So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you
- Hero Mariah
Anger.
...Delicious.
Grief.
...Delightful.
Hate.
...Absolutely scrumptious.
The emotions that radiated off the swordsman were only too well received by the Mazoku in front of him. He drank them in, savoring their smoky flavor as if they were fine delicacies and well-aged wine. Indeed, there were not many people that could achieve this level of intensity with their emotions. Gourry's emotions were so strong, they rushed to Xellos' head and made him giddy.
Grinning maniacally, like a drunkard who turns abusive under the influence of his poison, he stared into the taller man's eyes. They'd darkened and were missing something that had made them Gourry's eyes, something vital. How absolutely wonderful! Xellos nearly giggled with glee at the implications of this. Throwing all his caution to the wind, he reached up with a gloved hand and gently stroked the other man's cheek. "So you think you can kill me, Gabriev-san?" Gourry jerked away, knocking his hand down as if he'd been burnt. Xellos' grin did not waver. "I'd like to see you try," he whispered harshly.
"Then watch," the blonde man grated. He drew the sword hanging at his hip; the white metal blade flashed out and slashed at Xellos so fast even the Mazoku was taken aback. A stab of fear ripped through him as he fell backwards.
Two things happened as Gourry drew his sword. A flash of brilliant light and a shockwave sent Gourry and Xellos staggering away from one another. They threw up their hands to shield their eyes while they sought to determine the source of the disturbance. When the light dimmed finally, they could see a bright pillar of light, light that shot upwards and pierced the darkness that Xellos had shrouded his pocket dimension with; the walls crawled with random patterns of purple. Inside that pillar were three figures: Zelgadis, Amelia and Jarix. "Gourry!" the three of them shouted in unison. "Lina!"
"Zelgadis! Amelia!" he shouted as he turned back to Xellos. "See to Lina while I deal with this piece of filth." Xellos just grinned wider at him.
"We can't cross the barrier, Gourry-san!" came Amelia's shouted reply.
"Your friend there did something to the portal and sealed us in here!" Jarix explained.
"Release them, Xellos. Your fight is with me," he said in a low, dangerous voice.
Xellos shook his head. "And that's precisely why I'm not going to release them. It's between you and me and I don't want anyone interfering with us. What do you say we make this a little contest? The winner gets Lina-san. The loser just..." His lips pulled back from glistening white teeth. "Loses."
It was then that the second thing that happened made itself known to the two men. "Gourry!"
The swordsman's face turned worried as he heard that. "Lina, stay back!"
"Like hell I'm going to stay back, Gourry Gabriev!" And she was there by his side squaring off against Xellos. "Don't be a jellyfish about this! You're going to need help to defeat this bastard!"
Both Gourry and Xellos' eyes went wide and they looked at her curiously. "You...you recognize me?" Gourry asked, lowering Graeswandyr to stare at her.
She smiled crookedly and nodded. "I...I do. I don't remember everything, and I don't know what happened, or why I didn't recognize you before, but when you drew your sword..." Lina shrugged and turned back to Xellos, who was watching them curiously. "Let's take care of him for good."
"Now, now, is that anyway to treat your host?" Xellos said, holding his staff in both hands and watching them through slitted eyes.
"Send us back now, Xellos," Gourry said, turning to face the Mazoku fully and lowering his sword. "You've lost. Lina remembers me; now just send us all back and leave us alone."
"Don't think it's going to be that easy, Gabriev-san." The Priest shot out a hand and Lina went flying backwards with a shriek.
"Lina!" The swordsman rushed after her only to have a wall of light flare up around her, a wall similar to that which surrounded the others. Purple light flared around Lina and he reached out to push his hand through -
"Don't! Gourry! No!" He froze and turned to his friends who stood nearby inside their own prison. "Don't touch it!" Lina climbed to her feet and stared helplessly at him through the glowing wall.
He lowered his hand and turned back to Xellos. "You really want to suffer, don't you?" he practically snarled.
"I just don't want anyone interfering with our little contest, least of all the prize herself." He winked at Lina who glowered hatefully at him.
"I'm not a prize to be won!" she shouted at him.
The swordsman turned and crossed the distance to the Mazoku Priest. "All right then. Let's do it your way, Xellos."
"How wonderful!" he responded. "And we've got a captive audience and everything." He snapped his fingers and the walls disappeared. The two columns of light pierced the darkness to show a black floor that extended into darkness in all directions. Gripping his staff in both hands, he lowered into a crouch as suddenly all the amusement drained from his face. "I'll even give you the first strike."
"You may regret that," Gourry said. He raised his sword and attacked.
Xellos' eyes bugged as the white metal of Gourry's sword came flashing at him with incredible, impossible speed. Even with his own inhuman reflexes, he only barely managed to get his staff up in time to block a blow that would have severed his head from his body had it connected. Using all his strength, he pushed the taller man back, sending him staggering then rushed in low, aiming for the swordsman's shins. But when the sharp tip of the staff reached the place where Gourry had been standing, he was nowhere to be seen.
A faint whistling was all the warning he had. He dove forward, pressing himself to the floor as the blade sliced through the air mere inches above his head. Rolling, he put a foot in Gourry's mid-section and shoved as hard as he could, digging the heel in under the sternum hoping to wind the swordsman to slow him down.
The taller man went reeling backwards, gasping from the kick to his stomach. He caught himself after a half-dozen paces and stood there, hand pressed to his stomach and breathing hard. His eyes glowed hatefully in the dark.
Xellos pushed himself to his feet and stood facing the swordsman, staff held ready and slanted diagonally across his body. Grinning broadly, he caught and held Gourry's cobalt eyes. "Do you know your emotions are very delicious, Gourry-san? Hate...Hate is the tastiest of all the negative emotions and right now you're burning up with it. You realize that it only helps me? It makes me stronger." He moved in and swung his staff at the other man. It blurred through the air so fast it appeared to disappear. Gourry's sword was up and out to block the blow, but the shock sent the other man staggering back. "Faster." Again he swung his staff towards the swordsman, only to change directions without any loss of momentum mid-swing. Gourry barely had time to jump backwards to avoid the large ruby as it cracked into the floor at his feet. "And more powerful." Setting his staff tip-down on the floor behind him, he raised his hand and sent a blast of power at the human man in front of him.
Grimacing determinedly, Gourry whipped up his sword and held it upright in front of him as the Mazoku had seen him do so many times with the Sword of Light. His blast caught on the blade and ripped apart, passing harmlessly on either side of the blonde man, whipping his long hair as it passed. Xellos was surprised; a normal blade should not have been able to withstand that sort of blow. Gripping his staff with both hands again, he lowered himself into a ready stance. It was time to take the kid gloves off and show this pathetic human exactly what he was capable of.
The magical wind died down and the pressure on the sword abated. Gourry lowered his sword but not his guard as he saw Xellos adopt his own guard position. Graeswandyr had absorbed the power but it left him breathing hard and feeling somewhat disjointed. The sword...it screamed out to him to let it go, to let it fight this fight for him and he had to continually reign it in and bend it to what he wanted it to do. It was harder to do in a real battle than in a sparring contest with Jarix or Zelgadis. Taking a deep breath and wiping the sweat out of his eyes, he told the sword to shut up and do what it was told and readied himself for another attack.
When it came, he was ready for it - barely. He jumped out of the way as Xellos beat mercilessly upon him. The Mazoku's staff flickered and blurred through the air too fast to see; he had to rely on his instincts and his sword-enhanced reflexes that allowed the sword in his hands to be where he needed it to before Xellos' attacks could get past his guard.
Together they danced around the featureless plain, around and between the two columns of light that held the others imprisoned. Xellos tried to drive Gourry into the one that held a horrified Lina imprisoned; she screamed as Gourry's hair flicked through the light wall and was singed black in a flash of bright sparks. He jerked out of the way and put some distance between himself and the two pillars.
"Finding it a bit more difficult to kill me than you'd imagined, Gabriev-san?" Xellos asked as he followed him resolutely, swinging his staff in his hand as he went.
"Don't worry about me, Xellos," he rasped, launching into a series of attacks that were just as fast and furious as Xellos' had been. The Mazoku fell back, easily blocking each blow with his staff. The white metal struck the enchanted wood and sparks flashed around the two of them, lighting the darkness like a summer thunderstorm. Growing desperate, Gourry gathered himself and brought his sword down on the Mazoku's staff with all his and the sword's strength he could manage. The sound of thunder nearly deafened them as the glistening white blade tore a chunk out of the wood.
Xellos' amethyst eyes went wide with something Gourry thought might have been fear. Elation filled him and he pressed downwards, driving the edge of the sword closer and closer to the Mazoku's neck.
Then those hated eyes narrowed and the familiar half-grin, half-smirk curved his lips upwards. "I can understand why you're fighting so hard to get her back, Gourry-san. Lina-san is definitely quite a woman. Very...energetic."
The swordsman felt fear rip through him. "What?" he asked, his mouth dropping open as he stared at the shorter man. He remained conscious enough not to let up on the downward pressure.
"Yes. She's quite enthusiastic. I'd be fighting to my death should someone try to take her away from me, too."
"You didn't...?" Gourry felt sick to his stomach.
"She's a very good kisser. And has such a talented tongue..."
"You're lying..." the other man insisted, his strength wavering as he stared horrified at the Mazoku.
Xellos remained balanced against the weakening man, not giving any indication he noticed the lessening pressure. "Oh, I'm not lying. After she lost her memories, I twisted the truth a little and told her I was her husband. She fell quite easily into my arms." He smirked upwards at the shocked man.
Gourry remained silent for perhaps another second or so. Then he let loose with a roar full of pain and rage and attacked Xellos with renewed vigor. He threw aside all his training and rained blows down on the staff which Xellos held over his head, effectively blocking the attack without having to expend any energy at all. Instead, he just soaked up the swordsman's emotions and turned them into power.
When the swordsman had expended himself, he fell backwards, tears of rage and shame tracking down his cheeks. He faced Xellos, who straightened and gripped his staff. He barely had time to dodge out of the way as the ruby whistled through the darkness towards his head. Tripping, he rolled out of the way and came back up - then the world exploded into a thousand pieces. Pain shot through his skull as Xellos' staff glanced off the back of his skull. He dropped to the floor and lay still. Dimly, he was aware of someone screaming his name...
"Gourry!" Lina shouted, pressed as close to the wall of light as she dared. She could barely see him; he was just a glimmer of golden hair in the darkness. Xellos blocked most of him from her sight as he approached the fallen swordsman and raised his staff...The dark red ruby glittered in the half-light, and then he brought the staff down...
"GOURRY!!!"
"Gourry!" Zelgadis and Jarix shouted in unison.
"Gourry-san!"
Across the way, they could hear Lina screaming his name, too.
There was no response from the fallen swordsman. They could see the evil glee in Xellos' face as he approached the husband of the woman he'd stolen and raised his staff. His face twisted into the most evil smile they'd ever seen on his face and they drew back in horror as the tip of the staff traveled downwards, aimed to go up and under their friend's armor and pierce his heart...
Finally. He'd beaten that idiot swordsman. It was only a matter of time, and like all humans, so easily manipulated. A few choice words and they lost all control. In a sense, Gourry had been easier to manipulate than Lina herself. Lina got angry with enough provocation, but Gourry...All he had to do was simply suggest the things he had and Gourry's mind supplied the rest. Almost too easy.
But not so easy that he was going to give up an opportunity like this. Taking his staff in his right hand, he walked up to where the fool lay comatose on the ground. He stood over the fallen man, taking in the spill of golden hair over the black marble, the handsome face with brows drawn down in pain, the white-bladed sword that rested close to slack fingers.
Xellos lifted his staff. "You lose," he said with an evil grin. He brought his staff down with all his strength, aiming the tip up and under the breastplate...
Light.
Gourry opened his eyes only to be nearly blinded by the light that burned around him.
Closing his eyes quickly against the glare, Gourry sat up. Shielding them, he opened them again carefully and let them adjust to the light.
When they finally had, he lowered his hand and blinked. A figure standing near him was the source of the blinding light. He peered through the brilliance and saw a face -
And drew back in shock. How...? he thought.
He stared in wonder at the apparition in front of him: Tall, muscular, long golden hair, trusting sapphire eyes - eyes that greeted him every morning in the mirror when he was shaving.
The only difference between himself and this phantom copy of himself was the phantom was dressed all in white and the armor was the same white metal as the sword he held blade downward in his hands, white ribbons fluttering from its hilt.
"What...who are you?" he asked.
I am you, said a voice in his head - his own voice yet these thoughts were definitely not his own. The apparition's mouth did not move and yet Gourry knew it, he (himself?) was the one that had spoken. I am Graeswandyr.
"I...I don't understand," Gourry said. "How can you be me and Graeswandyr? How can a sword be a person?"
You are me. You are Graeswandyr, was the cryptic remark. You are the sword; the sword is you.
Gourry shook his head and backed up a pace. "No..." he shook his head. "I'm a swordsman, that's all."
No. You are the Sword and the Man. That is the nature of Graeswandyr. Set me free and you will set yourself free as well. Those blue eyes, his own eyes, were pleading with him. Let us be what we were meant to be, what we were created to be.
"How can I set you free? I don't know - " He broke off as the light around the figure dimmed. The image of himself looked around and faded a bit.
You must set me free if you are to defeat this Mazoku. His voice in Gourry's head was growing fainter. Loose your control of me and become one with me. You did it once; do you not remember? The voice had turned pleading now. Then...just as the last of the light and the figure faded away, Please...
Gourry opened his eyes for real this time and saw Xellos standing over him, his staff raised. The cruelly pointed tip flashed downwards. He rolled to his right, grabbing up his sword as he did so. Using the momentum provided by his roll, he brought himself to his feet to face Xellos, sword up and flashing in the eerie purple light from the pillars. The rage and hatred he'd felt for the priest just before he'd been knocked down returned and he over-extended himself and only missed getting skewered with the Priest's staff a second time by twisting out of the way.
As he rounded on his heel to face his enemy, another voice sounded in his head: "Anger dulls your reflexes, affects your judgement. Never go into a fight angry; you'll only lose." Realizing he'd been an idiot to attack Xellos in anger, he backed away and cleared his mind of those emotions. He wouldn't give the other man another edge over him.
Xellos grinned, tucked his staff under his arm and clapped. "Good," he said. "You can be taught. Now, to teach you the last lesson you'll ever learn!" He grabbed his staff in both hands and settled into a crouch and - froze. His eyes went wide in shock and he looked around himself.
This time, the hard smile belonged to Gourry. "What's the matter, Xellos? Can't do your little dimensional hopping trick?" He shifted his grip on Graeswandyr and took a step forward driving the Priest back a step or two. "You won't be able to pull that trick on me again. You see, this sword has some special properties: One of them is that it closes all dimensional portals and won't let new ones open. You're trapped here, on your own battlefield. How do you like them apples, Xellos?" The sword whipped up and he leapt forward, slashing at the stunned Mazoku.
Xellos' eyes went wide as he saw the attack coming and he dove to the side. But Gourry was faster than he realized, fueled as he was now with renewed hope. The sword flickered and Xellos stumbled back. His amethyst eyes were wide and worried as he regrouped himself and put a hand to his cheek then looked at his hand. The lavender silk was stained with black blood: There was a paper-thin cut high on his cheek.
"All right, Gabriev-san," he growled, taking his staff in both hands and holding it horizontal in front of him. "I'm growing tired of this. This time I end it." His form shimmered and a black cone shaped cloud appeared where he'd been just a moment ago.
Gourry stared, wondering what the priest was up to. The cloud gathered in on itself, like a snake gathering in on itself before the strike or a thundercloud gathering around itself just before the lightning struck. The pointed end of the cloud came rushing towards him with surprising and deadly speed.
Before he could think, Gourry flung himself to the side, but not quite quick enough. The pointed end scored him along his side, scorching him with black fire. He screamed and stumbled before recovering and jumping to avoid the next attack.
Xellos - or whatever that thing was - hounded him mercilessly. Sweating with the effort of defending himself against the attacks, the swordsman found himself becoming detached from the battle. His arms were swinging of their own accord and yet it was not him, either. It was as if he were standing outside of himself, watching someone else control his movements...
Then he felt it, that strange duality that had haunted his exercises with Jarix. He had perfect control of the sword and yet, it wasn't the way the sword was meant to be used. He knew that now; knew it on some basic instinctual level: What Jarix had taught him had been wrong. Not purposefully, but because no one who had not won Graeswandyr themselves could understand the true nature of the sword. He didn't understand it himself; he only knew what he felt was right.
Dodging another series of high-speed attacks, Gourry retreated to give himself some breathing room. Now that he knew what he needed to do, how was he supposed to do it?
You know already, was the answer. He was uncertain whether it was his own inner voice or the voice of the sword. But it was true. He lowered himself into a guard position, fixed his sapphire eyes upon the black cone that Xellos had become, and let loose his control of the sword. It's presence swelled up to fill him - and the world seemed to snap into focus for the first time. The sword flared in his hand, lighting up the darkness for yards, throwing stark shadows behind him and the cone.
Then all hell broke loose.