Chapter 2

Lina smiled for naught but pure contentment as she closed the door of her room, the day's events far back in her mind. Food... food is good. Especially triple portions of it. A meal was just what she needed.^_^V

A nervous glance was passed at the seemingly innocent book - sitting as it pleased on her chair. What she had really needed was a distraction.

She knew it was some kind of strange fear that made her ignore the book and climb strait into bed. Then again, some things just shouldn't be rushed.

And so she relaxed.

Bed...heh. Well, it was quite comforting. The covers were warm and soft and the water was gently rushing and...

Water?

"Welcome back."

"Hn?" Lina quickly sat up, noticing she was laying on a patch of grass, right beside a small creek. No bed in sight. ;_; An aqua tressed youth smirked down at her from a near by tree branch.

"Hello there."

"What, you not hatched yet?" Lina huffed, annoyed that her resting time was being interrupted for yet another night.

"Wha?" Val managed as he fell from the tree. "Didn't that dream mean anything to you at all?!"

"Yeah!" she crankily snorted, crossing her arms. "A headache! My dream self even recognizes you're a jerk! Stalker!"

"Hey!"

"And another thing - !" Although she was just warming up, Lina's tirade was interrupted by a cold splash on her nose - the liquid drop halting her speech in its chilled dance. Another fell onto her right cheek, then her left, and soon a few droplets of water began to fall onto Val, their crashes drowning out whatever he was saying.

And he didn't seem to notice. Slowly, Lina looked up to the 'sky' and the rain began in earnest, falling in sheaths.

But there were no clouds in the sky. The sun... it was raining from the sun. The sun was crying.

The rain only intensified and Lina found herself driven away from her only companion while he continued as if nothing was wrong. Panick begun to blossom in her chest - in this wall of rain and mist, only his silloutte was visible.

"Val!" she coughed, choking on a mouthful of water.

Drowning. The whole world was submereged with the light's tears. And she was swimming. Trying to swim. She was slipping. Down into the depths.... The water became less threatening and more comforting, and perhaps, for a second, Lina felt it alright to close her eyes...

Slipping into a dream within a dream.

She stared at him and he stared back. For ten minutes they stood like that, neither admitting defeat by simply looking away. Finally...

"You didn't say thank-you," the youth reminded, malice in his voice.

"For what?" Lina snorted, banishing her sword.

"I was right about the demons! I deserve a thank-you AND an apology."

"An apology for what?!!"

"For knocking me out of the fucking sky!"

"Bull!" she stamped her foot, collecting quite a bit of dust. "I saved your sorry ass!"

"If it wasn't for me, those mazoku would've gotten you," Val reminded.

"Look," she seethed, gritting her teeth. "Just forget this ever happened."

"Fine by me!" he huffed crossing his arms.

Lina frowned as she regarded him. This boy had seen her use Goru Nova, so what did she do now? Hopefully he'd write it off as a simple spell... perhaps Galacia could do something to his memory. "Then we agree. And - AH!! YOU'VE MADE ME LATE!!"

"I'VE Made YOU LATE?!"

"SHUT UP!" Lina snapped, looking up at the narrow cliffs and the even narrower divide. Her Trueshape would never fit through that. The only way to get out was to teleport to the top and fly away from there. Crud. She hated teleporting.

"Got nothing to say to that, huh?"

She clenched her jaw and simply consentrated on the task at hand: namely getting out of there.

Valteria glared for a final time as the girl he had been kind enough to save dissapeared in a faint red light...

Only to reappear two feet above the ground and fall flat on her face. Got a good laugh out of that one.

"OW!"

Until she shut him up by hurling a rock at his head.

"Urusai! [1]" the redheaded banshee screamed, her face flushed and angry.

"Wench!" he yelled, holding his aching head.

"Jackass!" Lina retorted, teleporting (succesfully) to the top of the cliff. Before changing into her dragon form, she courtiously flipped Val the bird.

Returning the favor, he stuck his tounge out at her retreating form. As she eventually flew out of sight, he was forced to refocus his attention the the demon's corpses. "Women," he muttered, seeing to getting himself out.

"I trust your Highness has found the accomodations to be satisfactory?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, of course they are, Allen-dono. [2] They are quite exquisite," Prince Milgazia polietly answered, turning back from the window and pretending to admire his apartments.

The Gold General nodded, his expression pleased. "Good. I hope you don't mind my presence, but when my uncle informed me that the Prince of Aqua's Clan was to be their Ambassador, I just had to see to things personally."

Mil gave a weak laugh and brushed away a constantly straying bang. He took another moment to appreciate the sprawling room - room enough to handle two dragons. "You're an ambitious man, Allen-dono."

The youth smiled and walked across the marble floors to the grand windows. "Ambition is the driving force behind great deads."

"Perhaps," the young prince replied, joining the General at the window. "I must say..." he continued, looking at the people/dragons below. "It's amazing how all of your people can maintain a human form."

"We prefer to think of it as Elven. But thank you. You see, the Trueshape takes up too much space. To maintain this smaller form is more... effecient."

"But must you even regulate the forms of your people?"

"Space restrictions make it so," Allen icily replied, starng out the window.

"I see..." Mil trailed off, growing uncomftorable. He was in no mood for this - he just wanted the General to leave. "It has been a long journy, Allen-dono, if you'd excuse me?" he hinted.

"Of course, Prince Milgazia. I belive I have to make preparations for Gale and Stone's representatives as well."

"All of this preperation, are you sure you're not a Diplomat?" Mil laughed, trying to rid the tension rolling from the other Gold.

Allen's lips turned upward in a smirk not fitting for any Ryuuzoku. "Hardly. If you'll excuse me." And with that, he took his leave, Milgazia staring at the spot in which he once stood.

Mil sighed and turned his gaze to the window, impatiently watching the clock in the square. Where was she? "I wonder if she got my note..."

"Nice digs, Jii-kun. (3)" Well, that answers that question, doesn't it? Lina grinned from the doorway.

"Lina!" Mil yellped. "Don't you ever knock?"

The redhead smiled and shrugged. "Hey, Kei-chan (4) let me in, didn't think I had too. But I must admit, I almost didn't recognize her in a human form."

"Kei-chan is very young," Milgazia agreed as his friend joined him by the window. "It's new to her too - she's not used to a human form."

"She's too young to keep a human form," Lina corrected, frowning.

"But there's nothing we can do," Mil softly countered. "We have to abide by their customs."

"Why did you bring her to begin with?"

"Otou-sama felt that it would be a good experience for her," he smiled saridonically.

"Some experience," she snorted, turning away from the window in disgust.

"Well... let's forget about it for now - we haven't seen each other in so long. Lunch?"

"Thought you'd never ask!" she grinned, lacing her arm with his and dragging him out the door.

"So THEN the stuck up prick, Selicho - "

"Saichuro," Aqua's prince corrected.

"Yeah, Saichuro. Anyway, he started not only bashing the influence of Ancients (as a whole) but then went off onto this tangent of women in male dragon's roles - looking at me the entire time!" Lina ranted, attacking her roast beef with a vengance. "Baka!" Feeling malicious, she deepened her voice and proceeded to do a not-flattering, but somehow very accurate impression of the Dragon Elder.

Now this had a very bad effect on the young prince. Namely, laughing made it very hard to swallow food.

Milgazia groped for his water, trying desperatly to wash the meal down, but big meany Lina crossed her eyes and made a face - so the water found itself on a one-way tickit out of Mil's nose. His eyes crossed in pain and he held his face, glaring while Lina laughed.

Now, the Dragons of Aqua's clan did not find such behaviour unusual. Lina dir Hiko Nova had a way of turning their normally calm prince into a goofball. They had been hellions when they were younger...

Unfortunatly, they were not at Kataart, they were in a restraunt. Needless to say, the Dragons there were NOT used to such behavior.

"Lina, stop, you're going to get us kicked out," Mil laughed/wheezed. "Then what will I tell my Otou-sama?"

"That we got kicked out of a restraunt," she giggled, winking at her embarassed friend. After the waiter cleared out their numerous dishes, she leaned back to begin her complaints once again. "Even if we weren't being lound, people have been looking at us funny since we got here."

And indeed they had. Ever since they came into the restraunt, they had been hounded by a barrage of curious blue and gold eyes from a sea of blond hair...

Blond?

Seeing the room in a new light, Lina slowly looked about it and its inhabitants, horrow shadowing her face. Everyone was blond, that meant... "Mil-kun.. I'm the only Ancient here."

"Huh?" he asked, looking around for himself. She was right. "That's - "

"Weird," she supplied, shivering. True, at Kataart she was not accustomed to seeing many of her kind, but she had grown up with Aqua's Golds. Here was the homeland of the Ancients, yet few could be seen. Why hadn't she seen any other Ancient Dragon that wasn't of noble blood? The only other one she saw was that... that... stupid boy.

Her distress silently screamed to Mil, the worried prince quickly paid for their food and led her back to his mansion.

Elsewhere, at least some people weren't troubled by an apparent unbalance in ethnics. Lia cupped a blooming tiger-lily, closing her eyes to appreciate its sweet scent. A warm breeze ruffled her short black hair and she smiled. Even if Nee-chan snorted at their new home's extravagance, the gardens were perfect.

Allen smirked to himself as he watched the youngest of the Nova sisters, his form hidden by a large rosebush. For Ancients, the sisters were something to look at...

But he still hated them.

All of them. They would pay.

"Lovely, isn't it?" he asked, coming out from his hiding place. Lia jumped up in startlement, a blush creeping on her pale cheeks.

"Hai, Allen-dono," she quietly answered, finding the hem of her skirt very interesting.

He smiled a disarming smile, cordially kissing her right hand. "Lady Lia, I'm afraid that I got off on the wrong foot with you and your sister. Would I be overstepping myself in asking for a diplomatic meeting of the minds?"

"O-of course not," the young maiden stammered, perplexed and still blushing.

Allen smiled again - very reassuring and subtly dangerous. They would all pay in the end.

An unhappy wind howled around his face, forcing Mil to draw the white cloak closer about his face. So this was where... they all were - the Ancients. He squinted his gold eyes against the rain, trying to memorize the detail of the area. The districts weren't exactly slums but...

They were kept in this area, robbed of movement. The rain chilled his bones and Migazia shivered, knowing Lina would not like this bit of news.

"Watch it!"

"Sumimasen! (5)" the prince apologized, bowing to the drunk dragon he accidently collided with.

Said drunk frowned, unreasonable anger sketched on his alcohol-drenched demenor. "Whad'ya say? Never mind, jus' move!" he growled, clumsily shoving the prince aside. The movement was slight, but erratic enough to just send the hood off of Mil's head.

"It's a Gold!" someone on the street cried, pointing at Milgazia's blond hair. "A Gold!"

Mil gulped and tried to move out of there - but an angry crowd quickly surrounded him, ready to take out their frustrations on anything associated with their oppressors.

A hand reached out and grabbed his colar, and Mil found himself face to face with a handsome, but very, very sour youth. "Who are you spying for?"

"N-no one!" Mil stammered, staring fearfully into the other Dragon's cold colbalt eyes.

"Liar!" he screamed, indigo hair flying in his animation. "We can at least pay one of them back, eh?"

The crowd cheered.

"Please! I mean no harm! I - "

" - SHUT UP!" the man snapped, punching Milgazia in the jaw, delivering the prince to the mud. "Enough of your false promises!"

"Zadis, stop!" another voice yelled, pushing through the mob. A man the same age as 'Zadis' broke into the circle, his aqua hair plastered to his face. "Look at the crest on his shirt - Aqua, not Flare!"

"A Gold is a Gold!" Zadis screeched as he pushed Val away. The crowd seemed to agree, and they deceneded, intending to tear Mil apart if he didn't fight back.

"Diem Wing!" Fortunatly, Val acted fast - with a well place wind spell, he got up to Milgazia and grabbed his wrists, teleporting the two of them out of the crowd, where they proceeded to run like hell.

Once a safe distance away, the two stopped, panting and sweating in the pouring rain. Milgazia rested his hands on his knees and hung his head, while Valteria leaned on a building for support, glaring at the blond man. "What... ah... kind (ah) of idiot are you?! Golds know better than to walk through Shreg (5) alone!"

"As you gasp already deduced, I am not from here." Milgazia apologized, brushing away his soggy bangs. "Thank-you... for saving me."

"Yeah, well I'm still in deep shit," the youth groaned, covering his eyes. "After saving one of your kind..."

"Surely you don't think that all Golds are alike?" Mil asked, stunned at the venom in the other's voice. "Especially ones from other Clans?"

"No, I don't. But..." his amber eyes hardened and his fists clenched under the wet jacket. "Few really care anymore."

"Still, let me reward you! I am Milgazia - "

"Prince of Aqua's Clan. I know who you are."

"...How?" He had not been announced as a Representative outside of the Council...

"My father... used to be a soldier in your army."

"You mean Otou-sama's army," Mil absently corrected. "Even better, let me repay your kindness!" He grabbed Val's hand to keep the Ancient from walking away. "What's your name?"

"...Valteria Adaren," he flatly relented, brushing Mil off. The prince pulled a small crest out of his wet pocket, presenting it to Val.

"Please, Valteria-san, take this. I am here to help your people, take this crest and you can get through the gate. Come see me in the mansion bearing this same crest and help me make this better."

"What good will you do?" Val snapped, shoving Mil away, but accepting the gift all the same. "I'll think about it," he growled, walking away into the rainy night.

"Hey bartender hit me with another!"

"One tequila two tequila, three tequila floor," a just buzzed patron muttered into his drink as his buddy slumped over the bar.

"Hey! Don't pass out!" the bartender yelled, pulling the slob up by his hair. "You haven't paid your bill yet, wake up!"

"Everybody! Val's back!"

And sure enough, there he was, entering the pub looking much like a drowned rat, but grinnng from ear to ear all the same. "Hanz, ale! It's time for celebration!" he cheered, pushing the passed out dragon off of his seat, claiming it for his own.

Before he could take one sip, a strong hand fixed itself on his shoulder and Val found himself looking into the same stern colbalt eyes from earlier. "Well?"

"We're in, Zadis, my friend," the youth laughed, briefly flashing Aqua's crest.

"What were you thinking?!" Lina shrieked, throwing a pot her friend's way. Honestly, throwing ceramatics at his head was her way of showing she cared, really. "First you, the FREAKING PRINCE OF A GOLD CLAN go walking through a district of disgruntled and displaced Ancients alone, THEN you give a pass to someone you met on the street?!"

This really wasn't the day to try Lina's patience - it was still raining outside AND she had suffered through another Council meeting that day. She was really starting to hate that Allen guy...

"Lina, please!" Mil placated, doing his best to catch the pottery. "Dragons shouldn't need a pass to get around at all!"

"DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!"

"We need insiders to fix this problem!"

"You still - "

" - Lina-sama? Milgazia-sama? Your visitor is here," a servant meekly interrupted, bowing.

"Show him in," Mil breathed, glad for the interruption.

This was not the day to try Lina's patience... and Mil was doing a damn fine job of it. Lina huffed and glared out the window - watching the empty streets below.

"Oh, Lord Cephieed."

That voice! No way... Lina warily looked to the door and scowled, the object of her vision doing the same. "YOU!"

"YOU!"

"You two... already know each other?" Milgazia blinked, confused.

"Unfortunatly," Lina snorted, facing the two men.

"Hey, you ran into me!"

Her face colored, but she did not retaliate. There was no need to tell Milgazia about the mazoku from earlier in the week.

Somehow, Val got her unspoken hint and dropped the subject. "I only came because things are so fucking crappy," he shrugged, helping himself to a seat on the couch. "So prince," he grinned as he placed his muddied boots on the table. "Let's discuss."

"The least you could do is act decent!" Lina blurted out, appaled at his manners toward her best friend.

"What?" Val asked before Milgazia could intervene. "I saved his ass, alright? And you're one to talk about manners!"

"Why you - "

"So they make visitying Royalty stay in human shape too, huh?" Val asked Mil, completely ignoring Lina. "That's a load of crock, your highness."

"It's different," the prince agreed, eager to stay on track. He sat down on the couch across from Valteria, pleading with Lina to join them. She relented and sat so the three formed a triangle of sorts. "Now, if we can consentrate on the matter at ha-"

"Are you a princess or somethin'?" Val asked Lina out of the blue, this time ignoring Mil.

"No," she glared.

"Oh, you're just his consort then?"

"How dare you!" It was Milgazia who exploded in anger. "No one gave you right to talk to a n - "

Lina held up one hand, steelily locking eyes with Val. "I'm a soldier in Aqua's army, like Milgazia tells me your father was. I've lived with the Dragons of the Kataart mountains all my life, you have nothing to fear from them."

"So you're not an Ancient Noble?"

"No."

If Milgazia was startled at her lie, he did a good job of hididng it. A slightly quirked eyebrow was all the indication he gave. "Why, Valteria-san?"

Val remained silent and tried to keep his face nuetral. Gotta stop getting ahead of myself, if I reveal too much of my views they'll be on to me...gotta get a grip.

"It's just... most Ancients don't feel like the nobility is doing enough to help."

I have to get in good graces... this won't work if I can't come back.

"That's good Valteria-san, we need information like this," Mil urged, thankful to be on the right track. Lina only frowned slightly, but said nothing. "What more can we do?"

Val smiled, his thoughts collected, his speech perfectly prepared and illusive.

An hour or so later, Mil leaned back on the couch, rubbing his eyes. "After a little bit, that wasn't so bad was it, Lina?" he asked, looking to the now vacant seat once occupied by Val.

"You invited him back," Lina quietly pointed out, putting the cups and saucers back on the tea tray.

"I think it was the will of Cephieed-sama that brought him to us. We need an insider to effectively campain... Lina?"

The young Ancient smiled, throwing on her cloak.

"Where are you going?"

"Mil-kun... you are so naive."

"What do you mean?" he asked, watching her walk out the door.

"Leave it to me, Ojii-sama. I'm the soldier, remember?" she called, leaving the room.

Valteria congratulated himself on a job well preformed. Sure, he had some bumps here and there, but he managed to pull it off just fine. And....

His hands brushed over the worked gold in his pocket -

He still had the crest, he could still get in tomorrow, or the next day or the following week, he had power now. He had the chance - they would change things, their way.

But an oddity in the very air broke the young Ancient out of his happy daydreams. Golden eyes narrowed as he surveied the surrounding areas. Something was here... mazoku?

A small, but firm hand escaped from the darkness and gripped his arm, a blade pressed against his vulnerable back. "What are you still doing here? Get. Out."

He mentally groaned but made every effort to hide his annoyance. "Don't you feel that?"

Lina scowled, showing no such restraint. "Look, just leave already."

Showing absolutely no signs of fear or common sense, Val spun around, still uneasy but completely focused on the petite girl before him. Lucky for her she was wearing a thick cloak in this downpour... "It must be easy to boss people around when your life is so easy."

Ruby eyes flashed, but she put away her knife. "We meant what we said. We're here to help."

He stepped toward the soldier, towering above her small form. Lina showed no signs of backing down. "And I'm here to change." His eyes locked with hers and she shivered, recoiling from their intensity. "Go back to your prince," he finally stated, his voice unreadable. Brushing her off, he walked off into the rain.

"H-hey, wait!" Lina finally called, realizing that she had somehow lost control of the situation. "I still don't trust you!" she warned, stamping her foot.

His only reply was to wave as he dissapeared into the pitch black night. Lina shuddered, presumably from cold, as she made her way back to shelter - amethyst darkness recording her every movement.

Notes

I don't know, somehow this didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. I may revise it b/c it seems so awkward, but I definatly have plans for this story. I would really appreciate c and c on this story, especially by anyone who knows a lot about ryuuzoku in the Slayers.

Zoe

1. Shut up. (I'm trying to show a regional difference by giving Aqua's people japanese insertions ^^;)

2. dono - a suffix that falls somewhere btwn san and sama. I believe it means 'sir' or lady.

3. Nice nickname for a prince, ne? 'princey'

4. Kei is a minor character from shi's slayer's rp. she's mil's little sister

Chapter 3   |   Fanfiction