sorry I made you feel afraid. I'm sorry I hurt you." His voice started to sound choked up, strangled. "I'm sorry for everything."
Amelia shifted nervously. "Why did you do it?" she asked quietly.
"Because I love you," he whispered.
"Is that the same reason you hit me, you scared me? Because you love me?" The princess's voice was full of confusion.
Xelloss sighed heavily. "I don't know. I don't know why...I couldn't bear the thought of not having you. I was afraid..." he choked out, trying to still the emotion in his voice. "I guess I forgot what it's like to be human. I've forgotten what it's like to be afraid or angry...Mazoku aren't supposed to feel. I haven't felt sentiments like that for centuries..."
Amelia was silent for some time. "Are you going to leave us alone now?"
He nodded. "I don't think I have a choice. But..." he whispered sadly, his form disappearing, "I will always be watching you."
Amelia stood where she was for a few thoughtful moments before turning and heading back to where her friends waited. "I understand...Xelloss."