Amelia passed by Xellos's room, it was on the way to her room after all, and just happened to glance into the open door. She caught a glimpse of the mazoku given careful attention to something on the inn room's desk. She paused for a moment, and looked to see him in deep concentration over something.
"What's he doing?" she wondered. She continued on towards her room, stopped again, looked back at the open door and blinked. She shook her head as if to clear it. "It has nothing to do with me, whatever it is." She walked forward again, determinedly and vanished around the corner of the hall to her room.
Within a moment her foot steps receded into background noise, stopped, and then came rushing back at a fast walk. Amelia blurred by a maid on her way back to the mazoku's room.
"So what prank are you planning now Xellos?" Amelia demanded. Xellos flinched as he dropped two pieces of glass. Well, he knew when she had passed before that curiousity was going to get the better of her. He just sort of wished that she had held out longer.
"Well several actually," Xellos admitted. "But this isn't one of them."
"And how can I trust that you are telling the truth?"
"Have I ever told such an outright and obvious lie as that?"
"So what are you doing then?" she asked.
"Sore wa.."
"Life is wonderful. Life is wonderful. Life. Is. Won. Der. Ful."
"I'm trying to put this mirror back together," he said quickly, gesturing at the glues and various pieces of glass and metal.
"Mirror? How'd it break?"
"I'm not sure, found it in pieces a few years ago after one of Lina-chan's battles," he answered. "It has a great deal of magical power, and I'm curious as to what its supposed to do."
"Should you be playing around with something like that without knowing what it does?"
"Probably not," he answered cheerfully. "But it makes an interesting past time."
"Have you ever considered asking a white mage to fix it for you?"
"But what white mage is going to do a favor for a..." he watched as Amelia arched an eyebrow. "Oh...Amelia, would you do me the favor of mending this mirror for me?"
"Sure!" she answered cheerfully with her eyes closed. "All you had to do was ask." Xellos sighed in exasperation as he let Amelia magically piece together the broken mirror. She finished within twelve minutes what he had been trying to do for the last several years. Well at least the mirror was put back together.
"Okay," he picked up the large mirror and turned it over, examining it. "Now how's it supposed to work."
"Maybe," Amelia leaned in close behind him. She had to in order to get a good look. Fortunately neither of them noticed or they would have been distracted. Maybe they would have even broken the mirror again. Oh, wait a minute, that would have been a good thing.
"Maybe it's this jewel here," Amelia suggested. "The one that looks like a button."
"The one you just pressed?" Xellos asked dryly.
"Uh?" Suddenly both were encompassed in a blinding light. In an instant it was gone and the room suddenly seemed darker than it had before.
"That was interesting," Xellos said. "I wonder what just happened."
"Yeah, that was weird."
"L-sama damn it!" Xellos looked at Amelia in surprise, the princess just blinked and looked back in confusion.
"Oh my, Amelia-sama, you shouldn't use such profanity." Xellos and Amelia turned about to see a pair of people standing behind them that looked, dressed, and sounded like them.
"Ahhh!!! Its a mazoku!!" the other Xellos back-pedalled into a corner and cowered there. The real Xellos sweatdropped and began twitching uncontrolablly.
"I can't believe that you ACTUALLY wear these clothes," the other Amelia complained in a sultry voice. "With a body like this why would you want to hide under these thick wools?" The real Amelia's mouth hung open in shock.
"I'll tell you anything you want, just don't hurt me!"
"Oh my, aren't you the gorgeous hunk of mazoku."
"AAAHHHH!!!!!" Xellos and Amelia screamed in unison.
"Hey guys, what's going on up here?" Lina's voice called out. The second Xellos scrambled over and stuck his head out the door.
"Lina-chan," the Amelia copy said coyly, licking her lips. She looked from Xellos to where Lina's voice had come as if in indecision. The real Amelia face faulted.
"Oh Lina-san, there's a scary," the real Xellos pulled himself out of his shock long enough to pull the copy Xellos back in the room and stick his own head out the window.
"Oh, everything is alright in here Lina," he called out, sweatdropping. "Amelia was just giving one of her justice speeches again."
"Oh, Lina-chan..hey!" the Amelia called out as the original pulled her back away from the door.
"We're fine Lina, never mind us!" Amelia called out. Xellos smiled once and then shut the door quickly.
"Well that was weird," Lina said. "That mazoku better not be doing anything to her. Hey, Amelia, I'm taking a bath if you need me!"
Amelia breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed, then felt something grab her from behind.
"Oh, Amelia-sama, don't let the monster hurt me!" Amelia tried to answer and couldn't barely finding the breath to gasp as she felt her arm and a rib snap.
"LET GO OF HER NOW!" Xellos shouted, and the copy released a nearly crushed Amelia. "Hey you get over here and heal her." The copy Xellos skittered away and curled himself into a fetal position.
"Oh let her heal herself," the copy Amelia sniffed. "Or go get that frigid dragon queen."
"Listen you little..."
"I've got it," Amelia coughed.
"Are you certain?" She gave a thumbs up as her breathing became easier.
"Oh my, a hunk and considerate," copy Amelia noted, sauntering up to Xellos. "And how are you in..."
"Don't you dare say it, you unjust imitation!"
"You know, dear," the princess heard her own voice whispering in her ear. "If you want me to yourself, you just had to ask. I might as well start with familiar territory anyway." A hand brushed past her breast, eliciting a blush and then sudden movement from Amelia.
"Let go of me you doppleganger!" Amelia shouted rocketing across the room.
"No wonder you've never been able to sack that chimera," the copy Amelia hmphed from where she fell on the floor.
"'Familiar territory?' why Amelia-chan, what have you been doing in your spare time?" The real Xellos asked, Amelia turned a brighter red.
"Not as much as I'd like to be doing, right now," the copy Amelia hmphed again.
"Hey you, cease these un-civilized behaivors, this instant."
"Don't hurt me! Don't hurt me!"
"Oh you poor thing, just come over here and mommy will protect you from the evil mazoku."
"Don't even think about it!" Xellos and Amelia shouted. The copy Amelia hmphed again.
"What's a girl got to do for a little fun around here?"
"Ack!"
"Would you quit that! We're not going to hurt you!" Xellos shouted.
"You're not?"
"No we're not." Amelia said.
"Oh, well then, hello, I'm Xellos Metallium," he grabbed Xellos's hand and shook vigorously. "Though you already know that. And I guess you already know all about Master's plan to..." Xellos covered the copy's mouth.
"If any of my secrets get out without my permission then I will hunt you down and kill you!"
"AHHH!!!!" The Xellos copy returned to his corner in the fetal position.
"Xellos," Amelia called him over and they paired up across the room from the copies. "What are we going to do about them?"
"Well, I considered just destroying them, but I really don't know what that would do to us...so."
"Well we can't just kill them, they are living creatures."
"What are you talking about, they're.....gone."
"What?!?" Amelia shrieked. "Where'd they go?" Both ran out and checked the hallway.
"You know, I think I know where you're copy went," Xellos muttered. Amelia looked confused for a moment and then blushed beet red.
"Oh no, Lina-san, the baths!"
"Well, whatever it was Xellos was doing with her," Lina thought. "It couldn't have been too bad, she wouldn't be so relaxed other wise."
"How's that Lina-san," the girl she thought was Amelia asked. While thinking, "How can she bear to talk like that ALL the time?"
"Oh, that feels great, Amelia," Lina sighed. "Where'd you learn to give such a good massage?"
"Oh, here and there," the copy Amelia answered cheerfully. She began shifting her grip.
"She's not...is she?...nah, this is Amelia," Lina sighed.
"You like that Lina-san," she asked. Lina narrowed her eyes at the now obviously sultry tone to the voice.
"Yeah, that's good, are you okay Amelia?"
"I'm fine, then you like that," shadow Amelia said. "How about this?" Lina stood up immediately and jumped away as soon as she recovered from the surprise of feeling Amelia's hand between her legs.
"What's gotten into you Amelia!" Lina shouted, blushing madly.
"Not a virgin?" the shadow Amelia pouted, and Lina's already red skin deepened. "Oh my, that's a disappointment, but then its been SUCH a disappointing evening. So was the blonde any good?"
"Lina-san!" the sorceress turned to the sound of Amelia's voice coming from outside the baths. She looked from where the bath door was opening and Amelia was coming in frantically to where Amelia sat, nude in the water. She looked back and forth several times, only getting more confused.
"Oh, damn, its the little party pooper," the shadow Amelia hmphed.
"Get dressed and start behaving now!"
"Yeah, yeah," the shadow complained, picking up her clothes. She goosed Lina on her way past the sorceress, who was fortunately too confused to retaliate. "Catch you later red."
"Get dressed BEFORE you walk outside!" Amelia shouted. The copy Amelia rolled her eyes, turned about and kissed the real Amelia a full and passionate kiss. This proved too much for Lina who fell back in a faint.
"Give some thought to my earlier offer," she said to Amelia's burning and scandalized face. Amelia didn't even notice the copy walk outside still mostly unclothed.
"Get off me you hentai, mazoku-freak!" Zelgadis's voice cried out.
"Oh Zel-kun, don't let the nasty mazoku hurt me!"
"Fruit cake, what are you bloody talking...Amelia!? what the....why are you naked." Amelia pulled out of her paralyzing rage and shame at that last comment, and abandoned the unconscious Lina.
"Well, I was on my way to ask you something," her twin was saying. "But you seem to be busy. Unless you don't mind a third."
"It's not like that! It's not..."
"I said get dressed first you harlot!" Amelia was virtually roaring as she came out into the hallway.
"Keep your voice down," the shadow Amelia complained. "Do you always have to yell?"
"Hey can you guys make less noise?" Gourry asked stepping out of his room.
"Yes, you are all making quite a...ahhh!!" Filia gasped as she came around and saw the scene. "Zelgadis-san, what are you doing?"
"Its not what it looks like!" Zelgadis shouted desperately.
"I can't seem to find the other copy...oh there he is," Xellos said irritably.
"AAHH!!! Gourry-san kill the mazoku before he hurts me!" Amelia regarded him angrily as he cowered behind the swordsman.
"I suppose you're looking to lay everything that moves too," Amelia sniped.
"Of course not," the shadow Xellos snapped nervously. "Carnal love is wrong." Everybody face faulted.
"What's going on here!" Everybody looked to see Lina and the glowing red aura around her. "I count a Xellos and an Amelia too many! And one of those girls tried something with me that is going to get her a LOT of pain."
"Oh, Lina-san, that evil copy tried to take advantage of my innocence!" the dressing Amelia cried out. "She's a woman of loose morals! We should smite her with the hammer of justice!!"
"What?!?"
"FLARE ARROW!!" an arrow of fire struck the speaking Amelia and the charred copy looked at Lina with a shocked and surprised expression. "Like I'm that stupid. Now...WHAT HAPPENED?"
"Well Amelia repaired this magical relic for me," Xellos started, deciding that his standard response would get him REALLY hurt. "And while we were looking it over, we activated it." Lina sighed and investigated the floor.
"It wouldn't have been a mirror, would it?" The sorceress asked.
"Why, yes," Amelia answered. "Why?" Lina was smashing her head into the wall and sobbing in frustration. Then she turned to face what she hoped were the real Xellos and Amelia.
"I DESTROYED THAT THING FOR A REASON YOU TWITS!!!"
"So you know what's going on here then," Zelgadis asked Lina.
"Wait, I'm going to kill Amelia's shadow real quick," Lina snapped.
"Oh, come now, Lina-chan," the crispy shadow coughed. "Was it really so bad? You did say you liked it."
"What is she talking about, Lina?" Gourry asked. Lina snarled and restrained herself from doing anything that might drag on the conversation.
"You twisted little..."
"You know, if you're nice," the shadow licked her lips. "I might show just how twisted I can get." Everybody but Gourry and the real Xellos blushed.
"Where's the mirror Xellos?" Lina growled at the mazoku.
"What is this mirror you're talking about, Lina-san?" Filia asked. "I demand that you tell me this instant!"
"Hey, is it this thing?" Lina, the Xellos's, and Amelia's turned to see Gourry holding the shadow reflector. They all vacated the hallway.
"Gourry, put that down!" Lina shouted from somewhere.
"Really, Lina-san," Filia was saying. "You don't really think that he can figure out how to..." there was a bright flash of light. "...activate a magical artifact." Lina peeked around a corner and saw two Zelgadis's and two Filia's.
"You were saying?" a Zelgadis grumbled.
"I'm sorry Zelgadis-san," a Filia bowed submissively before him. "I should have known that he would accidently..."
"Have some back bone!" a thoroughly freaked out Filia snapped.
"Would you look at these dusty old clothes!" snapped one Zelgadis.
"What's wrong with those clothes?"
"Oh Filia-sama, please accept my humble apologies..."
"QUIT THAT!"
"I might as well not be here with clothes like this."
"And what would you rather be wearing."
"Something to accentuate my fine features and drive the women to their knees at my presence." Xellos and Filia screamed.
"Now he's my kind of guy," the shadow Amelia declared, leaning against Xellos.
"Yes, I imagine so," Xellos said snidely.
"Umm excuse me, Lina-san," a sheepish Filia asked as soon as she determined that the other Filia was in too much a state of shock. "But what do we do now?" Lina walked over to Gourry, shadow-Filia following behind like a real shadow.
"Stop following me," Lina said. "Go stand over there or something."
"Okay, Lina-san," the shadow dragon bowed and stood in roughly the spot Lina had pointed.
"She does whatever you tell her too," Xellos noted.
"This has potential," shadow Amelia finished the thought.
"Don't even think about it," Amelia snapped.
"Jealous?" they both asked.
"Hmm, fine then," one Zelgadis said regarding the still out of it dragon maid.
"What?" Filia asked blinking back to reality. "Zelgadis what are..." she recovered her normal officious manner. "What do you think you are doing!"
"I will content you with a kiss from these almost godly lips of..." Something grabbed his wire hair and pulled him back.
"Over my dead body," the other Zelgadis growled.
"Such an uncivilized manner of dealing with things," the other Zelgadis laughed. "Perhaps we should settle this in a court of law."
"Give me the mirror Gourry," Lina commanded.
"Huh? Okay," he handed it over, and Lina dropped on the ground, letting it smash to pieces.
"The one thing we don't need is a shadow Gourry." Lina grumbled. Somebody dropped a hand on her shoulder and the already enraged Lina Inverse snapped.
"DRAGU SLAVE!"
"I can't believe that you Dragu Slaved that village, Lina-san," Amelia, the real Amelia, said.
"Hey, I found us another inn, didn't I?" she snapped. "Besides, this is all yours and Xellos's fault."
"Yes, what ever did possess you to mess around with a magical relic?" Zelgadis asked.
"I don't know, it just seemed like an interesting project," Amelia sighed.
"Yes, well, that brings to mind the room arrangements for this evening," Xellos coughed.
"Well, since there seems to be no point to hiding it," Lina growled, glaring at the shadow Amelia. "Me and Gourry can share a room. The Filia's can share a room, so can the Xellos's and Zelgadis's, and" Everybody looked at the shadow Amelia.
"What? I don't care who you put me with," she said.
"That's the problem." Filia asserted
"I'll take her," Amelia sighed.
"Why, Amelia-chan," the shadow smiled.
"I didn't mean like that! you pervert!" The shadow Amelia shrugged.
The night proceeded at a rather hectic rate. Lina thankfully slept through the whole ruckus next to Gourry. But the others were not so lucky.
"How can you just sit here and sleep when such a beautiful flower sleeps in one of these nearby rooms?"
"Shut up before I kill you," Zelgadis's muffled voice called out from under his pillow.
"I sincerely doubt that you have the capability to kill yourself in any manner."
"Do you want this bed, Filia-san?"
"That's fine."
"Oh I'm sorry, did you want the other one?"
"Either one is fine."
"I can't decide, will you please pick for me Filia-san?"
"Quit cowering a corner over there," Xellos grumbled. "You're embarrassing me."
"Please sir, I don't mean to be a bother, I have no idea why I'm here."
"Quit acting like a nurse maid and start acting like a mazoku!"
"But I don't wanna!"
"There now, see I can behave."
"Ahh, that does feel good."
"So why don't you just relax and think about purple hair, closed eyes and a big smile."
Lina and Gourry came down to breakfast to see an interesting sight. The shadow Filia was looking over a menu while Filia yelled, "JUST PICK SOMETHING!" In response the shadow pointed to several different entrees.
"This is nice, but this looks good too. Which do you think I should try?"
"Why are you asking me? It's your decision."
"But, I just can't decide, you decide for me."
"He's...staring at me?"
"Fool! You're a poweful being! Stop acting like a baby!"
"Ah lovely Filia, who's golden hair inspires..."
"Zelgadis,"
"zzzz...hmm?...oh," Zelgadis smashed his double.
"Thank you."
"No pro...zzzzzz....."
"I hope you had a better night than I did Amelia-chan," Xellos mumbled.
"Oh, we did," the shadow Amelia said, looking like the cat that swallowed the canary.
"I can't believe I did that," Amelia thought to herself, recalling last night.
"Ame...what do I call you anyway, can't keep calling you my name, can we?"
"Just call me Tes, then, and your supposed to be relaxing so I can work thse stress knots out of your back."
"Oh, right," she turned back on her face and sighed at her double's gentle hands.
"Just relax, think about that dream from a week ago," her double paused a moment in her movements. "You know, the one where you walk into the wrong side of the baths and find HIM there."
"Oh yeah, he's there," Amelia sighed, almost hypnotised.
"And you start to leave, embarrassed," the voice was whispering softly in her ear.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come in over here," Amelia muttered. Then she remembered, he blocked her way, and leaned down to kiss her. That was usually where she woke up and turned over to pleasure herself as the dream couldn't.
It was odd though, she could already feel someone caressing her. Her eyes snapped up, the other Amelia! She turned around on her back in order to tell her to stop, and then found her lips meeting the others.
"This was the same," she thought to herself. "No different than doing it myself, because it is me." So she sighed, and arched her back.
"Coming around then, princess," the other Amelia asked as she bent to suckle at one of Amelia's nipples. The next thing Amelia knew, she was waking up wrapped up with her double in her arms.
"Amelia, are you okay?"
"Oh yes, I'm fine, Lina-san," Amelia assured her quietly.
"Well, this obviously isn't going to work," Lina sighed. "I doubt you all like travelling with your shadows anymore than I did."
"Did you say, your shadow?" Zelgadis asked.
"Damn it," Lina snapped.
"This has happened to you then, Lina-san?" Filia asked. "What did you do with your shadow?"
"She went off with the other shadow that came about from that disaster," Lina waved it aside, and then brought back the discussion to the problem at hand. "Now, we have to figure out what do to with your shadows." Everybody nodded, and for once let the matter drop, they could bug her about it after they dealt with their own problems.
"The problem isn't so much that we can't think of a way to get rid of them," Zelgadis noted. "As I doubt that any of us are willing to kill them."
"We can't do that," Amelia protested. Then continued shyly. "It would be wrong, unjust to kill them just because we...don't approve of them."
"I can think of other reasons to kill some of them," Lina thought as she watched Amelia.
"Why not just let them go on their own way?" Gourry asked.
"Because Zelgadis-san's and Amelia-san's shadows are perverts," Filia explained. Amelia blushed and sank into her chair, while Zelgadis just narrowed his eyes.
"Actually, I think Gourry is right on this one," Lina said.
"So, we just tell them to go on their way," Zelgadis repeated curiously. "And ignore the possible consequences."
"I can just imagine my poor shadow being seduced by one of those two sex crazed hentai," Filia said. "She has absolutely no will of her own."
"It could be worse, couldn't it?" Amelia asked sheepishly.
"They're personalities will calm down after a little while," Lina said, taking the attention away from Amelia. "They'll level out to something more realistic."
"I suppose this means that you've seen your shadow sometime after she left."
"Briefly, she runs an inn somewhere. She still whiny, nervous and completely non-violent, but she's not as bad as when she first woke up."
"They're adults, they can make their own decisions," Gourry shrugged as if that was obvious.
"Okay, so that's that then," Zelgadis said.
"Where is that namagomi?" Filia asked, looking around.
"I'm more worried about what our shadows are doing, while we're here," Zelgadis said. "But since we'll be letting them go off on their own anyway..."
"Fine, let's get on with it then," Lina said. "Amelia, could I talk to you? Gourry go on with Zelgadis and Filia."
"Okay, Lina," the swordsman shrugged and walked off with the other two. Zelgadis and Filia looked over there shoulders, but held back any questions.
"What is it Lina-san?" Amelia asked, shyly. Lina waited for the others to be completely out of sight, before answering.
"You slept with her didn't you?"
"Well, she was in the same room, so..."
"Don't give me that," Lina said. "She's practically broadcasting it with her attitude, and you're acting like a scared deer." Amelia slumped.
"Yes, but how is that different from...you know," and she blushed and gestured demonstratively.
"This isn't the same as sticking your hand between your legs," Lina snapped, quietly but angrily. "She is not you, she just looks like you! So how did this happen?"
"She was giving me a back rub, and talking about this dream I have sometimes," Amelia said sheepishly. "And well, she took over at the point that I usually...take matters in my own hands, and....I don't know why I let her do that to me." She was about to break down. Lina hugged her and patted her back.
"It's the past now," Lina said. "Don't worry about too much about it, now let's go find Xellos and your double and tell her to take a hike, okay."
"Okay," she sniffed.
"Why are you making us go?" the shadow Xellos whimpered. "I need you to protect me from all these bandits and sorcerers." Zelgadis looked down at the Xellos wrapped around his legs and sweatdropped.
"You're one of the most powerful beings on this planet," he said. "You can protect yourself."
"But I could get hurt!"
"Excuse me," Gourry addressed the shadow Xel. "but why are you glomped to Zel's leg?"
"Because Zel-kun is so strong, surely he can protect me!"
"Hey, do you know why Xellos is always saying Sore wa himitsu desu?"
"Yes, but he'll kill me if I tell."
"Oh, who is going tell me what to do?" the shadow Filia whined. "You know I can't make up my mind."
"LEARN!!" snapped Filia, and her shadow started bursting into tears.
"It would certainly be a relief to get away from my...uncivilized other," the shadow Zelgadis sniffed. "And I am certainly capable of protecting such a lovely lady as yourself," he took the shadow Filia's hand, she calmed down and looked to him nervously. "So don't fear milady." He kissed her on the hand and she blushed furiously.
"Watch your step, lover boy," Filia grumbled, wielding her mace.
"Oh, there you guys are," Lina joined the little get together. "So you've told them?"
"To mixed reactions," Zelgadis grumbled.
"Get off of Zel's leg and get ready to travel to whereever you want to go, or I'll fireball the both of you." Zel and the shadow Xellos eyes popped wide, but the shadow Xel let go and backed his way to the other two shadows. "Okay, Amelia, let's go find...hey where'd she go?"
"Looking for someone, highness?" the shadow Amelia rolled her eyes and the turned to face Xellos.
"Really, Xel-chan," she answered. "All I'm doing is collecting some things, before we leave. And call me Tes, I'll let Ame-chan do the princess thing." She leaned on him and idly began tracing circles on his chest.
"Speaking of Ame-chan," the mazoku said as if the thought had just occured to him. "You wouldn't know why she is acting rather jumpy today. Would you?" Tes released a sigh of frustration, and pushed away from him.
"I'd thought you'd be a little more fun," she complained, hands on her hips. "Or do I detect a hint of jealousy? Your role of corrupter of the innocent being taken over?"
"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Xellos responded cheerfully. "You're a little too single-minded to be really effective at my job."
"Give me time," she breathed, smiling saucily. "I've got eighteen years of sexual poverty to make up for first. And you're not helping."
"I see," Xellos said, smiling as normal. "Well sorry about that, but you see I spent the first several hundred years of my life around women like you, and its gotten quite boring."
"Boring?!" she snapped angrily.
"I will admit that you have been providing me with a wonderful feast."
"So I'm only exciting to you as a meal?" she growled. "You prefer some virginal, little bundle of energy? Well you can't have it now can you? I got there first! So if you'll excuse me, since you're as much of a prude as your double, I'll see if I can find one of the Zelgadis's" She walked down the cooridor a few feet only to find herself blocked by the mazoku again.
"You don't know much about your original, do you?" he said cheerfully.
"Oh, I know everything about her," she retorted. "We have the same memories." "That is hardly what I meant," Xellos answered. "You are going to stay away from Amelia from now on."
"Isn't that her decision?" Xellos laughed quietly.
"Learned that argument already," Xellos mused. "I'm impressed. The matter remains, however, and I'm sure Lina-chan will agree with me." Xellos smiled at the stab of fear that stabbed through the copy.
"Your not talking to Ame-chan though, are you?" she jabbed his chest, speaking quietly, confidently. "I got her once, now she's mine. I know how her mind works. What she was willing to do once, she'll be willing to do again."
"My dear, I'm happy to say that neither of us is ever going to understand how her mind works." Tes laughed.
"Tell me that again when YOU'VE tasted her," she said viciously. "She tastes like cream, did you know that, cream and spices."
"Don't touch her again, beast," Xellos repeated, before vanishing. Tes continued walking down the hall, laughing low in the throat. She stopped laughing when a near to tears Amelia rounded the corner and slapped her.
"You are not going to touch me, again!" she snapped. Tes smiled as she turned to face Amelia.
"You've said something like that before," she reminded.
"I mean it this time," Amelia retorted.
"Oh do you now?" Tes grabbed Amelia and pressed her against the wall, staring in satisfaction at the confused look in her eyes. She leaned in against Amelia and began caressing and kissing her. "You know what I told your precious Xellos is right, you are mine."
"Let go of me," Amelia snapped a knee into her double and tried to break away. But Tes recovered quickly and rammed her into the wall again. "You wouldn't do anything here..not where you can be seen."
"Your friends are busy with something, and I can handle anybody else. You're mine," she smashed Amelia's head back. "And nothing you or anyone says or does can change that." She tore open the dazed princess's tunic and forced her mouth over Amelia's as tthe princess gasped for breath. Tes caught a flailing hand and forced it down out of the way, the other remained trapped between Amelia and the wall.
"Amelia, where'd you...hey!" Tes whirled in time to see Lina smash a fist into her face. The sorceress proceeded to pummel the shadow all the way down the hallway. The shadow tumbled on the ground and looked up in fear as the sorceress gathered power between her hands. Tes was too battered and stunned to think of a counter, she could only watch in fear.
"Lina stop!" Amelia stood up. Xellos appeared again back to Amelia.
"I see you had the..." he felt the other bundle of emotions behind him and turned to see Amelia. His eyes narrowed. "I believe I made myself clear before, you little bitch."
"NO!!" They faced Amelia. "She leaves, but don't kill her. If Lina's right, she's immature right now, and she'll get better. Justice calls for punishment AND mercy."
"Fine," Lina said. "But if she shows her face again, I'll rip her heart out."
"As for the punishment," Xellos said with barely withheld anger. He reached out and touched the terrified shadow's face. His finger glowed darkly as he struck a bleeding line from the tip of her ear to the edge of her chin. "No white spell will keep that from scarring, we'll always know you when we see you."
"Fine," she spat angrily. Shielding the terror she felt for these two, as well as the confusion that the princess hadn't just let them kill her. "I'll go, but I will be back eventually, and then you'll all be sorry." She stomped away down the hall and into the common room, streaming blood from the cut. From there they didn't know or care where she went.
"I may have provoked her," Xellos said sorrowfully, watching as Lina draped her cloak around Amelia. "I had hoped she was coward as well as a slut. If I hadn't said anything she may have just gone on to another conquest."
"Xellos, there are many things you deserve to die for," Lina said. "This isn't one of them. Are you sure you're fine Amelia?"
"I wasn't prepared," Amelia said. "If she tries again I'll know better and THAT will give her a surprise."
"This isn't..."
"I know its not my fault, Lina-san," Amelia said, a shadow of her normal cheer in place. "I'll be fine, why don't you go help the others with telling the shadows what's going on. I'd like to thank Xellos-san for trying to protect me."
"Sure, if you're alright," Amelia nodded quietly, and then watched as Lina reluctantly left to go look for everybody else.
"Amelia?" The princess almost immediately collapsed, crying, into the mazoku. He could feel her emotions anyway, why bother hiding them.
"I was helpless," she whimpered. "I couldn't make myself hurt her. If Lina hadn't caught up with me...she would have..."
"She's gone now Amelia, don't think about it," he said. He patted her head and noticed that his gloves came back red. It wasn't a serious injury, but still. For a moment his anger flared again, but that wasn't useful here. "Now let's go get you cleaned up and forget about this okay?"
"Okay," she sniffed and let Xellos teleport her to the baths. He gave her as much privacy as he was willing to with her shadow still around, and collected a replacement tunic for her. Xellos was angry, she'd been hurt, trully hurt. Not just annoyed, or frightened like he'd done to her quite often, but hurt. She'd recover, he knew her well enough for that, but it didn't change the fact that it had happened. And against his better judgement the architect of that was still breathing.
"Okay, Amelia's shadow is already gone," Lina said angrily.
"Why? What happened?"
"What Amelia is gone?" Gourry shouted. "Where'd she go?" Lina hit him.
"Not Amelia, Amelia's shadow! Tes, you moron!"
"Did she leave on her own?" Filia asked.
"Sort of," Lina said. "But you'll have to wait for details."
"Well, travelling with one beautiful flower is better than none," the shadow Zel sighed, eliciting a blush from shadow Filia and glares from both their originals.
"Damn them," Tes spat as she regarded her reflection in the still water. She had considered trying to heal it despite the mazoku's claim, but stopped when spell turned the first half-inch of the cut into a thick purplish scar. She'd have to let it heal naturally or the thing would dominate her face. She slammed her hand into water, scattering her ruined image.
The shadow turned from the pool and climbed to the top of a boulder and sat facing the town. To outsiders she may have seemed serene and calm, and beautiful despite the cut on her face. It was only when Lina's party appeared at the edges of town that her face was distorted with anger.
Tes didn't much care about three of them, aside from the physical appeal anyway. It was the other three that raised her ire, Lina walking next to the blonde swordsman. There was someone she wanted to tear down to the ground just before cutting her throat. Then there was the mazoku hovering over her Amelia protectively, and Amelia herself of course. The mazoku and Lina were problems, both were powerful, more powerful than she was. Maybe she could catch one by surprise, but they'd be watching each other's backs.
She growled as she considered the problem of how to achieve her wrath. Meanwhile the slayers came to a fork in the path just beyond town and turn down it. Then an idea came to her and she smiled as she watched a second, similar group stop outside the town at the same fork.
"I wonder what Lina and Xellos told them?" she wondered.
"Hey Amelia?" Gourry asked. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine Gourry-san," Amelia said cheerfully, before returning to her silent appraisal of the passing wilderness. Zelgadis and Filia looked at her doubtfully, but said nothing.
"Leave Amelia alone, Gourry," Lina said. "Now let's hurry it along people! If we hurry we might only have to spend one night camping instead of two."
"So where are we going this time?" Xellos asked. "Its not like we have any renegade mazoku to put down or anything."
"Well, I we heard that rumor about some strange magic up in this little town," Zelgadis said, well aware of the distraction. "And we were going to see if they had a claire bible manuscript."
"I've been wondering," Filia asked, after looking away from Amelia. "Why don't you just go back to the Kataart mountains and ask to see the original Claire Bible again?"
"This isn't getting anywhere," Amelia said suddenly, and stopping. "They should know."
"Ame-chan, you..." Xellos stopped as the nickname triggered a rush of emotions.
"Please don't call me that," Amelia said to Xellos.
"I was going to let you have a little more time," Lina said.
"She could come back soon, and they wouldn't know," Amelia pointed out.
"What should we know?" Gourry asked. "What she?"
"Amelia's shadow, she tried something, didn't she," Zelgadis guessed.
"She's calling herself, Tes," Xellos sneered. Amelia nodded.
"She rap..." Lina was quickly interrupted by Amelia.
"No, she tried to rape me," Amelia corrected. Then she looked down and blushed in shame. "The first time she just...seduced me."
"First...time," Filia repeated.
"I don't get it," Gourry said. "They're both girls, you know."
"THAT is Amelia's business," Xellos noted.
"She tried the same back rub trick with me," Lina said, flushing angrily at the memory. "Before I knew there was another Amelia."
"She did?"
"Yeah," Lina said quietly. "In the baths."
"Where is she?" Gourry demanded.
"The important thing is that after....Lina-san stopped her," Amelia interrupted. "She promised to make us sorry."
"Hmm, do you think she means to replace Amelia and get at us one at a time?" Zelgadis asked.
"That won't be a possibility for her," Lina smiled darkly.
"Why not?" Filia asked. "She looks exactly..."
"No she doesn't," Xellos answered. "There'll be a scar down the right side of her space, if she tries to heal it, it will look incredibly bad. Even without it I'd know that one over Amelia, though." He cautiously placed a hand on her shoulder, afraid of spooking her. Surprisingly she grabbed the hand and backed into him. Lina stepped in front of her and waited for someone to say something about her friend.
"I see," Zelgadis said. "If she shows her face again, we take the rest of it."
"Definitely," Gourry said, smiling.
"Are you sure you want to go on a quest right now?" Filia asked looking at both the other women. "That might not be the best idea, maybe just travel around and relax for a while."
"That's pretty much what we're doing anyway," Lina laughed. "We're fine."
"I hardly call Zelgadis-san's quest for a cure a vacation," Filia protested sarcastically.
"Compared to hunting dark lords," Zelgadis answered, moving closer to Filia. Amelia seemed to be more interested in the mazoku at the moment, he didn't have to worry about hurting her feelings it seemed. "I'd say she's right."
"So we're still going to this town, Lina," Gourry asked.
"Of course we are Gourry!" She bounced into him, grabbing his arm and skipping ahead. Amelia smiled as the slayers returned to something normal for them, there was no condescending pity. There was just the same constant attitude of watching each other's backs. Amelia was one of them, just like always.
"She will follow?" Xellos asked her.
"Hai," she answered quietly. Then she walked forward, Xellos comfortably close behind. She noticed that Zelgadis and Filia dropped to behind them, but they always did that. She shrugged, not quite recovered yet, but most of the way there. She was with her friends, her extended family, what could Tes do to her now?
"Which way do we go?" the shadow Filia asked.
"I don't particularly care where we go," the shadow Zelgadis yawned. "Of course it has to be a center of civilization."
"Yes, a big city, safe and secure," the shadow Xellos asserted.
"I know a place," they all turned to see Tes standing there, pleasant expression stuck to her face.
"Amelia-san, what happened to you?" the shadow Xellos asked.
"Oh, somebody got a little frisky," she smiled. "I'd offer to show you but I doubt that you'd be interested."
"What use could such a amoral girl like you be?" shadow Zelgadis, hmphed, after looking at her cut face. Tes sauntered up to him, smiling and leaned close to whisper so that only he could hear.
"Who's Ame-chan's father again?" she asked. He smiled slowly.
"The Crown Prince of Sailoon," he answered, Tes could almost see the gold in his eyes. He bowed low before her then. "Amelia-sama, I would be honored to escort you to your homeland." He didn't notice the shadow Filia watching in sad confusion.
"Yes, Sailoon!" the shadow Xellos declared. "The perfect place, loaded with enchantments for protection, we should be safe there."
"Are you sure about this?" the shadow Filia asked.
"Oh definitely Fili-chan," Tes said. "I'm certain of this." The shadow Xellos felt the wave of vengence under her pleasant exterior and flinched.
"Amelia-san, you're scaring me," he said.
"None of you have anything to fear from me," she answered. "I'm just a little human girl."