Mazoku. The name literally means evil. Despair, pain, anger, hate...these are the emotions evil encourages. These are the emotions evil feels. Feelings of the happier sort are forbidden by evil. After all, what kind of Mazoku actually feels love? Even those who were once human should have shed such affections the moment they became Mazoku. Those who haven't pretend they did. In their case, love can become present in other forms. Hatred. Jealousy. None will admit the actual emotion, not even to themselves. And so the delusion continues.
Dynast Grausherra drummed his fingers against the arm of his throne in a bored fashion. There hadn't been any wars in quite some time, and he really didn't have all that much to do up at the North Pole. He'd been sitting there so long; his armor had probably frozen to the throne. He let his eyes wander around the room, finally resting on the beautiful blue-haired woman kneeling before him.
Dynast regarded his general for a moment, thoughtful. Her movements were slow, a little depressed-looking. She hadn't quite been herself in the last thousand years. Was it because she missed the fighting? Did she miss the blood of battle? The Mazoku lord looked at her again, a jealous snarl curling his lips. No, it was because of that sniveling human...that brother of Zelas's priest.
Sherra had been quite taken with the young man, he recalled. The fool. He wasn't even Mazoku. He didn't even deserve to be in her presence. Yet his general continued that irritating relationship, much to Dynast's dismay. Sherra was his general, his servant. Her heart and soul should have belonged to him. He was secretly glad when the young man broke off the relationship, even though his general was quite upset. She finally belonged to him again.
Or so he thought. Dynast couldn't believe Sherra was still heartbroken over that idiot human. Even after all that time, she still hadn't gotten over him. He glowered silently, clenching his fist momentarily. That human would pay. I'll kill you for this. I promise...Felix.
It was a beautiful day, one that matched Lina Inverse's mood. The sun was shining and the sky was a beautiful color blue. Walking along a worn dirt path, Lina felt like the luckiest girl in the world. And it was because of the company she was keeping these days...
"BWAHAHAHAHAHA, what beautiful weather we've been having," Felix, the boatmaster, exclaimed as he walked hand in hand with Lina.
Okay, she could do without that annoying laughter of his. But it was starting to grow on her, which was the scary thing.
"Felix!" Zelgadis Greywers complained, rolling his eyes as he walked behind Lina and Felix. "How many times am I going to ask you to STOP with that laughter?!"
Filia Ul Copt gently nudged Zelgadis. "Oh leave him alone. Can't you tell he's practically bursting with happiness?"
Felix spun around. "BWAHAHAHAHA, the maiden is right! I'm the happiest man alive!"
Lina grinned. "You're crazy, you know that?"
"I'm crazy for you!" Felix shot back, smiling like a fool.
Lina pushed Felix into a puddle and laughed at his shocked expression. "You're so corny!"
"Corny and wet," Felix complained, getting up. He looked over his shoulder to see a huge lake. "But I know how to get even!" He chased after a squealing Lina, trying to get a hold on her so he could toss her in the lake.
"They're unbelievable," Zelgadis said. "They're acting like children."
"Oh Zelgadis-san, let them have fun," Filia replied. "They faced death itself, I think they're allowed to act out of character for a little while."
"Fine, I won't yell at them...too much..."
"Zelgadis-san!"
Trailing behind Zelgadis and Filia was Gourry Gabriev, clueless as ever, and behind him was Amelia Wil Tesla Seiyruun. The princess was walking very slowly, and was having difficulty forcing one foot in front of the other. She was very, very depressed, and nothing anyone could say or do would cheer her up. Even the beautiful weather did not help her sour mood. And the person to blame for that was...Xelloss...
It wasn't so much the fact that Zelgadis was now with Filia, although that still bothered her a little. No, it was something else that depressed her. She felt...alone. Everyone else was coupled up, except Gourry, but he didn't seem to notice anyway. Amelia was a little jealous of them all, jealous of the relationships they shared. The same kind of relationship she might have had with Xelloss if he hadn't...
No. She wouldn't think of that.
But she wanted to.
"Amelia-san..." A soft voice interrupted her thoughts. Filia was looking down at her, concern filling her eyes. "Are you all right?"
The princess glanced at her, feeling the heavy weight on her shoulders. She didn't hate the dragon maiden. She could sympathize with her, since she had once loved Zelgadis, too. Or so she'd thought at the time. "I'm fine," she replied, giving Filia a brave smile. "Don't worry about me."
Lina and Felix were still playing nearby, childish laughter filling the air around them. The boatmaster had finally managed to catch Lina and was dangling her precariously over the water, grinning wickedly. "BWAHAHAHAHA!!"
"Don't you dare drop me!!"
"And what if I do?"
"Then I'll pull you in with me!" she declared.
Felix gave her a teasing smile. "I'm already wet."
"So? That doesn't..."
Zelgadis was sweatdropping profusely. "When do you think they're going to stop this nonsense and figure out where we're going?" he asked Filia.
She smiled at him. "Don't interrupt them now. Besides, we could use a little time off ourselves."
Zelgadis' eyes widened. "What do you mean by - "
Filia tugged Zelgadis' hand, pulling him into a secluded forest. "Zelgadis-san, you should stop over-analyzing things and just act on impulses!"
"Like Felix and Lina?"
Filia blushed. "Well, they're very open with their feelings, so..."
He frowned. "And you're saying I'm not?"
"No! That's not what I meant!" Filia said in a rush, hoping she hadn't hurt the chimera's feelings once again.
"No, maybe you're right," Zelgadis said, taking a step closer to Filia. She took a step back and found herself pressed against a tree. Zelgadis took another step closer, so that he was face to face with her. "Maybe I should act on impulse..."
"Y-you think I'm right?"
"Of course," Zelgadis murmured as he brushed his lips with hers. "You're always right..."
Lina smiled happily as she lay in the sand, gazing at the stars. She was lying next to an intimate fire Felix had built, stuffed from a meal of fish. The two of them had camped out on the beach, away from the rest of the group. Looking at the nightsky and at the stars made Lina feel like everything was right in the world...
Felix dropped down next to her and tweaked her nose. "How's my favorite sorceress?"
She slapped away his hand and rolled over, propping herself up with her elbow. "Well, I think my clothes FINALLY dried..."
"BWAHAHAHA, don't tell me you didn't enjoy that little swim of ours?" Felix grinned from ear to ear.
Lina grabbed the front of his cloak and pulled him close. "You do that again and I'll fireball you!"
Felix kissed her nose. "You had fun, admit it."
"Never!"
Felix grabbed her foot. "Admit it or I'll tickle you to death."
"My lips are sealed - !" Lina shrieked with laughter as Felix tickled her foot. "Stop!!!"
"Admit it!" Felix continued tickling her.
"All right, all right!" Tears of laughter streamed down her face. "I had fun. And you're the only one who could have made that enjoyable."
Felix put down her foot and tackled her. He gazed down into her ruby colored eyes "Ahhh, the beautiful girl finally admits that she enjoys the boring old boatmaster's company. Victory!" He kissed her the lips, long and hard.
"You're not boring," Lina said after they had pulled away. "And you're not old."
"Oh? 1000 years isn't old? So what's old to you?" Felix asked, his green eyes twinkling.
"Your parents, they must be old!" Lina exclaimed. "Come to think of it, you told me you would take me to meet them after the whole Xelloss ordeal? So, when are we going to meet them?"
Felix sweatdropped. "Are you sure you want to? They're a little...odd."
"Of course I'm sure!" Lina insisted. "They can't be that bad!"
A funny look crossed the boatmaster's face. "You have no idea..."
Amelia poked absently at the diminishing embers of her campfire with a stick, a sad expression on her young face. She was all alone again. The light from Lina and Felix's fire burned in the distance, showing only vague shadows of the two lovebirds. Gourry was already asleep; Zelgadis and Filia had gone off into the woods to do who knows what. Actually, I don't want to know what, Amelia decided with a blush.
This loneliness thing was really bothering her. She'd never once felt like that before the whole incident with Xelloss. It wasn't that she felt left out, no, her friends did everything they could to include her. Yet something still wasn't right. Something was missing from her life.
"Hello there, Amelia."
Amelia nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of that voice, that teasing voice. "Xelloss!!" she squeaked, falling off the log she was sitting on. "What are you doing here???"
The Mazoku gave her a hurt look. "Ma, ma, you're acting as if I'm some sort of monster!" He laughed suddenly. "Oh, perhaps that's because I am one!"
His carefree mood made her suspicious; it was a completely different tone than the last time she'd spoken to him. "What are you doing here?" she repeated.
"I told you I'd always watch you, didn't I? Well, here I am...watching."
Amelia sweatdropped. "You're supposed to watch from a distance," she mumbled.
He winked at her. "That's not really my style." There was a short silence. "And besides, this was the only time I could see you without the others noticing my presence."
"Oh." Amelia didn't really know what to say. She was quite scared of the Trickster, given the events that had previously occured, but she didn't really want to ask him to leave. Which was ridiculous, she knew, but still...
"What's the matter?"
His delightful purring voice startled her. "Um...nothing. Nothing's the matter."
"I see." Xelloss blinked suddenly and cocked his head to the side, like he was listening to something she couldn't hear. Then he smiled in apology. "I'm sorry, Amelia, I can't stay any longer. But I promise I'll drop in again." And so he was gone.
The next morning everyone slept late; they were all lazy after their last ordeal. Plus, no one had any set plans on where to go or what to do.
Well, one orange haired sorceress did have something in mind...
"Felix!" Lina exclaimed, walking up to the boatmaster and slapping him on the back. "Are we going to meet your parents today?"
"Meet you parents?" Zelgadis asked, lifting an eyebrow.
"Oh, that'll be fun, won't it, Amelia-san?" Filia said.
"Sure..." Amelia replied, not looking up from her breakfast.
Felix, in the meantime, was rubbing the spot where Lina had hit him. "BWAHAHAHAHA, you've got a strong arm there, Little Lady Inverse!"
"Felix!" Lina complained, shoving her face in front of his. "Don't avoid the question! Will you take us to meet your parents?"
"Do I have a choice?"
Lina grinned evilly. "Not really!"
Felix sweatdropped. This was not good, not good at all...
"Report," Dynast ordered, not even looking up at one of his warriors. His eyes were trained on Sherra, who was standing next to his throne.
"Dynast, my lord, it seems that the group you ordered us to watch over has begun to move - "
Dynast held up his hand. "I do not want "it seems". I want cold hard facts, do you understand?"
"Yes, my lord."
"Lord Dynast," Sherra interrupted, stepping in front of the warrior. "Allow me to follow Felix and that Lina Inverse. I can find out where they are heading and - "
"No," Dynast replied.
"No, my lord?"
"That is what I said. I do not want you following one of your old boyfriends in hope of rekindling your love for one another," Dynast said angrily. His hands were squeezed into tight fists. He was jealous, very, very jealous.
Confusion was etched in Sherra's eyes. "But sir, I'm the best - "
"I said NO!" Dynast roared, flinging his glass of wine at his general.
No one dared speak as the wine dripped off of Sherra and onto the floor. She kept her gaze on the floor, refusing to stare at her lord's angry face. When he got like this, it was better to let him calm down before speaking.
Dynast glared at his warrior. "Follow them from a distance. Listen to their conversations. Find out where they are going. But above all, do not be noticed!"
"Yes, my lord."
Dynast grinned evilly. Soon, dear Felix, I will kill you. Soon...
Lina happily skipped down a beaten forest path, dragging a trudging boatmaster after her. She didn't know why she was anticipating the visit to Felix's parents so much, but the thought of seeing the place where he had grown up excited her. The boatmaster, on the other hand, was not exactly ecstatic about seeing his parents again. He kept trying to change her mind about the trip, but her decision was cemented in place.
"Isn't there somewhere else you'd like to go?" Felix asked desperately. "Maybe some enchanted palace where we can steal treasure?"
"No, Felix."
"Or a bandit's hideout, or a demon city?"
"No, Felix."
He whined despondingly. "Do we have to visit my family? Why can't we visit yours instead?"
"My..." Lina froze. The thought of seeing her sister again was absolutely terrifying. "Haha, no, that's not a good idea!" she said with a forced laugh, walking ahead a few paces. "Let's just keep going, okay?"
The boatmaster raised an eyebrow questioningly at the others. Lina was obviously against visitng her family, even more so than he was against visiting his. She actually seemed afraid of the idea.
Filia sweatdropped and bent to whisper in Felix's ear. "It's her sister she's scared of. She's a Knight of Cephied."
"Knight of...Cephied?"
"Yes. Luna Inverse."
Felix almost choked. THAT Inverse?? Lina's related to HER?? He gulped quietly. I'll have to be very, very careful from now on. If he hurt Lina in any way, Luna would hunt him down and kill him. Not that he would hurt Lina, of course. But her sister was still an extremely scary person.
Gourry was already looking bored, and they'd only been walking for a few hours. "When are we going to get there?" he complained. "I'm hungry."
Lina smacked him with the back of her hand. "You're always hungry."
"I'm wondering the same thing, though," Zelgadis put in. "How far away is your hometown, Felix? I've never even heard of Kor Astur before."
Felix smiled. "I'm not surprised. It's in a rather...secluded area. And it's more of a city than a town, Zelgadis."
The chimera shrugged. "Isn't there a faster way to get there?"
Gourry blinked. "What about that teleportation spell you used against Xelloss?"
Felix cursed silently. Darn him for remembering that! And they had told Felix that Gourry was slow.
Lina turned around and walked backwards, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "That's a good question, Felix. Why don't you teleport us there?"
"Because, um, well..." Felix gulped. He really did not want to get to his parent's house this quickly. He needed some time to...to think of what he was going to say to...them...
"Well Felix, I'm waiting for an answer. What do you say?" Lina peered at Felix curiously.
Felix looked at the ground. "I say you better watch where you are going or else you're going to trip over that rock and - "
BOOF!!
"Land on your butt," he finished.
Lina scowled and rubbed her butt. "Warn me earlier next time, Felix. And stop avoiding the question!"
Felix held his hand out to help Lina up, but she brushed his hand away and hopped up.
"FELIX! Answer my question!!"
The boatmaster sweatdropped. "Well, you see, I can use the teleportation spell, but..."
"But what?" Zelgadis asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Well, it's just that....BWAHAHAHAHAHA, I don't want to right now!"
Everyone sweatdropped.
"Felix, you are so damn annoying!" Zelgadis growled.
"Felix..." Lina warned, her eyes taking on a decidedly evil glare.
"Ehehe..." the boatmaster took a step back. "I'm not getting out of this, am I."
Moments later, the crew was approaching what looked like a set of large iron doors, an ivy-covered gate in the middle of the forest. Two ornately decorated wards guarded the gate, standing at perfect attention, their armor shining in the sun's heavenly gaze. It looked almost like a picture out of a storybook.
Lina boldly marched up to the gate, stopping short just as she reached it. "What the..." The guards looked as if they were made of polished stone! She rapped experimently on one, then frowned. "They're just statues! Felix, what is this?"
He looked at her questioningly. "This is the gate to Kor Astur."
Zelgadis walked around to the other side of the iron doors, surprised to find nothing but more of the same forest they'd just been walking through. He came back around and planted himself firmly in front of the boatmaster. "What's the deal, Felix?" he demanded. "There's nothing here except a set of doors and some statues! Where is the city, hmm?"
"Right through the gate, of course. Don't be silly, Zelgadis."
"Silly? Silly?!"
Filia quickly put herself between the two. "Now, now, there's no need for fighting...Felix, why don't you explain to us exactly what is going on here? Does this gate lead to Kor Astur? And if so, how?"
The boatmaster regarded the group for a split second, then grinned boyishly. "Why don't I just show you what I mean?" he suggested, throwing open the iron doors. Felix took Lina's arm and pulled her through. "Come on!"